Basic Instinct 2

[victoriao]

LOL, I keep citing DT as my fangirly boyfriend of sorts (have liked him for a fair while and pre-new DW), so I can kinda understand her sentiments there

I can appreciate that - I'm not immune to the quirky charms of Mr Tennant and I can see why Natalie might be tempted (especially early on when Ripley was being more of a git). By episode 6 though I had such a Ripley obsession I couldn't see beyond it any more

[kitty11]

Sept 1, 2009 19:57:50 GMT @victoriao said:

I can appreciate that - I'm not immune to the quirky charms of Mr Tennant and I can see why Natalie might be tempted (especially early on when Ripley was being more of a git). By episode 6 though I had such a Ripley obsession I couldn't see beyond it any more

Even when I watched Blackpool for the first time a few years ago, I started off leaning towards Carlisle, but was left totally undecided at the end as to who I'd choose if I was in Natalie's shoes...and I was heavily into DT at the time! But now I think, "Wow, how that worm has indeed turned!"

kitty

[victoriao]

So, I rounded off my weekend by curling up on the sofa and surrendering to the dubious pleasures of BI2. To my surprise, it actually wasn't as bad as I expected Yes, it's trashy, ludicrous and at times faintly embarrassing, but hundreds of worse – and more boring – movies than this have slipped under the critical radar and not had the pasting this one received. This one just happened to be higher profile and consequently failed bigger.

I can certainly see why, on paper at least, this must have looked like a good career move for DM. A high profile, big budget movie, and a pretty meaty role – who'd say no? This is basically Dr Glass's film after all – any plot and character developments (such as they are) are entirely centred on him, and he's onscreen for 99% of the movie – he even gets the very final frame (and marvellous it is). It was good to see him getting his name billed, quite rightly, above the title – quite an achievement given how few people outside the UK, and even in it, know who he is – though the fact he dominates the movie may also be why DM had such a knock to his confidence and took it so personally when the film bombed (even though, as we know, he’s not the one sinking the movie, he's the one carrying it).

Jul 7, 2009 12:25:56 GMT kitty11 said:

I'm still utterly stupified as to why Dr. Glass pursues Tramell when all logical arrows point to him needing to do the exact opposite Perhaps it was the frightfully absent chemistry between the two of them, or Stone's smarminess, but I just couldn't get why he goes after her (aside from this being an obvious plot driver to the rest of the story).

Yep, the lack of chemistry is definitely a major issue, given that sexual obsession is meant to be the motivation for most of Dr Glass's irrational behavior throughout the movie. If you're making a film like this you know you've got problems when the most memorable sex scene is one in which the leading lady doesn't even appear (well, OK, maybe she's there in spirit ). We're clearly meant to feel the irresistible, smouldering attraction but unfortunately, to paraphrase Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain, there's nothing between them - just air. (Well, maybe there was just one tiny moment where Catherine asks Dr Glass 'Isn't that what turns you on?' and he replies 'Turns me on...?' and I thought OK, maybe I'm getting just a flicker of something here. But that may be more down to the fact that I'm incapable of hearing Mr Morrissey delivering sexually loaded dialogue and not feeling something ) When Dr Glass and Catherine finally do get together the result is strangely underwhelming – not the fault of DM or Ms Stone, who did what they could with the scenario and staging they were given (though Ms Stone might have shifted her leg out of the way for the benefit of those of us who wanted another gander at Mr Morrissey's gym-honed bod).

Jul 7, 2009 12:25:56 GMT kitty11 said:

I loved the last scene to bits ;D I won't spoiler it too much other than to say it is an absolute marvel watching a guy act almost entirely with his eyes...

Yes, I loved it too! The whole movie was worth sitting through just for the sake of those last few minutes. I was exclaiming in wonderment at the screen at that point

Jul 7, 2009 12:25:56 GMT kitty11 said:

...of course it helps that they're so friggen damn pretty that you find yourself abiding by the ol' cliche and getting kinda lost in them *gazes wonderously in anime-style teen girl fashion*

Ohhh yes, they surely are. As an aside, I like it when DM movies/dramas (this is an example and One Summer is another) actually reference the beauty of his eyes in the script


A few other observations….

