191 replies to this topic

[Jason LeBlanc]

Screenings around the country have started this week (see here).

If you have seen the movie, share your thoughts!

Please user the spoiler tag ( [ spoiler] [ /spoiler] ) when necessary. Thanks!

[nightscape94]

Okay, I just got back from the screening. I'll try my best to write some type of official review tomorrow, but for now I'll just say this: The movie was wonderful, vintage Spielberg.

The movie is bookended by two majestically shot and scored scenes. Spielberg relies heavily on the music to first create a mood, and then resolve it in a very reflective and understated way in order to evoke an emotional response about what we've witnessed. Williams absolutely nails it.

Tim

[king mark]

How loud is the score mixed in the film?

A.I. barely audible or Geisha loud?

here'sa positive youtube review

[Hlao-roo]

Is Williams' score as shamelessly manipulative as his score for E.T.?

Is Spielberg's movie as deeply sentimental and overwrought as E.T.?

[Stefancos]

Does the film contain any subtext that make it anything more then a saccharine "a boy a and his horse" type story?

[Hlao-roo]

Does the film make any effort to engage at length with Just War Theory, or is it hopelessly encumbered, in typical Spielbergian fashion, with naive anti-war sentiment?

Does Williams' score demonstrate a necessary and proper understanding of contemporary cinematic sensibilities, or is it anachronistically wedded to the antediluvian methodologies of a less sophisticated era?

[Stefancos]

Does the linear, simple melody from the trailer indicate a more Goldsmith-like approach to this score? ala Rudy?

[Homeboy]

Is Williams' score as shamelessly manipulative as his score for E.T.?

Is Spielberg's movie as deeply sentimental and overwrought as E.T.?
Does the film make any effort to engage at length with Just War Theory, or is it hopelessly encumbered, in typical Spielbergian fashion, with naive anti-war sentiment?

Don't take this the wrong way, but God: it must suck to be you.......................

[Percival]

Screening preview reactions gathered here:

http://www.movieparl...n-articles.html

and

http://www.awardscir...bergs-war-horse

[Stefancos]

Don't take this the wrong way, but God: it must suck to be you.......................

Ever heard of sarcasm, homeboy?
Judging by your screename I hope to god you have?

[Percival]

Detailed review here, but beware, it has spoilers:

http://movievu.info/?p=699

and some reviews in the comments section here:

http://hollywood-els...a_horse_lov.php

[Homeboy]

Don't take this the wrong way, but God: it must suck to be you.......................

Ever heard of sarcasm, homeboy?
Judging by your screename I hope to god you have?

Oops.... Was that sarcasm..? Sorry, Hlao.....

[Sandor]

Don't take this the wrong way, but God: it must suck to be you.......................

Ever heard of sarcasm, homeboy?
Judging by your screename I hope to god you have?

Oops.... Was that sarcasm..? Sorry, Hlao.....

Welcome to the board.

[publicist]

Well, the gushing is overwhelming, but i was alarmed about this:

"There are a lot of problems with Spielberg's direction too...I don't know how many more sweeping pans around the horses I could have stomached....

The other problem is that the story itself has no plausibility nor believability...

Spoiler

So many moments ring false, including a brotherly encounter between a Brit and German as they work together to free the horse in no man's land, or when dozens of British soldiers pool their money together so that Albert can buy back Joey at the end of the war. Why do any of these people care? Why should they? It's not realistic. Another ridiculous scene is when about 30 or so German soldiers are retreating due to an oncoming British tank, which then decides to turn right and chase the horse instead and back it into a corner... because God knows that is how one wins a war.

As for John William's score, it is nothing to write home about. While that main theme we all know from the trailer is beautiful, it loses all of its emotional impact because of how many times it is used. Like, 80% of the score seems to be that one track. Everytime the horse does something "inspirational", that track plays. Joey stands up--cue music--Joey walks--cue music--Joey runs--cue music--Albert rides Joey--cue music--Joey finally ploughs--cue music, etc. By the time they finally get to the war, that theme did nothing for me.... and that's when it should have the most impact!"

If i take the overly positive reviews as a benchmark, the above cited seems to belong to a different movie.

[Incanus]

Well that is certainly from the other extreme end of the spectrum.

[Stefancos]

That pretty much confirms the fears I have about this film. A sappy, feel good chick-flick in disguise, crapping all over Steven's more serious films dealing with war and death (Empire Of The sun, Schindlers List, Saving Private Ryan, possible Munich)

[publicist]

I expect it to be somewhat of a Cecil B. DeMille movie: great showmanship, but a lot of people will roll their eyes how inane it actually is.

[Chaac]

I expect this to be good but not great. If it is great I wouldn't complain, though. If.

[Maurizio]

This is Spielberg's take on Disney's classic animal movies. It's family entertainment, period.

This has always been clear from the get-go, imho.

[Sandor]

From AICN:

John Williams' score? I liked much of it, but it's omnipresent in the film. There are very few scenes without score, and unfortunately it's used to accentuate the emotion of the scene more so than it probably needs to be. However, it's a new John Williams score, and the WAR HORSE theme in the trailer is throughout in the film, and that completely works. Williams knows how to pump a scene full of emotion better than any film composer alive, and I'll admit to getting teary-eyed at several scenes.

[Maurizio]

I'm sure both the film and the score will be perfect material for Spielberg's and Williams' detractors.

[publicist]

I'm sure both the film and the score will be perfect material for Spielberg's and Williams' detractors.

Pointing to criticisms which of course are only motivated by their irrational hate towards both men.

