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I know, I think he's gorgeous like this.
But then, I usually think he's gorgeous, I know!
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I watched the scenes on YouTube. There's a lot of intense glaring.
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Have you got the link for those scenes?
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God on his throne!
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ukaunz wrote:
Have you got the link for those scenes?
If you insist! It's not high quality because it was filmed in a cinema.
It's a bit crack and I am a little unsure how I feel about some of it. But Benedict probably had fun. Also watch for the sassy hair flip.
Last edited by Yitzock (February 27, 2016 2:01 pm)
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Wow. A bit different to the trailer, that weird giggle All does seems to have been cut.
Thanks for the link
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He is magnificent.
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ukaunz wrote:
Wow. A bit different to the trailer, that weird giggle All does seems to have been cut.
Thanks for the link
You're welcome!
I had also noticed that the giggle bit was not kept. I couldn't help but wonder what it was in response to.
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Yitzock wrote:
It's a bit crack and I am a little unsure how I feel about some of it. But Benedict probably had fun. Also watch for the sassy hair flip.
Same here! Was going between 'woww…. he is magnificent' … 'uh… this is kinda weird…' 'ok, probably not my kinda movie, but he is interesting….'
And what do you mean 'wonder what it was in response to'? We kind of saw that in one of the first trailers… All giggled at the bad joke of which gender parts Hans asks about, and in here, I guess they decide to go with a more serious 'you two are so clueless' tone with All refusing to answer that and simply saying s/he is 'all' and glaring/smoldering at them. (and taking his just revenge on them later with them being the has-been brunt of the joke in an avant-garde show everyone else loves his artistic style for)
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I can imagine Benedict improvising and doing something different with each new take
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What I mean, Russell, is that I don't know for sure whether it is in response to the same thing as is implied in the trailer because trailers are edited to show lots of bits and pieces without too much explanation (often). But it could have been just a different take of the same thing.
I am still unsure about how I feel about All. On the one hand, All can be beautiful, powerful and alluring while breaking gender norms (more please!), but at the same time is presented in such a silly way. I know it's supposed to be a silly movie where the two stupid main characters are often the joke, but I can't help but feel like they could have done better. Now, I know this film has been overall badly received and disappointed people, so maybe it's no surprise that this scene might not have been great either, but I can't help but be disappointed at what we got from something that could have had potential to be better. Or maybe I am just too used to good films, or had expectations too high, even for a film that I wasn't expecting excellence from.
I guess I am puzzled by the portrayal and still not sure where I stand.
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I keep going back to watch the clip. I love how Benedict changes the pitch of his voice in the same sentence.
I don't know... I'm not part of the LGBTQIA community, but from my perspective it seems a good portrayal while at the same time not leaving All's character out of the ridicule of the supermodel industry. Equal ridicule for all? (sorry if that comes across as offensive, I don't mean to)
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No, you don't come across as offensive.
I said all that in my post, but I still found myself drawn to watching the clip again, because All is at least a visually striking character.
Like I said, I'm not sure what I think. In spite ways, I liked it, in other ways I felt like asking the writers, "That's all you've got?"
It's not a problem with people of certain identities being ridiculed, my uncertainty lies in not being sure whether it is the identity itself being ridiculed...
Let's use the mono-marriage comment as an example. It's a bit surprising. But is it a comment saying "Models are so pretentious and eccentric" or is it saying "Mono-marriage is ridiculous, just like same-sex marrage!"
As for All's representation as possibly a non-binary person, I think I actually have less of a problem with. "All is not defined by binary constructs." Yes! All is not necessarily silly for this reason. Even the "revenge" bit is wild (probably making more fun of extravagant models than to make trans people seem dangerous or crazy), but still is something powerful. Doesn't stop me from cringing at the eagle noises a little, but that's just me and is separate from any other thoughts I have.
Quite an exit, but I do wonder what else they could have done with the character.
I certainly don't think All is the worst character we could get. Just not perfect (but then again, little is).
Last edited by Yitzock (February 29, 2016 2:06 pm)
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I think I understand what you mean
The mono-marriage comment could be taken to be making fun of non-binary people too, if they're saying something like "you want to be both female and male? You might as well marry yourself!"
I hope that's not what they're saying.
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I think we should not dig too deep. As far as I can say without seeing Z2 (but I have seen Z1), they are ridiculing the world of fashion shows, and models, and the whole circus. As well as Tropic Thunder was ridiculing film industry and war movies and not black people. Those movies have no depth.
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I don't want to go overboard with this "analysis" of sorts, but I think comedy can still be worth thinking about. It's part of culture, which can reinforce certain ideologies and values even if it can seem harmless or silly.
Justin Theroux, one of the writers of the film, says he is on the side of trans people. But that intention does not appear clearcut from the result.
I have mixed feelings about this particular instance, but I think the world, at least media, is becoming more accepting and inclusive and I hope it continues to grow in that direction.
I don't need every portrayal to be flawless,and like I said, this one isn't totally abhorrent, but I hope things continue to get better.
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Yitzock wrote:
What I mean, Russell, is that I don't know for sure whether it is in response to the same thing as is implied in the trailer because trailers are edited to show lots of bits and pieces without too much explanation (often). But it could have been just a different take of the same thing.
I am still unsure about how I feel about All. On the one hand, All can be beautiful, powerful and alluring while breaking gender norms (more please!), but at the same time is presented in such a silly way. I know it's supposed to be a silly movie where the two stupid main characters are often the joke, but I can't help but feel like they could have done better. Now, I know this film has been overall badly received and disappointed people, so maybe it's no surprise that this scene might not have been great either, but I can't help but be disappointed at what we got from something that could have had potential to be better. Or maybe I am just too used to good films, or had expectations too high, even for a film that I wasn't expecting excellence from.
I guess I am puzzled by the portrayal and still not sure where I stand.
No, I totally get that. And yes, it's obviously meant to be over the top and ridiculing that world, and you can over-analyze comedy, but at the same time, it still says something about what we create with what we ridicule, and I was nodding at the other thoughtful things you guys were saying, about being uncertain how to feel with where the level of ridicule seems to go (or at least, where we perceive it's going, or whether we don't like it because it simply IS ridiculous). I like how ukaunz put it - 'equal ridicule for all!' We don't care what their gender/race/etc is, nobody's above reproach! (or are they, simply because that gender/race is picked on more than others? hmmm….)
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Well I would want to see the film, just for the 2 mins Benedict is in...it looks a fantastic performance from him.
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Me too besley, and if it wasn't for Benedict I wouldn't watch it! Think I'll wait for the DVD though.