![]() Classical tragedy told serious stories from a distant past in which although things could happen that no longer did, still given those mythic possibilities the old story was incapable of changing. A powerful intuition would set the two against each other as rival even contradictory genres, given that science fiction trades on open possibility and tragedy unfolds in necessity. To my mind a productive relationship still unexplored brings science fiction film up against Greek tragedy. But it has made a good heuristic in the past and may well continue to do so. This is not a requirement for the philosophical and critical treatment of a film genre. In light of the role that tragedy has played in histories of the philosophy of art, not to mention the place that tragedy occupies in culture, and in thinking about human life and its suffering, mapping out a film genre today benefits from setting that genre in some relationship to tragedy and to the terms in which philosophy has understood tragedy. Fair warning though: "Her" is a bit unsettling and it will leave people extremely weirded out, but "Her" is downright arresting.Science Fiction and Tragedy or Science Fiction as Opposed to Tragedy Without a doubt was "12 Years a Slave" the big winner for best picture, but "Her" comes in at a close 2nd or 3rd for me. Everything from the melancholy tone, to the symbolic imagery, to the captivating and infectious narrative, "Her" was a huge surprise for me. It's a film crafted and paced so superbly, there seems to be no wrong note Jonze plays with this film. To put it in one word, the film as a whole is beautiful. There's no way these emotions would have been portrayed if Jonze didn't utilize the method that he inhabits with this flick. Emotions such as sadness, laughter, the sense of hope, the desire of love, and confusion are exceedingly palpable but not so much in a way that it's thrown in audiences faces - it gracefully settles in, making the movie not so much of a viewing but more of an experience. Without a doubt, "Her" is more of a quiet piece so you won't find much dialogue here ala "Lost in Translation", but Jonze doesn't impose this method in a swaggering way - he portrays it with perfection. His performance is a work of art.īut the biggest achievement that "Her" feats is the phenomenal narrative powered by a supercharged screenplay/directing on behalf of Spike Jonze himself. Now I've never seen Matthew's best acting performance in "Dallas Buyer's Club" to rightfully say whether his performance in that was any better than Phoenix's in "Her", but in no way should Phoenix be thrown in the back burner. I don't care about his past troubles this guy's talented. It works marvelously with its comedic but yet love/heartbreak themes.īut even though the cinematography was vibrant, boy, Joaquin Phoenix plays an absolutely magnetic and nuanced performance. Colors pop with soft textures throughout but tiptoed in with a subtle melancholy tone. ![]() Every single shot is a respectful homage to "Lost In Translation" with some "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and with a little Wes Anderson peppered in. ![]() Well, after being nearly 1 year late watching this movie, I could say, "Her" would sure as hell won for best cinematography if "Gravity" never fell on our laps. Quite possibly one of the greatest shot films ever crafted. Let's be real: "Gravity" was just unreal. Funnily, "Her" isn't much of a departure in comparison to Jonze's earlier work, but it is, without a doubt, his most captivating. They come off as too weird or too alienating for many ("Being John Malkovich" anyone?). Now as for starters, I am not a big fan of Spike Jonze's pictures. ![]()
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