Take Shelter

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  • #16
    Re: Take Shelter

    Spoilers***

    I loved this film until the very end. The moment Shannon's character realizes at the beach that his vision came true was not satisfying. I thought the film would have been fine without this last scene. I would have rather had him realize he was mentally-ill after all.

    Often times, I think films tack on an unnecessary scene or two at the end of films. Source Code for instance. I would have liked the film to have ended to the freeze frame -- everybody's dead. It would have been an entirely different story but it would have served the movie better.

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    • #17
      Re: Take Shelter

      Originally posted by kintnerboy View Post
      This film was pretty good. Well acted, especially.

      ****SPOILERS******

      The ending being left intentionally ambiguous annoyed me at first, but I suppose it's an appropriate parable (allegory?..... what the hell's the difference?) for our times.

      Are we being paranoid about the current horrors of the world or are we justifiably scared?

      Or maybe, as might be the case with Michael Shannon's character, it's both.
      I think you just hit it on the head. If the film was presented like a typical blockbuster, I would agree with the complaints about its' ending. However, it was released through Sony Pictures Classics, and I give it a lot of credit for dealing with the elements of mental illness and possible danger.

      Shannon and Chastian were pretty good, along with Kathy Baker and Shea Wigham (check him out as the Russian rocker in the dark comedy "Wristcutters").
      "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

      "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

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      • #18
        Re: Take Shelter

        Wow, really fantastic movie. Although it isn't new territory, the attention to detail and the everyday context in which Curtis' story unfolds makes it something special.

        SPOILER******************

        However, the ending shot simply didn't work for me, it totally refocused the film on the wrong thing. IMO, it would have been a better call to go with the shot of the little girl signing "storm", and then cut to black as Curtis looks over his shoulder. The notion that he will forever be "looking over his shoulder" because of the battle with his mental illness is a lot more disturbing than some sort of end times scenario, as this means he will lose what he values most, his family, because of something that he has no power over, and he will have to live with it. Was this ending added late in the process, anyone know the story?

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        • #19
          Re: Take Shelter

          Just watched this. It's brilliant.



          SPOILERS

          **********************************
          When Curtis opens the storm cellar door and sees that it's sunny, and that both his neighbors are cleaning up their yards, I half-expected the camera to pan over to his house, showing that it was the only one demolished by the storm.
          **********************************

          END SPOILERS



          I really like the ending that did come about. It's a great twist on what we were expecting the entire time without rendering everything that happened before pointless, as so many films with twist endings do. This one got it right. It's like a modern-day allegory or parable, and inspires thought-provoking discussion while still delivering a solid pay-off.

          I was enthralled from the first scene to the very last. Such a fantastic movie.

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          • #20
            Re: Take Shelter

            Missed this one. Trailer looks awesome.
            Actually looks a lot like the character he played in "Bug." Paranoid, possibly crazy. Worried and protecting against something that might not be happening.

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slg59ufLKXk

            I have no interest in "Man of Steel" outside Micheal Shannon playing Zod. That's just perfect casting.
            "I need someone who laughs at all my jokes. You know; honest feedback."
            - C. Montgomery Burns

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            • #21
              Re: Take Shelter

              Just watched. Really good. Reminded me of another quiet terror favorite; SAFE.
              "I need someone who laughs at all my jokes. You know; honest feedback."
              - C. Montgomery Burns

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              • #22
                Re: Take Shelter

                Originally posted by gridlock'd View Post
                Just watched. Really good. Reminded me of another quiet terror favorite; SAFE.
                Both are brilliant movies, in my not-so-humble opinion.

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                • #23
                  Re: Take Shelter

                  Julianne Moore SAFE?

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Take Shelter

                    Originally posted by Biohazard View Post
                    Julianne Moore SAFE?

                    Yep. One of my absolute favorite '90s movies.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Take Shelter

                      I'm late to this discussion. I saw it two months ago and for a few weeks struggled with the ending. Here's my take on it --

                      =======
                      SPOILERS
                      =======

                      I don't think the storm at the end was real. I think the fact his wife acknowledged it was her way of saying - "I know you see something bigger than is out there, it's okay - we're here with you." When he had them down in the shelter with the gas masks on and then they finally came up, it was obvious that there'd been a storm, but it was much smaller than what he expected. I thought the ending was like this - he sees this giant storm approaching, but in reality it was probably much smaller. (As evidenced by no mass exodus away from the beach, like would be happening if a storm that large loomed that close to shore.) But his wife now understands and accepts that he sees a different reality.

                      That was my initial take on the ending. It makes me want to see it again. Whatever the ending, I thought it was a terrific movie.

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                      • #26
                        Re: Take Shelter

                        Originally posted by lostfootage View Post
                        I'm late to this discussion. I saw it two months ago and for a few weeks struggled with the ending. Here's my take on it --

                        =======
                        SPOILERS
                        =======

                        I don't think the storm at the end was real. I think the fact his wife acknowledged it was her way of saying - "I know you see something bigger than is out there, it's okay - we're here with you." When he had them down in the shelter with the gas masks on and then they finally came up, it was obvious that there'd been a storm, but it was much smaller than what he expected. I thought the ending was like this - he sees this giant storm approaching, but in reality it was probably much smaller. (As evidenced by no mass exodus away from the beach, like would be happening if a storm that large loomed that close to shore.) But his wife now understands and accepts that he sees a different reality.

                        That was my initial take on the ending. It makes me want to see it again. Whatever the ending, I thought it was a terrific movie.
                        SPOILERS!!!!!!!!








                        Interesting take, lost.

                        I actually believe the final storm was real simply because Curtis never knew (at least not on screen) that his wife had taught their daughter the sign for "storm."

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                        • #27
                          Re: Take Shelter

                          Originally posted by SuperScribe View Post
                          SPOILERS!!!!!!!!

                          Interesting take, lost.

                          I actually believe the final storm was real simply because Curtis never knew (at least not on screen) that his wife had taught their daughter the sign for "storm."
                          True that. For sure, I need to see this one again. Kinda like I had to see Mulholland Dr. twice to make a conclusion about the ending.

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                          • #28
                            Re: Take Shelter

                            Yeah, I felt the storm was real.

                            I don't recall seeing anyone on the beach so idk why there would be a mass exodus.

                            I think it was just the way the film needed to end. Everyone saw this guy as crazy but he stuck to his convictions and it turned out he was right.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Take Shelter

                              SPOILERS AGAIN


                              True. And it was the daughter who spotted the storm first, so we can conclude that the storm was real. And wasn't there oily rain falling on the wife's hand that she saw and acknowledged?



                              END SPOILERS







                              I just love how there is evidence to argue both sides of how the story played out in the end, which is the only way ambiguous endings truly work, in my view.




                              Originally posted by SuperScribe View Post
                              Yep. One of my absolute favorite '90s movies.
                              Totally forgot that movie even existed. I'll add it to my ever-growing watchlist.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Take Shelter

                                Originally posted by Biohazard View Post
                                Totally forgot that movie even existed. I'll add it to my ever-growing watchlist.

                                I'm worried I'm going to have to apologize for it the way I did for SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK.

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