Review
A Beautiful Mind
- Director
- Ron Howard
- Year
- 2001
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, February 28, 2002
My story with this movie is actually kind of funny. I wanted to see it from the moment it was announced that it was going to be made. Everything sounded perfect to me and the fact that it went on to become a critical and mass success, simply became the extra bonus for my expectations to sour to unprecedented levels.
John Nash (Russell Crowe) is a mathematician who gets a scholarship at Princeton and struggles hard to come up with a truly original idea that would put him on the map. He also has a hard time because of his strange attitude and personality. His life completely changes when he meets Alicia (Jennifer Connelly), a beautiful student with whom he forms a relationship and who will be pivotal in his battle with a terrible disease that puts his sanity in jeopardy.
A Beautiful Mind is a movie that has it all. It works as a psychological thriller, as a romance, as a biography and as a character study. Akiva Goldsman’s wonderful script and Ron Howard’s assured direction do wonders in bringing this real-life story to the big-screen in such a compelling way. To be honest, a movie about a struggling mathematician could have been boring as hell, yet you’ll be surprised by how interesting and entertaining it turns out to be.
John Nash is not precisely the most sympathetic person out there. He is difficult to be around and does not strike you as a likable fellow at first sight. Still we fall for him. We get to know him from the inside and can see his suffering and his strength to go on with the help of his wife. That’s what love can do when it’s that strong. It isn’t always passion and romance, but also pain and suffering.
This relationship between John and Alice is also magical. There’s a saying, which states that behind every great man there’s always a great woman. That’s especially true when you look at the Nashes’s story. It’s impressive to see how Alicia always stood by her man even if she arguably suffered more than he did. That “umbrella” scene was my definite favorite because of the way it ungloved so many things in so special ways.
Russell Crowe, one of the most talented actors working nowadays, gives yet again an impressively impeccable performance. He never falls into easy traps and there’s never a hint at overacting. He simply becomes the character and delivers a believable portrayal of a man under these particular circumstances. Jennifer Connelly, on the other hand, stands up to him while also looking gorgeous. Supporting performances by Paul Bettany, Ed Harris and Christopher Plummer are also first-rate.
To sum it all up I can’t forget mentioning James Horner’s haunting score, Roger Deakins’s wonderful cinematography and whoever is responsible for one of the most believable make-up jobs I’ve ever seen. In a few words, this is a story worth being told.
“Perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift is to discover a beautiful heart.”
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Good Weekend
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Thursday, February 28, 2002
Two new movies are hitting theaters in the first weekend of March. They are very different from each other and they both show promise, so I guess this makes it a good weekend.
We Were Soldiers – Mel Gibson takes the Vietnam War in a movie about the first big battle American troops faced there. The movie is receiving mostly enthusiastic reviews, which makes it difficult to understand what a first-rate war movie is doing getting released in this specific month. Then again, the movie does have its detractors and audiences may be getting tired of war movies, so we’ll see...
40 Days and 40 Nights – Josh Hartnett plays a man who gives up sex or any kind of sexual-related pleasure for Lent. Thus his life becomes hell, specially when he falls in love. Although premises don’t get as stupid as this, the movie is said to be fun and well-done. It certainly is not another of many morone teen flicks.
So there you go. Have fun at the movies!!!
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Review
The Pink Panther
- Director
- Blake Edwards
- Year
- 1963
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Wednesday, February 27, 2002
An evasive and elegant jewel thief, “The Phantom” (David Niven), plans his next hit which consists in stealing the allegedly finest diamond in the world, the “Pink Panther,” owned by Princess Dala (Claudia Cardinale). Aided by the wife of Inspector Clouseau (Capucine and Peter Sellers, respectively), he begins his scheme.
Clouseau, obsessed with finding his quarry since his very first theft, doesn’t realize how close he is to the bandit—or the fact that his wife is his enemy’s main accomplice… and lover.
This funny (if not
very funny) jewel haste comedy features for the first time the very acclaimed Inspector Clouseau, though he is not the only attraction, or the main character. This film is more a classic introduction than a classic itself, featuring also the beloved “Pink Panther” character (appearing for the first time in the opening credits) and the Henry Mancini score that became a vital part of our culture.
Some scenes are quite haunting, beautifully photographed in gorgeous European landscapes. Watch out for that chase scene!
David Niven is at his best, Cardinale irresistible, Sellers real funny and everything around them makes up for an easy-going, pleasant environment. Overall, the experience is rewarding—especially after the riotous finale.
“One more outburst like that and I'll have your stripes!”
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Review
Evita
- Director
- Alan Parker
- Year
- 1996
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, February 26, 2002
I remember watching this movie the day it came out. As it happened, I had already bought the soundtrack and I already knew all the songs by heart. It was funny because everyone kept telling me to keep quiet. I just couldn’t stop singing, but then again, who could blame me?
Evita is the movie version of the successful and controversial Broadway musical which chronicles the life of Eva Duarte as she crawled her way from common country-girl to First Lady of Argentina. She ended up marrying Juan Perón (Jonathan Pryce) thus getting involved in all the politics happening at those difficult times. The story is told from the perspective of Ché (Antonio Banderas), a man from the people.
It is impressive to see that there’s barely any line of dialogue spoken throughout the movie. It is all sung and implied. It’s a rare device, but one that works perfectly on this case. I mean, who would complain? The music and the songs are simply breathtaking.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, with their score and lyrics, created something of magnificent proportions. It’s all given full justice by Alan Parker and the way he blended their music to those beautiful images of drama and tragedy. It’s haunting and fun.
Behind the spectacle lies the story of a woman who is not given the best of portrayals by these men. According to some people Eva slept her way to the top and that’s not something Argentineans love to hear. I don’t blame them, but at least Evita is not sanctified and they give us the full perspective so we can make up our minds however we want. She did extraordinary things as well, so who’s to blame her?
Madonna put a lot of herself into this role and I must say she succeeded admirably. She gives a fearful, no-boundaries performance that’s easily the best thing she’s ever done in the big screen. She sings and dances and never stops surprising with her acting. But credit should also go to a splendid Jonathan Pryce and to Antonio Banderas, who almost steals the movie from everyone else and also shows an excellent ability to sing.
Darius Khondji’s cinematography deserves a special mention because it is simply gorgeous. Also, a new song was composed specially for the movie and it went on to win an Oscar. It’s called “You Must Love Me” and I think it’s the most beautiful of all. Overall,
Evita is impeccable in any technical aspect. It’s great to find that there’s an appealing story going on as well.
Evita: “Your act hasn’t changed much.”
Agustín Magaldi: “Neither has yours.”
