Seemed like a Canadian, made-for-specific-morons-from-Ontario, and not a public from outside Tim Hortons locality. In other words, a total Snoozefest ‘82
ps - if i have to hear that god awful mozart requiem song one more time I sware, this is literally an awful film
This movie made me soooo happy!! Amazing return of two of the greatest dudes in cinematic history. A breath of hilarious, scientific, good vibes — George Carlin is smiling down:sunglasses:
The only thing that works in this film are the shots of building the grand garden ampetheater for King Louis. Quite a nice garden I must say. Came for the garden building, stayed for the garden building. The actors seemed like cows around the pasture. Story? Oh, no silly don't expect that here.
There's little reason to try and beat Bowies Tesla (Christopher Nolans "The Prestige" 2006) but Ethan Hawke doesn't even try. I expected better from him. This was either made by the hands of a depressed director or an unqualified producer -- or an AI deepfake movie making program. It feels like somewhere within the tesla coil of this film production schedule a major aspect got gutted from an original version and boiled down, like a transylvanian bat, to this tortured piece of crap. Think Welsch Rabbit in a Duck Soup.
Jennifer Connolly plays Virginia, a single-mother in the middle of America with psychologically traumatized past. Come for the sexually charged scenes with Ed Harris, as a cheating Mormon sheriff running for Mayor. Watch Connolly stun in PG rated sex scene looking as good as ever clad in full dominatrix gear taking it hard and heavy. Stay for her performance of Virginia, a broken woman played to with an intimate desecration as she arranges last minute heist to leave her son something before her failing health takes hold.
Dick Tipton (Ed Harris) is a ridiculously arrogant alpha male Sherrif without a shred of responsibility towards Virginia or her son. He's only in it for the pooyani. Film legend Yeardley Smith plays the over-concerned social worker with a convincing southern drawl that makes you yearn for more. Connolly overalls feels lost in a sacred time towards an afterlife fantasy as she attempts to make up lie after lie, raise her son quite unsuccessfully, and manipulate her life around the few sex romps she has with the Sherrif.
The film is framed through her sons eyes. The actor playing her son is forgettable which is the only loss this film suffers from. It's a pretty big loss though, considering how much screen time his part of the story has.
Scenes of him casually in the house while Connolly get's railed by Harris make up the first part of the film. The second part is a series of vignettes between the son and a local girl, possibly Harris' characters daughter, with interdispersed scenes of Connolly breaking down or getting boned by Harris in various ways. I felt the sons story with his pals had a weaker dynamic playing under such a heavy talent load on top. I would of liked to see more of Connolly on top of Harris as well. The film could of been carried by Connolly and Harris' sex scenes, like a Wild Orchid meets Mother hybrid, instead it became a sidestory against a cops and robbers meets dazed and confused tragedy. The third act, is entirely this, complete with a rebellion, a Taxi Driver type of "campaign" bombing and Virginia's poetic stand-off.
The story overall invokes a tinge of Tennessee Williams "Baby Doll" meeting notes of Brie Larson's unconditional-love-under-extreme-circumstance performance in "Room." It falls short due where the bulk of scenes are given to a young actor who simply does not serve the overall momentum. Virginia shines when Connolly is on screen and simply put, due to her single performance it could of been added to what has become "The Fallen Single Mother" canon. It fails in its vision. When you have Jennifer Connolly as a blonde southern girl you want Cassavetes not Paul Thomas Anderson. They should of focused on her under the influence of knowing her own mortality was arye and the story taking place around that. It's a better way to understand the film if you're going in fresh. I hate to do this to Sarah from Labyrinth but this is a 6.5 out 10. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:
Excellent studies in character development from the perspective of early 70s filmmaking. Nicholson gives a nuanced performance as half mad man, half genius. This one will probably go over the heads of those with flat expectations from years of bad watching habits. To get it you need to understand what makes a classic movie great. When Nicholsons character reacts to a traffic jam by storming out of the car and onto a truck with a piano, playing it as it exits the highway, you get a taste of the style here
"Two men in Town" is what happens to a good idea and great actors that could of easily been an Oscar winner break-out film but turns to a dud because of bad direction. Whitaker plays William Garnett a cop killer straight out of prison who struggles with his anger issues while people in this tiny New Mexico town mess with him. His attempts to build a life are snafued by Harvey Kietel, the sheriff, who has other plans for him due to some bizarre mixture of vengeance and islamophobia. Brenda Blethyn with a Tennessee accent was great and lightens up the movie wherever she is. Forest Whitaker and Kietel could of played their roles better but it was good enough to watch once. That's the good part.
