list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Sting 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/The_Sting/32960/default.aspx Title: The Sting
Year: 1973
Director: George Roy Hill
Plot: Four years after setting box offices ablaze in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and director George Roy Hill re-teamed with similar success for The Sting. Redford plays Depression-era confidence trickster Johnny Hooker, whose friend and mentor Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones) is murdered by racketeer/gambler Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Hoping to avenge Luther's death, Johnny begins planning a "sting" -- an elaborate scam -- to destroy Lonnegan. He enlists the aid of "the greatest con artist of them all," Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), who pulls himself out of a drunken stupor and rises to the occasion. Hooker and Gondorff gather together an impressive array of con men, all of whom despise Lonnegan and wish to settle accounts on behalf of Luther. The twists and surprises that follow are too complex to relate in detail -- suffice to say that you can't cheat an honest man, and that you shouldn't accept everything at face value. The Sting became one of the biggest hits of the early '70s; grossing 68.5 million dollars during its first run, the film also picked up seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Adapted Score for Marvin Hamlisch's unforgettable setting of Scott Joplin's ragtime music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 31
Number of Lists: 40
Number of blog posts: 6
Number of discussion threads: 19
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:25:48 GMTThe Sting1973George Roy HillFour years after setting box offices ablaze in <a href=/films/4867/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid</a>, <a href="/players/P___104390/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Paul Newman</a>, <a href="/players/P___107758/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Robert Redford</a>, and director <a href="/players/P____94375/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>George Roy Hill</a> re-teamed with similar success for The Sting. Redford plays Depression-era confidence trickster Johnny Hooker, whose friend and mentor Luther Coleman (<a href="/players/P____36085/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Robert Earl Jones</a>) is murdered by racketeer/gambler Doyle Lonnegan (<a href="/players/P___111051/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Robert Shaw</a>). Hoping to avenge Luther's death, Johnny begins planning a "sting" -- an elaborate scam -- to destroy Lonnegan. He enlists the aid of "the greatest con artist of them all," Henry Gondorff (<a href="/players/P___104390/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Paul Newman</a>), who pulls himself out of a drunken stupor and rises to the occasion. Hooker and Gondorff gather together an impressive array of con men, all of whom despise Lonnegan and wish to settle accounts on behalf of Luther. The twists and surprises that follow are too complex to relate in detail -- suffice to say that you can't cheat an honest man, and that you shouldn't accept everything at face value. The Sting became one of the biggest hits of the early '70s; grossing 68.5 million dollars during its first run, the film also picked up seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Adapted Score for <a href="/players/P____93262/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Marvin Hamlisch</a>'s unforgettable setting of <a href="/players/P___181349/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Scott Joplin</a>'s ragtime music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide31Tag Target (>10)406194http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t91104igzen.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Sting/32960/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2009/6/3/42516.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Risselada Blog
Post Date: 6/3/2009 10:14:56 AM
Body: The Sting The Sting has been one of my top favorites for a while now, so I had to show it to my girlfriend. It's got Chicago; great music; a great script that keeps moving; that wonderful collaboration of Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and George Roy Hill that worked just as fantastically in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; and we can't forget Robert Shaw; fun direction and structure with the different title cards for the different acts. Some people have pointed out that while the film takes place in the 1930s the Scott Joplin music was composed some time during the first decade of the 1900s. Nonetheless it fits perfectly. I don't think I have to defend why this isn't really a problem. The great thing about this movie is that you think as an audience you are in on all the tricks. I don't want to give away anything at all, but the brilliance of the film is that the real sting is as much on the audience as it is on any of the other characters. The thing that gets me about trying to view this movie is my confusion about how it was meant to be shown. There are different DVDs that present the film in different aspect ratios. But it seems clear that the more "full screen" aspect ratio features more information than the "widescreen" version. I've read conflicting reports regarding how this film was shot and intended to be shot, but it does seem clear that the film was originally shot in a "full screen" type aspect ratio and then was often exhibited with the top and bottom cropped off from what was originally shot. What I'm not sure about is if this is how the filmmakers intended on having it exhibited while they were shooting it, or if this was something decided by studio executives subsequently. It certainly does seem like there are some times when watching the "widescreen" version that part of the image is cropped in a way that would not have seemed intentional while shooting. Thus, I would prefer to watch the "full screen" version to see everything. I hope this helps if you were as confused as me. Rating: 10/10
