list mnoo's Recent Activity - Spout http://www.spout.com/ mnoo's Recent Activity - Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg mnoo's Recent Activity - Spout http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 Spout Group:Spout Customer Care - Get answers to your questions here! http://www.spout.com/groups/Spout_Customer_Care/420/default.aspx Group Name: Spout Customer Care - Get answers to your questions here!
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Have a general question? Need help with some thing on the site? Have a bug you would like to report? Well then, you have come to the right place. No matter what you are having trouble with, we would like to help you find a solution. And maybe, through your own experience with the site, you will want to help other users too. That's what communities are all about. 


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]]>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:47:00 GMTSpout Customer CareWed, 01 Aug 2007 09:06:04 GMT790513Group Spout Group:HORROR MOVIES 101 - FOR ALL WHO LOVE HORROR MOVIES http://www.spout.com/groups/HORROR_MOVIES_101/222/default.aspx Group Name: HORROR MOVIES 101 - FOR ALL WHO LOVE HORROR MOVIES
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]]>Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:53:17 GMTHORROR MOVIES 101Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:20:09 GMT41462333Group Spout Group:foureyedmonsters - Talk to Susan & Arin about the movie and those addictive podcasts. http://www.spout.com/groups/foureyedmonsters/338/endorsed.aspx Group Name: foureyedmonsters - Talk to Susan & Arin about the movie and those addictive podcasts.
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]]>Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:42:31 GMTfoureyedmonstersMon, 04 Jun 2007 15:28:43 GMT322056Group Spout Group:Weekly Theme - "Fighting off boredom with the Iron Fist of Variety" http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/625/default.aspx Group Name: Weekly Theme - "Fighting off boredom with the Iron Fist of Variety"
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]]>Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:20:23 GMTWeekly ThemeMon, 30 Jun 2008 15:13:45 GMT5212701Group Spout Group:Spout Mavens - Spout's best movie reviewers. Membership is limited. http://www.spout.com/groups/Spout_Mavens/366/default.aspx Group Name: Spout Mavens - Spout's best movie reviewers. Membership is limited.
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A group of Spout's best reviewers.
Read the requirements.


Created: 6/20/2007
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]]>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:10:52 GMTSpout MavensWed, 20 Jun 2007 10:13:29 GMT369451Group Spout Group:missing a film - we'll help you find a film http://www.spout.com/groups/missing_a_film/263/default.aspx Group Name: missing a film - we'll help you find a film
Created: 3/5/2007
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]]>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:30:05 GMTmissing a filmMon, 05 Mar 2007 16:37:43 GMT1311234Group Spout Group:Friends of Foreign Flicks - Discussions of all films not American. http://www.spout.com/groups/Friends_of_Foreign_Flicks/591/default.aspx Group Name: Friends of Foreign Flicks - Discussions of all films not American.
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At some point you just want more than what's right in front of you.


Created: 4/24/2008
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]]>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:05:26 GMTFriends of Foreign FlicksThu, 24 Apr 2008 11:44:11 GMT30192Group Spout Group:The Documentary - A place to talk about the much overlooked genre of the Documentary. http://www.spout.com/groups/The_Documentary/79/default.aspx Group Name: The Documentary - A place to talk about the much overlooked genre of the Documentary.
Created: 4/2/2006
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]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:05:39 GMTThe DocumentarySun, 02 Apr 2006 00:58:55 GMT49453Group Spout Group:Sound on Sight - Podcasts, movie reviews, interviews, news and more. http://www.spout.com/groups/Sound_on_Sight/529/default.aspx Group Name: Sound on Sight - Podcasts, movie reviews, interviews, news and more.
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Sound on Sight proudly brings you two podcasts each week. Voted best podcast in 2008, these hard working hosts cover everything from mainstream Hollywood films to noir, horror, science fiction, cult cinema, documentary film making and more. Look out for a new show added every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

http://www.soundonsight.org/

 

 


Created: 1/6/2008
Number of Members: 104
Number of discussion posts: 150
]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:03:03 GMTSound on SightSun, 06 Jan 2008 21:24:34 GMT1040150Group Spout Group:Worst Movie Ever - The Group is dedicated to uncovering the bombs, so you don't have too. http://www.spout.com/groups/Worst_Movie_Ever/104/default.aspx Group Name: Worst Movie Ever - The Group is dedicated to uncovering the bombs, so you don't have too.
Created: 5/5/2006
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]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:43:26 GMTWorst Movie EverFri, 05 May 2006 20:20:45 GMT20010412Group Spout Group:Movie Polls - Vote in weekly polls and discuss http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/657/default.aspx Group Name: Movie Polls - Vote in weekly polls and discuss
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Each week I will post a new poll.  Please vote in the poll and reply to the discussion thread to discuss the question.  Please do not vote more than once.


Created: 11/25/2008
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]]>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:42:29 GMTMovie PollsTue, 25 Nov 2008 16:54:38 GMT660414Group Spout Group:Zombie Obsession - Zombie Lovers, Unite! http://www.spout.com/groups/Zombie_Obsession/329/default.aspx Group Name: Zombie Obsession - Zombie Lovers, Unite!
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Join us to discuss your favorite or most horrifying Zombie Movies or just your most memorable Zombie Moments.  From Funny to Scary to Gory to Bizarre...

 


Created: 5/28/2007
Number of Members: 104
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]]>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:29:56 GMTZombie ObsessionMon, 28 May 2007 02:04:45 GMT1041594Group Spout Group:A World of MSTies - Thank You, Won't We? http://www.spout.com/groups/A_World_of_MSTies/590/default.aspx Group Name: A World of MSTies - Thank You, Won't We?
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Glorify the best show ever (MST3K) with wit, wisdom and downright wackiness!


Created: 4/23/2008
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]]>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:25:25 GMTA World of MSTiesWed, 23 Apr 2008 20:21:48 GMT10223Group Spout Group:It's a Wonderful Night for Oscar! - Devoted to everything nominated or snubbed by the Academy of Golden Guys http://www.spout.com/groups/It_s_a_Wonderful_Night_for_Oscar/46/default.aspx Group Name: It's a Wonderful Night for Oscar! - Devoted to everything nominated or snubbed by the Academy of Golden Guys
Group Description: Year after year, movie lovers and non movie lovers alike discuss ad nauseum the fate of films nominated for the utmost honor, the Academy Award. Some people watch it for the fashion. Some people watch for the haute couture. Some people watch for their fill of celebrity sightings. If you are a member of this group, you love everything about the Super Bowl of movies, especially the movies themselves! You love to make predictions, guess at the politics, discuss and dissect who should have been nominated and who should have won...or, you're just an avid movie lover that likes to pay attention. Come join the group!
