list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The English Patient 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_English_Patient/93948/default.aspx Title: The English Patient
Year: 1996
Director: Anthony Minghella
Plot: Anthony Minghella wrote and directed this award-winning adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel about a doomed and tragic romance set against the backdrop of World War II. In a field hospital in Italy, Hana (Juliette Binoche), a nurse from Canada, is caring for a pilot who was horribly burned in a plane wreck; he has no identification and cannot remember his name, so he's known simply as "the English Patient," thanks to his accent. When the hospital is forced to evacuate, Hana determines en route that the patient shouldn't be moved far due to his fragile condition, so the two are left in a monastery to be picked up later. In time, Hana begins to piece together the patient's story from the shards of his memories; he's actually Count Laszlo Almasy (Ralph Fiennes), of Hungarian nobility and an explorer working with a group mapping uncharted territory in North Africa. An Englishman, Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth), soon joins Almasy's team; travelling with him is his lovely and spirited wife, Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas). Katherine and Laszlo soon fall in love, which leads Laszlo to betray his friend, his country and all that is dear to him. Meanwhile, Hana and the Patient are joined by Kip (Naveen Andrews), a Sikh with a gift for defusing mines, and Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), an intelligence agent who knows some of Laszlo's most shameful secrets. The English Patient won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 36
Number of Lists: 26
Number of blog posts: 6
Number of discussion threads: 1
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:01:32 GMTThe English Patient1996Anthony Minghella<a href="/players/P___102995/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Anthony Minghella</a> wrote and directed this award-winning adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel about a doomed and tragic romance set against the backdrop of World War II. In a field hospital in Italy, Hana (<a href="/players/P_____6261/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Juliette Binoche</a>), a nurse from Canada, is caring for a pilot who was horribly burned in a plane wreck; he has no identification and cannot remember his name, so he's known simply as "the English Patient," thanks to his accent. When the hospital is forced to evacuate, Hana determines en route that the patient shouldn't be moved far due to his fragile condition, so the two are left in a monastery to be picked up later. In time, Hana begins to piece together the patient's story from the shards of his memories; he's actually Count Laszlo Almasy (<a href="/players/P____23390/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ralph Fiennes</a>), of Hungarian nobility and an explorer working with a group mapping uncharted territory in North Africa. An Englishman, Geoffrey Clifton (<a href="/players/P____23590/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Colin Firth</a>), soon joins Almasy's team; travelling with him is his lovely and spirited wife, Katherine (<a href="/players/P____64027/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Kristin Scott Thomas</a>). Katherine and Laszlo soon fall in love, which leads Laszlo to betray his friend, his country and all that is dear to him. Meanwhile, Hana and the Patient are joined by Kip (<a href="/players/P_____1729/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Naveen Andrews</a>), a Sikh with a gift for defusing mines, and Caravaggio (<a href="/players/P____16547/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Willem Dafoe</a>), an intelligence agent who knows some of Laszlo's most shameful secrets. The English Patient won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (<a href="/players/P_____6261/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Juliette Binoche</a>). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide36Tag Target (>10)26613http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t46722alm6x.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_English_Patient/93948/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/14/39525.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/14/2009 2:01:32 PM
Body: Each day this week, Christopher Campbell will take a look back at a “classic” film that played the Sundance Film Festival. Today’s installment: Scott Hicks’ Shine (1996). 