CATWOMAN
CATWOMAN
April 4 2009, AMC, home living room
Yeah, y'know. I'm stuck at home on Saturday nights, desperately trying to keep focus on what I'm writing.. A good way to do that is to be sitting on the couch with a movie to use as an excuse to remain seated, and better still is if the movie isn't compelling enough to divide my interest for long. CATWOMAN fit the bill perfectly.
I've been curious about this film since well before it came out; I was actually quite excited about it until the initial reviews started rolling in, calling it the most appalling log of poo anyone had ever seen for a long long time. That actually made me even more interested, but cautious at the same time. How bad could it be?
And I don't think it's as bad as a lot of people say. Certainly, it's bad. It's awful. I shrieked with existential horror over some of the dialogue, and the awesomely shitty CG cats that pop up in what are supposed to be solemn moments will haunt my nightmares for some time to come. But Halle Berry is just so sublimely cute, even in the horrifically bad costumes they put her in at the beginning of the film, and the patently ridiculous Catwoman outfit itself. (I did design my favorite haircut after hers in this film, after all.) And it's got an extremely iconic role for Sharon Stone - digitally retouched face and all. (But that looks seriously weird for a good reason that has to do with the plot! Cmon, give it a break!) and it's got Lambert Wilson, that guy who played the Merovingian in THE MATRIX RELOADED, and I quite liked him. He plays the exact same role here. And so many other well-loved actors - Frances Conroy, Michael Massee, Peter Wingfield, and Benjamin Bratt as the love interest. (He looks way better now with a mustache and goatee, but he looked pretty good then, too.)
But it is crap. The storyline doesn't make much sense, isn't compelling in the slightest, and isn't even quite pretty enough to transcend the rotten script. It is sort of pretty - it's definitely enough to make me want to see director Pitof's first, well-regarded film VIDOCQ, which will probably be better because it's at least in French. But in light of all of the difficulties this film experienced (something like 20 writers worked on the script), it's no wonder at all that it's such a stinker. Some films are just doomed; this is one of them.
April 4 2009, AMC, home living room
Yeah, y'know. I'm stuck at home on Saturday nights, desperately trying to keep focus on what I'm writing.. A good way to do that is to be sitting on the couch with a movie to use as an excuse to remain seated, and better still is if the movie isn't compelling enough to divide my interest for long. CATWOMAN fit the bill perfectly.
I've been curious about this film since well before it came out; I was actually quite excited about it until the initial reviews started rolling in, calling it the most appalling log of poo anyone had ever seen for a long long time. That actually made me even more interested, but cautious at the same time. How bad could it be?
And I don't think it's as bad as a lot of people say. Certainly, it's bad. It's awful. I shrieked with existential horror over some of the dialogue, and the awesomely shitty CG cats that pop up in what are supposed to be solemn moments will haunt my nightmares for some time to come. But Halle Berry is just so sublimely cute, even in the horrifically bad costumes they put her in at the beginning of the film, and the patently ridiculous Catwoman outfit itself. (I did design my favorite haircut after hers in this film, after all.) And it's got an extremely iconic role for Sharon Stone - digitally retouched face and all. (But that looks seriously weird for a good reason that has to do with the plot! Cmon, give it a break!) and it's got Lambert Wilson, that guy who played the Merovingian in THE MATRIX RELOADED, and I quite liked him. He plays the exact same role here. And so many other well-loved actors - Frances Conroy, Michael Massee, Peter Wingfield, and Benjamin Bratt as the love interest. (He looks way better now with a mustache and goatee, but he looked pretty good then, too.)
But it is crap. The storyline doesn't make much sense, isn't compelling in the slightest, and isn't even quite pretty enough to transcend the rotten script. It is sort of pretty - it's definitely enough to make me want to see director Pitof's first, well-regarded film VIDOCQ, which will probably be better because it's at least in French. But in light of all of the difficulties this film experienced (something like 20 writers worked on the script), it's no wonder at all that it's such a stinker. Some films are just doomed; this is one of them.