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| Marc |
 Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 12:21 am |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
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Quote: Julia (the Tilda Swinton one)
Sadly ignored. One of the best of 2009. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:14 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Marc--Somehow I have missed the fact that you didn't like Leaving Las Vegas. Please explain how you could not admire this film. IMO the greatness of LLV transcends opinion and becomes fact. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 5:59 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Mel Gibson returns in Edge of Darkness, a sort of more intellectual and wordy version of Payback. I liked the earlier film better because it didn't mess around with world issues and social conscience; it just cut to the bloody, revenge-soaked chase. That said, EoD could be a lot worse, and features a terrific supporting performance by Ray Winstone as a soft-spoken enforcer. Gibson himself is Gibson, and if you liked him in Lethal Weapon and Payback you'll probably like him in this aging version of the same kind of character. This is a decent though not essential rental. But I'd sooner recommend Payback, or the similar and even better Taken. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 7:31 am |
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Marc wrote: Quote: Julia (the Tilda Swinton one)
Sadly ignored. One of the best of 2009.
It's surprising how many very good movies just slip by without being noticed. And it's not just stupid people wanting to see movies that have the movie stars they like or some cookie cutter chick flick or adolescent boy fantasy like the latest Transformers or some other video game clunker that makes billions. ( In the service of honesty, I really liked GI Joe because it was good. No one else did.) It also includes people who are intelligent, but have their taste in their mouth.
Sure it's fun to go to a movie that has the depth of petri dish but an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours. This shouldn't preclude the really good stuff that hasn't been hyped like the latest cell phone that can perform MRIs. I've known a number of bright people who won't go to B/W movies or movies with subtitles, or movies which don't have any actors they heard of. This could be the reason the Tilda Swinton movie came and went. Put Nicole Kidman in the role and it would get exposure, and probably a hefty profit even if she stunk, which would be a good possibility.
Billy and I are of the same opinion re: Leaving Las Vegas. I think we differ on Con Air though. I liked it. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 8:22 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6963
Location: Black Hills
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| Avatar? Wasn't that the one where they took the script of Pocahontas and scratched out the names and locations and inked in different ones? |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:14 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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If I were to post in the Films I Hate forum, I'd probably start with Leaving Las Vegas and Sexy Beast.
I'm pretty sure I've previously written why I thought those two were chock full of awfulness.
Always surprised that both seem to be favorites of some. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:45 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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marantzo wrote: This could be the reason the Tilda Swinton movie came and went. Put Nicole Kidman in the role and it would get exposure, and probably a hefty profit even if she stunk, which would be a good possibility.
Not to give Nicole Kidman any extra points (I am the farthest thing from a Kidman fan), but--with the exception of Tilda Swinton--I can't think of any living female movie star (and maybe no dead ones either) who could have done the title role in Julia. To perform it with sufficient conviction would take enormous talent plus the kind of courage that borders on outright insanity that I think perhaps only Swinton possesses. Pacino at his best has it, and Nicolas Cage--but among women...nope, only Swinton. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:18 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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| Gromit -- I don't know how much mileage is on the Films I Hate thread (it was added since I left (as Bart)), but sounds like LLV could be a juicy topic over there. I remember seeing it and knowing I would not be up for a repeat viewing. But now I'm curious why I felt that way, it's been enough years, so maybe I am up for a repeat viewing. I'm sort of tickled by the whole notion of someone viewing a film they hate, for the express purpose of discussing it with both haters and nonhaters. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:39 am |
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I haven't seen Julia so I just picked a popular actress with sort of a similar look as Swinton. I'm not sure what you are saying Billy. Are you saying that Kidman could have been a good Julia. Maybe, she can be good in the role of a crazy person.
I have to go to the Hated Films forum. I just remembered one I hated. I'll have to check if I wrote about it already. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:46 am |
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| Oh well, I already wrote about it on Films I hate. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 10:57 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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marantzo wrote: Are you saying that Kidman could have been a good Julia.
No, no, a thousand times no. I'm saying that not only would Kidman suck in the role, so would probably most actresses besides Tilda Swinton. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 11:48 am |
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I see.
I'm reminded of another movie I hate. And i don't think I wrote about this one. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:55 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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I was watching a musical entitled Presenting Lily Mars in which Lily stalks Broadway producer John Thornway in hopes of becoming an actress. I was reminded a bit of the trailers of All About Steve and wondered if restraining orders didn't exist in the 1940s. Lily has three younger sisters and at least one brother, mostly annoying; at one point she shows up at Thornway's with the youngest sister and acts like the little girl is Thornway's daughter. Thornway knows this is a sort of audition, but the conversation is overheard to produce some comedy later. (I note that if the little girl was really Thornway's daughter, he'd be guilty of statutory rape, since Lily is 19 and her sister is about six.)
Spoilers: Eventually Lily does follow Thornway to Broadway, and he takes pity on here, even giving her a minor part in his new musical, which actually looks pretty bad, including the songs. Except, Lily at one point is performing at a club, and picks one of the pseudo-Russian songs, imitating the lead actress, and actually sings the mediocre song very well. Unfortunately the lead actress comes into the audience and is offended, especially since Thornway is enthusiastic. She walks out and Lily is the new lead.
At this point, Lily is Ruby Keeler in 42nd Street, but the movie takes a different turn. Lily does not wow everybody at this point, she is awful, because she has no stage experience. Eventually Thornway makes up with the original lead, and puts Lily back into her minor part. The scene where he explains this to her is the best in the movie. Eventually, Lily proves a trooper and goes on to be a star once she's had more experience. The final medley is really good, including the standard, "Three O'Clock in the Morning." Love wins out in the absence of restraining orders.
Anyway, I got to watching because I was surprised to see a youngiish James Cagney in the movie, and he would have been surprised too because he was Van Heflin, a year or so after his supporting Oscar. Lily is an unusually blonde Judy Garland, and, despite being a demented stalker for a good part of the movie, does have some good scenes. The movie as a whole is surprisingly annoying in its comic scenes, especially those involving the younger sisters. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 2:22 pm |
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| I think I'll pass. But I am a sucker for those old cornball movies. The younger sisters might really put me off though. Nothing worse in a film than annoying children. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2010 3:04 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Syd wrote:
At this point, Lily is Ruby Keeler in 42nd Street, but the movie takes a different turn. Lily does not wow everybody at this point, she is awful.
Sort of like the real-life Ruby Keeler was in 42nd Street. Can you say "Mrs. Al Nepotism Jolson?" |
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