Thursday, August 12, 2010

See-Saw ("Never Let Me Go" & "Winter's Bone")

See:
Looking forward to seeing Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro...



...although, if I'm remembering correctly from a few years back, the book didn't quite live up to expectations. Hopefully this isn't another Knightley doe-eyed flop.

Saw:
AND, good heavens, if you have the stomach for it, go see Winter's Bone. 2010 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner. Probably many more prizes in its future.



Directed by Debra Granik (great A.V. Club interview with her here).

Every shot is frosty, blue-grey with cold and Ozark secrets. Jennifer Lawrence (lead) is really powerful (although she has got some lips on her that are far too reminiscent of Zellweger's in Cold Mountain, which is not a connection that I think the director intended). John Hawkes (who I loved in Deadwood) is harsh, wiry, and savage in pleasantly surprising ways. Highly recommended, with very powerful place and character studies.

1 comment:

  1. I just read never let me go (the book) and felt as if it sort of never came together in the right way. It left me wondering if the gaps were intentional, supposed to say something about the narrative voice. Or maybe it just didn't come together. I'm so curious to see what they do with the movie- for better or worse the book creeped me out, and I hope they are brave enough to carry that over, even with all those pretty faces there.

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