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Reader comments on Elephant
Response to this comment:
Elephant? Man.....
After just having seen the film "Elephant", I had to write and say how far (pardon the pun)'off the mark' all good reviews of this film were. I felt so ripped off after seeing it that I debated asking for my money back. Let's get some perspective here for those who haven't seen it yet - it sucks.
To start, the first half of the film is destroyed by the unforgivable amount of time that the camera focuses on mundane activities - such as on the backs of cast members' heads as they walk down the halls. This example was supposedly an attempt to replicate the video shooting game that the shooters played. Yeah, yeah, get on with it - I got the picture after the first laboriously long hall walk. Trust me - the whole "switching perspectives" idea could've been accomplished with far less celluloid.
Don't get me wrong - I went into the film expecting what I'd heard - that it was intentionally superficial and shallow, with no background provided into the characters or their motivations. Fine - but it didn't work. In terms of actual substance, Elephant was as disappointingly empty and frivolous as the film Pumpkin. There is no deep, implied meaning, underlying substance, or artistic merit to it. Van Sant obviously did no research on the subject because if he had, these things would've manifested themselves in a wonderfully subtle and disturbing manner. Research would've also helped him to get some of the simple logistics correct - and perhaps prompted him to take an honest, second look at the gay shower to see how silly and gratuitous its inclusion was. Oh please.
What this film needed was a good editor... and a helluva lot of substance. Seriously folks - don't bother with this one.
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Comment index:HI ALEX from Megan Saul, Nov 10, 2003
» Re: Elephant? Man..... « from (ANNONYMOUS), Nov 19, 2003
awsome from Jessy, Jan 6, 2004
read: from rebekca, May 1, 2004
yo! from brina and meredith, Jul 4, 2004
JOHN from Lana, Jul 5, 2004
WHOA from Sloane, Aug 2, 2004
Acadia from alex, Nov 24, 2004
wow!! from lauren, Dec 4, 2004
John from haley, Dec 7, 2004
BOYS from TJ, May 15, 2005
john from willie, Oct 11, 2005
wow from erin, Feb 4, 2006
GRRR.... from sydney<3JohnRobinson, May 3, 2006
whata from idkwhat, Sep 19, 2006
HI ALEX from Megan Saul, Nov 10, 2003
» Re: Elephant? Man..... « from (ANNONYMOUS), Nov 19, 2003
awsome from Jessy, Jan 6, 2004
read: from rebekca, May 1, 2004
yo! from brina and meredith, Jul 4, 2004
JOHN from Lana, Jul 5, 2004
WHOA from Sloane, Aug 2, 2004
Acadia from alex, Nov 24, 2004
wow!! from lauren, Dec 4, 2004
John from haley, Dec 7, 2004
BOYS from TJ, May 15, 2005
john from willie, Oct 11, 2005
wow from erin, Feb 4, 2006
GRRR.... from sydney<3JohnRobinson, May 3, 2006
whata from idkwhat, Sep 19, 2006
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