So when the Seattle International Film Festival announced that it was going to show this movie, I went to buy the tickets as soon as possible. Watching a movie at a film festival, especially watching this kind of movie that everyone will enjoy, is actually a more dangerous thing. When the audience was full of hundreds of seats, everyone laughed and cried together. After the movie, they stood up and applauded the director present. It is hard not to be infected as an audience. Therefore, as one of the audiences, you will be more or less affected by this kind of movie-watching experience and change your evaluation of the movie. This influence may be good. For example, Sundance is a famous gathering place for independent film fans, and it is easy for the film to become a hit; this influence may also be bad, such as the Cannes Film Festival. If the proud Frenchman is not satisfied with your movie, he will clap his chair loudly when he leaves the scene. I often tell my friends that if there is a chance, whether it is a large-scale or small-cost movie, you must go to the cinema to watch it. First of all, because that is the most authentic feeling the director wants to show you. But more importantly, whether you like a movie or dislike a movie, who you watch with your partner and friends, and even the reaction of the people watching with you, have a great relationship. Although this slightly prejudiced evaluation method is quite amateurish, it is a very subjective thing to like, dislike, and why.
Going far, going back to the first time I watched this work at the film festival. I laughed, I stood up to applaud the director, I might still be a little wet. But when I walked out of the movie theater, I knew that my evaluation of this movie was largely influenced by the overall experience of watching the movie. I can only feel the brightest and brightest advantages of this movie, but I can't think of any shortcomings. I decided to watch it alone for the second time when it was released on a large scale. I still think it has obvious bright spots, as well as very insignificant shortcomings. In the days when I hadn’t watched Mad Max and Inside Out (both are great masterpieces in movie history in my opinion), this youth independent film has long occupied a high ranking position on my list of the top ten works of 2015 (in addition One is While We're Young, my film review...I will add it later...). I know that the subsequent appearance of Oscar season works and art films will make this work fall in my rankings, but I will still reserve a place for it.
Then yesterday, I finally found the resource and watched it at home for the third time. Watching it on a small screen and feeling more intently for each picture, I still want to applaud this film. In fact, the story it wants to tell is very simple and clichéd. A shy and introverted high school student was forced by his family to be friends with a leukemia girl and opened his heart. I am even surprised that I can sum up this kind of Sundance's tear-jerking plot in one sentence. But this movie not only gives people a feeling of warmth, but also laughter and thinking.
Putting aside all other things, I really enjoy the film's independent film atmosphere, but also very special photography. It is not as beautiful as The Tree of Life where every frame can be taken as a screen background, but it is very novel and weird. It can even be said that it is very confident. What impressed me most was the first time the protagonist Greg (Thomas Mann) and Rachel (Olivia Cooke, the United States) met in Rachel's room. In the beginning, the camera was unintentionally placed in different corners of the room and used a wide angle to give a panoramic view, switch the screen, and let the actor play as if it did not exist. As the dialogue progressed, the protagonists' half bodies occupies half of the screen slowly, and the screens of both sides were still switched continuously. In the end, getting close to their big heads seems to allow the actors to play freely, and the fresh tone and composition of the picture show the atmosphere of the dialogue just right. It is one thing for the director to have such confidence in these new actors, and it is indeed wonderful for the photographer to use such exquisite images to help the director realize his imagination.
Speaking of the director's confidence in the new actors, I have to talk about the outstanding performances of the young actors. Thomas Mann's body shape that was blown down by the wind perfectly reflected Greg's weird character, but he couldn't ignore his excellent performance of Greg's weakness and fear. Although Olivia Cooke looks carefree, she can subtly capture Rachel's delicate care for Greg, as well as her fear of disease and death. Although RJ Cyler plays a typical "my wise black friend" character Earl, his interaction with Greg and Rachel can be said to be the most heartwarming and funny plot in the whole show, and it seems so real. Speaking of it, I think the only flaw in this movie is the setting of the role of Earl. The setting of the role of "my wise black/minority friend" is really a bit old-fashioned, and there are not many descriptions of him in the movie. Most of them stay on the old "typical black people living in poverty-stricken areas", such as his idle brother and the rabid dog, and they all talk about titties all day long... (I won't translate it...)
