Ryan McNeilI count myself a gigantic fan of THE HURT LOCKER, and still see it as one of the very best films of the 00’s. In telling you that, I suppose it would then come as no surprise that I’m very much looking forward to Kathryn Bigelow’s follow-up film ZERO DARK THIRTY.
In case you didn’t know, or haven’t yet watched the clip below, the film is about the American manhunt for Osama Bin Laden, including the Seal Team Six mission that eventually caught up with him.
While I’m looking forward to this, and have nothing but confidence in Kathryn Bigelow’s ability to pull it off, I can’t help but wonder…is any or all of this “too soon”?
Guess we’re about to find out.
I really don’t like the trailer, but I am looking forward to the movie. I like the plot, I like the cast (mostly excited for Chastain), *don’t* like The Hurt Locker, but I can see Bigelow pulling this off.
I think there’s a better trailer out there to be seen (Really not crazy about the catch line being yelled repeatedly), but I’m down for this whole project…so just knowing that we’re getting it this year is a major score.
…and you’re wrong about THE HURT LOCKER.
I like the aesthetic, and I don’t mind Bigelow going back to the well that much, but something about this unsettles me and I can’t really put my finger on what. Partly I’m not sure if we need to see a dramatized version of one of history’s most infamous manhunts, or a film that will impel more rah-rah armchair patriotism/jingoism. I don’t know if it’s too soon, but my exploitation sense are tingling.
I got that feeling too, but perhaps we’ll have to wait and see.
I mean, it’s entirely possible that she has made a film akin to WORLD TRADE CENTER…or she might have made a film akin to UNITED 93.
I don’t know, man. I liked The Hurt Locker but really can’t understand the massive love for it. Watched the teaser for ZDT last night and found it too generic. We’ll see how it goes. The cast is amazing, at least.
Remember that it’s just a teaser, right? And one that I don’t think the filmmaker had a lot of say in (as opposed to the teaser for THE MASTER, which Paul Thomas Anderson handled exclusively).
As for the massive love behind HURT LOCKER, go back and watch it again sometime. Remind yourself that it’s a rare type of war film. It’s a war film where the enemy isn’t “an enemy”; the enemy is in fact the bombs they face. Further, most war films base themselves on the premise that “War is Hell” – this is the only film that presents the notion that “War is A Drug”
It comes too late, it should open in October to help Obama’s campaign. But your canadian what’d you care. The Hurt Locker was over rated. A good film yes but best picture? No! I think a lot of people, including my wife didn’t like it at all. Best picture should have something for the better half. Bigelow should use her talents for female causes. How about the down trodden women in the part of the world she’s been filming for so many years!
Yup, I’m Canadian – but that doesn’t preclude me from caring about what happens in American politics. I’d say this though, if people’s votes are easily swayed by a fictionalization of something that happened 18 months prior…that’s a sad state of affairs.
I’m a fan of HURT LOCKER, so I don’t know what to tell you in terms of its greatness of best picture worthiness. I agree that Bigelow could also tell stories of women’s struggles (and I’d love to watch them), but it isn’t as if she’s made a name for herself through stories set in the middle east.
Two films does not a career make.
people’s votes are easily swayed by a fictionalization of something that happened 18 months prior…that’s a sad state of affairs. You better believe it. Short attention span down here. People need reminding. I think Bigelow blew it. The kind of leverage she had after “Hurt Locker” she could have done something really important, regardless of box office appeal. I might be wrong but “ZDT” doesn’t seem to fit the bill.
Yes, usually following an Oscar win, a director can do any old crazy project they want (A SERIOUS MAN, 127 HOURS). Where Bigelow is concerned, I have to wonder where she is on the map though. Even though she could have parlayed THL into any little passion project she wanted, she spent much of the last decade off-the-grid as a director. I think if anything, she wanted to use her leverage that would increase her profile.
I think she has a lot of important films left in her, but realizes that she has to work on re-establishing herself as a brand name before she can start cranking them out.