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Nice, I was hopeful Monsters vs Aliens was going to turn out well. I love the animated movies both Dreamworks and Pixar put out. It's rare they've missed the ball on their movies.
Also, Dell, any luck on Santa's Slay? Still one of my favorite "bad" movies of all time. There's one line on the hockey rink by the girlfriend that's absolutely classic and I laugh my ass off every time I hear it.Comment
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My Twitch video link: http://www.twitch.tv/dave374000
Twitch archived games link: http://www.twitch.tv/dave374000/profile/past_broadcastsComment
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Synecdoche, New York
2008. Rated R, 124 minutes.
Director: Charlie Kaufman.
Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener.
Plot: Caden (Hoffman) is a theater director who’s life is quite literally falling apart. After winning a prestigious grant he sets out to create the play of all plays using what eventually becomes a life-sized model of New York.
The Good: Director/writer Kaufman is also the man who wrote Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and this is similarly odd in execution. We also get treated to another great performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. However, I must admit I’m a big fan of his. I’d probably enjoy him reading the phone book. Michelle Williams also does an excellent job as Caden’s second wife Claire, as does Tom Noonan as Sam, who gets hired to play Caden in the play. Oh, and kudos to Kaufman for using women in his cast that look like, well, real women.
The Bad: Metaphor upon metaphor upon metaphor upon…you get the idea. What the directors (both the real one and his fictional counterpart) are trying to do is fairly simple but the method is ridiculously convoluted. Any tangible ideas are buried beneath mounds of symbolism. It’s a classic example of why great writers shouldn’t necessarily direct their own screenplays. With no one to rein him in, it seems he took every “deep” idea that he had and threw it up on the screen. To top it all off, he completely failed with all those “real” looking women. The very basic question is why on Earth would seeming every woman he comes into contact with, except first wife Adele (Keener), be madly in love with or be sexually attracted to this guy? Not only is he coming apart at the seams both physically and emotionally but everyone can plainly see that he is. He doesn’t exactly ooze sex appeal and is, in fact, rather repulsive.
The Ugly: I’m going to need someone smarter than me to explain the constant fire in Hazel’s (Morton) house.
Recommendation: Fans of the aforementioned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind should give this a look. The truth is, even though I’m a big fan of both those movies maybe I just didn’t get this one. You might, and hail it a great artistic achievement. For the rest of us, not so much. It’s definitely original and quirky but often frustrating to watch.
The Opposite View: Dave Calhoun, Time Out London
What the Internet Says: 7.5/10 on imdb.com (7/01/09), 67% on rottentomatoes.com, 67/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 5.5/10Comment
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What about the movie Eastern Promises?Comment
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I read the back of this at Hollywood Video a couple weeks ago and thought about picking it up but figured it'd be better off to watch alone by myself rather than with the family.
Synecdoche, New York
2008. Rated R, 124 minutes.
Director: Charlie Kaufman.
Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener.
Plot: Caden (Hoffman) is a theater director who’s life is quite literally falling apart. After winning a prestigious grant he sets out to create the play of all plays using what eventually becomes a life-sized model of New York.
The Good: Director/writer Kaufman is also the man who wrote Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and this is similarly odd in execution. We also get treated to another great performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. However, I must admit I’m a big fan of his. I’d probably enjoy him reading the phone book. Michelle Williams also does an excellent job as Caden’s second wife Claire, as does Tom Noonan as Sam, who gets hired to play Caden in the play. Oh, and kudos to Kaufman for using women in his cast that look like, well, real women.
The Bad: Metaphor upon metaphor upon metaphor upon…you get the idea. What the directors (both the real one and his fictional counterpart) are trying to do is fairly simple but the method is ridiculously convoluted. Any tangible ideas are buried beneath mounds of symbolism. It’s a classic example of why great writers shouldn’t necessarily direct their own screenplays. With no one to rein him in, it seems he took every “deep†idea that he had and threw it up on the screen. To top it all off, he completely failed with all those “real†looking women. The very basic question is why on Earth would seeming every woman he comes into contact with, except first wife Adele (Keener), be madly in love with or be sexually attracted to this guy? Not only is he coming apart at the seams both physically and emotionally but everyone can plainly see that he is. He doesn’t exactly ooze sex appeal and is, in fact, rather repulsive.
The Ugly: I’m going to need someone smarter than me to explain the constant fire in Hazel’s (Morton) house.
Recommendation: Fans of the aforementioned Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind should give this a look. The truth is, even though I’m a big fan of both those movies maybe I just didn’t get this one. You might, and hail it a great artistic achievement. For the rest of us, not so much. It’s definitely original and quirky but often frustrating to watch.
The Opposite View: Dave Calhoun, Time Out London
What the Internet Says: 7.5/10 on imdb.com (7/01/09), 67% on rottentomatoes.com, 67/100 on metacritic.com
MY SCORE: 5.5/10
I am a fan of these types of artsy flicks although they are sometimes way over done, which is what this sounds like. I'll still check it out eventually because I love me some PSH.Comment
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Somehow, I just haven't gotten around to that one. Everytime I go to pick it up, something else catches my eye.
