Two egocentric actors take roles in an egocentric director's film.
OFFICIAL COMPETITION, a Spanish/Argentinian production, satirizes
European arthouse cinema, but the target's too soft and the satire's not
funny enough often enough for this U.S. viewer. Minimally recommended.

On Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 5:22:06 PM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
> Two egocentric actors take roles in an egocentric director's film.
> OFFICIAL COMPETITION, a Spanish/Argentinian production, satirizes
> European arthouse cinema, but the target's too soft and the satire's not
> funny enough often enough for this U.S. viewer. Minimally recommended.

Yeah, a tad subtler than your basic slasher film at the Quadplex. The satire is brilliant in places but, granted, ie, not slapstick. Oh, your first sentence is meaningless. Some scenes are just fabulous and you missed it. Too bad.

On 12/11/2022 11:53 PM, william ahearn wrote:
> On Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 5:22:06 PM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>> Two egocentric actors take roles in an egocentric director's film.
>> OFFICIAL COMPETITION, a Spanish/Argentinian production, satirizes
>> European arthouse cinema, but the target's too soft and the satire's not
>> funny enough often enough for this U.S. viewer. Minimally recommended.
>
> Yeah, a tad subtler than your basic slasher film at the Quadplex. The satire is brilliant in places but, granted, ie, not slapstick. Oh, your first sentence is meaningless. Some scenes are just fabulous and you missed it. Too bad.

Which fabulous scenes do you think I missed, or failed to grasp? My
complaint isn't that none were funny, but were sparse and overdrawn.

On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 10:29:10 AM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:

> Which fabulous scenes do you think I missed, or failed to grasp? My
> complaint isn't that none were funny, but were sparse and overdrawn.

Most of the scenes with both actors -- Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez -- were spot on and if you've ever worked with actors those scenes ring true. Penelope Cruz absolutely nails the role of director and one of the elements that I appreciated in this film is the utter lack of slapstick or broad deliveries or comedic touches. The film finds its own.

On 12/12/2022 7:54 PM, william ahearn wrote:
> On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 10:29:10 AM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>
>> Which fabulous scenes do you think I missed, or failed to grasp? My
>> complaint isn't that none were funny, but were sparse and overdrawn.
>
> Most of the scenes with both actors -- Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez -- were spot on and if you've ever worked with actors those scenes ring true. Penelope Cruz absolutely nails the role of director and one of the elements that I appreciated in this film is the utter lack of slapstick or broad deliveries or comedic touches. The film finds its own.

Here's the worst review from MetaCritic:

"As a fan of Cohn and Duprat’s tighter, darker previous
collaborations I was keenly aware of the passage of screen time and
slack pacing here. OFFICIAL COMPETITION feels like an 80 minute spoof
bundled in the gauze of a 115 minute film."

Admittedly, even that "pan" is a 50/100, and OC's reviews were generally
quite high. But I think it expresses well an aspect to which I'm
particularly sensitive, i.e., when I spontaneously check my watch while
viewing. Of course, one man's impatience is another's ADHD...

On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 10:15:27 AM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:

> Here's the worst review from MetaCritic:
>
> "As a fan of Cohn and Duprat’s tighter, darker previous
> collaborations I was keenly aware of the passage of screen time and
> slack pacing here. OFFICIAL COMPETITION feels like an 80 minute spoof
> bundled in the gauze of a 115 minute film."
>
> Admittedly, even that "pan" is a 50/100, and OC's reviews were generally
> quite high. But I think it expresses well an aspect to which I'm
> particularly sensitive, i.e., when I spontaneously check my watch while
> viewing. Of course, one man's impatience is another's ADHD...

You didn't like the film. Fine. Fortunately, I don't really care what critics say and I find your reliance on IMDb and MetaCritic distressing. Same as it ever was . . .

