Archipelago (2011)

hyped garbage

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

This is a maddening movie, though a good one. The structure is just about perfect, and the family's dysfunction unspools in a very controlled way. The acting is universally excellent and clear. The movie makes wonderful use of the unique landscape of the Isle of Scilly, and all in all, I felt I was in the hands of first class creators.But…The rhythm is eternally and unchangingly slow. Every scene begins with long, long minutes of barely discernible action. There is, despite the simmering resentments, only a single explosion. This lugubrious technique is both effective and maddening. The movie seems like an experiment in just how far you can go into hazy somnambulance and still create dramatic tension.Don't watch it when you're sleepy.

This is a film about a family coming together for a holiday, well almost all the family.. The undercurrents of resentment, unhappiness, family strife are cringe worthy but not overacted or overexposed.The weather works well with the story, clouds and cold. The metaphor of watercolours as an on the surface not too intrusive thank you very much hobby for unhappy people.The treatment of the cook by the different members of the family illustrates their philosophy in life or how they see their role in society I do not remember the music which means it either was illustrative of the film or lacking..

This is one of those movies that you either love or hate. Being a rather "artsy" film, it will hardly appeal to the majority. It's a film that requires much patience and understanding in the subtleties of human nature and emotion.There are many things that are appealing to the senses and many things to take note of. The camera hardly moves, giving the audience a chance to explore and take in the entire scene. They're left to pay attention to whomever they wish for as long as the scene continues. The entire movie is drenched in a certain stillness; from the somewhat drab color tones to the soft-spokenness of the characters. Often times, scenes are simply shots of the landscape, accompanied by the song of birds or the crashing of waves against the shore.The thing that I praise most about Archipelago is Hogg's ability to capture the subtle, mundane aspects of humanity. Whether it's the scene in which Edward accidentally steps on a book laying on the floor and mutters a quiet, quick apology while preoccupied with thoughts of straightening a picture on the wall or the frequent awkward silences between the family, all is done in such a tastefully boring but natural way that many directors and actors fail to capture it properly. For me, that alone is what made this movie so profound.This movie has gotten a lot of undeserved criticism in which people have claimed it to be boring, trite, and too tedious in detail. I say, ignore the criticism and watch it for yourself before deciding whether you'll like it or hate it. This is definitely not a film to ever be overlooked.

I loved this film. It is an absolute deadpan satire, dry, wry and very sly. And it made me laugh out loud, which is quite unusual... I don't know how much of the dialogue is improvised, but it is spot-on. The performances are stunning and the lighting, camera-work and composition are beautiful. I love the way the camera keeps its distance for so much of film before moving in close. You could turn the sound off and just watch this film for the pleasure of the visuals alone.One reviewer mentioned Tarkovsky; comparisons are odious I know, but I just have to add that it reminded me of Antonioni – and for me it doesn't get any better than that.I'm surprised how many reviewers seem to miss the point of this film completely. For me, it was like those old Magic Eye pictures: you could of course look at it and not really see anything, but change your focus a little and this amazing hidden gem appears.It's not all subtle sarcastic send-up either, I think the picture has a real heart, and it's all the more moving when it is eventually revealed.Great moments? There are tons. Here are three: The Cook carefully wrapping up her knives, as much like a surgeon as a chef, dissection over perhaps, or time to stop the stabbing. The role of the Cook is excellent: the witness to it all, the presence of the director/writer perhaps. The hand puppet round the door is a brilliant scene, loaded, as is so much of this film. Christopher's lines to Edward who is looking at his painting, a quick look at the Blues, a statement of intent from the writer, a great bit of improv? It finishes: "I quite like that blue: Joyous". Cut. Superb.It is a real shame a film of this quality is rated 5-point-something. It's a great piece of work and it deserves proper recognition.If you hated this film I would urge you to watch it again; if you haven't seen it you really should.