]]>Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:14:56 GMTRisseladaRisselada Blog6/3/2009 10:14:56 AMThe Sting The Sting has been one of my top favorites for a while now, so I had to show it to my girlfriend. It's got Chicago; great music; a great script that keeps moving; that wonderful collaboration of Robert Redford, Paul Newman, and George Roy Hill that worked just as fantastically in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; and we can't forget Robert Shaw; fun direction and structure with the different title cards for the different acts. Some people have pointed out that while the film takes place in the 1930s the Scott Joplin music was composed some time during the first decade of the 1900s. Nonetheless it fits perfectly. I don't think I have to defend why this isn't really a problem. The great thing about this movie is that you think as an audience you are in on all the tricks. I don't want to give away anything at all, but the brilliance of the film is that the real sting is as much on the audience as it is on any of the other characters. The thing that gets me about trying to view this movie is my confusion about how it was meant to be shown. There are different DVDs that present the film in different aspect ratios. But it seems clear that the more "full screen" aspect ratio features more information than the "widescreen" version. I've read conflicting reports regarding how this film was shot and intended to be shot, but it does seem clear that the film was originally shot in a "full screen" type aspect ratio and then was often exhibited with the top and bottom cropped off from what was originally shot. What I'm not sure about is if this is how the filmmakers intended on having it exhibited while they were shooting it, or if this was something decided by studio executives subsequently. It certainly does seem like there are some times when watching the "widescreen" version that part of the image is cropped in a way that would not have seemed intentional while shooting. Thus, I would prefer to watch the "full screen" version to see everything. I hope this helps if you were as confused as me. Rating: 10/10 http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/14/39522.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/14/2009 12:00:52 PM
Body: Indecent Proposal(1993) Vezi mai multe video din Film » When I was a kid growing up in the west the dueling sex symbols were Burt Reynolds and Robert Redford, and I was solidly in the Redford camp (though by the time I reached adulthood I’d switch sides and bat for Burt). In fact, Redford became my first movie star crush after I watched him light up the screen in Sydney Pollack’s 1979 The Electric Horseman opposite (post-bombshell Barbarella) Jane Fonda. Sure, the sight of pretty boy Redford as former rodeo star Sonny Steele reduced to donning cowboy duds trussed up with lights worthy of a Christmas tree to hawk breakfast cereal is ludicrous, but Redford managed to suavely pull it off with his inherent masculine dignity. Sonny, like The Sundance Kid, is a physical man’s man, his frat boy looks belying a passionate rebel who clearly identifies with those wild horses that can never be tamed. And interestingly, as a sex symbol, Redford not only vied with Reynolds throughout his early career but with himself. There was the Redford of Horseman, George Roy Hill’s 1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and 1973 The Sting (in which he played the perfectly named con man Johnny Hooker opposite his hot “Butch” co-star Paul Newman) – portraying guys for whom the rule of law was meant to be broken. Then there are those films like Pollack’s 1975 Three Days of the Condor and Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 All The President’s Men, in which Redford embodied driven heroes whose allure resided in their rock solid sense of right and wrong. Either way, Redford’s sex appeal always lay in the fact that all his characters were fearless risk takers, guys you could count on even if they lived by their own moral code. Which is exactly why Redford as the creepy, needy, billionaire stalker John Gage in Adrian Lyne’s 1993 Indecent Proposal doesn’t work. As an actor Redford is just too self-assured to play a faux cocky richie. The entire notion that someone who oozes as much charisma as Redford does would waste his time in lovesick pursuit of Demi Moore’s cold fish Diana – especially when a true wealthy and sexy sadist would simply sit back and toy with the women who throw themselves at his feet – is as absurd as those Xmas ornaments on Sonny Steele’s chaps (as is the idea that financially strapped Diana and her husband David, played by a wooden Woody Harrelson, would be such prudes as to even hesitate to take up Gage’s offer of a million bucks for one night with Diana. Heck, in real life Gage could have bought and bonked them both for half the price!) One never gets the sense that Redford’s character is truly emotionally lost, as the actor’s strong moral compass overrides Gage’s shady desperation. John Gage is the type of role Michael Douglas pulled off flawlessly as Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone’s 1987 Wall Street, a man whose power of repulsion matched his power of attraction. The miscast Redford is all attraction, which is why he’s not at all believable. Instead of a portrait of a self-made, Type A gambling addict whose terror of exposed vulnerability serves as his windup mechanism, we see a laidback, former surfer boy completely at ease with his own vulnerability. The question at the heart of Lyne’s film becomes not one of morality, of whether or not Diana and David should take Gage up on his sleazy offer and suffer the self-inflicted consequences, but why a secure guy like Gage even bothered with that indecent proposal in the first place. SEX SCENES is a weekly column in which Lauren Wissot watches old films, new films, indies and blockbusters, and tells us what turns her on. If you’ve got a film, a star, a genre or an issue that you’d like Lauren to tackle, let us know in the comments. