Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant, 2008)

[bkimball]

I just got back from this wonderful film. Projected in what seemed to be 1.33, all the nuances in the sound and film were perfectly captured here in Salt Lake.

I was particularly fond of Doyle's use of natural light, the flickering techniques he used to let more/less light hit the film, and the subtle changes in depth of field. It was a joy to watch as I believe the last Doyle film I watched was Last Life in the Universe.

I've always been irritated with film trying to capture what it means to be a teenager, but this seems to get it right in so many ways. The feeling of disconnect, wanting sex but not really knowing why, the awkward conversations mimicking adults, the impressionability, and on and on. Like others have said, Elephant looks like an exercise into the angst and depression of youth compared to this.

As one who particularly enjoys the Portland area (I spent my honeymoon nearby), I enjoyed how Van Sant continues his visual and aural poetry of Portland. It seems to be as much a part of the picture as skateboarding.

I can't say enough great things about this one. I am eager to catch it again.

What other films does everything enjoy that captures the feeling of youth such as this? Amarcord comes to mind, but that's just me being lazy from the musical reference in Paranoid Park.

[Jeff]

Projected and perfectly framed at 1.33 at the Landmark Mayan here in Denver. They play Academy ratio films all the time, so I'm sure it was no big deal to them. Surely there were some "instructions to the projectionist" included with the prints.

What was funny was that all of the trailers attached to the film were soft-matted films intended to be projected at 1.85. Redbelt and some other random indie that I don't remember the title of were full of shots of boom mikes and there was even one lengthy shot with some large light diffusion device sitting in the top of the frame. It's really amazing how much of that stuff is matted out in theaters or reframed and digitally removed for video.

[bkimball]

What was funny was that all of the trailers attached to the film were soft-matted films intended to be projected at 1.85. Redbelt and some other random indie that I don't remember the title of were full of shots of boom mikes and there was even one lengthy shot with some large light diffusion device sitting in the top of the frame. It's really amazing how much of that stuff is matted out in theaters or reframed and digitally removed for video.

I had a few trailers "smashed" to the 1.33 ratio such as Standard Operating Procedure.

[psufootball07]

I really enjoyed this movie, definitely not Van Sant's best, but I would put it up there with Elephant, Finding Forrester and Gerry. Anyways it is available for a couple dollars on Comcast, I think it's worth a check for any fan of the directors.

[foggy eyes]

Mk2 are releasing this on DVD in a two disc edition on 24/04 (link). Specs:

Format vidéo:
1.85 (16/9 Anamorphique)
1.37

Suppléments:
DVD 1
Préface de Luc Lagier (4')
DVD 2
"Making Paranoid Park" : coulisses du tournage de Felix Andrew (26')
"Dans le Labyrinthe" : documentaire de Luc Lagier (25')
Entretien avec Gus Van Sant (16')
Bandes-annonces de la collection Gus Van Sant (15')

Does this mean that we'll get one disc in 1.37 and 1.85? I hope so!

Tartan are releasing their UK version on 28/04 (Amazon link). I can't find any information about the aspect ratio, but I'd be amazed if it was anything other than 1.85.

[broadwayrock]

Tartan are releasing their UK version on 28/04 (Amazon link). I can't find any information about the aspect ratio, but I'd be amazed if it was anything other than 1.85.

It is 1.85 and its likely that Tartan's Blu-ray edition will be the same.

[foggy eyes]

It is 1.85 and its likely that Tartan's Blu-ray edition will be the same.

Rubbish. Whoever's running the show at Tartan needs to be clunked over the head about this. I guess the Mk2 is going to be the only release to go for (depending on who releases the film in the US - IFC?).

[Cde.]

It is 1.85 and its likely that Tartan's Blu-ray edition will be the same.

Rubbish. Whoever's running the show at Tartan needs to be clunked over the head about this. I guess the Mk2 is going to be the only release to go for (depending on who releases the film in the US - IFC?).

I heard IFC's pay-per-view presentation is in 1.33:1, so the DVD should be too.

[foggy eyes]

Bordwell weighs in briefly with his latest blog entry:

Paranoid Park (2007) seemed to me Gus van Sant’s best film in a long time, after the somewhat arid exercises of Gerry and Last Days. Here he’s got a genuine, gripping story that he can render in his detached but lyrical style. The shot of Alex in the shower is particularly gorgeous, and the tracking shot of his tormented walk through town is enhanced by swarms of subvocal recriminations that spurt out from all three channels.

Totally agree that there are gorgeous moments here - but not the same level of formal cohesiveness displayed in Gerry or Last Days. It's probably worth noting that Bordwell doesn't refer to Elephant as an 'arid exercise' too - he must have realised that the criticism wouldn't hold (not that I'm convinced it does in the other two instances anyway).

[David Ehrenstein]

"Meanwhile, I'm waiting for some filmmaker to come along and use the cue "Pin Penin" from the Casanova album in a film (the said cue isn't in the film itself, only on the album, but I think it's the greatest thing Rota composed)."

Have you seen I'm Not There ?

[Dylan]

"Meanwhile, I'm waiting for some filmmaker to come along and use the cue "Pin Penin" from the Casanova album in a film (the said cue isn't in the film itself, only on the album, but I think it's the greatest thing Rota composed)."

Have you seen I'm Not There ?

The piece used in I'm Not There is O Venezia, Venaga, Venusia on the Fellini's Casanova soundtrack (and it is played over the main titles in Fellini's film). Oddly enough, half of the music on the soundtrack CD for Fellini's Casanova isn't in the actual film, and half of the music in the film isn't on the soundtrack CD (I would love to hear more about the recording sessions)...the piece "Pin Penin" isn't in Casanova or any other film, but it's such a glorious piece of music that I'd like to see it used in a film someday.

