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zingy
College Boy Z
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm Posts: 36662
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S1m0ne
S1m0neQuote: S1m0ne (also spelled Simone) is a 2002 science fiction drama film written, produced and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Al Pacino, Catherine Keener, Rachel Roberts, Winona Ryder and Rebecca Romijn.
Last edited by zingy on Mon Apr 11, 2005 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Thu Mar 24, 2005 11:43 pm |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48626 Location: Arlington, VA
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Quite possibly the most unfairly overlooked movie ever.
I loved this movie to death. Everything about it. Yet, no one saw it. Grr. Please see this wonderful movie!
A
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Thu Mar 24, 2005 11:44 pm |
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Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm Posts: 92093 Location: Bonn, Germany
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I own it on DVD, but haven't seen it yet.
However, the director of this movie has directed Gattaca which in its turn is one of the best sci-fi movies ever made and is very underrated. So I guess this bodes well for Simone.
_________________The greatest thing on earth is to love and to be loved in return!
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Thu Mar 24, 2005 11:50 pm |
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addr0ck
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2005 10:41 am Posts: 464
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Dr. Lecter... s1m0ne does not hold a CANDLE to Gattaca.
Libs wrote: Quite possibly the most unfairly overlooked movie ever.
I loved this movie to death. Everything about it. Yet, no one saw it. Grr. Please see this wonderful movie!
Okay Libs! Explain!
The thing about s1m0ne is that it gets caught up in the romantic comedy/drama aspects in the interaction between his former wife (or girlfriend? It's been awhile since I've seen) and Pacino. It becomes less and less about the problems and moral implications of an artificial star.
s1m0ne is a classic example of a screenwriter that was trying to tackle a subject far too advanced. He is unable to capture it in a romantic comedy. Because of this, it ultimately has very, very little to say about fame, celebrity, deceit and technology.
It could have been an absolutely brilliant satire, but someone turned their back on it in the end, smoothed it out and pooped out another flat Hollywood fluff piece.
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Fri Mar 25, 2005 12:55 am |
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Maverikk
Award Winning Bastard
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:03 am Posts: 15310 Location: Slumming at KJ
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well, I'll be seeing it within the next week, so I'll let you know which of you is right. :razz:
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Fri Mar 25, 2005 12:59 am |
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MovieDude
Where will you be?
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 4:50 am Posts: 11675
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Ohh, I forgot to see this one, really wanted to though. Thanks for reminding me though, I'll see what I can do...
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Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:44 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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Libs wrote: Quite possibly the most unfairly overlooked movie ever.
I loved this movie to death. Everything about it. Yet, no one saw it. Grr. Please see this wonderful movie!
A
Hey! I agree with you on this one...
Vey funny with a surprisingly subversive message - severly under-rated!
4 out of 5.
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Fri Mar 25, 2005 10:25 am |
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Maverikk
Award Winning Bastard
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 12:03 am Posts: 15310 Location: Slumming at KJ
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Libs wrote: Quite possibly the most unfairly overlooked movie ever.
I loved this movie to death. Everything about it. Yet, no one saw it. Grr. Please see this wonderful movie!
A
Totally brilliant movie! Great recommendation, Libs!
I second this recommendation, and urge everybody to check this movie out.
(spoilers to follow)
Simone is a movie about a down on his luck filmmaker, played by Al Pacino, who is given a computer code by a dying man that allows for the creation of vitual actors, or "vactors". If you thought the Hulk or Gollum were breakthroughs in the technology, they don't have nothing on Simone. Taransky (Pacino) creates his digital diva, and she becomes a media sensation, but everybody thinks she's a real person, as Taransky very cleverly orchestrates her every move. He paints her as reclusive, a person with many phobias, but dedicated to her work, not to being a celebrity, and even has her co stars acting against blue screen, so she can be added in later , because she's such a germ freak.
Everybody adores her, and the more popularity she gains, the harder it is for Taransky to keep people from finding out she doesn't really exist, but he pulls off some elaborate hoaxes along the way. Her fame starts to threaten his security, as nobody really cares about him, just her, and he eventually starts to resent her, and tries to ruin her, and it's absolutely hysterical. So much, in fact, that I'm giggling about it profusely as I type this. Her directorial debut, I Am Pig, had my side hurting from laughing, and to see the audience react as if she could do no wrong had me in tears. Her TV interview (live via satelite, of course) in which Taransky had her saying some very offensive things, only for the show's anchors to applaud her for being somebody that speaks her mind, was another very funny bit.
Taransky then realizes that killing her is the only way, and...I'm not going to say anymore, just check it out for yourselves!
A+
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Sun Mar 27, 2005 6:33 am |
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Riggs
We had our time together
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:36 am Posts: 13270 Location: Vienna
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Could have been much better. Average at best. C
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Tue Mar 29, 2005 6:44 am |
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Michael.
No Wire Tampons!
Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2005 12:27 am Posts: 23283
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As implaudable as it was slow. "S1mone" never got off the ground; and when it nearly did, it brushed over all the implications of what it was doing as though the media world was a fantasy. One magazine insisted "she has no history"; don't you think that would have been made a bigger deal of in real life? That alone would have nipped the character in the butt before it started.