Definitely an artsy flick, not the crowd pleasing sort. I did think it was way overdone, but then again critics have been generally kind to it.Comment
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Ask & ye shall receive...sometime...anyhoo...here it goes:Originally posted by GSW92
American Gangster
2007. Rated R, 157 minutes.
Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin.
Plot: The rise and fall of Harlem gangster Frank Lucas (Washington). Based on a true story.
The Good: Despite all the marketing of the film, it never degenerates into a string of shootouts (that the director is Ridley Scott should be a clue that wouldn't be the case). When the violence comes, it works well within the framework of the story and it’s brutal. Mostly, we witness a solid portrait of two men on opposite sides of the law on a collision course. The film-makers stress the lengths each man goes through to achieve what they’ve set their mind to in their chosen fields. The performances given by the two leads aren’t quite Oscar-worthy as we’ve been lead to believe but definitely showcase superstar personas at work. They each do a nice job showing the duality of the characters they play. Washington plays a man with a dishonest livelihood but willing to be honest with his family; Crowe (Officer Richie Roberts) plays a man totally honest in his work but unable to maintain that honesty with his family. Aside from the stories of these two men, the Vietnam War is weaved in & provides a nice backdrop & way to keep in mind the times during which this was occurring.
The Bad: The hype. This seems destined to be this year’s Miami Vice – over-hyped & under-appreciated. Billed like it’s another Scarface, it isn’t nearly as over-the-top & much more willing to let the story develop through diligent police work instead of grandiose gunfights. The other problem is that main character Frank Lucas isn’t made into a great screen-villain. As played by Washington, he’s undeniably a bad guy who does have a soft-side. However, as written this Frank is not nearly as charismatic as Denzel's last bad-guy role, that of Alonzo in Training Day which earned him an Oscar. In fact, this much more restrained performance helps me appreciate that one more. Also, a storyline involving rival gangster, Nicky Barnes (Cuba Gooding Jr.) just kind of disappeared after what appeared to be a lot of setup. Finally, the ending was a little anti-climactic.
The Ugly: The Wu-Tang Clan. Huh? One of the cops after Frank was played by Wu-Tang mastermind the RZA. He actually was better than expected but in a movie set from 1968 through 1973 someone should’ve had the sense to cover up his clearly visible Wu-Tang tattoo in one of his first scenes.
Recommendation: I will call it a must-see for gangster movie fans. However, I will caution people that its not a 100 mph constant gun-fire type of movie. Its much more of a hybrid between a straightforward gangster flick & a cop procedural. People buying into the hype will come away disappointed.
The Opposite View: Armond White, New York Press (a very interesting read)
What the Internet Says: 8.5/10 on imdb.com (#100 all-time on 11/5/07), 77% on rottentomatoes.com, 76/100 on metacritic.com
SCORE: 8.5/10
My top 10 movies of 2007:
1. There Will Be Blood
2. Gone Baby Gone
3. No Country for Old Men
4. 3:10 to Yuma
5. Black Snake Moan
6. American Gangster
7. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
8. The Kingdom
9. Talk to Me
10. The Great DebatersComment
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Loved Russel Crowe in American Gangster. He did a great job in his role while Denzel always delivers. Absolutely correct in calling this film a "hybrid" gangster film. It had more of a "cat and mouse" feel to it than anything. Great film and glad to see it cracked your Top 10 of 2007. Also I'm digging the respect you gave to 3:10 to Yuma. Great film.25-02, 23:16 Yawkey Way celtics fucking suckComment
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Yea 3:10 To Yuma didnt get enough praise.Comment
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No problem.Originally posted by GSW92Comment
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I watched Eastern Promises. It was intresting.....Comment
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Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
2003. Rated PG-13, 98 minutes.
Director: Sam Weisman.
Starring David Spade, Mary McCormack, Alyssa Milano, Jon Lovitz.
Dickie Roberts (Spade), who achieved great fame as a child actor is struggling with adulthood. He decides to enlist a family to help him relive his childhood in hopes that it will give him the foundation needed to land the lead role in the new Rob Reiner film. The movie gets a lot of fuel from its pretty original premise. It's just ridiculous enough to make perfect sense. The movie is funny in spurts but is unfortunately least humorous when it tries the hardest. It also victimizes itself with a love story that is not only creepy but, since you can see it coming miles away, gives us that helpless feeling we get when we know something bad is going to happen to us and there's nothing we can do to stop it. On the other side of the ledger, having cameos from real former child actors (bigger parts for some) is a real plus. It's not the best comedy in the world but it has its moments.
MY SCORE: 5.5/10Comment
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I liked Dickie Roberts, I actually bought that movie.
I just watched Speed Racer the other night. I held off on it because the reviews said it wasnt that good, but I was really impressed. Might buy that one. The racing was so cheesy but fun.Comment
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