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Watched Jacob's Ladder for the first time. Opinions on it?
Posted on 4/22/24 at 7:38 am
Posted on 4/22/24 at 7:38 am
I liked it, but obviously the ending throws everything for a loop. So is he basically experiencing a fever dream while on the operating table in Vietnam?
9
Posted on 4/22/24 at 7:52 am to Civildawg
The original?
SPOILER alert (I suppose)
I wouldn’t call it a fever dream.
He’s already dead/dying. And that’s the hell and anguish that his mind is going through in the process.
SPOILER alert (I suppose)
I wouldn’t call it a fever dream.
He’s already dead/dying. And that’s the hell and anguish that his mind is going through in the process.
This post was edited on 4/22/24 at 7:54 am
Posted on 4/22/24 at 8:10 am to Civildawg
It's thematically based on Ambrose Bierce's Occurrence at Owl's Creek Bridge, which itself is based on the native American concept of 'the dream before dying.'
So yes. None of it is real and he's just having a long dream as he's dying on the table in Vietnam.
So yes. None of it is real and he's just having a long dream as he's dying on the table in Vietnam.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 9:00 am to Civildawg
quote:
Opinions on it?
I thought it was pretty good, but overrated. But that's most likely because (like you) I saw it for the first time several years back. If I had seen it back when it first came out, I would have likely liked it much better than I did.
It's still pretty trippy/creepy though, and I like movies like that.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 9:09 am to Civildawg
The original is a great movie. I enjoyed the ending.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 9:16 am to Civildawg
I saw that movie at the theater in college with some buddies and it blew our minds. We talked about it all night.
Either he’s struggling with Purgatory, or it’s all a deathbed dream.
His Spanish gf is either the Devil or one of the Devil’s top minions.
Danny Aiello’s character is his Guardian Angel.
Movies like that are great because nothing’s explained and you are open to your own interpretation.
Either he’s struggling with Purgatory, or it’s all a deathbed dream.
His Spanish gf is either the Devil or one of the Devil’s top minions.
Danny Aiello’s character is his Guardian Angel.
Movies like that are great because nothing’s explained and you are open to your own interpretation.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 9:37 am to Civildawg
Good movie
Where can it be viewed?
Where can it be viewed?
Posted on 4/22/24 at 9:42 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
I thought it was pretty good, but overrated
And the problem is, as you alluded to, that the film has gone on a hype yoyo over time.
It has gone from somewhat invisible release to cult favorite to highly praised to a hype backlash IIRC.
I watched it first around 1999-2000, when it was still in the “cult favorite” phase and liked it, but I think some of the shine has been taken off it as more movies use similar big reveals at the end. If everyone does a big reveal like that, no big reveal is as shocking and impactful anymore.
It also gets and added bonus, IMHO, that the way it is done makes it reachable knowing the reveal and seeing how it was playing fair, similar to Sixth Sense, with it. It wasn’t a total arse pull like some other reveals such as No Way Out.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 9:43 am to SportsGuyNOLA
quote:
Movies like that are great because nothing’s explained and you are open to your own interpretation.
Good summary.
Donnie Darko’s original cut benefitted from the same logic while the Director’s Cut suffered from explaining things way too much.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 9:45 am to hogcard1964
According to JustWatch, it is currently offered by various Paramount and Showtime services.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 10:43 am to teke184
Which I have paramount but you have to have paramount with showtime to watch it so I just said screw it and pirated it
Posted on 4/22/24 at 11:41 am to teke184
quote:
It also gets and added bonus, IMHO, that the way it is done makes it reachable knowing the reveal and seeing how it was playing fair, similar to Sixth Sense, with it.
Interesting you mentioned The Sixth Sense, because I was going to reference that after reading Coco's post. I saw it when it came out (I was 9 or 10 and didn't really understand it, but really dug the creepy tone). I re-watched it 10 years or so later in college and liked it even more due to all the religious symbolism and some of the philosophical themes on life, death, regret, redemption, etc...
But I do think it probably loses a bit of its impact if you're seeing it for the 1st time in a post Sixth Sense world. I'm sure there were films where the protagonist doesn't know he's dead before the Sixth Sense, but I think that's a clear line in film due to its cultural impact and influence. It became such a part of the zeitgeist that it's affected how we watch movies. And tv shows. I think Lost was probably influenced by the Sixth Sense as was the way we consumed it.