I havent enjoyed a film like this in a long time. Really, Lilly Tomlin and Bette Midler and the whole cast were so great. Great film!
Well made, good laughs, tough subject.
Meandering french alcoholics binded by deep voids they fill with sexual proclivities perform hilarious long scenes of dialogue overwrought with inane existential banter dripping with dark comedic pathos. If you dig Truffaut, Jarmusch or Venders you’ll love it.
Jeebuz Christmas what a flik. Ethan Hawke is fantastic sauce as a preacher caught between his faith and his corporate polluting Church. Brings up good points about corporate polluters being big funders of Churches in the US and should get an Oscar or Academy nomination which it wont because those same corporate polluters would rather you not see this.
Chris Walken shines as Doctor Fang in one of his best roles as a working actor next to his groundbreaking portrayal as Nosferatu in Brainstorm. Film theorist Gary Gnu names Balls of Fury as peak Hollywood comedic cinema broiling together chickens and tadurkens in within the global arena of ping pong. And thats just the beginZ - Stryker T Rambz the protag pulls a stellar creme de la dentre with a dramaturge the likes of a modern Lawrence of Balboa. If you’ve missed this stunner catch it while you’re still in the marmalade because time waits for no one, let alone you jersey boy sanchez.
After the fall of cybertron Optimus sends B128 (aka bumblebee) to Earth to await the autobots scattered around the universe because they always lose. Decepts follow bee who gets bought up by a California brunette who looks like a young Megan Fox, herself unwinning, antisocial and hated by everyone for some undescribed reason because well, the movie is a cartoon. Hijinx ensue. Bee continually gets pounded and killed but keeps coming back to life, girl gets picked on. A dude with an Afro who is super cheesy hangs out with her and has seemingly zero relevance outside of it being a Benneton plug. John Cena is this toxic military dude who for some unexplained reason is on the decepts side and continually tries to kill bee. Overall its Logan with a transformer meets Commando with four songs from the Cure.
At around the twenty minute mark skip to the fifty minute mark and its watchable. Diane Keaton as a wild mom is great, the 20-50 section is too repetitive seems fillery.
Profound to 13 year old girls, potential snoozefest for the rest. It’s a YouTube directors third film where the plot points are either her interactions on her devices surrounded by her sexual awkwardness in her three dimensions (would would make sense if your attention is always in a 3.5 inch glowing box.) What it does do well is capture the pure ineptness the crisis social media addiction has caused in middle america with a polished production value however it falls short in creating any sympathy for the protagonist beyond a sweet moment at the end when she quits YouTube, doesnt give the creep a bj, tells her dad shes aware of how inept she is and stutters yells at the popular girl for being mean.
Act 1 great relatable new style, me and my woman are smiling and relating, im thinking “thank god this isnt a Wes Anderson Baumbach snoozer”, Act 2 ok things are going off track feeling real indie film Therzon is pulling this off like a champ still , my woman is snoring though so movie wins already, hoping this wont be one those morally relativistic open ended zero lesson films, Act 3 ok it was and why we cant have nice things.
Right off the bat how does crap like this get made, financed and distributed? Second, mixing unlikable characters and a bad script..omg ten minutes in its sooooooo bad. When awful directors and worst writers take themselves too serious - omg its getting worse i cant even write this.
Squandered opportunity to make a Freddy Mercury biopic - Malek is great and there are moments but overall leaves a hollowness probably due to the fundamental crux of the story not being followed through on, that of the joy that is the song Bohemian Rhapsody. This is a documentary dressed up as a biography with bits of inspiring moments. Those moments should of been the focus and magnified.
Once its clear he’s an inept the drunk and shes out of the strip club performing electro pop it got tiring. So what, Gaga can act, Madonna did too - the problem is not the story because its simple enough (its been done three times already) nor is it the acting, Cooper makes a fine drunk rockstar. The polish on it makes it phony and boring. It needed to be more raw, more indie and less wannabe real.