We all know better when we have seen the film, but i generally don't like Spielberg collecting brownie points for putting maudlin stories into relevant historical contexts like WWI. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is full of ideological no-go's, which of course are tossed aside by most who just see it as 2-hour marathon to get the senses excited - but i don't know the play, maybe it forsaw the problems and somehow addressed them?

I, for one, would cry foul if he similarly depicts it as a 'worthy war', where a german soldier whose life is spared early on suddenly appears ion the last act to kill his well-do'ers brutally.

[Josh500]

OK, anybody else think this movie is a serious contender for Best Picture? (although not music)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar

[BloodBoal]

OK, anybody else think this movie is a serious contender for Best Picture?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar

Why? Because it sounds boring?

If so, I agree.

[Josh500]

OK, anybody else think this movie is a serious contender for Best Picture?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar

Why? Because it sounds boring?

If so, I agree.

This should shut you up.

Movies Clint Eastwood has directed which was nominated for/won Best Picture:

The Unforgiven (won!)
Mystic River (nominated)
Million Dollar Baby (won!)
Letters from Iwo Jima (nominated)


Movies Leonardo DiCaprio has starred in which was nominated for/won Best Picture:

Titanic (won!)
Gangs of New York (nominated)
The Aviator (nominated)
The Departed (won!)
Inception (nominated)

[BloodBoal]

???

Does that make the film anymore interesting? Umm, no.


No things blowing up = boring. You can't argue with that. You can try, sure, but you can't succeed.

[Josh500]

I said a serious contender for Best Picture!

Why are you harping on whether it's boring or exciting?

And no, I won't try to convince you of anything. Just don't watch this or WH if you don't want to.

____

Actually, there ARE some action scenes:

[BloodBoal]

I said a serious contender for Best Picture!

Why are you harping on whether it's boring or exciting?

Because you started talking about this film, and how it probably is going to get nominated for Best Picture, and all that shit. Then I said that, yeah, you were probably right because the film's plot sounds boring. This was my way of telling you: most films that get nominated for Best Picture are boring. But then you came up with your list of Eastwood and Di Carpaccio's nominated films, and you started to confuse me. Really, if there is anyone to blame here, it's you.

And no, I won't try to convince you of anything. Just don't watch this or WH if you don't want to.

Who said I didn't want to see this? It's not because I think a film is going to be boring that I'm not going to watch it. That would be very stupid of me.

EDIT: Oh, I see things blowing up. You got me!

[Josh500]

ANYWAY, I can imagine this picture being up for Best Picture along with WH!

Can I imagine Clint Eastwood winning an Oscar for BEST SCORE over John WIlliams? Sadly, I can.

[Maurizio]

From AICN:

John Williams' score? I liked much of it, but it's omnipresent in the film. There are very few scenes without score.

Since the movie it's 140 mins. long, this means there's a lot of unreleased music...

[Jason LeBlanc]

Only if the report is accurate. Sometimes a movie FEELS like it is wall-to-wall score even though it isn't

[Maurizio]

Yes, I know. I just wanted to inject some craziness for all the unreleased cues-obsessed guys

[BloodBoal]

Yes, I know. I just wanted to inject some craziness for all the unreleased cues-obsessed guys

Yeah, I say it's time to create a "Ode to War Horse Unreleased Music" thread!

[king mark]

I'm sure we'll have plenty of discussion about that and there will be PLENTY of unreleased music in this score

Reports that the "Trailer" theme (my favorite) is all over the place in the film and I only heard it twice in the samples is already disturbing me

[Incanus]

Yes, I know. I just wanted to inject some craziness for all the unreleased cues-obsessed guys

Yeah, I say it's time to create a "Ode to War Horse Unreleased Music" thread!

You should name it "The Trough is always half-empty - War Horse Unreleased Music".

[Maurizio]

Reports that the "Trailer" theme (my favorite) is all over the place in the film and I only heard it twice in the samples is already disturbing me

You'll be hearing it more than twice on the CD, don't worry

[Stefancos]

So the cue is also tracked and looped on the CD?

Tintin got an almost perfect CD release, meaning there HAS to be a major issue with this one!

[Jason LeBlanc]

There is, obviously, no tracking or looping on the CD.

And just cause one random guy on the internet said it sounded like the same piece of music played over and over again in the movie doesn't mean that's the reality.

[Demondm810]

The review from AICN has me excited, considering how much he claims it is 100% Spielberg. I don't find Spielberg's sentimentality a problem, I like it.

Can't wait for this film.

There is, obviously, no tracking or looping on the CD.

And just cause one random guy on the internet said it sounded like the same piece of music played over and over again in the movie doesn't mean that's the reality.

Exactly.

[publicist]

HERE is the AIC-review.

Quote: "WAR HORSE is old fashioned, and I mean that in the best possible sense. It wears its emotions on its sleeve, and there is no place for cynicism in that world. It has obvious films like ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT and the films of John Ford and David Lean in its DNA, but the end result is all Steven Spielberg - WAR HORSE is an epic that has Spielberg doing what he does best. He takes the audience on an emotional journey through World War I and out the other side, and the film very much feels like Spielberg paying tribute to the filmmakers he loved as a young man. WAR HORSE is what you'd call an "old soul." It's a film that could have been made - perhaps not with the technology but definitely with the heart - in Hollywood's heyday. David Selznick would have adored WAR HORSE."

Much more convincing than the usual hyperbole, at least the reviewer does betray a sense of film history. The Ford/Lean-comparisons sound promising.