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:00:52 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/14/2009 12:00:52 PM Indecent Proposal(1993) Vezi mai multe video din Film » When I was a kid growing up in the west the dueling sex symbols were Burt Reynolds and Robert Redford, and I was solidly in the Redford camp (though by the time I reached adulthood I’d switch sides and bat for Burt). In fact, Redford became my first movie star crush after I watched him light up the screen in Sydney Pollack’s 1979 The Electric Horseman opposite (post-bombshell Barbarella) Jane Fonda. Sure, the sight of pretty boy Redford as former rodeo star Sonny Steele reduced to donning cowboy duds trussed up with lights worthy of a Christmas tree to hawk breakfast cereal is ludicrous, but Redford managed to suavely pull it off with his inherent masculine dignity. Sonny, like The Sundance Kid, is a physical man’s man, his frat boy looks belying a passionate rebel who clearly identifies with those wild horses that can never be tamed. And interestingly, as a sex symbol, Redford not only vied with Reynolds throughout his early career but with himself. There was the Redford of Horseman, George Roy Hill’s 1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and 1973 The Sting (in which he played the perfectly named con man Johnny Hooker opposite his hot “Butch” co-star Paul Newman) – portraying guys for whom the rule of law was meant to be broken. Then there are those films like Pollack’s 1975 Three Days of the Condor and Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 All The President’s Men, in which Redford embodied driven heroes whose allure resided in their rock solid sense of right and wrong. Either way, Redford’s sex appeal always lay in the fact that all his characters were fearless risk takers, guys you could count on even if they lived by their own moral code. Which is exactly why Redford as the creepy, needy, billionaire stalker John Gage in Adrian Lyne’s 1993 Indecent Proposal doesn’t work. As an actor Redford is just too self-assured to play a faux cocky richie. The entire notion that someone who oozes as much charisma as Redford does would waste his time in lovesick pursuit of Demi Moore’s cold fish Diana – especially when a true wealthy and sexy sadist would simply sit back and toy with the women who throw themselves at his feet – is as absurd as those Xmas ornaments on Sonny Steele’s chaps (as is the idea that financially strapped Diana and her husband David, played by a wooden Woody Harrelson, would be such prudes as to even hesitate to take up Gage’s offer of a million bucks for one night with Diana. Heck, in real life Gage could have bought and bonked them both for half the price!) One never gets the sense that Redford’s character is truly emotionally lost, as the actor’s strong moral compass overrides Gage’s shady desperation. John Gage is the type of role Michael Douglas pulled off flawlessly as Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone’s 1987 Wall Street, a man whose power of repulsion matched his power of attraction. The miscast Redford is all attraction, which is why he’s not at all believable. Instead of a portrait of a self-made, Type A gambling addict whose terror of exposed vulnerability serves as his windup mechanism, we see a laidback, former surfer boy completely at ease with his own vulnerability. The question at the heart of Lyne’s film becomes not one of morality, of whether or not Diana and David should take Gage up on his sleazy offer and suffer the self-inflicted consequences, but why a secure guy like Gage even bothered with that indecent proposal in the first place. SEX SCENES is a weekly column in which Lauren Wissot watches old films, new films, indies and blockbusters, and tells us what turns her on. If you’ve got a film, a star, a genre or an issue that you’d like Lauren to tackle, let us know in the comments. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/28/35661.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/28/2008 3:01:55 PM
Body: Paul Newman passed away on Friday after a long battle with cancer, and he will be sorely missed. As early as May he had been planning to direct a stage version of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, but he had to cancel due to his health. He’s a winner of every major award an actor can pull down, from Oscar to Emmy, and he appeared in over 50 feature films. Besides his work in film, television and on the stage, he also served in World War II, and has been a longtime humanitarian. Paul Newman retired from acting in May of 2007, but he left behind a large body of work that should be in your Netflix queue or on your shelf at home. Here’s a look at some of his best films, and why you should be watching them in tribute. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Arguably the film Newman is the most famous for, this was the first pairing of Redford and Newman. Although originally it was to be Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, and then a handful of other stars, including Jack Lemmon, until Redford finally got the part. However, Newman was originally supposed to play Sundance, and Redford to play Butch. What a different movie that would have been. A great followup to this pairing is The Sting, but avoid the sequel that doesn’t have Newman or Redford in it. The Hustler The Hustler stands to this day as a cinematic masterpiece, and Newman’s performance in it stands among his very best. Singer/actor Bobby Darrin was supposed to star in this film, but Newman made the role his own and made “Fast Eddie” Felton into a film legend. The far inferior 1986 sequel The Color of Money with Tom Cruise doesn’t hold a candle to the original, but Newman won his Best Actor Oscar for his reprisal of the Felton role, but most critics agree this was a nod to his role in The Hustler. Hud