The Official Review Thread of 2005

[VanHelsing]

Bullock strikes such a sour note to me on the basis of her horrible scene of redemption at the end; I swear, her maid is probably thinking "Take...your hands...off of me...white bitch."

frankly speaking, i HATED Bullock in Crash... her 'white b*tch' character totally puts me off... so i guess, that's why i'm giving her some kudos for her performance...
and yes, in that redemption scene of hers, i could see her maid thinking like that... but that's only because humans don't usually forgive and forget that easily in real-life... it would definitely requires more than just a tight hug to reconcile our differences... but that tight hug is a start and Bullock conveys that message well in that scene...

i prefer Howard's wife in the film as the best performance in Crash... the scene whereby she was stucked in an overturned car and then rescued by her previous molestor certainly provided her with room for displaying histrionics... and now that Lionsgate has sent out DVD screeners to a huge number of guild members, i can foresee her sneaking into the Oscar race afterall... still, i might be proven wrong... we'll see how it pans out eventually...

if given a choice between Roberts performance in Erin Brockovich and Notting Hill, i'd choose the former... cause she was simply playing herself in the latter... this does not imply that i support her Oscar win for i would prefer to see Linney win instead that year...

correction, McGrath was nominated for Bullets Over Broadway...

[Sabin]

He loves Rocky and refers back to it constantly as an example of a perfect screenplay. And he cited the Magic Cloak scene in particular numerous times as one of his favorite scenes in years.

NOTE:

Wonderful moment in a young screenwriter's life -- you read your teacher's screenplay and see it for the hackneyed piece of tripe it is.

Horrible moment in a young screenwriter's life -- realizing that he sold the thing for thousands of dollars.

Slightly better... -- sugar-coating your response to such a vacuous genre piece so as not to hurt his feelings; succeed so strongly it doesn't affect your grade in the least and he thinks he's made a difference in your life (aw!)

Much worse... -- you paid hundreds of dollars to take his class and this is what you learn.



Edited By Sabin on 1137188769

[Penelope]

My screenwriting teacher just would not shut up about the Invisible Cloak scene, so I can't be objective about it. He also cannot shut up about Rocky and Primary Colors, so they're dead to me too.

You mean he actually admires this stuff?

[Sabin]

My screenwriting teacher just would not shut up about the Invisible Cloak scene, so I can't be objective about it. He also cannot shut up about Rocky and Primary Colors, so they're dead to me too.

Bullock strikes such a sour note to me on the basis of her horrible scene of redemption at the end; I swear, her maid is probably thinking "Take...your hands...off of me...white bitch." Her performance is strident and one-note, exactly how it should be in revealing just how little detail her distasteful character is paid. It feels like Sandra Bullock didn't know she was being filmed at the time and her horse-mouthed bitching about the craft service table was just ADR-ed in post to make sense in the film.

I think the best performance in Crash is Terrence Howard's in a performance that just defies any degree of logic. And dudeman pulls it off. I also loved Tony Danza, who I also don't think knew he was being filmed.

I really don't agree with your "Oscar = talent" analogy, but Reese Witherspoon has been a very, very talented actress for some time now.. She won awards for her work on Election and should've been nominated, as well as her work on Pleasantville and Freeway. I hear her work on Man in the Moon was wonderful as well, and although I don't really like Legally Blonde but she made a stronger impression on me than anything Julia Roberts has done with the exception of Notting Hill. The past few years before Walk the Line has seen Witherspoon at her dullest, but in her younger days she was a very charismatic, risk-taking performer.

McGrath was not nominated for Emma.



Edited By Sabin on 1137187877

[VanHelsing]

Franz Ferdinand >> hmmm... i have my doubt that you were able to foresee the 'Toub is gonna shoot Pena's daughter' scene 'right when Toub bought the gun at the beginning and his daughter asked for the red box'... for during this initial scene, Pena's character hasn't even appeared yet... so how would you know that Toub's character is gonna collide with Pena's character?... heck, how would you know that Pena has a daughter?...
nevertheless, i take your word that the scene was 'no doubt, well acted out' as a form of compliment... even if it was of the lowest degree...

flipp525 >> would you like to quote those movies of Bullock's where she does the same thing over and over again?... granted, most of her movies are romantic comedies BUT not all of them were of that genre... so the thought of her doing the same thing over and over again is quite baseless... and it's quite funny that you quoted Julia Robert's name... wasn't she an Oscar winner? and assuming that Witherspoon will go ahead and win that Oscar statuette, does that mean that she has grown as an actress with just one film (Walk The Line) when she has been doing the same thing over and over again with her likable Julia Roberts-style roles in films such as Legally Blonde?...

