Solaris

[Mu Satach]

Alright, I confess... I went to see this really because I had a hankering to see Cloony's backside... and the trailer looked interesting... but really... it was the rear, that made me pony up the cash instead of waiting for it to reach the dollar theater.

To my surprise I genuinely enjoyed the flick. It's a 2001 meets Ghost type flick... but that's over simplifying the story. Cloony is a psychaitrist who is sent to a space station orbiting the planet Solaris to solve a problem that is messing with the minds of the crewmembers of the station.

The cinematography is beautiful, the color pallette jumps from the warmth of memories to cold blue steel of reality. The musical score emphasises the mood and tension. Silence is also used quite nicely to accentuate it.

Questions about what is real and what isn't come into play. The ultimate question about life & death and what it means to be human are bounced around. But if you are looking for answers this isn't the film for you. There are no answers, just choices.

If you need your films to end with a nicely tied bow as a complete package then skip this film as you will leave the theater feeling unfufilled and probably annoyed that you spent 2 hours watching Cloony try and figure out what is happening.

If you need your films to define in concrete, exactly what they are saying, again skip it. What's happening is alluded to through imagry, sound and speculation by the characters but nothing is clearly explained.

If however you enjoy chewing on an idea for a while and can live without knowing the answer to life's mysteries I highly recomend it.

On the personal Mu-O-Meter it's ranks a good to better and it will most likely enter my personal collection someday as I'm still pondering some things from the flick. It's one that I will enjoy watching multiple times to digest all the subtleties.


And yes... Cloony's back side was nice.
;)

[JonathanLB]

Nice, well I gave it 3.5 stars, I really enjoyed it.

I also ordered the Criterion Edition version of the 1972 Tarkovsky classic so I can see how that one compares. I'm really interested here.

To be fair, this film is only 91 minutes, not 2 hours :) The original was 3 hours...

[Mu Satach]

Ture... but if your not into it sitting there is going to feel like 2 hours for some people.

They were showing the Tarkovsky version on cable a while back. Saw part of it. I'm more curious about the book myself. Was thinking of hunting it down.

[JonathanLB]

Well Tarkovsky's is supposed to be absolutely great, but a tough sit for some people no doubt. I mean... I understand that I guess. I am bored by some films like Gosford Park, but for the most part I am a patient moviegoer. I'm the one who thinks Ben-Hur seems like it's 2 hours, that movie rocks.

I could tell my audience was annoyed with Solaris because a few people kept on muttering throughout it and this lady in front of me was really distracting. I wanted to throw something at her and shut her up, ugg! I hate people like that. I mean, ok you don't like it, fine, but the rest of us would like to watch the movie we paid for in peace and quiet. Thank you. Jeez.

She obviously didn't get it either -- god forbid anyone have to think during a movie! Oh the horror!

[Mu Satach]

I had a good audience. Plus we got there early and got the sweet spot, dead center for the screen and audio so it was hard to hear or see anything but the movie. :D

But then, I've learned that some movies I go at certain times... weird/serious flicks I tend to go either to the late late showing, middle of the week or Sunday nights so I can avoid the general crowd. Brainless, action flicks, mega sci-fi with large following (LOTR, SW, ST) etc. Friday, Saturday nights prime time. :)

The more I think about the movie the more I think that at the begining was a memory as well. Everything about Earth and his life before he heads to Solaris is disjointed and he's remembering what the first Rehya(sp?) said "Chris, what's wrong. Don't you love me anymore?" And then... I keep thinking about how the music and colors were used as que's between memories and the present.

The only thing that doesn't sit well with me is the voice over near the end. It seems tacked on and while it does quickly explain that things and sets you up nicely for the ending, I kinda wish they had been able to present that akwardness in a more visual style that kept with the rest of the film instead of the quick, "I'm back on Earth and nothing feels right." voice over.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Wow from the Cinescores I thought everybody hated it :p Really it sounds boring to me I don't like trying to figure out the meaning of life from a movie, I just would pick up a book of philosophy or Tolstoy if I wanted to do that.

[JonathanLB]

I think it is sad you take that perspective. I mean film is an art form, it's supposed to be meaningful in the best cases, and the best movies are like Solaris (I'm not saying it IS one of the best) in that they make you think about profound issues.

A film can demonstrate and explore the meaning of our reality just as well as any book can if not BETTER. I am a philosophy major so I love books about that too, but I happen to think both mediums are effective.

It is not boring, ugg that sounds like the typical dumb American, "Oh my god I cannot be bothered to think during a movie because it's too hard it hurts my brain I just want to see stuff blow up hahaha yeah funny!" Ugg... jesus. I know you are not like that, I'm just saying it gives me a bad mental picture of the idiots who sat with me in that theater. It just totally emphasizes the point that the average moviegoer really is a fool compared to a film expert, critic, movie buff, or whatever. I don't mind, they can be totally stupid about it and just watch Independence Day and Little Nicky, hey whatever, but I prefer to see INTELLIGENT films from INTELLIGENT filmmakers. I can enjoy gross-out, dumb humor and explosions just like the next guy, I prove that time and again with my favorable reviews of various popular films, but I do most appreciate thoughtful movies.

I mean if you are not even open to the idea of a film contemplating the meaning of life, that's just sad. How closed minded. The Star Wars movies are meant to raise serious moral and ethical questions and ideals. They are very thoughtful films, and the fans who don't get that from them are fools. They're a disgrace to our fanbase because they will leave the moment the next great action pic like The Matrix comes along. The true fans realize that what is important about Star Wars cannot be duplicated! It's presented in such a perfect way in the SW films it is impossible to replicate exactly, although others have tried.

