Sex and the City 2

[Cat]

You'll get no argument from me about Ashley Jones. I love her and she is my favorite Bridget. She is so subtle and luminous. She never tries to curry Bridget's favor with the audience ("Poor me! Like me! Feel sorry for me!"). She just is, and plays up Bridget's flaws just as much as her strengths.

Maybe I was hard on Kristen. She had a lot of "baby-voice talk" in the movie but that breakdown in the kitchen pantry was awesome. Also that look that she and Nanny Erin McBoobs exchanged when Erin opened the pantry door, saw immediately what Charlotte needed and ushered the kids away.

[Cheyenne]

Just came back from the movies and I really enjoyed this one. Ok, it wasn't brilliant. But you know, it was a nice ending to the whole thing. And I just LOVED it becuase it's the girls!

They could make 5 more and I'd still love it as long as the characters stayed true to themselves that is. Sure, the characters can change becuase people do change, but it has to be believable. And I think Mr Big (who I think change the most of them all) was very believable in this 2nd movie.

Yay, another person who loves AJ. I'm with you!

[Sylph]

Ashley Jones is divine. Haters're gonna hate, nothing one can do about that.

[Sylph]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/movies/06dargis.html?ref=television

[Cheyenne]

^^ Wow, did Time's Manohla Dargis have anything good to say about the movies or the show? Anything? Because I sure could't find it.

I rarely agree with critics revewing movies, this one was no exception. What a load of cr*p.

[Sylph]

http://thefilmstage.com/2010/06/03/sex-and-the-city-3-will-be-a-prequel/

[YRBB]

Oh wow... I'm not sure what to make of the prequel idea... The book's good though, at least until the point I've read.

[Sylph]

And by the way, I kind of forgot to say: this is by far the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. And the worst screenplay. Ever. No, that's not a hyperbole, that's just fact. It was just puke-worthy.

First, nothing happened. There is no plot. The dialogue is dismal, just deplorable, jokes laaaaame and laborious.

It is also insulting, tastless and kitsch. Insulting to women, Arabs and the whole Muslim world. Everything that happened was so vulgar and just plain baaad, the characters are unrecognizable to me. I have no idea who these women are... At several points during the film they just insulted each other, it was bitter.

Not to say anything about how sad, traaaagic it is to see a woman of Samantha's age do what she does in the film.

The sets were disastrous. What happened with Carrie & Big's megahuge apartment?! They replaced it with that dark & small dump?! The clothes were garish. The only thing I liked was that Emilio Pucci dress Carrie wears on the poster.

There are these irritating, stupid moments dispersed over the whole film. Like, for example, Miranda being an idiot and quitting her job in this economy. Then Miranda being turned into a tourist guide. Not to say anything about the cringe-worthy experiments with the Arabic language — how stupid was that scene where they were in that karaoke bar and she goes marhaba — the waiter corrects her — she tries again — he corrects her again — then she goes OK, shut up, I don't give a f*ck how it's pronounced. That was just awful. Those lame descriptions right from a shoddy tourist guide...

Vulgarity re-defined, it was just painful.

[Sylph]

Forgot: apart from Pucci, I also liked the Gaultier robe and De La Renta dress:

[Cat]

Yeah, the Abu Dhabi sequences were bad. No wonder the sheikh refused to let them film there. As it happens, I am working with some people from Abu Dhabi on a project. Given that the Emirate is pushing to raise its profile and become a high-end business and education hub (they are leading the way in terms of luxury but environmentally efficient homes, for example), this movie could really hurt that. I've met a lot of thoughtful, dynamic, kind and open Abu Dhabians, and that part of the movie made me wonder whether Michael Patrick King had had a bad experience on vacation there and wrote it to get back at the country. Because it was really targeted at AD.

[Sylph]

What happened here, Cat? The film was just terrible, I am still in a state of deep shock. I can't explain it.

It's either that (him having a bad experience in the Emirates) or... But this is far less plausible: they wanted to shoot in Dubai, then when they denied the permission, he rewrote the script to make them look bad. But your post also reminded me of something: it's as if the movie is a result of him (Michael Patrick King) being treated like trash and ultimately dumped in a relationship. Or his whole life. It just had that vibe with me.

The first film also had these bitter, nasty moments, but this one... It starts right there, after the first few seconds: Anthony's line about cheating.

The wedding was also terrible... The swans, the male choir, the string orchestra, the colour palette...

Carrie's marriage is just a sham. First of all, I'm still bitter about her marrying Big. No sh!t. He's basically a retired person during the whole film, the Noth just sleepwalks through all of his scenes (no wonder...).

[Cat]

It was so pointed that I cannot help but think that it was personal, that MPK was settling a score. Maybe it is as simple as AD refusing him permission to film in the Emirate?

They also say that Kim Cattrall's intransigence in the past may have earned her some of the more embarrassing Samantha moments in SATC2. They kept emphasizing Samantha's age and menopause. Anybody who has had the chance to see Cattrall in real life knows she kicks the ass of women half her age. She is full-on stunning. Period.

Antony's line about cheating was there to drive home the idea that all gay relationships are open ones. I cannot comment on whether this is a myth or not -- I'm still trying to navigate my way around hetero relationships! LOL.

You know, I was uncertain about whether Big & Carrie should ever have married, too. Not that I am an Aiden fan. I think B&C should have remained together but unmarried (and I should also say that I like Noth in The Good Wife). However, Sex & the City now appeals to a particular segment of the viewing public who yearn for certainty and a glossy home like in Desperate Housewives and Happy Ever After. They wanted a suburban fairy tale, and they got it. For all intents and purposes, Carrie & Big might have well moved to Greenwich, Connecticut and into a McMansion. A world where, for a woman, marriage is about financial security, botox and dressing up like an overgrown doll.

Sorry. I enjoyed the movie as a Girl's Night Out (I went with some friends) and I love the TV series (and still find it oddly relevant). But I had to let out this slightly feminist-y rant because while I can accept that SATC is about wish-fulfillment now, I can also happily critique its flaws.

[Sylph]

Many truths in your posts. The biggest: the transformation which appeals to those who want certainty and a suburban fairy tale. But it's still awful.

I forgot to mention one of the most awful scenes ever: The T*t Scene. Those big, bloated jumping boobs on that grass with the husbands watching... And The T*t Scene 2, the one in the bathroom...

[EricMontreal22]

I think if they make a third, King has to stay far away. He's obviously gotten too close to the whole thing and has forgotten what made it so appealing...

[Sylph]

Did you see it?