This movie is an adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s early novella Horseman, Pass By, and saw Newman nominated for Best Actor in his portrayal of the “man with the barbed-wire soul.” It actually won for Best Supporting Actor, Actress, and Cinematography, but it is Newman’s selfishly hard-hearted modern day cowboy that holds this movie together and makes it worth watching more than once. Cool Hand Luke Newman’s portrayal of a prisoner who just won’t submit to the system and the will of the warden will be remembered forever, and it’ll come to mind every time you eat a hard-boiled egg. It’s famous for the line “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate,” and some of the best scenes ever of Newman grinning from ear to ear. If you’re a nonconformist, like Newman often was in his acting choice, you’ll love this movie. The Hudsucker Proxy This is a dark horse among the Coen Brothers films, but it’s my favorite of theirs right after Miller’s Crossing. Newman’s portrayal of a cigar-chomping business executive who growls out all of his lines is classic, although this film only grossed $3 million dollars at the box office, and was the Coens biggest flop. Still, it is well worth watching, if just for Newman. He literally chews up the scenery. Road to Perdition This was Paul Newman’s final feature film, although he did go on to star in HBO’s Empire Falls and to lend his voice to the Disney/Pixar hit Cars. Newman plays Irish mob boss John Rooney to Tom Hanks’ Michael Sullivan, and reportedly had author Frank McCourt send him tapes of himself speaking so he could get the voice right. It’s a tragic role for Newman, and a fitting swan song to his entire career. They definitely don’t make ‘em like him anymore. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:01:55 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/28/2008 3:01:55 PM Paul Newman passed away on Friday after a long battle with cancer, and he will be sorely missed. As early as May he had been planning to direct a stage version of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, but he had to cancel due to his health. He’s a winner of every major award an actor can pull down, from Oscar to Emmy, and he appeared in over 50 feature films. Besides his work in film, television and on the stage, he also served in World War II, and has been a longtime humanitarian. Paul Newman retired from acting in May of 2007, but he left behind a large body of work that should be in your Netflix queue or on your shelf at home. Here’s a look at some of his best films, and why you should be watching them in tribute. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Arguably the film Newman is the most famous for, this was the first pairing of Redford and Newman. Although originally it was to be Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, and then a handful of other stars, including Jack Lemmon, until Redford finally got the part. However, Newman was originally supposed to play Sundance, and Redford to play Butch. What a different movie that would have been. A great followup to this pairing is The Sting, but avoid the sequel that doesn’t have Newman or Redford in it. The Hustler The Hustler stands to this day as a cinematic masterpiece, and Newman’s performance in it stands among his very best. Singer/actor Bobby Darrin was supposed to star in this film, but Newman made the role his own and made “Fast Eddie” Felton into a film legend. The far inferior 1986 sequel The Color of Money with Tom Cruise doesn’t hold a candle to the original, but Newman won his Best Actor Oscar for his reprisal of the Felton role, but most critics agree this was a nod to his role in The Hustler. Hud This movie is an adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s early novella Horseman, Pass By, and saw Newman nominated for Best Actor in his portrayal of the “man with the barbed-wire soul.” It actually won for Best Supporting Actor, Actress, and Cinematography, but it is Newman’s selfishly hard-hearted modern day cowboy that holds this movie together and makes it worth watching more than once. Cool Hand Luke Newman’s portrayal of a prisoner who just won’t submit to the system and the will of the warden will be remembered forever, and it’ll come to mind every time you eat a hard-boiled egg. It’s famous for the line “What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate,” and some of the best scenes ever of Newman grinning from ear to ear. If you’re a nonconformist, like Newman often was in his acting choice, you’ll love this movie. The Hudsucker Proxy This is a dark horse among the Coen Brothers films, but it’s my favorite of theirs right after Miller’s Crossing. Newman’s portrayal of a cigar-chomping business executive who growls out all of his lines is classic, although this film only grossed $3 million dollars at the box office, and was the Coens biggest flop. Still, it is well worth watching, if just for Newman. He literally chews up the scenery. Road to Perdition This was Paul Newman’s final feature film, although he did go on to star in HBO’s Empire Falls and to lend his voice to the Disney/Pixar hit Cars. Newman plays Irish mob boss John Rooney to Tom Hanks’ Michael Sullivan, and reportedly had author Frank McCourt send him tapes of himself speaking so he could get the voice right. It’s a tragic role for Newman, and a fitting swan song to his entire career. They definitely don’t make ‘em like him anymore. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/24/35514.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/24/2008 7:01:15 PM
