Miscellaneous Movie Musings - Page 403

Snowflake · 02-17-2009, 11:05 AM

I rented The Dutchess via Netflix. Yeech, what a crashing bore, beautifully costumed. I've come to the conclusion that Keira Knightly has the acting range similar to how Dorothy Parker categorized Kate Hepburn. "She runs the gamut from A to B."

Alex · 02-17-2009, 11:05 AM

That he was the voice or that you were oblivious?

Watched the original Bedazzled yesterday. Complete snooze-fest (almost literally though I think I warded off actual nap time). Mostly naked Raquel Welch was an all too brief distraction. The attempt at satire was more pointed than anything in the remake, but the most biting satire loses its edge if you're mostly asleep when it happens.

Ghoulish Delight · 02-17-2009, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

That he was the voice or that you were oblivious?

Both, I guess, though I was referring to the fact that he was the voice. And by "odd" I mean that he is not the most obvious choice for a Pixar voice, and that one in particular. However he did an excellent job, so cheers to them on the casting.

Alex · 02-17-2009, 11:07 AM

I didn't blame Kiera Knightly for the dullness of The Duchess since as far as I could tell watching it the script and direction simply never provided any justification for the moving having been made. It simply tells us she was an interesting person and assumes that was enough. I thought Knightly did well enough with what little she was given.

Not Afraid · 02-17-2009, 11:09 AM

We watched Burn After Reading last night. Thoroughly enjoyed the film. The Cohen Brothers never fail to amuse me. Brad Pitt was by far my favorite of the men in the film - which was surprising since I usually really like Cloony and Malkovitch. Cohen always makes me want more Cohen.

flippyshark · 02-17-2009, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

We watched Burn After Reading last night. Thoroughly enjoyed the film. The Cohen Brothers never fail to amuse me. Brad Pitt was by far my favorite of the men in the film - which was surprising since I usually really like Cloony and Malkovitch. Cohen always makes me want more Cohen.

Brad Pitt as a clueless dork. That was amazing. This was classic Cohen Bros. madness. They really deliver very consistently. ("Lady Killers" stands out in my mind as a rare disappointment.)

mousepod · 02-17-2009, 11:45 AM

Sorry, Alex. You're wrong about Bedazzled. Now, if you made the same comments on the Cook/Moore take on The Hound of the Baskervilles...

Finally making my way through the Oscar nominees. Benjamin Button. What exactly was the point of that movie? It was well-filmed and decently acted, I suppose, but the script seemed... somewhat lacking. Anyone?

Alex · 02-17-2009, 11:50 AM

I'll accept that I could be wrong. And that it was other factors that had me half-lidded sitting on the couch. But I'm probably not going to find out for sure.

On Benjamin Button, I just read the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story that it was inspired by. Here is what was kept by the movie:

There was a character named Benjamin Button.
That character was born physically old (though in the short story he was born standing 5'9" and able to talk) and aged physically in reverse.
He was from a wealthy family.

Absolutely everything else in the movie was written from whole cloth and can not be blamed on Fitzgerald (though I'll admit that a faithful filming of the short story would have likely sucked many eggs, but who knows). The love story; the travel; the location (New Orleans in general and the retirement home specifically); the adoption by a black woman; etc.

innerSpaceman · 02-17-2009, 12:27 PM

I'll see your pointless Benjamin Button, and raise you an inane Slumdog Millionaire. This is the frontrunner for Best Frelling Picture? WTF???

I've already ranted about Button. Well-filmed, nicely acted, interesting life tale and love story ... but absolutely no point made about the central gimmick of a life lived backwards ... rendering it simply a gimmick. Enjoyed it while it was playing out, started hating it one second after I left the theater.

I didn't hate Slumdog. But I'm astounded this piece of fluff and quasi PoorNogaphy is even nominated for Best Picture, much less the odds-on favorite to win. OMG, I give up.

Alex · 02-17-2009, 12:32 PM

I've seen all five nominees now and none of them strike me as truly great films. At this point my personal pick would go to Milk.

Yes, I think much of the films emotion is from the current societal zeitgeist and therefore won't age well (assuming progress for homosexuals continues at least slowly in the right direction). But at least it made me feel something, which none of the other four did.

