[billwh2]

I watched it last night and gave it a 3/10. I was amazed to later check and find that it had generally good ratings here on RT, and have trouble understanding why.

This is not so much a screenplay as a mere "outline" for a real screenplay. When I set the recorder to tape PP when I was leaving for work, I noticed that it was a mere 85 minutes long. Hey, I'm not personally offended by movies being too short; in fact a lot of films I see should be shorter. But this story does not rate even the 85 minutes.

Who's that kid that stars? I notice that this is his first and only film. Why? Because he has little or no acting talent. He has a blank, stupid look on his face most of the time, and when he DOES show emotion, it is completely phony. He's one of the worst actors I've ever seen.

I see the potential here, but it never quite made it.

Thumbs down

[Macphistojr]

Christopher Doyle mostly. Om nom nom.

[Epistemophobia]

Great screenplay, great acting.

[Dade Devlin]

Originally Posted by Macphistojr

Christopher Doyle mostly. Om nom nom.

Yeah, pretty much.

[Macphistojr]

Originally Posted by Epistemophobia

Great screenplay, great acting.

Yeah, this too actually.

Good flick.

[paranoid android]

What Bear said.

And it's beautiful to look at it.

[Dade Devlin]

Chris Doyle is one of those people whose involvement in any film basically necessitates a viewing. In this particular instance, it was the best thing about a mediocre movie. I can't help but wonder what Wong Kar-Wai would have done with the same premise.

[billwh2]

I appreciated the scene in which a basically innocent human being was

cut in half by a railroad train and the upper half still alive and dragging away

that was pretty good.

[DrunkenJules]

3,000 slo-mo shots, crying in the shower, sad sex, non experienced actors in an attempt to achieve "realism". Good one Van Sant. It was like Michael Bay doing an indie film.

[MaxRenn]

I enjoyed it as a sympathetic exploration of teenage life, and thought it was very inspired of Van Sant to parallel the guilt one would feel from being involved in such a criminal act with the isolation a teenage boy likely feels when he/she doesn't think anyone understands him. As for the length, it felt just right for the scope of the project, and given the realistic approach, casting an unknown who can pretty much play himself was the right thing to do. A solid 8/10 for me.

[Macphistojr]

Did anyone mention yet that it was really pretty...

It's really pretty.

[billwh2]

Originally Posted by DrunkenJules

3,000 slo-mo shots, crying in the shower, sad sex, non experienced actors in an attempt to achieve "realism". Good one Van Sant. It was like Michael Bay doing an indie film.

"sad sex"? Like when the teen-age girl says to her boyfriend , "You ****ed me and now you're going to leave me?" She hit him pretty good.

"non experienced actors", - that's what killed it for me.

"Paranoid Park" - 3/10

[Stathis Borans]

It was gorgeous. Also, Fellini music. That's more than enough for me. I went in expecting to hate it, and actually really enojyed it. I usually detest Van Sant's indie projects. This felt somewhat similar to Elephant, but it worked much, much better for me.

[Plainview 9]

meh.

[Eternity]

Gus Van Sant is better than just about anyone at doing films like this, and while it is 1. beautiful and 2. absolutely brilliant in some scenes, the elements just didn't click here and it just ended up being a really big mess.

[Hizzyfitz]

I loved it, but then I love most of Van Sant's films.

[Brightside]

Since when did a film need a screenplay?

Paranoid Park is pure aesthetic. The slow-motion was reflective of the character's malaise and depression. It's very sympathetic to the plight of the typical teenager, which is a nice change of pace. The kid's performance is perfectly apt. He's not emotional because his character isn't emotional. The emotion is in the cinematography. The emotion is the slo-mo, the haze, the general feel of the film's events. The kid's emotions are portrayed as aesthetic, not outward cries for attention or sympathy.

[JediMoonShyne]

Originally Posted by billwh2

I appreciated the scene in which a basically innocent human being ... was that was pretty good.

So... you hated the film but enjoyed the part where someone was decapitated?

[Finwë]

Pretty boys and pretty pictures and not much else.

[BAPTiZED]

It was like a Hold Steady song melded with Gus Van Sant's indie sensibility. I dug it.

[waterwizard2005]

Do you think we are ready for paranoid park? No one is ever ready for paranoid park. Hee hee... Hmm I wonder what's being talked about. There were a lot of slomo's of boys in jeans flying around in this movie. It was okay. I didn't like it as much as I liked Elephant. I didn't like it much. If I was feeling generous maybe a 5/10. Or if you prefer 50% of the time something was on the screen I gave a s*** about. Or maybe less than 50% of the time. And whatever worked didn't feel earthshatteringly significant if that is a valid phrase. I've heard of other people liking this one though. I guess it was alright.

Oh and to Brightside do you think any of the slomo's were because it just looked cool and you could get a better view of the subject matter Select the black box below with your cursor to view the spoiler text

(boys behinds in jeans?)

[De4ective Detectiv3]

It couldn't have been any worse than Gerry.

[Raphael S.]

Chris Doyle is such a drunk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Rs4B7eSw8

[billwh2]

Originally Posted by JediMoonShyne

So... you hated the film but enjoyed the part where someone was decapitated?

Well, he wasn't exactly decapitated, more like Select the black box below with your cursor to view the spoiler text

cut in half. Miraculously, he was still alive , and his upper body, trailing intestines, was crawling away from the lower half of the body between the railroad tracks. The kid who knocked him backwards with the skateboard watched this, then ran away

I didn't actually hate the film, in fact, I would encourage people to watch it and form your own opinion.

[Eternity]

Originally Posted by De4ective Detectiv3

It couldn't have been any worse than Gerry.

Gerry is amazing.

[DrunkenJules]

Originally Posted by Brightside

Since when did a film need a screenplay?

*kills self*

[Btp]

You clearly did not even attempt to understand why this film was actually made. Because its so true to life and depicts so clearly what it is like to be a 21st century teenage male. No, its not an action movie. No, there is no strong character development. However, if you look closer instead of skating along the surface of what the films trying to say then it does prove very compelling. Gus Van Sant tries to create a sense of movement with this character from one situation to the next. Its that idea of conformity and how when you get pressured into something of a young age, you tend to go along with it to fit in, and it can lead to great consequences, hence the train incident, which wouldnt have happened if he didnt meet that guy at paranoid park who took him on that train, which is the climax of the movie!

With all the pressure he's been getting and keeping what happened on the train tracks a secret, he's also dealing with his girlfriend whom she believes isnt giving her enough attention because they have little in common. On top of all of this, his parents are on the verge of divorce which is hard for any teenager. It says that teenagers, when pressured and vulnerable, will sacrafice their own beliefs in order to fit in, and it comes at a price.

Being a fan of film-making techniques I also appreciated how each scene was shot. It was an arthouse film. Not a blockbuster. There is a massive difference. I don't know what you were expecting when you viewed it. Please watch it again and keep this in mind when you watch it next. You need to look for all the hints and under-lining meanings Paranoid Park has to offer!

P.S Alex was played by Gabe Nevins and has scored roles on other films since Paranoid Park www.imdb.com

[JediMoonShyne]

... Beau?

[Sonechka]

What was good about "Paranoid Park"?

Tone.