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| Syd |
 Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 11:06 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I'm going to gather my nominations tomorrow and move them into the Blanche Forum.
Win Win is a nicely done movie. Its major fault is that it's not nearly the equal of The Station Agent or The Visitor, but then very few films are. Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) is a lawyer that is having problems making ends meet, I suspect because he's too decent to be nasty. But he loves his family and a opportunity comes that even he can talk himself into: one of his court-appointed cases is a man (Leo Poplar, played by Burt Young) who is about to be put into a nursing home because he's approaching dementia. The man naturally would prefer to stay at home, but the State of New Jersey won't let him unless there is a guardian. The only possibility is a daughter in rehab who hasn't been in contact for twenty years. When Mike discovers that Leo is rich and has a stipend of $1500 per month, Mike succumbs, has himself placed as guardian, and still puts Leo in a nursing home.
When Mike goes to take care of Leo's house, he finds a youth on the doorstep. The kid is Kyle (Alex Shaffer), Leo's grandson via the druggie daughter. Kyle is taken in by the Flaherty's for a few days, which you know will not be a few days, especially since Mike is also the high school wresting coach and discovers Kyle is a national-class wrestler.
Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan (this time a great mother), who plays his wife, are, of course, quite good, but I thought the really interesting performance is by Alex Shaffer, who is laconic, alienated, and a bit mumbly, but also has seemingly effortless chemistry with every other actor on the screen from a little girl to his elderly grandfather. He also nails that judgmental integrity you have as a teenager when you discover that the adults you admire are still morally flawed. I'm not sure how his acting style will translate to other films, but damn, I liked him.
I should also mention that the movie is actually a comedy of manners, and had the two biggest laughs I've had in a theatre this year. |
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| inlareviewer |
| Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:02 pm |
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Joined: 05 Jul 2004
Posts: 1949
Location: Lawrence, KS
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| Thank you, Syd, for that review, which newly cements my desire to see it whenever life/schedule/everything permits. Kewl. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:00 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Win Win is a thoroughly nice and certainly better-than-okay movie, but that's all I'll give it. As Syd said, it's not in the same league with The Station Agent or The Visitor.. But it's not even up to this year's The Adjustment Bureau, Source Code, or The Conspirator. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 11:02 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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I have a history nut friend and we're headed for The Conspirator on Wed. night. I'm looking forward to seeing Robin Wright sink her teeth into something....like Billy, I've tended to be tepid about many of her past roles.
The Marcus Theater people (the greedy thugs who took over the local theater chain a few years ago) AGAIN jacked up ticket prices (how can you raise prices THREE FUCKING TIMES during a RECESSION, FOR FUCK'S SAKE??) and our rather tame protest is to do some triage on what we must see in theater and what can WFV. I wanted to see Source Code, but am WFV. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 2:08 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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billyweeds wrote: Win Win is a thoroughly nice and certainly better-than-okay movie, but that's all I'll give it. As Syd said, it's not in the same league with The Station Agent or The Visitor.. But it's not even up to this year's The Adjustment Bureau, Source Code, or The Conspirator.
That just means it's not the best movie of 2011. Hanna's better, too. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 6:34 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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Syd wrote: billyweeds wrote: Win Win is a thoroughly nice and certainly better-than-okay movie, but that's all I'll give it. As Syd said, it's not in the same league with The Station Agent or The Visitor.. But it's not even up to this year's The Adjustment Bureau, Source Code, or The Conspirator.
That just means it's not the best movie of 2011. Hanna's better, too.
Nope. Here we disagree again. Win Win was better than okay. Hanna was just okay.
