Holy Motors? More like Holy Shit, what the fuck did I just watch?
Am I right? Am I right?
Jokes aside, I can honestly say that I did not expect anything that
Director Leos Carax created with Holy Motors. My only criteria in selecting
this film is that I wanted Drew to hate it. I was bitter with his veto and was
seeking revenge. French movie? Subtitles? Perfect!!
I purposely did no research
on the movie prior to viewing, and I am glad I took this approach. It takes a
bit of time to get into to the flow of the seemingly disjointed vignettes, which
I think are 9 in total. I could be off by one or two. Once I figured out that
the movie was pushed along using Mr. Oscar’s appointments, I found myself
looking forward to each new character Denis Lavant would transform himself
into. By the time “Monsieur Merde” started tearing ass through that Parisian cemetery
eating flowers and taking Eva Mendes to show off his cuddle boner I was all in.
Focusing briefly on some of the technical aspects first, I loved
the colors that Carax implements in to the film. Particularly the lighting
during the makeup/transformation scenes in the limo are some of my favorite.
The music that he uses is excellent for setting the tone for the different
characters, or pushing character narratives like Kylie Minogue’s musical
number. But neither of those compare to the awesome accordion interlude
Lavant nailed. That is probably my favorite scene in the entire film. Incidentally,
that scene also shows off some of the great panning shots that Carax used
throughout the film. Just an awesome awesome scene all around.
The more I get into to trying to explain this film, the more I
realize that my words are just not going to do it any justice. Instead, I will
offer some advice on anyone who has yet to watch. Sit back and relax. Don’t
allow yourself to be constrained by the typical limitations of narratives and
scripts. Enjoy the ride you are about to go on and let mind explore the
characters that Lavant brings to life before you. I promise you this, you will
feel closer to dreaming while you are wide awake than you ever have before.
I’ll let you gents discuss the underlying theme of the degradation
of film as an art form as it allows technology to transform it.
EDIT: A-
Well, there are weird movies that I know only a few people would appreciate. Movies I wouldn’t suggest to most people. Billion Dollar Movie is a prime example. Since I’ve watched this flick, I can’t decide if this film is one of those. In passing, I’d never suggest this movie. But everyone who I’ve had a chance to talk with about it for a decent period, I’ve ended up suggesting it to them. We all have certain weird or crappy movies that we like that we know others just won’t. I think most of us are proud of that and would prefer others to not like it so we can keep an ownership in it (our inner hipster). Drew likes nerdy political stuff. Joe likes some awful rom-coms. Phil for some reason thinks horror movies are enjoyable. I love Blade Trinity.
ReplyDeleteSo, what the hell is going on? I’m not exactly sure. It seems like someone kept thinking of movie scenes, but didn’t want to make a whole movie. They’re like, “how about a long-shot musical scene through a hallway, that’d go great in a movie!” Then they jot it down in a notebook and then smoke an ounce and forget to finish the movie around the scene. Every scene was well-done, well-acted, but really made no sense to the rest of the film.
Now, the car scene plot between appointments, maybe they’re saying something. I read maybe it’s about how things change and whatnot. I can see that. Maybe it says something about how parts of life that are important are actually fairly arbitrary. We’re in, we’re out. These things happen and our presence isn’t near as important as we think. Or rather, when those moments pass us, they’re impossible to recreate. They’re gone. I don’t know and I don’t think it matters to enjoy this film.
We’ve talked about some movies that seem to be largely vehicles for superb acting even if the story isn’t enjoyable. Great acting, but nothing happens, right? I think this is a knock that some have on There Will Be Blood. This movie, in a way, flips that on its head. Here is an excellent performance and possibly no semblance of a plot. No torturing you through The Master and watching a guy walk back and forth in front of a room of white people just as a means for a great performance. The acting is in front and center and why bother with a plot. Why not just have a great actor and quick scenes that keep your attention? No need to pretend to make a good plot when it’s not. Because just when you kind of get the plot, the goddang cars start talking. (I loved There Will Be Blood and really enjoyed The Master, btw)
In the end, this is a very good movie. I would absolutely watch it again. I can see how some might find it too weird, but I think it’s weird in a good way. Going back to my opening paragraph, I don’t think this is a particular kind of weird that only a small segment might like. I think it’s a weird that people who are just open to any or some sort of weirdness in general could enjoy. Would they think it’s an A movie? No way. But I’ll bet they’ll like this better than me suggesting Billion Dollar Movie or Bobby suggesting some feminism bowling movie he’s in to.
