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Owlwise's Replies
A very strong, compelling episode. Also proof of what can be created with limited time & a limited budget, but with unlimited imagination & talent.
A standout story even on a standout series. :)
All those listed so far are very good indeed.
I'd add "Miniature" to that list. Robert Duvall is superb.
You give best picture to whatever film was judged of high artistic quality overall, which isn't always the most popular picture. A lot of current hit music outsells both Mozart & Miles Davis. That's down to popularity, not quality. The two don[t always coincide, although of course they can.
I thoroughly enjoyed Star Wars when it came out & still find it an exciting, thrilling, fun ride that happily summons up the 12-year old inside me. But Annie Hall just gets better & better as I grow older; it has humanity & absurdity & depth that speaks to adults.
I think "dated" is a horribly overused word these days. The fact that a film is of its time doesn't make it less interesting to me; that makes it more interesting to me. It opens a window on the world as it was then, not as seen in retrospect through changed mores & attitudes. And beyond that, the human condition is never dated. The outward trappings & then-current fads & trends will change, but human desires, fears, foibles, aspirations, failures & hopes are are always the same when you get down to it.
I'm not sure if that was intended, but it's a perfectly good interpretation of the overture.
You don't need to be a hipster to enjoy or understand this film. It's just not a goal-oriented story that depends upon conflict or resolution, that's all. It's more of an observation, a meditation, on the loss of friendship & connection, the loneliness of modern life, the lack of personal meaning & personal contact with another human being, and alienation from both each other & their inner selves.
Both characters once shared a strong bond of friendship, which has frayed & gradually disintegrated over the years as their life choices have taken them in different directions. What they don't say, what they avoid saying, is more revealing than what they do say. They are lost in an increasingly cold & friendless society.
One has tried to remain separate from it, remaining true to his inner voice, but that doesn't prevent him from being lost & lonely; the other has bought into what society tells him is supposed to fulfill his life & give it meaning, but he's also lost & lonely, except that he can't see it quite as clearly as his former friend does.
The point is that the promises of success & maturity in modern society are, more often than not, cold & empty. Even more, they're damaging & soul-crushing. When we buy into them, surrender to them, we not only don't get all the rewards we've been promised, but we lose something precious & vital of ourselves in the process. We lose ourselves.
I agree, it has a ragged authenticity & raw energy that's lacking in so many slickly polished animated films today. And it's clearly an individual creative vision, not something made by committee with an eye primarily on demographics & merchandising.
I remember Jim Bouton writing about him as a knuckleball mentor in Ball Four.
I've always taken that ending to indicate that evil is never defeated once & for all, but has to be fought over & over again. George will be called upon to face Potter again, or else others like him, because that sort of self-centered greed for money & power arises in far too many people. Really, it's not unlike Superman's famous tagline about "the never-ending battle" ...
Though I agree that I'd love to have seen Potter get his!
You are so missing the point ...
Yes, it is, which is why there are two different words, one that's positive, one that's negative. But then, both language & life itself are far more than your hopelessly rigid dictionary descriptions. I hope you figure that out some day.
End of discussion.
I can only second your every word enthusiastically!
That isn't greed, that's desire for growth & development as a whole human being. Someone driven by greed is anything but a whole human being, in fact "greed" denotes an emotionally stunted, damaged human being to whom getting & possessing is the only thing that matters in life, no matter how many other people are hurt & trampled on by it. Desire for knowledge benefits not only the person learning, but other people as well. Greed is ultimately sociopathic.
You're using the word "greed" wrongly, ignoring the specific reasons it has such a negative connotation. I agree that a healthy desire for life, love, knowledge are good things. But the pursuit of greed always poisons those good things. In A Christmas Carol, for instance, Scrooge reforms in the end, but he doesn't throw away his money to live in poverty. He uses it towards positive ends, to help others, because his guiding principle is now love, not narcissism. And because he does so, it helps himself to gain a happier, more meaningful & fulfilled life, one that he lacked when he was solely & completely greedy. He was empty and miserable when he was greedy; once he gives up that greed, he is filled with joy and delight in life.
There's a vast difference between desire and greed. Greed is all-consuming and an end unto itself; it's essentially narcissistic.
Your wonderful posts make me want to see this film again, and soon!
Agreed. Money is power, and power corrupts.
Spot on!
I genuinely feel sadness for the OP, who seems painfully oblivious to the truth of your succinct & accurate statement. What a bleak way to go through life!
Again, well said!
Just as I said, sadly unable to comprehend.
There's a world of difference between "need" and "greed" that you apparently can't see or grasp. At this point, I can only wish you good luck with your life. Maybe someday you'll be able to understand.