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tilting at the ghosts of old windmills (Reply to this comment)
by voxpoptart
I love your tribute to Before Sunset, but basically it's all the extra categories, and their arguments, that make this a great piece i'm glad i caught up with. Maybe you'll read this comment in a month or two when you show up to summarize the movies of 2005? I hope so, man. You're missed here.
cheers,
- Brian
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Dec 26 '05
12:55 pm PST
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good stuff (Reply to this comment)
by ChrisJarmick
Peter Sarsgaard ("Kinsey") -- Again. Second year in a row. Get with the program, Academy. Seriously.
1) Paul Giamatti ("Sideways") -- Again. Second year in a row. Get with the program, Academy. Seriously.
Amen!!!
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Feb 26 '05
1:28 pm PST
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good stuff (Reply to this comment)
by ChrisJarmick
Peter Sarsgaard ("Kinsey") -- Again. Second year in a row. Get with the program, Academy. Seriously.
1) Paul Giamatti ("Sideways") -- Again. Second year in a row. Get with the program, Academy. Seriously.
Amen!!!
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Feb 26 '05
1:28 pm PST
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good stuff (Reply to this comment)
by ChrisJarmick
Peter Sarsgaard ("Kinsey") -- Again. Second year in a row. Get with the program, Academy. Seriously.
1) Paul Giamatti ("Sideways") -- Again. Second year in a row. Get with the program, Academy. Seriously.
Amen!!!
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Feb 26 '05
1:28 pm PST
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--- (Reply to this comment)
by tigger500
oh yeah! And having Before Sunset as number one is truly inspired! I wholeheartedly agree!
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Feb 22 '05
10:18 am PST
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-- (Reply to this comment)
by tigger500
man there is so much i agree about in this list...nice to see Bourne Supremacy and Collateral on the list...nice love for Kim Basinger, Leo and the always flawless Saaarsgaard.
I disagree about the Natalie Portman stuff. I thought the edits made perfect sense. I thought that we didn't see what Clive Owen saw made the intimacy and terror of that scene more intimate. It kept us thinking about the dynamic, not just Natalie. If she doesn't win an Oscar I swear I'll die. She was perfect! I woulda put Closer on the list, but I can bet I know why you didn't. LOL.
Oh and thanks for leaving that pretentious Kaufmann film off the list! Whew! I was worried.
tyler
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Feb 22 '05
10:16 am PST
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I was (Reply to this comment)
by lynus
bored to death with Before Sunrise when I saw it in college, but maybe I will give Before Sunset a chance.
Eric.
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Feb 20 '05
7:48 pm PST
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Oh, Canada (Reply to this comment)
by mfunk75
Dan-
"Where is 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'?" I think it's at No. 11. ... Some time soon, I'm going to go back and watch it again and I suspect, somewhat tentatively, that it will probably improve with a repeat viewing.
This is precisely how I came to love the film. My first viewing -- as is the case with most of my first viewings of Kaufman's films -- left me dazzled but befuddled. The second viewing, however, left me mesmerized. Hopefully you'll have the same response.
Everybody knows that the Cold War ended when Rocky Balboa won over the crowd and knocked out Ivan Drago, literally wrapping himself in the American flag.
By some weird, cinematic coincidence, Rocky's doppelganger, John Rambo, single-handedly won the Vietnam War! Aren't movies great?
Am I the only person who preferred the flawed aspirations of Gangs of New York, though?
I second the motion.
5) "Cousins?" a segment from "Coffee and Cigarettes" (dir. Jim Jarmusch
This is tough, because I probably agree with you, that 'Cousins?' was the best of the "Coffee and Cigarettes" segmentettes. But giving it the fifth-place position? Even though it's not, technically, a "movie"? It's a grand ten minutes, true. But I think you're taking liberties with the rules, here, Dan-o. Also, because Jim Jarmusch finally made the indie black-and-white wank-a-thon that many have been accusing him of making for years, the stench of all that surrounds it somehow takes away some of the segment's sheen. I'm just saying.
Hawke visibly evaluating every second of his life
I don't have much to say about this observation, except that I can't imagine a better line to describe that scene, that look, and that movie. Great choice.
Yes. Virginia Madsen is great in "Sideways", but who decreed that she was the only actress in the movie? Geez. Am I think only one who thought Sandra Oh was fantastic?