Solid B+ (Almost A-)
I want to suggest this movie to everybody... Not even because I think they'd like.. a lot of people certainly wouldn't. I mostly just want them to experience Holy Motors (especially the Accordion scene), but I feel like I have to give them warnings about how weird it is, or how if male nudity makes you uncomfy, etc.
Delete“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances.” - William Shakespeare
ReplyDeleteHoly Motors… Where do you even begin? Once I finished, my immediate thought was “Wait, the cars talk?! He’s living with monkeys now?! Why is the old lady putting a mask on?! WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST WASTE TWO HOURS OF MY LIFE WATCHING?!?!?!” I moved on and started watching that Tom Cruise movie Oblivion, which I had DVR’ed (B-; enjoyable enough, Tom Cruise is always great). Somewhere around Morgan Freeman’s third soliloquy, my mind drifted back to my day with Oscar. What WAS going on there? What did it all mean? Why was I still pondering it? Should I watch it again? No, I can only take so much troll penis in a day. All I knew about Holy Motors going in was that it was nutty and critics loved it. I think I get why. It was well-directed, Denis Lavant was great as Oscar, and it was so odd it made me go consider several theories of my own formulation on what exactly Carax was trying to say.
Let’s get the mechanics out of the way, as Joe nailed most of my thoughts already. Lavant did an amazing job. He was subtle when necessary and played every part great. I think the most memorable was as the leprechaun or troll or whatever – apprently his name is “Monsieur Merde,” but I will refer to him as The Troll (also, Eva Mendes may have had the worst performance of the bunch IMO), but what I’ll probably remember most was his time in the limo with Celine. They played well off each other. I also thought the directing was well done. There were some pretty nice long takes and wide shots that I found well done. The shot of Jean singing on the balcony when the camera zoomed up from below was particularly interesting to me… it felt so 70’s with how quick and jarring the zoom was.
The movie itself seems, to me, to be a commentary on film-making and the movie going public. I felt like the most important shot of the entire movie was the very first – a still of a dead-eyed movie audience, just waiting for what will happen next. Carax takes all the tropes we love and remember and movies now, throws them all together, and yells at the audience to look at what we’ve done to movies. We hit on the trend toward CGI, with Oscar in the mo-cap suit, performing a number of disjointed stunts that meant nothing in sequence. We have a coming-of-age tale about the girl at the party. We get a drug dealer showdown between twins. We get Oscar yelling at the cops to “aim for the crotch!” because that’s what we would find just SOOOO hilarious. And then, all memorable movies have a strange ending. What better then monkeys, masks, and talking cars? Ultimately, I don’t think the plot means anything. There really isn’t a plot at all. Carax just slammed in everything movie-goers seem to love, and now we’re left to deal with his mess.
Shane touched on this with his notebook analogy. It is very apt here. It felt like a movie a computer would spit out after getting survey results of what people like to see in a movie. If you did make that list, it would be as if Carax was checking each item off, just to see what he ended up with. We end up with, like I said, a complete mess. But again, I feel like that was the point.
Carax also throws various potshots at the modern industry and modern world in general. The troll scene in particular had a couple things that stood out to me. Why did the graves all make reference to websites? I didn’t have a clue on this one – maybe websites are our legacies? Maybe they are like tombstones for movies we no longer watch now? (www.spacejam.com is still a thing FWIW.) And then we had the photographer, just shouting one word at a time. Feels like a commentary on the press and our minds in general. We see Eva Mendes and only think that she’s hot. Then we see Lavant and can only think he’s weird. People do not have depth to the media. They are put in a bucket, and left there. Even though we end up proving that Eva is just as weird as the troll in the end. (Did anyone even catch her name was Kay? I missed that.) We even had a couple overt references to acting, with Oscar mentioning to the older guy in the car that he couldn’t even see the cameras sometimes. Who was that older man? His agent? A representation of old Hollywood? My head is starting to hurt.
ReplyDeleteSome other theories ran through my head as well. Maybe Oscar and his coworkers were angels, ushering poor souls to the afterlife. Oscar could just be some crazy billionaire, and all of these scenarios are set up by Celine so he can live out his fantasies. Maybe Oscar is actually a monkey. Who knows.
