Another weekend has passed and it has been a very relaxing one for me. I watched A Late Quartet this past weekend. For those who don’t know the movie, it’s about a group of classical musicians who are struggling to keep their quartet together. As I was watching this there were moments were I was “thrown out” of the movie. It wasn’t during the moments of drama, as the actors in it are great (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken and Catherine Keener), but when they were playing on their instruments. I was immediately reminded that they probably wouldn’t be able to play as good as what I was hearing. So that leads me to this week’s Monday Question:
What throws you out of a movie?
(whether that’s something that happens, a specific sound or an actor or actress)
Lately, an obvious CGI’d effect. Too often filmmakers are overly relying on this.
It depends on the type of movie for me, but I generally prefer practical effects.
I thought A Late Quartet was great, one of my top 2012 films. I didn’t mind that they couldn’t play the instruments for real. To me, the acting is not about whether they could play a violin or what have you, but more about the emotional complexity of their lives beyond the music they played. I thought that Mark Ivanir as Daniel was particularly believable in conveying his obsession with music, down to the kind of strings used for his violin!
For me it was just the scenes where they were playing. I didn’t know Ivanir so for him I really believed he could play and I didn’t pay as much attention when he played I guess.
Shaky-cam action sequences, unless they’re done right (Bourne films, ‘Zero Dark Thirty’).
I can understand although I personally never had an issue with them.
The second Kristen Stewart shows up.
Hahaha, poor Stewart. Have n not seen enough of her work to judge for myself.
Ha ha ha!! Best answer ever Mark.
Whenever I hear an unrealistic sound effect, I no longer feel like I’m watching a movie. That happened during Les Miserables.
What was it during that movie? It wasn’t the singing was it? 😉
Well, what throws me out basically anything too overdone. When I watched Sherlock Holmes 2, and felt it was very fast and too much (on effects and story). That’s one of the reasons I disliked The Dark Knight Rises, though the movie was incredible in many factors. or like The Adventured of Tintin. I think some directors were quite insecure with anything too simple. That’s why I think when a movie is simple but memorable, is quite an achievement. Like The Artist did.
I wasn’t a fan Sherlock 2 either, like you say there was way too much slow motion and way too little story. The Artist was great indeed.
Share le0pard13’s one – over use of CG. The Hobbit is very guilty of that.
Yeah, especially if you compare it to the LOTR movies. Which did have more practical effects.
Finally someone else saw Late Quartet a film I really enjoyed and reviewed on my blog. I read that Christopher Walken took lessons and actually played his close-up scenes. As for what takes me out of a movie is two things. Foremost is miscasting &/or bad make-up that makes a character not look or sound the age or demeanour. A young actor for instance pancaked to look old but still doesn’t and can’t do the aged voice to match. Similarly accents that just go all over the place. Good topic!
Yeah, I read they took some lessons, but still I couldn’t help but feel like watching something they were not doing.
Bad makeup can ruin it indeed…it can work (for example in Amadeus), but it’s very hard to pull off an older person. I never notice accents, so that’s something I don’t have an issue with.
Great question!
This is a minor thing, but I really appreciate it when some effort is made for siblings/parents/children to look alike. This was one of the things that I loved about STAR TREK (2009)…the people who were supposed to be family actually looked like they could be related. If the actors aren’t plausible as family, it will throw me right out.
I also agree with le0pard13…it’s sad that CGI is out of control.
That’s something I never think about really, but it is an interesting one to read! Thanks for commenting!
Hmmmm anytime stupidity starts being used as a plot device, whenever Indy gets into a fridge, or the second I see Shia LaBeouf on screen.
Hahaha, someone had to mention that 😉 I don’t have a big issue with that or with LaBeouf, but it’s all about suspension of disbelief. I’m pretty good at it…
I’m usually very good at suspending disbelief unless I know the area involved or unless something claims to be “gritty realism”. If something claims to be realistic then it better damn well be realistic in every way. I hate it when people find a parking space easily in an area I know there’s no parking. Gritty realism my ar….
Hahaha, I can imagine. As for the parking..they might have been lucky 😉
Playing string instruments is big with me, whether I know the actors or they are just extras. I played viola all through junior high and high school, so I KNOW those bows aren’t being drawn/held correctly – bothers me every time!
However, two things tend to throw me out of a movie; bad make-up as mentioned by wordchat, and a bad line of dialogue. I will never be able to get Julia Roberts out of my head with her line in Notting Hill about “I’m just a girl…” Makes me want to throw something at the screen every time.
When you play such an instrument yourself it must really stand out. Wonder what you would make of it in A Late Quartet.
I never have issues with lines, but maybe because English isn’t my first language.
I’d say a really obvious continuity gaff. Fortunately, really obvious ones don’t happen that often but when they do it throws me off completely. I also agree with the use of CGI; it’s overuse doesn’t bother me, but if it’s lazy and looks out of place then it does annoy me. As people have said, The Hobbit is an example.
As for A Late Quartet, it didn’t really bother me that I knew they probably couldn’t play their instruments as I didn’t really think it was about the music, more the musicians.
I wasn’t too bothered by the CGI in the Hobbit, although I have to admit that the plate throwing bit didn’t convince me in HFR.
Understand that you didn’t have a problem with the playing, but for me it stood out…I guess it also depends on your mood.
I’ve always hated the old ‘Action movie cliche’ were the main character – usually an Ex-cop whose retired, has a drinking problem, separated from his wife and kids…but the police force wants to bring him in for just one more job and he can choose his crew. Whenever a film starts this way I leave.
Hahaha…and you know he will be together with his wife again by the end of the movie 😉 I personally don’t mind it, but can understand that would make you turn it off!