Created: 3/4/2006
Number of Members: 41
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]]>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:11:33 GMTIt's a Wonderful Night for Oscar!Sat, 04 Mar 2006 15:24:32 GMT4158226Group Spout Group:Movie Marathons http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Marathons/693/default.aspx Group Name: Movie Marathons
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This is a group for members to start and organize movie marathons. Its primary purpose is to get more people exposed to more film. And to watch these films and discuss them as a group.

Anyone can start a marathon and marathons can be organized in many different ways to showcase the films of a director, actor, genre, theme etc...

Check the Guidlines and Suggestions discussion for ideas.


Created: 7/22/2009
Number of Members: 15
Number of discussion posts: 22
]]>Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:33:02 GMTMovie MarathonsWed, 22 Jul 2009 01:35:58 GMT15022Group Spout Group:Movies we do not want to see - Try to convince us to see these movies! http://www.spout.com/groups/Movies_we_do_not_want_to_see/70/default.aspx Group Name: Movies we do not want to see - Try to convince us to see these movies!
Group Description: Want to be a member? Send me a message with a list of at least 5 movies that you do not want to see. There are many movies that I do not want to see. I'm not sure if its right of me to decide never to see a movie without seeing it. You know...like when a kid says they hate mushrooms even though they admit never trying them. So maybe this is a good spot for people to display movies they don't think they want to see, and see if anyone can convince us to try them out.
Created: 3/22/2006
Number of Members: 20
Number of Lists: 3
Number of discussion posts: 190
]]>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:31:56 GMTMovies we do not want to seeWed, 22 Mar 2006 14:27:50 GMT203190Group Spout Post: Catching up with old friends http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2008/7/12/32473.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/12/2008 6:31:50 PM
Body: I remember when I saw the first episode of Sex and the City (and I just can’t believe it was 10 years ago!). A Finnish cable channel was showing the first season, before the show hit mainstream TV, and the title (ha ha) somehow caught my eye. I was hooked from the first minutes. I imagine there are a lot of people (majority of whom are probably men) who don’t really get what’s so great about the show. But for me, it just has everything a girl needs. Candid conversation, great clothes, fabulous shoes, real issues that are not usually portrayed in such an honest manner and an all-round comfortable, even cozy, atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re spending time with your friends. And even though Carrie as a character is someone we feel we should envy, if not only for her job and her wardrobe, her problems are real and universal and there’s something exceedingly comforting about the thought that despite the circumstances all women ultimately have to deal with the same issues.It was a sad day when SATC came to an end as a series. It was truly like losing a friend. That’s why more than anything the prospect of seeing SATC: The Movie felt like a reunion, like finally catching up with the friends you haven’t seen for ages because all of you have been too busy with your lives to organize a get-together.And the movie certainly didn’t disappoint. I was hesitant to begin with about how the half an hour, one-issue-per-episode, format would convert into a full-length movie. The way they dealt with it was to have a wider subtext, i.e. love, on which you can easily build a whole movie on, while dealing with multiple issues and not making the film feel like it was just an overly stretched episode. Obviously with a underlining subject like that, yes, it was sugary, yes it was soppy at times, but in the end everything was just in the right proportion. There were a lot of laughs, there were moments that made your eyes water, there were moments that made you relate. And there were lots and lots of fabulous clothes and lots and lots of to-die-for shoes. There were also some great performances. I was especially moved by Kristin Davis’s Charlotte. The length of the movie gave her the chance to show off her range, which covered everything from superbly funny to some fiercely raw emotions. Charlotte was never my favourite character in the series, but I have to say that she just might have been my favourite in the movie. And she certainly delivered the biggest laughs of the film in a scene, which should have been the lowest form of humour, but got elevated to something more complexly funny just because of the fact that it was Charlotte. All in all, I think the movie was a success. The same atmosphere was there, but at the same time it managed to elevate some of the elements to a higher level. Most of all, it left me feeling comforted. Safe in the knowledge that life goes on and that it’s forever evolving and that even after the happy endings there’s work to do and issues to deal with. It also made me feel like picking up the phone and getting in touch with the real life friends that I haven’t seen in a while. Oh yeah, and it also left me with this unexplainable urge to go shoe shopping…
]]>Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:31:50 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/12/2008 6:31:50 PMI remember when I saw the first episode of Sex and the City (and I just can’t believe it was 10 years ago!). A Finnish cable channel was showing the first season, before the show hit mainstream TV, and the title (ha ha) somehow caught my eye. I was hooked from the first minutes. I imagine there are a lot of people (majority of whom are probably men) who don’t really get what’s so great about the show. But for me, it just has everything a girl needs. Candid conversation, great clothes, fabulous shoes, real issues that are not usually portrayed in such an honest manner and an all-round comfortable, even cozy, atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re spending time with your friends. And even though Carrie as a character is someone we feel we should envy, if not only for her job and her wardrobe, her problems are real and universal and there’s something exceedingly comforting about the thought that despite the circumstances all women ultimately have to deal with the same issues.It was a sad day when SATC came to an end as a series. It was truly like losing a friend. That’s why more than anything the prospect of seeing SATC: The Movie felt like a reunion, like finally catching up with the friends you haven’t seen for ages because all of you have been too busy with your lives to organize a get-together.And the movie certainly didn’t disappoint. I was hesitant to begin with about how the half an hour, one-issue-per-episode, format would convert into a full-length movie. The way they dealt with it was to have a wider subtext, i.e. love, on which you can easily build a whole movie on, while dealing with multiple issues and not making the film feel like it was just an overly stretched episode. Obviously with a underlining subject like that, yes, it was sugary, yes it was soppy at times, but in the end everything was just in the right proportion. There were a lot of laughs, there were moments that made your eyes water, there were moments that made you relate. And there were lots and lots of fabulous clothes and lots and lots of to-die-for shoes. There were also some great performances. I was especially moved by Kristin Davis’s Charlotte. The length of the movie gave her the chance to show off her range, which covered everything from superbly funny to some fiercely raw emotions. Charlotte was never my favourite character in the series, but I have to say that she just might have been my favourite in the movie. And she certainly delivered the biggest laughs of the film in a scene, which should have been the lowest form of humour, but got elevated to something more complexly funny just because of the fact that it was Charlotte. All in all, I think the movie was a success. The same atmosphere was there, but at the same time it managed to elevate some of the elements to a higher level. Most of all, it left me feeling comforted. Safe in the knowledge that life goes on and that it’s forever evolving and that even after the happy endings there’s work to do and issues to deal with. It also made me feel like picking up the phone and getting in touch with the real life friends that I haven’t seen in a while. Oh yeah, and it also left me with this unexplainable urge to go shoe shopping… Spout Post: Love at first sight http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/8/4/17278.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 8/4/2007 7:13:33 PM