Simone takes a great concept and places a beautiful woman in the role....but then never fizzles into nothingness. Furthermore the lack of Simone's ability to be a character; where it seemed to fall into some spoken monologue by Pacino totally drained that great concept in an instant. Simone starts out well; and for a while, its enjoyable fluff. But as the ending beckons it falls into a pit of bordem and confusion where it cant decide where its going
The ending is possibly one of the least satisifying endings in film history and contradicts what the whole picture was elluding too. It feels like a hollywood cut gone wrong.
Which is really too bad because; with shiny bits of fluff and a beautiful actress ; Simone should have been better.
If your looking for overlooked, why not check out the brilliant "Femme Fatale" instead.
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Sun Apr 10, 2005 9:18 pm |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am Posts: 14544 Location: LA / NYC
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An excellent film! Very underrated, entertaining and original.
8/10 (B+)
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Sun Apr 10, 2005 11:51 pm |
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2001
Another You
Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:38 am Posts: 4556
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Re: Simone
An aLL-time favorite. I haven't seen it in years though I remember seeing it for Like 10 times or so, and it never got oLd. AL Pacino did a terrific performance, and that girL Evan RacheL Wood was adorabLe. The concept was reaLLy great and originaL, its Like The Truman Show but in the opposite way. One of the best fiLms of 2002 and probabLy the most overLooked fiLm of the 2000s.
A
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Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:08 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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Re: Simone
Ya shoulda seen the out and out hate-on for this film when it was first released.
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Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:11 am |
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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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Re: Simone
It's nowhere near sharp or funny enough to work as an effective satire, so instead we just get some limp attempts at parody and a rather lame romantic comedy. The idea is totally wasted when the film decides to go the mainstream Hollywood route, effectively becoming the very thing it is mocking. And the whole thing is covered with a sheen of ridiculousness that overcomes any attempt at realistic satire. Definitely not underrated.
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
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Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:30 pm |
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Mister Ecks
New Server, Same X
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:07 pm Posts: 28293 Location: ... siiiigh...
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Re: Simone
trixster wrote: It's nowhere near sharp or funny enough to work as an effective satire, so instead we just get some limp attempts at parody and a rather lame romantic comedy. The idea is totally wasted when the film decides to go the mainstream Hollywood route, effectively becoming the very thing it is mocking. And the whole thing is covered with a sheen of ridiculousness that overcomes any attempt at realistic satire. Definitely not underrated. That sums up my thoughts completely. I picked this up on a whim, vaguely remembering decent reviews despite the abysmal box office, and I can not find one good thing to say about it. Over at IMDb, certain people say "It's funny because it's a satire!" No, in a mathematical equation, satire does not equal funny on idea alone. In fact, it seems to lose itself in the satire midway through. The idea of an artificial star is almost ahead of its time. But the problem is it moves forward on the idea alone and never fleshes it out properly. It felt like Niccol had two distinct possibilities and went in the wrong direction with a hard turn. Such a wasted concept. And the romantic comedy aspect is painful. I can't see it work in either genre, and certainly not as both. I guess I should've guessed it wouldn't be that good: Jay Mohr is in it. Enough said. */**** As far as satires go, it reminded me of War, Inc. If you set out to make a satire, you need to ensure it's going to be sharp, funny and intelligent, but most of all subtle. This movie is about as subtle as a bag of rattlesnakes, just like the awful War, Inc.
_________________ Ecks Factor: Cancelled too soon
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Wed Mar 14, 2012 6:21 am |
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Thegun
On autopilot for the summer
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:14 pm Posts: 21641 Location: Walking around somewhere
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Re: S1m0ne
Yeah this is a very meh film. For an interesting concept it becomes extremely generic and repetitive
A 9 year olds knowledge of computers saving the day in the end, says about how stupid this film is at times.
D
_________________Chippy wrote: As always, fuck Thegun. Chippy wrote: I want to live vicariously through you, Thegun!
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Wed Mar 14, 2012 3:24 pm |
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Magic Mike
Wallflower
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:53 am Posts: 34876 Location: Minnesota
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Re: S1m0ne
I only saw this once but I highly enjoyed it and did purchase it. Definitely an underrated film.
B+
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Wed Mar 14, 2012 4:04 pm |
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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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Re: Simone
Mister Ecks wrote: trixster wrote: It's nowhere near sharp or funny enough to work as an effective satire, so instead we just get some limp attempts at parody and a rather lame romantic comedy. The idea is totally wasted when the film decides to go the mainstream Hollywood route, effectively becoming the very thing it is mocking. And the whole thing is covered with a sheen of ridiculousness that overcomes any attempt at realistic satire. Definitely not underrated. That sums up my thoughts completely. I think all your posts in this forum can be boiled down to "what trixster said".
_________________Magic Mike wrote: zwackerm wrote: If John Wick 2 even makes 30 million I will eat 1,000 shoes. Same. Algren wrote: I don't think. I predict.
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Wed Mar 14, 2012 5:01 pm |
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Mister Ecks
New Server, Same X
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:07 pm Posts: 28293 Location: ... siiiigh...
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Re: S1m0ne
It's funny 'cause it's true.
_________________ Ecks Factor: Cancelled too soon
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Thu Mar 15, 2012 6:38 am |
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