[colinr0380]

Book and film comparison at The Onion.

["membrillo"]

I heard IFC's pay-per-view presentation is in 1.33:1, so the DVD should be too.

That is incorrect, I ordered it via Cox Cable OnDemand - IFC In Theatre and it was NOT 1.33:1. They are showing the cropped 1.85:1.

Since this was the case I very much doubt that their DVD release will be in the proper AR. Due to this, I ordered the Tartan Blu-ray version and while Tartan also butchered the AR, at least the Blu-ray version contains a sublime DTS-Master Audio track and it is All Region.

[Cde.]

Wait, no-one is releasing this in its OAR?

That is absurd.

[margot]

Maybe Criterion will get the rights.

[Oedipax]

Wait, no-one is releasing this in its OAR?

That is absurd.

The French DVD release is 1.37:1.

I'll order that one if the IFC disc does indeed only include the widescreen crop.

[bdsweeney]

Saw the film for the first time last night. Grabbed me from the start and I really enjoyed it. I've read a few of the other comments posted here, especially from those who disliked it and I can see what they don't like in it; for example, yes, the voice over was conventional, but I also found it/him convincingly inarticulate in struggling to describe the events. As for the slow motion shots, particularly the close-ups, I found them to be very revealing about character. Finally, I found it very suspenseful and taken as being a genre exercise (murder mystery), I enjoyed the different slant it took.

One thing I found perplexing is Van Sant's portrayal of the wannabe girlfriend. For a director who is so concerned in getting the social structure and conventions of teenage life right, I found his portrayal of the girlfriend horribly one-dimensional and based on the typical stereotypes that one who see in a d-grade comedy about high-school life. Taken in conjunction with the one scene I found unconvincing in Elephant (where the group of young girls have a barf session after eating lunch), Van Sant seems to like taking potshots at too easy a target.

Finally, a question about the sound design in the film: While I'm aware of the complicated design Van Sant structured for the film, did you notice if whether or not it was the same for the dialogue? It almost sounded like there was a slight delay from the left as compared to the right speakers. The only reason I ask is that I saw it in a particularly crappy cinema (the only one it is showing in) and I wondered if it was part of the sound design or just that the speakers are slowly dying.

BTW: I had to write this in a hurry, so please excuse any awkward phrasing.

Cheers!

[Cold Bishop]

Many of them completely live up to the one-dimensional stereotype however.

[bdsweeney]

Many of them completely live up to the one-dimensional stereotype however.

Sadly, you're probably right.

I don't have any younger sisters I can compare the character to.

[margot]

A lot of girls in real life tend to be completely one dimensional stereotypes.

[moviscop]

I like Gus Van Sants work, for the most part. But, I had trouble enjoying Paranoid Park because of its simplicity and character analysis.

Since Van Sant is a photographer at heart, I have had trouble following his very visual storytelling that contains repetition.

It is beautiful to me on one side, but the American side of me has trouble concentrating on the slowpaced storytelling and its simplicity.

[bdsweeney]

Since Van Sant is a photographer at heart, I have had trouble following his very visual storytelling that contains repetition.

Sometimes I think I'm too seduced by the beautiful aesthetics of some of his films (I'm thinking in particular of Elephant and Paranoid Park) and I'm blind to the faults in his films.

It's something he shares, IMO, with Soderbergh in Solaris and certain David Lynch films: maybe nothings happening (and certainly nothing profound, sometimes), but just the use of light, sound and camera movement can keep me enthralled--and it always produces an emotional response, whether it be fear (Lynch), loss (Soderbergh) or confusion (Van Sant).

[moviscop]

Sometimes I think I'm too seduced by the beautiful aesthetics of some of his films (I'm thinking in particular of Elephant and Paranoid Park) and I'm blind to the faults in his films.

It's something he shares, IMO, with Soderbergh in Solaris and certain David Lynch films: maybe nothings happening (and certainly nothing profound, sometimes), but just the use of light, sound and camera movement can keep me enthralled--and it always produces an emotional response, whether it be fear (Lynch), loss (Soderbergh) or confusion (Van Sant).

I couldn't agree more. I think this is why so much "eye candy" passes as art-cinema these days. Especially the Frank Miller films being made.

[David Ehrenstein]

Gus couldn't be more different from Frank Miller.

What some posters are resisting is cinema that achieves its effects through other than conventional narrative means. Paranoid Park has a story and characters but constantly works against the standard narrative grain especially as regards "dramatic climax."

[Cde.]

Gus couldn't be more different from Frank Miller.

What some posters are resisting is cinema that achieves its effects through other than conventional narrative means. Paranoid Park has a story and characters but constantly works against the standard narrative grain especially as regards "dramatic climax."

I couldn't have said it better.

What exactly is wrong with a film achieving its effects through visuals and abstract structure more than narrative? The way that moviscop is casually dismissing films based around aesthetics (or "eye candy" films, as he calls it) suggests a very closed minded approach to cinema.
What is inherently wrong with a film being more visually than narratively driven? Are non-narrative films automatically worthless?

And yes, the Frank Miller comparison is stupid. Paranoid Park uses colour and striking imagery to, as bdsweeney says, create an emotional response, in this case one of the confusion and melancholy of youth. Frank Miller films use dazzling (on paper, at least) visual design to dress up revenge fantasies.