Body: It pleases me greatly when a movie surprises me positively. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting from Apocalypto, but it certainly delivered something a whole lot different – in the most positive way possible. I guess I was preparing myself for an 'epic' movie about the Mayas, a clumsy page of a history book with great sets, cardboard people and a native language thrown in just to up the 'art' value. What I actually got was an extremely enjoyable, and personable, two hours with a well-structured action movie. For a very short while my expectations of an epic tried to make me wish for something 'more grand', but pretty quickly I was sucked in by the action and just sat back to enjoy the simple, but universally touching, story unfold.Of course, visually the film was stunning, and not just for the lingering light in the rainforest or the intricately constructed Mayan city, but for the attention lavished on the tiniest of details. The make-up and costume work was superb, so superb in fact that you completely forgot about it and just believed. Believed that these people were actual Mayans, and not actors, who had sat in make-up for hours to create the illusion. I really liked the way the cards were laid out right from the start. There was a clever trick of kicking the film off with an almost stereotypical 'natives hunting' scene and then blowing that whole premise out of the water with inventive and funny dialogue, thus humanising the characters from the get-go. Often the biggest failure with action films, what ever sort of surroundings they are set in, is that the characters don't have enough flesh on their bones, you just don't care about them enough to be that involved in what happens to them. Not so here. I was amazed how quickly quite a few different characters were introduced in a very emotionally thorough way, and how quickly you developed a bond to them. Which of course made all the suspense to come that much more nail biting and the cruelty heartbreaking.It blows my mind how most of the actors were either at the complete beginning of their acting career or just regular people; carpenters, farmers and so forth. At the start you could see that some of them were new to being in front of the camera, but so many of them grew throughout the film to give pretty spectacular performances, not least Dalia Hernández as 'Seven' and Rudy Youngblood as 'Jaguar Paw'. Having said that, experience does count for something, and in my opinion Gerardo Taracena gives the best and most consistent performance of the movie as a sadistic sociopath 'Middle Eye'. He really owns the character and embodies it with his whole being, from delivering his lines to subtle facial expressions, and manages to be at the same time scary and disgusting, but also amusing.Sometimes it's just love at first sight. Apocalypto certainly managed to seduce me, somehow in a similar way that The New World did, but with more mainstream entertainment value added. In fact, I liked it so much that I watched the film two times back to back, first without commentary and the second time with. And it didn't feel like time wasted at all.
]]>Sat, 04 Aug 2007 23:13:33 GMTmnoomnoo Blog8/4/2007 7:13:33 PMIt pleases me greatly when a movie surprises me positively. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting from Apocalypto, but it certainly delivered something a whole lot different – in the most positive way possible. I guess I was preparing myself for an 'epic' movie about the Mayas, a clumsy page of a history book with great sets, cardboard people and a native language thrown in just to up the 'art' value. What I actually got was an extremely enjoyable, and personable, two hours with a well-structured action movie. For a very short while my expectations of an epic tried to make me wish for something 'more grand', but pretty quickly I was sucked in by the action and just sat back to enjoy the simple, but universally touching, story unfold.Of course, visually the film was stunning, and not just for the lingering light in the rainforest or the intricately constructed Mayan city, but for the attention lavished on the tiniest of details. The make-up and costume work was superb, so superb in fact that you completely forgot about it and just believed. Believed that these people were actual Mayans, and not actors, who had sat in make-up for hours to create the illusion. I really liked the way the cards were laid out right from the start. There was a clever trick of kicking the film off with an almost stereotypical 'natives hunting' scene and then blowing that whole premise out of the water with inventive and funny dialogue, thus humanising the characters from the get-go. Often the biggest failure with action films, what ever sort of surroundings they are set in, is that the characters don't have enough flesh on their bones, you just don't care about them enough to be that involved in what happens to them. Not so here. I was amazed how quickly quite a few different characters were introduced in a very emotionally thorough way, and how quickly you developed a bond to them. Which of course made all the suspense to come that much more nail biting and the cruelty heartbreaking.It blows my mind how most of the actors were either at the complete beginning of their acting career or just regular people; carpenters, farmers and so forth. At the start you could see that some of them were new to being in front of the camera, but so many of them grew throughout the film to give pretty spectacular performances, not least Dalia Hernández as 'Seven' and Rudy Youngblood as 'Jaguar Paw'. Having said that, experience does count for something, and in my opinion Gerardo Taracena gives the best and most consistent performance of the movie as a sadistic sociopath 'Middle Eye'. He really owns the character and embodies it with his whole being, from delivering his lines to subtle facial expressions, and manages to be at the same time scary and disgusting, but also amusing.Sometimes it's just love at first sight. Apocalypto certainly managed to seduce me, somehow in a similar way that The New World did, but with more mainstream entertainment value added. In fact, I liked it so much that I watched the film two times back to back, first without commentary and the second time with. And it didn't feel like time wasted at all. Spout Post: Have you ever seen a human heart? http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/14/14226.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/14/2007 7:09:14 AM
Body: I'm not quite sure why took so long for me to watch Closer initially. I think it was partly due to the fact that when it opened people, who'd seen the original play by Patrick Marber, expressed very strongly their disgust of someone like Julia Roberts et al taking on these roles. Probably my first impressions of the film came from people who disliked it, not for the story but for the vehicle it was delivered in, and that possibly put me off of the idea of seeing it... at least before I had the chance to read the play. Never got around to that so I thought it was time to take the plunge.There's no mistaking the brutal brilliance of the play/script. There are no empty words at all, everything is delivered with precision and on purpose. I can't remember when I've seen Jude Law in a role where he's not a sleaze ball of some kind, but he was certainly perfect for this role. And it was interesting to watch his character moving through from one end of the moral spectrum to the complete opposite in the course of the story. Julia Roberts I've never liked... but she was, if not brilliant, at least believable. Although very much the underdog in every scene. Natalie Portman (again!) was the backbone of the story in my opinion. She has the ability to portray sincere vulnerability, without it eclipsing her strength. Really a great performance. But I think everyone would agree that Clive Owen is the absolute core of this film. He is the mirror through which we are forced to look at ourselves as the primal creatures that we are. Raw, bruised, dark and true. He makes the whole movie for me.With wonderful performances from everyone I think the movie still manages to be more than just the sum of the actors' success. There's this atmosphere... a constant build up, a constant need to know more, a constant craving for... the truth of us as humans? It was hard to give rave reviews to any film right after seeing Brokeback - which was still in my heart at the time - but here's definitely one adaptation which didn't disappoint in the end, like I was afraid it would. I should have trusted Mike Nichols more.Have you ever seen a human heart? It looks like a fist wrapped in blood....
