From: guest (Saint)
, 108 months, post #161 |
Sam eventually wears nail polish but unfortunately we don't see her
go to a salon or even it apply it herself.
There is a montage that shows same slowly changing her hair and
clothes over the course of a couple weeks. I really wish it was
longer because I like seeing gradual changes.
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From: guest
, 108 months, post #162 |
Well, I guess technically the Philippines version of Lalola fits
the bill up to a point at least as it's a gay best friend unlike
all the others. Also, if we want to stretch that a bit further, in
the Portuguese one, he tells his father but given the circumstances
it's understandable he thinks of the more likely explanation as
opposed to mad scientist pills.
As for the shocking ending, is it something along the lines of the
very end of the Belgian and Philippines Lalola and I suppose
Switch?
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From: guest (TheSaint)
, 108 months, post #163 |
I've grown cold to Switch over the years, but now that I've seen
Sam I don't think I'll ever watch Switch again. Sam does the same
story better. Sam is funny. Switch is mean. Sam is beautiful.
Switch is ugly.
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From: guest
, 108 months, post #164 |
Guess that answers my question. Switch was a product of its time.
The obviously unlicenced Indian copy Mr Ya Miss IMO had a better
reworked ending which I thought actually made more sense.
I guess I'm here a few years too late for the Lalola discussions
but what I like about the 13 different versions is that a lot of
them take the initial premise and run in wildly different
directions. Just about every different possible ending ends up
happening somewhere and India has just about all of them happening
at once. To add, something the Portuguese version touches on
indirectly and I'd like to see in a film like this is how do people
then deal with the Departments of Social/Homeland security? It
might be just a bit hard to convincingly explain.
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From: guest (Saint)
, 108 months, post #165 |
"Departments of Social/Homeland Security"
LOL I also wondered about that as well. "Sam" is almost a
fairytale. It's about relationships and following your heart. That
said, I'd love to see an English Lalola that took the premise
seriously. I think the new japanese film Body Trouble will deal
with this and I've read the script "The Invisible X" and it heavily
deals with losing your identity after a gender transformation. The
character loses everything and ends up in a homeless shelter for
women.
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From: guest
, 108 months, post #166 |
Probably not the most popular choice around here from what I can
tell but the Portuguese version is my favourite. This is going to
sound daft but it's because it's the most realistic. No magic
involved, just science. Impossible mad science but science all the
same. From the start people are understandably a bit suspicious and
investigate and even think "Julieta" is plagarising Julio given
their obviously identical writing styles. They even do web searches
and I think talk about going to the police. They probably thought
he was chained up in a basement, at least to start with.
I would like it if a new version came to pass which covered the
whole creation of a documented fake identity at short notice before
turning up to work until like Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap, he
manages to leap home. Or not, like ... well you know who without
spoiling anything.
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From: guest (Saint)
, 108 months, post #167 |
I wanted to like the Portuguese version but I don't speak the
language so I had a difficult time following the story. I missed a
lot of important characterization.
I don't mind stories where the main character resists the change
but Sam was refreshing because it was the first time I'd seen a
movie since Cleo/Leo or that great Russian film where the
protagonist embraces the change.
FYI the woman who was cast in the American Lalola pilot (that
didn't get turned into a series) was just in the first season of
"Better Call Saul". She was really good. Sucks that show never got
made.
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From: guest
, 108 months, post #168 |
Well, I thought the behaviour of the lead in Ele e ela (Portuguese
Lalola) was easily the most realistic in the situation. I didn't
find it a problem because there's so many different versions of the
story so they could try so many different things instead of
retreading it over and over again. I liked how accepting his father
was of what he thought happened to his son including all the well
meaning clumsy stumbles in doing so. He also had a cool aunt. Does
make me wonder how he's going to explain to his father how he
changed back in the end as for what his father thinks happens, well
you can't reverse *that* like that. Maybe at that point he'll
finally believe it was mad scientist pills. Mind you, the alternate
ending is equally befuddling given the complete resistance to
change the whole way. Especially since both endings used the same
montage of experiences before two completely different decisions.