The plot was pretty much insane. At one point I found myself going 'Wha-?' and actually pausing the DVD to try and make sense of the latest development, only to decide three seconds later that this is the kind of movie where logic doesn't come into it – you just have to disengage your brain and go with it. In terms of the disjointedness of the plot, I suspect having watched the deleted scenes on the DVD that at least some of the problems were created at the editing stage. They seem to have cut swathes of dialogue because the movie was long and talky enough already, but at a cost of making the plot even more incoherent. For example, one of the cut scenes is a little exchange between Dr Glass and Dr Gardosh where she challenges him about taking on Catherine as a patient (and five times a week, too – what kind of therapist sees a client five times a week? ) and he rationalizes it – perhaps to himself as much as to her – by saying that he realizes she could be dangerous, but he hopes that by treating her he may be able to contain the possibility of her harming anyone and so prevent another Chesslov scenario. This may not quite make sense, but at least it adds a layer of explanation and justification where otherwise there'd be none.

Similarly, there’s a whole chunk of dialogue excised in between Catherine stamping out her cigarette after Dr Glass shouts at her for smoking in the consulting room, and her straddling the chair and delivering her 'How do you picture it, Doctor?' speech, in which she taunts him about the dark side concealed beneath his cool, professional exterior and tries to get him to 'fess up to the fact he gets aroused during their sessions. Maybe they felt the sequence was redundant because they could communicate the unleashing of his, er, basic instincts more effectively, and less wordily, in the hair-yanking scene, but at least keeping the dialogue would've made the lurch into her (still ludicrous) speech a little less sudden.

Finally (jeez, I really have given this movie more thought than it deserves, haven't I?) there is a sequence where Catherine tells Dr Glass that she wants to have sex with him, right then and there in the consulting room, and when he asks why (analysts, eh? ), one of her reasons is 'because Adam Towers is dead and we’re not'. Now, Catherine Tramell is so cartoonish as a character that I don’t think she really withstands any serious analysis, but if they'd justified her thrill-seeking and constant pursuit of sex as a kind of act of defiance in the face of death, a way of seeking oblivion, however temporary, to forget her own mortality, I'd personally find that far more convincing psychologically than any amount of guff about risk addiction or godlike omnipotence. I guess though that the idea of a middle-aged woman dealing, or not dealing, with her own mortality would be too uncomfortable for mainstream Hollywood to deal with, and certainly not 'sexy' in the context of this kind of movie.

Re the script, I thought Mr Morrissey was lucky in escaping most of the more lurid and ridiculous lines of dialogue (though I felt for him in the courtroom scene, trying to make that diagnosis sound convincing); Ms Stone, Ms Rampling and Mr Thewlis were less fortunate. My personal favourite was Ms Rampling's 'She just walked out? How Lacanian!' ;D Actually, Ms Rampling deserves special mention in general for the elegance with which she rose above the tawdry material. If anyone ever fancies casting her opposite Mr Morrissey in something with a decent script, then that I'd definitely pay to see.


A few other random thoughts…

I had a good laugh at the psychiatrist straight from central casting, complete with mad professor hair and mittel-European accent

It was a tiny moment but I rather loved the detail of Dr Glass waiting for Catherine Tramell to arrive for her first therapy session (subsequent to her guessing he liked to be in control), where he'd seen her arrive in the lobby through the glass door and knew she was waiting, but he stood and watched the clock tick round to exactly twelve noon and made her wait before he let her in. There was a little smile to himself just before he went to open the door which really shouldn't have been sexy but totally was (in a smug arrogant bastard kind of way).

There were some seriously bizarre style choices in evidence in this movie. Dr Glass's gravity-defying quiff has already been mentioned in this thread (though even having seen the picture in advance I still couldn't stifle a snort of laughter at its actual appearance in the movie – what were they thinking?!) but Ms Stone too, in spite of having a personal hairstylist, had a truly terrible and unbecoming 'do, as well as having to fight against some very odd make-up, not least that lipstick which, on my telly at least, looked a nasty sickly shade of mauve. And thinking of make-up reminds me of one or two of those therapy scenes. Note to make-up team: Mr Morrissey is British – he's meant to be that pale. Lay off the bronzing powder already


Just one cap for the collection – a shot that particularly grabbed me:





And finally, I read the Washington Post review of this movie online the other day. It was an irritating piece in several respects (not only because of its gratuitously snarky and personal dismissal of Mr Morrissey) so I won't dignify it by posting the link, but I mention it just because of the pay-off line, which may strike a chord with some of my fellow-members as it did with me After a long paragraph extolling the beauty of la Stone, the critic signs off thus:

Really, anyone who's looking at David Morrissey during all this definitely needs therapy!

This, as you might imagine, made me laugh like a drain.

[victoriao]

... oh, and just one more thing (as if I haven't said enough about this movie already ), may I suggest a new category: nape porn?

