And the Oscar goes to ...

Stupid moviegoers!

 

I didn't see "Man on Wire," though I should. But what makes "The Walk" so good isn't necessarily just the story of Phillipe Petit, but how it's told, visually. It is the first truly great use of 3D that I've seen. "Life of Pi" also comes to mind, but "The Walk" is like the movie that 3D was invented for.

 

That is why I have no interest in The Walk. Although I hear it is visually stunning the last 40 minutes. I just have no interest. Probably like many people who don't for a movie about Steve Jobs.

I have now also seen Bridge of Spies and The Martian. Neither comes close to Steve Jobs.

 

If you like to see people wiping their noses, Bridge of Spies is the movie for you!

 

Lot of cokeheads?

 

I saw it last night. I think it's better than "The Social Network," although I thought "The Social Network" was OK. The main problem with "The Social Network," I have always maintained, is that critics wanted it to be a seminal commentary on our times, when it was actually a legal thriller.

I'm still processing "Steve Jobs." It is definitely one case where I think that "truth" is more important than accuracy - I think Sorkin has been quite open about the fact that it is overtly fictionalized. That bothers me far less, having watched it, than it did going in. It's clearly stylized. The relationships at Apple are what matter here.

There are, basically, three extended scenes in the movie. The first and last ones are really good. The middle one, focusing on the "NeXT" computer that Jobs introduced when he was gone from Apple, drags a little, except for a few minutes in which he interacts with another key character.

I can't figure out if this Steve Jobs is all that interesting. He's kind of a dick the whole movie, and then he largely redeems himself at the end, as a couple of characteristics shine through that were foreshadowed in rare non-dickish moments throughout the movie. I'm not sure that the redemption is close to being earned, though.

As always, Sorkin's style both giveth and taketh away. It can feel like you're watching a play instead of a movie, however, particularly in a movie as talky as this one.

 

As explained in my prior post, that's pretty much the entire movie.

 

I felt the same way about Gravity a couple of years ago. Seeing it in 3D in the theater was the only way to see it. It was a totally unique and memorable movie-going experience. The story was fine, acting was good, but the visual and visceral experience was what made it one of the best in-theater experiences I've had. It won several visual effects/cinematography Oscars, so I would expect The Walk to be in the same boat.