]]>Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:09:14 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/14/2007 7:09:14 AMI'm not quite sure why took so long for me to watch Closer initially. I think it was partly due to the fact that when it opened people, who'd seen the original play by Patrick Marber, expressed very strongly their disgust of someone like Julia Roberts et al taking on these roles. Probably my first impressions of the film came from people who disliked it, not for the story but for the vehicle it was delivered in, and that possibly put me off of the idea of seeing it... at least before I had the chance to read the play. Never got around to that so I thought it was time to take the plunge.There's no mistaking the brutal brilliance of the play/script. There are no empty words at all, everything is delivered with precision and on purpose. I can't remember when I've seen Jude Law in a role where he's not a sleaze ball of some kind, but he was certainly perfect for this role. And it was interesting to watch his character moving through from one end of the moral spectrum to the complete opposite in the course of the story. Julia Roberts I've never liked... but she was, if not brilliant, at least believable. Although very much the underdog in every scene. Natalie Portman (again!) was the backbone of the story in my opinion. She has the ability to portray sincere vulnerability, without it eclipsing her strength. Really a great performance. But I think everyone would agree that Clive Owen is the absolute core of this film. He is the mirror through which we are forced to look at ourselves as the primal creatures that we are. Raw, bruised, dark and true. He makes the whole movie for me.With wonderful performances from everyone I think the movie still manages to be more than just the sum of the actors' success. There's this atmosphere... a constant build up, a constant need to know more, a constant craving for... the truth of us as humans? It was hard to give rave reviews to any film right after seeing Brokeback - which was still in my heart at the time - but here's definitely one adaptation which didn't disappoint in the end, like I was afraid it would. I should have trusted Mike Nichols more.Have you ever seen a human heart? It looks like a fist wrapped in blood.... Spout Post: Life and how it throws you http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/14/14225.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/14/2007 7:01:16 AM
Body: Finally a film that was exactly what I thought it would be. A funny, moving, and at times painful glimpse of ordinary life and human emotion. Paul Giamatti was certainly the perfect choice for the role of Miles, a failed writer and a wine buff. He gets you to feel sad with him, be happy for him and to laugh at him. There are definitely a lot of laughs to be had in the course of the road trip that Miles and, his soon-to-be-married friend, Jack are on – quite a few of them bittersweet. In a funny way, as different as this movie was to Irréversible, it somehow leaves you with a similar sad feeling. Of how small and inconsequential we really are, and how life can break you if you don't fight back hard. And yet, most of the time it's all out of your hands anyways.
]]>Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:01:16 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/14/2007 7:01:16 AMFinally a film that was exactly what I thought it would be. A funny, moving, and at times painful glimpse of ordinary life and human emotion. Paul Giamatti was certainly the perfect choice for the role of Miles, a failed writer and a wine buff. He gets you to feel sad with him, be happy for him and to laugh at him. There are definitely a lot of laughs to be had in the course of the road trip that Miles and, his soon-to-be-married friend, Jack are on – quite a few of them bittersweet. In a funny way, as different as this movie was to Irréversible, it somehow leaves you with a similar sad feeling. Of how small and inconsequential we really are, and how life can break you if you don't fight back hard. And yet, most of the time it's all out of your hands anyways. Spout Post: Life-sized lovestory http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/14/14210.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/14/2007 6:56:11 AM
Body: I've never been a huge Johnny Cash fan (in fact, I always preferred Waylon Jennings in the bad boy of country stakes. :P), but never the less, I quite enjoy this sort of biopics. All in all, the movie was quite predictable (in terms of how biopics are played out) and in some ways a very cliché story of fame, drugs and passion. Joaquin Phoenix most certainly gives his all and wears the Johnny Cash suit with relative ease, seeing how hard it is to portray someone known for being 'unlike anyone else'. The problem I have with Phoenix at times is the fact that he throws himself so completely into his roles that sometimes you start feeling a little detached from the character, you just look at him acting hard. And there were moments where I felt like this. Don't get me wrong though, I don't think there's anyone who could have done a better job. As shocked as I was to see Reese Witherspoon pick up the Oscar for playing June Carter, I was happy to learn that it was for good reason. She kept the movie grounded and was so genuine in portraying what her character was feeling that I think she gave a heart to the movie. The best thing about the whole film was the chemistry between the main actors and the way the Cash/Carter love story was played out - in anything but sentimental way. It certainly tasted like life. I don't think the film was larger than life, but perhaps that also helped in making it feel more real.
]]>Sat, 14 Jul 2007 10:56:11 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/14/2007 6:56:11 AMI've never been a huge Johnny Cash fan (in fact, I always preferred Waylon Jennings in the bad boy of country stakes. :P), but never the less, I quite enjoy this sort of biopics. All in all, the movie was quite predictable (in terms of how biopics are played out) and in some ways a very cliché story of fame, drugs and passion. Joaquin Phoenix most certainly gives his all and wears the Johnny Cash suit with relative ease, seeing how hard it is to portray someone known for being 'unlike anyone else'. The problem I have with Phoenix at times is the fact that he throws himself so completely into his roles that sometimes you start feeling a little detached from the character, you just look at him acting hard. And there were moments where I felt like this. Don't get me wrong though, I don't think there's anyone who could have done a better job. As shocked as I was to see Reese Witherspoon pick up the Oscar for playing June Carter, I was happy to learn that it was for good reason. She kept the movie grounded and was so genuine in portraying what her character was feeling that I think she gave a heart to the movie. The best thing about the whole film was the chemistry between the main actors and the way the Cash/Carter love story was played out - in anything but sentimental way. It certainly tasted like life. I don't think the film was larger than life, but perhaps that also helped in making it feel more real. Spout Post: Re: Top 5 Tear Jerking Scenes http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Tear_Jerking_Scenes/190/14037/1/ShowPost.aspxPost By: mnoo
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 7/13/2007 8:31:52 PM
Body: 1. Thelma & Louise - Just one of the best tear-jerking endings ever. Period.2. Brokeback Mountain - When Ennis feels physically ill over 'losing' Jack. Superbly acted and so real. Reminds me of how surprised I was over the physical pain true love can cause.3. Monster's Ball - Well, all of Halle Berry really, she threw her heart at the camera and it was impossible not to be affected.4. Dances With Wolves - A bit of an embarrasing one this. But yeah... Wind in His Hair: "Dances With Wolves. I am Wind In His Hair. Do you see that I am your friend? Can you see that you will always be my friend?" And off I go. 5. La Vie en Rose - This one was actually one of those REALLY annoying endings where you know from the get-go that they're going to be milking it for all it's worth and no matter how cynical you remain you can't help being affected. So yes, there it came, 'Non, je ne regrette rien' playing (which alone will get most people going, of course they saved it for the end), cutting between Piaf's last painful performance and her dying. I was trying to look at the ceiling of the cinema, think of happy thoughts, anything but get sucked in - nothing helped. So a very 'manufactured' but effective tear-jerker ending there.