Ultimately, it felt like Oscar and the other limo riders were simply actors using the stage as their world, passing like ships in the night. Oscar has no life outside of his work. The only times we really see “Oscar” seem to be in the limo and when interacting with the other actors. I thought it was sad when Oscar got up from the bed, asked the girl’s name (Elise), and mentioned he hoped to work with her again. Actors are constantly on the move from one movie to the next, never being able to make meaningful connections with each other. That said, I’m having difficulty figuring out why Oscar freaked out when Jean had fallen from the building. Was she just that good an actress? Did Oscar know that was their last interaction of his life?
This is a movie I should not like. At all. I didn’t particularly enjoy watching it at the time either. I don’t think Carax intended for his audience to like it while watching it either. While I understand that, that doesn’t mean I have to like it. That being said, it was very well done and made me think quite a bit. I’ll probably remember Holy Motors better than many movies I’m sure I enjoyed more. Say what you want about Holy Motor, but it is, if nothing else, unique.
+Lavant was great
+Loved some of the shots used
+Thought-provoking
-Infuriating to watch at times
Grade: Purple… Why not pick a grade as weird as this movie?
Ok seriously, I give it a… I’d love to go A- or B+, but I was too angry during the actual experience, so a B it is.
Crap, missed two things...
ReplyDelete1) I also loved the accordian scene. Has anyone tracked down the name of that song? I wanna download that shit.
2) Shane - agree on the recommendation thing. I would only recommend this to people who have seen a bunch of movies. Otherwise, I feel like it's just too weird.
If we can't find the song, I'll simply cut it from the movie and make an mp3 for everybody.
Delete'Let my Baby Ride' by Doctor L (RL Burnside cover)
DeleteI've been thinking about how to put together this review. Like Phil's been saying, there's a lot here.
ReplyDeleteI've landed on first trying to tease out what is actually happening in the film. Based on the scene Oscar shares with French Gorbachev, I get the impression that the ultra-rich of Paris have grown tired of seeing films produced for theaters, and have hired actors to run around the city, portraying different characters and interacting with real people. The effects and stunts are extremely convincing, and the limos serve as the board that directors use before they yell for action (whatever those are called). Each of the nine characters Oscar plays are ongoing, such that Mister Shit has had many graveyard sewer adventures and the twin criminals have been chasing each other for a long time. Oscar prefers working on an actual set, possibly because the real reactions from bystanders is blurring his perception towards what's real and what isn't. Then, the limos start talking to each other.
It's more difficult to find threads that connect each of the nine characters. The CGI artist and Mr. Shit are about juxtaposing beauty and finesse with disgust and filth, and showing how those two things are points on a continuum of compulsive viewing, but that doesn't really come up again. Oscar as a father is about how he and his daughter would be happier living in the lie she initially told them, a metaphor for why people are actors, I suppose. The two songs played against the last two characters are about past selves and new lives, another acting metaphor. If I had to knit these together, I guess I'd go with movies as a vehicle to tell lies for people to lose themselves in, as places where they can feel things outside or beyond their experience, but then there's the accordion interlude, and whatever was going on in the prologue, and the two hitman characters.
Maybe there isn't a central theme here at all. I've also read reviews talking about Holy Motors as hinging on the limo conversation. They view themselves as obsolete, soon to be discarded, and Carax has talked about the miniaturization of technology, something present in the film if all the cameras are hidden. In the context of the film, this strikes me as something I'm not receptive to. Joe mentioned the degradation of film as art through technology, when I think the opposite is true. Digital filmmaking has democratized movies, such that anyone can make one with a trip to Best Buy. Tarantino is big in this argument, talking about how a movie has to be put on actual film or it's somehow less than. I just never buy these arguments in general. Disruptive technology is always criticized at first by entrenched interests, but progress marches ever forward. Being able to turn Oscar's CGI work into something otherworldly is not a bad thing, but something that opens up new possibilities. The elites of the film might prefer Oscar's work to normally-made movies, but Holy Motors doesn't take a position on whether one method is better than the other.
