list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Insomnia on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Insomnia/205628/default.aspx Title: Insomnia
Year: 2002
Director: Christopher Nolan
Plot: Director Christopher Nolan follows up his breakthrough sophomore film Memento with this remake of a stylish Norwegian thriller. Al Pacino stars as Detective Will Dormer, a Los Angeles Police Department legend who temporarily escapes an internal affairs investigation that may ruin his career by traveling to Nightmute, AK, the remote site of a murder that has the local authorities flummoxed. Along with his partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan), and the small town's wide-eyed rookie investigator, Ellie Burr (Hilary Swank), the exhausted Dormer probes the brutal slaying of a teenage girl who was rumored to have a secret lover. A clever ruse quickly lures the killer into a police trap, but the suspect escapes and a tragic accident at the scene leaves Dormer at the mercy of the murderer, a pulp crime novelist named Walter Finch (Robin Williams). As Finch plays a dangerous game of extortion with Dormer, the detective's mental health deteriorates rapidly from guilt over his complicity in a crime and sleep deprivation compounded by the lack of darkness in the land of the midnight sun. Meanwhile, the bright and dogged Ellie continues putting the pieces of a complex puzzle together despite Dormer's skillful attempts to lead the investigation toward the right suspect, but away from his own malfeasance. Insomnia co-stars Paul Dooley, Nicky Katt, Maura Tierney, and Jonathan Jackson. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 28
Number of Lists: 39
Number of blog posts: 2
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:15:30 GMTInsomnia2002Christopher NolanDirector <a href="/players/P___240025/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Christopher Nolan</a> follows up his breakthrough sophomore film <a href=/films/171936/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Memento</a> with this remake of a stylish Norwegian thriller. <a href="/players/P____54596/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Al Pacino</a> stars as Detective Will Dormer, a Los Angeles Police Department legend who temporarily escapes an internal affairs investigation that may ruin his career by traveling to Nightmute, AK, the remote site of a murder that has the local authorities flummoxed. Along with his partner, Hap Eckhart (<a href="/players/P____88058/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Martin Donovan</a>), and the small town's wide-eyed rookie investigator, Ellie Burr (<a href="/players/P___167442/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Hilary Swank</a>), the exhausted Dormer probes the brutal slaying of a teenage girl who was rumored to have a secret lover. A clever ruse quickly lures the killer into a police trap, but the suspect escapes and a tragic accident at the scene leaves Dormer at the mercy of the murderer, a pulp crime novelist named Walter Finch (<a href="/players/P___116900/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Robin Williams</a>). As Finch plays a dangerous game of extortion with Dormer, the detective's mental health deteriorates rapidly from guilt over his complicity in a crime and sleep deprivation compounded by the lack of darkness in the land of the midnight sun. Meanwhile, the bright and dogged Ellie continues putting the pieces of a complex puzzle together despite Dormer's skillful attempts to lead the investigation toward the right suspect, but away from his own malfeasance. Insomnia co-stars <a href="/players/P____19689/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Paul Dooley</a>, <a href="/players/P____37063/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Nicky Katt</a>, <a href="/players/P____70973/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Maura Tierney</a>, and Jonathan Jackson. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide28Tag Target (>10)39233http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t23825auayt.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Insomnia/205628/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_Mercurial_Yet_Not_Entirely_Unrefined/643/38159/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: dibot
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 12/9/2008 8:45:35 PM
Body: [quote user="JimBell"] Mercurial, Have you seen any of the following thrillers/dramas that you would recommend: Insomnia (2002) In the Bedroom (2001) Read My Lips (2002) Red Lights (French; 2004) Bound (1996) Tell No One (French; 2008) Charade (1963) The Last Seduction (1995) Death and the Maiden (1995) Red Rock West Blindness (2008) JIMBELL [/quote] I know I'm not Mercurial, but I have seen and would recommend, Insomnia, In the Bedroom (heartbreaking), Bound and Death and the Maiden. But not Blindness (2008). There's just something missing from that film.