On 12/13/2022 11:38 AM, william ahearn wrote:
> On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 10:15:27 AM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>
>> Here's the worst review from MetaCritic:
>>
>> "As a fan of Cohn and Duprat’s tighter, darker previous
>> collaborations I was keenly aware of the passage of screen time and
>> slack pacing here. OFFICIAL COMPETITION feels like an 80 minute spoof
>> bundled in the gauze of a 115 minute film."
>>
>> Admittedly, even that "pan" is a 50/100, and OC's reviews were generally
>> quite high. But I think it expresses well an aspect to which I'm
>> particularly sensitive, i.e., when I spontaneously check my watch while
>> viewing. Of course, one man's impatience is another's ADHD...
>
> You didn't like the film. Fine. Fortunately, I don't really care what critics say and I find your reliance on IMDb and MetaCritic distressing. Same as it ever was . . .

Note, though, that MetaCritic's generally high opinion (numerical - I'd
never read words beforehand) was a significant factor in my choosing OC
for that particular group movie night. I quoted the critic above only
as a coherent expression of what left me somewhat disappointed.

On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
> On 12/13/2022 11:38 AM, william ahearn wrote:
> > On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 10:15:27 AM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
> >
> >> Here's the worst review from MetaCritic:
> >>
> >> "As a fan of Cohn and Duprat’s tighter, darker previous
> >> collaborations I was keenly aware of the passage of screen time and
> >> slack pacing here. OFFICIAL COMPETITION feels like an 80 minute spoof
> >> bundled in the gauze of a 115 minute film."
> >>
> >> Admittedly, even that "pan" is a 50/100, and OC's reviews were generally
> >> quite high. But I think it expresses well an aspect to which I'm
> >> particularly sensitive, i.e., when I spontaneously check my watch while
> >> viewing. Of course, one man's impatience is another's ADHD...
> >
> > You didn't like the film. Fine. Fortunately, I don't really care what critics say and I find your reliance on IMDb and MetaCritic distressing. Same as it ever was . . .
> Note, though, that MetaCritic's generally high opinion (numerical - I'd
> never read words beforehand) was a significant factor in my choosing OC
> for that particular group movie night. I quoted the critic above only
> as a coherent expression of what left me somewhat disappointed.

One can only suppose what your reaction would have been if you had gone in cold.

On 12/13/2022 2:41 PM, william ahearn wrote:
> On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>> On 12/13/2022 11:38 AM, william ahearn wrote:
>>> On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 10:15:27 AM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>>>
>>>> Here's the worst review from MetaCritic:
>>>>
>>>> "As a fan of Cohn and Duprat’s tighter, darker previous
>>>> collaborations I was keenly aware of the passage of screen time and
>>>> slack pacing here. OFFICIAL COMPETITION feels like an 80 minute spoof
>>>> bundled in the gauze of a 115 minute film."
>>>>
>>>> Admittedly, even that "pan" is a 50/100, and OC's reviews were generally
>>>> quite high. But I think it expresses well an aspect to which I'm
>>>> particularly sensitive, i.e., when I spontaneously check my watch while
>>>> viewing. Of course, one man's impatience is another's ADHD...
>>>
>>> You didn't like the film. Fine. Fortunately, I don't really care what critics say and I find your reliance on IMDb and MetaCritic distressing. Same as it ever was . . .
>> Note, though, that MetaCritic's generally high opinion (numerical - I'd
>> never read words beforehand) was a significant factor in my choosing OC
>> for that particular group movie night. I quoted the critic above only
>> as a coherent expression of what left me somewhat disappointed.
>
> One can only suppose what your reaction would have been if you had gone in cold.

Except for knowing a bunch of critics liked it, I did go in "cold".

