(SPOILER-FREE)

Wow.

This is one of the better films in a year filled with really strong films, and it's Spielberg's best *serious* film since... maybe ever?

Yep, not joking. It manages to make old white men sitting around and talking for two and a half hours not only enormously suspenseful, but rich with emotion and surprisingly funny.

The good:

- Daniel Day-Lewis plays it mostly low-key here-- he emphasizes Lincoln's sense of humor in public and his loneliness in private. In short, you imagine what it's like to be president in a very human way. Unless people rush to Joaquin's side come Oscar time, you're looking at #3 here, no question.

- Sally Field seems at first to be the most "periody" of everyone, but in her couple of big money scenes, she kills it. Lock for a nomination, and some of my favorite female acting of the year.

- TOMMY. MOTHER. FUCKING. LEE. JONES. Not only is he fucking hysterical in this, he also does some of the best emotional work I've ever seen him do. You mark my words: if my boy Dwight Henry fails to get a nomination for his stellar work in Beasts of the Southern Wild, I'd be stunned if this isn't the horse I ride til the wheels fall off for Best Supporting Actor. At this point, unless Django or Les Mis contains DiCaprio or Crowe's best work of their careers, you really may well be looking at Oscar #2 for Jones as well.

- The cast... let me name everyone I can think of without checking IMDB.
James Spader
John Hawkes
Tim Blake Nelson
Michael Stuhlbarg
Hal Holbrook
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Gale from Breaking Bad (name slips my mind)
Adam Driver
David Straithairn
Lee Pace
Walton Goggins
David Oyelowo
Colman Domingo (had the big moment in Red Hook Summer... you'll remember him)
Dane DeHaan
Jared Harris
Jackie Earle Haley
Bruce McGill
Julie White
Greg Itzin aka evil president from 24

There's probably more. There's also another one or two I won't name because their appearances shouldn't be spoiled. This is an AMAZING cast.

- cinematography isn't over-Janusz-ified, if that makes sense. It doesn't look like War Horse, but it's still dramatic.

- the script by Kushner is so smart and wordy it may frustrate some. I thought it was brilliant.

- perhaps John Williams' most subtle work in years with Spielberg, possibly ever. That's saying something.

The bad:

-... yes, there are too many endings. It goes five to ten too long. I can think of a place or two that would've served as better endings.

But, really, that's it.

This is an absolute must-see, should be a huge awards contender (not that that should play a role in you seeing it, it's a sidenote), and is one of Spielberg's best films of the last fifteen years easily.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
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the book (team of rivals) is GREAT. its huge so im sure a lot of it didnt make it into the film but the book is worth checking out for anyone interested.

__________________________________________________________
http://agoonieneversaysdie.wordpress.com <--(film)

twitter - @auteurronin

..from the trailer alone


introducing Sunny Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7e8YUhWALA&lc=ts9yNP2l863zBVUuutKLq4F-MQNeoDODXLO9OlcYSAE&feature=inbox

www.sunnyjonesmusic.com


..and miles to go before i sleep...

i'd really like to hear that. thought there were no recordings.

"i smack clowns with nouns, punch herbs with verbs..."

introducing Sunny Jones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7e8YUhWALA&lc=ts9yNP2l863zBVUuutKLq4F-MQNeoDODXLO9OlcYSAE&feature=inbox

www.sunnyjonesmusic.com


..and miles to go before i sleep...

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

Not sure there's a single writer alive that can weave emotional honesty into dense intellectual phrasing so seamlessly.

There's a scene in which Lincoln and his wife are talking, and they're both using what my students would have called "SAT vocabulary," quite densely worded... and yet all of a sudden, you feel your heartstrings tugged.

It's like he makes being smart accessible.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
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Blew my mind. Who knew he could write a musical, too?

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

the touring company was made up of the Broadway cast with I think only one exception, and it wasn't Caroline.

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

My freshman/sophomore years of college were the two years in the last twelve or so where I didn't get a chance to visit NYC and at least see a couple of shows. And so much good stuff came out in those two years. Ugh.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
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>The bad:
>
>-... yes, there are too many endings. It goes five to ten too
>long. I can think of a place or two that would've served as
>better endings.
>
>But, really, that's it.

They set-up the central conflict as the 13th Amendment such to the pint that ending the war was not the main concern of the characters. So when they finally pass the amendment they're kind of like, "Oh yeah, the war." And the movie kind of ambles in the last 15 minutes.

I also didn't like the subplot with his son and wanting to go to war. I didn't think it added anything except letting Sally Fields do her big dramatic scene.

But I thought it was pretty good. My friend kept saying, "This scene is so about Obama and health care." Which I was not really vibing on, so it'll be fun to see everybody appropriate the movie to their own purposes.

Basic storytelling should've told Spielberg that if literally the entire film is about the 13th Amendment that once it passed, the film should end.

I thought at one point people had said this film wouldn't cover Lincoln's death. I wish it hadn't-- it didn't have nearly the emotional impact of half the stuff in the earlier part of the film.