Body: Fantastic Fest is hosting four “Secret Screenings” of movies that haven’t been released yet, and the first one unspooled last night to a theater full of people who had no idea what they were about to see. Rian Johnson was in town with a print of his movie The Brothers Bloom, and one lucky audience got to see it several months early. It’s hard to watch Bloom and not think about the world that Wes Anderson’s films inhabit. Places where people travel by steamship, are always immaculately dressed, and consist of extreme caricatures. Johnson’s first feature Brick had that quality, and The Brothers Bloom has it in spades. It’s a fantasy world that Johnson himself probably wouldn’t mind living in, and I’m sure he’d have a fair share of people willing to follow him. At least one theater full of people last night wouldn’t have minded. Bloom is the story of two brothers, Bloom and Stephen, who bounce from house to house as foster children while cooking up elaborate confidence schemes to line their pockets with. In one of their first successes, they lure the local children to a mud-drenched cave in search of a fairy. Although they are found out and lose the admission ticket cash, they’d previously set up a profit-sharing percentage with the local drycleaner. What makes these cons work so well are Stephen’s elaborate plans, which often involve hand-drawn flowcharts and maps, and Bloom always serves as his central hook. As a result, Bloom is often the central face of these cons, and it keeps him from getting the girl, and he’s playing puppet to his older brother’s machinations. Throughout the opening scenes, when the brothers are young, con-artist expert and cardsharp extraordinaire Ricky Jay provides the narration. When we see the brothers again, they’ve aged through the miracle of movie magic into Brody and Ruffalo, and they’ve been joined by a silent third partner, Bang Bang, played by Rinko Kikuchi from Babel. By then they’ve been working the con circuit for years, and have become fairly successful at it. However, Bloom has become more and more melancholy, and longs for “an unwritten life,” meaning one where his brother hasn’t scripted everything out for him. He wants out of the con business so he can set out on his own. The only problem is, once Stephen grants him this wish, he winds up drunk and running low on cash. Stephen has no trouble finding him, and he lures him back for “one last con and then you’re out.” Bloom agrees, but the problem is that the he falls for the next mark, eccentric millionaire Penelope (played by Rachel Weisz) and despite his efforts to remain aloof, it throws a monkey wrench into the works. Especially once she discovers that they are con men and she wants to be one as well. That’s where the bulk of the movie takes place. The only problem with movies about cons, like House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner and even The Sting, is that you’re not quite sure what to believe, because in the end almost everything has been part of the con. Bloom is no different, and at times you realize that you’ve known what was going to happen all along, but it still holds one sad secret in surprise at the very end of the film. At least, it looks like a surprise. It’s doubtful there will ever be a The Brothers Bloom 2: Bloomin’ Onion or anything, but if there is…you won’t be caught off-guard. I have to admit that I’m not the biggest Adrien Brody fan on the planet, but he manages to charm in his role as the depressed Bloom, and Rachel Weisz somehow finds an entirely untapped well of oddness within her psyche that was probably hinted at back when her librarian character got drunk in The Mummy. She’s disarmingly approachable as a sad and lonely heiress. Ruffalo is cheerily robust in her role as the the ringmaster of all the cons and maintains a huge smile throughout the movie, but it’s really Rinko Kikuchi who owns this film. Her mute Bang Bang character is not only gorgeous, but she manages to convey more by not speaking than most actors can with a three-page monologue. Rounding out the cast is Robbie Coltrane as a co-conspirator who joins their long con, although Johnson had originally wanted Ricky Jay for this role, and Bob Dylan as the narrator. When he couldn’t get Jay because of scheduling issues, he got him to narrate instead and decided that worked out well because he didn’t know how he could possibly direct Dylan. Dylan’s participation probably wouldn’t have really affected the film that much, but Ricky Jay is honestly a perfect choice in the role of The Curator. Not that Coltrane didn’t do a good job, but given Jay’s obsession and earnest love for confidence games, it would have been great to see what he could have done with the part. While Bloom doesn’t carve new cinematic ground, it does create a new fantasy world for the art of the con game, and it remains buoyed by earnest performances throughout. While some reviewers have complained that it feels a bit too long in the middle, I could have easily watched another half hour, because I wanted to remain in that world just a bit longer. Bloom opens on January 19th. Hopefully it won’t get lost in the post-Christmas/pre-Sundance dead zone for movies. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:01:15 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/24/2008 7:01:15 PM Fantastic Fest is hosting four “Secret Screenings” of movies that haven’t been released yet, and the first one unspooled last night to a theater full of people who had no idea what they were about to see. Rian Johnson was in town with a print of his movie The Brothers Bloom, and one lucky audience got to see it several months early. It’s hard to watch Bloom and not think about the world that Wes Anderson’s films inhabit. Places where people travel by steamship, are always immaculately dressed, and consist of extreme caricatures. Johnson’s first feature Brick had that quality, and The Brothers Bloom has it in spades. It’s a fantasy world that Johnson himself probably wouldn’t mind living in, and I’m sure he’d have a fair share of people willing to follow him. At least one theater full of people last night wouldn’t have minded. Bloom is the story of two brothers, Bloom and Stephen, who bounce from house to house as foster children while cooking up elaborate confidence schemes to line their pockets with. In one of their first successes, they lure the local children to a mud-drenched cave in search of a fairy. Although they are found out and lose