[kitty11]

Wow, this is one hefty, and shall I say it, remarkable analysis Celia! Cheers for taking the time to share your thoughts

I wish to preface my response by saying that it's mind-numbingly appropriate that I'm listening to Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' right now, just to add a kinky musical aperitif to proceedings. Can't really help it with lines like "I want your leather studded kiss in the sand"

Oct 26, 2009 21:19:35 GMT @victoriao said:

So, I rounded off my weekend by curling up on the sofa and surrendering to the dubious pleasures of BI2. To my surprise, it actually wasn't as bad as I expected Yes, it's trashy, ludicrous and at times faintly embarrassing, but hundreds of worse – and more boring – movies than this have slipped under the critical radar and not had the pasting this one received. This one just happened to be higher profile and consequently failed bigger.

Agreed. I think BI2 may also have wilted under the shadow of its predecessor, which was equally as lurid (probably says something about our current porn-addled society that BI2 is, in relative terms, old-hat really), but achieved its seediness with a heap more panache and, dare I say it, bite. A few years ago, when BI2 was originally released, I was actually keen to see it at the cinemas, having *ahem* enjoyed the first one, but got turned off by the newpaper reviews. Funnily enough I don't think I recognised that DM was actually in it ;D

I can certainly see why, on paper at least, this must have looked like a good career move for DM. A high profile, big budget movie, and a pretty meaty role – who'd say no?

Looking at the film as a whole, you can see that there's the bare-bones of a plot and subtext that might be intriguing for any decent actor worth their salt to sink their teeth into. And it's not like we're privy to the original script that hooked DM into joining the project, only the final, heavily distilled product

I'm not sure at what stage DM was cast, but I do remember reading that a few prominent directors had been linked with the project, David Cronenberg (think Crash, Existenz) among them, and goodness knows, if I were an actor looking to break into Hollywood, a Cronenberg film wouldn't be a bad start by any stretch. But alas, certain egos (who shall remain unnamed), may have gotten in the way of things

It was good to see him getting his name billed, quite rightly, above the title – quite an achievement given how few people outside the UK, and even in it, know who he is – though the fact he dominates the movie may also be why DM had such a knock to his confidence and took it so personally when the film bombed (even though, as we know, he’s not the one sinking the movie, he's the one carrying it).

You might be onto something there *taps nose* While I adore the guy to bits (kinda goes without saying really), I've been wondering why, post-BI2, he doesn't tend to step out of that serious, angst-riddled comfort zone and do more different stuff, like Blackpool, or a genre film (yep, that's why I'm hanging out for Centurion). Now maybe he's at the behest of the scripts that end up floating his way, but I dunno *shrugs*

If you're making a film like this you know you've got problems when the most memorable sex scene is one in which the leading lady doesn't even appear (well, OK, maybe she's there in spirit ).

LMAO! That is a pretty said indictment

(Well, maybe there was just one tiny moment where Catherine asks Dr Glass 'Isn't that what turns you on?' and he replies 'Turns me on...?' and I thought OK, maybe I'm getting just a flicker of something here. But that may be more down to the fact that I'm incapable of hearing Mr Morrissey delivering sexually loaded dialogue and not feeling something )

Hehe, I think there might have been glimpses of a spark at various times between them, like the instance you mentioned. I tend to get a wee quiver when he says anything remotely sexual, cos it seems to be a rare occurrence in his roles generally (only God knows why, with that voice of his, but I digress...). On the subject of smutty talk, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing him emulating - at some point - something in the avenue of DT's immortal line in Secret Smile

When Dr Glass and Catherine finally do get together the result is strangely underwhelming – not the fault of DM or Ms Stone, who did what they could with the scenario and staging they were given (though Ms Stone might have shifted her leg out of the way for the benefit of those of us who wanted another gander at Mr Morrissey's gym-honed bod).

Yeah, damn that leg I wasn't necessarily enamoured with the idea of half-strangling him with a belt either. Got me thinking of Michael Hutchence...um, yikes

Yes, I loved it too! The whole movie was worth sitting through just for the sake of those last few minutes. I was exclaiming in wonderment at the screen at that point

LOL, that was me second time around...couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it the first time, although I wasn't in the Morrisseyan throes yet at that stage.

I actually capped this part in such detail that you could make a zoetrope out of it - called it the 'Caveman' series ;D

Ohhh yes, they surely are. As an aside, I like it when DM movies/dramas (this is an example and One Summer is another) actually reference the beauty of his eyes in the script

Yeah, but it needs to be done far more often than is currently the case

The plot was pretty much insane. At one point I found myself going 'Wha-?' and actually pausing the DVD to try and make sense of the latest development, only to decide three seconds later that this is the kind of movie where logic doesn't come into it – you just have to disengage your brain and go with it. In terms of the disjointedness of the plot, I suspect having watched the deleted scenes on the DVD that at least some of the problems were created at the editing stage.

