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| Syd |
 Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 5:17 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I just got back from seeing Inkheart, which is certainly good enough for a cheap matinee. The acting's pretty good, including Fraser, and I rather like the premise. Unlike Bedtime Stories, which might seem similar, this is fairly serious. My major criticisms is that it seems cluttered, and seems to violates its premise--or does it?* I thought it was worth the time and money.
*SPOILER When the daughter sent the author into the world of Inkheart, shouldn't someone come into our world in his place? I didn't see it if someone did. Also, what about all the other creatures that got sent back? Are the rules different going from our world to the other, or different for the daughter? That didn't seem true when the juggler was sent home. |
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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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| lshap |
| Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:49 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
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Syd wrote: I just got back from seeing Inkheart, which is certainly good enough for a cheap matinee. The acting's pretty good, including Fraser, and I rather like the premise. Unlike Bedtime Stories, which might seem similar, this is fairly serious. My major criticisms is that it seems cluttered, and seems to violates its premise--or does it?* I thought it was worth the time and money.
*SPOILER When the daughter sent the author into the world of Inkheart, shouldn't someone come into our world in his place? I didn't see it if someone did. Also, what about all the other creatures that got sent back? Are the rules different going from our world to the other, or different for the daughter? That didn't seem true when the juggler was sent home.
Lots more silliness if you care to look (SPOILERS): If the daughter could control characters' fates by making up a story as she went on, why didn't Brendan Fraser's character do that a long time ago? Was it because she was a semi-writer? Wouldn't that magical power then at least apply to published writers? What about journalists?
Anyway, a slightly too scary film for my kids; a slightly too fantastical story for me. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 3:21 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| This weekend, three movies are debuting which will be must-sees for many people. Two out of three of them are definitely on my immediate-viewing list--Duplicity and I Love You, Man. I also want to see Knowing, though less desperately. Duplicity has the edge, starring as it does Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, and--most importantly--written and directed as it is by Tony Gilroy as his followup to Michael Clayton, my favorite movie of 2007. |
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| lshap |
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 3:46 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
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| Michael Clayton was my 2007 favourite as well, which is why I'll see Duplicity. I may see the other two, but early reviews and Nic Cage history don't exactly have me wetting myself in anticipation. I'd downgrade them to Maybe-Sees. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:22 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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"Duplicity" is superior entertainment, the most elegantly pleasurable movie of its kind to come around in a very long time....
- A.O. Scott, NYTimes
"Owen gives his best performance ever as the coolly charming Ray, the brainy bad boy women just can't resist...The camera still loves [Roberts], and she seems to be having a blast playing the amoral Claire....An instant classic."
- Lou Lumenick, NYPost
If you don't think I'm seeing this puppy this weekend, you don't know billyweeds. |
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| Befade |
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:26 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
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From all the trailers of it I've seen.......It's a movie where Julia Roberts gets to be thrilled about being Julia Roberts on the big screen again.
I'm witholding. |
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Lost in my own private I dunno. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:33 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Befade wrote: From all the trailers of it I've seen.......It's a movie where Julia Roberts gets to be thrilled about being Julia Roberts on the big screen again.
I'm witholding.
What is so terrible about a superstar with a dazzling smile and a charismatic personality being superstarrish on the big screen after a nine-year space between starring roles? I can't wait.
But part of the definition of a superstar is that s/he has strong defenders and detractors. Count me as one of the former. Sorry to see that Betsy is one of the latter. But whatever. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:45 pm |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
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| Julia lives in Taos. I lived in Taos. She was a customer in my store. She was was sweet and unpretentious. Everyone in Taos who knows her has nothing but good things to say. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 11:50 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| When correctly cast, Julia Roberts also happens to be a far more than adequate actress. Her performance in Erin Brockovich in particular was sensational, fully worthy of the Oscar she won for it. Her performance in Duplicity is netting her her best notices since Brockovich. |
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| lissa |
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 12:54 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2148
Location: my computer
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I find her extremely watchable and extremely enjoyable. She has grown into a mature, confident woman from her first few roles, and one of my favorite films, Closer, showed how far she's come as a serious actress. Then again, among my top-10 favorite movies is Pretty Woman, and that made people sit up and take notice of Julia Roberts.
I will also be seeing Duplicity. I love the combo of her and Clive. |
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Statistically, 6 out of 7 dwarfs aren't happy. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 1:22 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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Changeling is poorly written, and unimaginatively directed by Clint Eastwood, but it holds one's interest, and Angelina Jolie is excellent.
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 6:36 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Ghulam wrote: Changeling is poorly written, and unimaginatively directed by Clint Eastwood, but it holds one's interest, and Angelina Jolie is excellent.
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I agree that it holds one's interest, in the style of a trashy page-turner-style book. Also agree, however, that it's poorly written and unimaginatively directed. Disagree that Jolie is excellent. She's miscast and leaden. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:18 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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I'm a Julia Roberts fan, but the trailer for Duplicity was rather off-putting.
I know trailers are mostly marketing gimmickry and can be misleading, but this looked clunky and unappealing.
Variety loved it. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| lshap |
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:41 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
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billyweeds wrote: Ghulam wrote: Changeling is poorly written, and unimaginatively directed by Clint Eastwood, but it holds one's interest, and Angelina Jolie is excellent.
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I agree that it holds one's interest, in the style of a trashy page-turner-style book. Also agree, however, that it's poorly written and unimaginatively directed. Disagree that Jolie is excellent. She's miscast and leaden.
I can excuse part of Angelina's zombie-like performance due to the muted nature of the real-life woman she played, and of the women of that era in general. But whether it's verisimilitude or lousy acting I kind of agree with Billy - she didn't move me.
But Clint belted a homerun with the far superior Gran Torino. |
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| lshap |
| Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 2:44 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
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For what it's worth, I really like Julia Roberts onscreen and yet I've never found her sexy in the least.
Of course, I could say the same about Judi Dench, Kathy Bates and Helen Mirren, but in Julia's case she's often cast as an object of desire. I see it, I just don't feel it. |
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