Crash was indeed a departure from the roles that Bullock have been typecasted in... and if she didn't bring much to the table for you, it's more probably due to her limited screentime...

with regards to Doug McGrath's Infamous, it would not be appropriate to judge the film even before it's released... i mean, who knows the underrated theatre actor, Toby Jones, could deliver an amazing performance as well... same goes for Bullock in her Harper Lee role (which i think would be more lengthy than Keener's screentime in Capote)... and let's not forget the remaining wonderful cast such as Jeff Daniels, Sigourney Weaver (Oscar nominee), Gwyneth Paltrow (Oscar winner) as well as Globe nominee, Hope Davis...
and i believe that McGrath earned a screenplay nomination for his work in Emma, so who knows Infamous would be a more taut and intense film than Capote... anything's possible although i would have to agree that Infamous' chances at the Oscars next year (assuming the film is award-worthy) have certainly been affected by Capote's awards success this year so far...

hmmm... on a side note, can anybody provide me examples of films on the same subject matter which were released back to back yet scored well at the Oscars in their respective release years? or there isn't any in the first place? thanks a lot in advance and peace out...

[flipp525]

regarding Bullock, you have to give her credit for 'pronouncing' the word f*ck convincingly as well as shockingly, to say the least... would you expect that to come out from Miss Congeniality?... i say, Haggis, you're da man...

Personally, I just think Sandra Bullock is a bad actress. She does the same thing over and over again (and hasn't, in my mind, grown as an actress at all). I suppose 'Crash' was a bit of a departure from her likable Julia Roberts-style roles but she just didn't bring much to the table for me.

And how unfortunate that she has to play Harper Lee next year, after Catherine Keener has, from the looks of it, given the definitive interpretation and had the anchor of Hoffman's amazing performance to work with.

[Franz Ferdinand]

that scene between Toub, Pena and his daughter thrilled me as well... that scene alone brought across a gamut of emotions - love for her father, worried for his daughter, anger towards someone for causing his misery (or not), shock and regret seep into his body after pressing on the trigger... all in all, very touching indeed...

Oh no doubt it was very touching, but it was foreseen right when Toub bought the gun at the beginning and his daughter asked for the red box. Watching it, my girlfriend speculated: "I bet those were blanks". After Toub and Pena's confrontation in the shop and Pena's disposing of his work order, you just knew that: 1) because Toub didn't listen to Pena's warnings about the door, his shop was going to get messed up, 2) Toub would blame Pena with righteous Persian rage and find the scrap with his address in the garbage (although most companies don't have the workers' addresses on them, was Pena self-employed and made his own work orders?), and 3) use his gun, most likely to kill Pena or his daughter.
The scene with the three of them was also milked for maximum emotional impact (which is understandable): I doubt someone on a mission to shoot someone would wait so long with a gun in someone's face before pulling the trigger. They had to wait until Pena's daughter, with her "bullet shield", jumped into his arms to protect him. So our emotions went: "I knew it! He shot her!" Then 12 seconds into Pena's screaming: "oh wait, those were blanks, she's not dead, is she? ...she's not!!"
No doubts that it was well-acted out, with the love, worry, anger, shock and regret, but that entire storyline from the beginning was so predictable it was barely funny.

[anonymous1980]

ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW
Cast: John Hawkes, Miranda July, Miles Thompson, Brandon Ratcliffe, Carlie Westerman, Hector Elias, Brad William Henke.
Dir: Miranda July

I can't decide whether this pretentious artsy claptrap or a genuine art film. Whatever it is, I liked it. The best way I can describe this film is that writer/director/co-star July's style is sort of Todd Solondz by way of Phoebe Buffay. The good performances make it all believable.