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2001 Eddie Awards
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Monday, February 25, 2002
The American Cinema Editors just handed out their Eddie Awards to conmemorate the best editing work of the year. They're the most important organization in this respect, so congratulations to the winners for their extraordinary work:
Best Edited Dramatic Feature
Pietro Scalia,
Black Hawk Down
Best Edited Comedy or Musical Feature
Jill Bilcock,
Moulin Rouge!
Golden Eddie for Filmmaker of the Year
Barry Levinson
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BAFTA Awards 2001
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Monday, February 25, 2002
The BAFTA Awards have just been handed out at a big ceremony in London where many stars attended. They are considered to be the British Oscars and do influence the race for the Academy Award. As
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring sweeped it now has a tad more chances, but the battle is still going. Also suprising was odds-on favorite
Amélie losing in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Check out the results:
Best Film:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Best Director: Peter Jackson –
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Best Actor: Russell Crowe –
A Beautiful Mind
Best Actress: Judi Dench –
Iris
Best Supporting Actor: Jim Broadbent –
Moulin Rouge!
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Connelly –
A Beautiful Mind
Best Special Visual Effects:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Best Make Up and Hair:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music:
Moulin Rouge!
Best Sound:
Moulin Rouge!
Best Original Screenplay:
Amélie
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Shrek
Best British Film:
Gosford Park
Best Production Design:
Amélie
Best Cinematography:
The Man Who Wasn't There
Best Editing:
Mulholland Drive
Best Foreign Language Film:
Amores Perros
Best Costume Design:
Gosford Park
Best Short Film:
About A Girl
Best Animated Short:
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Box Office Results
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Sunday, February 24, 2002
Aaliyah led the box office this weekend as her last movie topped the charts with a solid opening. Kevin Costner, on the other hand, did just ok. No much movement on the list, except for
Black Hawk Down crossing the 100-million mark despite ending up in 11th place.
- The Queen of the Damned
- $15.1M, $15.1M total - John Q
- $12.5M, $39.8M total - Dragonfly - $10.4M, $10.4M total
- Return To Neverland - $9M, $27.2M total
- Crossroads - $7.1M, $26.2M total
- Big Fat Liar - $6.7M, $33.6M total
- A Beautiful Mind
- $5.2M, $132.6M total - Hart's War - $4.5M, $13.8M total
- Super Troopers - $3.9M, $12.4M total
- Collateral Damage - $3.7M, $34.4M total
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Resurgence in the air
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Friday, February 22, 2002
After a quite busy weekend last time around, it’s time to cool down a bit and greet only two new movies waiting for you to be judged.
Queen of the Damned – This is another attempt to bring one of Anne Rice’s novels to the big screen. It certainly isn’t as high-profile as
Interview with the Vampire was, but it’s got some interesting stuff of it own. To start off, late singer Aaliyah plays the title character. Much has been said about the movie since she died, but it finally is hitting screens. So is it any good? Well, not quite. The response has been mild at best, even for Aaliyah, who is said to have quite limited screen time.
Dragonfly – A new Kevin Costner movie, a new flop? Well, at least that’s what we’re thinking, but you never know with audiences. The reaction has been dreadful as always, but the trailer has been playing a lot lately, and it’s suspense angle might attract some people. One thing’s for sure: this is not the movie that is bringing him back to unconditional stardom.
And there you go. Now it’s up to you. Have fun!
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Review
Natural Born Killers
- Director
- Oliver Stone
- Year
- 1994
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, February 21, 2002
I don’t think I would be exaggerating by calling
Natural Born Killers one of the most controversial movies ever made. When it was released it caused a stir like no other we’d ever seen. Thousands walked out of theaters even before the title appeared onscreen. It went from complete admiration to total hatred. So what was all the fuzz about?
Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis) were born for each other. They both had a troubled childhood involving domestic violence and abuse, so when they finally meet it’s like a bomb exploding. Suddenly wherever they go people end up assassinated for no apparent reason and Mickey and Mallory become famous. Of course, the media has a lot to do with this and a TV host (Robert Downey Jr.) will stop at nothing to get the premise of the story. Meanwhile a detective (Tom Sizemore) is hunting them down so they can’t be able to keep going.
While I was watching this movie a lot of thoughts came to my mind. What exactly did Oliver Stone want to say? Is the movie supposed to be a social satire? Is it supposed to be so violent on purpose? Is there any reason the movie has to be so difficult to sit through? I guess the answer is ‘yes’ to all my questions, yet I still don’t think the movie accomplishes everything it intends to.
Stone makes a point about the role the media plays following tragic events performed by troubled people. The second half of the movie happens in a prison where a violent riot is about to happen. You won’t believe what the character of Downey’s character goes through in there. And worst of all, it isn’t that far from reality. It’s scary and the statement is clear.
The movie is also chaotic, loud, unappealing, strangely edited and kind of propagandistic in a bad way. Stone chooses madness over coherence and the ride is more of a hallucinatory dream than a movie experience.
The acting, on the other hand, is good. It’s difficult to believe Woody and Juliette didn’t have a hard time creating these characters. I would go as far as saying the experience must have affected their personal lives one way or another, but of course I know nothing of the sort. It’s just speculation based on what I saw and the twisted nature of Mickey and Mallory. Robert Downey Jr. and Tommy Lee Jones, as the prison chief, do an excellent job.
Even if you don’t like this movie you have to credit Oliver Stone for having the guts to do it. It’s a rough approach, yet I think everything was intended for something. Whether he succeeded or not depends on each individual’s point of view. From where I stand it’s a mixed bag...
“We’re not killing anybody on our wedding day.”
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Review
The Hidden Fortress
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Year
- 1958
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Wednesday, February 20, 2002
A runaway Princess (Misa Uehara) is pursued by an evil Empire in order to execute her and gain full power. Her only hope is to find a way back to her kingdom, carrying a treasure that will help restore her domains. Two clumsy misfits (Minoru Chiaki and Kamatari Fujiwara) stumble into the treasure and have no choice but to aid the Princess and her loyal servant, General Rokurota (Toshiro Mifune), which they gladly do—hoping to run away with the gold, eventually.
Pleasant comedy/adventure, this is one of Kurosawa’s lighter epics, though it’s still profound in many ways. Especially memorable today for being the main source of inspiration for George Lucas’s
Star Wars (1977) (the whole futuristic trilogy borrows bits from it), it has probably influenced more films than we are aware of.
The performances are all good, including Mifune in a typically deadpan character, and Chiaki and Fujiwara making up for a great comic relief, as their characters continuously attempt to steal the gold, though their conscience and their instinct of self-preservation usually stop them.
A good way to begin with Kurosawa for those who don’t know his films, a better one to have a great time for those who do, this was one of the Japanese Master’s favorite works.
The festival of the fire is unforgettable.
