The subject is too big, the movie is too small

Saw it last night on the first day of the show. The overall feeling is that Clint Eastwood may have gotten older and the pace of the whole movie has become very slow. The middle and rear are especially slow. The slow rhythm and the rich resumes of the entire historical figures make the whole movie feel a bit chaotic. For the portrayal of the character Hoover, I have a basic impression, just like the trailer said "Even great man can be evil." But there is also a hidden premise in this sentence: Is Hoover really a great man? There is discussion in the video, but it's vague. The project is very ambitious, but it seems to be too broad due to the era (from the discovery of Hoover's talent to his death, through 8 presidents). In addition, Lao Dongmu's political position has gradually turned to the right in the past two years (the right in the United States is the left in China), and the ideology is not as sharp as before. When criticizing Hoover, it also implies that the US government has not heeded the warning of the old dog and repeated the same mistakes again and again. . But in this way, the message of the film is no longer sharp. Lao Dongmu's style is similar to the Coen brothers to a certain extent. Once the sharpness is lost, the work will not be so brilliant.

Talking about the performance, it seems that the public relations of this film is the male protagonist. Leo is undoubtedly a breakthrough. Compared with the manic character that was basically indistinguishable before, there is no doubt that there has been a great improvement this time. In the first half, the energy of the newborn calf was vividly performed, especially the first appearance with Naomi Watts, which showed the impulse and ambitious personality very well. In the middle, Hoover's performance towards maturity is a bit lacking. Part of this is caused by too many scene transitions and too much jumping in the plot. Old Dongmu and Dustin Lance Black are responsible. Leo is not a very talented actor, so he can't make up for the flaws in the script and director by acting. In the latter part of the old Hoover's expression and movements, it is true that people can see that Leo has to try to figure it out, and then play down the performance. However, in the second half, when I watched it, I thought that it would be better if Fatty Huo played the role. Leo's 'lover', don't know what his name is. . . Anyway, his role makes me feel very insignificant. I don't know how his love affair with Hoover started, or how it eventually developed into what it became. Although Black defines this relationship as forbearance and ambiguous. But it always felt too sad and romantic. The actor's performance itself passed the test, more than a vase role. Naomi Watts's performance is very good, when she comes on stage, she is very shining. Judi Dench has made me feel like a lottery in the past two years, playing soy sauce in many Oscar season movies. The performance is restrained to tepid, a little disappointed. The makeup is inseparable from the performance, because it really puts the cart before the horse. It distracted the audience to the point where I had to think about how the makeup came out. But the make-up skills are so good that I can't even recognize my Naomi. Anway, bullish on the nomination.

Finally, let's talk about the script. I didn't go to Dustin Lance Black's script to read it. This time, both he and Lao Dongmu jumped into a fire pit. His brushstrokes are very delicate and he is very good at detailing. Feelings are both warm and forbearing. It is a unique emotional psychology of homosexuality. I think, lol. This kind of style is not suitable for the theme that needs a little big chronicle. It can't be said that this is a failed script, it has everything it should have. But that is, it doesn't feel like Milk's masterpiece.

---12/11 in Morningside Heights, New York
By the way, shameless and humble request for fans: http://www.weibo.com/u/2185632647

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