I did eventually find the American script, there were a few alarm
bells in their approach but I heard they were taking at least some
of them out. Pity it never went to series.
What was the Russian film called?
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From: guest (Guest)
, 108 months, post #169 |
Saint, what is the discovery scene like? Is it different than the
usual wake up/bathroom mirror routine? What do you think of it
overall?
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From: guest (Guest)
, 108 months, post #170 |
Is the transformation scene bring anything new to the table?
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From: guest (Saint)
, 108 months, post #171 |
The russian film is called "Dreaming is not bad" or "It's alright
to Dream". I have no idea how you spell it in Russian but it begins
with an M and I love it because the male and female actors look
like twins.
The discovery scene is great because it has all the tropes but it
is executed differently. It's really protracted and feels like Sam
is going through the 5 stages of grief.
Click to show spoiler
1efg ur jnxrf hc naq guvaxf ur'f qernzvat naq gura snyyf onpx gb
fyrrc. Gura vg'f yvxr gung Serapu pnegbba "Trenyqvar" jurer lbh
urne n fpernzvat naq ur'f va gur onguebbz ernpuvat orgjrra uvf
yrtf. Gura ur'f uvqvat haqre gur pbiref. Gura ur'f jevgvat uvf anzr
bire naq bire ntnva naq qbvat qbhoyr gnxrf va gur zveebe. Gura ur
trgf qehax.
It's actually one of the best edited sequences and very funny. Any
time there's a TG cliche it acknowledges it but does it better.
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From: guest (Saint)
, 108 months, post #172 |
There is no physical transformation scene but this movie does bring
a lot to the table in terms of English gender benders.
If you are a regular visitor to Fictionmania or Metamorphose you'll
recognize all the troupes but I think you'll find it a refreshing
watch because it's not mocking or punishing the characters. Mako
said she'd never make a comedy because that's what Hollywood does
-- they don't take it seriously.
SAM is a funny movie but I feel like it takes its characters
seriously. There's a scene where Sam is going through his closet
full of his old clothes and breaks down. It's really touching. I
can't praise Natalie Knepp enough.
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From: guest
, 108 months, post #173 |
I don't understand the hate for Switch. The movie came out in the
early 1990s. Things were different back then. At the time, Switch
was a representation of how things were for women. I'm not saying
it's right but that's how things were. I thought Ellen Barkin was
great and sexy as Amanda.
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From: guest (Post 164)
, 108 months, post #174 |
I saw Switch twice at the cinema when it came out and I did buy a
magazine out at the time with Ellen Barkin on the cover in one of
her costumes from the film.
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From: Tuggy24g
, 108 months, post #175 |
since others have asked questions about the film I have one. I saw
a picture that you posted about Sam wondering how women walk in
high heels. Is there a scene were Sam struggles to walk in high
heels? Also does she wear high heels throughout the film and
struggle to walk in them or is it like one or two scenes only?
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From: guest (Robbie)
, 108 months, post #176 |
Hi Saint. Does somebody knock at the door or come in the room as
soon as Sam realizes the change? That seems to be common in so many
movies because I think the writers never know what to do with the
realization scene beyond ending it as soon as possible.
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From: guest (rush)
, 108 months, post #177 |
Thanks Saint! Can you explain a little more how the speed talker's
scene(s) go? And is this other woman Sam gets in a fight with
Cynthia?
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From: guest (Saint)
, 108 months, post #178 |
I use to like Switch but the more I watched it the more I realized
I only watched it for the TG. My hate for Switch comes from the
fact that Amanda/Steve is an unsympathetic character who doesn't
deserve a happy ending. She is irredeemable and the happy ending is
cheap and undeserved.
