Gus Van Sants "death" series

Elephant (Murder - based on the Columbine massacre)

Gerry (Euthanasia)

Last Days (Suicide - based on the final days of Kurt Cobain)

Anyone seen one or all of these? What did you think of them and the style they were filmed in (minimal dialogue etc)?

 

I saw them all and they were all maddeningly disappointing and dull to me. Sad thing is, I liked the concept of all of them and wanted very bad to like them...........which is probably why I watched them in the first place.

"Gerry" was the worst. Should have been re-named "Two Guys Walking In The Desert Until One of Them Dies". I actually fast forwarded through parts of it........I've never done that with another movie.

"Last Days" was the least annoying. Micheal Pitt was good as the faux Cobain, still pretty unbearable like the rest.

Plot of "Elephant". Lots of Walking In the School. 2 teenage boys jack-off to video games and each other. At the end they shoot a bunch of people in school. The End.


I don't mind slow if it's with a purpose and the director gives lots of other stimuli or infuses the story with a thought provoking idea. Hell, I'm one of the biggest Terrence Malick fans there is..........I know lots of people hate his stuff because they think it's boring.

These Van Sant movies are shot nicely (not anywhere near Malick, but pretty enough), but other then that are pretentious garbage and a complete chore to sit through. I'm not sure what critics who give these movies high praise are thinking.

I'd rather sit through another "Twilight" movie. At least I can make fun of it and entertain myself a little bit.

 

Can certainly see that point of view. I also agree that Gerry was the worst of the lot, nothing really happened. I thought Elephant was done really well though, we know what was coming at the end obviously but I thought he captured the terror and senselessness of the whole situation well. I'm a big Nirvana fan and was really looking forward to Last Days but I was fairly disappointed. It wasn't terrible or anything and I know "Blake" was just based on Kurt but I just feel if you're going to go through the whole trouble of getting the setting to look IDENTICAL to Kurts house you might want to try and follow the events a bit closer. I actually thought the lack of dialogue was perfect for it, the overall film was lacking though.

Agreed that all three films were very nicely shot.