bob
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Post by bob on Jul 23, 2021 22:48:07 GMT -6
(SPOLIERS BELOW)
I just got back from seeing M. Night Shyamalan's Old. I thought I would post something about the age progression in the film in case anyone else here was considering seeing it. I'll try to steer from giving away too much of the plot.
Ultimately, I was pretty disappointed. The only female character who we really see age via makeup is Vicky Krieps's character. This mostly consists of adding some wrinkles to her face. Also, the character goes deaf because of her aging which impacts the way she acts. This creates a mild mental ap effect, but she mostly acts the same throughout the film. This character's daughter is played by three actors throughout the film. The first one is eleven, the second is late teens, and the third is in her late fifties I would say. I thought all three of these actress did a good job at showing slight mental ap. The character remains mostly a child but has still matured somewhat by the time she is in her fifties.
By far the biggest disappointed involves the trophy wife character played by Abbey Lee. She gets a few wrinkles but except for one notable shot we seldom see her face. She real bummer is that she is wearing a really skimpy bathing suit, but the aging doesn't impact her figure at all. The characters suffers from a calcium deficiency which results in her developing a hunch. However, this reveal is during a night scene, so we don't see it very well. This calcium deficiency also results in some body horror which I enjoyed as a horror fan, but I didn't really have anything to do with aging.
Anyway, I would say that if you interested in seeing this based strictly on the AP stuff, I would wait for the rental. However, it is sort of a fun and silly horror movie. Shyamalan for all his flaw has a great eye for composing shots, and there is some really great cinematography.
If anyone else sees this over the weekend, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2021 22:53:16 GMT -6
Was there some ridiculously annoying twist at the end? Cause I might avoid the movie all together if it's something ridiculous like trees killing people or a village in a nature preserve š¤£
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bob
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Post by bob on Jul 23, 2021 22:57:22 GMT -6
The last part of the movie explains why everyone ages and how the film's characters got trapped on the beach. But I wouldn't characterize it as a twist that re-contextualizes the entire film like in The Village or The Sixth Sense.
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Post by chronoeclipse on Jul 24, 2021 9:54:46 GMT -6
( SPOLIERS BELOW) I just got back from seeing M. Night Shyamalan. I thought I would post something about the age progression in the film in case anyone else here was considering seeing it. I'll try to steer from giving away too much of the plot. Ultimately, I was pretty disappointed. The only female character who we really see age via makeup is Vicky Krieps's character. This mostly consists of adding some wrinkles to her face. Also, the character goes deaf because of her aging which impacts the way she acts. This creates a mild mental ap effect, but she mostly acts the same throughout the film. This character's daughter is played by three actors throughout the film. The first one is eleven, the second is late teens, and the third is in her late fifties I would say. I thought all three of these actress did a good job at showing slight mental ap. The character remains mostly a child but has still matured somewhat by the time she is in her fifties. By far the biggest disappointed involves the trophy wife character played by Abbey Lee. She gets a few wrinkles but except for one notable shot we seldom see her face. She real bummer is that she is wearing a really skimpy bathing suit, but the aging doesn't impact her figure at all. The characters suffers from a calcium deficiency which results in her developing a hunch. However, this reveal is during a night scene, so we don't see it very well. This calcium deficiency also results in some body horror which I enjoyed as a horror fan, but I didn't really have anything to do with aging. Anyway, I would say that if you interested in seeing this based strictly on the AP stuff, I would wait for the rental. However, it is sort of a fun and silly horror movie. Shyamalan for all his flaw has a great eye for composing shots, and there is some really great cinematography. If anyone else sees this over the weekend, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. I saw it yesterday too and agree with all of your points. My feeling is that if it had been a Sci-Fi film as opposed to a Horror/Thriller with the same plot we would have gotten more satisfying aging. But as it is - not enough characters survive to see Old Age in a film about suddenly growing old. There are definitely gems in the movie for Middle-age AP fans and I think folks that like child to adult AP will be REALLY happy with this film. But old age AP fans, like Bob said, just have Vicky Krieps' transformation to enjoy. I thought the hearing loss bit was a nice touch but they certainly use dark lighting to cheat on the aging effects when she gets into old age. Also an important note and a big let down - Similar to the X-Files episode Dod Kalm - No graying/gray hair.