But this also echoes one of the themes that the movie wants to express somewhat. All the people in the movie may look the same on the surface, but inside they may be completely different people. Greg tried very hard to be someone who had nothing to do with anyone, because he thought he was ugly, unattractive, and worthless. But in fact, every weird dialogue of his makes us laugh. The movie also tells us that he is actually a careful person. He will also be upset for his friends and want to share their sorrows for them. Rachel looks very outgoing, unsharp, and a playful attitude towards terminal illnesses. She seems very strong, cheerful and optimistic. But as the film progresses, what we see before us is a character who is fragile in heart, frustrated by the cruel reality, needs care of others, and is close to collapse. He is a character who is very delicate in heart, cherishes friendship, and is easily moved. . We all thought that Earl was a typical black man living in a poor area, and only occasionally went to watch classic art films. But in fact, he is the most clearly seen person among the three main characters in the film. In order to awaken Greg, he did not hesitate to claim to sever the friendship, but the next day to save him, he was a good brother who could fight hard.
Many friends were disappointed by the ending of the movie, because Greg kept telling the story that Rachel would not die, but in the end he couldn't save it and felt cheated. As one of the audiences who knew she was going to die from beginning to end, I can still understand the helplessness of these friends towards the film's "dishonesty". But as the narration of the movie, Greg certainly didn't want Rachel to leave him. He even said at the end of the movie that she didn't leave at all, so he kept repeating that Rachel didn't die in the end. At least I understand it this way, at least the director explained this way during Q&A.
There are friends who don’t understand why I like this movie so much. Maybe it's because I see a lot of my own shadow in the movie, and I also believe that many different audiences can see their own shadow in the movie. For example, we must all have felt that we were not good enough at some point, and felt that we would be annoying to others, and we didn't want to have emotional communication with others, hoping to close ourselves. Until she came over and told us that we were actually fine.
This may be the best independent film this year.
PS I deliberately didn't mention the joy of the funny versions of the remakes of the art movies in the film, because I think evaluating this movie based on these joys is like cheating. But I really like the humor of movies and the tribute to those great movies. Personally, I like Blue Velvet the most. By the way, let’s list which movies Greg and Earl have remade (source is here: http://screenprism.com/insights/article/what-were-the-names-and-concepts-behind-every-greg-gaines-and -earl-jackson ).
The Prunes of Wrath — The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Raging Bullshit — Raging Bull (1980)
49th Parallelogram — The 49th Parallel (1941)
Death in Tennis — Death in Venice (1971)
Eyes Wide Butt — Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Greg and Earl 3: The Last Crusade — Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade (1989)
ate ½ (of my sandwich) — 8½ (1963)
Anatomy of a Burger — Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Pittsburghistquatsi — Koyaanisquatsi (1982)
Senior Citizen Cane — Citizen Kane (1941)
'Rear Wind — Rear Window (1954)
Second (Helpings of Dinner) — Seconds (1966)
Crouching Housecat, Hidden Housecat – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
The 400 Bros — The 400 Blows (1959)
The Lady Manishness — The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Breathe Less — Breathless (1960)
Yellow Submarine Sandwich — Yellow Submarine (1968)
The Janitor of Oz — The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Scabface — Scarface (1983)
The Seven Seals — The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Battle of All Deers — The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Mono Rash — Rashomon (1950)
It's a Punderful Life — It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Hairy, Old, and Mod — Harry and Maude ( 1971)
The Last Crustacean of Christ — The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Wages for Beer — The Wages of Fear (1953)
Nose Ferret 2: A Symphony of Horror — Nosferatu (1922)
The Fake Tricks — The Matrix (1999)
Rosemary Baby Carrots — Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Don't Look Now Because a Creepy-Ass Dwarf is About to Kill You!!! Damn
— Don't Look Now (1973)
2:48pm Cowboy — Midnight Cowboy (1969)
uM — M (1931 )
My Best Actor is also a Dangerous Lunatic — My Best Fiend (1999)
My Dinner with Andre the Giant — My Dinner with Andre (1981)
ZZZ — Z (1969)
Can't Tempt (Because She's Plastic) — Contempt (1963)
The Rad Shoes — The Red Shoes (1948)
Grumpy Cul-de-Sacs — Mean Streets (1973)
La Gelée-La Jetèe (1962)
The Turd Man — The Third Man (1949)
Gone with My Wind — Gone with the Wind (1939)
A Billion Years of Solitude — no adaptation! A true original.
Jurassic Skate Park — Jurassic Park ( 1993)
A Sockwork Orange — A Clockwork Orange (1972)
Brew Vervet — Blue Velvet (1986)
Burden of Screams — Burden of Dreams (1982)
Pooping Tom — Peeping Tom (1960)
The Complete Lack of Conversation — The Conversation (1974)
Vere 'd He Go? — Vertigo (1958)
A Box
O'Lips , Wow — Apocalypse Now (1979) Gross Encounters of the Turd Kind — Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
View more about Me and Earl and the Dying Girl reviews
