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| gromit |
 Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 8:40 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Watched He Got Game for the first time last night.
Very 90's very Spike Lee.
Very mediocre.
I think the main problem is the basic idea is more like a short story concept, so the film pads it out with a romance subplot with a hooker next door, which doesn't really fit. Other anomalies include combining Aaron Copeland film music with rap music, which made both seem weird. And using real NBA players and real college coaches playing themselves, but then having the two universities portrayed being fictional (the goofily named Big State and Tech U). I assume they did this because both universities are depicted as breaking NCAA rules or otherwise using immoral recruitment tactics. But it's jarring to have a half dozen real bigtime college coaches and then we only deal with fake schools.
NBA player Ray Allen does a pretty credible job as Jesus Shuttlesworth, the #1 college recruit. Denzel Washington's character isn't terribly believable, but he does what he can with it,
I did like some of the casting. Ned Beatty is real good as the prison warden. I wanted him to have more time. John Turturro plays a religiosu basketball coach which edges towards parody. And Jim Brown plays a hardass police detective watching over one-week furloughed Denzel.
The flashbacks are overdone, often unnecessary and too obvious. Often felt like more padding. There are some hokey moments, including the final two scenes. And for a film about basketball and father/son drama there sure are a lot of titties on screen. Very 90's, it's all about sex and money and vividly colored clothing. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 9:45 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12934
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| I think you're underrating Denzel Washington. It's one of his best roles. It is certainly very 90s, but I was fortunate enough to see it in the 90s. Don't know what I'd think of it now. |
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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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| yambu |
| Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2017 12:16 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), with a controlled James Cagney as the jackass Bottom. The wonderfully contorted love interests are easy for all to see.
What wrecks it for me is my lifelong dislike of Mickey Rooney, which is hardly a fair way of gauging his some three hundred film appearances.
What I don't like about this and many Shakespeare films of that era are lavish song and dance numbers dropped in the middle of Act 3. Here is the entire cast going up the stairs, down the stairs, and up the stairs. In a 2 1/2 hr production, we know we are being robbed of chunks of script, and that's a sin. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 9:57 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6964
Location: Black Hills
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The page, so far:
Eclectic.
Leisured in pace. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 10:02 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6964
Location: Black Hills
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Agree that robbing chunks of Shakespeare script is sinful, though some of the less vibrant historical plays may withstand some nips and tucks.
Spike Lee - have yet to get excited about this director. Can anyone point me to a film of his that might help me escape my doldrums? |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 11:53 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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I think Do The Right Thing is clearly his masterpiece. And likely the only film of his I really like. It has well-defined characters, a commitment to a place and time, deals with racial/social issues, has some fun side characters who comment on the goings-on, some nice humor, some fun interlude moments. Just a terrific and timely film.
I also think When The Levees Broke is terrific, but I assume your talking more about his fiction film and the style he brings to those.
Otherwise Spike Lee doesn't do much for me.
The soundtrack to Crooklyn is terrific and I used to listen to that on CD a fair amount, after buying it for a dollar. never saw the film. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 5:32 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12934
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| I like Do the Right Thing, 25th Hour and Inside Man. |
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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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| yambu |
| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 6:31 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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Syd wrote: I like Do the Right Thing, 25th Hour and Inside Man. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2017 7:46 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6964
Location: Black Hills
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| You know, I loved 25th Hour, and had forgotten that was a Spike Lee joint. Ditto, Inside Man. And somehow I've never seen his chef d'oeuvre, so will do the right thing (ha) and check it out. TY. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 3:50 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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I'm somewhat surprised how many Spike Lee films I haven't seen.
Crooklyn, Malcolm X, 25th Hour, Clockers, She Hate Me.
Seems I never made much effort to see lots/all of his films.
Do the Right Thing is a classic.
One of those films I rewatch every few years. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 12:36 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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yambu wrote: A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935), with a controlled James Cagney as the jackass Bottom. The wonderfully contorted love interests are easy for all to see.
What wrecks it for me is my lifelong dislike of Mickey Rooney, which is hardly a fair way of gauging his some three hundred film appearances.
What I don't like about this and many Shakespeare films of that era are lavish song and dance numbers dropped in the middle of Act 3. Here is the entire cast going up the stairs, down the stairs, and up the stairs. In a 2 1/2 hr production, we know we are being robbed of chunks of script, and that's a sin. |
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I ask you, Velvel, as a rational man, which of us is possessed? |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 7:00 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Watched Angelopoulos' debut Reconstitution [1970].
A Greek man comes home to his rural village from working abroad in Germany. His wife and her lover kill him and bury him in the garden. They try to concoct a story, but get caught right away. During the police investigation, they basically just accuse each other, and we see various reconstructions based mostly on their false testimony or what otherwise might have happened. It's kind of a noir plot and police procedural, but with everything predetermined and seedy and non-glamorous.
Shots of the village with it's stone walls and slate roofs are impressive. But otherwise this film just grinds on in a detached manner, with no pretense of suspense. Even in legal terms, the point of the investigation -- to determine who did the actual killing and planning -- seems rather pointless (at least in American law, participating in a murder conspiracy makes one equally culpable). The 1'40" runtime seemed excessive.
The only other Angelopoulis I'm sure I've seen is The Beekeeper [1986] with Marcello Mastroianni as the titular character. That was okay, a bit of a shaggy story, where a lonely man hooks up with a much younger runaway girl. Sort of reminded me of a vague Wim Wenders style film (I'm not a fan of Wenders).
I have a heap of Angelopoulis films -- and I might have seen some and forgotten -- but not sure how far I'm going to get with them. His films tend to be long, slow-paced and ambiguous, a sort of formalism which I only occasionally like in the right hands. But more than that, I didn't connect with the characters or situations in either of his films I've seen. I have a feeling I watched the first 15 minutes of one of his better known films and canned it for lack of interest. We'll see . . . |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 7:19 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Enjoyed Chan Is Missing (1982). Kind of a shaggy story of two taxi drivers trying to find a guy who took a few thousand dollars form them, was supposed to get them a taxi license but instead disappears. It's played as a spoof of Charlie Chan movies, with at least 3 direct references, plus the title, making that clear. The mystery is unsolvable, but things do work out. It's (SF) Chinatown, Jake -- so things get sorted in a distinctly Chinese way. Indirectly, ambiguously, complicatedly.
This reminded me a lot of early Jarmusch films -- the unconventional leads, the meandering, the low-key humor, the everydayness, b&w, taxi drivers, etc. But now I see that Jarmusch had only completed one film by the time this was released. This film also has a more socio-political nature than anything Jarmusch handles. I liked the way it integrated immigrant concerns and Chinese culture throughout the film, including conflicts not just between Taiwanese and commie Mainland, but also between the generations, but also the new arrivals v. the ABC's (American Born Chinese).
Not sure I've seen any other Wayne Wang films. Not sure any sound that good, but now I'm certainly willing to try. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 7:50 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12934
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| The Joy Luck Club is probably his best-known film but I haven't seen it. I have seen The Center of the World, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Because of Winn-Dixie. Center's reasonably interesting. Snow Flower is good when it sticks to the historical half, but the modern day half just doesn't work. Winn-Dixie is too cute for words (not a compliment). All are pretty skippable. I really liked Chan is Missing. |
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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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| yambu |
| Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:07 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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| Carmen - 1983. In Spanish, directed by Carlos Saura. Bizet's Carmen is brought into a modern Flamenco studio. Fully 80 percent takes place on the dance floor, among the purest of artists. Squaring off, whether passionate or angry, sets up the stylized violence and erotica. We don't know what is real or staged. |
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