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niddlyby43
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Age before beauty.
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Post by niddlyby43 on Jul 24, 2021 13:04:45 GMT -6
I wanted the blonde to have sagging tits so badly šššš
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niddlyby43
Elder Member
Age before beauty.
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Post by niddlyby43 on Jul 24, 2021 13:18:26 GMT -6
But on a serious note, as a film itself I enjoyed it. But the twist really fucked with the AP, letting various die due to the progression their named illnesses is novel. Though the AP are lost, and gosh dammit not seeing some hanging cheeks or wrinkled tits on the blonde was a tease to say the least. Even in her decrepit state, you could still see that her girls were high risers.
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Post by thetreerollins on Jul 24, 2021 13:34:18 GMT -6
Just returned from seeing it and a lot of thoughts. Itās interesting because I havenāt gone to theaters at all since the pandemic (home theater in the basement), but felt like I had to go for this one. Because, well, this is sort of our movie. And Iādlove to see some of it.
Generally agree with everyone else. In terms of AP, it was a littleā¦.immature. Felt like they hit some very cliche notes, and I think itās because, to some extent, the world outside of this group really hasnāt thought much about the nuances of aging. Thereās a great deal of depth possible in terms of weight gain, age spotsā¦the trophy wife had a small mole below her breasts at the start. Gray hair, etc. Shymnalan doesnāt have those plays because he hadnāt really immersed himself in the material. Iād contend that one of our best AP writers could have taken the wrapper of the beach that ages people and done alot more with nuance that would have made the film sing out a bit more in terms of aging. Wished and hoped for a hot flash or more older-age makeup or graying hair, didnāt get it. Chrono, Ark, Greinskyn, you all could have crushed this story better.
I did appreciate the moments where the main couple aged into their dotage. It was romantic and there was some aging detail on the wife, although as Chrono and others have pointed out, the darkness alleviated some of the need for makeup. But I loved the deaf touches. And when she discovers her deafness, i really enjoyed that.
Subtle points because right before the daughter switches to the old age actress who plays her at 50, it does look like they took some time to place some aging makeup on her when sheās an older hottie in a bikini. Just on the face. I was on board and wished for more of that. The old age makeup overall was really uneven.
Also, it seemed like sort of a cop out that during the explication if the story early on, the Asian guy discussed the phenomenon as āthe kids are aging but the adults are staying the same.ā Deconstructing the story, it seems like a play mostly to get them out of having to create those little touches of aging that occur in a mid-30s man or woman, and mid-40s. It also hurt the story for a moment because you were like āhey, so itās just the kids aging here.ā And then itās not. So it was sort of unnecessary explicationā¦except for the fact that it gets them out of having to do makeup and maybe add a gray hair here or there.
Still sorta shocked that there was ZERO gray hair.
Agree with Niddly on the twist being a downer. It was the combo of Shytmalan, who I LOVE, and AP that had me in the theater, but it was a really weak twist. I mean, it was intriguing, I guess? But it wasnāt well-executed. Perhaps it needed something more on the beginning to make it work, or one more edit. But it sorta shifted from horror mystery in the beginning to family-coming-of-āageā:-together drama in the near-endgame, toā¦.sci-if? And the sci-fi, at best, would have been very Cabin In the Woods, if anyoneās seen that. But here it was too jarring. Iād have been more satisfied with a wistful ending that also paid homage to the source material for the film: The two older ākidsā building that sandcastle; that might have worked well if it had a bit more front end setup.
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niddlyby43
Elder Member
Age before beauty.
