TheOriginalTiki
Well-Known Member
I'm honestly facing a bit of an identity crisis over Hamnet and Sentimental Value. I respect both of them more than I actively like them. Hamnet I can totally see WHY it's being hyped up. The cinematography is gorgeous, the acting is flawless, the ending hits like a ton of bricks. It's just not the type of movie I'm ever going to have any sort of desire to actually watch again, no matter how artistic it is. Call it the subject matter of focusing on a death, call it my distaste for Shakespearean dialogue in general, I don't know. It's a great film that comes across as super cold and calculated and borderline emotionally manipulative for my taste.
Sentimental Value is honestly kind of the opposite. On a film making level it takes on much more of a French new wave realist vibe so nothing about the presentation is all that flashy, but I did find it really enjoyable and loved the characters. Once again though, for as good as the movie is it's just not something I think I'd ever be drawn to rewatch. I honestly think Jay Kelly was the more effective of the two movies this awards season focused on industry veterans looking back on their life. This is easily the more serious and grounded of the two, but it just didn't have a character arc as compelling as Sandler's in Jay Kelly to latch on to.
I think one of my big issues is just a taste thing...the movie really doesn't have any sort of structure to it. It's got an overall hook with the initial premise, but the editing just kind of floats from scene to scene in a way that's a bit disconnected for my taste. I could tell this was a deliberate choice, it just didn't really work for me. That being said I honestly think the ending of this film hits even harder than Hamnet and is a similar "big payoff for literally everything the movie has been building up to" kind of moment.
I don't know guys, I think I'm just sort of falling out with these art house Oscar movies a bit. They're all technically exquisite, but from a sheer entertainment point of view very much keep me at arms length. I don't know what it was about Train Dreams that really did it for me, but that's easily the best "Art House" movie I've seen all year and that film is very much a dark horse in the Oscar race. Am I becoming a normie???
Sentimental Value is honestly kind of the opposite. On a film making level it takes on much more of a French new wave realist vibe so nothing about the presentation is all that flashy, but I did find it really enjoyable and loved the characters. Once again though, for as good as the movie is it's just not something I think I'd ever be drawn to rewatch. I honestly think Jay Kelly was the more effective of the two movies this awards season focused on industry veterans looking back on their life. This is easily the more serious and grounded of the two, but it just didn't have a character arc as compelling as Sandler's in Jay Kelly to latch on to.
I think one of my big issues is just a taste thing...the movie really doesn't have any sort of structure to it. It's got an overall hook with the initial premise, but the editing just kind of floats from scene to scene in a way that's a bit disconnected for my taste. I could tell this was a deliberate choice, it just didn't really work for me. That being said I honestly think the ending of this film hits even harder than Hamnet and is a similar "big payoff for literally everything the movie has been building up to" kind of moment.
I don't know guys, I think I'm just sort of falling out with these art house Oscar movies a bit. They're all technically exquisite, but from a sheer entertainment point of view very much keep me at arms length. I don't know what it was about Train Dreams that really did it for me, but that's easily the best "Art House" movie I've seen all year and that film is very much a dark horse in the Oscar race. Am I becoming a normie???
