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| Syd |
 Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:53 pm |
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I found American Gangster thoroughly absorbing while acknowledging the flaws billy pointed out. Washington and Crowe both give fine performances, and I liked Ruby Dee as Frank Lucas's mother (for whom he buys a mansion). She has a fine scene toward the end where she informs Frank that it's really not a good idea to go out and shoot the crooked cop who has just robbed him. Clarence Williams III is quite good in his few scenes as Bumpy Johnson, a mid-century Harlem gangster who was Lucas's mentor. Most of the supporting roles, which include Chiwetel Ejiofor as Huey Lucas, Carla Gugino as Richie Roberts (Crowe)'s wife, and Lymari Nadal as Lucas's wife, are dominated by the two leads. Josh Brolin plays the crooked cop just mentioned. There's even a decent but minor performance by Cuba Gooding Jr. as Lucas's rival Nicky Barnes.
Washington and Crowe aren't in the same scene until about 90 minutes into the movie (the scene in the boxing match) and don't interact in that one. Roberts doesn't seem to know who Lucas is at that point, which seems odd for a head narcotics detective in New York City. They finally do meet during Lucas's deposition about half an hour before the end, and I like these scenes a lot. I liked the way the characters remained separated for most of the movie while headed on a collision course. |
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| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:47 pm |
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Joined: 30 May 2004
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I've been seeing a ton of movies to try to catch up.
LIONS FOR LAMBS - an 88 min. film that seems like 800. 3 stories - 2 of which are didactic and talky. Cruise is the one who would make the perfect politician (younger, prettier, and more rightwing than Redford). His choirboy senator (mouthing what could easily be "W"'s words) is eerily spot on.
AMERICAN GANGSTER reminds me of Al Pacino's SCARFACE for some reason. I would like to know more about the "true story" it's based on. Russell Crowe is miscast (has a hard time with the New Yawk accent), but otherwise OK. Kind of weird that Crowe's character seems to go from detective to lawyer by the end of the film. What did he do...go to night school??
Of the remaining 2 "political movies" here in theaters, I prefered IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH to RENDITION. I guess I liked IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH because no other film has ever captured so perfectly the seediness of Albuquerque. I read that Tommy Lee Jones felt it was the right place to film the story...and indeed it was.
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD is over 2-1/2 hours long and very very slow. The whole movie seems quite contrived - sepia tone cinematography, etc. and may be a decent film - but it is probably MUCH more than you ever cared to know about this event in history.
Both Ben and Casey Affleck show their chops in GONE BABY GONE which along with INTO THE WILD are the 2 best of my recently seen films.
LUST, CAUTION ranks in there too...and it is NOT a twisted chick flick!! It will, however, disappoint anyone who buys a tkt. hoping to be titillated. Maybe that's what's bugging people. |
Last edited by mo_flixx on Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:55 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 10:51 pm |
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Joined: 30 May 2004
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billyweeds wrote: Redford has been boring and earnest for a long time. Boring is bad, but earnest need not be. It's sometimes a refreshing pleasure to encounter someone who doesn't know the meaning of the word "postmodern."
Zacharek again, in her so-called "pan":
"The didacticism of Lions for Lambs is so straightforward that it's almost audacious....The movie may use a lot of words, but it doesn't mince them, and its very directness is a relief."
Enuff with the reviews...I get the impression I'm the only person who's actually seen this movie.
I didn't find one of the 3 stories very direct at all! This story involves a professor (Redford) having a lengthy conference with one of his brightest but laziest students. The story provides background for another segment in which two of Redford's former students are fighting in Afghanistan.
Redford and his lazy student are having a debate and the lazy student is supposed to be making some kind of decision...but frankly all meaning but the most obvious seems to have escaped me.
Direct?? Not really since it left me pretty clueless. |
Last edited by mo_flixx on Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:59 am; edited 3 times in total |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 6:55 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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It was late at night when I wrote this, and so it wound up in Television first. And it's nothing like television.
No Country for Old Men is amazing.
1) No, it's not the Coens' best; that's still Fargo.
...but...
2) It has three or four of the best individual sequences I can remember in any movie, and two or three that surpass any individual scene in Fargo.
