Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

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mfunk9786
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Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#1 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:57 pm

Wow! This is the film that we should all be talking about right now, rather than catching up on shitty Best Picture nominees that we were trying to avoid or going through our kevyips. It's not often that a director like Josh Trank comes along - much like District 9 a couple of years ago, this is an unconventional action film that has no right whatsoever to be as good as it is. The cast of unknowns (particularly standout Michael B. Jordan) are stellar, and while the film throws a bit of a temper tantrum in the third act and never quite achieves the breezy appeal of the first two, the finale is as much of a jaw-dropping technical achievement as anything else in the film, which is all deceptively low-key and looks way too easy (but obviously wasn't) to pull off for a while. Oh, and I forgot the most substantial achievement here, at risk of sounding a bit like Armond White with the comparison: this 'found footage' movie that's been released in the early February cinematic graveyard is worlds more poignant with regards to everyday teenage interaction and angst than Lynne Ramsey's award-bait piece of psychobabble pap We Need To Talk About Kevin. I'm so glad that I have Chronicle to thank for getting that film's awful taste out of my mouth, and you will be too.

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domino harvey
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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#2 Post by domino harvey » Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:59 pm

mfunk9786 wrote: The cast of unknowns (particularly standout Michael B. Jordan)
Someone hasn't gotten to last two seasons of Friday Night Lights! Image

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mfunk9786
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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#3 Post by mfunk9786 » Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:03 pm

I'm nearing the end of my grieving process w/r/t
SpoilerShow
the inexplicable heave ho of Tyra and Landry's courtship
but I'll be back to it soon.

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tarpilot
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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#4 Post by tarpilot » Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:37 am

mfunk9786 wrote:District 9, an unconventional action film that has no right whatsoever to be as good as it is.
Really? I didn't think it took nearly as many risks as John Landis's entry in the series and Murphy was seriously phoning it in.

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Professor Wagstaff
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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#5 Post by Professor Wagstaff » Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:03 am

domino harvey wrote:
mfunk9786 wrote: The cast of unknowns (particularly standout Michael B. Jordan)
Someone hasn't gotten to last two seasons of Friday Night Lights! Image
Time to give The Wire another shot, too.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#6 Post by mfunk9786 » Wed Feb 08, 2012 1:18 am

tarpilot wrote:
mfunk9786 wrote:District 9, an unconventional action film that has no right whatsoever to be as good as it is.
Really? I didn't think it took nearly as many risks as John Landis's entry in the series and Murphy was seriously phoning it in.
I don't think we're talking about the same movie.

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John Cope
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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#7 Post by John Cope » Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:30 pm

Another I had avoided for no good reason really and now regret that I did. A truly fantastic picture that should have done even better than it did commercially because I can't imagine its basic material being improved upon. Should at the very least be a huge cult sensation. Simple and direct, its powerfully effective and even genuinely moving. But what's best about it is that fact that it is so clear, clean and precise in its intents and emotional affect. The seeming gimmick of the DV recording throughout is sustained quite well and rarely ever distracting (only some of the stuff with Ashley Hinshaw's character seemed to ride the line). There are moments of exceptionally subtle, calibrated detail in which the aesthetic effects of the film as drama sync up beautifully with the implied subconscious psychology that always informs subjective POV material but is rarely acknowledged--here that's crucial (the best example seems to me to be the slow push in on Andrew after he attacks his father: the camera he's used as a "barrier" giving way to introspective mirror and, later, a faux-objective tool for self-aggrandizement).

All the actors are good in this, utterly convincing and non-insistent, but Dane DeHaan as Andrew stands out for special mention. It's tough to play this kind of victim turns victimizer role well without overplaying it and he never does. It's all internalized and, once again, believable because he doesn't try too hard to insure that we get it and will be sympathetic. There's also something genuinely alien and, consequently, alienating about DeHaan as a performer that you just can't fake. It's a case of perfect casting. His qualities are, perhaps appropriately, mirrored by the film's big effects sequence too which come across as alien, almost surreal dreamscapes.

Finally, mention must be made about another aspect of the film that sets it apart from its peers and that's its moral seriousness. In an age of a surfeit of comic book superhero bullshit this one takes the time to seriously consider the ramifications and the arc of its protags' development. It's short but succinct, using its time wisely. I was especially impressed that there is time given over to evidence if not an understanding of than at least a sympathy toward Andrew's dad who is otherwise depicted as a purely threatening background presence. What's more, the film doesn't simply make the same old arguments about cycles of violence (the dad's contempt for his circumstances turns into flailing out rage that then in turn infects the son) but rather goes for a far more complicated sort of truth about the ultimate impact of that violence as a dynamic within a social reality, one defined by contention with its presence whether acknowledged or not (the whole epic finale is like a large scale demonstration of intimate conflicts writ large and a suggestion that maybe that always figures in). Chronicle also toys quite expertly with a societal portrait of personalities forged either in fusion with the philosophies chosen to inform them or in transcendent rejection of those philosophies. Superb stuff.

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dad1153
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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#8 Post by dad1153 » Wed Jul 11, 2012 11:33 pm

"Chronicle" director Josh Trank to helm "Fantastic Four" reboot for Fox.

BTW, I saw "Chronicle" when it was in theaters and it didn't do much for me (felt like a mix of every 'found footage' film prior to this crossed with a slow-burn live-action teenage version of "Akira"), which is at odds with what I'm reading here. Did you guys see the Director's Cut (exclusive to the home video release) and that's what you're praising, or is the theatrical version you're praising? I'm lost! :(

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manicsounds
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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#9 Post by manicsounds » Thu Jul 12, 2012 10:41 am

The director's cut apparently doesn't add much or change the story, so the praise is for either version. Details to the differences at Movie-Censorship.

They don't mention it on their site, but the extended cut has one more very small difference, there is 1 small addition right at the end of the end credits....

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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#10 Post by ptsnob » Mon Jul 16, 2012 4:53 pm

I just caught up with this movie last month on Blu-ray, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I don't mind the idea of found footage if it's done well, but I also think it can be a crutch. The characters have to be interesting no matter what filmmaking devices are being used. The three leads just seemed like regular guys. Even the tormented main character's feelings are understandable when his growing power starts taking over. I enjoyed how the film didn't try to truly explain what caused their skills. It simply documented their experience of adjusting to their new abilities. I also liked the slow-burn approach to the material. It made the stakes feel much higher when the chaos started in the final act.

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manicsounds
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Re: Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012)

#11 Post by manicsounds » Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:36 am


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