Lavant is amazing as Oscar, and was of course shunned by the Oscars. I blame it on that unfortunate boner. When I first watched this movie, I was surprised three times that characters were not Oscar's actual self. He just does whatever the film needs him to do, and he does each of the dozen roles perfectly. The accordion scene is great, and would absolutely make a list of best scenes from 2012. What it means and why it's there, I don't really know, but it's the most fun part of the film, and I've rewatched it on youtube a few times already. I love a good steadicam shot, especially one with people coming in and out. Mr. Shit is the most memorable part of the film. I love the way he just steps over that guy, and the pretentious way he strokes his beard while the douche photographer is taking his picture. I completely forgot about the chimps from my first viewing, and it got a good laugh out of me here. This big, emotional power ballad playing while a worn-out man enters his home, hugs his monkey wife and his monkey kids. Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteOn grading, I'm right in line with you guys, though I'm going a little lower. Carax puts all these scenes together, but whether they all comfortably fit is an open question. There are a lot of memorable moments, but if they don't add up to anything, something gets lost. I heard this complaint a lot about The Master, but I felt that all was working towards something, whereas there are a lot of things here that just don't make any sense thematically. When I first watched this, I was around a C, but after this second time, I'm at a pretty solid B. Great pick, Joe. Who said spite never helped anybody?
I don't have a lot to add to this movie that has not already been stated. I made some mental notes.
ReplyDeleteWeird movie with some really great acting
Very random stuff.
Europe has an interesting taste in entertainment.
The best part was the accordion scene. That was awesome.
The leprechaun/troll/whatever he was scene was hilarious. The woman did nothing to fight him. There was also a nice, yet subtle dig at the Muslims when he had her dress in the burka. See if any of you caught that.
The video game sex scene was...something else.
From now on, I will always assume white limousines have mirrors, suitcases, and makeup inside them.
Not sure why you all liked it so much. I didn't hate the film by any means but thought it was slightly above average.
All in all, the randomness was what made the film above average. The plot was understood but weird. Neither loved it nor hated it and wouldn't recommend it.
Grade: C+
So... Phil and Jon seemed to think I'd like this movie, when it was first brought up on FB. Well, damn them for being right... I do tend to enjoy fit of randomness stuffed in to one delightful package. My favorite book isn't the series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for no reason!
ReplyDeleteEasy part first. As everybody notes, the acting was great. Lavant makes the film worth watching on his merits alone. I just went to his wiki page to see if I've ever watched anything else with him, I haven't. He seems to have had a career in shorts and French films, and it noted that he's long associated with Carax. Anyway, he shouldn't even have to read for parts anymore... this pretty much auditions him for nearly any role. Edith Scob was great, and Kylie Minogue nailed that song I think even Mendes was good, once you consider that her character was likely just another white limo riding actor, just like the women in with the sick uncle. Really, not a single performance stood out to me as poor. The actors made each scene look and feel good.
Holy Motors was shot and presented extremely well. Say what you want about the plot (if there even is one), but I have to admit that Carax's direction and vision are spot on. The scenes in the Limo, such a small space with all that's going on in there, never felt cramped to Mr. Oscar... if anything, that felt like home. Minogue's song was fantastically done, with great camera work around her. There were no shots, scenes, sets, anything that stood out as poor or distracting to me... that's a bonus. Then there is the accordion scene. That shot was perfect, and I think the timing of the scene was key as it picks the viewer up from whatever state the movie has left them in so far (such as Phil's anger), even if it only does bring them right back into it. Even people who didn't enjoy the film should be able to put that on repeat and love it every single time.
As Shane said, it was almost as if Carax had a bunch of ideas for a character or scenes... and just decided to put them in the same film without any reason. If we saw each appointment on it's on as shorts on YouTube or something, we'd likely never even consider a connection. Not without Celine and the Limo scenes. I think, in the end... that's more of what its' about than anything else. I feel like Phil's view of the film, the movie industry, fits properly in some spots, but is very forced in others... so I can't buy it as a whole when I think back on everything. With that, I think the Shakespeare quote Phil headline with still works, along with Shane's not toward our arbitrary existence. For me, this movie is more about life. As I told Shane more specifically, it had that, 'everybody is just an actor in our life, and we're just an actor in their lives' feel for me.
I agree the "here's everything we love in movies, now let's see how it all looks together" theory is a little forced in some areas, but let's actually think about it some of them that do fit...
