I feel like the ethics of this would be more in question if the details of the Letourneau case were important at all to the movie. But they really aren’t. The most basic detail of that story is used as a jumping off point for a hypothetical scenario about exploitation, both in life and art. This movie is really nothing like a biopic at all, so I don’t think it’s the same thing as something like One Love.
Amanda Knox did a thread about this that was interesting in what she was saying, but ultimately I think was missing the nuances of what actually happens in May December, which she didn’t see. I think there’s a distinction about what happened in her case where the resulting movie is a thriller using her case versus May December where the movie is about this very question. https://x.com/amandaknox/status/1743313939772162257?s=46&t=Nwi_TKkLDYR9zW-Cpbjqhw
Interested in your take on The Iron Claw. The relentless of the tragedy really begs you to come away saying the story would've been hack if it wasn’t true, but I think that ends up covering up the fact that it’s just a really shitty movie. Nothing that anyone does or says makes any fucking sense and the movie doesn’t even bother with an internal logic to try and explain any of this shit
I wouldn't call it "really shitty," in that I thought the acting and cinematography were great, and it was definitely compelling for stretches, but as a whole I definitely felt like something was missing. I didn't know anything about the Von Erichs, but even so I just got the sense that they must've taken out some of the dark parts. Like what was my takeaway supposed to be, "Oh, it was a curse?" Pretty sure it was more than a curse, dudes. They definitely showed the dad being a not great father a lot of the time, but even not knowing about this family I feel like they must've drastically undersold it.
Yeah, I knew nothing about them going in either, but subsequent reading has informed me that Fritz just wholeclothed invented the von Erich name because he was developing a Nazi heel character. so yeah, about that curse... (plus I know it was clear they were religious but I learned from Defector that Dad was in real deep with Pat Robertson).
As far as no one's behavior making sense, one example would be Kevin being like at least mid-20s when he meets his future wife and just being completely flummoxed at the idea of girls and their swimsuit parts. Like, I guess they were homeschooled maybe but by that point in the movie they've been doing shows for quite a while, I'm sure he'd come across plenty of horned-up gals.
Did anyone watch that Mike Tyson Hulu miniseries from the I Tonya people that came out last year? It was a weird compromise between retelling the myth of its subject (who wasn't involved, and publicly denounced it before it went into production), and being honest about its subject (whole episodes devoted to Robin Givens and Desiree Washington). Like they were afraid of making something generic, but also afraid of getting sued, so we get our usual great central performance (Trevante Rhodes) in the service of nothing.
I guess my point is, a) May December is a more successful navigation of that dichotomy, both in the overall execution and the questions it raises, b) "put out the one you can live with" is a great guiding principle, and c) boy, am I sick of seeing that One Love trailer.
I feel like the ethics of this would be more in question if the details of the Letourneau case were important at all to the movie. But they really aren’t. The most basic detail of that story is used as a jumping off point for a hypothetical scenario about exploitation, both in life and art. This movie is really nothing like a biopic at all, so I don’t think it’s the same thing as something like One Love.
Amanda Knox did a thread about this that was interesting in what she was saying, but ultimately I think was missing the nuances of what actually happens in May December, which she didn’t see. I think there’s a distinction about what happened in her case where the resulting movie is a thriller using her case versus May December where the movie is about this very question. https://x.com/amandaknox/status/1743313939772162257?s=46&t=Nwi_TKkLDYR9zW-Cpbjqhw
Oh I definitely don’t think they did anything wrong.
I hate that bullshit:
"I’m offended by the entire project and the lack of respect given to me — who lived through a real story and is still living it," he adds.
Yawn. Shut up and write your own script/book/whatever.
Yeah. The minute we can't write fanfic is the minute the communists win.
Hell yeah brother!
Interested in your take on The Iron Claw. The relentless of the tragedy really begs you to come away saying the story would've been hack if it wasn’t true, but I think that ends up covering up the fact that it’s just a really shitty movie. Nothing that anyone does or says makes any fucking sense and the movie doesn’t even bother with an internal logic to try and explain any of this shit
I wouldn't call it "really shitty," in that I thought the acting and cinematography were great, and it was definitely compelling for stretches, but as a whole I definitely felt like something was missing. I didn't know anything about the Von Erichs, but even so I just got the sense that they must've taken out some of the dark parts. Like what was my takeaway supposed to be, "Oh, it was a curse?" Pretty sure it was more than a curse, dudes. They definitely showed the dad being a not great father a lot of the time, but even not knowing about this family I feel like they must've drastically undersold it.
Yeah, I knew nothing about them going in either, but subsequent reading has informed me that Fritz just wholeclothed invented the von Erich name because he was developing a Nazi heel character. so yeah, about that curse... (plus I know it was clear they were religious but I learned from Defector that Dad was in real deep with Pat Robertson).
As far as no one's behavior making sense, one example would be Kevin being like at least mid-20s when he meets his future wife and just being completely flummoxed at the idea of girls and their swimsuit parts. Like, I guess they were homeschooled maybe but by that point in the movie they've been doing shows for quite a while, I'm sure he'd come across plenty of horned-up gals.
Did anyone watch that Mike Tyson Hulu miniseries from the I Tonya people that came out last year? It was a weird compromise between retelling the myth of its subject (who wasn't involved, and publicly denounced it before it went into production), and being honest about its subject (whole episodes devoted to Robin Givens and Desiree Washington). Like they were afraid of making something generic, but also afraid of getting sued, so we get our usual great central performance (Trevante Rhodes) in the service of nothing.
I guess my point is, a) May December is a more successful navigation of that dichotomy, both in the overall execution and the questions it raises, b) "put out the one you can live with" is a great guiding principle, and c) boy, am I sick of seeing that One Love trailer.