Posts: 635
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Post by niddlyby43 on Jul 24, 2021 13:44:57 GMT -6
Just returned from seeing it and a lot of thoughts. Itās interesting because I havenāt gone to theaters at all since the pandemic (home theater in the basement), but felt like I had to go for this one. Because, well, this is sort of our movie. And Iādlove to see some of it. Generally agree with everyone else. In terms of AP, it was a littleā¦.immature. Felt like they hit some very cliche notes, and I think itās because, to some extent, the world outside of this group really hasnāt thought much about the nuances of aging. Thereās a great deal of depth possible in terms of weight gain, age spotsā¦the trophy wife had a small mole below her breasts at the start. Gray hair, etc. Shymnalan doesnāt have those plays because he hadnāt really immersed himself in the material. Iād contend that one of our best AP writers could have taken the wrapper of the beach that ages people and done alot more with nuance that would have made the film sing out a bit more in terms of aging. Wished and hoped for a hot flash or more older-age makeup or graying hair, didnāt get it. Chrono, Ark, Greinskyn, you all could have crushed this story better. I did appreciate the moments where the main couple aged into their dotage. It was romantic and there was some aging detail on the wife, although as Chrono and others have pointed out, the darkness alleviated some of the need for makeup. But I loved the deaf touches. And when she discovers her deafness, i really enjoyed that. Subtle points because right before the daughter switches to the old age actress who plays her at 50, it does look like they took some time to place some aging makeup on her when sheās an older hottie in a bikini. Just on the face. I was on board and wished for more of that. The old age makeup overall was really uneven. Also, it seemed like sort of a cop out that during the explication if the story early on, the Asian guy discussed the phenomenon as āthe kids are aging but the adults are staying the same.ā Deconstructing the story, it seems like a play mostly to get them out of having to create those little touches of aging that occur in a mid-30s man or woman, and mid-40s. It also hurt the story for a moment because you were like āhey, so itās just the kids aging here.ā And then itās not. So it was sort of unnecessary explicationā¦except for the fact that it gets them out of having to do makeup and maybe add a gray hair here or there. Still sorta shocked that there was ZERO gray hair. Agree with Niddly on the twist being a downer. It was the combo of Shytmalan, who I LOVE, and AP that had me in the theater, but it was a really weak twist. I mean, it was intriguing, I guess? But it wasnāt well-executed. Perhaps it needed something more on the beginning to make it work, or one more edit. But it sorta shifted from horror mystery in the beginning to family-coming-of-āageā:-together drama in the near-endgame, toā¦.sci-if? And the sci-fi, at best, would have been very Cabin In the Woods, if anyoneās seen that. But here it was too jarring. Iād have been more satisfied with a wistful ending that also paid homage to the source material for the film: The two older ākidsā building that sandcastle; that might have worked well if it had a bit more front end setup. Oddly, this reminds of Bad Girls of Valley High, though with that film the aging effects were limited by budget. Doing a wrinkle here or a more there or some age spots are easy with prosthetics; but showcasing some drooping tits, or sagging thighs/asses would required next tier levels of makeup. My only grip with the twist involves the AP, characters would die too early for some real aging to commence (which....makes sense because of the cost) and again like Valley High, you have a golden opportunity to showcase some series AP effects but hide due to budget (in this instance the Blonde Trophy wife wearing a cowl to hid her frame or in Bad Girls of Valley High's case the "pickle" tits scene.)
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Post by chronoeclipse on Jul 24, 2021 14:40:55 GMT -6
My thought is - from seeing the movie and hearing M. Night talk about it in interviews that the director got a bit sentimental in telling the story in relation to his own family.
He saw himself as the dad, his wife as Vicky Krieps and the kids as his own kids - Which is why (Spoiler alert):
The kids survive in the end and have that final moment of "We're going to be okay." It's really M. Night wanting to think that his own kids will be fine once he and his wife eventually pass away and/or the kids move into their own adulthood and autonomy.