]]>Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:31:52 GMTmnooTop 57/13/2007 8:31:52 PM1. Thelma & Louise - Just one of the best tear-jerking endings ever. Period.2. Brokeback Mountain - When Ennis feels physically ill over 'losing' Jack. Superbly acted and so real. Reminds me of how surprised I was over the physical pain true love can cause.3. Monster's Ball - Well, all of Halle Berry really, she threw her heart at the camera and it was impossible not to be affected.4. Dances With Wolves - A bit of an embarrasing one this. But yeah... Wind in His Hair: "Dances With Wolves. I am Wind In His Hair. Do you see that I am your friend? Can you see that you will always be my friend?" And off I go. 5. La Vie en Rose - This one was actually one of those REALLY annoying endings where you know from the get-go that they're going to be milking it for all it's worth and no matter how cynical you remain you can't help being affected. So yes, there it came, 'Non, je ne regrette rien' playing (which alone will get most people going, of course they saved it for the end), cutting between Piaf's last painful performance and her dying. I was trying to look at the ceiling of the cinema, think of happy thoughts, anything but get sucked in - nothing helped. So a very 'manufactured' but effective tear-jerker ending there. Spout Post: Too high expectations http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/12/13758.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/12/2007 6:08:21 PM
Body: Oldboy is in so many people's Top 10 and I've heard so much praise and been pestered to see it forever. So, needless to say, the expectations were perhaps very much too high going in. I did rather enjoy the first half. The plot was certainly original to start with, and the cinematography definitely ranks quite high on the visually gorgeous side of things. My problem is that I usually have an annoying talent of spotting where the plot is going quite early on (yes, I'm one of those 'I bet he killed her' people, which annoys others who might have wanted to stay in suspense until the final showdown. :P), and with this plot it was just glaringly obvious to me where it was going. So for most of the film I was just waiting for the plot to catch up and put me out of my misery. I also think that after showing so much promise at the start, and having gone to all the trouble of trying to confuse the watcher, the actual underlining story was way too simplistic and insipid. I was desperately hoping that I would get surprised at the end, which didn't happen. Having said that, I can certainly see why people rank Oldboy so high. It's definitely head and shoulders above the standard of a stereotypical Hollywood production. And it does look very good indeed. I think it suffers from building up too big expectations without delivering the depth of a masterpiece that it aspires to be.
]]>Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:08:21 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/12/2007 6:08:21 PMOldboy is in so many people's Top 10 and I've heard so much praise and been pestered to see it forever. So, needless to say, the expectations were perhaps very much too high going in. I did rather enjoy the first half. The plot was certainly original to start with, and the cinematography definitely ranks quite high on the visually gorgeous side of things. My problem is that I usually have an annoying talent of spotting where the plot is going quite early on (yes, I'm one of those 'I bet he killed her' people, which annoys others who might have wanted to stay in suspense until the final showdown. :P), and with this plot it was just glaringly obvious to me where it was going. So for most of the film I was just waiting for the plot to catch up and put me out of my misery. I also think that after showing so much promise at the start, and having gone to all the trouble of trying to confuse the watcher, the actual underlining story was way too simplistic and insipid. I was desperately hoping that I would get surprised at the end, which didn't happen. Having said that, I can certainly see why people rank Oldboy so high. It's definitely head and shoulders above the standard of a stereotypical Hollywood production. And it does look very good indeed. I think it suffers from building up too big expectations without delivering the depth of a masterpiece that it aspires to be. Spout Post: Back to the start http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/12/13757.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/12/2007 6:05:07 PM
Body: This was certainly a difficult film to watch and to digest. The whole film is played backwards, starting from the most ugliest and uncomfortable scenes I've ever seen and slowly returning to the start where everything was still ok. Even though it was a hard film to watch (and definitely not the best choice for a Saturday evening chilling with friends... :|) I did find it intriguing. It illustrated with terrifying clarity how fragile life is and how every small decision can affect the way things turn out. At the start you can't help but wonder what freaks these people are and how everything about them seems so fucked up, until you find out why and eventually discover that at the start, they were all indeed perfectly normal and happy. Horrible things happen in life – to completely normal people. And apparently even to people are gorgeous as Monica Bellucci.
]]>Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:05:07 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/12/2007 6:05:07 PMThis was certainly a difficult film to watch and to digest. The whole film is played backwards, starting from the most ugliest and uncomfortable scenes I've ever seen and slowly returning to the start where everything was still ok. Even though it was a hard film to watch (and definitely not the best choice for a Saturday evening chilling with friends... :|) I did find it intriguing. It illustrated with terrifying clarity how fragile life is and how every small decision can affect the way things turn out. At the start you can't help but wonder what freaks these people are and how everything about them seems so fucked up, until you find out why and eventually discover that at the start, they were all indeed perfectly normal and happy. Horrible things happen in life – to completely normal people. And apparently even to people are gorgeous as Monica Bellucci. Spout Post: Like a perfect poem http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/12/13756.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/12/2007 6:00:45 PM
Body: I would be lying if I said I didn't originally want to see this purely for Colin Farrell. Even having heard all the warnings about the length and boringness of it, I'm very pleased I did take the plunge. There is no denying that this is some of the most beautiful cinematography I've ever seen. The first hour, where the Europeans are settling in Virginia - and where Colin's Captain Smith is spending time with the natives and falling in love with Pocahontas - is such a relaxing and enchanting joy to watch that you feel like you're almost drifting through a dream. Every frame is gorgeous and everything looks so tactile… it's almost like you can feel the grass underneath your bare feet or the wind on your face or the water lapping at your skin. Just gorgeous. As is Colin. But especially Q'Orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas. She is beautiful beyond words and without even too much talking conveys everything she's feeling with sublime grace. The first half of the movie evoked such beauty to all the senses that I could have died happy just then. However, an hour and half in and you start feeling the length. Especially when you find yourself detesting the advances Christian Bales's John Rolfe is making on Pocahontas, despite his gentle ways and good nature. As the director intended, your heart, as hers, is still in the depths of the woods with Captain Smith. Especially grueling is the return to England, the cold grey light, the way Pocahontas has been transformed into a lady… it all makes you feel cold and constrained and anxious, wanting for the scenes to pass quicker, yearning to return to the nature and 'reality'. The bittersweet ending leaves you somehow sad but also optimistic, like it is possible to grow and it is possible to learn to love again. As almost painfully long as the film was I can't think of anything I'd want to cut from it. Not even - or especially - the long lingering nature shots of fields and forests and water... What a beautiful piece of cinema. But definitely not one to take your action-film-loving-boyfriend to. It's like the perfect poem in cinematic form.
