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| Syd |
 Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:06 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:29 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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| Jeff Bridges is superb in Crazy Heart, showing an amazing range of emotions. Reminded me somewhat of Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler". Maggie Gyllenhaal too is excllent. I think the movie was more deserving of a Best Picture Oscar nomination than some that were nominated. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 3:21 am |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
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| Ghulam, I agree. Crazy Heart is an Oscar caliber picture. My only complaint is that the final half hour of the film seemed rushed and a little too pat. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:03 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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I agree about Crazy Heart being at least as worthy of a Best Picture nomination as some that were nominated.
So were:
(500) Days of Summer
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Big Fan
Funny People
Goodbye Solo
The Informant!
World's Greatest Dad
For the record, though, with the semi-exception of The Blind Side, which is a pretty good movie on its own terms, there are no unworthy films nominated. It's one of the better Oscar slates in memory. But then, it was one of the very best years for movies of my lifetime. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 8:27 am |
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We went to see Sherlock Holmes yesterday. It was pretty well what I expected having read some reviews and comments on here. As I'm sure you all know this is not a Holmes that one is familiar with or that Doyle would recognize. There are a couple of mano/mano encounters that lets the audience hear his plan of attack formulating in his mind while showing the attack in slow motion and then in real time. Something that Richey does very well. The plot is unabashedly ridiculous, but makes for a number of wonderful scenes of mayhem. The action packed fight scenes are funny as hell (I don't know why I was the only one laughing). The first major violent encounter involves a motley crew of thugs and their secret weapon, a seven foot tall Neanderthal Frenchman against Holmes and Watson. The battle is long and ends up at a ship building (reparing?) shop, that if you like wild insane action scenes, they don't get much better than this. The finale of this sequence is laugh out loud funny. Laughing alone once again.
Downey Jr. is as good as usual and it brought to mind his Chaplin side. The cast of characters was fun to watch except for Rachel McAdam who was badly mis-cast as the beautiful master criminal. She just didn't look the part and didn't do much of a job acting the part either.
Certainly not a great film, but I had a good time watching it. Marta liked it a bit, in her words, "I didn't hate it." She had never seen Downey Jr. that she can remember, and said that he gave a terrific performance. What bothered her about the movie was the grimy, dreary appearance of the London streets scenes and Holmes' unshaven, scruffiness . She's a bit of a neat freak. 
I give it 3 1/2 * out of five. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:08 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Upstate NY
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Marc wrote: Ghulam, I agree. Crazy Heart is an Oscar caliber picture. My only complaint is that the final half hour of the film seemed rushed and a little too pat.
Spoiler: For me, it ends when she leaves him and he joins AA. The rest is just a postscript.
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Last edited by Ghulam on Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:50 am; edited 1 time in total |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:12 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Ghulam wrote: Marc wrote: Ghulam, I agree. Crazy Heart is an Oscar caliber picture. My only complaint is that the final half hour of the film seemed rushed and a little too pat.
Spoiler: For me, it ends when she leaves him and he joins the AA. The rest is just a postscript.
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Ghulam--SPOILER comment:
Fyi, there is no "the" preceding "AA." It stands for Alcoholics Anonymous, which is a stand-alone name. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:52 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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Billy, "the" is deleted.Thanks.
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| Marj |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:35 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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Gary - Thanks for your review of Sherlock Holmes. You've made me look forward to seeing it, even though I am not a fan of fight scenes and never believed they belonged in a Holmes movie.
But the thing I appreciated most was your comparison of Downey Jr. to his performance in Chaplin, still my all time favorite Downey Jr. performance. |
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| chillywilly |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 2:57 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 8251
Location: Salt Lake City
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Marj wrote: But the thing I appreciated most was your comparison of Downey Jr. to his performance in Chaplin, still my all time favorite Downey Jr. performance.
My top 3 Downey Jr. performances (in order of better to best):
- Less Than Zero
- The Soloist
- Zodiac
I liked Chaplin a lot, but I connected more with the above 3 than I did with Chaplin.
Every time he would fall off the wagon in real life, I was really hoping it wasn't permanent. I think this time around *fingers crossed*, he's good to go until he retires or dies of old age. I hope so. He's got lots of great performances left in him. |
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Chilly
"If you should die before me / Ask if you could bring a friend" |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 3:17 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Haven't seen The Soloist, though I fear I might have to after the recent raves on this forum, but Less Than Zero remains my favorite Downey, with Iron Man an incredibly close second. (Haven't seen Chaplin.) Despise his narcissistic, self-indulgent performance in Home for the Holidays, but it's the kind of rotten performance only a really gifted actor can come up with. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:38 pm |
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What made me think of his performance in Chaplin was when as Chaplin he played play Chaplin performing and in the scenes of mayhem he was often Chaplinesque.
Marj, the fight scenes are so over-the-top that I'm pretty sure you will enjoy them. Marta, like my late wife, hates/hated violence in movies, but she wasn't bothered by it in Sherlock Holmes.
There are some excellent visuals in the flick and one very near the end that involves the partially constructed Tower Bridge that is stunning and rather macabre. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 6:34 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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| OK, other than the performances, particularly Waltz and Laurent, is Inglourious Basterds anything except a film geek's well made action picture? I mean, nicely handled and shot and all, and full of cute nods to the action movies/pasta westerns Tarantino loves, but is there something more to it? |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 6:36 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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Thanks Gary. You're right. An over the top fight scene doesn't have the same violent core. And you've really made me look forward to the movie even more.
Billy - I can't believe you've never seen Chaplin! Even if you have no interest in the subject matter, Downey's performance is reason enough for at least a rental. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 6:49 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Marj wrote: Thanks Gary. You're right. An over the top fight scene doesn't have the same violent core. And you've really made me look forward to the movie even more.
Billy - I can't believe you've never seen Chaplin! Even if you have no interest in the subject matter, Downey's performance is reason enough for at least a rental.
The major reason I have never seen nor rented it is:
There are two reasons.
One, it's very long.
But really, it's directed by Richard Attenborough, one of my bugaboos. I give you Gandhi, another of the snoozer Best Picture winners. But more than that, I give you A Chorus Line, one of the all-time worst musical adaptations. But, yes, I should see it.
And now I will. |
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