Word: plottings
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...film's cookie-cutter plot set-up may lead one to ask “Will there be redemption for the villains?” and “Will the desperate lovers be reunited once more?” But these questions are not raised or answered in a way that is logical, credible, or intriguing. The scenes drag on, as the storyline needlessly complicates itself further and further. It does not take long for the incessant action to turn into monotony. Viewers are presented with painfully gory scenes set to painfully sentimental music, for painfully long periods...
...focus on the reason why the family is gathered in the first place—a funeral. Instead, the actors get lost in the numerous subplots which, though funny, often seem excessively tangential. A gay midget, a high boyfriend, a stubborn ex, and a financially irresponsible brother dominate the plot throughout, and while in some ways the circuitous nature of the film is intentional, one can’t help but picture the actors as the proverbial “chickens with their heads cut off” as they run from place to place in the film with overarching...
However, despite these shortcomings and the lack of originality in the film’s premise and plot, the movie can be genuinely funny at parts. Especially good are the one-liners placed throughout the film which add a certain comedic charm...
...better job of motivating his arguments, because he does occasionally make truly insightful observations. In a chapter titled “Hunting Instincts” he compares the theatrical experience to that of a hunt, insofar as the audience experiences a primal drive to follow the plot along. He uses this metaphor to account for the suspension of disbelief: “We suspend the rational process of intellectualization, which is to say, of the comparison of phenomenon to idea, which is a process too slow for the hunt.” The connection he draws between the theater...
...only strong elements in the film. The costumes, sets, and cinematography perfectly capture the desperate conditions of wartime, the exhaustion and pain of the characters, and the aesthetic of mid-nineteenth century China. The film’s script is equally strong; despite the heaviness of the plot and the moral decisions the characters must make, there is still warmth, humor, and wit in their lines...