Multi Plots
Added 2/15/2010
This film is not good, it's not great, it is "interesting".
Buy it as inexpensively as you can. It has multi-plots. Some hold your attention, others do not.
Ah but, the best scene is: The Julianne Moore ironing scene. Yeah. Double yeah. Put your DVD player on slow-mo.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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An enjoyable, if light, three hour film
Added 12/28/2009
The Bottom Line:
I watched this film because the concept of ensemble casts and multiple storylines appeals to me (for some reason I can't fully explain) and I left the film relatively pleased; sure Andie McDowell isn't a great actress, sure there isn't really any deep material in the film, sure the thread with Lily Tomlin is uninvolving, and sure I'm sure it isn't Magnolia, but if you're just looking to kill 180 minutes without getting bored it'll work just fine.
3/4
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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One of Altman's best!
Added 7/8/2009
This has to be one of the best films to come out of the nineties. I've waited several years to watch it, and now that I have seen it, I honestly don't knwo what kept me waiting so long! I loved it! It's funny, bittersweet, and heartbreaking. The acting from the entire ensemble is amazing, and the direction is flawless. I love Altman's style. He's not so concerned with flashy camera tricks and techniques. He simply sets the camera up, and lets his actors act. The editing is seamless. You'd think that this film would be an editor's nightmare - and it probably was - but lots of effort obviously went into the film. You can most definitely call it a labor of love from everyone that was involved. It just inspires and amazes me to know that Robert Altman had this much ambition when he put together this project. With some directors, after they reach a certain age, they slow down and take on smaller projects. Not Altman. This film was a landmark, and inspired another great film of the nineties, MAGNOLIA. The films couldn't be more different, however there are a few notable similarities. Some have called MAGNOLIA a rip off of SHORT CUTS, and I'd have to disagree. Aside from that, I think that it is a wonderful film that every film buff should see. I am glad that I finally got to view it in it's entirety.
I highly recommend this film!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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pioneering film that is deep with insight into modern life
Added 4/20/2009
I saw this when it came out and absolutely loved it. Though I hadn't seen it since then, certain images remained stuck in my mind: the angry betrayed spouse, the phallocratic policeman, the promiscuous divorcee, the parents in tragedy at the baker. Extremely vivid personalities, all subtly linked by chance, who reveal the drama of their lives as the viewpoint flits from one to the other. Now, seeing it for the first time since then, the film totally satisfied yet again - indeed, it is so intricate that I know I can watch it many many times for nuance.
The performances are universally stunning, vignettes by truly great actors, who can summarize an entire life, even an entire environment and time, in a few gestures. Every single group faces some sort of fundamental upheaval over a weekend, in LA of the 1990s. It is mostly about terrible loss, though some survive and simply go on. I empathized with every single person and imagined where they went from there, like they entered my imagination, as they did the first time I saw it.
Warmly recommended. I am a big Altman fan and this is certainly one of his very best.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Not a New Edition
Added 10/15/2008
This is the same edition that came out in 2004; it does not contain any new features. I looked on Criterion's website, and apparently the only thing "new" about this edition is the lower retail price. Still a great movie, so if you don't own it yet, now you can get it for less money. Very cool feature-length making-of documentary included.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Multi Plots
Added 2/15/2010
This film is not good, it's not great, it is "interesting".
Buy it as inexpensively as you can. It has multi-plots. Some hold your attention, others do not.
Ah but, the best scene is: The Julianne Moore ironing scene. Yeah. Double yeah. Put your DVD player on slow-mo.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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An enjoyable, if light, three hour film
Added 12/28/2009
The Bottom Line:
I watched this film because the concept of ensemble casts and multiple storylines appeals to me (for some reason I can't fully explain) and I left the film relatively pleased; sure Andie McDowell isn't a great actress, sure there isn't really any deep material in the film, sure the thread with Lily Tomlin is uninvolving, and sure I'm sure it isn't Magnolia, but if you're just looking to kill 180 minutes without getting bored it'll work just fine.
3/4
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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One of Altman's best!
Added 7/8/2009
This has to be one of the best films to come out of the nineties. I've waited several years to watch it, and now that I have seen it, I honestly don't knwo what kept me waiting so long! I loved it! It's funny, bittersweet, and heartbreaking. The acting from the entire ensemble is amazing, and the direction is flawless. I love Altman's style. He's not so concerned with flashy camera tricks and techniques. He simply sets the camera up, and lets his actors act. The editing is seamless. You'd think that this film would be an editor's nightmare - and it probably was - but lots of effort obviously went into the film. You can most definitely call it a labor of love from everyone that was involved. It just inspires and amazes me to know that Robert Altman had this much ambition when he put together this project. With some directors, after they reach a certain age, they slow down and take on smaller projects. Not Altman. This film was a landmark, and inspired another great film of the nineties, MAGNOLIA. The films couldn't be more different, however there are a few notable similarities. Some have called MAGNOLIA a rip off of SHORT CUTS, and I'd have to disagree. Aside from that, I think that it is a wonderful film that every film buff should see. I am glad that I finally got to view it in it's entirety.
I highly recommend this film!
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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