1996 was a monumental year for independent film. It began with a Sundance Film Festival that, according to Peter Biskind’s book Down and Dirty Pictures “would go down as Ten Days That Shook the Indie World,” because of the tremendous buying frenzy that occurred, including the infamous acquisition of The Spitfire Grill by Castle Rock for $10 million. The year then transpired with a slew of popular specialty titles that boosted business at many arthouse multiplexes while also exposing them as being unsuited for large crowds (the boom in indie film attendance was something I experienced first hand, having that year begun my first career at NYC’s Angelika Film Center). And the year ended (in 14-month Hollywood terms) with an unprecedented number of specialty films receiving nominations for Academy Awards. Most astonishing, certainly, was the fact that four of the five Oscar nominees for Best Picture were specialty titles, one of which had been discovered at Sundance. The film, Shine, might not have had a chance at such an honor, however, if Miramax and Harvey Weinstein had gotten their way. As much as the 1996 Sundance Film Festival was remarkable for its number of films sold, it was also noteworthy for producing negative stories, too. Before The Spitfire Grill opened to empty theaters that summer to become the greatest embarrassment of that year’s festival, Harvey Weinstein and Miramax had a particularly humiliating experience during the fest involving their unsuccessful bid for Shine. The full details of the story can be found in Down and Dirty Pictures, but basically Weinstein thought Miramax had picked up the film until he heard official word stating otherwise, that Shine had in fact been bought by Fine Line. The incident was defended as a miscommunication but treated by Weinstein as a boldface lie and resulted in a nasty fight between him and Shine producer Jonathan Taplin. Miramax’s Tony Safford, who ended up getting fired as a result, was hardly at fault, despite it being his task to seal the deal on the film. There was never any way that Miramax was going to get Shine, because its director, Scott Hicks, had had a bad experience with the distributor and had no intention of working with them. As Biskind puts it, “the Shine folks would rather have taken less money than go with Miramax.” And there was great reason why Shine was better off anywhere else but at Harvey’s house — well, besides the fact that Weinstein was known for being a jerk with scissors for hands. Miramax had the Oscar-bait epic The English Patient (not to mention fellow eventual Oscar nominees Sling Blade, Kolya, Ridicule, Emma, Marvin’s Room and Trainspotting), and although Shine likely would have still picked up at least a Best Actor nod (and win) for Geoffrey Rush, it probably wouldn’t have received all of its six other nominations, especially not the one for Best Picture, with Weinstein’s attention primarily on that other, more costly film. Of course, The English Patient won the top award and earned more than twice the box office gross of Shine. But the film’s reputation and esteem were still positively affected by the controversial sell to Fine Line over Miramax. And hopefully it taught subsequent Sundance filmmakers about the need to sell to the distributor that’ll give the best attention to the film, instead of the distributor that’ll pay the most. Below is a clip from Shine featuring Rush’s Oscar-winning portrayal of pianist David Helfgott. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:01:32 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/14/2009 2:01:32 PMEach day this week, Christopher Campbell will take a look back at a “classic” film that played the Sundance Film Festival. Today’s installment: Scott Hicks’ Shine (1996). 1996 was a monumental year for independent film. It began with a Sundance Film Festival that, according to Peter Biskind’s book Down and Dirty Pictures “would go down as Ten Days That Shook the Indie World,” because of the tremendous buying frenzy that occurred, including the infamous acquisition of The Spitfire Grill by Castle Rock for $10 million. The year then transpired with a slew of popular specialty titles that boosted business at many arthouse multiplexes while also exposing them as being unsuited for large crowds (the boom in indie film attendance was something I experienced first hand, having that year begun my first career at NYC’s Angelika Film Center). And the year ended (in 14-month Hollywood terms) with an unprecedented number of specialty films receiving nominations for Academy Awards. Most astonishing, certainly, was the fact that four of the five Oscar nominees for Best Picture were specialty titles, one of which had been discovered at Sundance. The film, Shine, might not have had a chance at such an honor, however, if Miramax and Harvey Weinstein had gotten their way. As much as the 1996 Sundance Film Festival was remarkable for its number of films sold, it was also noteworthy for producing negative stories, too. Before The Spitfire Grill opened to empty theaters that summer to become the greatest embarrassment of that year’s festival, Harvey Weinstein and Miramax had a particularly humiliating experience during the fest involving their unsuccessful bid for Shine. The full details of the story can be found in Down and Dirty Pictures, but basically Weinstein thought Miramax had picked up the film until he heard official word stating otherwise, that Shine had in fact been bought by Fine Line. The incident was defended as a miscommunication but treated by Weinstein as a boldface lie and resulted in a nasty fight between him and Shine producer Jonathan Taplin. Miramax’s Tony Safford, who ended up getting fired as a result, was hardly at fault, despite it being his task to seal the deal on the film. There was never any way that Miramax was going to get Shine, because its director, Scott Hicks, had had a bad experience with the distributor and had no intention of working with them. As Biskind puts it, “the Shine folks would rather have taken less money than go with Miramax.” And there was great reason why Shine was better off anywhere else but at Harvey’s house — well, besides the fact that Weinstein was known for being a jerk with scissors for hands. Miramax had the Oscar-bait epic The English Patient (not to mention fellow eventual Oscar nominees Sling Blade, Kolya, Ridicule, Emma, Marvin’s Room and Trainspotting), and although Shine likely would have still picked up at least a Best Actor nod (and win) for Geoffrey Rush, it probably wouldn’t have received all of its six other nominations, especially not the one for Best Picture, with Weinstein’s attention primarily on that other, more costly film. Of course, The English Patient won the top award and earned more than twice the box office gross of Shine. But the film’s reputation and esteem were still positively affected by the controversial sell to Fine Line over Miramax. And hopefully it taught subsequent Sundance filmmakers about the need to sell to the distributor that’ll give the best attention to the film, instead of the distributor that’ll pay the most. Below is a clip from Shine featuring Rush’s Oscar-winning portrayal of pianist David Helfgott. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/26/35618.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/26/2008 6:01:20 PM
Body: In the new movie Eagle Eye, three characters participate in a re-creation of the famous crop duster sequence from Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. Only the plane from NbN has been replaced with an electrical tower and power lines, and it takes Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan and Anthony Azizi to perform Cary Gran’t part (Azizi also substitutes for the pilot and the farmer, I guess). Such an homage is not surprising coming from director D.J. Caruso, whose last picture, Disturbia, is currently involved in a lawsuit for being an uncredited remake of Hitch’s Rear Window. This time, fortunately, Caruso borrows enough from other films, including Hitch’s second version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, 2001: A Space Odyssey and I, Robot, to keep from being sued by any single party. Eagle Eye will likely also remind audiences of The Dark Knight, if not for the similar cell phone surveillance tactics then for Caruso’s even less capable talent for directing car chases. While Caruso does a good job at allowing his audience to compare him to better filmmakers (yes, even I, Robot’s Alex Proyas), he doesn’t give us the world’s worst redo of the crop duster bit (that is probably this). But he also doesn’t come anywhere close to giving us the best. And for such a famous scene that is so widely studied and imitated, giving us merely another so-so re-creation is very disappointing. After the jump, you’ll find some of my favorite tributes to North by Northwest, mostly paying homage to that one beloved sequence. 10. Seth Rogen as Roger Thornhill, from Vanity Fair magazine I can’t think of many modern actors less like Cary Grant than Seth Rogen, but maybe that’s why I like this photo so much. Just looking at the shadow of Rogen’s gut lets me know that this is more appreciable as parody than reproduction. Also, Thornhill’s out-of-his-element storyline somewhat corresponds to Rogen’s ill-fitting position in Hollywood. 9. North by Northwest Airplane Scene: WoW Version People love re-creating their favorite movie scenes using video game characters, and this isn’t even the best example. So, why do I love it so much? OK, I’ll admit, I don’t actually love it. It’s actually pretty lame. But I wanted to showcase it, because it brings up the idea of a North by Northwest video game, which I think someone should produce, like what was done with The Godfather and Scarface. 8. Ralph Fiennes avoids the crashing plane, from The English Patient (1996) I’m not sure if this was officially meant to reference North by Northwest – the connection isn’t mentioned in either film’s “Movie connections” section on IMDb — but it’s clearly similar. 7. Roger Thornhill in bra and panties, from the photography of Michael Jang Maybe it isn’t actually Roger Thornhill, but Jang’s photos of an underwear-clad female model running from a plane is inspired by North by Northwest, and the woman is substituted for Grant, and well, I couldn’t think of anything else to call it. Anyway, the pics, which you can see at the end of the making-of video above, are nicer to look at than the Rogen picture. Perhaps Vanity Fair should have ripped Jang off and just had an actress re-create the scene for its spread. 6. Opening credit sequence, from Panic Room (2002) Taking a little break from the crop duster copies, here’s a different sort of homage to North by Northwest, specifically Saul Bass’ famous opening credits sequence. It’s only cool, though, if you don’t think about how after 40 years, the computer effects used for Panic Room aren’t actually any better than Bass’ work. 5. Peter re-enacts the crop duster sequence, from Family Guy “North by North Quahog” This image (and the episode it’s from) go even further with the gut thing than the Rogen photo. But not only does this episode feature a parody of the crop duster scene, it pays tribute to much of the plot of North by Northwest (hence the title), including a bit where Peter rescues Lois from Mel Gibson’s home atop Mt. Rushmore. 