list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Gigli 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/Gigli/222770/default.aspx Title: Gigli
Year: 2003
Director: Martin Brest
Plot: Larry Gigli (Ben Affleck) is a low-level Los Angeles mob enforcer. His volatile boss, Louis (Lenny Venito), hires Gigli to kidnap Brian (newcomer Justin Bartha), the mentally handicapped younger brother of a federal prosecutor who's about to bring Louis' boss to trial in New York. Gigli gets the kid home without a hitch. Then a beautiful woman (Jennifer Lopez) shows up at his door. She says her name is Ricki, and Gigli soon learns that the nervous Louis has hired her to keep an eye on him. "In every relationship," Gigli soon finds himself expounding to his unwanted partner, "there's a bull and a cow." His efforts to maintain control of the situation are further hampered by the brief appearance of the insane Detective Stanley Jacobellis (Christopher Walken) and a forced visit to his overbearing mother's (Lainie Kazan) house. To make matters worse, when Gigli expresses his attraction to Ricki, he learns that she's a lesbian. She, meanwhile, proves herself considerably more capable than the lunkheaded Gigli, winning their war of words and even scaring off a rowdy group of high school kids. As Gigli and Ricki continue to look after the young, innocent Brian, they find themselves increasingly attracted to one another. But their potential budding romance is put on hold when Starkman (Al Pacino) arrives from New York, angry about how his affairs are being handled. Director Martin Brest, in his first film since 1998's Meet Joe Black, returns to the crime comedy genre that made his reputation. Brest also wrote the script for Gigli, his first since 1979's Going in Style. Stars Affleck and Lopez began a well-publicized romantic relationship on the set of the film. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 16
Number of Lists: 7
Number of blog posts: 5
Number of discussion threads: 1
SpoutRating: 1
]]>Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:08:42 GMTGigli2003Martin BrestLarry Gigli (<a href="/players/P______426/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ben Affleck</a>) is a low-level Los Angeles mob enforcer. His volatile boss, Louis (Lenny Venito), hires Gigli to kidnap Brian (newcomer <a href="/players/P___355681/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Justin Bartha</a>), the mentally handicapped younger brother of a federal prosecutor who's about to bring Louis' boss to trial in New York. Gigli gets the kid home without a hitch. Then a beautiful woman (<a href="/players/P___144649/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jennifer Lopez</a>) shows up at his door. She says her name is Ricki, and Gigli soon learns that the nervous Louis has hired her to keep an eye on him. "In every relationship," Gigli soon finds himself expounding to his unwanted partner, "there's a bull and a cow." His efforts to maintain control of the situation are further hampered by the brief appearance of the insane Detective Stanley Jacobellis (<a href="/players/P____74206/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Christopher Walken</a>) and a forced visit to his overbearing mother's (<a href="/players/P____37216/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Lainie Kazan</a>) house. To make matters worse, when Gigli expresses his attraction to Ricki, he learns that she's a lesbian. She, meanwhile, proves herself considerably more capable than the lunkheaded Gigli, winning their war of words and even scaring off a rowdy group of high school kids. As Gigli and Ricki continue to look after the young, innocent Brian, they find themselves increasingly attracted to one another. But their potential budding romance is put on hold when Starkman (<a href="/players/P____54596/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Al Pacino</a>) arrives from New York, angry about how his affairs are being handled. Director <a href="/players/P____82954/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Martin Brest</a>, in his first film since 1998's <a href=/films/114714/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Meet Joe Black</a>, returns to the crime comedy genre that made his reputation. Brest also wrote the script for Gigli, his first since 1979's <a href=/films/13658/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Going in Style</a>. Stars Affleck and Lopez began a well-publicized romantic relationship on the set of the film. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide16Tag Target (>10)7511http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t35915jka3r.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Gigli/222770/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/10/8/36037.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 10/8/2008 2:01:01 PM
Body: This review originally appeared during the Toronto Film Festival. Guy Ritchie’s RockNRolla opens in New York and LA today. Guy Ritchie has been getting a bad rap ever since the his impressive double header of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch turned into the double whammy of becoming Mr. Madonna in 2000 and directing Swept Away in 2002. Ritchie was quickly heading for the bargain bin after that romantic comedy became a universal joke, topped as a target of derision perhaps only by Gigli. He returned to gangster fare with Revolver in 2005, but even with star and Ritchie alumnus Jason Statham, the film wasn’t well-received. So here we are three years later with yet another gangster-studded film, RocknRolla, this time with posterboy Gerard Butler in a leading role. Well, the good news is that this marks a return to the London underbelly that was laid down by Lock and Snatch: RocknRolla could rightfully be called the third film in a Ritchie trilogy. The bad news is that it’s a whole lot of flash and not much substance. Not that people go to Ritchie’s films expecting a dissertation on the human condition, but his movies do at least require you to follow