the admission ticket cash, they’d previously set up a profit-sharing percentage with the local drycleaner. What makes these cons work so well are Stephen’s elaborate plans, which often involve hand-drawn flowcharts and maps, and Bloom always serves as his central hook. As a result, Bloom is often the central face of these cons, and it keeps him from getting the girl, and he’s playing puppet to his older brother’s machinations. Throughout the opening scenes, when the brothers are young, con-artist expert and cardsharp extraordinaire Ricky Jay provides the narration. When we see the brothers again, they’ve aged through the miracle of movie magic into Brody and Ruffalo, and they’ve been joined by a silent third partner, Bang Bang, played by Rinko Kikuchi from Babel. By then they’ve been working the con circuit for years, and have become fairly successful at it. However, Bloom has become more and more melancholy, and longs for “an unwritten life,” meaning one where his brother hasn’t scripted everything out for him. He wants out of the con business so he can set out on his own. The only problem is, once Stephen grants him this wish, he winds up drunk and running low on cash. Stephen has no trouble finding him, and he lures him back for “one last con and then you’re out.” Bloom agrees, but the problem is that the he falls for the next mark, eccentric millionaire Penelope (played by Rachel Weisz) and despite his efforts to remain aloof, it throws a monkey wrench into the works. Especially once she discovers that they are con men and she wants to be one as well. That’s where the bulk of the movie takes place. The only problem with movies about cons, like House of Games, The Spanish Prisoner and even The Sting, is that you’re not quite sure what to believe, because in the end almost everything has been part of the con. Bloom is no different, and at times you realize that you’ve known what was going to happen all along, but it still holds one sad secret in surprise at the very end of the film. At least, it looks like a surprise. It’s doubtful there will ever be a The Brothers Bloom 2: Bloomin’ Onion or anything, but if there is…you won’t be caught off-guard. I have to admit that I’m not the biggest Adrien Brody fan on the planet, but he manages to charm in his role as the depressed Bloom, and Rachel Weisz somehow finds an entirely untapped well of oddness within her psyche that was probably hinted at back when her librarian character got drunk in The Mummy. She’s disarmingly approachable as a sad and lonely heiress. Ruffalo is cheerily robust in her role as the the ringmaster of all the cons and maintains a huge smile throughout the movie, but it’s really Rinko Kikuchi who owns this film. Her mute Bang Bang character is not only gorgeous, but she manages to convey more by not speaking than most actors can with a three-page monologue. Rounding out the cast is Robbie Coltrane as a co-conspirator who joins their long con, although Johnson had originally wanted Ricky Jay for this role, and Bob Dylan as the narrator. When he couldn’t get Jay because of scheduling issues, he got him to narrate instead and decided that worked out well because he didn’t know how he could possibly direct Dylan. Dylan’s participation probably wouldn’t have really affected the film that much, but Ricky Jay is honestly a perfect choice in the role of The Curator. Not that Coltrane didn’t do a good job, but given Jay’s obsession and earnest love for confidence games, it would have been great to see what he could have done with the part. While Bloom doesn’t carve new cinematic ground, it does create a new fantasy world for the art of the con game, and it remains buoyed by earnest performances throughout. While some reviewers have complained that it feels a bit too long in the middle, I could have easily watched another half hour, because I wanted to remain in that world just a bit longer. Bloom opens on January 19th. Hopefully it won’t get lost in the post-Christmas/pre-Sundance dead zone for movies. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_MONDAY_Eagle_Eye_Challenge/563/35422/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: rebelbb
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 9/23/2008 8:57:46 AM
Body: [quote user="SkyPilot"] Monday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1)People being framed/animals in name Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2)Rabbits Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3)Man and Dog Teams Turner and Hooch (1989) (4)Tom Hanks Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5)Con Men The Sting (1973) (6)Set in 1930's (Great Depression) Cinderella Man (2005) (7)Renee Zellwegger Cold Mountain (2003) (8)Civil War Gettysburg (1993) (9)Pennsylvania Wonder Boys (2000)
]]>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:57:46 GMTrebelbbFilmgaming9/23/2008 8:57:46 AM[quote user="SkyPilot"] Monday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1)People being framed/animals in name Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2)Rabbits Wallace &amp; Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3)Man and Dog Teams Turner and Hooch (1989) (4)Tom Hanks Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5)Con Men The Sting (1973) (6)Set in 1930's (Great Depression) Cinderella Man (2005) (7)Renee Zellwegger Cold Mountain (2003) (8)Civil War Gettysburg (1993) (9)Pennsylvania Wonder Boys (2000) http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_MONDAY_Eagle_Eye_Challenge/563/35421/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mkagirl101
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 9/23/2008 8:10:44 AM
Body: My MONDAY Eagle Eye Challenge answers: Eagle Eye (2008) (1) unsuspectingly accused victims Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) rabbit Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) mystery (man + dog team-up) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Tom Hanks Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) con man The Sting (1973) (6) The Great Depression Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Renee Zellweger Cold Mountain (2003) (8) American Civil War Gettysburg (1993) (9) book-based movie Wonder Boys (2000) Submitted By: Margarita (mkagirl101)
