28 Responses for "Clip of the Day"

1. Free November 19th, 2009 at 10:58 am 1

   “From one of the best films of the year. . .”

   It’s okay if you go on and say ‘the best film of the year so far.’ We don’t mind, for it is true.

2. ladylurks November 19th, 2009 at 11:33 am 2

   I love that scene; it’s great hearing Kathryn and Mark talk about it. One of many amazing scenes throughout The Hurt Locker.

   Now you’re making me want to see it again.

3. Tufas November 19th, 2009 at 1:15 pm 3

   The Hurt Locker:

   Best Picture
   Best Director
   Best Editing
   Best Cinematography
   Best Sound

   Called it

   T.

4. The Natural November 19th, 2009 at 1:22 pm 4

   Eh. The further I get away from the movie the more unremarkable it becomes, especially in comparison to far greater, much more exemplary war films like Saving Private Ryan and Platoon. This one just doesn’t hold up that well, despite certain exciting sequences (opening in particular, also bomb-strapped man towards the end).

5. snowballa November 19th, 2009 at 2:15 pm 5

   to be honest, the jeremy renner character lessened the film for me as i didn’t feel that there was a real arc to him.

6. Best Actors November 19th, 2009 at 2:16 pm 6

   T-

   You forgot BEST ACTOR, JEREMY RENNER and BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, ANTHONY MACKIE! “Breakthrough” roles for well-trained thesps.

   Snowballa-

   Renner’s character is non-traditional, unconventional, that is, sans phony “arc.” Probably one reason why the film resonates.

7. Dan November 19th, 2009 at 2:16 pm 7

   Again, I hate to keep reiterating this, but Hollywood loves morals in their films, and Saving Private Ryan and Platoon are both exercises in moralizing. The Hurt Locker, refreshingly, isn’t. It doesn’t ask questions that, as retrospective exercises, exonerate, explain, justify or idealize. By setting aside all the signifiers that have been built up around war, including the absolute comfort and moral imperative of comraderie and the justification of violence, as well as re-evaluating the idea of heroism, the film earns great respect. You’ll notice as well that, unlike almost all war movies, and almost all the movies made by those gothic moralists in Hollywood (Eastwood, Scorcese, Penn and the like), a cliched act of supreme morally justified retribution does not occur here to wrap it all up and say, “good thing we did that.”

8. bambi November 19th, 2009 at 2:24 pm 8

   I don`t see why people still doubt BP/BD/BA for this. Lock,lock,lock. Hopefully, the yummy Mackie won`t be forgotten for BSA either.

9. Glenn November 19th, 2009 at 2:40 pm 9

   I simply do not get the fuss. Its an average film with an over the top performance – Bruce Willis would have been ideal for the role had he been younger. Ooooo a woman directs a war movie, must be extraordinary. I just don’t get it. I was not one bit impressed and if Oscar chooses to go that way then I will lose serious faith in the system ….. as if Brokeback never did that to me anyway!

10. snowballa November 19th, 2009 at 4:00 pm 10

    @best actors: are you really trashing the importance of character arcs? renner’s character went no where because he showed no progress. at best, he should’ve been supporting while anthony mackie’s character who realized he wanted to be with his family, should’ve been lead. would’ve been a more interesting journey.

11. Bill November 19th, 2009 at 4:38 pm 11

    good movie, if bigelow wins best director i wont complain, but if the film wins best picture, say good bye to any relevance the academy once had, ratings will plummit

12. Chris138 November 19th, 2009 at 4:40 pm 12

    For the record, although I do like Saving Private Ryan, it’s a bit on the overrated side. The Thin Red Line was the better war movie of 1998 in my opinion.

    Anyways, as of now I’d call The Hurt Locker my favorite movie of the year. I definitely see award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and maybe a nod for Jeremy Renner (I hope so) for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

13. The Natural November 19th, 2009 at 5:11 pm 13

    Cinematography? Oh god no. I will seriously question what happened to the Academy if they nominate this film for its overly shaky, queasy hand held photography. It’s nothing you don’t see on YouTube every day, or in your average made-for-TV documentary. Blah.

    “Again, I hate to keep reiterating this, but Hollywood loves morals in their films, and Saving Private Ryan and Platoon are both exercises in moralizing. The Hurt Locker, refreshingly, isn’t.”

    Saving Private Ryan and Platoon aren’t exceptional films because they ‘moralize,’ they’re exceptional because they’re brilliantly crafted, acted to perfection, consistently absorbing and transporting, and offer vital, bravura looks into the life of war. The Hurt Locker doesn’t do anything we haven’t already seen done better before. Its episodic nature grows redundant and, frankly, boring by the 2/3rds mark. How people call this an action film I’ll never know.

14. Nork the Impaler November 19th, 2009 at 5:42 pm 14

    Is the whole movie filmed with shakycam, or just this one scene?

