Comments on: Dull Bright Star

By: Loren Eaton

Loren Eaton — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:42:36 +0000

Mr. Klavan (if I may address you as such!), I agree that Bright Star was a bit slow-moving. But what did you think about its treatment of sex and honor? I found that surprisingly conservative, not at all what I would've expected from a director with feminist leanings. P.S. Love your books ...

By: vonbusca

vonbusca — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:03:08 +0000

Mark, don’t you realize that when a reviewer says, “What a bore! I started drifting off during the credits – the credits, no kidding! Twenty minutes in, I was appalled” – that in fact is a review?

The fact that it was so boring that 20 minutes in Klavan had to fast forward through it tells me far more than, “Masterfully put-together, made with confidence, intelligence and command.”

By the way, some of us who watch a lot of movies and have a natural sense for story, can skim through a movie and tell you accurately if the film is interesting or not. Yeah, it’s true.

Nice try, Mark, nice try.

By: Howard Veit

Howard Veit — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:55:02 +0000

I have a movie going rule that is almost totally correct. If Ebert, the NYT, Newsweek, and the LA Times likes it, I know it’s a bomb and a half. These guys don’t like movies they like talk. Their thing is plays where all the so-called intellects gather to hear stuff, and stuff, and even more stuff. all of it being real deep with appropriate obscure literary references. If a reviewer likes a horror movie, you know it stinks.

By: Kensington

Kensington — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:30:47 +0000

Mark,

When a film bores its viewer to the point that they start fast forwarding, that’s a valid basis for criticism, particularly if the critic acknowledges it.

By: TheEngineer

TheEngineer — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:39:09 +0000

Bravo AtheistConservative.

Bravo indeed.

By: Charles Collins

Charles Collins — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:27:03 +0000

Reminds me of The Perfect Storm. Horrible story of what some people think “authentic, working class” people are like. You know, stupid. Yet the people you are really interested in: Coast guard folks who jump into hurricanes to save people, that is just a little side story.

By: waicool

waicool — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:39:32 +0000

I googled Jane Campion images, chick looks like a dude, God love her. Never watched this film, never even read Keats, well, maybe back in HS for lit class, it never made much of an impression, whatever. Woah, its Miller Time, gotta go.

By: Fallon

Fallon — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:54:19 +0000

I must admit the reading of Keats at the end of the film, while the credits were rolling, was my favorite part of the movie.

I watched the film all the way through last week and thought, meh. In hindsight, I am starting to hate the film as I started coughing about the same time as Keats did in the movie and have been sick now for almost a week with a wicked cold and cough.

Is there such a thing as hysterical TB?

By: Julie Bozarth

Julie Bozarth — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:51:08 +0000

I love this type of film. I was all set to love this film. I was very excited to finally get a chance to see it, just as you said, when it came to dvd, because I had missed my chance at the theater. But it was irritating. She was irritating. It didn’t ring true. I became so bored, I got on the computer while it was on. Then I would sit and give it my attention, then get bored again. I turned it off and thought about trading it in at the used dvd store.

But, I decided that after paying all that for it, I would sit down once more, giving it my undivided attention, and watch it to the end. I have to say that when I did this, they did finally make me care and I did feel the loss and their love for each other by the end of the movie.

But it should have been a better script than this. It should have been a better movie than this. I wish someone would try again. There are many movies that I love, that others might think slow or boring: ‘Dear Frankie’, ‘On a Clear Day’, ‘Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont’, and ‘I Am David’…..but I am still really shocked at the critics’ raves for ‘Bright Star’ – it was really missing something and I am surprised that none of them found this to be so.

By: AtheistConservative

AtheistConservative — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:24:26 +0000

“You didn’t watch the whole film (you admit you fast-forwarded to the end), therefore your opinion on it is null and void and means nothing, ”

Awesome! So we should expect every single left-winger to shut up about Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, Fox News, and so forth?