]]>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:45:35 GMTdibotCommunity Recommendations12/9/2008 8:45:35 PM[quote user="JimBell"] Mercurial, Have you seen any of the following thrillers/dramas that you would recommend: Insomnia (2002) In the Bedroom (2001) Read My Lips (2002) Red Lights (French; 2004) Bound (1996) Tell No One (French; 2008) Charade (1963) The Last Seduction (1995) Death and the Maiden (1995) Red Rock West Blindness (2008) JIMBELL [/quote] I know I'm not Mercurial, but I have seen and would recommend, Insomnia, In the Bedroom (heartbreaking), Bound and Death and the Maiden. But not Blindness (2008). There's just something missing from that film. http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_skypilot_you_asked_for_it/643/35822/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 10/2/2008 11:47:17 AM
Body: [quote user="JimBell"] Insomnia (2002) In the Bedroom (2001) Read My Lips (2002) Red Lights (French; 2004) Bound (1996) Tell No One (French; 2008) Charade (1963) The Last Seduction (1995) Death and the Maiden (1995) Red Rock West Blindness (2008) [/quote] By the way, anyone who's seen these movies, feel free to jump in! I don't claim a monopoly on this thread, I just commit to making regular responses. Of the movies you mentioned, I have only seen Insomnia (2002). I would recommend it for a lot of reasons. It's a surprising and intense thriller that breaks some 'rules' of the genre, but stays dangerous all the way to the end. If I were you I'd start with the American version, and if you're interested in an even darker take on it, watch the original Norwegian version (1997) where the the detective is played by Stellan Skarsgaard. The chief difference between Skarsgaard's detective and Pacino's is that Skarsgaard is far more depraved. Pacino is no white knight in the American version, but Skarsgaard's detective is closer (morally speaking) to the murderer. This change has a big effect on the story's tone, because characters in the American Insomnia are concerned with how far you can fudge the law when putting away murderers, molesters, etc. The Norwegian Insomnia is more observational -- you watch a detective (who belongs in prison) try to put someone else in prison. Very atmospheric, distressing, compelling. One last thing, and this applies to both movies: by the end you'll feel exhausted, like the insomniac detective. I say that as a compliment to the films and as a warning to you. I know porcupine just saw Blindness (2008) and he might review it in the FilmCouch coming out this Friday. Not sure about that. I want to see Tell No One! Please tell me if you see it, or any other of the films you mention. Regarding my name skypilot, you're on the right track. I like that Animals song a lot, and you may have noticed it's about an army chaplain. I'm into slang from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and "sky pilot" was slang for "preacher." I'm currently in grad school for Old Testament studies, but I'm more interested in teaching and writing than I am in becoming a pastor. cheers, adam
]]>Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:47:17 GMTSkyPilotCommunity Recommendations10/2/2008 11:47:17 AM[quote user="JimBell"] Insomnia (2002) In the Bedroom (2001) Read My Lips (2002) Red Lights (French; 2004) Bound (1996) Tell No One (French; 2008) Charade (1963) The Last Seduction (1995) Death and the Maiden (1995) Red Rock West Blindness (2008) [/quote] By the way, anyone who's seen these movies, feel free to jump in! I don't claim a monopoly on this thread, I just commit to making regular responses. Of the movies you mentioned, I have only seen Insomnia (2002). I would recommend it for a lot of reasons. It's a surprising and intense thriller that breaks some 'rules' of the genre, but stays dangerous all the way to the end. If I were you I'd start with the American version, and if you're interested in an even darker take on it, watch the original Norwegian version (1997) where the the detective is played by Stellan Skarsgaard. The chief difference between Skarsgaard's detective and Pacino's is that Skarsgaard is far more depraved. Pacino