15. Julian November 19th, 2009 at 5:48 pm 15

    I thought I was the only one who didn’t see the Hurt Locker’s appeal. Maybe I got to it too late but by the time I’d watched it I had felt as if it was a slightly better than average war film with interesting performances to hold it up (particulary Mackie). Some scenes like the opening scene were tense but that was pretty much it.

16. The Natural November 19th, 2009 at 6:10 pm 16

    “Is the whole movie filmed with shakycam, or just this one scene?”

    Let’s just say it would have done them some good to give the audiences barf bags.

17. daveylow November 19th, 2009 at 10:18 pm 17

    I really liked this film, having finally caught up with it on a big screen last night.
    But I don’t think BA is a lock at all. And maybe not Best Picture either but this is not a strong year. But I think Best Director is a good bet because the film does surprise in its storytelling.

18. Dan November 19th, 2009 at 11:09 pm 18

    This was a solid good film. I enjoyed the movie. Bigelow should win Best Director.

    Also: SADLY the MPAA has come out and rated THE LOVELY BONES PG-13. If you go by the source material it should be R based on the brutal rape and murder in the beginning of the book.
    Was pulling for it to be R. Now its just dissappointing.I hope Jackson goes and recuts it to make it R.

19. Antoinette November 19th, 2009 at 11:27 pm 19

    That just makes me want the DVD so I can watch the whole thing again.

20. ladylurks November 20th, 2009 at 1:25 am 20

    @snowballa – Renner’s character regresses, like De Niro in Taxi Driver only less melodramatically.

    @Dan – Peter Jackson specifically said that he was going for a PG-13 because the film needs to reach a wide audience. He had to edit carefully in making the ultimate death more painful and gruesome, so that he wouldn’t overstep into R territory.

21. Glenn November 20th, 2009 at 2:54 am 21

    In my opinion Locker was hurt by the critics. They portrayed the film to be something it isn’t. I was waiting for the tension, the excitement, the thrills, the drama and none of it really happened for me. The Renner character was nothing but a modern day action here type that we had with Willis, Stallone and Arnold in the 80’s. Yawn. The Best Actor race is packed – believe me Renner has no chance whatsoever. If the film succeeds come awards time it will simply be because, to date, it is a really shitty year film wise and we are still waiting for a number of biggies to open.

22. bambi November 20th, 2009 at 8:42 am 22

    #18 There`s absolutely no need for LB to be R. Source material was graphic (both violence and sex-wise) for the shock value but the movie really doesn`t need that in order to get the point across. IMO, it`s a smart decision to make it PG-13. This is NOT Heavenly Creatures where the girls were basically Mr Harvey and you had to show how brutal the mom`s murder was to get what they were like. LB is not from the murder`s POV but from victim`s who is trying to move on. Jackson stated it`s actually a very positive and light-hearted movie with lots of humor. I guess that the trailer made it more thrillery than it is because the studio decided it`s more marketable that way.

    That said, HL, Bigelow and Renner are locked and loaded. GGs may ignore some of them but SAG will give them a needed boost.

23. André November 20th, 2009 at 10:31 am 23

    I’m still baffled that this didn’t get a theatrical release here in Brazil.

    On the plus side, I get to have it on DVD quite early, though.

24. tmac13089@aol.com November 20th, 2009 at 10:40 am 24

    The movie was good, but not great, but that’s only my opinion. I do think Bigelow will get in though. I don’t think she’ll win, at the moment, but I think she’ll get nominated.

    And to an earlier post, how could SPR be overrated? I love The Thin Red Line also, but it’s not as good. What hurt the movie was that at times it seemed like the script was written by a philosophy college major. SPR was so realistic, sure the second half drags a little, but it’s one of film’s greatest directing achievements.

    And that’s what will hurt, no pun. The Hurt Locker. It didn’t really make me contemplate the movie. I wasn’t awed by it, it didn’t have the WOW factor, you know?

25. Anonymous November 20th, 2009 at 4:27 pm 25

    Fake backlash. You guys get an “F” for creativity!

    The Hurt Locker is still going to sweep. Renner is in. Best picture and best director will not be split this year. It would be an insult to Bigelow if she just gets best director. Wouldn’t that mean it is just the “being the first girl” prize? Nope. It has to be both best picture and director, or it’s just political correctness.

    By the way, don’t they teach you guys “starting a backlash” at marketing school?

26. chrisw November 20th, 2009 at 4:31 pm 26

    If Bigelow is nominated, but the film isn’t that wouldn’t make sense. There’s 10 slots. There’s no excuse. This film will get nominated, I just don’t think it will win.

27. Patricia November 20th, 2009 at 7:46 pm 27

    I love the talk about this film. And I particularly love that the director is a woman. But the comments abou the character here. OF COURSE he’s calm in the scene…he’s an actor and he knows he’s not really going to blow up.

28. K. Bowen November 22nd, 2009 at 12:22 pm 28

    I watched it again at a dollar theater this week and it totally holds up.

    The Hurt Locker completely changes the war film from the “Army of Victims” model that it’s been in for a long time. To make something new and confounding in such a well-worn genre is a landmark in filmmaking.