My ranking of the five would be:

Milk
The Reader
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I'll say again that if those are the best five "Oscar bait" movies of 2008 then it was the perfect opportunity to swing mainstream or really break the mold and get The Dark Knight, Wall-E, and Man on Wire some serious chance.

02-17-2009, 11:05 AM	#1
Snowflake lost in the fog Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: San Francisco Posts: 7,831	I rented The Dutchess via Netflix. Yeech, what a crashing bore, beautifully costumed. I've come to the conclusion that Keira Knightly has the acting range similar to how Dorothy Parker categorized Kate Hepburn. "She runs the gamut from A to B." __________________ Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. - Oscar Wilde
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02-17-2009, 11:05 AM	#2
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	That he was the voice or that you were oblivious? Watched the original Bedazzled yesterday. Complete snooze-fest (almost literally though I think I warded off actual nap time). Mostly naked Raquel Welch was an all too brief distraction. The attempt at satire was more pointed than anything in the remake, but the most biting satire loses its edge if you're mostly asleep when it happens.
	Submit to Quotes

02-17-2009, 11:07 AM	#4
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I didn't blame Kiera Knightly for the dullness of The Duchess since as far as I could tell watching it the script and direction simply never provided any justification for the moving having been made. It simply tells us she was an interesting person and assumes that was enough. I thought Knightly did well enough with what little she was given.
	Submit to Quotes

02-17-2009, 11:09 AM	#5
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	We watched Burn After Reading last night. Thoroughly enjoyed the film. The Cohen Brothers never fail to amuse me. Brad Pitt was by far my favorite of the men in the film - which was surprising since I usually really like Cloony and Malkovitch. Cohen always makes me want more Cohen.
	Submit to Quotes

02-17-2009, 11:45 AM	#7
mousepod You broke your Ramadar! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,635	Sorry, Alex. You're wrong about Bedazzled. Now, if you made the same comments on the Cook/Moore take on The Hound of the Baskervilles... Finally making my way through the Oscar nominees. Benjamin Button. What exactly was the point of that movie? It was well-filmed and decently acted, I suppose, but the script seemed... somewhat lacking. Anyone? __________________ "Give the public everything you can give them, keep the place as clean as you can keep it, keep it friendly" - Walt Disney
	Submit to Quotes

02-17-2009, 11:50 AM	#8
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I'll accept that I could be wrong. And that it was other factors that had me half-lidded sitting on the couch. But I'm probably not going to find out for sure. On Benjamin Button, I just read the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story that it was inspired by. Here is what was kept by the movie: There was a character named Benjamin Button. That character was born physically old (though in the short story he was born standing 5'9" and able to talk) and aged physically in reverse. He was from a wealthy family. Absolutely everything else in the movie was written from whole cloth and can not be blamed on Fitzgerald (though I'll admit that a faithful filming of the short story would have likely sucked many eggs, but who knows). The love story; the travel; the location (New Orleans in general and the retirement home specifically); the adoption by a black woman; etc.
	Submit to Quotes

02-17-2009, 12:27 PM	#9
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	I'll see your pointless Benjamin Button, and raise you an inane Slumdog Millionaire. This is the frontrunner for Best Frelling Picture? WTF??? I've already ranted about Button. Well-filmed, nicely acted, interesting life tale and love story ... but absolutely no point made about the central gimmick of a life lived backwards ... rendering it simply a gimmick. Enjoyed it while it was playing out, started hating it one second after I left the theater. I didn't hate Slumdog. But I'm astounded this piece of fluff and quasi PoorNogaphy is even nominated for Best Picture, much less the odds-on favorite to win. OMG, I give up.
	Submit to Quotes

02-17-2009, 12:32 PM	#10
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I've seen all five nominees now and none of them strike me as truly great films. At this point my personal pick would go to Milk. Yes, I think much of the films emotion is from the current societal zeitgeist and therefore won't age well (assuming progress for homosexuals continues at least slowly in the right direction). But at least it made me feel something, which none of the other four did. My ranking of the five would be: Milk The Reader Frost/Nixon Slumdog Millionaire The Curious Case of Benjamin Button I'll say again that if those are the best five "Oscar bait" movies of 2008 then it was the perfect opportunity to swing mainstream or really break the mold and get The Dark Knight, Wall-E, and Man on Wire some serious chance.
	Submit to Quotes