7.12.2008

Movie Review



Tim and I have been catching up on movies with NetFlix, which I love so much I would marry. The above movie is one of the best crime dramas I have seen. You will see Marisa Tomei's boobs a lot, but the performances by Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymore H. are AMAZING. This was directed by an 83 yr old Sidney Lumet (stud) and received a 92% from top critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The director starts with the crime and works backwards, the pace keeps you riveted and overly involved. Rent this.

5 comments:

craigthegrey said...

I watched this movie last weekend - I'm also a huge Netflix fan, though I would probably stop short of marriage - and have to agree that this is one of the best dramas I've seen in a while. I've been a pretty big fan of Phillip Seymore Hoffman for some time now and his portrayal of the older brother is off the charts good. I believe everyone else in the movie benefits from his ability to "be" a character; everyone else has to bring it up to "be" their character with him. Although I do have to say that Marisa Tomei impressed me a great deal as well; she's a much better actress than I had given her credit for in the past. Being somewhat biased in the area of seeing boobs, I'll not comment on that aspect of her performance.

This movie works because even though it’s somewhat melodramatic (did you watch the bonus materials?) it’s so believable. It so easy for me to see two brothers deciding to do just what they did, and so easy to see how it all goes wrong. Much more realistic than the more stylized things that come out these days (the “opposites attract buddy” stories, the mix matched partner stories, or even things like the Bourne series) where the plots and characters are so extraordinary that you never escape from the reality that you are watching a movie!

You can’t have that realism along side happy endings. This is NOT a feel good movie. It’s a great movie, but it’s a tragedy - one of those like Edward Scissorhands that Kristin won’t watch. It’s a tragedy, but an awesomely great movie because of the craft that has gone into making it, from the director to the actors to the lighting guys; it’s a very, very well made film.

Anonymous said...

I, too, love Netflix but probably not enough to marry it. I have not seen this film but will add it to my queue.

Michelle said...

Yes, I agree with all that you said. It's a sad tale of all kinds of bad decision making gone terribly wrong. I enjoyed the short conversation between Philip S. and his father, it spoke volumes and with only a few sentences. Yes, Philip S. is just AMAZING at becoming the character, never once did I think he was acting, that also goes the Ethan H. and it's true everyone must rise to meet their levels or it wouldn't work and the movie would be lop sided. Marisa does a supberb job of being a loser, co dependent wife, but you do still feel sorry for her. I also liked the scene where he breaks down in the car talking about his dad, she had no idea what was going on or how to handle those feelings, that obviously he had kept bottled up his entire life.

Anonymous said...

I have already married Netflix and have borne him (yes, he's a male) children. He has supplied me with many obscure British Daniel Craig and Clive Owen movies. What else do I need?

I'll stick that on my queue immediately.

Momo-Xoxo said...

Adding to queue asap...and upgrading to two movies at a time because this will be movie #62... wow!

p.s. check muffin post:-)