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Review
Sexy Beast
- Director
- Jonathan Glazer
- Year
- 2001
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, February 19, 2002
It’s sad to realize not many people will actually get to see this little movie. I honestly saw it only because of the recognition Ben Kingsley is receiving, but that’s not something many people know. I really hope an Oscar nomination will sour some interest in it, because it certainly deserves it.
Retired criminal Gal (Ray Winstone) is now living in Spain with his lovely wife (Amanda Redman). He’s also got a couple of friends living over there, Aitch (Cavan Kendall) and Jackie (Julianne White). Life is good until psychotic gangster Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) comes back into their lives by trying to convince Gal to be part of a dangerous job in London.
Sexy Beast is a British noir in the best sense of the word. A character-driven thriller whose principal menace comes in the form of a man we’ve never seen before yet we fear even before he appears onscreen. It’s the tale of a man trying to live by a promise he made. A man trying to keep his dignity even when it’s almost impossible to do so. A man who only wants peace, but the more he yearns for it the more he loses the battle.
Jonathan Glazer, the director, creates a very tense atmosphere by having his character sit down and talk. He’s got a unique visual style and creates some memorable scenes out of very original uses of water. Let me explain: early on there’s an amusing sequence involving a pool that’ll leave you breathless; later on one of the most original robberies ever committed to celluloid happens underwater. You have to see it to believe it. Black comedy at its best.
Now, this movie would not be what it is if it weren’t for the work of its actors. Let me cut to the chase: Ben Kingsley deserves every single bit of recognition he’s been getting by playing a character that could be considered the anti-Ghandi. Ironic, isn’t it? Since we first see him walking through the airport we know we’re in for a tour-de-force performance. The most amazing thing is the way Kingsley transforms this man from a one-note character to a full-bodied villain. He’s extraordinary.
And yes, Ray Winstone is just as good as the troubled man trying to keep it together but failing miserably in doing so.
Overall a pretty good movie!
“I won’t let you be happy, why should I?”
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Box Office Results
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Tuesday, February 19, 2002
It was a crowded weekend and it paid off. Denzel, Britney and Peter Pan had strong results, while Bruce and those state troopers couldn't outperform the competition and had a mild debut.
On the other hand, movies with multiple Oscar nominatiosn enjoyed a boost at the box office.
A Beautiful Mind did 35% better than last week, while
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring increased its last cume on a 38% basis. That wasn't enough to bring it back to the top 10 though, although it might still cross the 300-million mark. That's specially after today's announcements that the trailer for the second installment of the saga will debut in mid-March along the last copies of the movie. We'll see how that works.
It was also announced today that
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has now become the second highest-grossing movie of all time. It has collected $926.1 million worlwide opposite the $922.8 million that
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace did a couple of years ago. The record is still held by
Titanic, which did 1.8 billion overall.
- John Q - $20.6M, $20.6M total
- Crossroads - $14.6M, $14.6M total
- Return To Neverland - $11.8M, $11.8M total
- Collateral Damage - $9M, $28.5M total
- Big Fat Liar - $8.7M, $22.2M total
- A Beautiful Mind - $8.5M, $124.7M total
- Hart's War - $8.2M, $8.2M total
- Super Troopers - $6.2M, $6.2M total
- Black Hawk Down - $6.2M, $95.4M total
- Snow Dogs
- $5.8M, $67.2M total
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Review
Wuthering Heights
- Director
- William Wyler
- Year
- 1939
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Monday, February 18, 2002
A gypsy orphan is found in Liverpool and brought home by Mr. Earnshaw (Cecil Kellaway). The child is christened Heathcliff and treated like part of the family, which earns him the love of his foster sister Cathy and the hatred of his foster brother Hindley. When Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley decides that Heathcliff will be one more servant, which enrages the kid. Only his great love for Cathy keeps him there, little knowing that, eventually, destiny will force him to change the way of his life and of everyone around as well.
Loving adaptation of the famous Emily Brontë novel of doomed love, this one is undoubtedly the most characteristic and prettiest of all, featuring astonishing photography by Gregg Toland and a gorgeous score by Alfred Newman. The cast is perfect, with Laurence Olivier a good-looking but deadly passionate Heathcliff, Merle Oberon his worldly soul mate Cathy. David Niven is perfectly cast as Edgar, the suffering neighbor. His innocent sister, Isabella, is portrayed to perfection by Geraldine Fitzgerald.
Gothic and dramatic, this Hollywood classic centers in the story of Heathcliff and Cathy and completely eliminates the existence of their children from the novel. However, the film is perfectly written, interpreting Heathcliff as a suffering soul rather than a revengeful one. The only other drastic change from the novel is the fate of Isabella, which in a way improves the impact of her character in the movie. Heathcliff’s fate is unforgettable, as are most scenes he shares with Cathy.
Ghostly, moody, beautiful.
“Haunt me, then! Haunt your murderer! Take any form! Drive me mad! I cannot live without my life! I cannot die without my soul!”
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2002 Berlin Film Festival Awards
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Sunday, February 17, 2002
The 2002 edition of the Berlin Film Festival has come to an end. Along with those of Cannes and Venice, this is one of the most important and prestigious film festivals there are.
As for their awards, this was a rare year where there was a tie for the Golden Bear (not to mention the fact that one of them is an animated movie). I'm also happy to see Halle win.
GOLDEN BEAR award for Best Film (tie)
Bloody Sunday
Spirited Away
SILVER BEAR for Best Actor
Jacques Gamblin,
Safe Conduct
SILVER BEAR for Best Actress
Halle Berry,
Monster's Ball
SILVER BEAR for Best Director
Georgian Otar Iosseliani,
Monday Morning
SILVER BEAR for music
Antoine Duhamel,
Safe Conduct
Individual artistic contribution to the ensemble of actresses
8 Femmes
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Holiday Weekend
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Friday, February 15, 2002
It’s Presidents Day Weekend and an unusual number of movies are getting released. If you can’t decide what to see, keep reading and find out:
John Q – Denzel Washington, hot from his latest Oscar nomination, is back with a movie with a strong social commentary. No matter in what side you’re in, the movie is getting a mixed response which highly depends on your tolerance for manipulation, which seems to be the strong point of it all. Then again, Denzel is good. We already knew that.
Hart’s War – This one’s a WWII movie starring Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell. It kind of focuses on a trial and is full of suspense and double-crosses. It is also getting a mixed response, although it’s said to be interesting and entertaining.
Crossroads – Britney Spears debuts on the big screen with this teen romantic comedy about three friends going cross-country. Critics are not being really kind to it. Let’s see what people think.
Return to Neverland – The sequel to the classic
Peter Pan movie is here and it’s not any good either. People are saying it should’ve been direct-to-video, yet Disney is trying to cash on it.
Super Troopers – This slapstick comedy about five super troopers originally premiered at some film festivals and got an enthusiastic response. It has an unknown cast, but now that it is getting a wide release critics are not being as kind to it as we expected.