Oscar Prospects: Maybe for Screenplay but I doubt it.

Grade: B

[VanHelsing]

Crash

I know theres been some complaints about frasier and bulluck's roles, i didn't have a problem with either one, i didn't mind bulluck's acting at all...

Howard and Newton were also brilliant and were both very interesting characters, Newton should be getting a lot more attension then she's getting...

I have no idea why Pena was left off the guild ensemble list, there has to be some sort of mistake or something there. Becuase that just doesnt' make sense. And he was quite good as well...

... i didn't care that the daughter jumps into the arms at the exact wrong moment, it happened to be a thrilling scene and i was infact thrilled(one of many thrilling scenes that did infact thrill me).

regarding Bullock, you have to give her credit for 'pronouncing' the word f*ck convincingly as well as shockingly, to say the least... would you expect that to come out from Miss Congeniality?... i say, Haggis, you're da man...

agree with you on Newton... somehow i am baffled by the fact that only the Crash gentlemen are getting precursor love whereas the Crash ladies went unnoticed... i can understand why Dillon gets most of the attention ('cause he has the meatiest role) but the SAG nom for Cheadle absolutely caught me off-guard (not that Cheadle is a bad actor, just that his Crash role, i felt, didn't give him the opportunity to shout "Hey, give me that Oscar!")...
as for Bullock, perhaps her limited screentime is what prevents her from being noticed although she did shine in all of her 4-5 scenes or so... but Newton, i totally don't know why she's being left out in the cold...

i think it was explained earlier that the reason why Pena wasn't listed as part of the SAG ensemble is because his name appeared together with Devine's & Gaye's names in the main credits...

that scene between Toub, Pena and his daughter thrilled me as well... that scene alone brought across a gamut of emotions - love for her father, worried for his daughter, anger towards someone for causing his misery (or not), shock and regret seep into his body after pressing on the trigger... all in all, very touching indeed...

[dylanfan23]

Crash

Ok i know theres a lot of negativity towards this film on this site. So before i spoke about how great it is, i made sure i watched it for a second time. And its still one of the best films i've seen this year. My reasons behind this are pretty simple, one i was entertained, two i was in awe of the storylines and the characters, and three it really made me think about my own ways of acting and the people i call friends way of acting. This is a powerful film, with powerful characters. These characters all have flaws, just like everybody has flaws. These flaws don't make us good or bad people and these flaws don't make these characters good or bad, they're just characteristics that make these people what they are. The message i got out of this film was basically two simple expressions that my grandmother always said to me, and thats when you assume your making an ass out of u and me, and don't judge a book by its cover. But this film asks the question, is it possible to do that. Now i'm not going to go on a huge rant about how this film should change how everybody looks at the world and they're fellow humans, maybe it should but i'm just judging the film and the film didn't seem preachy to me all. I liked every story line, i liked how they developed and i cared about what every character was doing and what they were going to do and say next. The over 120 minutes went by so fast i thought it was about an 80 minute film when it was over. I know theres been some complaints about frasier and bulluck's roles, i didn't have a problem with either one, i didn't mind bulluck's acting at all. Fraiser i could give or take in everything he's done. Cheadle did not deserve at actors guild nomination in any stretch of the imagination, but he was still good. Dillon deserves every award he gets or gets nominated for, he was brilliant. Howard and Newton were also brilliant and were both very interesting characters, Newton should be getting a lot more attension then she's getting. I have no idea why Pena was left off the guild ensemble list, there has to be some sort of mistake or something there. Becuase that just doesnt' make sense. And he was quite good as well. I also had no problem with the script, i didn't feel like the story was taking me anywhere i didn't want to go or felt it being forced, i didn't care that the daughter jumps into the arms at the exact wrong moment, it happened to be a thrilling scene and i was infact thrilled(one of many thrilling scenes that did infact thrill me). So needless to say, i give this film 5 out 5 stars. I'm glad this film was made, and i hope more come to follow it, as long as they're as well made as this one.