4. Homer falls under a truck, from The Simpsons “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment” Family Guy is ok, but nobody pays homage to movie scenes better than the makers of The Simpsons, as you can see on the site Actualidad Simpson, which posted the comparison screenshots above, as well as other movie references from the show. 3. Balloon Travels North by Northwest, from Famous Balloon Movies Oh, what people do with their time now that the internet exists! If you’ve never seen any of the famous balloon movies, which were apparently made by an animator who works for Disney, you must. Consisting of 19 parts, balloons are humorously inserted into films such as Safety Last and The Empire Strikes Back. Though I don’t think I can name a favorite, I really, really love the way Grant looks off at his lost balloon here. 2. Vincent Gallo’s talent, from Arizona Dream (1993) Gallo’s character loves to ape his favorite movie scenes, and during a talent show he hilariously re-enacts the crop duster sequence. Well, he mostly only re-enacts the parts where Cary Grant jumps to the ground. He really should have gotten a 10, don’t you agree? 1. Big Bird, Ernie and Bert, from Follow That Bird (1985) I got crap as a kid for wanting to see this, but I’ve always been a lifelong Muppets fan, and that includes anything associated with Sesame Street. Plus, who knows if I would have also loved North by Northwest so much had I not already seen the spoof of the crop duster sequence in Follow That Bird? Actually, I’m sure I hadn’t even recalled Big Bird narrowly escaping being run down by Ernie and Bert when I first saw NbN. If anything, though, I at least was able to appreciate FTB even more after realizing the connection between the films. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:01:20 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/26/2008 6:01:20 PMIn the new movie Eagle Eye, three characters participate in a re-creation of the famous crop duster sequence from Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. Only the plane from NbN has been replaced with an electrical tower and power lines, and it takes Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan and Anthony Azizi to perform Cary Gran’t part (Azizi also substitutes for the pilot and the farmer, I guess). Such an homage is not surprising coming from director D.J. Caruso, whose last picture, Disturbia, is currently involved in a lawsuit for being an uncredited remake of Hitch’s Rear Window. This time, fortunately, Caruso borrows enough from other films, including Hitch’s second version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, 2001: A Space Odyssey and I, Robot, to keep from being sued by any single party. Eagle Eye will likely also remind audiences of The Dark Knight, if not for the similar cell phone surveillance tactics then for Caruso’s even less capable talent for directing car chases. While Caruso does a good job at allowing his audience to compare him to better filmmakers (yes, even I, Robot’s Alex Proyas), he doesn’t give us the world’s worst redo of the crop duster bit (that is probably this). But he also doesn’t come anywhere close to giving us the best. And for such a famous scene that is so widely studied and imitated, giving us merely another so-so re-creation is very disappointing. After the jump, you’ll find some of my favorite tributes to North by Northwest, mostly paying homage to that one beloved sequence. 10. Seth Rogen as Roger Thornhill, from Vanity Fair magazine I can’t think of many modern actors less like Cary Grant than Seth Rogen, but maybe that’s why I like this photo so much. Just looking at the shadow of Rogen’s gut lets me know that this is more appreciable as parody than reproduction. Also, Thornhill’s out-of-his-element storyline somewhat corresponds to Rogen’s ill-fitting position in Hollywood. 9. North by Northwest Airplane Scene: WoW Version People love re-creating their favorite movie scenes using video game characters, and this isn’t even the best example. So, why do I love it so much? OK, I’ll admit, I don’t actually love it. It’s actually pretty lame. But I wanted to showcase it, because it brings up the idea of a North by Northwest video game, which I think someone should produce, like what was done with The Godfather and Scarface. 8. Ralph Fiennes avoids the crashing plane, from The English Patient (1996) I’m not sure if this was officially meant to reference North by Northwest – the connection isn’t mentioned in either film’s “Movie connections” section on IMDb — but it’s clearly similar. 7. Roger Thornhill in bra and panties, from the photography of Michael Jang Maybe it isn’t actually Roger Thornhill, but Jang’s photos of an underwear-clad female model running from a plane is inspired by North by Northwest, and the woman is substituted for Grant, and well, I couldn’t think of anything else to call it. Anyway, the pics, which you can see at the end of the making-of video above, are nicer to look at than the Rogen picture. Perhaps Vanity Fair should have ripped Jang off and just had an actress re-create the scene for its spread. 6. Opening credit sequence, from Panic Room (2002) Taking a little break from the crop duster copies, here’s a different sort of homage to North by Northwest, specifically Saul Bass’ famous opening credits sequence. It’s only cool, though, if you don’t think about how after 40 years, the computer effects used for Panic Room aren’t actually any better than Bass’ work. 5. Peter re-enacts the crop duster sequence, from Family Guy “North by North Quahog” This image (and the episode it’s from) go even further with the gut thing than the Rogen photo. But not only does this episode feature a parody of the crop duster scene, it pays tribute to much of the plot of North by Northwest (hence the title), including a bit where Peter rescues Lois from Mel Gibson’s home atop Mt. Rushmore. 