is no white knight in the American version, but Skarsgaard's detective is closer (morally speaking) to the murderer. This change has a big effect on the story's tone, because characters in the American Insomnia are concerned with how far you can fudge the law when putting away murderers, molesters, etc. The Norwegian Insomnia is more observational -- you watch a detective (who belongs in prison) try to put someone else in prison. Very atmospheric, distressing, compelling. One last thing, and this applies to both movies: by the end you'll feel exhausted, like the insomniac detective. I say that as a compliment to the films and as a warning to you. I know porcupine just saw Blindness (2008) and he might review it in the FilmCouch coming out this Friday. Not sure about that. I want to see Tell No One! Please tell me if you see it, or any other of the films you mention. Regarding my name skypilot, you're on the right track. I like that Animals song a lot, and you may have noticed it's about an army chaplain. I'm into slang from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and "sky pilot" was slang for "preacher." I'm currently in grad school for Old Testament studies, but I'm more interested in teaching and writing than I am in becoming a pastor. cheers, adam http://www.spout.com/blogs/smooth_j/archive/2008/8/11/33856.aspx Post By: Smooth_J
Post To: Smooth_J Blog
Post Date: 8/11/2008 11:32:05 AM
Body: Something about Insomnia just did not work. I mean, it had the makings of a great movie, and to be honest, it almost was a great movie. But there was just something missing, something lacking from the basic feel of the movie that couldn't really be made up for, no matter how hard Pacino, Williams, and director Chris Nolan tried. The story is pretty obviously a remake of a Norwegian film made in the 90s, which apparently is pretty superior to this; one thing that this film succeeded at was making me put that film on the top of my list of films to see. The general idea of the story is excellent, with the guilt and insanity of the murder case thrown in with Dormer's (Pacino's) own guilt for the accidental murder of his partner and his shady tactics used to put a child murderer behind bars in LA. The insomnia of the midnight sun is absolutely perfect. It seems as though insomnia is a great subject for Nolan to tackle, since in each and every one of his movies to date involves his depiction of the acute sensory details of his characters' illusions and flashbacks. In Memento, it's Guy Pearce's momentary flashbacks of his wife being brutally beaten. In The Prestige, there are very specific images of drowning and guilty flashbacks. Even in Batman Begins he uses a very acute, jumpy imagery to portray the effects of Scarecrow's hallucinogen. In Insomnia, he manages to use most of these tricks the entire movie--the jumpy eye movements, the flashes of light, the strange sounds of everyday life echoing in the ears. On the level of Nolan's direction, the film in beautiful. However, something is just wrong with the script. Nothing is really ever played out as it should be--it's not as though there's much to be desired. I can't really even place my finger on it. I mean, the film is a taut, nearly explosive thriller. But why did I feel so disconnected from it? My only explanation is that the pacing of the film was just slightly off, and the ending was a pretty cliched, making use of a awfully bland and textbook performance by Hilary Swank (bleh). I mean, even she sort of contributed to the film's overall lackluster feel, and she should have been a huge asset. Pacino and Williams are great...it's actually really interesting to see Pacino play a role like this, since his character's are usually so collected and outspoken, while in this he is forced to downplay and portray a man who is slowly going insane from lack of sleep. ("Six days," says Williams. "You beat my record.") The film is worth watching, because it's surely entertaining and well-made. Nolan really tries his hardest, and there's nothing you can say to criticize his direction. But the script is lacking, and Hilary Swank pretty much sucks.
