(no subject)
The Fountain was very very good. Aronafski does not disappoint after the smash hit with Requiem. Fountain was perhaps the most intriguing Sci-Fi film I have seen. The special effects were breath-taking.
One of the best parts? The Kronos Quartet seems to have enjoyed working with Aronafski in Requiem, for they made a repeat performance in The Fountain, often times with the music featuring the quartet in a big way. Instead of processing, as in Requiem, the quartet was joined with more orchestral textures. The music amplified the experience greatly.
My one complaint about the film right now is that the camera trick used to follow a car/horse as it shot past the camera was near overdone. The first time, it was a cool distortion of perspective, the second time it felt like it could quickly become gimmicky. Thankfully, the third-time - which would have been the fall really - never came. You soon forgot about that shot almost becoming gimmicky as you got sucked into the movie.
Like Pi, I think it will require a second watch, at least to really start to grasp everything. Aronafski really seems to love symbolism. Thankfully, the symbols aren't so subtle, arcane, or intellectually founded that they get lost on the audience. Rather, it would appear that he loves to delve into the mind, obsession especially, and explores the depths of the mental through emotion. Pi, in that respect, was almost the same. It's most apparent when Aronafski writes the story himself - as with Pi and The Fountain. Requiem was more a tribute to the dying days of Coney Island to him. I remember hearing him say he was fascinated with Coney Island, as a New York native of the area. Pi and Fountain were much more similar to each other than to Requiem because of that. While all three are definitely Aronafski, Requiem explored addiction, while the other two really delved into obsession in different ways. Requiem was about an external force corrupting the internal, while the other two were about the internal corrupting the internal. And then... there's always the revelation of peace. It has it's price though.
One of the best parts? The Kronos Quartet seems to have enjoyed working with Aronafski in Requiem, for they made a repeat performance in The Fountain, often times with the music featuring the quartet in a big way. Instead of processing, as in Requiem, the quartet was joined with more orchestral textures. The music amplified the experience greatly.
My one complaint about the film right now is that the camera trick used to follow a car/horse as it shot past the camera was near overdone. The first time, it was a cool distortion of perspective, the second time it felt like it could quickly become gimmicky. Thankfully, the third-time - which would have been the fall really - never came. You soon forgot about that shot almost becoming gimmicky as you got sucked into the movie.
Like Pi, I think it will require a second watch, at least to really start to grasp everything. Aronafski really seems to love symbolism. Thankfully, the symbols aren't so subtle, arcane, or intellectually founded that they get lost on the audience. Rather, it would appear that he loves to delve into the mind, obsession especially, and explores the depths of the mental through emotion. Pi, in that respect, was almost the same. It's most apparent when Aronafski writes the story himself - as with Pi and The Fountain. Requiem was more a tribute to the dying days of Coney Island to him. I remember hearing him say he was fascinated with Coney Island, as a New York native of the area. Pi and Fountain were much more similar to each other than to Requiem because of that. While all three are definitely Aronafski, Requiem explored addiction, while the other two really delved into obsession in different ways. Requiem was about an external force corrupting the internal, while the other two were about the internal corrupting the internal. And then... there's always the revelation of peace. It has it's price though.