Rating: 
Summary: Melancholy and the Infinite Sadness
Review: An underrated yet excellent movie, "Ghost World" is an enticing indie offering from director Terry Zwigoff. Yes, it`s another movie about teenagers, still it`s far from being a useless collection of jokes glued together a la "American Pie" or "Roadtrip". Instead, this film, inspired by the Daniel Clowes` underground comic, focuses meaningful themes like alienation, consumism, (sub)culture and the first steps into the adult world. Thora Birch plays Enid, a clever, creative yet confused suburban young girl straight out of highschool. She and her friend Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) must face a new and unpredictable future where they have to be on their own and face multiple and relevant choices. They never seemed to really fit in, and for the first time realize that pherhaps they should. But is it worth it? And what`s the price to pay? Zwigoff manages to combine drama and comedy with great effect, delivering a cinematic experience that is satirical and ironic while being poignant and emotional as well. In a way, it`s like MTV`s show "Daria", but in this movie the results are more deep, intense and relateable. At times, the pacing is a bit slow, still it makes sense since the story focuses some points like the everyday mundane monotony and suburban inertia where nothing interesting or gripping seems to happen. "Ghost World" is also a twisted, witty and original coming-of-age story, focusing the nerds, geeks and losers that are as clever and brilliant as they are ignored and virtually invisible (like ghosts). As a result, they don`t have much of a social life and remain incapable of relating with most of those who surround them. Enid is such a character, and when she dares to try helping someone she ends up being used and hurt. One of the most innovative and surprising independent movies of the last years, "Ghost World" is a little gem worth discovering that gets better with each viewing. Probably most, or at least many people won`t like it much, since this is not a typical, laugh-a-minute and brainless teen movie, but a thought-provoking and genuine cinematic experience. Still, for those who try to get deep into it, it will surely be a memmorable and unique film to watch. Related movies: "Donnie Darko", "American Splendor", "SubUrbia", "The Good Girl", "Storytelling", "American Beauty", "L.I.E.", all very good choices as well
Rating: 
Summary: Truly Memorable... but Not Necessarily for Everyone
Review: Ghost World is a relatively little known yet truly memorable film that is not for all tastes, which is reflective of its main theme. Avid collectors of old 78 RPM records and ragtime blues enthusiasts will find a true appreciation in the film's storyline and soundtrack. Avid admirers of excellent acting, well developed characters, and thoughtful scripts will find a true appreciation in the performances of Buscemi (Seymour), Birch (Enid), and Johansson (Rebecca). Ghost World is, by far, one of my favorite films of all time. Again, it is not for everyone, especially those in need of a fast-moving, cinematically inundating overload of stimuli to retain their attention. I would strongly recommend this film, however, to anyone that can appreciate its sarcastic, cynical humor towards a tasteless, characterless, and culturless society. One of the most memorable lines in the film is when Buscemi (Seymour) states, "I cannot relate to 99 percent of humanity." Most people take on an affinity to a particular film because they have a strong connection to it.
Rating:
Summary: Major differnces from the book...
Review: Although this is a good movie, it is a poor adaptation of the graphic-novel it is based on. One of the major differnces between the two is the alteration of the charectors in the movie. In the movie, Rebecca wants to move on into a new life, while Enid wants everything to stay as it is. In the novel, its just the opposite between the two. Another charector differnces is that, again, in the movie, Rebecca is thought of as the more attractive of the two, while in the book Enid is thought to be. Why the director/ writer/ or whatever made such a vast change, I dont know, but I liked Rebecca better in the movie than in the book. Now, this is a HUGE differnce. In the novel,the storys about two girls who recently graduated high-school who are having trouble keeping thier relation-ship together. In the movie, its about Enid be-freinding and cranky, 30-something yr. old man, whom she first sort-of meets when she answers an ad he wrote in the personals in the paper (a very similar adventure takes place in the book), and the major-plot from the book is only a small part of it. The only thing the director got right out of the book was the look of it. Out of the two, I liked the movie better, and I liked Rebbecas charector alot more in it, but, unfortunatly, it focuses much more on Enid...
Rating: 
Summary: Watch this movie, or suicide?
Review: This movie stinks. If you like actors seemingly strung out on a bad heroine binge, then this is the movie for you. The whole time it seemed like they were all wanting to be somewhere else and were just trying to get the stupid movie done so they could get there. Not much effort, in other words. To summarize: this movie stinks.
