Monday, May 12, 2008
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Howard Ford (2007)
Should I see it?
Nope.
Nope.
They've turned the Wild West into the Wandering, Talks Too Much West.
If you think the title is needlessly drawn out, wait until you see the movie. It has now been proven, you can take one of the most interesting and infamous criminals in American history and turn him into a yammering, and boring she-male. The intentions when making this film may have been good but the results are dismal. For those of you looking for a traditional Western, you're clean out of luck. This isn't a Western, it simply takes place in that time frame. If you're looking for a headier work, you're still going to come up dry. All this movie is offering is two hours and twenty minutes of talented actors drawling through long tracts of dialog for no real purpose. I kept getting the feeling that this was the result of a bunch of effete snobs wandering in the woods telling each other how smart they are.
Related Reviews:
Brad Pitt movies
Meet Joe Black (1996)
Troy (2004)
Other Critic's Reviews:
2 Reels
The Japan Times
Labels: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, film, Mary-Louise Parker, movie review, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard
posted by Scott Nehring at 7:23 AM
4 comment(s)
Monday, April 7, 2008
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Should I see it?
Nope.
Nope.
Short Review: Ben Affleck is to directing what Ben Affleck is to acting
Ben Affleck is living proof that a nice smile can get you far in Hollywood. Its probably a good thing because by the looks of things, actual raw talent doesn't help much.
Affleck co-wrote and directed this adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel about a couple who work as private investigators who look into the disappearance of a young girl. The plot is nothing spectacular and it never cuts any new ground. The couple Patrick (Casey Affleck) and Angie (Michelle Monaghan) are inexperienced in investigating but know the streets quite well. Casey Affleck (the actual talented one in the family) does a passable job, but never fills in his character completely. I don't believe this is necessarily his fault since his performance is hindered by a stuttering script and poor pacing. Each scene begins strongly enough but by the end it feels like the screenwriters (Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard) got bored with their own work and couldn't wait to start on the next scene. Then again, that could have been me, I kept finding myself pleading with Affleck to get moving with his predicable story.
Ed Harris also haunts this piece as a worn down cop who acts just like Ed Harris does in every movie he has ever done where he is strapped with a mediocre director. Harris is one of those actors who either gives a stunning performance (A History of Violence, Glengarry Glen Ross) or completely phones it in (Radio, Enemy At the Gates). Harris' job here is to say his lines and be angry and he does his job quite well. Morgan Freeman also shows up to nab a paycheck. Freeman nearly naps through all of his scenes.Like Harris, Freeman doesn't do much to get beyond his own face recognition and offers just enough of a performance to not hurt his career. Both men could have easily of been replaced by lesser actors and the same results would have been achieved.
Its not like Ben Affleck wasn't seated with a talented pool to pull from. He had everything in place except that he insisted on directing and writing the movie. Perhaps (and probably) his involvement is what got this film made in the first place. This doesn't mean it should have been made. This movie offers nothing new, nothing fresh and nothing lasting. It was made simply for the sake of making something. Since it isn't revolutionary, fresh or thoughtful, there's no reason to watch it. Forget about this one, anything about it that may be worth seeing, you've seen a hundred different times in a hundred different movies.
Related Reviews:
Ben Affleck movies
Boiler Room (2000)
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Paycheck (2003)
Other Critic's Reviews:
Film Critics United
The Stop Button
Ben Affleck is living proof that a nice smile can get you far in Hollywood. Its probably a good thing because by the looks of things, actual raw talent doesn't help much.
Affleck co-wrote and directed this adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel about a couple who work as private investigators who look into the disappearance of a young girl. The plot is nothing spectacular and it never cuts any new ground. The couple Patrick (Casey Affleck) and Angie (Michelle Monaghan) are inexperienced in investigating but know the streets quite well. Casey Affleck (the actual talented one in the family) does a passable job, but never fills in his character completely. I don't believe this is necessarily his fault since his performance is hindered by a stuttering script and poor pacing. Each scene begins strongly enough but by the end it feels like the screenwriters (Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard) got bored with their own work and couldn't wait to start on the next scene. Then again, that could have been me, I kept finding myself pleading with Affleck to get moving with his predicable story.
Ed Harris also haunts this piece as a worn down cop who acts just like Ed Harris does in every movie he has ever done where he is strapped with a mediocre director. Harris is one of those actors who either gives a stunning performance (A History of Violence, Glengarry Glen Ross) or completely phones it in (Radio, Enemy At the Gates). Harris' job here is to say his lines and be angry and he does his job quite well. Morgan Freeman also shows up to nab a paycheck. Freeman nearly naps through all of his scenes.Like Harris, Freeman doesn't do much to get beyond his own face recognition and offers just enough of a performance to not hurt his career. Both men could have easily of been replaced by lesser actors and the same results would have been achieved.
Its not like Ben Affleck wasn't seated with a talented pool to pull from. He had everything in place except that he insisted on directing and writing the movie. Perhaps (and probably) his involvement is what got this film made in the first place. This doesn't mean it should have been made. This movie offers nothing new, nothing fresh and nothing lasting. It was made simply for the sake of making something. Since it isn't revolutionary, fresh or thoughtful, there's no reason to watch it. Forget about this one, anything about it that may be worth seeing, you've seen a hundred different times in a hundred different movies.
Related Reviews:
Ben Affleck movies
Boiler Room (2000)
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Paycheck (2003)
Other Critic's Reviews:
Film Critics United
The Stop Button
Labels: Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, cops, Ed Harris, film, Morgan Freeman, movie review
posted by Scott Nehring at 7:25 AM
2 comment(s)
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