Another high-ranking movie is the autism indie Fly Away, which is flying away from publicity, so keep your eyes peeled or you will definitely miss it. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 7:30 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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| The Conspirator is superb. Best film I've seen this year. The casting is amazing. The photography and the editing is so ridiculously good that coming out of the theater is like emerging from a time machine that took you back to the 1860's. I just saw the film with a history nut who loves to pick such films apart and point out all the goofs and clankers....she was left speechless. (well, she did finally come up with a small one, when the attorney addresses his client as "Mary," which people just didn't do back then -- it would always be "Mrs. Surrat.") Robin Wright, James McEvoy, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Colm Meaney, Evan Rachel Wood -- all terrific. And how wonderful to see movies being made that I am sure will get some people to go out and read something about these historical events. This is the kind of really excellent filmmaking that breathes life into historical events and gets you thinking about how those events affected what came after and rippled down to our time. Wow. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2011 10:55 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Agree completely with bartist. But you already knew that if you read the forum.
P.S. Strangely enough, this promises to be a seriously, distressingly underrated film. Although in my (and obviously bartist's) opinion, it's a masterpiece and Redford's best film ever (easily surpassing Ordinary People), the reviews have been positive-to-mixed-to-negative, with almost no outright raves. What a shame. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 9:39 am |
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I think some viewers want an historical romance (how easy it would be for a writer to vulgarize the material -- say, have sparks between the attorney and Surrat's pretty daughter) or expect more drama in the courtroom, and can't appreciate the art of restraint, can't see how Redford is standing back and letting us do a little thinking, letting us form our own opinions about how it played out and how it might resonate with constitutional issues that arose under Bush/Cheney. Kevin Kline, as Secy. of War Stanton, offers arguments for military justice (though Surrat is a civilian, not involved in combat) that are quite similar to what we were getting from Bush/Cheney. This is a thoughtful and literate film, the kind we could use more of. I think some critics wanted more entertainment, more bread and circuses, perhaps a more passionate and volatile Mary Surrat.
Agree, Billy, that this is Redford's best film to date. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:56 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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My only point of disagreement with bartist is the spelling of Mary Surratt's last name (it has two T's). Critics were looking for something more, I guess, like The King's Speech or A Few Good Men, with more outright "entertainment value." It would have been so easy to fall into that trap, but Redford avoids it totally, and so does Robin Wright, whose restraint in the "title role" is eloquent. Underplaying is seldom this effective.
James McAvoy is likewise excellent in what is bound to be an underrated performance. He more or less carries the movie as our surrogate but never tries to grab focus. And Kevin Kline has never been better as the (as bartist correctly pointed out) Dick Cheney substitute. Perhaps most striking of all is Tom Wilkinson as the lead lawyer who turns the case over to McAvoy. But the whole cast is superb. This movie must be seen. |
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| knox |
| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 7:00 pm |
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Joined: 18 Mar 2010
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Location: St. Louis
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| Just adding a voice to the chorus: The Conspirator is amazing. What they said. McEvoy is starting to make me think of a young Dustin Hoffman. The Bush/Cheney parallels were there, but not shoved at you. Yes, restraint, wit, artistry -- good god, are we turning into Europe? Is US cinema growing up? |
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| inlareviewer |
| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 8:18 pm |
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Joined: 05 Jul 2004
Posts: 1949
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Am rabid to see The Conspirator and am only slightly bemused that not one film critic has noted the 1947 Broadway success d'estime (and commercial flop) The Story of Mary Surratt. Researched reviews of the production suggest that Dorothy Gish was excellent in the title role.
IBDB: The official source for Broadway information |
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"And take extra care with strangers/Even flowers have their dangers/And though scary is exciting/Nice is different than good." --Stephen Sondheim |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 10:27 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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| Inla, come here and I'll go with you. I have this visual of two rabid moviegoers. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 2:38 am |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
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| Super will probably top my worst of 2011 list. Appallingly bad. Ellen Page needs to find a new agent...quick. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2011 5:16 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Marc wrote: Super will probably top my worst of 2011 list. Appallingly bad. Ellen Page needs to find a new agent...quick.
I almost went to see this movie based on the cast and what sounds like an edgy vibe, but something ineffable warned me away. I think I dodged a bullet. (Though I'll no doubt check it out on DVD some day.) |
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