On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 3:07:58 PM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
> On 12/13/2022 2:41 PM, william ahearn wrote:
> > On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
> >> On 12/13/2022 11:38 AM, william ahearn wrote:
> >>> On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 10:15:27 AM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Here's the worst review from MetaCritic:
> >>>>
> >>>> "As a fan of Cohn and Duprat’s tighter, darker previous
> >>>> collaborations I was keenly aware of the passage of screen time and
> >>>> slack pacing here. OFFICIAL COMPETITION feels like an 80 minute spoof
> >>>> bundled in the gauze of a 115 minute film."
> >>>>
> >>>> Admittedly, even that "pan" is a 50/100, and OC's reviews were generally
> >>>> quite high. But I think it expresses well an aspect to which I'm
> >>>> particularly sensitive, i.e., when I spontaneously check my watch while
> >>>> viewing. Of course, one man's impatience is another's ADHD...
> >>>
> >>> You didn't like the film. Fine. Fortunately, I don't really care what critics say and I find your reliance on IMDb and MetaCritic distressing. Same as it ever was . . .
> >> Note, though, that MetaCritic's generally high opinion (numerical - I'd
> >> never read words beforehand) was a significant factor in my choosing OC
> >> for that particular group movie night. I quoted the critic above only
> >> as a coherent expression of what left me somewhat disappointed.
> >
> > One can only suppose what your reaction would have been if you had gone in cold.
> Except for knowing a bunch of critics liked it, I did go in "cold".

That should teach you . . .

On 12/12/22 9:29 AM, moviePig wrote:
> On 12/11/2022 11:53 PM, william ahearn wrote:
>> On Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 5:22:06 PM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com
>> wrote:
>>> Two egocentric actors take roles in an egocentric director's film.
>>> OFFICIAL COMPETITION, a Spanish/Argentinian production, satirizes
>>> European arthouse cinema, but the target's too soft and the satire's not
>>> funny enough often enough for this U.S. viewer. Minimally recommended.
>>
>> Yeah, a tad subtler than your basic slasher film at the Quadplex. The
>> satire is brilliant in places but, granted, ie, not slapstick. Oh,
>> your first sentence is meaningless. Some scenes are just fabulous and
>> you missed it. Too bad.
>
> Which fabulous scenes do you think I missed, or failed to grasp?  My
> complaint isn't that none were funny, but were sparse and overdrawn.

That's the problem with Billy Ahearn, he acts like he's in an exclusive
club where only he "gets" things. As if a subjective opinion can be
"wrong."

On 12/12/22 6:54 PM, william ahearn wrote:
> On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 10:29:10 AM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>
>> Which fabulous scenes do you think I missed, or failed to grasp? My
>> complaint isn't that none were funny, but were sparse and overdrawn.
>
> Most of the scenes with both actors -- Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez -- were spot on and if you've ever worked with actors those scenes ring true. Penelope Cruz absolutely nails the role of director and one of the elements that I appreciated in this film is the utter lack of slapstick or broad deliveries or comedic touches. The film finds its own.

Wow, so if one hasn't "worked with actors" then that person viewing the
film is screwed? That limits the audience quite a bit don't you think?
("...don't you think" is rhetorical, unless it isn't.)

On 12/13/22 9:15 AM, moviePig wrote:
> On 12/12/2022 7:54 PM, william ahearn wrote:
>> On Monday, December 12, 2022 at 10:29:10 AM UTC-5,
>> pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>>
>>> Which fabulous scenes do you think I missed, or failed to grasp? My
>>> complaint isn't that none were funny, but were sparse and overdrawn.
>>
>> Most of the scenes with both actors -- Antonio Banderas and Oscar
>> Martinez -- were spot on and if you've ever worked with actors those
>> scenes ring true. Penelope Cruz absolutely nails the role of director
>> and one of the elements that I appreciated in this film is the utter
>> lack of slapstick or broad deliveries or comedic touches. The film
>> finds its own.
>
> Here's the worst review from MetaCritic:
>
>    "As a fan of Cohn and Duprat’s tighter, darker previous
> collaborations I was keenly aware of the passage of screen time and
> slack pacing here. OFFICIAL COMPETITION feels like an 80 minute spoof
> bundled in the gauze of a 115 minute film."
>
> Admittedly, even that "pan" is a 50/100, and OC's reviews were generally
> quite high.  But I think it expresses well an aspect to which I'm
> particularly sensitive, i.e., when I spontaneously check my watch while
> viewing.  Of course, one man's impatience is another's ADHD...