Delete- Baffling endings that leave us talking (and inanimate objects for that matter)
- Sexy chicks
- weirdos
- sequels (Merde and Celine with the mask)
- monkeys (we love monkeys)
- shootouts
- crotch shots (figurative and literal)
- monsters
- elaborate musical numbers
- coming-of-age stories
- tense faceoffs
- brother vs. brother (not necessarily identical)
- crazy CGI stunts (at least the making of them)
Seriously, if you asked anyone their three favorite things in a big movie, you'd probably hit their entire list here. I think this was Carax's version of the Pontiac Aztec - the Aztec was supposed to be a car for everyone, and ended up being a car for no one. Holy Motors felt that way by design to me.
This made me wonder... somebody had to have asked Carax... right? So I tried to find out if he was giving any insight. Apparently, he doesn't like to talk to people or about his movies ("I don't think men were meant to be interviewed.")... but he had some things to say! Here are some links... worth the reads!
Deletehttp://www.indiewire.com/article/interview-leos-carax-explains-holy-motors-and-why-he-wants-to-make-a-superhero-movie
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/movies/leos-carax-makes-holy-motors-with-film-historys-help.html
http://cineuropa.org/ff.aspx?t=ffocusinterview&l=en&tid=2414&did=221689
TL;DR? Well then you don't get to know the answers to the universe. Actually, you do... it's 42.
Anyway... some points of interest... maybe some things we got right or wrong.
This movie really was sort of just scenes thrown together... he put the ideas together in only about a 2 week period. It was with Lavant in mind all along.... especially interesting that he says this, but didn't think Lavant had the ability to do some of the characters/moments...but came away impressed with how much he's improved as an actor over the years.
It all started with gypsy beggar women he would see on the streets. The idea stuck in his head, and he wanted to even do a documentary on it... but decided to put this together instead.
The movie is most definitely not about the cinema... he seems pretty set on that. BUT, he acknowledges that by making a movie, 'you make cinema' so you're bound to see it in there. And if you do, that's fine, but it wasn't by his design. Directly asked if the film was about the history of cinema, he replied, "I think each film is to a certain extent, but I have always hated the word "reference". When you decide to live on this island that is cinema, it's a beautiful island, but one with many graveyards."
Holy Motors apparently is about life... but more so the stages of it, and not the connections or the parts we play but more of just.. being alive. "In this world I invented, it's a way of telling the experience of a life without using a classical narrative, without using flashbacks. It's trying to have the whole range of human experience in a day." "It's a film about a man and an experience: the experience of being alive."
He does touch on the subject of technology, and even the use of film vs digital. The articles really are worth the read. “The virtual world is something they’re trying to sell us,” Mr. Carax said. “It’s not the same as the invisible world, which is what lives inside us.”
He also addresses the limos... a part of it seems like he just wanted limos to talk, and another some deal with motors, and how cameras don't have them, but everything is power, but these days it's 'fake power.' I don't even know.
There are some tidbits about/from Lavant and Minogue as well. I'm generally intrigued, and may have to look into more Corax.
That said... I think my two favorite things from the the articles are...
1 - This is the second appearance of Merde. He was first introduced in Tokyo!, an anthology film. It's now at the top of my list.
2 - 'Do you want to be understood by the public?'
"I don't know who the public is. They're people who will die soon. I don't like films for the public, I like private films."
Hell, I think reading my horribly long and messy comment about the articles is even worse. Oops.
DeleteI'm beginning to question your understanding of TL;DR :-)
DeleteDude sounds batshit crazy to me.
DeleteAll the best ones are!
Delete
ReplyDeleteThat's what life is, for the most part, isn't it? Sure, most people want to find/be themselves, and the same around everybody... but I think most people play different roles in different people's lives. Sometimes we're the poor woman, sometimes we play the parent, the child, the sick, the grieving, the lonely, angry, jealous, content, an ecstatically awesome accordion player , or whatever a certain moment or person needs us to be. Sometimes we feel like we're stuck among primates, idiots, or people with whom we no longer enjoy our time together. Sometimes we feel outdated, easily replaced like an aging limo, with somebody new comes along. This is life, and this is how we're connected to people and the world.