]]>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:10:44 GMTmkagirl101Filmgaming9/23/2008 8:10:44 AM My MONDAY Eagle Eye Challenge answers: Eagle Eye (2008) (1) unsuspectingly accused victims Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) rabbit Wallace &amp; Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) mystery (man + dog team-up) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Tom Hanks Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) con man The Sting (1973) (6) The Great Depression Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Renee Zellweger Cold Mountain (2003) (8) American Civil War Gettysburg (1993) (9) book-based movie Wonder Boys (2000) Submitted By: Margarita (mkagirl101) http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_MONDAY_Eagle_Eye_Challenge/563/35420/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: munchieandchase
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 9/23/2008 2:49:04 AM
Body: [quote user="SkyPilot"] Monday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) The Sting (1973) (6) Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Cold Mountain (2003) (8) Gettysburg (1993) (9) Wonder Boys (2000) 1. Being framed 2. Animated 3. Animals 4. Tom Hanks 5. Con men 6. The Great Deppression 7. Renee Zellweger 8. Civil War 9. Based on a novel [/quote]
]]>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:49:04 GMTmunchieandchaseFilmgaming9/23/2008 2:49:04 AM[quote user="SkyPilot"] Monday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) Wallace &amp; Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) The Sting (1973) (6) Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Cold Mountain (2003) (8) Gettysburg (1993) (9) Wonder Boys (2000) 1. Being framed 2. Animated 3. Animals 4. Tom Hanks 5. Con men 6. The Great Deppression 7. Renee Zellweger 8. Civil War 9. Based on a novel [/quote] http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_MONDAY_Eagle_Eye_Challenge/563/35419/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: allyrose002
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 9/23/2008 2:09:17 AM
Body: Monday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) The Sting (1973) (6) Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Cold Mountain (2003) (8) Gettysburg (1993) (9) Wonder Boys (2000) [/quote] (1) Being Framed / Set-Up (2) Rabbits (3) Man & Dog (4) Tom Hanks (5) Con - Men (6) Depression Era (1930s) (7) Renee Zellweger (8) Civil War (American) (9) Pennsylvania
]]>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:09:17 GMTallyrose002Filmgaming9/23/2008 2:09:17 AMMonday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) Wallace &amp; Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) The Sting (1973) (6) Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Cold Mountain (2003) (8) Gettysburg (1993) (9) Wonder Boys (2000) [/quote] (1) Being Framed / Set-Up (2) Rabbits (3) Man &amp; Dog (4) Tom Hanks (5) Con - Men (6) Depression Era (1930s) (7) Renee Zellweger (8) Civil War (American) (9) Pennsylvania http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_MONDAY_Eagle_Eye_Challenge/563/35417/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: strawberry81
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 9/23/2008 1:15:57 AM
Body: [quote user="SkyPilot"] Monday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) The Sting (1973) (6) Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Cold Mountain (2003) (8) Gettysburg (1993) (9) Wonder Boys (2000) [/quote] I hope this works: 1. Both Characters are being framed 2. Rabbits 3. Buddy Movies- man with an animal 4. Tom Hanks 5. Con Artist 6. The 1930's era 7. Renee Zellwegger 8. Civil War 9. Based on Novels
]]>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:15:57 GMTstrawberry81Filmgaming9/23/2008 1:15:57 AM[quote user="SkyPilot"] Monday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) Wallace &amp; Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) The Sting (1973) (6) Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Cold Mountain (2003) (8) Gettysburg (1993) (9) Wonder Boys (2000) [/quote] I hope this works: 1. Both Characters are being framed 2. Rabbits 3. Buddy Movies- man with an animal 4. Tom Hanks 5. Con Artist 6. The 1930's era 7. Renee Zellwegger 8. Civil War 9. Based on Novels http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_MONDAY_Eagle_Eye_Challenge/563/35416/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: strawberry81
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 9/23/2008 1:13:57 AM
Body: [quote user="SkyPilot"] Monday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) The Sting (1973) (6) Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Cold Mountain (2003) (8) Gettysburg (1993) (9) Wonder Boys (2000) [/quote] Here it goes: 1. Both Characters are being framed 2. Rabbits 3. Buddy Movies- man with an animal 4. Tom Hanks 5. Con Artist 6. The 1930's era 7. Renee Zellwegger 8. Civil War 9. Based on Novels
]]>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:13:57 GMTstrawberry81Filmgaming9/23/2008 1:13:57 AM[quote user="SkyPilot"] Monday Eagle Eye Challenge Eagle Eye (2008) (1) Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (2) Wallace &amp; Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) (3) Turner and Hooch (1989) (4) Catch Me if You Can (2002) (5) The Sting (1973) (6) Cinderella Man (2005) (7) Cold Mountain (2003) (8) Gettysburg (1993) (9) Wonder Boys (2000) [/quote] Here it goes: 1. Both Characters are being framed 2. Rabbits 3. Buddy Movies- man with an animal 4. Tom Hanks 5. Con Artist 6. The 1930's era 7. Renee Zellwegger 8. Civil War 9. Based on Novels http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/comedy/MemberTagFilms.aspxcomedy
Number of films tagged: 1087