LOL, I was pretty much aware prior to seeing the film that I would have to disengage my brain in order to cope with its apparent illogicity!

(and five times a week, too – what kind of therapist sees a client five times a week? )

A psycho-therapist...clearly

This particular exchange sounds really familiar to me for some reason...maybe I was watching a 'director's cut' of the film? I mean, that could be the case, as the DVD I saw had no special features on it.

Similarly, there’s a whole chunk of dialogue excised in between Catherine stamping out her cigarette after Dr Glass shouts at her for smoking in the consulting room, and her straddling the chair and delivering her 'How do you picture it, Doctor?' speech, in which she taunts him about the dark side concealed beneath his cool, professional exterior and tries to get him to 'fess up to the fact he gets aroused during their sessions.

Again, that bit also sounds familiar...I must've seen the unedited version then, thank goodness.

Now, Catherine Tramell is so cartoonish as a character that I don’t think she really withstands any serious analysis, but if they'd justified her thrill-seeking and constant pursuit of sex as a kind of act of defiance in the face of death, a way of seeking oblivion, however temporary, to forget her own mortality, I'd personally find that far more convincing psychologically than any amount of guff about risk addiction or godlike omnipotence. I guess though that the idea of a middle-aged woman dealing, or not dealing, with her own mortality would be too uncomfortable for mainstream Hollywood to deal with, and certainly not 'sexy' in the context of this kind of movie.

Agreed, though the 'godlike omnipotence-complex' referred to in the film could be linked to what you're talking about in terms of Catherine avoiding/denying her own mortality. And in light of reading some literature around trauma lately in relation to risk-taking, it wouldn't have led them astray to have her behaviour stem from something like a deep-seated trauma, rather than have her actions vaporise out of thin air without any driving force or motive, seemingly. Then again, there is a sense that we, as the viewer, aren't meant to relate to her character and her motivations in the first place

Re the script, I thought Mr Morrissey was lucky in escaping most of the more lurid and ridiculous lines of dialogue (though I felt for him in the courtroom scene, trying to make that diagnosis sound convincing);

Hehe, expert witnesses in real life are paid to speak BS anyway, so it wouldn't be entirely unrealistic to expect the same in the fictitious film world

Ms Stone, Ms Rampling and Mr Thewlis were less fortunate. My personal favourite was Ms Rampling's 'She just walked out? How Lacanian!' ;D Actually, Ms Rampling deserves special mention in general for the elegance with which she rose above the tawdry material. If anyone ever fancies casting her opposite Mr Morrissey in something with a decent script, then that I'd definitely pay to see.

Aw, I tend to love what Charlotte Rampling does full stop (including this film), but if she was ever to be cast opposite DM, I'd love her to speak entirely in French, just so he has to

I had a good laugh at the psychiatrist straight from central casting, complete with mad professor hair and mittel-European accent

LOL, he did look rather Einsteinian ;D

It was a tiny moment but I rather loved the detail of Dr Glass waiting for Catherine Tramell to arrive for her first therapy session (subsequent to her guessing he liked to be in control), where he'd seen her arrive in the lobby through the glass door and knew she was waiting, but he stood and watched the clock tick round to exactly twelve noon and made her wait before he let her in. There was a little smile to himself just before he went to open the door which really shouldn't have been sexy but totally was (in a smug arrogant bastard kind of way).

*LMAO at recollection of scene*

I guess I LOVE him when he's smug, mainly because it's a rare counterpoint to him otherwise being angsty and squinchy-faced, which is adorable, but not all that hot. For some odd reason I find his contempt especially alluring

And thinking of make-up reminds me of one or two of those therapy scenes. Note to make-up team: Mr Morrissey is British – he's meant to be that pale. Lay off the bronzing powder already

Me thinks they were just trying to get him remotely matched up to her in terms of skin-tone

Just one cap for the collection – a shot that particularly grabbed me:

Awwwww...more pretty-mellowness It's funny how you said he's in 99% of the film...they've basically pornified him in 99% of the film too, because I don't think there's even a millisecond where your brain is diverted from his sheer scrumdilliumptiousness

After a long paragraph extolling the beauty of la Stone,

LOL, she's about as beautiful in this as an airbrushed Barbie! Not to say she doesn't look beautiful in some of her other films, but here...yeesh! Ah well, I suppose those folk on the opposite side of the Atlantic have a pretty skew-wiff sense of beauty, to be sure.

the critic signs off thus:

Really, anyone who's looking at David Morrissey during all this definitely needs therapy!