So there you go. Many releases yet nothing widely acclaimed. Too bad, but you could still have fun watching some of your favorite actors!
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Review
Ocean's Eleven
- Director
- Steven Soderbergh
- Year
- 2001
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, February 14, 2002
This movie needs no introduction. A remake of the 1960 Rat Pack movie of the same name, this version shares one thing in common: a stellar cast. If you add director Steven Soderbergh on the mix nothing could possibly go wrong right? Right!
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) has just got out of jail. He now plans to knock off three of Las Vegas biggest casinos in one night. He’s crazy, but nevertheless manages to convince ten other guys to help him. They include his old pal Rusty (Brad Pitt), Linus (Matt Damon), Saul (Carl Reiner), Reuben (Elliot Gould), Frankie (Bernie Mac), Virgil (Casey Affleck), Yen (Shaobo Qin), Turk (Scott Caan), Basher (Don Cheadle) and Livingston (Edward Jemison), who are each experts in some area. They’re actually stealing from Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), the owner of the casinos who happens to be dating Danny’s ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts).
There’s not too much profundity or depth to find in
Ocean’s Eleven. As a matter of fact there’s none. This is a movie specially made to entertain. It’s a movie you can see to have as much fun as it looks the actors are having on-screen. It’s a movie that exudes charisma and star quality. How better can it get?
Well, it also has a solid storyline that starts off rather slow but keeps up building until the actual heist happens. I must say the actual robbery is impressively performed. Kudos should go to the guys who came up with it and for Soderbergh, who managed to keep everything under control and made sense out of these very complicated sequences. Twists and turns abound as our anti-heroes perform their carefully constructed plan.
The movie’s also got a great sense of humor. There are a lot of funny gags at every corner and overall it’s a satisfying experience.
The actors all do a great job and it’s amazing how they all fit into this ensemble so smoothly. Clooney and Pitt are as cool as ever. Andy Garcia is excellent as the supposed villain. Julia Roberts has a small but pivotal role and she lights up the screen. Matt Damon takes on a subtler role than usual and comes off unscathed. Affleck and Caan provide good comic relief. And was it just I or did Don Cheadle sport an English accent? Even
that was fun!
“Are you in or are you out?”
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Review
Croupier
- Director
- Mike Hodges
- Year
- 1998
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, February 12, 2002
Even though I’ve been waiting to see this movie since it was actually made, it’s only four years later that I got the chance to. The reason is simple: it was amazingly acclaimed to the point it nearly made it to the Oscars. The problem was that they discovered the movie had played on television in a European country before its U.S. release and that was against the rules. Now that I see it in perspective I don’t think it would have gotten too many nominations, but maybe its screenplay deserved some kind of recognition.
Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) is a struggling writer who ends up working as a croupier once again because of financial troubles and also because of his need to find something to write about. Jack likes to observe people and the movie is about life seen through his eyes as he gets involved with a mysterious South African woman (Alex Kingston) that puts in jeopardy not only his relationship with his girlfriend (Gina McKee), but maybe his very life.
Croupier works in many levels. The most fascinating aspect of it is the amount of information we learn about working in a casino and about being a casino dealer. I was amazed by the whole panorama and had never seen something quite like this.
On the other hand
Croupier plays like a thriller with a very interesting man in the middle. There’s more to him than meets the eye. He doesn’t gamble, you see, but at the end of the movie we come to realize that all he’s been doing is gambling with his own life. He might be an observant, but his life is far more turbulent than it seems.
The movie is filled with great touches of black comedy in the form of Jack’s thoughts (which we can hear through voiceover narration). He’s got a wry, clever sense of humor that’s irresistible.
Now, even after all this praise, I do think the movie might be a little overrated. I don’t know if I was expecting more from it or what, but at the end I thought it was a highly enjoyable experience with a very intelligent script and that’s about it. Original? Yes. Different? Yes. A classic? No... Worthy of cult status? Maybe.
Oh, and I better not forget to mention the extraordinary central performance by Clive Owen, who was discovered by American audiences through this movie and is now doing a lot of good work in high-profile movies. He’s enigmatic, cold and dead-on perfect in every aspect the character required.
This is a solid step in Mike Hodges career.
“Hold on tightly, let go lightly”
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Commentary on the Oscar Nominations
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Tuesday, February 12, 2002
Ok, so I’ve finally had the time to digest this year’s Oscar nominations and boy am I happy! No really controversial move, no movie coming out of nowhere to anger people. It all went smoothly. And yes, there were surprises as there
always are.
As for my predictions, I’m happy to say I did pretty well! 26 out of 30, which translates into a healthy 86% correct. This is a score I also did last year, so at least my record is intact. The ladies really helped, as I got the actress and supporting actress categories dead-on perfect. Cool!
And now let’s go over some categories to find deeper meaning:
Best Picture: So
Gosford Park did it and I couldn’t be happier. I want to see this movie so bad it hurts. As for the rest of the list... fantastic. I’ve only seen two of them and they rule. The others sound great as well.
Best Actor: Another nomination for Sean Penn yet he’ll certainly not attend and just blast off about the Oscars at every interview. I respect the guy and he certainly deserves the recognition, I just think it would be awesome to see him at the ceremony sometime. Then again, this is the first time in history that two black actors are nominated in this category. Pretty good!
Best Actress: Renee did it! You have no idea how happy I am for here!!! She absolutely deserves to be in the list for her fantastic comedic performance, something the Academy barely singles out. Way to go Renee! Oh, and even though this may sound like an old story because it was definitely expected, I’m also happy for Nicole Kidman because she’s finally getting a nomination, something I think should have happened twice before, but hey, who am I after all? Halle, Judi, Sissy, I love these women!
Best Supporting Actor: Poor Steve Buscemi. He finally had the chance and lost it. At least we know he’ll continue delivering top-notch performances in the future. And Ethan Hawke? Where did he come from? When he was nominated for a SAG award no one saw it coming. This is for me the real underdog of this year’s race. I’ve seen
Training Day and never in my mind did I think his performance was Oscar-worthy. Still, he was great in it and he’s a great guy, so good for him. I’m also happy to see Ian McKellen on the list. Indeed, he was born to play Gandalf.
Best Supporting Actress: I could cry about Cameron Diaz. She should really be here but I wouldn’t know whom to take out of the list. From my point of view, this is the third time the Academy has snubbed her but I’m hopeful that someday she’ll get what she deserves (Oscar-wise) just as it is happening this year with Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger. On the other hand we have two nominees from the same movie, something that is not new yet it hadn’t happened in a couple of years. And the best thing here is: Marisa Tomei!!! God, I hope all her detractors will finally shut up and realize she’s a great actress and she’s capable of giving a lot. ‘nough said!