]]>Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:00:45 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/12/2007 6:00:45 PMI would be lying if I said I didn't originally want to see this purely for Colin Farrell. Even having heard all the warnings about the length and boringness of it, I'm very pleased I did take the plunge. There is no denying that this is some of the most beautiful cinematography I've ever seen. The first hour, where the Europeans are settling in Virginia - and where Colin's Captain Smith is spending time with the natives and falling in love with Pocahontas - is such a relaxing and enchanting joy to watch that you feel like you're almost drifting through a dream. Every frame is gorgeous and everything looks so tactile… it's almost like you can feel the grass underneath your bare feet or the wind on your face or the water lapping at your skin. Just gorgeous. As is Colin. But especially Q'Orianka Kilcher as Pocahontas. She is beautiful beyond words and without even too much talking conveys everything she's feeling with sublime grace. The first half of the movie evoked such beauty to all the senses that I could have died happy just then. However, an hour and half in and you start feeling the length. Especially when you find yourself detesting the advances Christian Bales's John Rolfe is making on Pocahontas, despite his gentle ways and good nature. As the director intended, your heart, as hers, is still in the depths of the woods with Captain Smith. Especially grueling is the return to England, the cold grey light, the way Pocahontas has been transformed into a lady… it all makes you feel cold and constrained and anxious, wanting for the scenes to pass quicker, yearning to return to the nature and 'reality'. The bittersweet ending leaves you somehow sad but also optimistic, like it is possible to grow and it is possible to learn to love again. As almost painfully long as the film was I can't think of anything I'd want to cut from it. Not even - or especially - the long lingering nature shots of fields and forests and water... What a beautiful piece of cinema. But definitely not one to take your action-film-loving-boyfriend to. It's like the perfect poem in cinematic form. Spout Post: Bittersweet like life http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/12/13752.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/12/2007 5:55:49 PM
Body: I must say seeing Brokeback Mountain for the first time was truly a beautiful and moving experience, which will probably stay with me for a long time to come. In fact, I feel like the film is still growing on me and that I will be appreciating it more and more when time passes... and when I inevitably will watch it again. I think it's a real shame the film has acquired the reputation of 'the gay cowboy film' (even though I know it's impossible not to call it that, it just kinda flows. :P ), as it might limit the amount of people who will go and see it - and possibly prevent exactly the types of people from seeing it who really should see it. Because first and foremost, it's a lovestory. A lovestory so sincere I can't even remember when I last felt so much for the characters in a film. The acting is so brilliant that gender becomes wholly inconsequential and you are left with just the raw essence of what all of us are about. You feel for these two people and understand their pain so completely that it feels overwhelmingly wrong for them to be apart because of what the society finds (or did back in the time where the story is based) 'acceptable'.I've never really liked or rated Heath Ledger before. But I must admit that his Ennis Del Mar will probably go down in the history books as one of the most remarkable characters ever. (A very similar sort of revelation as Jim Carrey was in The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but so much more courageous). He never puts a foot wrong. He is so subtle and raw and true... he makes us feel and live the whole journey with him. Jake Gyllenhaal is as good as I expected him to be, I've been sure for a long time that he is meant for great things. So fearless and uncompromising is his dedication to each role I've seen him in. In Brokeback he provides the perfect amount of passion and fragility, making it really easy for us to believe how Ennis would fall for him. In fact, the whole supporting cast is brilliant, not least Michelle Williams, who is vulnerability incarnate.Only minus point for me was the slightly unbelievable looking aging job done on the actors, after all the story spans over 20 years. But it wasn't done badly-badly, and I suppose it's always a tricky thing to get spot on because everyone will still know that it's makeup etc. and will be looking even more closely. Still, it's nothing that seriously hampered my ability to enjoy the film. For the movie on a whole is beautiful. Slow, glorious, painful, bittersweet - like life itself.On a completely separate note, there is also the fact that Jake Gyllenhaal has the most incredible eyes. Ever. In the history of eyes. *drool* Like yeah, I'd do him. What ever sex or species he was. Umm.
]]>Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:55:49 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/12/2007 5:55:49 PMI must say seeing Brokeback Mountain for the first time was truly a beautiful and moving experience, which will probably stay with me for a long time to come. In fact, I feel like the film is still growing on me and that I will be appreciating it more and more when time passes... and when I inevitably will watch it again. I think it's a real shame the film has acquired the reputation of 'the gay cowboy film' (even though I know it's impossible not to call it that, it just kinda flows. :P ), as it might limit the amount of people who will go and see it - and possibly prevent exactly the types of people from seeing it who really should see it. Because first and foremost, it's a lovestory. A lovestory so sincere I can't even remember when I last felt so much for the characters in a film. The acting is so brilliant that gender becomes wholly inconsequential and you are left with just the raw essence of what all of us are about. You feel for these two people and understand their pain so completely that it feels overwhelmingly wrong for them to be apart because of what the society finds (or did back in the time where the story is based) 'acceptable'.I've never really liked or rated Heath Ledger before. But I must admit that his Ennis Del Mar will probably go down in the history books as one of the most remarkable characters ever. (A very similar sort of revelation as Jim Carrey was in The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but so much more courageous). He never puts a foot wrong. He is so subtle and raw and true... he makes us feel and live the whole journey with him. Jake Gyllenhaal is as good as I expected him to be, I've been sure for a long time that he is meant for great things. So fearless and uncompromising is his dedication to each role I've seen him in. In Brokeback he provides the perfect amount of passion and fragility, making it really easy for us to believe how Ennis would fall for him. In fact, the whole supporting cast is brilliant, not least Michelle Williams, who is vulnerability incarnate.Only minus point for me was the slightly unbelievable looking aging job done on the actors, after all the story spans over 20 years. But it wasn't done badly-badly, and I suppose it's always a tricky thing to get spot on because everyone will still know that it's makeup etc. and will be looking even more closely. Still, it's nothing that seriously hampered my ability to enjoy the film. For the movie on a whole is beautiful. Slow, glorious, painful, bittersweet - like life itself.On a completely separate note, there is also the fact that Jake Gyllenhaal has the most incredible eyes. Ever. In the history of eyes. *drool* Like yeah, I'd do him. What ever sex or species he was. Umm. Spout Post: A hard nut to crack http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/12/13751.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/12/2007 5:43:54 PM
Body: The way I saw it, the whole point of the film was to have a jab at your own morals and, more interestingly, to demonstrate that nothing in life is black and white.The story is about 14-year-old Hayley and 30-something Jeff, who get to know each other in a chat room (seemingly serendipitously) and then proceed to meet in real life. While the film starts with the viewer thinking Haley is the one who shouldn't be meeting strangers, especially strangers as old as him, off the internet the roles reverse the further the plot develops - and Jeff realises Hayley's there after careful planning on how to punish him for what is at that point his assumed involvement in pedophilia and even murder. Hayley, played by Ellen Page, is by no means a likable character. She's very annoying, too smart for her own good and really hard to feel any sympathy towards. Jeff, played by Patrick Wilson, on the other hand seems like a reasonably normal bloke. He's well mannered and likable, and hey, he's even a photographer! :D It's easy to think that he's just being unjustly vilified by an unstable teenager. In fact, to start with you have to dig quite deep to find any justification for Haley's vendetta towards him, but I think that during the course of the movie the scales do dip. You come to realise that yes, he has done something horrific, even if he denies it even from himself. The trouble is of course, why should this annoying little girl be the one to carry out his punishment?In the end, to me, it's not her that does carry it out to the end. It is in fact Jeff himself and his conscience and fear of being judged and punished the traditional way.It's difficult (maybe impossible?) to decide where to stand. What I thought was the cleverest thing about the script was the way the personalities of the characters were so far removed from the 'normal' hollywood victim/monster traits. It's so easy to see Jeff as a normal man, who should be given the benefit of doubt, but who in the end does admit to having been involved in something truly evil, which he should suffer for. And it's so very difficult to like the disturbed Hayley and see her as nothing else than a maniac bitch. And yet, for her to be doing what she does she must have gone through something so horrible herself that in her eyes (and possibly every victims' eyes) it justifies her every action (how ever, this fact is never anything but hinted at, unlike any other vendetta film you've seen). It's difficult to find redeeming qualities or feel sorry for someone who's personality you don't like, and it's hard to think that a nice person could be bad. We're so brainwashed by movies and even the news to believe that we can spot the beady eyes of an evil person from a mile off, and that victims are always sympathetic characters and easy to relate to.So I suppose the question is, when does a victim cease to be the victim and turn into the monster? Or vice versa. With the complex way we as humans are built, that is one hard nut to crack. But possibly, everything isn't quite as black and white as we'd like to believe.