This, as you might imagine, made me laugh like a drain.

LMFAO!!! That's hilarious!!

Um, where do I sign up for this so-called 'therapy'?

may I suggest a new category: nape porn?

Duly noted and added to our growing list of categories

kitty

[victoriao]

I think BI2 may also have wilted under the shadow of its predecessor, which was equally as lurid… but achieved its seediness with a heap more panache and, dare I say it, bite.

I've not seen the first film (in fact the whole erotic thriller genre is a bit of a closed book to me, so full marks to BI2 for broadening my horizons there but I heard it was pretty good, and I know it has a star-making turn from Ms Stone. I gather that her performance in that (together with Casino) was a major factor in persuading DM to sign up for the sequel.

I tend to get a wee quiver when he says anything remotely sexual, cos it seems to be a rare occurrence in his roles generally

Yes, it's funny how such an attractive man is so rarely asked to 'do sexy', so to speak - I can't understand why either. As compensation, though, he somehow manages just to be sexy, regardless of what they get him to do onscreen.

On the subject of smutty talk, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing him emulating - at some point - something in the avenue of DT's immortal line in Secret Smile

LOL, me neither. When I heard that McDonalds ad my primary reaction was 'If he can make a poem about chicken nuggets sound seductive, what couldn’t he do with the right material?'

I wasn't necessarily enamoured with the idea of half-strangling him with a belt either.

No, nor me

This particular exchange sounds really familiar to me for some reason...maybe I was watching a 'director's cut' of the film? I mean, that could be the case, as the DVD I saw had no special features on it.

It’s funny how these things work, isn’t it? The DVD I’ve got claims to be the 'uncut version', but that must translate as 'uncut just so long as you watch the deleted scenes as well then try to work out how they might have fitted into the original movie' Maybe one day we can look forward to an 'uncut uncut' version which'll reinstate the threesome and the quickie on the desk?

Me thinks they were just trying to get him remotely matched up to her in terms of skin-tone

LOL! Yeah, that's quite a gulf to bridge too

[kitty11]

Oct 29, 2009 22:20:38 GMT @victoriao said:

I've not seen the first film (in fact the whole erotic thriller genre is a bit of a closed book to me, so full marks to BI2 for broadening my horizons there but I heard it was pretty good, and I know it has a star-making turn from Ms Stone. I gather that her performance in that (together with Casino) was a major factor in persuading DM to sign up for the sequel.

Probably was a factor in him signing up, yeah. If you're ever inclined to go back to the first one, I'd recommend it, because it really serves to emphasise how bad she is in BI2 (and why I did so much facepalming while watching BI2 the first time). Granted, the dialogue doesn't help her cause, but still, she doesn't elicit the same vibe as she did in the first film.

Yes, it's funny how such an attractive man is so rarely asked to 'do sexy', so to speak - I can't understand why either. As compensation, though, he somehow manages just to be sexy, regardless of what they get him to do onscreen.

I guess there aren't that many films/TV shows going round where 'sexy' roles are required, and - as is often the case with actors generally - he's probably pigeonholed out of the running, or doesn't want to take up those kind of parts himself.

That's where I've seen fit to compensate myself through fan-fic and my own creative writing. I've seen a few really good Blackpool, SoP and DW fics (albeit slashy ones, LOL) around on LJ. But you're right, he does make do with embodying sexiness pretty well given what little he has in his roles.

LOL, me neither. When I heard that McDonalds ad my primary reaction was 'If he can make a poem about chicken nuggets sound seductive, what couldn’t he do with the right material?'

LOL, exactly! Might I ask what you would call 'the right material' though?

It’s funny how these things work, isn’t it? The DVD I’ve got claims to be the 'uncut version', but that must translate as 'uncut just so long as you watch the deleted scenes as well then try to work out how they might have fitted into the original movie'

Nothing like having each country abide by vastly different codes and rules around censorship and classification

Yeah, that's such a pain re deleted scenes. It's better, though, than getting DVDs where they put on 'deleted scenes' that are trivial/irrelevant to the film.

Maybe one day we can look forward to an 'uncut uncut' version which'll reinstate the threesome and the quickie on the desk?

Um...*ahem* I did some exploring, and found that you can actually check the threesome scene and office quickie scenes out....

*flails, dies, comes to, catches own breath*

I can link you through PM if you wish

Edit: Have posted links to vids in next post below

LOL! Yeah, that's quite a gulf to bridge too

It's one thing to speculate, but another thing entirely to have visual confirmation...OMG!

kitty

[kitty11]

Having been granted approval by the Big Cheese to put this out there, here's a couple of video links I managed to track down, after being prompted by Celia, bless her cotton socks

The following videos pertain to deleted scenes from BI2, but NOT just the usual bland cut-offs you often find on most DVDs. These are...