She has four relationships with other characters in the film and
they are all toxic. The only reason she gets any help from Margo is
because she blackmails her. She uses Sheila and it backfires on
her. Bruce Payne, as the Devil, just taunts her. And since we never
see Steve and Walter interact we only see her remember Walter being
a good friend, but really the guy is pretty shallow. I didn't buy
selfish Steve Brooks keeping the child as something he decided to
do but rather what the script told him to do. I hated that Walter
never believed that Steve was Amanda. When he says "how did you
know that?" when she was pregnant and in an insane asylum I didn't
understand why he would still be with her. If he doesn't believe
that she's Steve then why doesn't he think SHE KILLED HIS BEST
FRIEND!
Ugh, and then she tells god, "There were a lot of good things about
being a woman."
Really? When did that happen? It seemed like she hated every minute
of being a woman except that 1 scene where she gave her boss a
"hard on" and got more money.
It's just a mean spirited movie. But Ellen Barkin deserved an
oscar. That was a great performance of a really despicable man.
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From: guest (Saint)
, 108 months, post #179 |
Hey Robbie,
What I liked about SAM was that it like a real reaction. In SWITCH,
CLEO/LEO, LALOLA, etc. the plot is always forcing them out the
door. In SAM, it's more drawn outClick to show spoiler
naq gnxrf gur orggre cneg bs gur zbeavat sbe Fnz gb trg gur pbhentr
gb yrnir ure ncnegzrag. Gur svefg cynpr fur tbrf vf gb gur Qbpgbe
naq nsgrejneqf fur tbrf ubzr, gevrf gb pnyy ure sevraq, trg'f
qehax, cynlf Kobk, naq onfvpnyyl pnyyf va fvpx gur arkg pbhcyr bs
qnlf.
Eventually she realizes she has to go to work so she goes shopping
for clothes. I love a good clothes montage and unfortunately SAM
only has a quick shot of Samantha grabbing some outfits off a rack.
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From: guest (Saint)
, 108 months, post #180 |
Hey Rush,
Speed Talkers. I actually had a theory about this scene and because
I was close but a little off the mark I was really disappointed.
I'm sure a normal person will just enjoy the joke but I was
armchair directing and thought my version would have been better.
Click to show spoiler
Gur zbivr ortvaf jvgu 2 jbzra gnyxvat n zvyr n zvahgr nobhg gurve
sevraqf eryngvbafuvc naq oernxhc. Fnz bireurnef gurz "onooyvat" naq
gryyf Qbp nobhg ubj ur qbrfa'g trg jbzra. Jura V fnj guvf va gur
genvyre V jnf pbaivaprq gung gur cnlbss jnf tbvat gb or n pvarzngvp
erirny gung Fnznagun'f oenva vf fgnegvat gb punatr. Fher rabhtu, V
jnf evtug! Gung vf gur cbvag bs gur fprar. Yngre Fnznagun naq Qbp
ner univat yhapu jura gurer ner gjb jbzra punggvat oruvaq gurz.
Fnznagun ernyvmrf fur haqrefgnaqf jung gurl ner gnyxvat nobhg naq
vf nznmrq ng gur eriryngvba. Xarcc qbrf n terng wbo rkcerffvat,
jvqr-rlrq "V fcrnx Jbzna!" naq gura vzzrqvngryl punatrf ure
rkcerffvba nf erpbafvqref "Be jbhyq vg or Jbznarfr?" Qbp vf
fxrcgvpny fb Fnz jevgrf fbzrguvat qbja naq unf uvz nfx gur ynqvrf
jung gurl ner gnyxvat nobhg.V jbhyq unir gnxra bhg Qbp dhrfgvbavat gur ynqvrf naq jbhyq unir
qbar fbzrguvat zber ivfhny. V jnf rkcrpgvat gur Fcrrq Gnyxref snfg
cnprq fcrrpu gb fybj qbja gb n abezny eulguz gb fubj gung jung jnf
jnf onooyvat gb Fnz jnf xabj haqrefgbbq ol Fnznagun.
Regardless of my expectations I thought it was a pretty original
moment in a gender bender film and demonstrated how Sam was
changing.
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