along closely due to their labyrinthine plots. RocknRolla is no different, and although Butler seems to be the face of the film, he’s simply part of a large ensemble cast, and not the strongest player. The basic plot of the film involves One-Two (Butler) and his partner Mumbles (Idris Elba) as two low-rent hoods who spot a good real estate investment. They partner with a mob boss (Tom Wilkinson) with deep pockets to get things rolling, but he turns around and double-crosses them, and they owe him some serious dough. Meanwhile, the same mob boss gets involved with a Russian billionaire in a similar real estate deal. The Russian’s accountant (Thandie Newton) steps in and double crosses the Russian, and so you’ve got your basic mafia triangle of X owes money to Y who owes money to Z. As it turns out, the Russian loans his mystical good luck painting to the mob boss as a show of good faith, and this painting soon becomes the focus of the film once it is stolen by the mob boss’ stepson, Johnny Quid. The rest of the film turns into a search for the painting, which moves from character A to B to C with fluid ease, and there’s a violent conclusion that ties everything up, for the most part. The main problem with the film is that you just don’t care for most of the main characters, which isn’t that surprising when you consider a cast this large. However, The Big Chill also has a large cast, and you certainly care for people in that movie. (Also, I’ve just realized that comparing a Guy Ritchie movie to The Big Chill is probably one of the signs of the impending apocalypse.) The real stars of the film are Toby Kebbell, who plays the heroin-thin rockstar Johnny Quid in a loving homage to Sid Vicious (or to Gary Oldman in Sid & Nancy); Tom Wilkinson as the chrome-domed, Ray-Ban wearing crime boss Lenny Cole; and Mark Strong as Archie, Lenny’s right-hand enforcer. Honestly, you could have replaced Butler’s character with a dozen different actors, and these three actors would have shone just as brightly, despite being in an ensemble piece. Not that Butler isn’t competent. His portrayal of the criminal who just can’t seem to get things right isn’t nearly as over the top as King Leonidas, and he’s at his best in this movie when not in an action heavy vignettes. There’s an amusing scene where Thandie Newton and Butler are dancing at a wannabe rave thrown by Newton’s posh (but gay) husband. Their dancing is about on par with Marcia Brady’s “thumb dance” from The Brady Bunch. You can’t hear them over the din of the party, so you’re treated with cartoonish subtitles throughout the scene. Most of the humor in the movie comes from a pair of Russian hitmen who just won’t die, no matter what happens to them in one of the most amusing chase sequences I’ve ever seen, and from the awkward situation Butler’s character is put in after his best mate and fellow hood Handsome Bob confesses his love to him. Ritchie from the Lock, Stock days probably wouldn’t have approached a scene (and the ensuing scenes in which Butler may, or may not have helped his buddy out before a prison stint) seriously, but the 2008 version of the director decided it could be both amusing and touching. Ritchie told us that this film is meant to have at least one sequel, and you can read all about that in our upcoming interview. If Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels still stands as Ritchie’s strongest film, with Snatch in second place, RockNRolla feels like a strong third in this trinity, and returns Ritchie to form. At the very least, it’s a fun leadup to Sherlock Holmes. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:01:01 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com10/8/2008 2:01:01 PMThis review originally appeared during the Toronto Film Festival. Guy Ritchie’s RockNRolla opens in New York and LA today. Guy Ritchie has been getting a bad rap ever since the his impressive double header of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch turned into the double whammy of becoming Mr. Madonna in 2000 and directing Swept Away in 2002. Ritchie was quickly heading for the bargain bin after that romantic comedy became a universal joke, topped as a target of derision perhaps only by Gigli. He returned to gangster fare with Revolver in 2005, but even with star and Ritchie alumnus Jason Statham, the film wasn’t well-received. So here we are three years later with yet another gangster-studded film, RocknRolla, this time with posterboy Gerard Butler in a leading role. Well, the good news is that this marks a return to the London underbelly that was laid down by Lock and Snatch: RocknRolla could rightfully be called the third film in a Ritchie trilogy. The bad news is that it’s a whole lot of flash and not much substance. Not that people go to Ritchie’s films expecting a dissertation on the human condition, but his movies do at least require you to follow along closely due to their labyrinthine plots. RocknRolla is no different, and although Butler seems to be the face of the film, he’s simply part of a large ensemble cast, and not the strongest player. The basic plot of the film involves One-Two (Butler) and his partner Mumbles (Idris Elba) as two low-rent hoods who spot a good real estate investment. They partner with a mob boss (Tom Wilkinson) with deep pockets to get things rolling, but he turns around and double-crosses them, and they owe him some serious dough. Meanwhile, the same mob boss gets involved with a Russian billionaire in a similar real estate deal. The Russian’s accountant (Thandie Newton) steps in and double crosses the Russian, and so you’ve got your basic mafia triangle of X owes money to Y who owes money to Z. As it turns out, the Russian loans his mystical good luck painting to the mob boss as a show of good faith, and this painting soon becomes the focus of the film once it is stolen by the mob boss’ stepson, Johnny Quid. The rest of the film turns into a search for the painting, which moves from character A to B to C with fluid ease, and there’s a violent conclusion that ties everything