Best Director: This is a funny situation. I went on a limb and predicted this year’s best directors would be three guys with best picture nominees and two other ones, yet I got them mixed up. It was David Lynch and Ridley Scott who managed to get in the list without their movies being singled out. I’m shocked that Baz Luhrmann was left out. I think that’s what I hated the most in the top categories, but then again, one can’t have it all.
Best Foreign Film: This will be a battle between
Amélie and
No Man’s Land. To tell you the truth I hadn’t heard of the other nominees and it’s rather impressive that some other better-known movies such as
The Son’s Room or
The Piano Teacher didn’t snag a nomination. Unpredictable.
Best Adapted Screenplay: A welcomed surprise in
Shrek’s nomination. I don’t really know, but an animated movie getting a nod here is not something you see so often. It comes to prove the quality of the film.
Best Song: This is a category I always look forward to, yet this year I’m overly disappointed. Songs for
Monsters, Inc.,
Pearl Harbor and
Vanilla Sky didn’t meet my expectations, and I haven’t heard Sting’s one. I just hope Enya wins. After all, the best song of the year wasn’t eligible and it’s a pity. I’m talking about
Moulin Rouge!’s “Come What May”.
Best Score: Another category I always anxiously await. I’m really happy to see John Williams’s name twice on the list. Both scores were hands-down extraordinary. It’s also great to see James Horner and Howard Shore in there. But wait, Randy Newman for
Monsters, Inc.? That surprised me. I thought they would go with Craig Armstrong for
Moulin Rouge! or Hans Zimmer for
Pearl Harbor. Anyway...
Best Animated Film: The first year we’ve got this category and I’m glad because I wouldn’t have stood
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius not getting an Oscar nod. It would’ve been blasphemy! So as I was saying, this is entirely a battle between
Shrek and
Monsters, Inc. It will be a quite interesting one you see, since
Shrek has always been believed to be the front-runner, yet if you give the nominations a close look you’ll see it only has 2 of them in contrast to 4 that went to those funny monsters. It makes one think.
Best Editing: So happy to see
Memento getting a nod here
and for Best Original Screenplay.
Best Make-Up: I don’t usually care a lot about this category but this year something peculiar has happened: the three pictures singled out are actually Best Picture nominees. Now, when have you seen that happening? It’s always blockbusters and big movies that get in there. That’s why it’s even more shocking not to see Rick Baker’s
Planet of the Apes work recognized. Too bad.
Best Sound Editing: Now, for me the best sound-edited movie of the year was..... Just kidding! Just as it happened last year, only two movies were nominated in this category. I wonder why that happens but at least both make sense.
Best Visual Effects: The right movies are here.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence,
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and
Pearl Harbor, impeccable eye-opening visual effects in all of them.
As for other interesting facts it should be noted that
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring joins a couple more movies that stand in second place at the all-time list of movies with the most nominations. It got one less than the record held by
Titanic and
All About Eve.
Also, a live-action musical had not been nominated for Best Picture since 1979 when
All That Jazz was up for it. This is something really rare folks!
It's also since 1972 that three black actors were nominated in the Best Actor/Actress categories.
Two movies have three nominated actors in different categories:
Iris and
In The Bedroom.
Surprisingly enough in the past five years Judi Dench has only failed to snag an Oscar nomination in 1999. Also, it is Russell Crowe's third back-to-back nomination which could very well translate into a back-to-back win.
Eight out of 20 acting nominations went for British actors, two went for Australians and the other half went for Americans.
John Williams’s two nominations are his fortieth and forty-first respectively.
And that’s about it! We’re a month away from the actual Oscar ceremony and a lot of talk will happen between now and then. It’s an unstoppable race that’s just beginning!
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Oscar Nominations 2001
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Tuesday, February 12, 2002
The Academy Award nominations have just been announced and here's the complete list! Expect some more comments during the day.
Here we go:
BEST PICTURE
Moulin Rouge!
A Beautiful Mind
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Gosford Park
In The Bedroom
BEST DIRECTOR
Ron Howard,
A Beautiful Mind
Peter Jackson,
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
David Lynch,
Mullholand Drive
Robert Altman,
Gosford Park
Ridley Scott,
Black Hawk Down
BEST ACTOR
Denzel Washington,
Training Day
Russell Crowe,
A Beautiful Mind
Will Smith,
Ali
Tom Wilkinson,
In The Bedroom
Sean Penn,
I Am Sam
BEST ACTRESS
Nicole Kidman,
Moulin Rouge!
Halle Berry,
Monster’s Ball
Sissy Spacek,
In The Bedroom
Judi Dench,
Iris
Renee Zellweger,
Bridget Jones's Diary
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jim Broadbent,
Iris
Ben Kingsley,
Sexy Beast
Jon Voight,
Ali
Ian McKellen,
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Ethan Hawke,
Training Day
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Connelly,
A Beautiful Mind
Helen Mirren,
Gosford Park
Marisa Tomei,
In The Bedroom
Kate Winslet,
Iris
Maggie Smith,
Gosford Park
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Monsters, Inc.
Shrek
BEST FOREIGN FILM
Amélie (France)
Elling (Norway)
Lagaan (India)
No Man's Land (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Son of the Bride (Argentina)
BEST SCREENPLAY (written based on material previously produced or published)
Akiva Goldsman,
A Beautiful Mind
Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff,
Ghost World
Rob Festinger and Todd Field,
In the Bedroom
Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson,
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Joe Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman,
Shrek
BEST SCREENPLAY (written directly for the screen)
Guillaume Laurant and Jean-Pierre Jeunet,
Amélie
Julian Fellowes,
Gosford Park
Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan,
Memento
Milo Addica and Will Rokos,
Monster's Ball
Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson,
The Royal Tenenbaums
BEST ART DIRECTION
Amélie
Gosford Park
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Moulin Rouge!
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Amélie
Black Hawk Down
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Man Who Wasn't There
Moulin Rouge!
BEST SOUND
Amélie from Montmartre
Black Hawk Down
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Moulin Rouge!
Pearl Harbor
BEST SOUND EDITING
Monsters, Inc.
Pearl Harbor
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
John Williams,
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
James Horner,
A Beautiful Mind
John Williams,
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Howard Shore,
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Randy Newman,
Monsters, Inc.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"If I Didn't Have You" from
Monsters, Inc. - Randy Newman
"May It Be" from
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Enya, Nicky Ryan and Roma Ryan
"There You'll Be" from
Pearl Harbor - Diane Warren
"Until" from
Kate & Leopold - Sting
"Vanilla Sky" from
Vanilla Sky - Paul McCartney.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Affair of the Necklace
Gosford Park
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Moulin Rouge!
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
BEST FILM EDITING
A Beautiful Mind
Black Hawk Down
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Memento
Moulin Rouge!
