11-16-2006, 10:55 PM
OK - back from a tour of blighty, sequestered away on the borders of VT & NH, still no job, can't drive yet, half way up a mountain and miles from civilization. Watching movies. Watched Capote - that was pretty damn good - especially after having read In Cold Blood, filled in the gaps and brought its authour to life. Must say, top marks all around, didn't suffer from the bloated, beached whale atmosphere that has surrounded far too many biopics of recent years. (Cash movie, Ray Charles movie etc..) Wasn't overlong either. Always a good thing.
The Station Agent was a good movie also. Tells the story of a Dwarf who just wants to get away from everybody, and even when he gets to where he wants to be, people won't leave him be. A great little fillum about people, friendship and prejudices. We liked it.
Unlike Syriana which is another one of those self-righteous, overlong pieces of navel gazing twoddle that hollywood/Sundance executive types are constantly slapping each other on the back for making. The whole thing is like walking on eggshells, even the soundtrack which barely rises above restrained murmuring throughout the whole length. What this movie needed was the balls to stand up and say what it means, point the finger and try a little harder to make it work. As a narrative it was so disjointed as to make the english patient seem like a carry on movie by comparison. Please please please if you're going to tell a story, please put the bits in that tie it together. Please have some kind of point to it all. Yes we know the situations a difficult one, but surely that gives you more than enough fodder to fill out the script. This one made me angry more than anything - but a bonus was location spotting from Baltimore (Ikea at Whitemarsh and the funny little diner opposite Capt James Landing in Fells Point) I guess there's a lot of people that dug this flick, but not me.
Gosh, I do talk a lot of old rot.
The Station Agent was a good movie also. Tells the story of a Dwarf who just wants to get away from everybody, and even when he gets to where he wants to be, people won't leave him be. A great little fillum about people, friendship and prejudices. We liked it.
Unlike Syriana which is another one of those self-righteous, overlong pieces of navel gazing twoddle that hollywood/Sundance executive types are constantly slapping each other on the back for making. The whole thing is like walking on eggshells, even the soundtrack which barely rises above restrained murmuring throughout the whole length. What this movie needed was the balls to stand up and say what it means, point the finger and try a little harder to make it work. As a narrative it was so disjointed as to make the english patient seem like a carry on movie by comparison. Please please please if you're going to tell a story, please put the bits in that tie it together. Please have some kind of point to it all. Yes we know the situations a difficult one, but surely that gives you more than enough fodder to fill out the script. This one made me angry more than anything - but a bonus was location spotting from Baltimore (Ikea at Whitemarsh and the funny little diner opposite Capt James Landing in Fells Point) I guess there's a lot of people that dug this flick, but not me.
Gosh, I do talk a lot of old rot.