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Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

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zico
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Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#113077

Postby zico » January 24th, 2018, 3:51 pm

8.5/10. Fascinating heavy drama with some great black comedy moments set in small-town USA and phenomenal performance from Frances McDormand. Lots of swearing. Coen Brothers / "In Bruges" type of film.

The trailer for this film showed Frances McDormand's character generally kicking-off with people in various amusing ways, but the film is much better and deeper than the trailer shows. Frances stars as a grieving mother whose daughter has been raped and murdered and who decides to put up 3 billboards attacking the police chief for not bringing anyone to justice, which kicks off a whole chain of events. This film is about people who've been dealt a bad hand in life, and how they deal with it. Lots of powerful scenes with great dialogue, and I was engaged and involved with almost all the characters. A lot of minor characters are also fairly well fleshed out, and grab your attention. The first half of the film is particularly good, being truly unpredictable but still plausible, then in the second half it's still unpredictable but a lot less plausible, but it stays consistent in showing us the "Journeys" of the main characters. Near the end, it seems like the film is about to head in a different (and worse) direction, but happily, it doesn't.

Frances McDormand is absolutely terrific in this as a grieving mother, showing everything that her character is going through, and must be a complete and utter shoe-in for Best Actress this year, or I'll eat my hat. (I don't actually have a hat, but I'll buy one just to eat it if she doesn't win!)

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#113094

Postby BrummieDave » January 24th, 2018, 5:25 pm

Re: Coen Brothers / In Bruges reference, as you probably know, the film is directed by Martin McDonagh who wrote and directed 'In Bruges', and Frances McDormand is married to Joel Coen.

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#113125

Postby BrummieDave » January 24th, 2018, 8:37 pm

(and she plays the main character in Fargo and and and lots of other connections of course)

Best film of the year IMHO, but it's only January!

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#113214

Postby redsturgeon » January 25th, 2018, 9:18 am

I am a great fan of the Coen brothers and Fargo in particular, loved Frances McD in that.

Looking forward to seeing this film but read a really scathing review on it

Please tell me its not justified

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/thr ... 74431.html


John

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#113229

Postby BrummieDave » January 25th, 2018, 10:25 am

It's a film but, unlike the reviewer from the Independent, I'm not paid to dissect and comment on it as a vehicle to reflect current social values in that part of the USA or how well the film moves that agenda forward. Perhaps the reviewer has thought about it just a tad too much, but then again that's his job.

As a regular film-goer, along with my grown-up son who watches many more films than me, we both enjoyed it. I hadn't read any reviews before I saw it or since, other than the one you've referenced, not so much because I prefer to make up my own mind or that I'm not wholly interested in other people's views on films or music, I just don't tend to have time.

If you like Martin McDonagh's other films (and those of other directors such as Wes Anderson, Tarantino, Coen Bros) and films that tell stories set in small town America, chances are you'll like it. But hey, why should you be interested in my views...? ;)

zico
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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#113380

Postby zico » January 25th, 2018, 11:07 pm

John, I can assure you the Independent's review isn't justified. The reviewer wanted the film to be about racism and misogyny, and treat these subjects in a way acceptable to the reviewer, and is annoyed the film isn't what they wanted it to be. (For what it's worth, I think there's another big subject in the film that's treated in a way that I disagree with, and think could be harmful to people, but it's not my film - it's theirs, and the treatment makes dramatic sense at least).

Mini-rant to follow. Why do so many film reviewers have to give away so much of the plot in their reviews? I always try to give an impression of the film without recounting important plot details and spoilers, so you'd think professional reviewers would know better. The Independent review is a particularly bad example as it has a big spoiler in its sub-heading, and it lessens the film's impact if you know about this plot development before you see the film. (It's still worth seeing though!).

Incidentally, Rotten Tomatoes is a good website that for any film gives you critic rating, audience rating, and a brief synopsis (without spoilers!) . The Last Jedi is an interesting one, as critics were very positive, and audiences were much more mixed in their reaction.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_w ... _last_jedi

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#114273

Postby IShouldCoco » January 30th, 2018, 2:50 pm

Saw it last week and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It is black but with humour and the characters develop in ways yoy really don't see coming.

Despite a fire alarm evacuating us a third of the way through, we 50-somethings all really enjoyed it.

Well made, superbly acted and even surprisingly tender at times, this is far better than the standard Hollywood formulaic rubbish.

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#114361

Postby Clitheroekid » January 30th, 2018, 8:29 pm

redsturgeon wrote:Looking forward to seeing this film but read a really scathing review on it

Please tell me its not justified

If you look at the reviewer's home page you may take the view that his interpretation of the film is unlikely to match yours, unless you also happen to have a particular interest in "queer intersectional people of colour"! ;)

http://www.amroualkadhi.com/about/

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#121978

Postby didds » March 3rd, 2018, 9:51 pm

Hmmm. I fundamentally liked it. But the ending is really quite ... meh.... As if they didn't know how to end it so tracked something in the end to sort of end it. I wouldn't watch it again.

Maybe I just didn't "get it."

Willoughby's character was excellent. Dixon... Not so. Mother well portrayed.

Didds.

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#122122

Postby todthedog » March 4th, 2018, 4:58 pm

Best film I've seen in a while, cracking acting really enjoyed it.

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#128569

Postby IShouldCoco » March 28th, 2018, 1:02 pm

BrummieDave wrote:(and she plays the main character in Fargo and and and lots of other connections of course)

Best film of the year IMHO, but it's only January!


It's still my best film of the year too, but I'd recommend anyone who enjoyed it to see 'I Tonya', a mocu-drama about Tonya Harding. Whilst this is a 'true story' there is plenty of very dark stuff in it to please any Coen Bros fans.

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Re: Three Billboards in Ebbing, Missouri

#128644

Postby Itsallaguess » March 28th, 2018, 4:21 pm

todthedog wrote:
Best film I've seen in a while, cracking acting really enjoyed it.


I loved it too. Nice to see such a great spread of good acting in one film, and a simple story told very well....

Loved the way Sam Rockwell pushed his envelope a little bit in this one - he's usually very likeable in most of his films, but it was a brave move taking this role I thought.

Great film, highly recommended.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess


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