Nebraska

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  • Nebraska

    Treat yourself this Holiday season by seeing Nebraska. It's the best film I've seen in a loooong time. Bruce Dern's performace is great. The story is simple, clean, funny, touching. And nary a zombie, spacecraft, or polemic to be found. If I were in Spinal Tap, I'd give Nebraska an "11."

  • #2
    Re: Nebraska

    No zombies? Hmmph.
    We're making a movie here, not a film! - Kit Ramsey

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    • #3
      Re: Nebraska

      ...or spacecraft.

      Hmmph.

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      • #4
        Re: Nebraska

        I love Alexander Payne but the trailer left me cold. Tell me this film is more than a parade of simple-minded hayseed clichés and wintery shots of the Midwest.

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        • #5
          Re: Nebraska

          It had some wonderful moments and performances, but it's my least favorite Payne movie by a mile. I also wish it hadn't been in B & W.
          https://twitter.com/DavidCoggeshall
          http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548597/

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          • #6
            Re: Nebraska

            I've heard mixed reviews from friends -- although critics seem to love it. Frankly, I wasn't a big fan of Descendants. I do like Payne, but have been disappointed as of late.

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            • #7
              Re: Nebraska

              I love independent film. It's the first search I do in Netflix or Xbox, but Ugh!, we slogged through this film like a couple of farmers plowing a muddy field on a gray, rainy day. Dern gave a good performance, but it was so repetitive, that I just wanted the guy to keel over 2/3 way through. His son's character was as monochromatic as the B&W film itself. The rest of the cast was a menagerie of over-cooked and unbelievable midwest stereotypes. I think this was Payne trying to imitate the Coens - he failed.

              ************ SPOILERS AHEAD **********************





              I understand that the film was mostly an exploration of a distant father-son relationship, but IMO, this was a missed opportunity. The story and concept would have made a cool road trip movie, if there were any real stakes and urgency. Instead of having the son single and recently separated from a girlfriend (big deal), why not have him married with a kid, to the extent that his wife gives him an ultimatum; us or your kooky father? Why bury the second act in some hayseed town - one of the most boring places with the most boring people on Earth? It's a road trip, keep the story and your characters moving. If you want nutty Coen-esque characters involved, then have them chasing the father/son duo, make them real obstacles as they pop in along the route.
              Last edited by bioprofessor; 12-29-2013, 07:16 AM.

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              • #8
                Re: Nebraska

                Originally posted by Pasquali56 View Post
                I've heard mixed reviews from friends -- although critics seem to love it. Frankly, I wasn't a big fan of Descendants. I do like Payne, but have been disappointed as of late.
                SIDEWAYS his best
                "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
                -Maya Angelou

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                • #9
                  Re: Nebraska

                  Originally posted by WriteByNight View Post
                  SIDEWAYS his best
                  From a screenwriting perspective, a great bonus feature of that movie is the "Bonus Feature" on the DVD - the option of hearing Payne's running commentary.

                  Payne talks about why scenes were done this way or that, and even explains why some scenes that were in the 142-page script (and were shot) were cut from the film - whether to simply tighten the story and/or to get it down to a 2-hour runtime. And IIRC, some of those cut scenes are also available on the DVD.

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