]]>Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:43:54 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/12/2007 5:43:54 PMThe way I saw it, the whole point of the film was to have a jab at your own morals and, more interestingly, to demonstrate that nothing in life is black and white.The story is about 14-year-old Hayley and 30-something Jeff, who get to know each other in a chat room (seemingly serendipitously) and then proceed to meet in real life. While the film starts with the viewer thinking Haley is the one who shouldn't be meeting strangers, especially strangers as old as him, off the internet the roles reverse the further the plot develops - and Jeff realises Hayley's there after careful planning on how to punish him for what is at that point his assumed involvement in pedophilia and even murder. Hayley, played by Ellen Page, is by no means a likable character. She's very annoying, too smart for her own good and really hard to feel any sympathy towards. Jeff, played by Patrick Wilson, on the other hand seems like a reasonably normal bloke. He's well mannered and likable, and hey, he's even a photographer! :D It's easy to think that he's just being unjustly vilified by an unstable teenager. In fact, to start with you have to dig quite deep to find any justification for Haley's vendetta towards him, but I think that during the course of the movie the scales do dip. You come to realise that yes, he has done something horrific, even if he denies it even from himself. The trouble is of course, why should this annoying little girl be the one to carry out his punishment?In the end, to me, it's not her that does carry it out to the end. It is in fact Jeff himself and his conscience and fear of being judged and punished the traditional way.It's difficult (maybe impossible?) to decide where to stand. What I thought was the cleverest thing about the script was the way the personalities of the characters were so far removed from the 'normal' hollywood victim/monster traits. It's so easy to see Jeff as a normal man, who should be given the benefit of doubt, but who in the end does admit to having been involved in something truly evil, which he should suffer for. And it's so very difficult to like the disturbed Hayley and see her as nothing else than a maniac bitch. And yet, for her to be doing what she does she must have gone through something so horrible herself that in her eyes (and possibly every victims' eyes) it justifies her every action (how ever, this fact is never anything but hinted at, unlike any other vendetta film you've seen). It's difficult to find redeeming qualities or feel sorry for someone who's personality you don't like, and it's hard to think that a nice person could be bad. We're so brainwashed by movies and even the news to believe that we can spot the beady eyes of an evil person from a mile off, and that victims are always sympathetic characters and easy to relate to.So I suppose the question is, when does a victim cease to be the victim and turn into the monster? Or vice versa. With the complex way we as humans are built, that is one hard nut to crack. But possibly, everything isn't quite as black and white as we'd like to believe. Spout Post: Elvis has left the building http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/12/13750.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/12/2007 5:37:07 PM
Body: As an experience Miami Vice was satisfying for some parts but quite… flat on the whole. Colin of course is always satisfying. Even with a blond mullet. And my god, the man can dance as well! It must be destiny… Err anyways. What always drew me to the original series was the atmosphere. There's this sort of definite Miami Vice feeling you get, like the excitement at the pit of your stomach when stepping into a nightclub combined with the sadness at the end of an evening after too much drink and too much… everything. The cool and hedonistic combined with the ugly side of life. It always fascinated me how they did that, with the style and the music. The film definitely had some of those atmospheric moments in it, just not enough to carry the whole thing through. The plot was a bit run of the mill and not awfully interesting. The cinematography was quite fascinating, moving in between the slick neon-lit coolness and this grainy almost documentary-kind visual world. I do think this worked well in establishing the dualism that was always the most interesting part about the concept – how their undercover roles were so cool and able and in control, but how back in real life they were just people with fears and problems. However, cinematography alone isn't going to create the tension and grip that this film lacked.I waited and waited and waited for the titles and the theme tune. It never came! How can it be Miami Vice without the theme tune and the flamingos! Must be some sort of a licensing problem there or something. Still, sucks quite hard if you ask me. Also, how comes - if even Colin went bravely all out with his bleached mullet and the most horrendous mustache ever - couldn't Jamie Foxx grow proper Tubbs curls! What is he… too cool for his own good or what. Pfft. Anyways, he was nowhere near as cool as the watery-eyed Philip Michael Thomas used to be. More like a cardboard cut out in the background. Having said that, none of the actors really had that much to work with. Colin conveyed as much as he could with his expressive brow, but the script sure as hell didn't give him whole lot to work with. And there wasn't really any chemistry between Farrell and Foxx, I actually think that Colin is too intense an actor to be half of a 'buddy' movie, his worst films are the ones where he has to share the screen with someone (like S.W.A.T.).But the biggest gripe of all… where the hell was Crockett's boat and Elvis the Alligator!!! Miami Vice my ass… :D
]]>Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:37:07 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/12/2007 5:37:07 PMAs an experience Miami Vice was satisfying for some parts but quite… flat on the whole. Colin of course is always satisfying. Even with a blond mullet. And my god, the man can dance as well! It must be destiny… Err anyways. What always drew me to the original series was the atmosphere. There's this sort of definite Miami Vice feeling you get, like the excitement at the pit of your stomach when stepping into a nightclub combined with the sadness at the end of an evening after too much drink and too much… everything. The cool and hedonistic combined with the ugly side of life. It always fascinated me how they did that, with the style and the music. The film definitely had some of those atmospheric moments in it, just not enough to carry the whole thing through. The plot was a bit run of the mill and not awfully interesting. The cinematography was quite fascinating, moving in between the slick neon-lit coolness and this grainy almost documentary-kind visual world. I do think this worked well in establishing the dualism that was always the most interesting part about the concept – how their undercover roles were so cool and able and in control, but how back in real life they were just people with fears and problems. However, cinematography alone isn't going to create the tension and grip that this film lacked.I waited and waited and waited for the titles and the theme tune. It never came! How can it be Miami Vice without the theme tune and the flamingos! Must be some sort of a licensing problem there or something. Still, sucks quite hard if you ask me. Also, how comes - if even Colin went bravely all out with his bleached mullet and the most horrendous mustache ever - couldn't Jamie Foxx grow proper Tubbs curls! What is he… too cool for his own good or what. Pfft. Anyways, he was nowhere near as cool as the watery-eyed Philip Michael Thomas used to be. More like a cardboard cut out in the background. Having said that, none of the actors really had that much to work with. Colin conveyed as much as he could with his expressive brow, but the script sure as hell didn't give him whole lot to work with. And there wasn't really any chemistry between Farrell and Foxx, I actually think that Colin is too intense an actor to be half of a 'buddy' movie, his worst films are the ones where he has to share the screen with someone (like S.W.A.T.).But the biggest gripe of all… where the hell was Crockett's boat and Elvis the Alligator!!! Miami Vice my ass… :D Spout Post: There's hope for us yet http://www.spout.com/blogs/mnoo/archive/2007/7/12/13748.aspx Post By: mnoo