up, for the most part. The main problem with the film is that you just don’t care for most of the main characters, which isn’t that surprising when you consider a cast this large. However, The Big Chill also has a large cast, and you certainly care for people in that movie. (Also, I’ve just realized that comparing a Guy Ritchie movie to The Big Chill is probably one of the signs of the impending apocalypse.) The real stars of the film are Toby Kebbell, who plays the heroin-thin rockstar Johnny Quid in a loving homage to Sid Vicious (or to Gary Oldman in Sid & Nancy); Tom Wilkinson as the chrome-domed, Ray-Ban wearing crime boss Lenny Cole; and Mark Strong as Archie, Lenny’s right-hand enforcer. Honestly, you could have replaced Butler’s character with a dozen different actors, and these three actors would have shone just as brightly, despite being in an ensemble piece. Not that Butler isn’t competent. His portrayal of the criminal who just can’t seem to get things right isn’t nearly as over the top as King Leonidas, and he’s at his best in this movie when not in an action heavy vignettes. There’s an amusing scene where Thandie Newton and Butler are dancing at a wannabe rave thrown by Newton’s posh (but gay) husband. Their dancing is about on par with Marcia Brady’s “thumb dance” from The Brady Bunch. You can’t hear them over the din of the party, so you’re treated with cartoonish subtitles throughout the scene. Most of the humor in the movie comes from a pair of Russian hitmen who just won’t die, no matter what happens to them in one of the most amusing chase sequences I’ve ever seen, and from the awkward situation Butler’s character is put in after his best mate and fellow hood Handsome Bob confesses his love to him. Ritchie from the Lock, Stock days probably wouldn’t have approached a scene (and the ensuing scenes in which Butler may, or may not have helped his buddy out before a prison stint) seriously, but the 2008 version of the director decided it could be both amusing and touching. Ritchie told us that this film is meant to have at least one sequel, and you can read all about that in our upcoming interview. If Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels still stands as Ritchie’s strongest film, with Snatch in second place, RockNRolla feels like a strong third in this trinity, and returns Ritchie to form. At the very least, it’s a fun leadup to Sherlock Holmes. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/6/34829.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/6/2008 9:00:33 AM
Body: Guy Ritchie has been getting a bad rap ever since the his impressive double header of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch turned into the double whammy of becoming Mr. Madonna in 2000 and directing Swept Away in 2002. Ritchie was quickly heading for the bargain bin after that romantic comedy became a universal joke, topped as a target of derision perhaps only by Gigli. He returned to gangster fare with Revolver in 2005, but even with star and Ritchie alumnus Jason Statham, the film wasn’t well-received. So here we are three years later with yet another gangster-studded film, RocknRolla, this time with posterboy Gerard Butler in a leading role. Well, the good news is that this marks a return to the London underbelly that was laid down by Lock and Snatch: RocknRolla could rightfully be called the third film in a Ritchie trilogy. The bad news is that it’s a whole lot of flash and not much substance. Not that people go to Ritchie’s films expecting a dissertation on the human condition, but his movies do at least require you to follow along closely due to their labyrinthine plots. RocknRolla is no different, and although Butler seems to be the face of the film, he’s simply part of a large ensemble cast, and not the strongest player. The basic plot of the film involves One-Two (Butler) and his partner Mumbles (Idris Elba) as two low-rent hoods who spot a good real estate investment. They partner with a mob boss (Tom Wilkinson) with deep pockets to get things rolling, but he turns around and double-crosses them, and they owe him some serious dough. Meanwhile, the same mob boss gets involved with a Russian billionaire in a similar real estate deal. The Russian’s accountant (Thandie Newton) steps in and double crosses the Russian, and so you’ve got your basic mafia triangle of X owes money to Y who owes money to Z. As it turns out, the Russian loans his mystical good luck painting to the mob boss as a show of good faith, and this painting soon becomes the focus of the film once it is stolen by the mob boss’ stepson, Johnny Quid. The rest of the film turns into a search for the painting, which moves from character A to B to C with fluid ease, and there’s a violent conclusion that ties everything up, for the most part. The main problem with the film is that you just don’t care for most of the main characters, which isn’t that surprising when you consider a cast this large. However, The Big Chill also has a large cast, and you certainly care for people in that movie. (Also, I’ve just realized that comparing a Guy Ritchie movie to The Big Chill is probably one of the signs of the impending apocalypse.) The real stars of the film are Toby Kebbell, who plays the heroin-thin rockstar Johnny Quid in a loving homage to Sid Vicious (or to Gary Oldman in Sid & Nancy); Tom Wilkinson as the chrome-domed, Ray-Ban wearing crime boss Lenny Cole; and Mark Strong as Archie, Lenny’s right-hand enforcer. Honestly, you could have replaced Butler’s character with a dozen different actors, and these three actors would have shone just as brightly, despite being in an ensemble piece. Not that Butler isn’t competent. His portrayal of the criminal who just can’t seem to get things right isn’t nearly as over the top as King Leonidas, and he’s at his best in this movie when not in an action heavy vignettes. There’s an amusing scene where Thandie Newton and Butler are dancing at a wannabe rave thrown by Newton’s posh (but gay) husband. Their dancing is about on par with Marcia Brady’s “thumb dance” from The Brady Bunch. You can’t hear them over the din of the party, so you’re treated with cartoonish subtitles throughout the scene. Most of the humor in the movie comes from a pair of Russian hitmen who just won’t die, no matter what happens to them in one of the most amusing chase sequences I’ve ever seen, and from the awkward situation Butler’s character is put in after his best mate and fellow hood Handsome Bob confesses his love to him. Ritchie from the Lock, Stock days probably wouldn’t have approached a scene (and the ensuing scenes in which Butler may, or may not have helped his buddy out before a prison stint) seriously, but the 2008 version of the director decided it could be both amusing and touching. Ritchie told us that this film is meant to have at least one sequel, and you can read all about that in our upcoming interview. If Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels still stands as Ritchie’s strongest film, with Snatch in second place, RockNRolla feels like a strong third in this trinity, and returns Ritchie to form. At the very least, it’s a fun leadup to Sherlock Holmes. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:00:33 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/6/2008 9:00:33 AM Guy Ritchie has been getting a bad rap ever since the his impressive double header of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch turned into the double whammy of becoming Mr. Madonna in 2000 and directing Swept Away in 2002. Ritchie was quickly heading for the bargain bin after that romantic comedy became a universal joke, topped as a target of derision perhaps only by Gigli. He returned to gangster fare with Revolver in 2005, but even with star and Ritchie alumnus Jason Statham, the film wasn’t well-received. So here we are three years later with yet another gangster-studded film, RocknRolla, this time with posterboy Gerard Butler in a leading role. Well, the good news is that this marks a return to the London underbelly that was laid down by Lock and Snatch: RocknRolla could rightfully be called the third film in a Ritchie trilogy. The bad news is that it’s a whole lot of flash and not much substance. Not that people go to Ritchie’s films expecting a dissertation on the human condition, but his movies do at least require you to follow along closely due to their labyrinthine plots. RocknRolla is no different, and although Butler seems to be the face of the film, he’s simply part of a large ensemble cast, and not the strongest player. The basic plot of the film involves One-Two (Butler) and his partner Mumbles (Idris Elba) as two low-rent hoods who spot a good real estate investment. They partner with a mob boss (Tom Wilkinson) with deep pockets to get things rolling, but he turns around and double-crosses them, and they owe him some serious dough. Meanwhile, the same mob boss gets involved with a Russian billionaire in a similar real estate deal. The Russian’s accountant (Thandie Newton) steps in and double crosses the Russian, and so you’ve got your basic mafia triangle of X owes money to Y who owes money to Z. As it turns out, the Russian loans his mystical good luck painting to the mob boss as a show of good faith, and this painting soon becomes the focus of the film once it is stolen by the mob boss’ stepson, Johnny Quid. The rest of the film turns into a search for the painting, which moves from character A to B to C with fluid ease, and there’s a violent conclusion that ties everything up, for the most part. The main problem with the film is that you just don’t care for most of the main characters, which isn’t that surprising when you consider a cast this large. However, The Big Chill also has a large cast, and you certainly care for people in that movie. (Also, I’ve just realized that comparing a Guy Ritchie movie to The Big Chill is probably one of the signs of the impending apocalypse.) The real stars of the film are Toby Kebbell, who plays the heroin-thin rockstar Johnny Quid in a loving homage to Sid Vicious (or to Gary Oldman in Sid & Nancy); Tom Wilkinson as the chrome-domed, Ray-Ban wearing crime boss Lenny Cole; and Mark Strong as Archie, Lenny’s right-hand enforcer. Honestly, you could have replaced Butler’s character with a dozen different actors, and these three actors would have shone just as brightly, despite being in an ensemble piece. Not that Butler isn’t competent. His portrayal of the criminal who just can’t seem to get things right isn’t nearly as over the top as King Leonidas, and he’s at his best in this movie when not in an action heavy vignettes. There’s an amusing scene where Thandie Newton and Butler are dancing at a wannabe rave thrown by Newton’s posh (but gay) husband. Their dancing is about on par with Marcia Brady’s “thumb dance” from The Brady Bunch. You can’t hear them over the din of the party, so you’re treated with cartoonish subtitles throughout the scene. Most of the humor in the movie comes from a pair of Russian hitmen who just won’t die, no matter what happens to them in one of the most amusing chase sequences I’ve ever seen, and from the awkward situation Butler’s character is put in after his best mate and fellow hood Handsome Bob confesses his love to him. Ritchie from the Lock, Stock days probably wouldn’t have approached a scene (and the ensuing scenes in which Butler may, or may not have helped his buddy out before a prison stint) seriously, but the 2008 version of the director decided it could be both amusing and touching. Ritchie told us that this film is meant to have at least one sequel, and you can read all about that in our upcoming interview. If Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels still stands as Ritchie’s strongest film, with Snatch in second place, RockNRolla feels like a strong third in this trinity, and returns Ritchie to form. At the very least, it’s a fun leadup to Sherlock Holmes. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/cinemarian/archive/2008/5/13/28829.aspx Post By: CinemaRian
Post To: CinemaRian Blog
Post Date: 5/13/2008 4:11:44 AM