Wow, it's like taking a class in bad commentary. "wrapped in the gauze
of 115 minute film" can only be described as a horseshit metaphor.

On 12/13/22 1:41 PM, william ahearn wrote:
> On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>> On 12/13/2022 11:38 AM, william ahearn wrote:
>>> On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 10:15:27 AM UTC-5, pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>>>
>>>> Here's the worst review from MetaCritic:
>>>>
>>>> "As a fan of Cohn and Duprat’s tighter, darker previous
>>>> collaborations I was keenly aware of the passage of screen time and
>>>> slack pacing here. OFFICIAL COMPETITION feels like an 80 minute spoof
>>>> bundled in the gauze of a 115 minute film."
>>>>
>>>> Admittedly, even that "pan" is a 50/100, and OC's reviews were generally
>>>> quite high. But I think it expresses well an aspect to which I'm
>>>> particularly sensitive, i.e., when I spontaneously check my watch while
>>>> viewing. Of course, one man's impatience is another's ADHD...
>>>
>>> You didn't like the film. Fine. Fortunately, I don't really care what critics say and I find your reliance on IMDb and MetaCritic distressing. Same as it ever was . . .
>> Note, though, that MetaCritic's generally high opinion (numerical - I'd
>> never read words beforehand) was a significant factor in my choosing OC
>> for that particular group movie night. I quoted the critic above only
>> as a coherent expression of what left me somewhat disappointed.
>
> One can only suppose what your reaction would have been if you had gone in cold.

That's a fair cop as the Brits would say.

On 12/15/2022 5:06 AM, trotsky wrote:
> On 12/13/22 1:41 PM, william ahearn wrote:
>> On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 2:00:00 PM UTC-5,
>> pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>>> On 12/13/2022 11:38 AM, william ahearn wrote:
>>>> On Tuesday, December 13, 2022 at 10:15:27 AM UTC-5,
>>>> pwal...@moviepig.com wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Here's the worst review from MetaCritic:
>>>>>
>>>>> "As a fan of Cohn and Duprat’s tighter, darker previous
>>>>> collaborations I was keenly aware of the passage of screen time and
>>>>> slack pacing here. OFFICIAL COMPETITION feels like an 80 minute spoof
>>>>> bundled in the gauze of a 115 minute film."
>>>>>
>>>>> Admittedly, even that "pan" is a 50/100, and OC's reviews were
>>>>> generally
>>>>> quite high. But I think it expresses well an aspect to which I'm
>>>>> particularly sensitive, i.e., when I spontaneously check my watch
>>>>> while
>>>>> viewing. Of course, one man's impatience is another's ADHD...
>>>>
>>>> You didn't like the film. Fine. Fortunately, I don't really care
>>>> what critics say and I find your reliance on IMDb and MetaCritic
>>>> distressing. Same as it ever was . . .
>>> Note, though, that MetaCritic's generally high opinion (numerical - I'd
>>> never read words beforehand) was a significant factor in my choosing OC
>>> for that particular group movie night. I quoted the critic above only
>>> as a coherent expression of what left me somewhat disappointed.
>>
>> One can only suppose what your reaction would have been if you had
>> gone in cold.
>
>
> That's a fair cop as the Brits would say.

But it is, of course, impossible to go in at the same level of "cold" as
anyone else. E.g., here, there's one's familiarity with the name
actors. The best that can be done, I'd guess, is to (try to) notice how
readily you seem to overcome such "prejudices". I love it when I can
say, "Despite all my expectations for this flick..."