4. Homer falls under a truck, from The Simpsons “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment” Family Guy is ok, but nobody pays homage to movie scenes better than the makers of The Simpsons, as you can see on the site Actualidad Simpson, which posted the comparison screenshots above, as well as other movie references from the show. 3. Balloon Travels North by Northwest, from Famous Balloon Movies Oh, what people do with their time now that the internet exists! If you’ve never seen any of the famous balloon movies, which were apparently made by an animator who works for Disney, you must. Consisting of 19 parts, balloons are humorously inserted into films such as Safety Last and The Empire Strikes Back. Though I don’t think I can name a favorite, I really, really love the way Grant looks off at his lost balloon here. 2. Vincent Gallo’s talent, from Arizona Dream (1993) Gallo’s character loves to ape his favorite movie scenes, and during a talent show he hilariously re-enacts the crop duster sequence. Well, he mostly only re-enacts the parts where Cary Grant jumps to the ground. He really should have gotten a 10, don’t you agree? 1. Big Bird, Ernie and Bert, from Follow That Bird (1985) I got crap as a kid for wanting to see this, but I’ve always been a lifelong Muppets fan, and that includes anything associated with Sesame Street. Plus, who knows if I would have also loved North by Northwest so much had I not already seen the spoof of the crop duster sequence in Follow That Bird? Actually, I’m sure I hadn’t even recalled Big Bird narrowly escaping being run down by Ernie and Bert when I first saw NbN. If anything, though, I at least was able to appreciate FTB even more after realizing the connection between the films. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/the_american_dream/archive/2008/8/31/34594.aspx Post By: The_American_Dream
Post To: The_American_Dream Blog
Post Date: 8/31/2008 4:52:39 PM
Body: There is not a great deal to be said for this movie. And it is not because of the sex which is what I was afraid of. But I hoped that this one would, in its epic standing, that it would pull a large amount of material across time and people to make it interesting. Unfortunatly "Summer Palace" is really more than a let down to the point of almost being a waste. "Summer Palace" swings back and forth from what it gets made out to be. That being and political and sex charged drama spanning most of the dramatic periods in China's history. Well strictly speaking, it does that. This story of people does weave itself (or rather its characters) across distance and events rather completely. However, maybe only half way in or slightly more I was really wondering why I was supposed to care. Frankly, this is something that can be done very well and in a manner where I really do care. "A Beautiful Mind" is an example of a movie about people that really does span events and changes very well. "A Beautiful Mind" is perhaps not as politically charged as a modern Chinese drama is bound to be, but that is not the point here. "Summer Palace" really wants to tell a story about people and less about a time, this is what ramps it up to its 140 minute runtime, and it is really uninteresting. "Summer Palace" wants its audience to feel the trails and hardships, internal and external, faced by a small group over the corse of more than a decade. What is wrong with that? Nothing really, only that every time some little thing happens it takes several minutes of a character at sunset trying to work out why their friend stole a book from the library. Needless to say, you are in for far more of this kind of stuff when say someone throws them self off a building. There is also the pretense that this movie actually captures something about the time. Although it might, between dates, locations, stock footage, and an epilogue, there is not so much the emotion that one feels when there is actual empathy for the situation from the actors. "Across the Universe" encounters this, but makes up for it by being visually stunning beyond use of colors or focus (and also being very trippy). "Summer Palace" does in fact maintain genuinely good photography. However the constant recycling of formulaic shots does not make the movie any more interesting. With all this, what is there really to say is good? Well not allot. at the start, interesting camera moves and a heavy grit did grab my attention. But for its qualities, "Summer Palace" really falls short of expectations unless you came just for the sex (which is mostly buried under the afore mentioned lengths of sunset shots). "Summer Palace", perhaps grasping at the greats of historical fiction in film such as "Forret Gump", and the epic romance such as "The English Patient", does not impress. "Summer Palace" falls below the films of its county of origin as well, which often speak more volumes about China's history (as in "Hero") and create more connection between actor and audience (despite all the Kung-Fu hullabaloo). So I have to give this movie an overall negative review, not that I am the first it seems.