Body: The legend continues. Sometimes you want to see a movie that has the reputation as being really, really bad to just to see if that reputation is correct. And it is-unfortanley. Gigli was both spat upon by critics, recieving only 6% on the tomato meter, and a box office megabomb, becoming an instant show bussiness legend and all purpose punchline. The movie is so bad it's hard to beleive, becoming only the second movie ever to recieve zero stars from me. I have never seen another film from Martin Brest, who wrote and directed this one as well as making the minor classic Scent of a Woman. Brest is generally considred to be good second class director. I now feel a deep need to see Scent of a Woman to understand how someone who is supposedly talented could make something this bad. Gigli is, without exageration, the worst screenplay ever written. Let's go straight to the plot summery to illistrate my point. Ben Affleck plays Gigli, a hitman who assigned to kidnap Brian (Justin Bartha) the brain damaged brother of a D.A. who is planning to prosecute his mob boss (Al Pacino). Gigli has trouble with the mission, so another hitwoman, Riki (Jennifer Lopez) to help. The two share a mutual attraction, even though Riki claims to be a lesbian. At the same time, Gigli slowly begans to develop a Rain Man like bond with Brian, they have to deal with lots of hijinks, such as Brian's annoying habbit of breaking into rap, Riki's girlfriend comes over and slitting her wrists in dispair, pursuit by an FBI agent (Christopher Walken who for the first time in his carreer isn't funny), a trip to the mourge and-you get the idea. Who in their right mind thought that this under any circumstances could make a good movie? And who cast these people? Affleck, despite his repution, is a good actor with limited range, but he and Lopez are totally unbelivable as gangsters. Afflect uses a rediculous Italian accent and Brest packs Lopez's character with rediculous details that no actress could pull off, such as that she learned karate in Korea, and has studied the military theories of Sun-Tsu. The dialouge is some of the worst ever spoken on screen, particuarly when the romance heats up. Sample: J-Lo: I thought you wanted to be my bitch. Affleck: This is so fucked up! What is also fucked up is the movie's use of Brian. As a disabled person, I found it offensive, as this is a classic movie disabilty that just makes the sufferer cute. The scene at the end is just as dreadful as the rest of. They take Brian to where he's always dreamed of being- the set of the TV show Baywatch, where he meets a hot Australian chick-because he's into Australian women. Oh and we also learn that Brian says "God bless you" every time he gets an erection. This movie is awfull. Gigli (2003)
]]>Tue, 13 May 2008 08:11:44 GMTCinemaRianCinemaRian Blog5/13/2008 4:11:44 AMThe legend continues. Sometimes you want to see a movie that has the reputation as being really, really bad to just to see if that reputation is correct. And it is-unfortanley. Gigli was both spat upon by critics, recieving only 6% on the tomato meter, and a box office megabomb, becoming an instant show bussiness legend and all purpose punchline. The movie is so bad it's hard to beleive, becoming only the second movie ever to recieve zero stars from me. I have never seen another film from Martin Brest, who wrote and directed this one as well as making the minor classic Scent of a Woman. Brest is generally considred to be good second class director. I now feel a deep need to see Scent of a Woman to understand how someone who is supposedly talented could make something this bad. Gigli is, without exageration, the worst screenplay ever written. Let's go straight to the plot summery to illistrate my point. Ben Affleck plays Gigli, a hitman who assigned to kidnap Brian (Justin Bartha) the brain damaged brother of a D.A. who is planning to prosecute his mob boss (Al Pacino). Gigli has trouble with the mission, so another hitwoman, Riki (Jennifer Lopez) to help. The two share a mutual attraction, even though Riki claims to be a lesbian. At the same time, Gigli slowly begans to develop a Rain Man like bond with Brian, they have to deal with lots of hijinks, such as Brian's annoying habbit of breaking into rap, Riki's girlfriend comes over and slitting her wrists in dispair, pursuit by an FBI agent (Christopher Walken who for the first time in his carreer isn't funny), a trip to the mourge and-you get the idea. Who in their right mind thought that this under any circumstances could make a good movie? And who cast these people? Affleck, despite his repution, is a good actor with limited range, but he and Lopez are totally unbelivable as gangsters. Afflect uses a rediculous Italian accent and Brest packs Lopez's character with rediculous details that no actress could pull off, such as that she learned karate in Korea, and has studied the military theories of Sun-Tsu. The dialouge is some of the worst ever spoken on screen, particuarly when the romance heats up. Sample: J-Lo: I thought you wanted to be my bitch. Affleck: This is so fucked up! What is also fucked up is the movie's use of Brian. As a disabled person, I found it offensive, as this is a classic movie disabilty that just makes the sufferer cute. The scene at the end is just as dreadful as the rest of. They take Brian to where he's always dreamed of being- the set of the TV show Baywatch, where he meets a hot Australian chick-because he's into Australian women. Oh and we also learn that Brian says "God bless you" every time he gets an erection. This movie is awfull. Gigli (2003) http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Recasting_THE_PRINCESS_BRIDE_1987/563/27193/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 4/10/2008 6:11:18 PM
Body: [quote user="benthams_head"]Here's my list, for better or worst, which subscribes to the well-trodden theory that any movie featuring Christopher Walken cannot be a complete disaster.[/quote]Remember, he was in Gigli. And I've heard delightfully infamous things about McBain.