[Sabin]

...and today I saw "Hustle & Flow", which is almost embarassingly entertaining. This is a ridiculously formulaic film, so much so that I can't entirely block it out of my mind that a white man wrote and directed it. The mood certainly feels authentic (and for that matter, completely seductive), but the flow is all "A Star is Born" screenplay plug-ins.

And I don't really care. Even though the film's success can't all be attributed to Terrence Howard, his contribution can't be understated. He makes his monologues feel like gold. I think this film is mainstream enough to even win over conservative members of the Academy, and Howard seems destined to be the longshot-turned-contender that everybody is quick to affirm his nomination when it comes.

Craig Brewer's direction is energetic and he handles the actors extremely well. The cast deservedly grabbed its Ensemble nomination. Taryn Manning (whom I first noticed in "crazy/beautiful" and made a mental note of) is almost as successful as Howard in turning a cliche-role into something truthful. She finds a lazy dignity even in corn-rows (sp?...i probably shouldn't rag on Brewer for being white). I have no idea where this Anthony Anderson came from, because the one I've seen in films is almost dependably obnoxious. He's great, just terrific. Nice to see a change of pace for the...uniquely talented DJ Qualls as well.

This is a pretty shoddy review but "Hustle & Flow" just felt so invigorating, even when it slums a little near the end. It's not a great film and yet it feels somewhat perfect for what it is.

[Sabin]

I saw "Breakfast on Pluto" today. It's somewhere between a mess and celebration, but I enjoyed it even while wondering what the point of the thing was. Cillian Murphy excels in his endurance test of a performance, although I must say that almost as soon as I saw Murphy as "Kitten" I began to rub my temples at the notion of following this guy around for over two hours. Neil Jordan's film is a rowdy concoction of hit-and-miss notes of whimsical triumph with Declan Quinn's cinematography some of the year's best. I found myself just pleased to bask in this film's visual beauty, listen to the soundtrack, and enjoy the revolving door of characters actors.

Much of the film doesn't really work upon reflection (most especially the decision to chapter the film unecessarily) but I can't really muster enough naysay in the face of such extravagence.

[anonymous1980]

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
Cast: Tilda Swinton, William Moseley, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Voices of Liam Neeson, Rupert Everett, Dawn French, Ray Winstone.
Dir: Andrew Adamson

Well-mounted yet oddly lacking in verve and pizzaz which made the Lord of the Rings movies and the latter two Harry Potter movies a joy to watch. In fact, it pretty much largely plays like Lord of the Rings-lite for kiddies. Nevertheless, it's still a pretty good ride. Swinton as the witch is outstanding.

Oscar Prospects: Strong contender for Best Make-up, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Original Song and Best Original Score.

Grade: B

[anonymous1980]

Saw two great movies today

MYSTERIOUS SKIN
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brady Corbet, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jeff Licon, Elisabeth Shue, Bill Sage, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Chase Ellison, George Webster.
Dir: Gregg Araki

It takes a lot for me to be made uncomfortable in a film. This film made me very uncomfortable. Well-crafted and features some outstanding acting from Corbet and Gordon-Levitt, this is probably one of the best films about child sexual abuse of recent memory. A fine piece of work and it's definitely top 10 of 2005 material.

Oscar Prospects: Deserves Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor (Gordon-Levitt) and Best Supporting Actor (Corbet) but it ain't getting them.

Grade: A-

GRIZZLY MAN
Cast: Timothy Treadwell, Werner Herzog.
Dir: Werner Herzog

Would you believe this is my first Werner Herzog film? Compelling documentary is more of a character study than a nature film about a passionate, fascinating albeit reckless and over-zealous self-proclaimed/self-appointed guardian of the grizzly bears. Quite simply, an amazing film. No dramatization could better capture Timothy Treadwell's life better than Herzog did.

Oscar Prospects: Deserves to get a Documentary nod but unfortunately, it was deemed ineligible. It might still be eligible for Best Picture and Best Director though but it ain't getting those either.

Grade: A

[ITALIANO]

Nice to see that I'm not alone in finding this movie so fake and irritating. Pamela-Marie especially has expressed much better than I could the same reactions I had watching it. (I have to admit that I saw The Family Stone in Beirut, maybe not the best place to appreciate this celebration of American family values...).