]]>Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:52:39 GMTThe_American_DreamThe_American_Dream Blog8/31/2008 4:52:39 PMThere is not a great deal to be said for this movie. And it is not because of the sex which is what I was afraid of. But I hoped that this one would, in its epic standing, that it would pull a large amount of material across time and people to make it interesting. Unfortunatly "Summer Palace" is really more than a let down to the point of almost being a waste. "Summer Palace" swings back and forth from what it gets made out to be. That being and political and sex charged drama spanning most of the dramatic periods in China's history. Well strictly speaking, it does that. This story of people does weave itself (or rather its characters) across distance and events rather completely. However, maybe only half way in or slightly more I was really wondering why I was supposed to care. Frankly, this is something that can be done very well and in a manner where I really do care. "A Beautiful Mind" is an example of a movie about people that really does span events and changes very well. "A Beautiful Mind" is perhaps not as politically charged as a modern Chinese drama is bound to be, but that is not the point here. "Summer Palace" really wants to tell a story about people and less about a time, this is what ramps it up to its 140 minute runtime, and it is really uninteresting. "Summer Palace" wants its audience to feel the trails and hardships, internal and external, faced by a small group over the corse of more than a decade. What is wrong with that? Nothing really, only that every time some little thing happens it takes several minutes of a character at sunset trying to work out why their friend stole a book from the library. Needless to say, you are in for far more of this kind of stuff when say someone throws them self off a building. There is also the pretense that this movie actually captures something about the time. Although it might, between dates, locations, stock footage, and an epilogue, there is not so much the emotion that one feels when there is actual empathy for the situation from the actors. "Across the Universe" encounters this, but makes up for it by being visually stunning beyond use of colors or focus (and also being very trippy). "Summer Palace" does in fact maintain genuinely good photography. However the constant recycling of formulaic shots does not make the movie any more interesting. With all this, what is there really to say is good? Well not allot. at the start, interesting camera moves and a heavy grit did grab my attention. But for its qualities, "Summer Palace" really falls short of expectations unless you came just for the sex (which is mostly buried under the afore mentioned lengths of sunset shots). "Summer Palace", perhaps grasping at the greats of historical fiction in film such as "Forret Gump", and the epic romance such as "The English Patient", does not impress. "Summer Palace" falls below the films of its county of origin as well, which often speak more volumes about China's history (as in "Hero") and create more connection between actor and audience (despite all the Kung-Fu hullabaloo). So I have to give this movie an overall negative review, not that I am the first it seems. http://www.spout.com/blogs/electroboy/archive/2008/6/26/31739.aspx Post By: ElectroBoy
Post To: ElectroBoy Blog
Post Date: 6/26/2008 2:08:22 PM
Body: Synopsis: Tuscany, as the Allies pursue the Germans north at the end of WWII: traumatised by loss and carnage, Canadian nurse Hana (Binoche) decides to stay behind in an abandoned, bombed monastery and care for her dying patient (Fiennes). He seems to recall little of his life, but when Caravaggio (Dafoe), a vengeful, morphine-addicted thief, turns up and quizzes him over past dark secrets, and as Hana reads from his beloved Herodotos, memories return of the pre-war years when, as an archaeologist/cartographer in the Sahara, he had a passionate affair with Katharine (Scott Thomas), wife of a British colleague. My verdict: Though Anthony Minghella's adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel simplifies, jettisons and changes certain elements of the original story, it remains a rich, complex, entrancing piece of work. Part poignant romance, part suspenseful adventure, part enigmatic mystery, it's essentially a study in different responses to love and war, honour and betrayal, nationality and identity, falsehood and forgiveness, which sounds subtle echoes as the narrative flashes to and fro between two main time frames. Needless to say, the performances are flawless; more surprising is the fluency, poetry and scale of Minghella's direction (John Seale's sensuous desert photography is superb), equally eloquent whether depicting boudoir intimacies, bomb-disposal skills, drunken dementia or a deadly sandstorm.
