‘Eddington’ (dir. by Ari Aster) | Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone | A24

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

The problem with Ari Aster is, he doesn't quite have the breadth he thinks he does, and it's the reason why this came off as simultaneously gluttonous while being empty. To make matters worse, he doesn't know how to strum the right satirical chords in any meaningful or engaging manner about the human condition. The subtle moments are far too on-the-nose and tedious, and the farcicial, morbid and existential moments are too myopic and apathetic.

It felt like it was a story told by someone who's at a stage of complete political indifference, but couldn't quite articulate their observations in any insightful way. There's nothing here that makes you feel Ari's helplessness or frustration or bewilderness at the world he finds himself in.

And whatever the hell direction that Joaquin Phoenix was given here doesn't work either. It's a large reason why the storytelling can't keep its head above the surface because its narrative-muse drowns before we even know if it can swim or not. I don't think I've ever been this disconnected from one of Joaquin's characters, which I guess you could say the same for the cast, in its entirety.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

Dudes really in here mad because i didnt like this right wing CAC movie

This shyt was ASS and thinking about it more i went from giving it 4/10 to 3/10...GARBAGE

It's most definitely not a Right-wing cac film - the fact that Sheriff Joe Cross suffers a demise of living the remainder of his life in a vegetable state while being cucked by his mother-in-law should tell you this.

A fate far worse than death.

He made the 2 white people as the speakers for the BLM protests, while the film’s only Black character has no political opinions or personality.

You didn't get the clue that was the entire point when Ari kept beating us over the head with those white characters who kept screaming they had no right to speak on behalf of Black people (i.e. white people morally-overcompensating by hijacking a social justice movement)? Or the white kid who was virtue signaling just to get laid?

There's nothing in this film that had white people coming out in any redeemable light.

It's half the reason why I gather the Black character had no political affiliation and personality because Ari was not-so-subtly telling us he can't speak for Black folks. Which, in part, almost had an adverse affect because the character borders on being a bootlicker and by the time Ari pulls it back at the end (signified by his character zooming in on Sheriff Joe Cross with his phone), it doesn't really have any lasting effect because we don't care for his character's arc.

Police brutality is downplayed as we see with the video of the homeless and Joaquin from the bar being taking out of context.

The same as it's downplayed in real life, right?

Ding, ding, ding.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

On the topic of Michael Cooke - it was a real wasted opportunity with flipping the Black character dying trope on its head.

Given he's seemingly an inconsequential character, we're led to believe he's dead, or on the verge of, and we don't really care either way once the third act descends into chaos. Because Ari wanted to detach himself from either side, the grounded and collateral characters like Cooke become lost in the narrative, that by the time it's revealed he's still alive, it falls on deaf ears.

Ari gets himself caught up in trying to distinguish the film as being an observer, that there's no emotional weight to it and when he puts these benign characters in paralyzing situations (pun not intended), he either forgets there needs to be a humanizing component to finalize them. Not just have them reappearing to layer whatever half-baked idea he's used them as a background dancer for.

 

[JamesJabdi]

It's most definitely not a Right-wing cac film - the fact that Sheriff Joe Cross suffers a demise of living the remainder of his life in a vegetable state while being cucked by his mother-in-law should tell you this.

A fate far worse than death.

You didn't get the clue that was the entire point when Ari kept beating us over the head with those white characters who kept screaming they had no right to speak on behalf of Black people (i.e. white people morally-overcompensating by hijacking a social justice movement)? Or the white kid who was virtue signaling just to get laid?

There's nothing in this film that had white people coming out in any redeemable light.

It's half the reason why I gather the Black character had no political affiliation and personality because Ari was not-so-subtly telling us he can't speak for Black folks. Which, in part, almost had an adverse affect because the character borders on being a bootlicker and by the time Ari pulls it back at the end (signified by his character zooming in on Sheriff Joe Cross with his phone), it doesn't really have any lasting effect because we don't care for his character's arc.

The same as it's downplayed in real life, right?

Ding, ding, ding.

I am not repeating myself and going back and forth about this movies anymore:
1. It wasnt that good
2. it is a right wing CAC movie.

You seriously said the reason police brutality is downplayed in this movie is because it reflects real life....the type of babble yall say to defend this movie

 

[Scustin Bieburr]

On the topic of Michael Cooke - it was a real wasted opportunity with flipping the Black character dying trope on its head.

Given he's seemingly an inconsequential character, we're led to believe he's dead, or on the verge of, and we don't really care either way once the third act descends into chaos. Because Ari wanted to detach himself from either side, the grounded and collateral characters like Cooke become lost in the narrative, that by the time it's revealed he's still alive, it falls on deaf ears.

Ari gets himself caught up in trying to distinguish the film as being an observer, that there's no emotional weight to it and when he puts these benign characters in paralyzing situations (pun not intended), he either forgets there needs to be a humanizing component to finalize them. Not just have them reappearing to layer whatever half-baked idea he's used them as a background dancer for.

The third act felt like a different movie entirely. I couldn't tell whether it was real or a dream because everything right wingers believe ends up being true in the world of the film.

Antifa is actually a well funded, well trained group of supersoldiers funded by a billionaire(s) but also somehow they can't land a single hit on an asthmatic middle aged man who is covid positive.

Covid isnt a big deal at all in the movie and the one person who gets it somehow turns into fukking Rambo at the end.

Someone who was close to the blast zone of the bomb survives somehow whilst someone who was a bit further away, doesn't.

The way I would have written the third act, I would have tied it up with a shot of him dying in a hospital bed, or still being brain damaged and in the wheelchair but all of that stuff was actually what he *wanted* to happen. He wanted to be right about antifa actually being a dangerous militia, he wanted covid to not be anything that would slow him down, he wanted to be an action movie star that survives an explosion, falls through a roof, picks up a gun and starts blasting like nothing happened. That is the fantasy that right wingers have in their head about how they'd actually be.

Although one could argue the ending was actually worse for him because dying would've set him free. He is forced to live in total dependence and he has all the money he could ever need but cant enjoy it. It also speaks to how stupid the average white conservative is because they would elect a man with severe brain damage as their mayor. The director does seem cynical for sure. The overall message seems to be that people are just using politics and political positions as a form of personal branding which to an extent is absolutely true. White liberals love the aesthetics of revolution but dont actually want to risk anything. I think the movie captured that well.