BEST MAKEUP
A Beautiful Mind
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Moulin Rouge!
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Children Underground
LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton
Murder on a Sunday Morning
Promises
War Photographer
BEST DOCUMENTARY (short subject)
Artists and Orphans: A True Drama
Sing!
Thoth
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Fifty Percent Grey
For the Birds
Give Up Yer Aul Sins
Strange Invaders
Stubble Trouble
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
the accountant
Copy Shop
Gregor's Greatest Invention
A Man Thing (Meska Sprawa)
Speed for Thespians
Number of nominations per movie:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - 13
A Beautiful Mind - 8
Moulin Rouge! - 8
Gosford Park - 7
Amélie from Montmartre - 5
In The Bedroom - 5
Black Hawk Down - 4
Monsters, Inc. - 4
Pearl Harbor - 4
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2001 Razzie Nominations
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Monday, February 11, 2002
As tradition goes, it is one day before the Oscar nominations are announced that the Razzies come to balance things up by highlighting the worst of the year. The usual suspects are back and some obvious choices are not missing. Still there are surprises. Check out the list and have some fun:
Worst Picture
Freddy Got Fingered
Driven
Glitter
Pearl Harbor
3000 Miles to Graceland
Worst Actor
Ben Affleck (
Pearl Harbor)
Kevin Costner (
3000 Miles to Graceland)
Tom Green (
Freddy Got Fingered)
Keanu Reeves (
Hardball,
Sweet November)
John Travolta (
Domestic Disturbance,
Swordfish)
Worst Actress
Mariah Carey (
Glitter)
Penelopé Cruz (
Blow,
Captain Corelli's Mandolin,
Vanilla Sky)
Angelina Jolie (
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,
Original Sin)
Jennifer Lopez (
Angel Eyes,
The Wedding Planner)
Charlize Theron (
Sweet November)
Worst Screen Couple
Ben Affleck and either Kate Beckinsale or Josh Hartnett (
Pearl Harbor)
Mariah Carey's cleavage (
Glitter)
Tom Green and any animal he abuses (
Freddy Got Fingered)
Burt Reynolds and Sylvester Stallone (
Driven)
Kurt Russell and either Kevin Costner or Courteney Cox Arquette (
3000 Miles to Graceland)
Worst Supporting Actor
Max Beesley (
Glitter)
Charlton Heston (
Cats and Dogs,
Planet of the Apes)
Burt Reynolds (
Driven)
Sylvester Stallone (
Driven)
Rip Torn (
Freddy Got Fingered)
Worst Supporting Actress
Drew Barrymore (
Freddy Got Fingered)
Courteney Cox Arquette (
3000 Miles to Graceland)
Julie Hagerty (
Freddy Got Fingered)
Goldie Hawn (
Town and Country)
Estella Warren (
Driven,
Planet of the Apes)
Worst Remake or Sequel
Crocodile Dundee in L.A.
Jurassic Park III
Pearl Harbor
Planet of the Apes
Sweet November
Worst Director
Michael Bay (
Pearl Harbor)
Peter Chelsom with Warren Beatty (
Town and Country)
Tom Green (
Freddy Got Fingered)
Vondie Curtis Hall (
Glitter)
Renny Harlin (
Driven)
Worst Screenplay
Driven
Freddy Got Fingered
Glitter
Pearl Harbor
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Box Office Results
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Sunday, February 10, 2002
New movies took the 1st, 2nd and 3rd spots at the box office this weekend in a lackluster manner, although Arnold proved he still has it and came up victorious.
Elsewhere the list remained practically the same, with
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring notoriously absent from the top 10 for the first time in 8 weeks. Now, it will be interesting to see if it comes back next weekend after Oscar nominations are announced. The movie is expected to lead the pack, yet it will also have to face three big new releases from the likes of Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington and Britney Spears to come back. We'll see then...
- Collateral Damage - $15.1M, $15.1M total
- Big Fat Liar - $11.7M, $11.7M total
- Rollerball
- $9M, $9M total - Black Hawk Down - $8M, $86.7M total
- Snow Dogs - $6.7M, $59.5M total
- The Count of Monte Cristo - $6.3M, $32.2M total
- A Beautiful Mind - $5.8M, $112.8M total
- A Walk to Remember - $5.7M, $30.5M total
- The Mothman Prophecies - $4.9M, $28M total
- I Am Sam - $4.5M, $23.7M total
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Oscar Predictions 2001
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Sunday, February 10, 2002
Finally, it all comes down to this. After months of speculating, guessing, learning, watching and having fun the Oscar nominations are finally getting announced next week. For people like me predicting what, or who, is going to make it has always been something we always look forward to. Now that I’ve compiled my list I realized it was harder than I expected. For every category there are more or less seven options that have strong chances of getting picked. Narrowing that to five is a difficult task, yet there lies the fun and danger of it. After giving it a lot of thought I’ve finally done it and here it is:
BEST PICTURE
In The Bedroom
Moulin Rouge!
A Beautiful Mind
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Black Hawk Down
Possible:
Gosford Park,
Shrek,
Memento
Comment: The way I see it there are four locks in this category and only one of them could very well be replaced. I’m talking about
Black Hawk Down and the very very possible circumstance of
Gosford Park taking its place. The Academy always loves to highlight a light comedy, (
Chocolat anyone?), yet I think the inclusion of
Moulin Rouge! already takes that spot although there isn’t anything light about it. The great thing is this year the Academy may finally redeem itself by actually picking movies that are worthy of the recognition and that do not anger anyone. They always make some controversial move (
Chocolat again,
The Green Mile not long ago,
The Thin Red Line the year before), but somehow this year the list has come to movies that actually deserve it and that’s something I find amusing. Still, let’s not underestimate the power of Miramax and the Academy’s love for Lasse Hallstrom:
The Shipping News might very well get in there although I don’t think it’s any likely.
BEST DIRECTOR
Ron Howard,
A Beautiful Mind
Peter Jackson,
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Baz Luhrmann,
Moulin Rouge!
David Lynch,
Mullholand Drive
Robert Altman,
Gosford Park
Possible: Ridley Scott, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan
Comment: Now, here I’m doing something tricky. We all know how the Academy always picks four out of five of the directors with best picture nominees and then choose one director who has done something edgy or overly artistic to recognize him here and not anywhere else. Well, I think this year the rule may be broken and they might opt for actually choosing
two directors who do not have a movie in the most important category. These are, of course, David Lynch and Robert Altman. Something tells me it’s going to happen and even more so if
Gosford Park does get a nomination as Best Picture. If I’m mistaken and the trend continues then Ridley Scott might get in there.