]]>Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:08:22 GMTElectroBoyElectroBoy Blog6/26/2008 2:08:22 PMSynopsis: Tuscany, as the Allies pursue the Germans north at the end of WWII: traumatised by loss and carnage, Canadian nurse Hana (Binoche) decides to stay behind in an abandoned, bombed monastery and care for her dying patient (Fiennes). He seems to recall little of his life, but when Caravaggio (Dafoe), a vengeful, morphine-addicted thief, turns up and quizzes him over past dark secrets, and as Hana reads from his beloved Herodotos, memories return of the pre-war years when, as an archaeologist/cartographer in the Sahara, he had a passionate affair with Katharine (Scott Thomas), wife of a British colleague. My verdict: Though Anthony Minghella's adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel simplifies, jettisons and changes certain elements of the original story, it remains a rich, complex, entrancing piece of work. Part poignant romance, part suspenseful adventure, part enigmatic mystery, it's essentially a study in different responses to love and war, honour and betrayal, nationality and identity, falsehood and forgiveness, which sounds subtle echoes as the narrative flashes to and fro between two main time frames. Needless to say, the performances are flawless; more surprising is the fluency, poetry and scale of Minghella's direction (John Seale's sensuous desert photography is superb), equally eloquent whether depicting boudoir intimacies, bomb-disposal skills, drunken dementia or a deadly sandstorm. http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Everybody_Seems_To_Love_But_I_Hate/190/31491/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: laylor
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 6/21/2008 1:41:01 AM
Body: Ok, my first post and here I go: Jacob's Ladder I first watched this film in the early 90's when I was a kid and found it incredibly boring. I watched it again in my mid 20's (so recently) and understood a lot more of the film but still found it boring. Some great performances and imagery but ultimately, unsatisfactory. The ending was a real let down, as well. Crash I cannot believe in all honesty that this won best picture or was even nominated for that matter. I found it completely cliched, hammy and pretentious. I haven't felt this hit over the head by a film since....oh I don't know, ever probably. During this film I couldn't help but think of The Birth of a Nation and how Crash actually managed to make that movie look subtle. Honorable Mentions: The English Patient, American Beauty, Flashdance, and The Lord of the Rings.