]]>Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:11:18 GMTRisseladaFilmgaming4/10/2008 6:11:18 PM[quote user="benthams_head"]Here&#39;s my list, for better or worst, which subscribes to the well-trodden theory that any movie featuring Christopher Walken cannot be a complete disaster.[/quote]Remember, he was in Gigli. And I&#39;ve heard delightfully infamous things about McBain. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/1/29/24518.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/29/2008 4:01:21 PM
Body: I know star power isn’t what it used to be, but doesn’t it seem like we still give Al Pacino more credit than he’s worth? Despite his receiving an Oscar fifteen years ago, the guy hasn’t been a completely dependable actor in more than two decades. And yet a lot of people write about his upcoming movies as if they could maybe, possibly, hopefully be on par with the actor’s ’70s work. I’m not denying that he’s excellent in a few films of even the past ten years (particularly The Insider), but let’s not forget he was also in Gigli, so it isn’t like he’s making the same smart choices he was making as a younger man. And now here’s 88 Minutes, another movie that attempts to give us a thrilling plot in real time, a la 24. But despite such a gimmick working with old films like High Noon and 12 Angry Men, when it’s presented as a gimmick, and clearly as the only reason a movie is made (as in the cases of Nick of Time, Timecode and Phone Booth), it always comes off as forced and (obviously) gimmicky. But at least Pacino is in it, right? Eh, maybe if American moviegoers still gave a damn about marquee names. Maybe that’s why 88 Minutes was released to many foreign markets six months to a year ago; star power is still marketable in many places outside the U.S. Meanwhile, Sony is finally dropping the thing here on April 18. I can’t say that I would never see a movie just because Pacino is in it (I can’t wait to see him as Salvador Dali in Dali & I: The Surreal Story, only because the idea is half-genius, half-ludicrous), but even my nostalgia for a seemingly real time movie like Dog Day Afternoon (it’s not in real time, but it feels like it) can’t get me to see 88 Minutes just for him. And there doesn’t appear to be much else that’s appealing about the generic frame-job film either. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:01:21 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/29/2008 4:01:21 PM I know star power isn’t what it used to be, but doesn’t it seem like we still give Al Pacino more credit than he’s worth? Despite his receiving an Oscar fifteen years ago, the guy hasn’t been a completely dependable actor in more than two decades. And yet a lot of people write about his upcoming movies as if they could maybe, possibly, hopefully be on par with the actor’s ’70s work. I’m not denying that he’s excellent in a few films of even the past ten years (particularly The Insider), but let’s not forget he was also in Gigli, so it isn’t like he’s making the same smart choices he was making as a younger man. And now here’s 88 Minutes, another movie that attempts to give us a thrilling plot in real time, a la 24. But despite such a gimmick working with old films like High Noon and 12 Angry Men, when it’s presented as a gimmick, and clearly as the only reason a movie is made (as in the cases of Nick of Time, Timecode and Phone Booth), it always comes off as forced and (obviously) gimmicky. But at least Pacino is in it, right? Eh, maybe if American moviegoers still gave a damn about marquee names. Maybe that’s why 88 Minutes was released to many foreign markets six months to a year ago; star power is still marketable in many places outside the U.S. Meanwhile, Sony is finally dropping the thing here on April 18. I can’t say that I would never see a movie just because Pacino is in it (I can’t wait to see him as Salvador Dali in Dali & I: The Surreal Story, only because the idea is half-genius, half-ludicrous), but even my nostalgia for a seemingly real time movie like Dog Day Afternoon (it’s not in real time, but it feels like it) can’t get me to see 88 Minutes just for him. And there doesn’t appear to be much else that’s appealing about the generic frame-job film either. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/moviebabe/archive/2007/7/3/12989.aspx Post By: MovieBabe
Post To: MovieBabe Blog
Post Date: 7/3/2007 6:16:00 PM
Body: By Tricia Olszewski Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen, Oscar-recognized for his shorts and the writer of such Dogmatized fare as Mifune and Open Hearts, has turned to genre for his feature directorial debut. A hit in Denmark, Flickering Lights is a buddy-gangster film that's being promoted as a black comedy, though the designation will disorient those who approach the movie expecting a foreign Pulp Fiction. Torkild (Søren Pilmark) is a career criminal going through a midlife crisis. Before his surprise 40th-birthday party, he nearly shoots one of his partners when he hears rustling in his darkened home. Later, he laments the fact that his main present is an AK-47. ("I should get a golf bag," he muses.) Indebted to "the Eskimo" (Peter Andersson) for a job gone wrong, Torkild gathers his crew for an assignment involving a suitcase full of money. He soon decides, however, that he and the boys will run off with it to start a new life. On their way to Barcelona, Torkild, Peter (Ulrich Thomsen), Arne (Mads Mikkelsen), and Stefan (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) are forced to crash in an abandoned restaurant after their van breaks down in the woods. It's here that the action remains, at first