a quick one while hes away
friday night lights feels like varsity blues with a shift in tone. it tells the same story without the porkys-like hijinks. peter berg has turned into a fine director, and gets strong performances from the entire cast. the highlight of this disc is the where-are-they-now documentary, make sure to check it out after the feature.
troy has all the classic hollywood epic grandeur that i wanted but didnt get from gladiator. it has some wonderful moments, but ultimately, among other things, i couldnt get over the disappointment i felt in some of the acting. eric bana and peter otoole are standouts, but brad pitt phoned it in, and orlando bloom displayed two of the three emotions he is capable of, and who the hell was helen? the iliad is a monster undertaking and i applaud the the guts it took to attempt it. maybe next time.
collateral is a tightly wound drama with well rounded characters and strong performances. i would have no problem replacing sideways(or finding neverland, which i havent seen, its just a hunch) with this as a best picture nominee, or michael mann getting a directing nomination.
*he didnt get one, did he?
speaking of sideways, its been hard to avoid the hype surrounding this film. it reminds me of another indie film getting a best picture nomination a few years ago, in the bedroom. both are fine films and deserve to be seen, thanks to oscar, they will. but do they deserve the level of acclaim bestowed upon them by critics? the easy answer is...no. sideways is a comedy thats not really funny. its a character study, slow and deliberate, where its hard to like the characters...that is, until the very end. meanwhile, you can feel the audience around you shifting in their seats waiting for something to happen. personally, i liked it. its honest with itself, and the performances are as real as you get. the same can be said for the writing. however, like lost in translation(a superior film imho) your average audience just wont get it. therefore its destined to be the movie you overhear people complaining about because, thanks to film critics, and oscar, its being sold as something that it is not.
r.i.p. arthur miller
troy has all the classic hollywood epic grandeur that i wanted but didnt get from gladiator. it has some wonderful moments, but ultimately, among other things, i couldnt get over the disappointment i felt in some of the acting. eric bana and peter otoole are standouts, but brad pitt phoned it in, and orlando bloom displayed two of the three emotions he is capable of, and who the hell was helen? the iliad is a monster undertaking and i applaud the the guts it took to attempt it. maybe next time.
collateral is a tightly wound drama with well rounded characters and strong performances. i would have no problem replacing sideways(or finding neverland, which i havent seen, its just a hunch) with this as a best picture nominee, or michael mann getting a directing nomination.
*he didnt get one, did he?
speaking of sideways, its been hard to avoid the hype surrounding this film. it reminds me of another indie film getting a best picture nomination a few years ago, in the bedroom. both are fine films and deserve to be seen, thanks to oscar, they will. but do they deserve the level of acclaim bestowed upon them by critics? the easy answer is...no. sideways is a comedy thats not really funny. its a character study, slow and deliberate, where its hard to like the characters...that is, until the very end. meanwhile, you can feel the audience around you shifting in their seats waiting for something to happen. personally, i liked it. its honest with itself, and the performances are as real as you get. the same can be said for the writing. however, like lost in translation(a superior film imho) your average audience just wont get it. therefore its destined to be the movie you overhear people complaining about because, thanks to film critics, and oscar, its being sold as something that it is not.
r.i.p. arthur miller