Rating: 
Summary: five star cast
Review: This film was directed by Terry Zwigoff, who, to his credit has made two very original movies. However, if I were to recommend a movie by this director it would be the haunting documentary, "Crumb" (also recommend Birch in American Beauty, Buscemi in Fargo, and Johansson in Lost in Translation.) Ghost World was just not that memorable, and didn't quite measure up to it's potential for me. Out of 10 I would give it about a 6.
Rating:
Summary: LIFE IN THE SUBURBS OF GHOSTS
Review: For my money, a much better movie than the other recent underground comic book translation, "American Splendor". It's about two female high school graduates who bravely confront impending adulthood in the mundane suburbs of California and it is funny without being loud and cynical without being abrasive. Probably a more precise deptction of the teen scene than the current slice of silly cinematic pie, it's a rewarding, funny thoughful film for all concerned.
Rating:
Summary: quite funny
Review: yes i admit to hating Thora Birch. the reason i watched this was because Steve Buscemi was in it and he was great in this movie. this movie is really funny and i have a question. does anyone know who played the karate dude?
Rating:
Summary: I can relate to these characters!!
Review: I thought Ghost World was a VERY cool movie. I related to it so much. I could relate to both the girls and the character of Seymour. I related to the girls because I remember being the way they were ... I remembered having a friend that I was really tight with, went everywhere with etc. I remember that attitude that went with youth..feeling that I was superior, invincible, that I was cool and everyone else was uncool and just existed to be critiqued and made fun of, even humiliated. It wasn't that these girls were special in that regard. That's part of growing up that we all go through to some degree, and we (almost always) eventually grow out of it and learn that we are vulnerable, imperfect, needy, and that other people can be different... and not because they're just losers..and that other people need and deserve respect. Thora's character grows a little in this kind of way by the end of the movie. She eventually befriends Seymour and sees a lot that's likeable in him. And she always made fun of that old man waiting for the bus that never came .. and yet eventually the bus DID come (he was right after all), and at the end of the movie she herself got on the bus (what was once something to ridicule had now become something she understood and wanted for herself). I related to the character of Seymour because I saw myself in him also, more the way I am today ... a loner, an 'older guy' - less attractive than I used to be, 'strange' to younger people, eccentric (a collector of rare music, with a collection almost the same size too), someone younger people tend to ignore or want to make fun of because I can't relate to them as much and no longer look like them or dress like them, but someone who they'd probably think was cool if they took the time to get to know me, like Thora's character started out thinking Seymour was the biggest loser in the world, yet eventually ended up thinking he was cool (ignoring what her friend thought about him, and thinking for herself) and she even ended up falling for him, sleeping with him etc.
Rating:
Summary: Daniel Clowes helped Zwigoff in producing...
Review: So please people, refrain from knocking the film because it happens to stray a little from Clowes vision; or at least know your own insult before making it. Clowes and Zwigoff convened for some time to write the script (even the soundtrack liner notes has Clowes drawing a tiny sketch of the movie itself with Enid and Seymour discussing Skip James in the garage) so it makes absolutely no sense to call Zwigoff's work a half-a$$ vision of Clowes comic gem, eh? They did Ghost World together, so really, when you negate the film, you're kinda negating Clowes. Not that I want to start a holy war of anything, I just really want to reestablish the fact that Clowes HELPED with the bloody screenplay. Maybe Clowes fans missed out on that fact. In any case, how can someone knock this film? How can one compare this to any number of ridiculously cliched films coming out all over the world and call it lackluster? This film carries a huge responsibility with its message, and in this sense it succeeds every frame of the way.
Rating:
Summary: one of those movies where you want to watch it again...
Review: i was very impressed by the director's works...his other film was crumb which i also enjoyed greatly... this movie is very fun to watch and every scene has some little interesting detail in it you don't necessarily realize in the beginning that it makes watching the movie again feel like a new experience... i don't know why i like it so much...maybe cuz i had a depressing teenage years and i guess in reality, we are all teenagers still in some ways...it's not only about being teenagers but fed up with the conformist nature of our society...everyone has become culturally conditioned to become puppets and think... and the enid character is so unique, attractive, and interesting in so many ways...although i saw an interview with the actress and now she looks exactly like those skinny lifeless hollywood models the movie rebels against...i guess that's what hollywood has become...
|