out of necessity—Peter has been shot and can't be moved—and then by design: Torkild takes a hunk of the heisted 4 million kroner to buy the place, with the intention of reopening it. With its reconstructed-gangster angle played inconsistently but emphatically, Flickering Lights is at times syrupy-sentimental. An impromptu skinny-dipping romp at a nearby beach cuts to a pale-faced Peter cracking a mournful, melted-monster smile. And Torkild justifies spending most of the gang's money on the restaurant with "All I want is right here—the woods, the beach, you guys." Neither, however, is as hopeless as Stefan, who squires a twitty girlfriend, Hanne (the impressively annoying Sofie Gråbøl), and cries while reading a book of poetry from which the restaurant—and the film—draws its name. Candy-colored flashbacks in which each man reflects on his dysfunctional childhood, though artfully shot, add little to the story, which is more convincing during expletive-heavy pissing contests or the deployment of an encyclopedic arsenal of firearms. Still, Flickering Lights is occasionally compelling, thanks mostly to its cast. Pilmark, who has the grizzled good looks of a Jean Reno, lends Torkild at least the appearance of the tough-guy Renaissance man the script hints he is. Open Hearts vet Mikkelsen is outstanding as the unstable, gun-obsessed Arne, giving his character ever-watchful eyes that assess the seriousness or stupidity of any given situation with disconcerting quickness. Lie Kaas, meanwhile, makes Stefan a likable bumbler, and though his character often remains quietly in the background, in his scenes with Gråbøl he displays a perfect balance of affection toward Hanne and uncertainty about bringing her into his world. Jensen's use of Gråbøl's pleasantly dim Hanne as an intruder into Torkild & Co.'s close-knit guyishness builds up to the film's most satisfying and tension-filled moment. Introduced early, at Torkild's party, Hanne is quickly and crushingly dismissed by Stefan's partners. When she later shows up at the restaurant after a call from Stefan—a move that the rest of the crew thinks will get them killed—Hanne is again treated with contempt. Yet she smilingly, ignorantly tries to get to know her lover's friends, convincing them all to sit around a table to, uh, blow eggs. Gråbøl is at her irritating best as Hanne attempts to elicit conversation and then shoves the focus to Torkild, forcing him to try to blow out an egg and then laughing and teasing him relentlessly as he can't—while the others either timidly try to shut her up or wait for their boss to explode. The discomfort and suspense are palpable—and culminate in a convincingly brutal flash of violence—yet this is one of Flickering Lights' few scenes in which no weapon is in sight. Also absent is any sense of levity that might earn the film its American marketing campaign. Jensen's screenplay lands a group of eccentric characters in an eccentric situation, but little comes of it besides temper tantrums and miscommunication. The men of Flickering Lights are often unsure of what to do with their predicament and present company—one thing, at least, that any Tarantino-loving viewer will understand perfectly. Many gangster films of the past decade have used the Flickering Lights approach, loading their characters with quirks until their psychological profiles are more interesting than rap sheets. In Gigli, writer-director Martin Brest takes the opposite tack—to most infelicitous effect in this Year of Ben and Jen. I've always suspected that, in the writing of the Oscar-winning screenplay Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon was the idea man, while best bud Ben Affleck was in charge of typing. Still, Affleck has largely made film choices that have saved him from seeming like the Dumb One, picking roles that perhaps didn't stretch his talents yet never were cause for embarrassment. Not so with Affleck's Larry Gigli, a tough guy charged with kidnapping a federal prosecutor's mentally challenged brother, Brian (Justin Bartha). Soon fellow gangster Ricki (Jennifer Lopez) shows up at Larry's apartment, sent by his boss to ensure that the plan, whatever it is (details aren't exactly the film's strength), doesn't fall apart. Brian is supposed to be both the movie's heart and its source of humor, but Rain Man this ain't. Larry's puzzlement at Brian never goes away, and his confusion escalates from mere annoyance to screams of "What's wrong with you?" and "Just act normal for a minute!" As Ricki, meanwhile, Lopez is an affront to lesbians everywhere: Despite the character's assertion that she's a stone-cold one, she apparently finds Larry so hot she can't resist him. And though newcomer Bartha acts circles around the rest—including Christopher Walken and Al Pacino in head-scratching, self-caricaturing cameos—his character is a painful sight. We're supposed to laugh when Brian swears, sings "Baby Got Back," or says "God bless you!" when Ricki—I swear—"makes [his] penis sneeze." His only request, having been freed from institutionalization, is to go to "the Baywatch," which actually is kind of cute—until he's given a speech in which he describes his fantasy and then repeats, "I think that's where the sex is" as dreamy music swells in the background. In fact, there's lots of speechifying in Gigli, from Larry yelling that he's "the original gangster's gangster" to Ricki going on about the wonders of the vagina in, yes, a debate over girl parts vs. boy parts. But, really, the whole thing is tiring and shameful to watch—which makes it very hard to decide whom Brian's recurrent "You're the stupidest person!" applies to best.
