I read that this movie won an Oscar in the documentary category, so I rented it believing that if the academy acclaimed it, it must be good. I feel duped.
The wildness of youth revisited, a time before tragic culture defining events, a feat on a feat.
Please help me out. What makes this film so deserving of its critical acclaim? Possibly, I’m missing a critical perspective that will make my future viewings more fulfilling.
It's a cool story, but the film itself is nothing special, IMHO. The heavy reliance on reenactment footage is pretty disappointing.
shareFor me, what made it amazing was the sheer magnitude of his goal, and the fact that it was basically impossible - and yet they did it. As for critical acclaim, well, I don't know. I just thought it was cool. I don't think having a "critical perspective" is going to make you like it if you didn't like it first time round.
shareI'm a huge fan of documentaries, and I watch a lot of them. The appeal of this film completely befuddles me. I find the film tedious and dull. The subject matter isn't of any real interest to me and the manner in which the story is told didn't grab ahold of me. I have no idea why this won the Oscar.
http://www.13tongimp.com/
If the subject matter is of no real interest to you then what the hell did you watch it for
We're not gonna make it, are we? People, I mean...
A good documentary to me is a film that has the ability to make the subject matter interesting. It should be something so compelling that even if I don't have a vested interest in the subject matter, I still get drawn into it. I don't care at all for sports, but Bigger, Stronger, Faster* made me really interested in the subject matter. It doesn't matter one flipping bit to me who the mayor of Newark, NJ is but Street Fight made me care. Do I give a crud about some hicks in Texas trying to win a car? Not at all, but Hands on a Hard Body made me eager to see who turned out to be the winner. Man on Wire didn't do this for me at all.
http://www.13tongimp.com/
Well, that's your problem.
Seriously, if you didn't like it, I can't imagine anyone saying something that will make you suddenly think, "Wow, I was wrong! This is a great movie." If you didn't like it, you didn't like it. So what? I think it's an awesome story, but it's clearly not for everyone.
And don't bother asking why this won an Oscar. I think it's a great movie, but hey, Shakespeare in Love won an Oscar, So did Roberto Benigni and Julia Roberts. The Oscars are pretty stupid.
I think the reason it works is because it shows an enthusiasm for the subject but doesn't baby step its way to it. It didn't feel as much like a commercial like most documentaries. It also didn't have terrible choppy editing that plagues most.
shareAgreed.
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Aagh; you're a HEDGE!
Well if you want to know why this movie was awarded an Oscar, you should probably contact the Academy and ask for a detailed explanation...
But then again, who cares ?... Do you think that by being told why this film is appealing to the movie experts you will like it more ?...
The Oscars are an hit and miss thing. Some Oscar winners I love, some leave me indifferent, some I hate.
See, I thought this movie was great, and so did my friends with whom I just watched it.
Quoting you:
"The wildness of youth revisited, a time before tragic culture defining events, a feat on a feat."
I thought that:
1) The wildness of youth was masterfully depicted
2) Revisiting a time before tragic culture defining events was very cathartic
3) The feat on a feat thing succeeded very nicely
:)
I could add that the photography was great, but then I'm a keen amateur photographer so I care for that kind of thing. There is an incredible elegance in the wire walking scenes.Finally, I thought that MOW conveyed very well the sense of wonderment of the main players, and that kind of beauty that comes from doing crazy things for the mere fun of it. :)
There.
Well put.
share"I rented it believing that it if the academy acclaimed it, it must be good. I feel duped"
Seriously? I mean come on.
htttp://sendthebuggerback.com
OP = Moron.
shareMaybe because the French dude got the reviewers all worked up in a frenzy by waving his arms and talking really quickly. I thought his tight rope act was a remarkable accomplishment, but I think the documentary was overhyped as well.
sharewe watched this film in french class and most of us were expecting it to be extremely boring. i was the only one surprised, i believe. i liked it a lot. everyone else slept.
i suppose it depends on the person watching it. for me, i like it because of the way it was filmed. the sunsets and the music and the darkness of the whole film. it was really artistic. it wasn't an average documentary.
basically, they could have taken what they had, and made it into some boring documentary that no one watches unless forced too, but they took what they had and made it into art. therefore, it deserves all the acclaim it recieved, in my opinion.