BEST ACTOR
Denzel Washington,
Training Day
Russell Crowe,
A Beautiful Mind
Will Smith,
Ali
Gene Hackman,
The Royal Tenenbaums
Tom Wilkinson,
In The Bedroom
Possible: Sean Penn, Billy Bob Thornton
Comment: In my opinion this is, by far, the most difficult category to predict. The reason is simple: the are only two, TWO for God’s sake, locks. Besides Rusell Crowe and Denzel Washington no one’s a sure bet and any combination between Smith, Hackman, Wilkinson, Penn and Thornton could happen. The reason I’m leaving Penn and Thornton behind is because the first one has not been gathering as much buzz as was expected (yet his performance is extraordinarily first-rate) and the second one because he’s got two movies (
Monster's Ball and
The Man Who Wasn't There) for which he could get recognized, yet he hasn’t won anything individually for them. It was a tough call, but my guts tell me that’s what’s going to happen. In other case, I think Wilkinson is the one who might be left out.
BEST ACTRESS
Nicole Kidman,
Moulin Rouge!
Halle Berry,
Monster’s Ball
Sissy Spacek,
In The Bedroom
Judi Dench,
Iris
Renee Zellweger,
Bridget Jones's Diary
Possible: Tilda Swinton, Naomi Watts, Thora Birch
Comment: Four locks here and only one spot left opened. My picking of Renee is something quite brave and it may actually not happen. The overall opinion is that Tilda Swinton will get a nomination, but I feel the Academy will finally like to recognize Renee’s extraordinary work. Yet again, it’s likely it won’t happen. Now, if there’s an underdog who could do it that’s Naomi Watts. There’s a feeling she’ll be one of those overlooked performers who won’t make it despite deserving it. We’ll see.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jim Broadbent,
Iris
Ben Kingsley,
Sexy Beast
Steve Buscemi,
Ghost World
John Voight,
Ali
Ian McKellen,
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Possible: Hayden Christensen, Jude Law
Comment: It is a certainty that Jim Broadbent will get a nomination, we all know that. We also know that he has been singled out for
Iris at every awards show there’s been till now. I think the trend will continue, but I’m not 100% sure. If
Moulin Rouge! sweeps there’s a chance Broadbent could get a nomination for that movie. Remember Geoffrey Rush? He was nominated for
Shakespeare in Love while many (not me) believed his performance in
Elizabeth was the best of the two. Could happen folks! There’s also a slight chance of Hayden Christensen getting nommed, but I think they’ll favor Ian McKellen for a role some say he was born to play.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jennifer Connelly,
A Beautiful Mind
Helen Mirren,
Gosford Park
Marisa Tomei,
In The Bedroom
Kate Winslet,
Iris
Maggie Smith,
Gosford Park
Possible: Cameron Diaz
Comment: The way I see it, there’s only one actress who is going to get really sad come Oscar nominations day. You see, this is a battle between six actresses where only five will survive. Sadly enough, I think it is Cameron Diaz who will not make it (again!) for her eye-opening performance in
Vanilla Sky. She has received critical acclaim all over the place, but the buzz has been slowing down as of lately, specially after the resurgence of
Gosford Park and the fact that it may have two nominees in this category. After all, it is either Maggie Smith or Kate Winslet who could give out their place to Diaz. Who knows?
As for how individual movies will fare, here’s my predictions:
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – 14 nominations
Moulin Rouge! – 10 nominations
A Beautiful Mind – 6 nominations
Black Hawk Down – 6 nominations
Gosford Park – 6 nominations
In The Bedroom – 5 nominations
Be sure to check back this Tuesday morning for the complete list of nominees as well as our reactions. Until then...
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Writers Guild Association Nominees 2001
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Friday, February 08, 2002
The last of the guilds has just come up with its controversial list of nominees. This is time for the Writers Guild Association to shake things up a bit. Now, before you keep reading you should note the note-worthy omission of
Memento and
In The Bedroom is intentional: both movies were disqualified since their creators were not guild members when the movies were made. This is kind of funny, since both movies have been runner-ups in the writing categories at every single awards' ceremony of the last few months.
Anyway, now they've left the field opened for some dark horses and without further ado here's the complete list:
Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Gosford Park, Julian Fellowes
The Man Who Wasn't There, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Monster's Ball, Milo Addica & Will Rokos
Moulin Rouge!, Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce
The Royal Tenenbaums, Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson
Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
A Beautiful Mind, Akiva Goldsman
Black Hawk Down, Ken Nolan
Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding & Andrew Davies & Richard Curtis
Ghost World, Daniel Clowes & Terry Zwigoff
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson
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The past has returned
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Friday, February 08, 2002
It’ll be a choice for viewers if they want to stay home for the Olimpics or they want to spend some afternoon at the movies. If you choose option number 2 then why not check out what’s new this weekend:
Collateral Damage - After being postponed because of the September 11th attacks, the latest Arnold Schwarzenegger flick is opening to a little controversy. Apparently Colombians are not liking the way they’re portrayed in the movie. Then again, even if the movie is not getting the most enthusiastic response of Arnold’s career, it is said to be a good action pop-corn flick. You’ll have the last word.
Rollerball - Acclaimed director John McTiernan directs this remake of a 1975 movie who is considered a cult movie by some, a waste of time by others. So what about this one? Well, it’ll go down the pile as one more of those dreadful remakes that have been populating Hollywood as of lately. It’s getting terrible reviews. Avoid it!
Big Fat Liar - TV star Frankie Muniz tries to cash in on the success of his
Malcolm in the Middle series by doing a big movie destined to attract young viewers. The reaction has been mixed at best, but I hear it’s not a dude, although it’s not specially intriguing either. Just a comedy that comes and goes...
And that’s it. Not a pretentious weekend, but more of a fun one. Take the best out of it!
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Review
Rashomon
- Director
- Akira Kurosawa
- Year
- 1950
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Thursday, February 07, 2002
Rashomon is the first and only Akira Kurosawa movie I’ve seen so far. It is thanks to my pal Groucho that I was able to get it. Needless to say, I’ll be eternally grateful.
The movie tells the story of a murder-rape told by four different people involved in it one way or another. At its core, a man (Masayuki Mori) was murdered while traveling with his wife (Machiko Kyo) and after meeting Tajomuro the bandit (Toshiro Mifune). Who’s responsible? Why did it happen?
Now, I’ve always been fascinated by the kind of movies (obviously influenced by this one) that tell the same story form different perspectives. There’s always something new or interesting to find out as the movie evolves. There are countless ways to use this device, but
Rashomon excels by using it at its simplest. And believe me, it
is fascinating.
On the other hand, Kurosawa throws in a tale about the subjectivity of truth and human nature. That is why the movie is so great. It examines the way people may behave given the circumstances and how we’re always, even if it is subconsciously, trying to put things to our side. It also shows how even the worst person can still have mercy and compassion. After all there’s always good lying inside every one of us. And there are also reasons. Reasons to behave the way we do...