*ahem*

the 'contentious' sex scenes excised from the film to keep it from getting an R-rating when it was originally released

So, for your viewing pleasure, may I present:

- The Threesome Scene (you'll need to register into the site to view the vid, but it's quite a simple process requiring an email addy)

- The Office Quickie Scene

I could try and elaborate, but words can't really describe the extent of my reaction to these videos...the following icons say it best (in no particular order):



Enjoy!

kitty

P.S. - I hope to cap the videos in due course

[victoriao]

Whoa

As it happens I found the deleted bits online elsewhere and did post a link on the over-18s board earlier in the week (I should have thought to mention it) but these versions are much better quality - so You might still like to take a little mosey over to the over-18s though (or maybe I should just repost the link here), as in addition to these two scenes there's a little somethin' extra in the form of an alternate, extended take of the infamous hairpulling scene. I think you might find it worth your while

As for these two scenes, I too am somewhat lost for words (and a little hot under the collar) right now, so I will only say,

-- funny how the office quickie is so much sexier than the Glass/Tramell sex scene they actually kept in the movie, even though they're both fully clothed. Major misjudgement cutting that out, IMO.

-- that brunette is one lucky girl

That is all I have to say

[kitty11]

Oct 30, 2009 20:46:37 GMT @victoriao said:

As it happens I found the deleted bits online elsewhere and did post a link on the over-18s board earlier in the week (I should have thought to mention it)

Yeah, I haven't signed into it, so updates fail to show up for me when new stuff is put on there. I'm happy to move these links elsewhere, but I'll wait for the Big Cheese to make the call on that one

You might still like to take a little mosey over to the over-18s though (or maybe I should just repost the link here), as in addition to these two scenes there's a little somethin' extra in the form of an alternate, extended take of the infamous hairpulling scene. I think you might find it worth your while

Thanks for that! LOL, I actually noticed in the dailymotion link that the hairpulling scene was there as well, but didn't realise what it was until you referred to there being an extended version. I'll add it here

And, um, yeah, am wondering why they didn't bother keeping the extras parts in, purely for, erm, flow

funny how the office quickie is so much sexier than the Glass/Tramell sex scene they actually kept in the movie, even though they're both fully clothed. Major misjudgement cutting that out, IMO.

LMAO, totally agree! What were they thinking...?

Unfortunately Hollywood still errs on the side of conservatism compared to Europe when it comes to all things sexual, this whole deleted scenes situation being a case in point

that brunette is one lucky girl

*fans self profusely* Uh, yep. I don't think I've ever thought more highly of being manhandled than while watching this scene and the hairpulling one...yikes!

Normally I'm not really into the 2 girls and a guy thing at all, but I was sorely disappointed when they cut away from proceedings and ended that scene...dammit, I wanted the action to keep going!!

kitty

[lilly]

Oct 26, 2009 21:19:35 GMT @victoriao said:

(even though, as we know, he’s not the one sinking the movie, he's the one carrying it).

Quoted for truth.

(though Ms Stone might have shifted her leg out of the way for the benefit of those of us who wanted another gander at Mr Morrissey's gym-honed bod).

I already mentioned to you in PM how my dad came into my room to investigate why there was such sustained raucous laughter, and I think that was the first thing that made me practically spit-take.

It's really kinda terrifying how you and kitty are thousands of miles away from me and yet manage to parallel my exact sequence of thoughts in that manner.

this is the kind of movie where logic doesn't come into it – you just have to disengage your brain and go with it.

To be honest, I wasn't aware of my brain being engaged on that score to begin with, as I'm pretty sure that it merely whimpered something about, "Nolo contendere," and waved a white flag at the outset.

what kind of therapist sees a client five times a week?

LOL, as the film clearly demonstrates, the kind of therapist whose gift for justifying his own unspoken agenda evidently outweighs all basic professional ethics?

(jeez, I really have given this movie more thought than it deserves, haven't I?)

Not at all--you've only added further impetus to my original idea about dropping a line to the fine folks at the Simon Mayo show so that for future reference, they might know that there are a number of vociferous votes in favour of the proposed 3-D version of BI2.

I had a good laugh at the psychiatrist straight from central casting, complete with mad professor hair and mittel-European accent

Again, I thought the exact same thing, along with how resorting to such a lamentable stereotype would have made more sense in a movie from, say, twenty years ago than it does today.