Post To: mnoo Blog
Post Date: 7/12/2007 5:28:56 PM
Body: I don't know why it took me so long to watch Babel. Especially since it's a movie that uses the mosaic type of storytelling that I find so appealing in films. I find it pleasurable following seemingly separate storylines which, in the end, are inexplicably linked together in intricate ways, especially when each of the stories is rich and beautifully crafted. Add a powerful message that makes you feel and think, and we're pretty close to my ideal movie. So how does Babel measure up? While I appreciated what Crash accomplished a few years ago, the message there was a bit too underlined and simplistic (racism is bad mmmkay). However, Alejandro Gonzales Iñárritu's Babel is so intimately constructed, with such great depth and subtlety, which was lacking from Crash, that it raises shoulders above. It takes the subject matter to another level, without any finger waggling.Even though we follow four different storylines, happening in four different countries which, to start with, would seem like too shattered a premise, the film never loses momentum. Each of the stories is about miscommunication and alienation, but also about relationships – relationships between people, between cultures, between countries, between family members. There are many delicate layers to each character and the whole cast gives solid, subtle performances. The characters that stood out the most for me were Rinko Kikuchi as a deaf-mute Japanese school girl feeling lonely and isolated in her seemingly packed-with-people world, trying to be heard, desperately yearning for some real human contact and comfort, Adriana Barraza as a Mexican nanny finding herself in an impossible, desperate and unjust situation without anyone really listening to her and Boubker Ait El Caid as Yussef, a Moroccan goat herder's son, who sets all the stories in motion with one childish, but deadly mistake, and has to deal with the consequences and grow up to face the facts of life, heartbreaking as it may be. Not to say that the big stars of the film Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael García Bernal don't do a good job, they do, exceedingly so – but they also gracefully share the stage with the rest of the cast. I was quite impressed with Pitt's strong performance. It's funny how some actors need to remind you time after time that they are in fact very good, emotive, actors. It's just their 'image' that makes you forget and think less of their skills, until the next time that you see them proof themselves all over again.Parallel to the cast, there's also another constant element, which is as big a part of the whole experience of the movie as the actors are. My absolutely favourite thing about this film is the way the environment is depicted, it sets the tone for each of the stories so beautifully that you can't help but get lost in the moment. Each country, each culture has its own rhythm, its own flavour. From the fast-paced neon lit Tokyo where communication is very hi-tech and super efficient but lacking in any real human contact, to the hearty exuberant Mexico with such all-encompassing physicality that it makes you giddy, to the barren calm of the Moroccan countryside where the quiet ones deliver the simple message – of caring for your fellow humans, of really listening. There's hope for us yet, as long as there are people who stop to appreciate, learn to understand, and never stop trying to connect with the people close to them – and who extend that appreciation and understanding to all the daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers of the world.
]]>Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:28:56 GMTmnoomnoo Blog7/12/2007 5:28:56 PMI don't know why it took me so long to watch Babel. Especially since it's a movie that uses the mosaic type of storytelling that I find so appealing in films. I find it pleasurable following seemingly separate storylines which, in the end, are inexplicably linked together in intricate ways, especially when each of the stories is rich and beautifully crafted. Add a powerful message that makes you feel and think, and we're pretty close to my ideal movie. So how does Babel measure up? While I appreciated what Crash accomplished a few years ago, the message there was a bit too underlined and simplistic (racism is bad mmmkay). However, Alejandro Gonzales Iñárritu's Babel is so intimately constructed, with such great depth and subtlety, which was lacking from Crash, that it raises shoulders above. It takes the subject matter to another level, without any finger waggling.Even though we follow four different storylines, happening in four different countries which, to start with, would seem like too shattered a premise, the film never loses momentum. Each of the stories is about miscommunication and alienation, but also about relationships – relationships between people, between cultures, between countries, between family members. There are many delicate layers to each character and the whole cast gives solid, subtle performances. The characters that stood out the most for me were Rinko Kikuchi as a deaf-mute Japanese school girl feeling lonely and isolated in her seemingly packed-with-people world, trying to be heard, desperately yearning for some real human contact and comfort, Adriana Barraza as a Mexican nanny finding herself in an impossible, desperate and unjust situation without anyone really listening to her and Boubker Ait El Caid as Yussef, a Moroccan goat herder's son, who sets all the stories in motion with one childish, but deadly mistake, and has to deal with the consequences and grow up to face the facts of life, heartbreaking as it may be. Not to say that the big stars of the film Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Gael García Bernal don't do a good job, they do, exceedingly so – but they also gracefully share the stage with the rest of the cast. I was quite impressed with Pitt's strong performance. It's funny how some actors need to remind you time after time that they are in fact very good, emotive, actors. It's just their 'image' that makes you forget and think less of their skills, until the next time that you see them proof themselves all over again.Parallel to the cast, there's also another constant element, which is as big a part of the whole experience of the movie as the actors are. My absolutely favourite thing about this film is the way the environment is depicted, it sets the tone for each of the stories so beautifully that you can't help but get lost in the moment. Each country, each culture has its own rhythm, its own flavour. From the fast-paced neon lit Tokyo where communication is very hi-tech and super efficient but lacking in any real human contact, to the hearty exuberant Mexico with such all-encompassing physicality that it makes you giddy, to the barren calm of the Moroccan countryside where the quiet ones deliver the simple message – of caring for your fellow humans, of really listening. There's hope for us yet, as long as there are people who stop to appreciate, learn to understand, and never stop trying to connect with the people close to them – and who extend that appreciation and understanding to all the daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers of the world. Spout Member:The_MOW - Mickey Micklon http://www.spout.com/members/148616/default.aspx Identity: The_MOW
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