]]>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:32:05 GMTSmooth_JSmooth_J Blog8/11/2008 11:32:05 AMSomething about Insomnia just did not work. I mean, it had the makings of a great movie, and to be honest, it almost was a great movie. But there was just something missing, something lacking from the basic feel of the movie that couldn't really be made up for, no matter how hard Pacino, Williams, and director Chris Nolan tried. The story is pretty obviously a remake of a Norwegian film made in the 90s, which apparently is pretty superior to this; one thing that this film succeeded at was making me put that film on the top of my list of films to see. The general idea of the story is excellent, with the guilt and insanity of the murder case thrown in with Dormer's (Pacino's) own guilt for the accidental murder of his partner and his shady tactics used to put a child murderer behind bars in LA. The insomnia of the midnight sun is absolutely perfect. It seems as though insomnia is a great subject for Nolan to tackle, since in each and every one of his movies to date involves his depiction of the acute sensory details of his characters' illusions and flashbacks. In Memento, it's Guy Pearce's momentary flashbacks of his wife being brutally beaten. In The Prestige, there are very specific images of drowning and guilty flashbacks. Even in Batman Begins he uses a very acute, jumpy imagery to portray the effects of Scarecrow's hallucinogen. In Insomnia, he manages to use most of these tricks the entire movie--the jumpy eye movements, the flashes of light, the strange sounds of everyday life echoing in the ears. On the level of Nolan's direction, the film in beautiful. However, something is just wrong with the script. Nothing is really ever played out as it should be--it's not as though there's much to be desired. I can't really even place my finger on it. I mean, the film is a taut, nearly explosive thriller. But why did I feel so disconnected from it? My only explanation is that the pacing of the film was just slightly off, and the ending was a pretty cliched, making use of a awfully bland and textbook performance by Hilary Swank (bleh). I mean, even she sort of contributed to the film's overall lackluster feel, and she should have been a huge asset. Pacino and Williams are great...it's actually really interesting to see Pacino play a role like this, since his character's are usually so collected and outspoken, while in this he is forced to downplay and portray a man who is slowly going insane from lack of sleep. ("Six days," says Williams. "You beat my record.") The film is worth watching, because it's surely entertaining and well-made. Nolan really tries his hardest, and there's nothing you can say to criticize his direction. But the script is lacking, and Hilary Swank pretty much sucks. http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Cast_BATMAN_3/563/33466/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Jonnyboy117
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 8/2/2008 8:16:41 PM
Body: Mr. Nolan, I know you like casting some actors through multiple films. For an obvious solution to the villain problem in Batman 3, I would suggest Robin Williams as The Riddler. We've seen that he can act well, sometimes in very scary roles such as your remake of Insomnia. The combination of his capacity for terror and legendary comedic skills make for an actor who is up to the task of playing a Nolan-ized version of The Riddler, far more sinister than Jim Carrey's outlandish version in Batman Forever. For a more obscure but potentially more interesting villain, I would suggest The Reaper from Batman: Year Two. He is a famous vigilante from before Batman's time who returns to Gotham and succumbs to the temptation to once more prowl the streets. The Reaper is a fascinating foil to Batman, as they are both trying to clean up the city, just in very different styles. The Reaper is a vicious fighter, slashing up criminals with his scythe blades. When Batman tries to stop him, The Reaper even pulls out a pistol and seriously wounds our hero, who grudgingly decides to resort to the same weapon as the only way to bring down his opponent. The Reaper is an imposing, complex, cunning, and physically adept "villain" with clearer motivations than The Joker or most other Batman villains. And unlike The Joker in The Dark Knight, he does tempt Batman into betraying his own self-imposed rules in the name of justice. This is exactly the kind of moral quandary for Batman's character that you hinted at in the latest movie but never fully delivered. And who could play such an intelligent, athletic man in his 60s and be fully believable up against Batman? Just convince Sean Connery to come out of retirement. It's the hip thing to do these days.
