E:
This picture was Bogey and Bacall's second of five films together. I'm a big fan of the film-noir genre what with all the double entendre, all the plot-twisting and all the hard-boiled attitude and this is considered one of the all time classics.
It's about a private detective hired by a rich family to find a solution to a problem. Following the trail of the case, he crosses paths with murder, blackmail, some big players and some small ones, some sexiness, some craziness and some unexpected answers. It's tough to follow (G kept asking me 'who's that? what happened to so-and-so?'), but it's fun to try and that rat-a-tat-tat dialogue keeps you on your toes.
Filmed in 1944 it wasn't released until 1946 (if you add this one to your Netflix queue, which you should, be sure to watch the extras!) to parlay the success of Bacall's newfound fame. By that time - she and Bogey were married. He had his new young bride, he was at the height of his powers and fame and delivered yet another great performance for the ages.
Be sure to watch this moobie!
G:
I recommend you watch this in *one* sitting (not like me, in 4 separate sittings after 11pm); that is why I kept asking E so many questions...ok? The plot is a bit convoluted...but listen to the witty dialogue, current moobies don't have that anymore.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 17, 2009
Pineapple Express
Starring Seth Rogen and James Franco as a pothead and his dealer on the run after witnessing a murder, this Judd Apatow produced moobie got some good rebiews.
It had some funny moments and some funny lines and the characters were likeable enough. Rogen doing his usual schlubby everyman schtick. Alright. Rosie Perez miscast as a policewoman. eh. Gary Cole miscast as the bad guy (wasn't bad enough). I kept thinking he'd ask Rosie Perez to come in on Saturday. James Franco was good as the sensitive drug dealer, and Danny McBride steals his scenes as a drug middleman with 9 lives. Maybe the fact that I'm not a pot smoker made this moobie just alright. Although I think the fact that the moobie was just alright made me feel that way.
It had some funny moments and some funny lines and the characters were likeable enough. Rogen doing his usual schlubby everyman schtick. Alright. Rosie Perez miscast as a policewoman. eh. Gary Cole miscast as the bad guy (wasn't bad enough). I kept thinking he'd ask Rosie Perez to come in on Saturday. James Franco was good as the sensitive drug dealer, and Danny McBride steals his scenes as a drug middleman with 9 lives. Maybe the fact that I'm not a pot smoker made this moobie just alright. Although I think the fact that the moobie was just alright made me feel that way.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tell No One
E:
I was interested in seeing this moobie when it was in the theaters but we never got around to it. It was during our mad dash to see Oscar contenders and even though Tell No One had some good buzz, unfortunately we weren't focused on it...too bad. I loved it!
It stars François Cluzet (looking very much like a French Dustin Hoffman) as Alexandre, a man who lost his wife several years ago only to receive a strange email seemingly from her 8 years later.
It's a whodunit murder mystery cast in the best Hitchcockian mold I've seen in years. A lot of unexpected twists and turns right up to the end. This moobie was so good I was tempted to watch the DBD over again when it finished!
Tell No One has a wonderful supporting cast as well, including Marie-Josée Croze (one of the gorgeous women of The Diving Bell and The Butterfly) as Margot his dead wife, Marina Hands (also in Diving Bell) as his lesbian sister and Kristin Scott Thomas her lover.
This one is highly recommended.
Highly.
Recommended.
G:
I really wanted to contribute to this rebiew...cuz it was really good! I was hooked from the beginning. Good stuff. Watch it.
I was interested in seeing this moobie when it was in the theaters but we never got around to it. It was during our mad dash to see Oscar contenders and even though Tell No One had some good buzz, unfortunately we weren't focused on it...too bad. I loved it!
It stars François Cluzet (looking very much like a French Dustin Hoffman) as Alexandre, a man who lost his wife several years ago only to receive a strange email seemingly from her 8 years later.
It's a whodunit murder mystery cast in the best Hitchcockian mold I've seen in years. A lot of unexpected twists and turns right up to the end. This moobie was so good I was tempted to watch the DBD over again when it finished!
Tell No One has a wonderful supporting cast as well, including Marie-Josée Croze (one of the gorgeous women of The Diving Bell and The Butterfly) as Margot his dead wife, Marina Hands (also in Diving Bell) as his lesbian sister and Kristin Scott Thomas her lover.
This one is highly recommended.
Highly.
Recommended.
G:
I really wanted to contribute to this rebiew...cuz it was really good! I was hooked from the beginning. Good stuff. Watch it.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Towelhead
E:
It's a coming of age story about a young middle eastern girl growing up in the white world of early 90's Texas at the onset of the first Iraq War.
With the body of a girl much older and horrible role models in both her co-dependent mother and her ill-prepared, self-absorbed father she ends up victim to her own confusion in the gray area between acceptance and her own burgeoning sexuality. Lacking any direction and supervision, she's out there on her own facing racism and sexual advances. Summer Bishil gives a great screen debut as the central character Jasira. Aaron Eckhart plays a morally disorganized red state neighbor and Toni Collette plays the one guiding light in Jasira's life.
It's not perfect by any means, but it's an interesting moobie. And hopefully we'll be seeing more of Summer Bishil in the future.
It's a coming of age story about a young middle eastern girl growing up in the white world of early 90's Texas at the onset of the first Iraq War.
With the body of a girl much older and horrible role models in both her co-dependent mother and her ill-prepared, self-absorbed father she ends up victim to her own confusion in the gray area between acceptance and her own burgeoning sexuality. Lacking any direction and supervision, she's out there on her own facing racism and sexual advances. Summer Bishil gives a great screen debut as the central character Jasira. Aaron Eckhart plays a morally disorganized red state neighbor and Toni Collette plays the one guiding light in Jasira's life.
It's not perfect by any means, but it's an interesting moobie. And hopefully we'll be seeing more of Summer Bishil in the future.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Elegy
E:
I have mixed feelings about this moobie. For starters, even though it's portrayed as unusual, I still can't quite wrap my head around a young Penelope Cruz involved with an old Ben Kingsley.
Ben plays a professor given to anti-marriage rhetoric on talk shows, meeting regularly with fellow old man Dennis Hopper, intermittent trysts with a career woman who shows up when she pleases and a strained relationship with his son. Penelope plays a student who takes him up on his offer to go out once the semester is over. They end up in a relationship. He, once a master of his domain, finds himself anxious and insecure until - slowly but surely, it all implodes.
What does it all mean? This part I like...it reminds me of a 2nd century BC Greek philosopher I come back to time and time again - Epictetus. A Stoic, he asserts the following: we have control only over these things - our actions and our reactions to the actions done to us by others. That's it. And that, it turns out, is what this moobie is about.
I have mixed feelings about this moobie. For starters, even though it's portrayed as unusual, I still can't quite wrap my head around a young Penelope Cruz involved with an old Ben Kingsley.
Ben plays a professor given to anti-marriage rhetoric on talk shows, meeting regularly with fellow old man Dennis Hopper, intermittent trysts with a career woman who shows up when she pleases and a strained relationship with his son. Penelope plays a student who takes him up on his offer to go out once the semester is over. They end up in a relationship. He, once a master of his domain, finds himself anxious and insecure until - slowly but surely, it all implodes.
What does it all mean? This part I like...it reminds me of a 2nd century BC Greek philosopher I come back to time and time again - Epictetus. A Stoic, he asserts the following: we have control only over these things - our actions and our reactions to the actions done to us by others. That's it. And that, it turns out, is what this moobie is about.
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