Dr Glass's gravity-defying quiff has already been mentioned in this thread (though even having seen the picture in advance I still couldn't stifle a snort of laughter at its actual appearance in the movie – what were they thinking?!)

Aw, I liked that, since

a) it's kinda srsly friggin' adorable, and

b) it nicely invoked that whole, "The higher the hair, the closer to God" credo, and given the semi-godlike status Mr. Morrissey may already enjoy with some of the DMF2'ers, I'd think that would merely further assist with the whole ongoing deification process.

but Ms Stone too, in spite of having a personal hairstylist, had a truly terrible and unbecoming 'do, as well as having to fight against some very odd make-up

Once more, ditto. I found myself frequently wondering how they managed to make such an unquestionably stunning woman look so remarkably unattractive.

may I suggest a new category: nape porn?

OI!! Stop hacking into my emails to kitty like that!

Really, anyone who's looking at David Morrissey during all this definitely needs therapy!

This, as you might imagine, made me laugh like a drain.

A statement that brought tears to my eyes, I was laughing so hard.

While I adore the guy to bits (kinda goes without saying really), I've been wondering why, post-BI2, he doesn't tend to step out of that serious, angst-riddled comfort zone and do more different stuff, like Blackpool, or a genre film (yep, that's why I'm hanging out for Centurion).

Also quoted for mega-truth.

I wasn't necessarily enamoured with the idea of half-strangling him with a belt either. Got me thinking of Michael Hutchence...um, yikes

Or David Carradine, though quite honestly, I can't help viewing that as social Darwinism in action, i.e. when yer dumb, ya die.

Aw, I tend to love what Charlotte Rampling does full stop (including this film)

Again, agreed--I always think of that wonderful Helmut Newton portrait of her--and I was totally wishing she and Ms. Stone had snogged the hell out of each other at some point.

Ah well, I suppose those folk on the opposite side of the Atlantic have a pretty skew-wiff sense of beauty, to be sure.

One reason I'm slightly dreading my brother visiting next month is the fact that he's so steeped in that whole insane, shallow El Lay culture and the view that the only way a woman can be attractive--and hence of any value--is if she's a size 2 and displays no visible signs of aging. (As I'm currently watching Calendar Girls, the fearsome idiocy of such views is uppermost in my mind.)

"The Big Cheese?" LOL!! I hope I tend toward being, say, more of a robust Stilton than a runny Camembert there, m'dear.

And with regard to those deleted scenes--after kitty inflicted them on me passed along the links last night--well, as I tweeted her, I look forward to breathing normally again.

SOMEDAY.

[victoriao]

Oct 31, 2009 5:30:04 GMT @lilly said:

…the kind of therapist whose gift for justifying his own unspoken agenda evidently outweighs all basic professional ethics?

LOL, yep. And given that the main, er, thrust of the movie is the erosion of Dr Glass’s basic professional ethics under the influence of his sexual obsession with Ms Tramell, it makes it all the more bizarre that the office scene was deleted. It does after all provide a fairly graphic illustration of the issue. If you’re an analyst and you’re dedicating part of the therapeutic hour to rogering the patient on your desk, you can be pretty sure a line has been crossed. (I’ll gloss lightly over the fact that the experience may prove therapeutic for the patient in other ways )

I was totally wishing she and Ms. Stone had snogged the hell out of each other at some point.

Agreed – a missed opportunity there. The movie seemed to be laying the groundwork for some kind of Tramell/Gardosh encounter but somehow it never happened. Plotwise that wouldn’t half have messed (even more) with Dr Glass’s head, too, which would’ve added to the fun.

Oct 31, 2009 2:19:19 GMT kitty11 said:

I don't think I've ever thought more highly of being manhandled than while watching this scene and the hairpulling one...yikes!

Absolutely. Truly, he’s smokin’ hot. You know, the bit that always makes me catch my breath in the hairpulling scene, though, is not the actual hairpulling but a few moments before, after she's turned over but before he reaches for her hair...? OMG

… I was sorely disappointed when they cut away from proceedings and ended that scene...dammit, I wanted the action to keep going!!

He he, yeah, though at the beginning of the scene I found it hard not to chuckle at the inherent cheesy soft-porniness of the scenario, and especially the ‘sexy’ dialogue.

‘Mmmm, I’ve always liked that blouse…’
‘D’ya wanna try it on…?’

Yeah, cos women always talk to each other like that ;D

I know the gals were putting on a show for the benefit of Dr Glass, but it was still hilarious...

