| Author |
Message |
|
| marantzo |
 Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 11:25 am |
 |
|
|
Guest
|
In my dictionary, British of course not American, after the meaning of notorious/notoriety, they put in parenthesis "now used only in a bad sense." That's good enough for me.
I don't think you are old enough to use the old meaning Billy.  |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Marc |
| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:07 pm |
|
|
Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
|
Inla,
Tammy Blanchard is terrific in Rabbit Hole. She plays Nicole Kidman's character's sister with wiseass charm. |
|
|
| Back to top |
  
|
| Earl |
| Posted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 9:37 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
|
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
The third (and probably last, at least until the English-language versions) movie in the "Millenium" series has arrived. I liked the first, but didn't love it. The second disappointed. Unfortunately, this one disappoints, too, and for pretty much the same reasons the second movie did.
The thing I enjoyed most about the first movie, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, was watching these two very different personalities come together (double entendre intended) and solve a mystery. They had a quirky, awkward chemistry and each applied her/his set of skills to the case to wonderful effect.
The second film, The Girl Who Played With Fire, made the disastrous decision to keep the two of them apart for all but the final ten minutes of the story. The movie also contained a villain who is a glowering mountain of a man and is, no bullshit here, physically incapable of feeling pain. (He would not be out of place in a James Bond movie if that franchise ever comes to its senses and decides to be funny again. But I digress.)
Now the third installment, while it's mostly a courtroom drama, brings the same flaws as the second: Lisbeth and Mikael spend the first two hours of this two-and-a-half-hour finale in different scenes. For much of the time they seem to be working toward different goals. It's as if Lisbeth had a story, Mikael had a story and each story was filmed separately then spliced together in the editing room to make it appear to be one story. And Mount Congenital Analgesia, the absurdly brutish villain, is back.
There is also a labrynthine subplot involving some super-secret rogue branch of the "Special Services" section of the military. I think this group was being contracted by rich captains of industry to cover up/perform evil deeds, but, honestly, I really had trouble keeping track of it and after a while didn't care.
I keep coming back to the word "disappointing" to describe the last two chapters and I suppose that's because I expected more. These stories were crackling with potential and only the first even so much as approached what I sensed it might have, could have, been. Now it's David Fincher's turn. I hope he gets it right. |
_________________
"I have a suspicion that you are all mad," said Dr. Renard, smiling sociably; "but God forbid that madness should in any way interrupt friendship." |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 12:17 am |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
|
I've read that the first movie is all set up and the second two all denouement. And that the third one is particularly just a wrap-up.
Were they putting out the "with subtitles" sign again at the River Oakes? |
_________________
You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
-Topher |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Earl |
| Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 3:47 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
|
Joe Vitus wrote:
Were they putting out the "with subtitles" sign again at the River Oakes?
Not this time. But I was there for the first show on Sunday morning before the box office window was open for business. They still hadn't removed the "Tonight's showing of Rocky Horror is SOLD OUT" sign from the previous night along with the one advising that purses will be searched and you have to buy your props from the cast, etc. |
_________________
"I have a suspicion that you are all mad," said Dr. Renard, smiling sociably; "but God forbid that madness should in any way interrupt friendship." |
|
| Back to top |
|
| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 8:30 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
|
Earl, very helpful....I'm leery of sequels to anything as good as "...Tattoo" and now I'm certain I can pass on them.
Finally caught the Sarah Marshall spinoff, Get Him to the Greek -- so much good writing, so well delivered, and manages the delicate art of being both vulgar and sweet at the same time. Now I'm going to stroke the furry wall and chuckle to myself for a while. |
_________________
He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 2:20 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
|
| Red is mediocre. Helen Mirren and John Malcovich wasted. I'm just not a Morgan Feeman fan, so I have no opinion there. But Bruce Willis' smirk and linoleum charm irritate me. How did the goofy, attractive man from Moonlighting become an action-comedy douche? Mary-Louise Parker should be playing his daughter, not his love interest. But she's so helpless/loyal/excitable/unthinking she makes a good daughter/lover. |
_________________
You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
-Topher |
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 3:31 pm |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
| I talked about Red about a week ago, and for me "mediocre" is too favorable an adjective. It's annoying in the extreme. I don't usually complain about movies being too "loud," but here is the exception that proves the rule. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:16 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
|
| I was on a very good date, so that probably has something to do with my better response. |
_________________
You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
-Topher |
|
| Back to top |
|
| carrobin |
| Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 10:37 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
|
| Darn, I wanted to see "Red" for Richard Dreyfuss (and the ads don't even mention him). But I even missed George Clooney's last flick, so it's unlikely I'll get around to it anyway. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 7:57 am |
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
| I enjoyed Red, but not enough to waste time defending it. |
_________________
"Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" |
|
| Back to top |
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:17 am |
|
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
Never Let me Go begins in a private school and follows three of the children as they grow into young adults. It first appears mostly normal. But we quickly learn that this world is an alternate reality where, for these kids, there's a horrifying catch to growing up.
What I liked about this film was how once the mild sci-fi premise is established, it neatly withdraws into the background and allows the human drama to unfold. There are no effects, just fine acting.
I was left with one critical thought: there's a gap between the reason for this alternate reality and the enforcement of it. How and why does it work? It's never explained, and the practical unworkability nagged at me. But only a bit. The story is very effective as a metaphor, and it was very satisfying on that level alone.
I was also left with a feeling: Never Let me Go was one of the saddest films I've seen.
****
is one of the saddest films I've seen in awhile. |
_________________
"Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" |
|
| Back to top |
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:41 am |
|
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger is not Woody Allen at his funniest nor most profound. But it is worth peering into another of Woody's human ant-farms, just for the voyeuristic joy of watching relationships sneak around, switch and collide with each other. The ants in this film are infused with typically great dialogue, and setting it in England once again really adds some starch to Woody's pen.
You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger is less hostile than last year's Whatever Works and less passionate than the previous year's Vicky Christina Barcelona. So what's left? An even deeper angst, maybe even a mellowing. It's like Woody's reached an acceptance of aging, of his diminishing powers, and has realized that intellect and wit are often trumped by dumb, simple love.
*** |
_________________
"Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?" |
|
| Back to top |
|
| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 9:21 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
|
Quote: I was left with one critical thought: there's a gap between the reason for this alternate reality and the enforcement of it. How and why does it work? It's never explained, and the practical unworkability nagged at me. But only a bit. The story is very effective as a metaphor, and it was very satisfying on that level alone.
Lorne, I'd be interested to see how overseas audiences see this, as compared to U.S. -- because (also just saw it), I found the passivity of the characters kind of annoying. Ishiguro is British, but I felt his Japan roots were showing here, as we see that submitting to a social order, to an assigned destiny, is seen much more favorably than in western culture. As a heartland Yank, I found the premise to be very hard to accept, as either speculative sci-fi or just metaphor. |
_________________
He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 10:32 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
Lorne--For me, even to mention the horrendous Whatever Works (in the running for Woody Allen's worst movie ever) with either Vicky Cristina Barcelona or You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (his two best in many years) is outlandish. But whatever works.  |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
