MovieChat Forums > Collision: Christopher Hitchens vs. Douglas Wilson (2009) Discussion > Disappointed

Disappointed

posted 14 years ago by paramite-1
5 replies | jump to latest

Don't get me wrong, I think the starring gentlemen were wonderful but everything else was awful. It's obvious the director tried to create an artsy feeling, but the question remains: why?

The most ridiculous moment was the one, when they are walking away from the helicopter in slow motion and there's some bad rap music playing on the background. This simply doesn't belong in a film that's supposed to be taken seriously.

The other thing is the camera... Someone should tell this guy that he isn't directing a Von Trier movie but a documentary.

What might be the most ANNOYING fault however, is the fact how their debates were cut. As soons as one of them finishes a good argument and the other begins to respond, it all cuts away. I realize you can't have the whole 2 hour debates in a movie, but you could still use your brains until you come up a plan, how you're going to cut it, without making the whole movie seem amateur.

[–] J. Spurlin 13 years ago

I agree. The distractingly arty camerawork and editing, the annoying music and the frustrating habit of cutting away just before a discussion gets good are exactly what makes this movie fall short of what it should have been. Any of the uncut, unfussy video recordings of Hitchens's debates available on YouTube make for a better use of one's time.

...Justin

[–] twister396 13 years ago

Agreed. A little stylishness is all right, but too much of the substance suffered for it.

[–] DetectiveBurst 12 years ago

Something tells me they had little money to make the film and to cover it up, they went nuts with effects and spastic editing and nutty music to make it arty-ish.

[–] west-travel 12 years ago

An obvious hipster inclination, although I'd lie if I said that the hard music didn't at times raise my blood pressure a notch simply because I was realizing it was The Hitch who spoke. What he said in the end there left a strong impression on me, and all and all, I liked it.

[–] rockstar-40 12 years ago

The filming and editing were just atrocious in this movie.

And there were so many times they actually put subtitles in BECAUSE they had to have music playing so loudly in the background.

Totally ruined the movie for me.