After The Sixth Sense, everything was on the table, and we started looking for ways creators could subvert our expectations. And they had to anticipate that and add an extra twist or some more red herrings. (And you could probably throw Fight Club in here, even though Tyler Durden was a split personality and the protagonist (did Ed Norton's character have a name or was he just "The Narrator?") wasn't technically dead. And new movies and tv shows suffered from that, but so did older ones like Jacob's Ladder. I still really like it, but there's a nostalgia factor to it that's probably not there for somebody who saw it in a post-Sixth Sense world.
quote:
It wasn’t a total arse pull like some other reveals such as No Way Out.
This is the trick to making good films with huge twists/reveals. You have to earn it. You can have some red herrings and misdirects, but you can't cheat. And that's really hard to pull off without giving it away and keeping the story interesting and the drama intense.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 12:21 pm to Hot Carl
quote:
This is the trick to making good films with huge twists/reveals. You have to earn it. You can have some red herrings and misdirects, but you can't cheat. And that's really hard to pull off without giving it away and keeping the story interesting and the drama intense.
do you think No Way Out cheated?
Posted on 4/22/24 at 12:30 pm to Northshore Aggie
quote:
do you think No Way Out cheated?
No idea. Not sure I've seen it since it came out. Or if it had a run on HBO, I probably caught it there again with my dad. But that's still probably been close to 30 years ago. I'd love to watch it again, though. You know if it's streaming anywhere?
Posted on 4/22/24 at 12:30 pm to SportsGuyNOLA
quote:
saw that movie at the theater in college with some buddies and it blew our minds. We talked about it all night.
Same here…we were high too when we watched it.
There were some powerful scenes and visuals in that movie. In hindsight as an adult, it was really good and a great concept but IMO slightly missed the mark by incorporating the Vietnam story into his “dream”. If this happened, how would he have known they were experimented on if he was still there at the time? The chemist was somebody he wouldn’t know about. That whole storyline was really cool though and would’ve been interesting with a different ending….even if it was his death at a later time after discovering what was done to him and his team back in the war.
I think a redemption story that wasn’t Vietnam related…with his chiro pulling him one way and Jezebel the other….all while being pursued by demons…. would’ve fit better with the ending.
ETA: Or maybe something they did in Vietnam prior to that last fight that they covered up…and were all being pursued by demons in the “present day”. That would actually fit well and make the ending cool if he redeems himself and is able to join his kid.
Just my humble opinion.
This post was edited on 4/22/24 at 12:44 pm
Posted on 4/22/24 at 12:53 pm to Northshore Aggie
quote:
do you think No Way Out cheated?
I do.
The idea of Yuri being a spy in the Pentagon was floated, but the impression was given that it was a smokescreen for the coverup of the dead woman.
Turns out that Yuri exists and was involved in the case but didn’t do it, with the only real “foreshadowing” being that a kid stole his back in the Philippines, which was supposed to be a dead drop for the Russians. Turns out they just got his dirty undies like with Walter in Big Lebowski.
I don’t believe there was any other real information showing that Yuri was real and who he was.
Wild Things, OTOH, had a kitchen sink of twists but it was somewhat open with there being ambiguous presentations and more going on than was being said.
Ex - The time skip between Kelli walking into Sam’s house then her coming out with torn clothes was ambiguous as to whether it was consentual sex, a rape, or no sex at all.
Some of those ended up being shown in the credits as a “once more with clarity” approach to show what really happened.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 12:54 pm to Hot Carl
Roku, Tubi, and PlutoTV have it for free with ads
Posted on 4/22/24 at 1:01 pm to teke184
quote:
I do.
yeah i agree with you. i still really like the movie, but the twist definitely didnt feel earned.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 1:02 pm to Hot Carl
quote:
This is the trick to making good films with huge twists/reveals. You have to earn it. You can have some red herrings and misdirects, but you can't cheat. And that's really hard to pull off without giving it away and keeping the story interesting and the drama intense.
Trying not to just spoiler the hell out of every film I mention but there is at least one from the 2000s which had some fun with this while ending up as a modern adaptation of And Then There Were None.
Posted on 4/22/24 at 1:05 pm to teke184
quote:
Trying not to just spoiler the hell out of every film I mention but there is at least one from the 2000s which had some fun with this while ending up as a modern adaptation of And Then There Were None.
great (and underrated) movie
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