It's kind of a film noir minus a femme fatale. It does have one of the evilest characters imaginable, played to horrifying perfection by Javier Bardem, who is my early, middle, and late prediction for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars. Josh Brolin and Tommy Lee Jones (in the other two leading roles) are also brilliant. But it's the writing, direction, editing, and photography that really nail the movie.
It has a couple of suspense pieces that equal the best of Hitchcock (this is the highest praise I can bestow) but are actually more reminiscent of Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur. And there are several dialogue scenes that had me gasping in delight, shock, awe, and admiration for the geniuses named Coen. They co-wrote and co-directed, and whoa, look out, and wowie-wow. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:56 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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billyweeds wrote: And there are several dialogue scenes that had me gasping in delight, shock, awe, and admiration for the geniuses named Coen. They co-wrote and co-directed, and whoa, look out, and wowie-wow.
From what I've heard, most of the dialog is taken straight from the novel.
I'm looking forward to this.
And since Lust, Caution and American Gangster made it here quite quickly, I'm thinking it will only be a short time before the Dvd turns up here. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 8:27 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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gromit wrote: billyweeds wrote: And there are several dialogue scenes that had me gasping in delight, shock, awe, and admiration for the geniuses named Coen. They co-wrote and co-directed, and whoa, look out, and wowie-wow.
From what I've heard, most of the dialog is taken straight from the novel.
According to Ebert, that's almost true, but there are changes and they are intelligent and dramatically perfect. Plus, the acting is so exquisite that these scenes are as good as anything Horton Foote or David Mamet has ever written--and I cite those two writers because the script comes across like a made-in-heaven collaboration between this dramaturgical odd couple.
And what is possibly the best single scene of the decade so far is a two-hander between the incredible Bardem and superb character actor Gene Jones, my predecessor as The Boy's Father in The Fantasticks, and a hell of a nice guy as well (a quality well used in the magnificent scene). |
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| bart |
| Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 11:23 am |
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Joined: 05 Dec 2005
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Thanks to Fred Claus' dominance of several local multiplex screens, "No Country for Old Men" is being delayed showing here. But, of course, we must think of the children and their needs first.
Grr. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:10 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: NYC
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| On this morning's "Reel Talk" (a NYC-based clone of Siskel & Ebert), Jeffrey Lyons practically went over the top with his praise of "No Country for Old Men," and the woman critic whose name I always forget said it was the Coens' best. (They split on "Fred Claus," by the way--he loved it, she thought it was silly. But I liked the sample scenes.) |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:32 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Quote: mo_flixx
AMERICAN GANGSTER reminds me of Al Pacino's SCARFACE for some reason. I would like to know more about the "true story" it's based on. Russell Crowe is miscast (has a hard time with the New Yawk accent), but otherwise OK. Kind of weird that Crowe's character seems to go from detective to lawyer by the end of the film. What did he do...go to night school??
Quite probably yes, and pre-legal education before becoming a detective. They show him with a table covered with books in one scene. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 3:10 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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| I notice from the clip of Fred Claus on Ebert and Roeper that Kevin Spacey is the perfect person to play Rudy Giuliani. Not really interested in the movie although it's got some good slumming actors. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 4:24 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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| I'm really looking forward to No Country For Old Men, by all accounts it is a great return to form for the Cohen's. And I'm not joking when I'd say I'd rather take my daughters to see it than that cynical, charmless bilge (and yes I'm going by the trailer) Fred Claus. I'm pretty sure daughter number one would get more laughs out of the former Having said that I suspect we'll end up at the Bee Movie. Oh did I mention, we'll be Christmassing together in Wellington. |
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| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 8:33 am |
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Joined: 30 May 2004
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765429/trivia
Interesting trivia regarding the making of AMERICAN GANGSTER. Originally Benicio del Toro was set to play the Crowe role (& Fuqua to direct) until the project stalled for budget reasons. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:01 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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| I'm kinda interested in seeing Fred Claus. Should I be embarrassed about that? |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:15 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Joe Vitus wrote: I'm kinda interested in seeing Fred Claus. Should I be embarrassed about that?
No. Any movie that stars two talents like Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti, with Rachel Weisz and Kevin Spacey in cameos, is automatically worth checking out. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 11:59 am |
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Location: Houston
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