So that's why I think 100% of the actual aging and ruminations on aging in the film were focused around that nuclear family (As opposed to Sandcastles which ruminated on aging, death and the fleetingness of life for ALL of the characters). Shyamalan saw all the other characters in the story beyond the core-four family members as cannon fodder to dispose of in "creative" body-horror ways.
In my opinion, this did a disservice to his central premise and we would have gotten both a better movie and a more satisfying movie is he had extended the aging and the 'life in a day' aspects to ALL of the characters of his film. It also would have been a truer adaptation.
I have some ideas on how I would have worked the third act differently. But it is what it is!
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niddlyby43
Elder Member
Age before beauty.
Posts: 635
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Post by niddlyby43 on Jul 24, 2021 14:50:43 GMT -6
My thought is - from seeing the movie and hearing M. Night talk about it in interviews that the director got a bit sentimental in telling the story in relation to his own family. He saw himself as the dad, his wife as Vicky Krieps and the kids as his own kids - Which is why (Spoiler alert): The kids survive in the end and have that final moment of "We're going to be okay." It's really M. Night wanting to think that his own kids will be fine once he and his wife eventually pass away and/or the kids move into their own adulthood and autonomy. So that's why I think 100% of the actual aging and ruminations on aging in the film were focused around that nuclear family (As opposed to Sandcastles which ruminated on aging, death and the fleetingness of life for ALL of the characters). Shyamalan saw all the other characters in the story beyond the core-four family members as cannon fodder to dispose of in "creative" body-horror ways. In my opinion, this did a disservice to his central premise and we would have gotten both a better movie and a more satisfying movie is he had extended the aging and the 'life in a day' aspects to ALL of the characters of his film. It also would have been a truer adaptation. I have some ideas on how I would have worked the third act differently. But it is what it is! Automatically, for the third act, I want more close ups with aging effects on their bodies: relating to the Trophy wife again, a couple ten second scenes showcasing her declining body or even feeling a fracture from her osteoporosis ridden body. Just a random thought.
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Post by chronoeclipse on Jul 24, 2021 15:06:57 GMT -6
Automatically, for the third act, I want more close ups with aging effects on their bodies: relating to the Trophy wife again, a couple ten second scenes showcasing her declining body or even feeling a fracture from her osteoporosis ridden body. Just a random thought. I definitely would have played with the juxtaposition of Abbey Lee's character starting the film as a "For the 'Gram" kind of social media obsessed trophy wife to a "I'm a Gram!" old woman struggling with the loss of her looks and beauty. Was really thinking they were going there with her moments of talking about dumping guys because they offered her no value etc. I would have played up her osteoporosis later in life where she's a frail, hunched over old woman dressed in an ill-fitting bikini whose whole identity is thrown out of the window from sudden old-age. There's also a really nice moment from the graphic novel that's lost in the film - where the formerly little girl gives birth and the woman the Trophy Wife is based on goes "You can't have a baby! Do I look like a grandmother?" and the other adults look at her aging face (which was probably in its 50s or 60s at that point) and are like "Errr, yeah, kinda..." - Would have LOVED to have that scene with Abbey Lee done up with frown lines, graying hair and jowls.
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keith943
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Stop your messaging habits, please.
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Post by keith943 on Jul 24, 2021 16:01:32 GMT -6
I kinda asked cw and BBC for some sort of Doctor Who and DC Legends of Tomorrow Parody of the movie and comic concept hoping for better from that.