]]>Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:16:41 GMTJonnyboy117Filmgaming8/2/2008 8:16:41 PMMr. Nolan, I know you like casting some actors through multiple films. For an obvious solution to the villain problem in Batman 3, I would suggest Robin Williams as The Riddler. We've seen that he can act well, sometimes in very scary roles such as your remake of Insomnia. The combination of his capacity for terror and legendary comedic skills make for an actor who is up to the task of playing a Nolan-ized version of The Riddler, far more sinister than Jim Carrey's outlandish version in Batman Forever. For a more obscure but potentially more interesting villain, I would suggest The Reaper from Batman: Year Two. He is a famous vigilante from before Batman's time who returns to Gotham and succumbs to the temptation to once more prowl the streets. The Reaper is a fascinating foil to Batman, as they are both trying to clean up the city, just in very different styles. The Reaper is a vicious fighter, slashing up criminals with his scythe blades. When Batman tries to stop him, The Reaper even pulls out a pistol and seriously wounds our hero, who grudgingly decides to resort to the same weapon as the only way to bring down his opponent. The Reaper is an imposing, complex, cunning, and physically adept "villain" with clearer motivations than The Joker or most other Batman villains. And unlike The Joker in The Dark Knight, he does tempt Batman into betraying his own self-imposed rules in the name of justice. This is exactly the kind of moral quandary for Batman's character that you hinted at in the latest movie but never fully delivered. And who could play such an intelligent, athletic man in his 60s and be fully believable up against Batman? Just convince Sean Connery to come out of retirement. It's the hip thing to do these days. http://www.spout.com/blogs/enaretea/archive/2007/5/19/9040.aspx Post By: enaretea
Post To: enaretea Blog
Post Date: 5/19/2007 8:39:00 PM
Body: Thank goodness! The Prestige is a terrific movie and I thank great goodness for that. When the movie was released that fall it was on the top of my must-see lists. However, my new born son doesn't let me get out to the theatre as much as I used to, so I had to wait until it came out on DVD. We finally got around to having a free evening and the movie was at the videostore, so we rented. Ever since Memento, I've had very high expectations from Chris Nolan. As such, Insomnia ultimately disappointed, but Batman Begins blew me away. Now, The Prestige... so, so, so good. The two leads are terrific. Christian Bale just gets better and better. He smolders, he looks dangerous and angry, is tender, is funny, is smart. As for Hugh Jackman, there is no danger of him being typecast as Wolverine. In fact, the more I see of him, the less Wolverine I see (which means when I see Wolverine, I see only Wolverine and not some singing, dancing Aussie actor). Michael Caine, as with Children of Men, shows why he is one of the greatest movie star actors of all time. The movie looks fabulous and it full of atmosphere, interesting ideas, and surprises. The only real complain I have is with Scarlett Johansson. She really didn't add anything to this movie. In fact, I wish another actress had been cast so that I was distracted by the expectation of young Scarlett. But, that is trivial. Well done to Chris Nolan and everyone who was involved in the making of The Prestige.
]]>Sun, 20 May 2007 00:39:00 GMTenareteaenaretea Blog5/19/2007 8:39:00 PMThank goodness! The Prestige is a terrific movie and I thank great goodness for that. When the movie was released that fall it was on the top of my must-see lists. However, my new born son doesn&#39;t let me get out to the theatre as much as I used to, so I had to wait until it came out on DVD. We finally got around to having a free evening and the movie was at the videostore, so we rented. Ever since Memento, I&#39;ve had very high expectations from Chris Nolan. As such, Insomnia ultimately disappointed, but Batman Begins blew me away. Now, The Prestige... so, so, so good. The two leads are terrific. Christian Bale just gets better and better. He smolders, he looks dangerous and angry, is tender, is funny, is smart. As for Hugh Jackman, there is no danger of him being typecast as Wolverine. In fact, the more I see of him, the less Wolverine I see (which means when I see Wolverine, I see only Wolverine and not some singing, dancing Aussie actor). Michael Caine, as with Children of Men, shows why he is one of the greatest movie star actors of all time. The movie looks fabulous and it full of atmosphere, interesting ideas, and surprises. The only real complain I have is with Scarlett Johansson. She really didn&#39;t add anything to this movie. In fact, I wish another actress had been cast so that I was distracted by the expectation of young Scarlett. But, that is trivial. Well done to Chris Nolan and everyone who was involved in the making of The Prestige. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
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