Anyway, I don't know where you get this idea that everyone hated it, critics loved it. It's received mostly good reviews and Ebert also gave it 3.5 stars. Almost everyone enjoys Solaris and the original film is hailed as a masterpiece by film historians and critics.

[Quadinaros]

Solaris had me going for about 45 minutes, but then the slow pacing got to me and had to start adjusting my butt. There were alot of things to like about this movie, and alot of interesting ideas. I'll probably give it another chance when the DVD comes out.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well the movie just doesn't seem to be my kind of movie that is what I meant the trailers just seem blah. Sure movies are an art form, but I don't like movies that seem to read like a philosophy book, which from the reviews and the trailers Solaris seems like to me. Personally when I want to learn things like that I would rather read a book because I can take my time with it and reread passages, if I need to understand it better. Its hard for a movie to cover that type of stuff in 2 hours, IMO but thats just me.

[JonathanLB]

Almost all of the great movies explore some type of moral or philosophical issue and books are NOT as good at conveying a lot of those types of ideas as films are. Of course, it depends what part we are talking about, I mean I love philosophy books like The Republic, Death of Ivan Illyich, etc.

Nonetheless, sometimes the medium of film can explore an issue in greater depth because of its visual aspects.

Solaris isn't a philosophy lesson, but it explores interesting issues that are philosophical. The Star Wars movies are much more profound and philosophical than Solaris, though, so if you appreciate them for the right reasons you shouldn't have any problems with Solaris.

And it isn't 2 hours, it isn't even close. It's 91 minutes.

You are free to decide what types of movies you most like to see in theaters, though. I mean I'm just wishing you wouldn't dismiss such a good film by saying it seems too philosophical, which is just... ugg. Nevermind.

That's what the worst critics said of Waking Life. "This movie is too pretentious and it makes me think too much and I don't like to think! It sucks. It's just a big philosophy lesson." Of course, it was one of the best films of the year, but whatever. Some people cannot be expected to think during movies, I guess.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well I can only afford to see so many movies a year and usually I chose movies that are more for entertainment than anything else. I save the films like that for renters, I might just rent it to see if it as bad as I think it is:p Also Jon, I am surprised you liked it, didn't you say you hated 2001? Of course I could be thinking of somebody else. This movie seems similar to 2001, at least to me.

[Mu Satach]

Carr the movie isn't really that philosophical. It's not a lesson. It touches on themes of what happens after death, what is human, what is real, what isn't real. It hints at these like a soft breeze on a summer day or a dash of pepper. It never really dives into the debate.

The main story however is told completely from Cloony's character and what he's dealing with is a very personal story about the choices he made. The choices his wife made. And the result of those actions. The reappearance of his wife on the station just causes him to really examine his past choices.

But, (mega spoiler follows) like I said earlier, absolutely nothing is clearly spelled out for you. You leave the theater with your own conclusions about whether there is a higher intelligence at work that is in effect giving Cloony's character and his wife a second chance to correct the mistakes that were made. There is no difinative answer to exactly who or what the wife was on the station. Was it a higher form of her? Was it something else? Who or what caused the appearance of her. Was it the planet? Was it an intelligence on the planet? Was it trying to communicate? Controll? Manipulate? Or did it have some other purpose? Was she human? What constitutes being human? If it's not human then what are the morals? Are there morals in that situation? If you kill her is it murder? Is it right? Is it wrong? None of those questions are answered. It's all left up to you to chew on. In as much as 2001's ending leaves you to decide for yourself what exactly happened, so does Solaris's ending. However, I thought it did a much better job of it than 2001.

The main focus on the story is really the relationship between Cloony's character and his wife. But it is not told in chronological order. The real story is told through dreams & memories, not what is happening on the station. I think that might be a reason why some people are having a hard time following it. Flashbacks usually are not needed and do little to serve the story.

Ultimately it's a human drama. It just resides in a sci-fi world that hard core sci-fi (Phillip K. D ck, Arthur C. Clark, etc.) fans are going to enjoy.

But, if it's not your cup of tea, then no matter what anyone say's you're not going to like it.

[Taylor Millard]

Originally posted by JonathanLB
The Star Wars movies are meant to raise serious moral and ethical questions and ideals. They are very thoughtful films, and the fans who don't get that from them are fools. They're a disgrace to our fanbase because they will leave the moment the next great action pic like The Matrix comes along. The true fans realize that what is important about Star Wars cannot be duplicated! It's presented in such a perfect way in the SW films it is impossible to replicate exactly, although others have tried.

I'm only curious here really...

So is it wrong for me to go into a movie just to be entertained?

[JMK]

are very thoughtful films, and the fans who don't get that from them are fools.


If you've seen the trailer and are not impressed, you must be a fool. There is no way you could not love that trailer, plain and simple.

Jon, care to call anyone else a fool while you're at it? Or do we have to go through the ENTIRE exercise AGAIN? If people do not agree with you, it does not make them fools. Surely you must remember the number of times people have reminded you of that...

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well I tried to ignore that, obviosly there must be a lot of fools because most people I know saw that trailer and hated the movie, and also the trailers have confused people going in because I have read people thought the film was a romantic film and saw it and was confused. People thought it was a sci-fi film from another trailer and were completely stumped, and a lot of them walked out. That is bad marketing there though, the studio completely misled the public with these trailers making it look like something it wasn't.

[Mu Satach]

Well I happen to think there are a lot of fools out there. (Mostly in public office and the media.)
But this film has nothing to do with the criteria for foolishness. ;)

I'm a weirdo, I actually liked the trailers. It's a hard film to market. It does have a very strong romance drama story. It does have Sci-Fi themes. Add to that an unusual story telling narative and of course you're not going to appeal to a large audience. It doesn't fit into any of the main catagories out there.

I just wanted to share why I really liked the movie.