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Post by thetreerollins on Jul 24, 2021 16:04:53 GMT -6
My thought is - from seeing the movie and hearing M. Night talk about it in interviews that the director got a bit sentimental in telling the story in relation to his own family. He saw himself as the dad, his wife as Vicky Krieps and the kids as his own kids - Which is why (Spoiler alert): The kids survive in the end and have that final moment of "We're going to be okay." It's really M. Night wanting to think that his own kids will be fine once he and his wife eventually pass away and/or the kids move into their own adulthood and autonomy. So that's why I think 100% of the actual aging and ruminations on aging in the film were focused around that nuclear family (As opposed to Sandcastles which ruminated on aging, death and the fleetingness of life for ALL of the characters). Shyamalan saw all the other characters in the story beyond the core-four family members as cannon fodder to dispose of in "creative" body-horror ways. In my opinion, this did a disservice to his central premise and we would have gotten both a better movie and a more satisfying movie is he had extended the aging and the 'life in a day' aspects to ALL of the characters of his film. It also would have been a truer adaptation. I have some ideas on how I would have worked the third act differently. But it is what it is! Agree. I think I like this better as less of a horror film: Itās a unique opp with the nuclear family, at least, to sort of see a situation where theyāre trying to escape, then they become resigned to their lives and make the sandcastle.
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Post by thetreerollins on Jul 24, 2021 16:08:17 GMT -6
Automatically, for the third act, I want more close ups with aging effects on their bodies: relating to the Trophy wife again, a couple ten second scenes showcasing her declining body or even feeling a fracture from her osteoporosis ridden body. Just a random thought. I definitely would have played with the juxtaposition of Abbey Lee's character starting the film as a "For the 'Gram" kind of social media obsessed trophy wife to a "I'm a Gram!" old woman struggling with the loss of her looks and beauty. Was really thinking they were going there with her moments of talking about dumping guys because they offered her no value etc. I would have played up her osteoporosis later in life where she's a frail, hunched over old woman dressed in an ill-fitting bikini whose whole identity is thrown out of the window from sudden old-age. There's also a really nice moment from the graphic novel that's lost in the film - where the formerly little girl gives birth and the woman the Trophy Wife is based on goes "You can't have a baby! Do I look like a grandmother?" and the other adults look at her aging face (which was probably in its 50s or 60s at that point) and are like "Errr, yeah, kinda..." - Would have LOVED to have that scene with Abbey Lee done up with frown lines, graying hair and jowls. Yeah this was interesting wasnāt it? The entire existence of her character felt set up for what I would consider an AP cliche (albeit not a bad one, especially for general audiences), and then they turned her into a wild horror deathā¦.which also felt so out of character with the rest of the movie that it def stood out. I kept waiting for a glimpse of her in that moment in the cave, and it seemed deliberately set up to not let that happen. Fun though: Thatās when I noticed that the daughter had received a bit of AP treatment. As you all say, it is what it is, and I was glad to support a film that was built around AP. Hopefully more directors explore the idea because thereās a bit of good interest to it.
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niddlyby43
Elder Member
Age before beauty.
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Post by niddlyby43 on Jul 24, 2021 19:28:31 GMT -6
Ok, I've really pondering the film for a few hours and came to a shocking conclusion: Only half the cast actually die of Old Age. Let me explain.
Now, The Cappa's (particularly the Wife and Husband) both die of old age. While the Rapper dies of being mauled by the Schizophrenic Doc. Continuing, the Doctor himself dies due to an infection. While his wife dies of multiple fractures (one can say this as dying of old age, but you can manage frail bones pretty well with medicine). Her daughter dies of a fall, so again not old age. While the Nurse dies due to drowning and his wife from a series of seizures. Oh, the Rapper's girlfriend was recently diagnosed with MS; M.S., if you know a hint of MS untreated MS can kill in a few years depending on the onset. So, for this count we have only 2 (or technically 3) people dying of old age; I suppose you can count the Mother of the doctor and her dog........but eh.
And as noted by an earlier post, you have the golden chance for AP with the Trophy Wife. But instead you cover her with bad makeup and darkness to hide her aging effects. So literally only 2-3 people actually die of old age, while we do see folks age we don't get the full "I'm too old to move" type deal. The movie itself is good, hell I'll even say I enjoyed my time with it. But the whole "testing medical data" using an aging beach ruins AP opportunities and fun.
Sorry for ranting and repetitious nature of my posting here.
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