I also agree that JGL didn't really have much impact, but yeah, it's all to set up the Field/DDL showdown anyhow, so I didn't mind it in the bigger context.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

>Basic storytelling should've told Spielberg that if literally
>the entire film is about the 13th Amendment that once it
>passed, the film should end.
>
>I thought at one point people had said this film wouldn't
>cover Lincoln's death. I wish it hadn't-- it didn't have
>nearly the emotional impact of half the stuff in the earlier
>part of the film.

Absolutely. When Lincoln was walking down the hall with butler looking at him admiringly I said, "End it here. Just fade out." Though I did think that it was cool how they did the reveal. I was like, "This really doesn't look like Our American Cousin..." Then the flame dissolve with the Second Inaugural Address just felt corny and even more heavy-handed. They really kind of forced in his two biggest speeches.

>I also agree that JGL didn't really have much impact, but
>yeah, it's all to set up the Field/DDL showdown anyhow, so I
>didn't mind it in the bigger context.

Yeah, that was a great scene. And if I needed to see JGL get slapped and some amputated legs before it happened I'm willing to indulge it.

considering DKG's treatment of the assassination is probably the most poignant part of Team of Rivals (along with the liberation of Richmond).

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"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR

But if this is as you say it is then looks like we should all be seeing it.

Get out the room,
http://getouttheroom.podomatic.com

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-out-the-room/id525657893

Situation Podemy love

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/situation-podemy/id620232249

Situation Podemy : www.situationpodemy.wordpres

... cautiously optimistic.

And the first fifteen minutes had me wondering... but the film works its way into a hell of a groove.

The script alone is worth it. It's theatrical in its structure and performance to some degree, which probably explains why it really grabbed me specifically. Perhaps some will feel the film is "too talky"... but it's a film about debate and politics, so people who complain about its talkiness likely strolled into the wrong theater.

But the most surprising thing to me: outside of a few scenes, he doesn't Spielbergize. The beginning and the end are as close to the usual Spielberg overwrought emotional manipulation we expect as this film ever gets. He simply sticks to following a very smart, very wordy, very rich script, places the camera, perfects the lighting, and lets these actors do their thing.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
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>But the most surprising thing to me: outside of a few scenes,
>he doesn't Spielbergize. The beginning and the end are as
>close to the usual Spielberg overwrought emotional
>manipulation we expect as this film ever gets.

----

that's as strong a recommendation as I could hope for. I'll definitely see this now.

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

Just remember that I admitted as such-- I don't want y'all sitting through the first scene going, "This is crazy Spielbergy, the fuck was Longo saying?!" lol

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
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I already gathered that from what you said, don't worry, I'm not going to come in here calling you a liar LOL

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

>

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"It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

Looking forward now more than ever. I thought War Horse was OK but nothing memorable, actually can't remember much of it.

Outside of the performances and the cinematography, it was alright IMO. Tommmy Lee and DDL are getting Oscars and they deserve it. But yea. This didn't do anything for me. I still think The Impossible is gonna sweep.

------------------------------------------
America from 9:00 on: https://youtu.be/GUwLCQU10KQ

I join the chorus of "DDL, Tommy Lee, (maybe Sally), Steven, and Tony will all get Oscar noms"

'Twas a bit long, and I'm not sure if we really needed the "He now belongs to the ages" coda, and to that end it wouldn't have hurt to trim 10-15 minutes of it

But it's still classic, swing-for-the-fences Hollywood awards moviemaking, and if that's not your thing, stay home

___________________________________________________________________________
WORLD STAR IN THIS BITCH!!!! WORLD STAR IN THIS BITCH!!!!

seeing it first thing in the morning


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

>'Twas a bit long, and I'm not sure if we really needed the "He
>now belongs to the ages" coda, and to that end it wouldn't
>have hurt to trim 10-15 minutes of it

some parts were a bit too extended

but great performances by a lot of them

tastefully, wonderfully executed film portraying Lincoln's personality, behavior and ability to lead, especially despite opposition from within his own party and social climate. lincoln IS human and funny, not just an icon.

-------
peace and love

that's when i tiptoed out ur inbox (c) ricky

http://instagram.com/kahlema
http://twitter.com/jazzlema

.

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and I said that I wanted to see "Lincoln", and I said magic words like "Spielberg, Kushner, Daniel Day-Lewis, Doris Kearns Goodwin, etc." and he said, in all sincerity, "The vampire hunter one?"

It took a lot of convincing before he believed me that there are two Lincoln movies.

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people

______________________________
PSN ID - muzuabo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/muz_e/

Like most of you, I was worried after the bullshit trailer and Spielberg's spotty track record as of late, but they knocked it out of the park here.

Great decision to focus on a short, specific time frame, as opposed to making a sweeping epic about his entire life. We learned everything we needed to know about him in seeing him during the most pivotal part of his presidency (and life).

I loved the writing here. It's incredibly intelligent but never flaunts it or rams it down your throat. The humor was legitimately, organically funny (I laughed out loud a number of times). The tone was very well-balanced.

