Discuss Phantom Thread
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Recommended, with reservations
posted by rudely_murraySTAFFMOD on January 29, 2018 at 11:07 PM
Those things that are good about this film are so good that its flaws are all the more obvious and disappointing. The two central performances, from Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps, are exceptional; the look of the movie is elegant - it's surely among the most graceful and handsome productions of the year. And, perhaps best of all, Johnny Greenwood's score, which plays pretty much wall-to-wall, is exquisite and plays in one's mind long after the credits roll.
Unfortunately, while individual scenes were riveting and powerful, I didn't find that it added up to all that much. It felt rather long for a film with such a thin story, although the acting and the details held the attention throughout. The film's ending was a little disappointing, too - although I have noted that many others have found it much more satisfying (it is also, by many accounts, a film which improves on a subsequent viewing).
Well worth seeing, and I would recommend the big screen - it's an often enchanting visual and aural experience. But, for me, a little less than the sum of its (considerable) parts. 6/10
Reply by Renovatio
on February 4, 2018 at 7:02 PM
I see your point, but I think that despite it being basically a small and intimate movie, I found the length appropriate...
Nothing is rushed, we get a sense of the patterns in Reynolds life through his repeating routines and therefore get a sense of how these are gradually disrupted when Alma enters into the picture...
I think the themes are interesting, how people need to be loved in the way that they want to be loved... This is a difficult thing to accept in a relationship... Also, the way they end up relating to one another raises a lot of questions about the nature of their relationship...
I've only seen it once and liked it a lot... I think it captured a certain mood and atmosphere very well... I loved the way it was shot and the score was great as well
Reply by Fergoose
on February 22, 2021 at 3:25 PM
"Wall to Wall" and fittingly had me Climbing Up The Walls. Removing any comment on its artistic merit I found it bordering on maddening. Constant tinkling in the background while pretty much nothing happened. The score was similar regardless of outdoor or indoor location, participants, mood or anything actually going on in the film (for the 30mins I endured it anyway). So it wasn't setting the scene, it wasn't conveying a mood, it wasn't reflecting a development in the plot, it wasn't representing a character's mental state. It was just there, going on and on irrespective of the circumstances on camera. Like some kind of 'high end' department store music as your peruse the wares at the perfume counter.