I went on a cinema binge this week, and it felt good. Collateral, Garden State, Confidences trop intimes, and The Manchurian Candidate. Best performance: Denzel Washington. I really enjoy his acting, and his craft in MC is reminiscent of the talents he displayed in Man on Fire.
MC is highly programmed, paced, spliced, and formulaic in the current style of Hollywood, which I think is why many reviewers gave it middle grades. Didn't have the nuances of the original, which I barely remember, but nonetheless is taught and smooth entertainment; not totally edge of the seat, but close.
A definite salute to Zach Braff for Garden State, which he wrote and directed, and also acted in the lead role. A quite cool unexpected script, that flowed along with gray-black humor and interesting jumps in the plot. Unfortunately, Zach got to one scene that was so out of character and pace that it felt forced, almost if it was shot well after the original production. The different texture of this one scene was glaring and I wondered if I had somehow stepped out and missed some previous explanation for Zach's suddenly lucid soliloquy. Overall, fun to watch, with a few good laughs.
Collateral is such a nice love story. Cruise plays tough, as only he can, in love with death. It was just entertaining, and played to some fantasies of my own, that I could be cold, uncaring, and driven.
The real gem was Confidences trop intimes (Intimate Strangers), which is the third film directed by Patrice Leconte which I have enjoyed. La fille sur le pont (a long-term favorite of mine) and L'Homme du train share similar themes with Confidences; two people meet, explore their lives, and we feel the changes which occur. We are pulled into the relationships by the story, the camera, and the flow of the dialog. They really appear to be vignettes of people's lives somehow caught on film. They aren't grand works, but are occasionally compared to Godard and Truffaut for the French New Wave style of the work. These films are just pleasure, fun to experience and enjoy.
MC is highly programmed, paced, spliced, and formulaic in the current style of Hollywood, which I think is why many reviewers gave it middle grades. Didn't have the nuances of the original, which I barely remember, but nonetheless is taught and smooth entertainment; not totally edge of the seat, but close.
A definite salute to Zach Braff for Garden State, which he wrote and directed, and also acted in the lead role. A quite cool unexpected script, that flowed along with gray-black humor and interesting jumps in the plot. Unfortunately, Zach got to one scene that was so out of character and pace that it felt forced, almost if it was shot well after the original production. The different texture of this one scene was glaring and I wondered if I had somehow stepped out and missed some previous explanation for Zach's suddenly lucid soliloquy. Overall, fun to watch, with a few good laughs.
Collateral is such a nice love story. Cruise plays tough, as only he can, in love with death. It was just entertaining, and played to some fantasies of my own, that I could be cold, uncaring, and driven.
The real gem was Confidences trop intimes (Intimate Strangers), which is the third film directed by Patrice Leconte which I have enjoyed. La fille sur le pont (a long-term favorite of mine) and L'Homme du train share similar themes with Confidences; two people meet, explore their lives, and we feel the changes which occur. We are pulled into the relationships by the story, the camera, and the flow of the dialog. They really appear to be vignettes of people's lives somehow caught on film. They aren't grand works, but are occasionally compared to Godard and Truffaut for the French New Wave style of the work. These films are just pleasure, fun to experience and enjoy.
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That's hilarious. Thanks.