]]>Sat, 21 Jun 2008 05:41:01 GMTlaylorTop 56/21/2008 1:41:01 AMOk, my first post and here I go: Jacob's Ladder I first watched this film in the early 90's when I was a kid and found it incredibly boring. I watched it again in my mid 20's (so recently) and understood a lot more of the film but still found it boring. Some great performances and imagery but ultimately, unsatisfactory. The ending was a real let down, as well. Crash I cannot believe in all honesty that this won best picture or was even nominated for that matter. I found it completely cliched, hammy and pretentious. I haven't felt this hit over the head by a film since....oh I don't know, ever probably. During this film I couldn't help but think of The Birth of a Nation and how Crash actually managed to make that movie look subtle. Honorable Mentions: The English Patient, American Beauty, Flashdance, and The Lord of the Rings. http://www.spout.com/blogs/shaunhuston/archive/2008/4/2/26876.aspx Post By: ShaunHuston
Post To: ShaunHuston filmblog
Post Date: 4/2/2008 1:01:29 PM
Body: I was not moved myself to write about Anthony Minghella following his shocking and tragic death, but if i had been, I'd like to think that I would have written something as pitch perfect as this piece by Asad Raza on 3 Quarks Daily. Minghella isn't one of my favorite filmmakers, but we do own The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and I can certainly appreciate his other films, including The English Patient (1996), a movie that has been subject to far too much post-hoc revisionist criticism, especially after that Seinfeld episode. Originally posted on:Short-Circuit Signs
]]>Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:01:29 GMTShaunHustonShaunHuston filmblog4/2/2008 1:01:29 PMI was not moved myself to write about Anthony Minghella following his shocking and tragic death, but if i had been, I'd like to think that I would have written something as pitch perfect as this piece by Asad Raza on 3 Quarks Daily. Minghella isn't one of my favorite filmmakers, but we do own The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and I can certainly appreciate his other films, including The English Patient (1996), a movie that has been subject to far too much post-hoc revisionist criticism, especially after that Seinfeld episode. Originally posted on:Short-Circuit Signs http://www.spout.com/blogs/jimbell/archive/2007/5/3/8052.aspx Post By: JimBell
Post To: JimBell Blog
Post Date: 5/3/2007 2:46:00 AM
Body: Whenever I think of The English Patient, I remember that I never heard of anyone finishing the award-winning novel by Michael Ondantaaje. When I thought of the movie which I saw a few years ago, all I remembered was a beautiful nurse (Juliette Binoche) leaning over a badly burned patient (Ralph Fiennes) somewhere in Italy at the end of World War II. Re-watching revealed a complex, challenging movie. The writer or screen writer has two main challenges. One: he must make us care for the English patient. But the patient is a massively scarred, bed-ridden man with some kind of amnesia. In the increasingly long flashbacks, he is not a particularly lovable man: alone, reticent, handsome, multi-lingual, knotted up inside, with a propensity for staring coldly like a bird of prey. Challenge two: we have to identify with, or feel for, his romance, his great love. But it is with the rather cold wife of one of his acquaintences, lasts a relatively short time, and seems to be based on sex and obsession. But when the English patient finally tells his side of the story, the man who has come to kill him says that he cannot do the deed; the nurse looking after him understands why he wants to die; and we are strangely moved, I think, because the man and his story do not conform to Hollywood or cultural stereotypes. This truly was the love of his life, whether it fits our notions or not. And then you start to realize that the movie is replete with other examples of love—short, tall, thin, fat, happy, sad, short, long, etc. They support the author’s theme: The important maps are not political or military but personal and emotional.
]]>Thu, 03 May 2007 06:46:00 GMTJimBellJimBell Blog5/3/2007 2:46:00 AMWhenever I think of The English Patient, I remember that I never heard of anyone finishing the award-winning novel by Michael Ondantaaje. When I thought of the movie which I saw a few years ago, all I remembered was a beautiful nurse (Juliette Binoche) leaning over a badly burned patient (Ralph Fiennes) somewhere in Italy at the end of World War II. Re-watching revealed a complex, challenging movie. The writer or screen writer has two main challenges. One: he must make us care for the English patient. But the patient is a massively scarred, bed-ridden man with some kind of amnesia. In the increasingly long flashbacks, he is not a particularly lovable man: alone, reticent, handsome, multi-lingual, knotted up inside, with a propensity for staring coldly like a bird of prey. Challenge two: we have to identify with, or feel for, his romance, his great love. But it is with the rather cold wife of one of his acquaintences, lasts a relatively short time, and seems to be based on sex and obsession. But when the English patient finally tells his side of the story, the man who has come to kill him says that he cannot do the deed; the nurse looking after him understands why he wants to die; and we are strangely moved, I think, because the man and his story do not conform to Hollywood or cultural stereotypes. This truly was the love of his life, whether it fits our notions or not. And then you start to realize that the movie is replete with other examples of love&mdash;short, tall, thin, fat, happy, sad, short, long, etc. They support the author&rsquo;s theme: The important maps are not political or military but personal and emotional. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/romance/MemberTagFilms.aspxromance
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