Long-time Kurosawa collaborator actors show splendid range by inhabiting the same characters throughout the movie while always behaving in completely different ways. Toshiro Mifune, with his presence, charisma and talent, steals the movie, although it is a great team effort splendidly directed by the master.
The photography and music do nothing but elevate this extraordinary classic (and Oscar winner as Best Foreign Film) to higher levels. A must!
“No one tells a lie after he’s said he’s going to tell one”
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Dangerous Liaisons
- Director
- Stephen Frears
- Year
- 1988
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho
- Review date
- Wednesday, February 06, 2002
In Baroque France, a couple of bored Aristocats, Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich) and Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) get into an uneasy game of sex, seduction, and deceive. He is a man of words who can get anything he wants from virtually any woman, she a woman of control who can hardly be double-crossed. Once their personal games coincide in a whirlpool of seduction, they both go for a prize seemingly out of their reach—willing to do anything for it, not for the actual gain, but for the personal pleasure.
Exquisite, sumptuous adaptation of Christopher Hampton’s play, based on the classic novel by Choderlos de Laclos, this film gives life not only to this notorious story, but also to a whole period, full of secrets and hidden passions.
Close is beyond excellence as the woman who thought she could control anything but was wrong; Malkovich no less good as the “victim,” a man who hides his true feelings to follow a wrongful path he has built for himself. I’ve read more than one comment about Malkovich being miscast, and I quite understand the meaning of this: Valmont could be thought to be better-looking, but I still believe the attractiveness of a man is more in his words than in his looks, so I actually like his casting very much.
Michelle Pfeiffer, Keanu Reeves and Uma Thurman are all good in the support; I would go for Thurman as the best, giving delicacy and subtle malice to the character she portrays.
Great music, photography, production design and costume design make this a true period piece.
A gorgeous film; a triumph!
“It's beyond my control.”
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Review
In The Mood For Love
- Director
- Kar-wai Wong
- Year
- 2000
- Rating
- Reviewed by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- Review date
- Tuesday, February 05, 2002
After getting so much recognition in the last couple of years (including some important prices at the Cannes Film Festival), I finally got the chance to check out
In The Mood For Love, a one-of-a-kind movie from legendary director Kar-wai Wong.
Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung) and Mr. Chow (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), along with their respective husband and wife, move to a new place exactly the same day, thus becoming neighbors. Nothing happens at first, but they slowly start realizing that their spouses might be having an affair and a special bond starts growing between them...
Now, I have absolutely no idea what the original title (
Hua yang nian hua) actually means, but I must say they did a great job translating it to a worldwide audience. Why? It’s simple; this movie is all about mood... and love.
It is also one of those pictures you find once in a while where you’re amazed by the way the director has treated its central theme.
In the Mood for Love is an ode to repressed emotions. These are two people who have to confront a harsh reality while they start growing feelings they do not want to accept. They do not want to become what they hated in the first place. But how can you stop loving? How can you control your feelings? Why does it have to be so difficult?
The movie, it’s fair to say, becomes really slow at times. But it doesn’t matter because every other 10 minutes or so, director Wong switches to slow-mo creating almost poetic sequences to Mike Galasso’s haunting score. You have no idea how beautiful and atmospheric these bits are. And I must say, they work to perfection. It really feels like you’re being shown a poem: Those shots, those movements, those notes, those dresses and, most important of all, all those meanings behind each one of them. Great filmmaking...
Maggie Cheung is stunningly beautiful and creates a memorable character that fits her to the nail. She’s elegant, classy, nice, strong yet fragile. Tony Leung, on the other hand, is superb as the confused man trying to cope down with his feelings yet afraid of doing so. Interestingly enough, director Wong never allows us to see the faces of their partners.
This is all part of the way the movie is shot in an almost secretive manner. Christopher Doyle and Pin Bing Lee do wonders with their camera to bring this tender story to life. Too bad the last ten minutes don’t make much sense (at least for me), but there’s plenty to like here.
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News
Box Office Results
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Monday, February 04, 2002
Black Hawk Down continued its reign at the box office for the third time in a row while the two new releases of the week had terrible openings. Impressive to note is the staying power of
The Count of Monte Cristo.
A Beautiful Mind has now passed the 100-million mark and overall it was a quite weekend. Things should get wilder next week, though, as there's no Super Bowl on sight and studios will continue to release big stuff.
- Black Hawk Down - $11.5M, $75.5M total
- Snow Dogs - $9.9M, $50.8M total
- The Count of Monte Cristo - $9M, $23.6M total
- A Walk to Remember - $8.7M, $23.2M total
- A Beautiful Mind - $8.5M, $104.6M total
- The Mothman Prophecies - $7.5M, $21.4M total
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - $6.5M, $267.1M total
- I Am Sam - $6.5M, $17.5M total
- Kung Pow: Enter the Fist - $3.7M, $12M total
- Slackers - $3M, $3M total
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News
Super Bowl Weekend
- Posted by
- José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris
- News date
- Friday, February 01, 2002
It’s Super Bowl weekend and it shows. Only two new releases are hitting theaters and they’re not that big. Check out what’s best for you:
Slackers - Devon Sawa, Jason Schwartzman and James King star in this lackluster teen comedy which is getting terrible reviews as is usually the case with this type of movies. Jason had had lots of critical acclaim with his outing in
Rushmore, but critics are not being any kind this time around. I guess it’s avoidable.
Birthday Girl - Nicole Kidman lends a Russian accent for this romantic comedy which also stars Ben Chaplin. Things get a bit complicated as she might not be what she appeared at first. We all know Nicole is at a career-high and that’s exactly the reason this movie is being released right now. Otherwise it wouldn’t attract any attention as it’s just a common movie getting mixed reactions.
So there you go. Don’t forget to tune in to the Super Bowl, even if it’s just to see the TV ads promoting upcoming movies. See you then....
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Morris wrote at 6/22/2002:
Groucho wrote at 6/22/2002:
Some spoilers ahead.Indeed a beautiful movie, exquisitely crafted and portraying a man full of problems in a sympathetic way. I was fascinated to see schizophrenia portrayed so credibly, from the point of view of the sick man. The plot twists were very interesting.
About the performances: all great. Crowe never acted better and Connelly supports him good. Ed Harris is OK but his role is enigmatic. Really liked it. The script helped these guys a lot. It was smart all over and directed just right by Howard.
My only complain is how "beautiful" this man's sickness is portrayed. It kinda gives a message that such a sick man can control himself easily just by wanting to. Christopher Plummer's character said this couldn't be done but the story contradicted him, which I don't think applies for all cases. Just like in 'Rain Man', a mental disease is softened for the viewer and leaves an optimistic message that is not very real. However, for the film in particular, it works.
A great film, anyway.