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]]>Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:38:30 GMT10872531342Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
Number of films tagged: 509

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Number of films tagged: 5189

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Number of films tagged: 527

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]]>Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:01:29 GMT527102627Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/crime/MemberTagFilms.aspxcrime
Number of films tagged: 401

Number of people who tagged: 70

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]]>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:51:32 GMT40170303Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/gangster/MemberTagFilms.aspxgangster
Number of films tagged: 4065

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Number of times used: 145

]]>Mon, 17 Aug 2009 01:37:08 GMT406560145Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/deception/MemberTagFilms.aspxdeception
Number of films tagged: 1090

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Number of films tagged: 508

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]]>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:03:25 GMT50846145Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/chase/MemberTagFilms.aspxchase
Number of films tagged: 880

Number of people who tagged: 44

Number of times used: 109

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Number of films tagged: 57

Number of people who tagged: 40

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]]>Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:40:08 GMT574074Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/piano/MemberTagFilms.aspxpiano
Number of films tagged: 489

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Number of times used: 52

]]>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:56:22 GMT4893252Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/train/MemberTagFilms.aspxtrain
Number of films tagged: 66

Number of people who tagged: 32

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]]>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:52:46 GMT663280Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/chicago/MemberTagFilms.aspxchicago
Number of films tagged: 32

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]]>Sat, 25 Jul 2009 12:04:36 GMT323047Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Best-Picture/MemberTagFilms.aspxBest-Picture
Number of films tagged: 83

Number of people who tagged: 26

Number of times used: 118

]]>Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:16:34 GMT8326118Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/cheating/MemberTagFilms.aspxcheating
Number of films tagged: 120

Number of people who tagged: 18

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