Day-Lewis is incredible. And it's not the ham-fisted Oscar-bait type of performance you might be expecting. He totally dissolves into the role. You sort of forget that you're watching him after a while. He totally channels Lincoln in a way that I don't think any other actor would have (or could have). He brings an incredible humanity to him, with a surprisingly low-key warmth, humor, and folksiness (as well as a cunning political acumen). He will win, and as much I really loved some other performances this year, I think he deserves it.

The rest of the performances are great as well. Obviously Tommy Lee Jones kills it, but I think James Spader was actually great, and I'm surprised more people aren't singing his praises.

The ending could have been handled better (everyone who says it should have ended when he was walking down the hall is correct...) but whatever - it's kind of a minor beef since everything else was so well-done.

----

go see it.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

I was surprised at how subdued the movie was from a cinematography and script POV, although considering the events covered it makes a lot of sense. And it felt like a return to form for Spielberg after last year's War Horse fiasco.
Terrific humor throughout, I loved how they managed to use comedic relief to keep the audience engaged without cheapening the impact and significance of the story. Can't say enough about the fantastic cast and the superlative script.

------------------------------
For the record, my teams:
MLB: Mets / Soccer: PSG
NCAA BB: Arizona / NCAA FB: Michigan
NBA: Spurs / NFL: Jets

awake. I really don't remember much of what happened after Lincoln had that fight with his son. (his son wanted to go off to war and Lincoln was opposed).

I was not expecting much so i was not disappointed. I am not gonna waste anytime arguing the so called *facts* either. The film's focus which was on the passage of the 13th amendment was ok. I did not have a problem with that. But the movie was just a mess folks arguing and bickering back and forth and Daniel Day-Lewis mumbling in between. Just boring and i could not connect with it whatsoever.

Imo the civil war largely had nothing to do with the Americans. the north and the south thing was just a front. The European banking families were largely behind the whole affair. But i don't expect Hollywood to tell you that.

Linciln's Emancipation Proclamation did not free anybody. If you understand anything about admiralty law you know emancipation means the transfer of property from one to another. I am not saying this to beat up on Lincoln but the reality is that the President has never had a lot of power anyway.
The CEO of the corporation has less power today.

I really don't have much else to say about the film. I won't even bother to rewatch it or give it a rating. I just don't give shit.

Bliss

1. > I am not
>gonna waste anytime arguing the so called *facts* either.

2. >Imo the civil war largely had nothing to do with the
>Americans. the north and the south thing was just a front.
>The European banking families were largely behind the
>whole affair. But i don't expect Hollywood to tell you
>that.
>
>Linciln's Emancipation Proclamation did not free anybody. If
>you understand anything about admiralty law you know
>emancipation means the transfer of property from one to
>another. I am not saying this to beat up on Lincoln but the
>reality is that the President has never had a lot of power
>anyway.
>The CEO of the corporation has less power today.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

>1. > I am not
>>gonna waste anytime arguing the so called *facts* either.
>
>
>2. >Imo the civil war largely had nothing to do with the
>>Americans. the north and the south thing was just a
>front.
>>The European banking families were largely behind the
>>whole affair. But i don't expect Hollywood to tell you
>>that.
>>

I am not arguing about anything and there is evidence out there that supports what i say that is if you care to do some research.

Lincoln, the movie was so dull,lol. i gotta be honest i don't even think the movie or it's subject is even that important.


I know that you are a public school teacher(biggest defenders of status quo) so i expect you too be quite critical of any opinion or research that is not in line with what is presented in official history books.

I will not be responding to any more replys to this post.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
bliss

I want a film to throw all accuracy out the window if it means telling a better story.

But your summary of what I believe gave me an actual LOL. So thanks.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
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..realise going in its guna be hollywood spin, no historical facts, and will adhere to the fake history that the worlds masters wrote for us. in that context it makes sense, and maybe just in a technical filmmaking aspect. that said i have no desire to see this or any hollywood flick for anything other than brainless shitty alpha-wave influencing entertainment.

V.

---
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DROkayplayerâ„¢

Keep up the, um, fight??

P.S. It's amazing the amount of influence Holylwood filmakers have over Hollywood films. Who's going to tell you THAT??

See you at FreeRepublic.com.

http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/11/30/paternalism-and-ass-covering-in-spielbergs-lincoln/

"From what I have observed on the Internet, Kushner’s defenders have begun to rally around a talking point, namely that he chose to tell a story about the passage of legislation that did not directly involve Blacks. Since they were not members of the House of Representatives, who could blame him or Spielberg for leaving them out? To fully comprehend how ludicrous this argument is, we can move forward in history to imagine a film about LBJ’s pushing through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that included not a single important Black civil rights leader: no Martin Luther King Jr., no Bayard Rustin, no Stokely Carmichael, no Andrew Young. People would scream bloody murder. How could you leave them out?"

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"If you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito."

Nelson, Hawkes, and Spader stole almost all of their scenes

and Sally Field put real emotion into a figure most people just think of as sickly and weird