That sort of seems like a grim outlook on life, but it's not. Think about all of the people you know and have crossed paths with along your way. There are so many different types of people in so many different scenarios. Some of them you want to revisit, and do pretty regularly. Mr. Oscar was no different. He's going from life to life, act to act, loving his role and playing a different part all of the time, but in turn hoping he'd return to the forest (makes you wonder what that was), and then work with Elise again sometime. He runs into somebody he worked with long ago, catching up after 20 years. Even Celine puts on a mask, as if it were time to be somebody else (or not be noticed at all).
As Phil noted, there may be quite a bit of discussion on this (involving film, technology, life, etc), so I'll cut myself off and see where that takes us. Besides, I need to find this feminism bowling movie!
Grade: A- (candidate for an A, perhaps)
When I first finished the movie, I probably sat around a B grade because it was acted and shot so well, bumped to a B+ because of the accordion scene alone. After I watched it I had to play a NCAA Football game on xbox against one of Shane's friends...but pretty much the entire time my mind was on the movie. It stuck with me that evening, and the next day... and thinking about it and life and how the movie portrayed it in such an interesting way bumped it to a A-. So yeah, clearly I enjoyed the movie, and I'll be watching it again which could lead to a complete overhaul of my thoughts and grade.
While talking to Drew right now, I also jokingly decided that this movie could just be about evolution, and into artificial intelligence. It's all summed up in the last two scenes. :)
DeleteReally, though... I think that is part of what's great about this. It's all about perception... be it a deep meaning or just random entertainment and good acting.
You guys are one metaphor after another. Boring! I only fell asleep 3 times watching this movie. That ties it with the Hobbit.
ReplyDeleteThe French guy is a French John Malcovich, am I right? Actually it probably is John Malcovich in a mask! Movie solved.
So we have a movie about how the super rich are entertained or how new movies are filmed. I say the former because the general public seemed generally concerned when the banker was shot, but maybe they're all part of the show so it could be the latter.
Until the scene (and a little bit after) where the director is in the limo and they're talking cameras I thought it could be part theatre and part assassination or faking one's death.
I think all of my ideas here could lead to an interesting plot, but this movie mainly focused on the scenes themselves.
Are current directors trying to see who can write the most disjointed script so it becomes a viral sensation instead of an A+ movie?
No clue on grade here, maybe C+ for now.
I'm really surprised a handful of you actually think those limos talking actually mean anything. I really think the end was nothing more then a bunch of nonsense, and totally by design. Surprised no one else brought up the opening, with the dazed movie theatre and Carax himself in the bedroom.
ReplyDeleteThe limos have to mean something, because they're in the movie. It'd be crazy for a director to spend the time and money filming a sequence if he didn't feel strongly about it. This isn't like Iron Man 3 with it's Chinese-only scenes, crammed in purely based on financial reasons. If a director were to just put a scene in to fuck with his audience, that would be just wasteful and disrespectful.
DeleteImagine if that scene used to mess with his audience was put into a full motion picture. The name of that film would be Only God Forgives. Whacka whacka whacka
DeleteTo quote Dana Carvey's imitation of Johnny Carson- :That was some weird wild stuff"
ReplyDeleteFirst negative comment alert- J Set how do you not put witty tags on this. You have a brilliant one in your write up- "cuddle boner"
Anyway, as everyone is probably done with this movie I'll be short. I finally got around to watching it last night.
Oscar was fantabulous, his performance alone is worthy of a grading bump from me.
I have no idea what to think of this movie, I don't know if any of the scenes were the real Oscar or just appointments. I half thought his punishment to his "daughter" for lying was going to be some depraved incest rape scene. The limo scene with the director guy was our Cabin in the Woods style reveal I guess but I think we deserved more than that especially with the ridiculous talking limos at the end. I'm not upset the parts weren't connected because they were just a series of acting gigs for Oscar. What I was wondering was how many people were also actors- was everyone an extra or were these scenes filmed intertwined with everyday life. If it's the latter, how often do actors end up accidentally shot by the real police. This movie certainly provides more questions than answers which is fine I suppose but we got 0 answers to the questions it raised.
Not sure why everyone is so amazed by the accordian scene, fun sure, well shot, ok, but you guys must just sit on youtube all day and watch flash mobs. Had they been singing and waving their arms interpretively instead of playing accordians you'd have different reactions.
C movie raised full letter grade to a B by Oscar knocked down to a final of C+ by talking limos