I second the motion. Have you seen Don McKellar's "Last Night". Besides being a great end-of-the-world story (with no comets, volcanoes, or aliens around to muck up the humanity), it's also a great showcase for Mrs. Payne's talents. As a Halfnuck, I'm sure you'll be pleased.
None of these clunky and childishly structured biopics can hold a candle to freaking "La Bamba", and what does that say?
That it's time for an Esai Morales revival, that's what!
Hoo-ha, a great write-up. Now we can let 2004 rest in peace.
-mike
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Feb 20 '05
10:31 am PST
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Re: ^ (Reply to this comment)
by d_fienberg
Hey John...
Thanks for visiting...
I guess I'm not expecting The Passion to be a work of art at this point. However, it's all about principles. Just as I wouldn't pay money to see it in the theatres, I still feel like eventually I've gotta watch it, just so that I can take part in the discussions when they come up in the future.
My question: All the evangelical groups that kissed Mel Gibson's butt and called The Passion the best thing to happen to Christianity since the original Easter, are they going to come down hard on him for recutting the movie and removing some of the violence? If the original was the true version of the story, surely a bastardized version will make people angry, right? Right?
No? Nuts...
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Feb 20 '05
10:14 am PST
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Re: Yay... (Reply to this comment)
by d_fienberg
Hey Steven...
Yes, yes... Your scripts remain on my computer desktop waiting for a rainy day. However, as you may have heard, it never rains in Southern California.
That. Of course. Is a baldfaced lie as anybody who watches the weather channel knows...
Anyway, busy, busy busy. Heck, I seem to have lost my Top Review rating. That's how busy I am!
I only skimmed your Top 10 (gotta give it a longe read), but I'll take your word that it was longer. I could have gone on much more with my mini-awards but, frankly, I just reached the end of my tether and I'd be writing for too long and it kept getting later and later and finally I just wanted to have something to post to the site. Perhaps I'll add on. In fact, I'll certainly add on, because I just watched Battle Royale last night and I want to add a few words about that twisted masterpiece to my section on Internal Affairs... Whee!
Best,
Daniel
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Feb 20 '05
10:11 am PST
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Re: :) (Reply to this comment)
by d_fienberg
Hey Ander...
Thanks for the comment...
I think I probably agreed with your criticisms of The Aviator to some huge degree. The storytelling was out of synch because it was never entirely clear what the story was supposed to be building to. Was it building to him in total madness? Would it find a semi-happy ending? Etc... I just loved the film technically and enjoyed almost all of the performances and I loved the overall feel of the thing. Realistically it ended up too high on my list, but I worked from the bottom and then from the top and then I was in the middle and there it was...
The mysteries of listing...
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Feb 20 '05
10:07 am PST
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Re: 2 From "In the Cut" (Reply to this comment)
by d_fienberg
Hey William...
Neither Dion Bebee nor Mark Ruffalo are to blame for how much of a mess In The Cut is. Only Jane Campion is to blame. I don't question that Meg Ryan was fine or that the movie left me with more to think about than your typical thriller. Mostly, though, it left me thinking about how clumsy the storytelling was and how opressively obvious its ideology was. Sometimes I like Jane Campion. Other times I really really don't. She's like the female Spike Lee... Take that as you will...
Thanks for visiting!
Best,
Daniel
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Feb 20 '05
10:03 am PST
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Re: 007. (Reply to this comment)
by d_fienberg
Hey Jonathan,
You are, of course, TOTALLY correct on the homophobia of I'll Sleep When I'm Dead. It left a very bad taste in my mouth as well. However, there are the elements of a strong existential thriller before it goes off the tracks. Heck, I don't find Croupier entirely satisfying either. And yet, in both cases, Hodges shows he knows how to work with Owen with style and with edge. I don't remember the last time a Bond film had genuine style or edge, much less a sense of danger. There was a sense of danger back in the Dalton movies, but the movies themselves blew. Oh well. It'll be Martin Campbell and somebody young and pretty and, like the last two Bond movies, I'll skip it in the theatres and I won't even feel bad about it...
Thanks for visiting my comments box!
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Feb 20 '05
10:00 am PST
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Re: Wow! (Reply to this comment)
by d_fienberg
Hey Deena...