[kitty11]

Oct 31, 2009 5:30:04 GMT @lilly said:

Not at all--you've only added further impetus to my original idea about dropping a line to the fine folks at the Simon Mayo show so that for future reference, they might know that there are a number of vociferous votes in favour of the proposed 3-D version of BI2.

In light of checking out these additional scenes, I would also have to add that if there ever was a 3-D version, it's absolutely got to be an 'uncut-uncut' version, as Celia put it

a) it's kinda srsly friggin' adorable,

Quoted as, erm, Gospel

Or David Carradine, though quite honestly, I can't help viewing that as social Darwinism in action, i.e. when yer dumb, ya die.

Which was why I was kinda surprised with what eventually happens to Dr. Glass, cos I was pretty much expecting exactly that

"The Big Cheese?" LOL!! I hope I tend toward being, say, more of a robust Stilton than a runny Camembert there, m'dear.

I didn't have any particular one in mind actually! ;D

Oct 31, 2009 21:44:23 GMT @victoriao said:

And given that the main, er, thrust of the movie is the erosion of Dr Glass’s basic professional ethics under the influence of his sexual obsession with Ms Tramell, it makes it all the more bizarre that the office scene was deleted. It does after all provide a fairly graphic illustration of the issue. If you’re an analyst and you’re dedicating part of the therapeutic hour to rogering the patient on your desk, you can be pretty sure a line has been crossed.

Geez, yeah! In all seriousness, he'd be losing his licence/registration in a flash if Ms. Tramell ever felt compelled to lodge a complaint (not that she would, obviously, but she could add that to the pile of blackmail-worthy material she's got on him).

(I’ll gloss lightly over the fact that the experience may prove therapeutic for the patient in other ways )

I won't venture further into these murky waters other than to say, "Where do I sign up for this therapy?"

Agreed – a missed opportunity there. The movie seemed to be laying the groundwork for some kind of Tramell/Gardosh encounter but somehow it never happened. Plotwise that wouldn’t half have messed (even more) with Dr Glass’s head, too, which would’ve added to the fun.

Thirded, I thought that was weird too--they seemed to allude to Tramell/Gardosh being linked that way rather than explicitly stating it. At the same time, seeing as the film's essentially from his POV, I wonder whether the nature of their relationship was intentionally made vague to illustrate how futzed up Dr. Glass' mind is in making us as unsure about the truth of his world as he is.

Meanwhile, I'm endlessly amused at the fact that our general discussions around plot and subtext strongly indicate how keen we are to do a whole rewrite of the script to this film

You know, the bit that always makes me catch my breath in the hairpulling scene, though, is not the actual hairpulling but a few moments before, after she's turned over but before he reaches for her hair...? OMG

Hmmmm, I had to revisit the vid to figure out what you were talking about, and erm, yeah

Subtleties like the one you cited, unfortunately, tend to get lost on me in that particular scene

He he, yeah, though at the beginning of the scene I found it hard not to chuckle at the inherent cheesy soft-porniness of the scenario, and especially the ‘sexy’ dialogue. Yeah, cos women always talk to each other like that ;D

LOL, of course we do, all the time And that godawful music doesn't really help matters either!

I also recall reading your quote earlier on:

"I like it when DM movies/dramas (this is an example and One Summer is another) actually reference the beauty of his eyes in the script"

And thought to myself, "Hang on, does Tramell talk about his eyes at the end?" Now, after finally catching *this* scene, I'm all mixed up and curious to know whether you were talking about this deleted part, or the end

I know the gals were putting on a show for the benefit of Dr Glass, but it was still hilarious...

LMAO, I'm sure that (joint-smoking aside) he was just as amused (if not moreso) and, well, erm, titilated at the spectacle as we were watching it all unfold

kitty

[victoriao]

Meanwhile, I'm endlessly amused at the fact that our general discussions around plot and subtext strongly indicate how keen we are to do a whole rewrite of the script to this film

Let's face it, we couldn't make it any worse than it already is

And that godawful music doesn't really help matters either!

No, it was appalling!

Now, after finally catching *this* scene, I'm all mixed up and curious to know whether you were talking about this deleted part, or the end

I was thinking of the scene where Dr Glass is reading the draft of Ms Tramell's book, in which she describes the fictional analyst as having eyes that are 'the most beautiful shade of blue'. But yes, she compliments them here as well

[lilly]

I just did this to make celia laugh--and as a nod to her current dominant sensibilities--but she said I should post it here, and as I always, I live to serve, moddam. *salutes*



Ever noticed that about 90% of my macros invariably involve other men unsuccessfully hitting on Mr. Morrissey? I'm sure there's absolutely no deeper meaning there, of course...