| Author |
Message |
|
| billyweeds |
 Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:16 am |
 |
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
Half Nelson is a wonderful movie, perhaps one of the greatest in the genres of student-teacher drama and addiction drama. It's To Sir, with Love meets Clean and Sober courtesy of lovely direction by newcomer Ryan Fleck and astounding starring performances by Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps as (respectively) a junior high school history teacher and a 13-year-old African-American growing up in an inner-city milieu.
The film is subtle and funny and beautiful, with many, many telling moments, as the girl discovers her teacher is a crack addict. It completely eschews the cliches of the genres it emulates, and Gosling and Epps are utterly compelling and highly original, mostly deadpan but highly emotional at the same time.
This is one of the best movies of the year, and an absolute must. |
|
|
| Back to top |
  
|
| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:23 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
|
GOOD QUOTE.
(From a movie review in today's NYT by Manohla Dargis of the
film, "Half Nelson"):
"The poet W. S. Di Piero once described the work of the Sicilian
novelist Leonardo
Sciascia as 'inquiries into the impossibility of justice and the
terminal intellectual
fatigue caused by disillusionment.' ” |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| marantzo |
| Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 7:19 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
I just read a capsule review (taken from a longer one) that mentions something that I don't think I touched upon in my little review of Miami Vice:
Quote: Gone are the pastel colours, art deco sets and Armani jackets. Instead Mann makes things super-intense, furiously macho and utterly humourless
That's one of the overall problems with Miami Vice, as opposed to the TV version, it's humourless. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Befade |
| Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:28 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 3784
Location: AZ
|
That's right, Gary. The first year the tv show was on.........it was almost a comedy with Don J.'s alligator, Elvis and quirky supporting players.
Billy.............Glad to hear Half Nelson is good. There was an article in the NYT about the two film makers (a guy and girl who are partners.........one may be the writer). Anyhow the guy is very influenced by his father who (boy my memory is bad) was a philosophy professor specializing in dialectics, I think. Very interesting article. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 12:11 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
Resident smart-ass critic Kyle Smith of The New York Post, who gives my alma mater a bad name most of the time, occasionally comes up with a funny smart-ass comment (meaning I'm happy to see it). All fellow Chevy Chase haters should appreciate this remark from Smith's review of Zoom:
Chubby - I mean, Chevy Chase - seems to have borrowed his glasses from John Hinckley and his physique from John Candy. At this point Chase and Candy seem equally likely to ever make a funny movie again.
Now that's black humor for sure, but any comment that knocks the obnoxious (on and off screen) CC down a peg or two is okay by me. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Earl |
| Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 7:10 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
|
Scoop
This works well as light comedy fare. It was an amusing way to spend an hour and a half on a Sunday afternoon.
Woody Allen was funny in it, but it's easy to understand how those who don't like him or who tire easily of his neurotic routine (I'm neither) would not enjoy the movie. Some of the dialogue is funny on its own ("I was born into the Hebrew faith and converted to narcissism later."), while other bits, like one in which Woody is explaining to a group of people his opinion of London ("Beatiful city, beautiful people, the best Indian food I've ever eaten, but they drive on the wrong god damn side of the road."), are better appreciated in the context of the moment.
While thinking about Scoop alongside his previous effort, Match Point, which was also filmed in London, I couldn't help imagining the two films switching genres, with Match Point being the comedy and Scoop being the thriller. (Perhaps Melinda & Melinda got me thinking that way, I dunno.) Allen wouldn't have to change much of either film. A few plot points would have to be tweaked and the tone would have to be rotated ever so slightly, but neither film would really suffer all that much. |
_________________
"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 |
|
| marantzo |
| Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 8:40 pm |
|
|
|
Guest
|
| Earl, if you read my little review of Scoop, (if you could call it a review), you'll know that you and I are on the same page regarding Scoop. And Match Point. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:17 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
|
marantzo wrote: Earl, if you read my little review of Scoop, (if you could call it a review), you'll know that you and I are on the same page regarding Scoop. And Match Point.
I'm all for Woody hanging out in London and making more movies. It seems like he's got a lock on some fabulous locations (mansions, estates, and such). Why not do his "Manhattan" kind of thing in a different place?
To paraphrase Alice B. Toklas (or was it Gertrude?), it appears that he's found the 'there' there. Sounds like a good idea to me.
[AND there are those inherent Henry James and Theodore Dreiser references which aren't so bad, either.] |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Trish |
| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 7:47 am |
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 2438
Location: Massachusetts
|
billyweeds wrote: Half Nelson is a wonderful movie, perhaps one of the greatest in the genres of student-teacher drama and addiction drama. It's To Sir, with Love meets Clean and Sober courtesy of lovely direction by newcomer Ryan Fleck and astounding starring performances by Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps as (respectively) a junior high school history teacher and a 13-year-old African-American growing up in an inner-city milieu.
The film is subtle and funny and beautiful, with many, many telling moments, as the girl discovers her teacher is a crack addict. It completely eschews the cliches of the genres it emulates, and Gosling and Epps are utterly compelling and highly original, mostly deadpan but highly emotional at the same time.
This is one of the best movies of the year, and an absolute must.
Oh good I was hoping Ryan Gosling would produce a performance that would match his brilliant turn in The Believer - I hope it makes it to a theatre near me, I look forward to seeing it |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 8:00 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
| Yes, it was Gertrude, mo. For years I thought it was Los Angeles that she was refering to. When I finally was enlightened to the fact that it was Oakland that she was commenting on, the first thing that went through my mind was, 'who gives a damn about Oakland?' |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 10:00 am |
|
|
Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9008
Location: Shanghai
|
Yeah, The Believer kicked ass.
Especially Gosling's performance. |
_________________
Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| mo_flixx |
| Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 11:45 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 30 May 2004
Posts: 12533
|
marantzo wrote: Yes, it was Gertrude, mo. For years I thought it was Los Angeles that she was refering to. When I finally was enlightened to the fact that it was Oakland that she was commenting on, the first thing that went through my mind was, 'who gives a damn about Oakland?'
That quote was a VERY BIG DEAL in architecture school. They made sure we knew it was Oakland, btw. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Earl |
| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:09 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 2621
Location: Houston
|
marantzo wrote: Earl, if you read my little review of Scoop, (if you could call it a review), you'll know that you and I are on the same page regarding Scoop. And Match Point.
Thanks for reminding me. I skipped the earlier comments by you, Mo and trish because I knew I would be seeing the movie. Then I forgot to go back and read them afterwards. I liked your Howard Cosell story. |
_________________
"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 |
|
| Syd |
| Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 4:22 pm |
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12895
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
|
It's so quiet here I may actually have to go see a movie.
Not much of a selection, though. Half-Nelson and Little Miss Sunshine haven't made it here, and The Heart of the Game is showing at one theatre at 10 p.m. and 40 miles away from here. Looks like the flying serpent movie is only showing late at night, so it's between The Descent and World Trade Center. |
_________________
I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
|
| Back to top |
|
| lady wakasa |
| Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:10 pm |
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 5911
Location: Beyond the Blue Horizon
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
