Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

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GaryC
Joined: Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:56 pm
Location: Aldershot, Hampshire, UK

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#51 Post by GaryC » Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:24 pm

UK viewers have a chance to see this on Film Four tonight.

AnamorphicWidescreen
Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:21 am

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#52 Post by AnamorphicWidescreen » Sun Dec 21, 2014 11:56 pm

Recently re-watched Wendy and Lucy - great little film, and very compelling. Even though not a lot went on, IMHO the film spoke volumes. I've read the short story Train Choir (this is the basis for W&L), and though the story does provide a little more detail about the characters (for example, Wendy mentions to someone that she had to move from Indiana because her apartment got flooded), IMHO the film is much better - the scenes of small-time Oregon life are nice, and I also like the far shots of Wendy walking alone (or with Lucy) through the deserted landscape, which IMHO was intentional - since it emphasized her isolation....The idea of having a car break down on you in the middle of nowhere is a nightmare that I think everyone who's driven cross-country can relate to...

And, the ending was fantastic & quite poignant:
SpoilerShow
The scene when Wendy left Lucy at the end & hopped on the train was perfect.


I really enjoy the Pacific Northwest - even though I've never lived there (& only been to Seattle once, years ago), I really liked the area. So, I guess I'm particularly biased towards films set in that part of the country.

Also a big fan of Reichardt's Old Joy (2006), and it's interesting to note that the dog Lucy is the same one in both films. I wonder if Mark in Old Joy (he owned Lucy in that film) got her from the dog foster home that was taking care of her at the end of W & L?!

However, W & L really needs an Blu upgrade - though, I'm not sure how much better it would look, since the film quality doesn't seem that great to begin with - i.e., the night scenes are hard to make out, there's an extreme amount of grain in certain segments, the color/tone seems to change from one second to the next in some scenes, and overall the color seems somewhat funky (I thought it was my set, so I tried to adjust this & nothing worked).
Last edited by AnamorphicWidescreen on Mon Dec 22, 2014 12:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

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swo17
Bloodthirsty Butcher
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:25 am
Location: SLC, UT

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#53 Post by swo17 » Mon Dec 22, 2014 12:05 am

Soda just barely put it out on Blu in the UK as part of their Reichardt set, and it looks great! Oscilloscope said a few years ago that they had no plans to upgrade it in the U.S.

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JamesF
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 1:36 pm

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#54 Post by JamesF » Mon Dec 22, 2014 3:43 pm

Svet and Gary liked our Blu-Ray well enough, for whatever it's worth.

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swo17
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Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#55 Post by swo17 » Mon Dec 22, 2014 3:48 pm

Are they correct in stating that the set is region-free? I thought I remembered it being otherwise.

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JamesF
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 1:36 pm

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#56 Post by JamesF » Mon Dec 22, 2014 3:51 pm

They are indeed, all three discs are region free.

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knives
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:49 pm

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#57 Post by knives » Mon Dec 22, 2014 4:26 pm

Though the O-Scope is also essential for its extras.

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zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#58 Post by zedz » Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:29 pm

knives wrote:Though the O-Scope is also essential for its extras.
That's an understatement!

The Reichardt talk that runs as a commentary track on the Soda Wendy and Lucy is great. I was dreading it after the halting, gap-filled commentary on the US Old Joy, but she's engaged and engaging throughout.

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Drucker
Your Future our Drucker
Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#59 Post by Drucker » Sun Mar 01, 2020 2:01 pm

Saw this last night and been on a Reichardt kick lately. Saw both this and Old Joy in 35 over the last month so ideal viewing. Seeing Old Joy last month was enjoyable but didn't knock me out in the way I had hoped. I found this film much more captivating. Perhaps this film is more straightforward, but I think the tonal shifts worked a lot better. There was some legitimately laugh out loud moments, and the stress Wendy is going through throughout the film is nicely balanced by friendly faces and bad situations that could have been worse. I do think both this and Old Joy really do ring true, but this film was a bit more captivating and certainly gut wrenching at the end.

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Boosmahn
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:08 pm

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#60 Post by Boosmahn » Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:01 pm

Hey, I watched this last night, too! I can't compare it to Old Joy (the only other Reichardt film I've seen is Night Moves), but I found it enjoyable. Nothing extraordinary, but good.

For the life of me, I cannot understand how some view this as manipulative. For instance, take this New Yorker article that practically paints Reichardt as a villain. There are so many opportunities where the script could have Wendy be abused or robbed, yet it doesn't indulge. (Echoing another user: yes, these things happen, but it would be out of place here.)
Last edited by Boosmahn on Sun Mar 01, 2020 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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hearthesilence
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 4:22 am
Location: NYC

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#61 Post by hearthesilence » Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:42 pm

That link is from the New Yorker - no credit, but it reads like one of Richard Brody's reviews.

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senseabove
Joined: Wed Dec 02, 2015 3:07 am

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#62 Post by senseabove » Sun Mar 01, 2020 4:49 pm

"The ostensible objectivity of Reichardt’s meticulous naturalism is a device that she uses to portray a sliver of physical reality as the whole truth; her rejection of psychology as well as of cultural context plays false and reeks of demagogy." Holy hell what a colossal misreading that is.

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Boosmahn
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2017 10:08 pm

Re: Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008)

#63 Post by Boosmahn » Sun Mar 01, 2020 6:36 pm

hearthesilence wrote:
Sun Mar 01, 2020 3:42 pm
That link is from the New Yorker - no credit, but it reads like one of Richard Brody's reviews.
No idea how I messed that up! Thanks.

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