The best review of Disclosure Day I’ve seen so far
An interesting one for me. There are holes to pick for sure but why just that film? I’ve not seen a film without similar holes in years, possibly decades. It struck me as an attack on the audience rather than the film. Graun telling their audience that they’re stupid and shouldn’t enjoy themselves so much and shouid really be looking for something far more highbrow.
Nuremberg. One of Crowes best performances.
2 Likes
Not my take on the review. Yes, there have always been holes in his films but what Spielberg has managed to do in the past is present the viewer with such a strong narrative that you accept and forgive the holes. He’s not managed that for this film and this review, for me, articulates quite nicely what has not worked for this film. Like the reviewer, I fundamentally want to believe in Spielberg’s film because he is the greatest director of cinema but it’s just not quite right this time
I don’t disagree but it struck me as less to do with the film and more to do with an endlessly repeating pattern with any big director or film in recent memory in that paper. 4 or 5 star review in 1 week, multiple articles exploring the success and then an article telling everyone they’re wrong, it’s not all that, the director is simply repeating themselves and trying to quietly shame the audience. I refuse to fall for it anymore. It’s just exploitative click bait which assumes that we’ll unquestioningly accept the valid points it might make as somehow invalidating the point that it’s a a good film and people should see it rather than a film so obviously flawed they ought not to.
They have written variations on this same article multiple times in the past 12 months. Sinners had the same treatment. One Battle After Another. Latter was apparently film of the year whilst simultaneously being a tired retread of PRA themes with cliched below par acting and multiple rip offs of apparently far better films. Amusingly of course, one of the very films they said was a better exposition on the subject was given exactly the same treatment by them. Five stars and then ripped apart as fatally flawed.
Watch this space. The same article for Obbsession and Backrooms are being written as I type.
1 Like
Clearly not what most of the audience are saying.
Ah, now we’re straying into different territory but I don’t disagree. The Groan in particular specialises in contrarian reviewers - Peter Bradshaw for films and Arifa Akbar for theatre spring instantly to mind. It’s part of the Groan’s shtick and, as you rightly say, is mostly designed to create controversy. Kevin Maher in The Times gave Disclosure Day 2 stars which is way off so they’re all at it. That’s why no-one in their right mind determines their artistic diet solely from reviews.
Reason I posted this review is it articulates clearly my misgivings with the film but it’s only an opinion and nothing more
1 Like
Agreed. It articulated problems I felt while watching, and since.
1 Like
Mike, on a different subject, an editor recently said to me: “It’s all about the narrative arc these days.”
Best, C.
1 Like
Indeed. We start in one position and inevitably end up somewhere else. Everyone almost scared to say “I hear what you’re saying but this is my position and overall I’m comfortable sitting with it.”
We can now drift off topic and snigger at Russell Martin busy defining the same old narrative arc in his new job at Leicester.
Back on topic I am now busy plotting whether I can fit Obsession and Backrooms into this Friday.
2 Likes
Not seen Tuner mentioned but we thoroughly enjoyed it. The two core relationships were beautifully done. Critics seemed rather sniffly and I suppose the plot (sorry narrative arc) was a tad predictable but the drama and intense soundtrack pushed things along at a rate of knots so a lot was packed into a fairly short movie.
2 Likes
On my list for later this week but the calendar is filling up rapidly.
My understanding was that it was a decent film but with a pretty poor and obvious misrepresentation of the relevant health condition.
Interesting Mike - I know nothing about the condition but the makers have tried to give a representation of its impact at times in the aforementioned soundtrack. I assume they would have asked sufferers. In any event I doubt it diminishes the drama. Be interested to hear what you think.
1 Like
Saw it last week and thoroughly enjoyed it
1 Like
My understanding was that it suggested good verbal communication despite layers of protection, good recovery from single extreme noise events when the opposite is true and conflated perfect pitch with the hearing condition when the two are unrelated. The contrast with I Swear, where Tourette’s was largely nailed down correctly, has been highlighted.
I will as ever reserve judgement but I suspect this is 3rd on my list behind Obsession and Backrooms.
oh Obsession,… deeply disturbing! my daughter said Backooms was poor, but then she thought The Long Walk was boring!
Ah - those symptoms would have utterly buggered up the plot. Does dramatic art have an obligation to be totally accurate tho? Remember the excellent Dylan pic which never pretended to be factual being disliked by people because e.g Judas was shown as Newport RI rather than Manchester. Comment not intended as thread drift BTW.
Yeah, zero obligation unless purporting to be factual.
Much as I enjoyed A Complete Unknown ultimately it made me laugh because it was essentially fiction from start to end.
1 Like
Just seen Köln 75 @ The Tyneside Cinema, really enjoyed it 
1 Like
Another on my list.
1 Like