gahnzz

Member since 7/23/2007, last signed in awhile ago.

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Wall Street

M.A.D. #005 - Wall Street
By gahnzz in M.A.D. by Gahnzz - (Movie A Day)
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"When I first saw Wall Street about 20 years ago, I loved Michael Douglas’ performance. For me, it represented a complete fusing of actor and role. Add to that, director Oliver Stone’s willingness to do long, uninterrupted takes (particularly during monologues) and what came through was some truly fine writing, compelling acting and it was all wonderfully shot. The triumvirate of Douglas, Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen really drive this movie. And throwing in John C. MGinley in a supporting role, filling out the second tier with James Karen and Hal Holbrook you have some fantasically solid performances. Granted, once you hit up the female side of the equation, things kinda drop a bit. Through no fault of her own, Daryl Hannah is a bit mis-cast. Her demeanor and her delivery just don’t wash as a high-end interior designer and Sean Young is completely miscast as Douglas’ wife. She just comes off as an after-thought. Luckily, neither of these roles are truly important to the st ... " [More]

Posts a little out of order…
By gahnzz in M.A.D. by Gahnzz - (Movie A Day)
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"I’ve moved my posting from Spout.com over to here and I’ll just import them over there directly. So the order is a little wonky right now, but it’ll be straight from here on out. Also, I know I owe a couple more reviews, but I’ve been busy with my show. Should get a good 2-3 up [...] Originally posted on:john's blog " [More]

Basic Instinct

M.A.D. #004 - Wonder Boys
By gahnzz in M.A.D. by Gahnzz - (Movie A Day)
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"For me, the most iconic Michael Douglas role was easily Oliver Stone’s Wall Street. He distilled the 80’s down to an instantly unlikable but extremely charming mogul that cemented him the minds of many. He had performed numerous roles before of course, but his performance as Gordon Gekko really crystallized for tons of viewers. I’ve always liked Michael Douglas’ performances, but while he’s widely considered a marquee name, he doesn’t have the draw and I suspect that it’s because of the film roles he chooses. From the philandering husband in Basic Instinct to his performance as Gekko, he normally chooses unlikable roles - a very brave practice for an actor. So when I saw Wonder Boys I was fully expecting to not like Michael Douglas’ character, but I was wrong. True, he (again) plays a philanderer, he drinks heavily, he is a chain-pot smoker, he’s fairly self-indulgent - but I can’t help myself. I loved that character, ... " [More]

Wonder Boys

The Phantom of the Opera

M.A.D. #003 - The Phantom of th ...
By gahnzz in M.A.D. by Gahnzz - (Movie A Day)
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"I still remember hearing about the stage version as it opened in London to rave reviews - especially for it's star, Michael Crawford and how any eventual movie version would fail without his inclusion. Fast forward 20 years, and Gerard Butler proves them wrong.Don't get me wrong, Schumaker's take on The Phantom of the Opera is not perfect. Though it's fault cannot be found in any of its performers. From Butler and Emily Rossum, through Patrick Wilson, and even to Minnie Driver - all the actors do quality work. Wilson is unfortunately staged with the under-written and annoying Raoul - though that is more the fault of the writers than any shortcoming on his part.The movie follows the stage version pretty closely, even mirroring some of the most iconic scenes almost identically. And therein lies one of the problems with this version. Schumaker had the freedom of film, yet the camera often times seems bolted down in order to preserve a concept from the theatrical ... " [More]

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

M.A.D. #002 - Perfume: The Sto ...
By gahnzz in M.A.D. by Gahnzz - (Movie A Day)
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"Something I would not have thought possible was achieved in this film. Tykwer (the director) somehow managed to relay the genuine sense of smell visually.Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is one of the most imaginative films ever made in the serial killer genre. It follows the life of Jean-Baptiste, an orphan who has developed a near-perfect sense of smell, and is affected and motivated by smells on an almost sexual level. I won't go too far into the plot as the sense of discovery is one of this film's strongest suits.The second major benefit of the film is Tykwer's direction. The visual flair that he established in Run, Lola, Run is present here, and has matured and become more focused. Acting throughout is fine indeed, with Hoffman and Rickman playing their roles to the hilt, with John Hurt's narration spot on. Of particular note is Ben Whishaw as Jean-Baptiste. He posses two of the most expressive eyes in years, and he uses them perfectly. You don't hat ... " [More]

Shattered Glass

M.A.D. #001 - Shattered Glass
By gahnzz in M.A.D. by Gahnzz - (Movie A Day)
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"I was turned onto this film after hearing about it on a Podcast... ( I think it was Cinebanter but not completely sure.) The main critique that intrigued me was that it was apparently good casting for Hayden Christensen. Well, that turned out to be very true. Which, while good for the movie, is not necessarily a good thing for Christensen.Shattered Glass is the story of of Stephen Glass, a writer for the New Republic magazine in the late 1990's. He enjoyed a meteoric rise at the magazine and had quite a healthy dose of respect from his colleagues until it all came crashing down after it was revealed that one of his stories had facts that were "suspect" after some cursory examination.Turns out that Glass had fabricated almost all of the facts of his stories during his entire career at the New Republic, which had long reaching impact on both himself and the magazine. The movie, which stars Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard, and Chloe Sevigny, covers that last few months of his care ... " [More]