Thanks for stopping by! I actually have a number of friends who were similarly unimpressed by Napoleon Dynamite. In fact, I have very few friends who actually like the movie. However, there are a ton of people out there who seem to like it. I have, for example, never needed to wait so long for a new release to get to me on Netflix... Go figure.
Ander has provided at least one other person who was in the anti-Collateral camp and I wouldn't think they'd be that hard to find. My problem, though, would be negatively judging the movie based on its plausibility or lack thereof. I think it's a thriller that transcends its genre in quality, but not in believeability. It's certainly more plausible than Bad Boys or Beverly Hills Cop or something. However, because it's obviously such a great piece of filmmaking people seem inclined to ask the kinds of questions that normally don't get asked of summer blow-em-up vehicles.
How does Tom Cruise know which office she's in? Total coincidence. As is how he ends up in Jamie Foxx's car in the first place. And several dozen other things.
That being said, I'm totally aware that it's not everybody's cup o' tea. I just loved that sucker.
Best,
Daniel
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Feb 20 '05
9:57 am PST
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Re: Re: Wow! (Reply to this comment)
by deenaf
Thanks! I went over and read shadow8's ep. He defines exactly the inplausibility I felt.
Thanks!
Deena
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Feb 20 '05
5:10 am PST
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^ (Reply to this comment)
by trust12345
Dandy list. I concur with much.
Re: Passion of the Christ:
I've got the movie on my Netflix queue, though, and if I'm blown away, I'll add it to the list.
Don't hold your breath. A work of art tis not.
-JS
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Feb 19 '05
9:47 pm PST
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Yay... (Reply to this comment)
by thevoid99
Dan is back but my list was longer than yours man. I had a sh*tload of stuff. You're going to have to beat me now for pretentiousness.
By the way, what about my scripts? I'm now re-editing and re-writing my first one dammit!
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Feb 19 '05
7:26 pm PST
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:) (Reply to this comment)
by anderclayton
I like the list btw. Good to see something new from your direction:)
I still don't really have enough candidates for a top ten list yet personally. On the other hand I haven't seen The Incredibles, Million Dollar Baby or Sideways either. I wasn't nearly as impressed as a lot of people with The Aviator. I thought it was decent but that it jumped around a bit too much and that the emotional pacing was off.
Ander
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Feb 19 '05
6:12 pm PST
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Re: Wow! (Reply to this comment)
by anderclayton
shadow8 didn't like Collateral: http://www.epinions.com/content_151702113924
I, on the other hand, thought it was great and would put it up on my own top ten list if I had one.
Ander
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Feb 19 '05
5:31 pm PST
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2 From "In the Cut" (Reply to this comment)
by WilliamJones
Dion Beebe and Mark Ruffalo, both from In the Cut reunited in Collateral. Interesting, I may have to check that one out.
In the Cut, by the way, isn't as bad as your two-star epinion would seem to indicate. It may be Meg Ryan's best performance and Ruffalo is very good as well. Not without flaws, but it captured my attention in more than just the obvious ways.
-William
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Feb 19 '05
5:05 pm PST
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007. (Reply to this comment)
by omophagia
This:
Mike Hodges and Clive Owen. Anybody who has seen "Croupier" and the 2004 release "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" knows what I'm talkin' about. Of course, the Broccoli family has already hired Martin "Vertical Limit" Campbell to direct. But it's not too late to make the right pick on Owen.
is such an obviously great call that it somehow makes perfect sense that no one has picked up on it yet.
I didn't care for I'll Sleep When I'm Dead-- it's "good" and all, but I don't think 2004 really needed a film that trades even slightly in predatory homosexual panic (see also: Enduring Love)-- but Hodges and Owen re-teamed for the third time would actually get me to see a Bond film in the theater, which is something I've never done.
Fine write-up here.
Best,
Jonathan
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Feb 19 '05
2:34 pm PST
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Wow! (Reply to this comment)
by deenaf
I really thought that I was the only person on the earth who did NOT like Napoleon Dynamite!!!!! Whew!!! Now I need to find ONE other person who didn't like Collateral! I mean, really, how DID Tom Cruise find her from ALL those floors and ALL those offices???
Great read for me!
Deena
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Feb 19 '05
1:34 pm PST
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