]]>Tue, 03 Jul 2007 22:16:00 GMTMovieBabeMovieBabe Blog7/3/2007 6:16:00 PM By Tricia Olszewski Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen, Oscar-recognized for his shorts and the writer of such Dogmatized fare as Mifune and Open Hearts, has turned to genre for his feature directorial debut. A hit in Denmark, Flickering Lights is a buddy-gangster film that's being promoted as a black comedy, though the designation will disorient those who approach the movie expecting a foreign Pulp Fiction. Torkild (S&oslash;ren Pilmark) is a career criminal going through a midlife crisis. Before his surprise 40th-birthday party, he nearly shoots one of his partners when he hears rustling in his darkened home. Later, he laments the fact that his main present is an AK-47. ("I should get a golf bag," he muses.) Indebted to "the Eskimo" (Peter Andersson) for a job gone wrong, Torkild gathers his crew for an assignment involving a suitcase full of money. He soon decides, however, that he and the boys will run off with it to start a new life. On their way to Barcelona, Torkild, Peter (Ulrich Thomsen), Arne (Mads Mikkelsen), and Stefan (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) are forced to crash in an abandoned restaurant after their van breaks down in the woods. It's here that the action remains, at first out of necessity&mdash;Peter has been shot and can't be moved&mdash;and then by design: Torkild takes a hunk of the heisted 4 million kroner to buy the place, with the intention of reopening it. With its reconstructed-gangster angle played inconsistently but emphatically, Flickering Lights is at times syrupy-sentimental. An impromptu skinny-dipping romp at a nearby beach cuts to a pale-faced Peter cracking a mournful, melted-monster smile. And Torkild justifies spending most of the gang's money on the restaurant with "All I want is right here&mdash;the woods, the beach, you guys." Neither, however, is as hopeless as Stefan, who squires a twitty girlfriend, Hanne (the impressively annoying Sofie Gr&aring;b&oslash;l), and cries while reading a book of poetry from which the restaurant&mdash;and the film&mdash;draws its name. Candy-colored flashbacks in which each man reflects on his dysfunctional childhood, though artfully shot, add little to the story, which is more convincing during expletive-heavy pissing contests or the deployment of an encyclopedic arsenal of firearms. Still, Flickering Lights is occasionally compelling, thanks mostly to its cast. Pilmark, who has the grizzled good looks of a Jean Reno, lends Torkild at least the appearance of the tough-guy Renaissance man the script hints he is. Open Hearts vet Mikkelsen is outstanding as the unstable, gun-obsessed Arne, giving his character ever-watchful eyes that assess the seriousness or stupidity of any given situation with disconcerting quickness. Lie Kaas, meanwhile, makes Stefan a likable bumbler, and though his character often remains quietly in the background, in his scenes with Gr&aring;b&oslash;l he displays a perfect balance of affection toward Hanne and uncertainty about bringing her into his world. Jensen's use of Gr&aring;b&oslash;l's pleasantly dim Hanne as an intruder into Torkild &amp; Co.'s close-knit guyishness builds up to the film's most satisfying and tension-filled moment. Introduced early, at Torkild's party, Hanne is quickly and crushingly dismissed by Stefan's partners. When she later shows up at the restaurant after a call from Stefan&mdash;a move that the rest of the crew thinks will get them killed&mdash;Hanne is again treated with contempt. Yet she smilingly, ignorantly tries to get to know her lover's friends, convincing them all to sit around a table to, uh, blow eggs. Gr&aring;b&oslash;l is at her irritating best as Hanne attempts to elicit conversation and then shoves the focus to Torkild, forcing him to try to blow out an egg and then laughing and teasing him relentlessly as he can't&mdash;while the others either timidly try to shut her up or wait for their boss to explode. The discomfort and suspense are palpable&mdash;and culminate in a convincingly brutal flash of violence&mdash;yet this is one of Flickering Lights' few scenes in which no weapon is in sight. Also absent is any sense of levity that might earn the film its American marketing campaign. Jensen's screenplay lands a group of eccentric characters in an eccentric situation, but little comes of it besides temper tantrums and miscommunication. The men of Flickering Lights are often unsure of what to do with their predicament and present company&mdash;one thing, at least, that any Tarantino-loving viewer will understand perfectly. Many gangster films of the past decade have used the Flickering Lights approach, loading their characters with quirks until their psychological profiles are more interesting than rap sheets. In Gigli, writer-director Martin Brest takes the opposite tack&mdash;to most infelicitous effect in this Year of Ben and Jen. I've always suspected that, in the writing of the Oscar-winning screenplay Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon was the idea man, while best bud Ben Affleck was in charge of typing. Still, Affleck has largely made film choices that have saved him from seeming like the Dumb One, picking roles that perhaps didn't stretch his talents yet never were cause for embarrassment. Not so with Affleck's Larry Gigli, a tough guy charged with kidnapping a federal prosecutor's mentally challenged brother, Brian (Justin Bartha). Soon fellow gangster Ricki (Jennifer Lopez) shows up at Larry's apartment, sent by his boss to ensure that the plan, whatever it is (details aren't exactly the film's strength), doesn't fall apart. Brian is supposed to be both the movie's heart and its source of humor, but Rain Man this ain't. Larry's puzzlement at Brian never goes away, and his confusion escalates from mere annoyance to screams of "What's wrong with you?" and "Just act normal for a minute!" As Ricki, meanwhile, Lopez is an affront to lesbians everywhere: Despite the character's assertion that she's a stone-cold one, she apparently finds Larry so hot she can't resist him. And though newcomer Bartha acts circles around the rest&mdash;including Christopher Walken and Al Pacino in head-scratching, self-caricaturing cameos&mdash;his character is a painful sight. We're supposed to laugh when Brian swears, sings "Baby Got Back," or says "God bless you!" when Ricki&mdash;I swear&mdash;"makes [his] penis sneeze." His only request, having been freed from institutionalization, is to go to "the Baywatch," which actually is kind of cute&mdash;until he's given a speech in which he describes his fantasy and then repeats, "I think that's where the sex is" as dreamy music swells in the background. In fact, there's lots of speechifying in Gigli, from Larry yelling that he's "the original gangster's gangster" to Ricki going on about the wonders of the vagina in, yes, a debate over girl parts vs. boy parts. But, really, the whole thing is tiring and shameful to watch&mdash;which makes it very hard to decide whom Brian's recurrent "You're the stupidest person!" applies to best. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
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