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| lshap |
 Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 7:15 pm |
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Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
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| "Releases"? Geez, it's like an old-folks home for puns in here. No comments about whether the film has a happy ending? |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:09 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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| I'm more concerned about whether those scene will provide me with a happy ending. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 10:59 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6967
Location: Black Hills
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I think the film will fill plenty of seats.
(sorry)
Saddened to learn that the superb Swedish film, Let the Right One In, has also been subjected to the disrespectful and demeaning hollywood dumb-down. I am mos def not going to bother with "Let Me In." |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:22 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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| I still need to see Let the Right One In. |
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You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 3:04 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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bartist wrote: I think the film will fill plenty of seats.
(sorry)
Ewwww. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 10:05 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Only halfway through Manolete, but I'm wondering if Adrian Brody had a clause in his contract specifying that if everyone thought he was awful, the film's release could be held up for 2 years. He actually looks the part very nicely -- lithe, sad hooded eyes, an air of dignity. The problem comes when he speaks or acts. Even this isn't totally his fault. He's just miscast. And put against Cruz who has a Spanish accent, making it seem strange that Brody sounds straight out of a Scorsese film, leaving me to wonder why everyone is speaking English. Why not cast Banderas or someone else who can match Cruz in tone? I have a French dub track and would try that, but don't have English subtitles to go along with it. Really I'd prefer a Spanish dub and English subs. Hopefully with Cruz doing her own voice,
But worse than all that, Brody acts as if he is acting -- and doesn't know the part. When he puts on shades in the back of a limo, pondering the pitfalls of fame, I start pondering what film it seems he wandered in from. Part of the problem is that it is an understated role. It seems part of the concept is that this famous man isn't that impressive out of the ring, but his girlfriend (referred to here as either a mistress or whore) is an interesting hellcat.
Maybe it would have been better if this film about Manolete never had him utter a word and focused on his girl and ring prowess and the world swirling around him.
Otherwise, the flashback structure and assorted added, mildly surreal, dreams seem fairly standard issue. Except for my aversion to Brody, it's a fairly well-done, nothing special biopic. Almost every time Brody appears, I found myself wanting more Cruz. Cruz in a bubble bath? Thank you. But actually Brody in tights and torrero finery is also quite a good sight. The film looks nice and the costumes are great. The problem is that it seems to be more of a photoshoot than a film, he says halfway through the film. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 4:45 am |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
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| Keep those "half way through" reviews coming. Can't wait for the "second half reviews". |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 9:56 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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Marc wrote: Keep those "half way through" reviews coming. Can't wait for the "second half reviews". |
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I ask you, Velvel, as a rational man, which of us is possessed? |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 10:26 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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It's a half-step up from Gary's "haven't seen it" reviews.
Manolete only has 172 votes on IMDb and no reviews. So I can make it 172 1/2 and a 1/2 review.
Here's what I spotted on IMDb's Faqs for the film:
Quote:
In what language is "Manolete"?
The movie is in English. Adrien Brody, who plays Manolete, speaks with his usual New York twang. Penélope Cruz, who plays Manolete's mistress, Lupe Sino, speaks English with her usual Spanish accent.
I'm just wondering who thought this was a good idea?
But they both really do look the part, which is almost certainly why the casting was done. Maybe they figured Brody would look like Manolete and simply be dubbed into Spanish for that country (and Mexico), and Americans would be happy that New York is represented. The writer/director is Dutch.
Here's a snap of Manolete and his squeeze:
A few weeks back, a bull decided he'd rather be up in the stands:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/jonsteinberg/bull-leaps-out-of-ring-and-charges-at-crowd
Hopefully I'll knock off the rest of Manolete tonight. A truly gory film. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:16 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6967
Location: Black Hills
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Looking forward to fall releases -- the Ishiguro adaptation of Never Let Me Go is opening next week. Get Low, and I am Love, have arrived at the U. theater, both look good -- which do I see first, Bob Duvall as an elderly prankster or Tilda Swinton having sex? Hmm.
The mere fact that someone could view half a film, stop for the evening, and write about it here....constitutes pretty faint praise of the film itself. I hate bullfighting, it disgusts me to a degree that I might find it hard to get into the story at all. Then again, there's a fine line between disgust and fascination, so.... |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:26 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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| What I am really looking forward to this fall/winter is Dame Helen as Prospera [sic] in The Tempest. Also, in Brighton Rock. |
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I ask you, Velvel, as a rational man, which of us is possessed? |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 5:00 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Bart, are you a vegetarian?
Otherwise you are responsible for a goodly amount of animal suffering and death.
Anyway, it turns out that I was 2/3rds of the way through Manolete. Or perhaps I was halfway through, but another 1/4 was cut out. IMDb lists the film as 1 hr 55" but my French edition Dvd was only 1 hr 25.
I thought the competition with the other young upandcoming bullfighter felt oddly abbreviated, and we never learn much of the identity of Manolete's entourage/handlers. I assume some of that was cut.
If the film had been better, I'd probably google around to ascertain what was removed.
But the last half hour was worse than the build up, with silly inter-cutting between the final bullfight and some prior lovemaking. I suspected as much when some earlier editing went back in forth between Cruz's high heels and a bull's hooves. Kind of silly. I guess Cruz had a no nudity clause in her contract, as the big lovemaking scene is filmed from the waist up and she keeps her black bra firmly in place.
Anyway, the director takes a bunch of ideas from other films and repackages them into a not very interesting film. The lead up to the climax is pretty leaden and poorly scripted, and then there's another 15 minutes of finishing up. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Fri Sep 10, 2010 5:09 pm |
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| I haven't seen Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky and was it boring. If I'm not going to see a fashion show and glamorous pictures with some sex thrown in without any passion, I want to not see them in a magazine rather than not see them in a movie theatre, no thank you very much. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 4:49 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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| Way to not go, Gary. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2010 6:36 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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gromit wrote: Way to not go, Gary.
I too affirm your negativity. |
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