Posts tagged right
Barney’s Version – Movie Trailer
Mar 17th
This seriocomic adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s award-winning 1997 novel stars Paul Giamatti as Barney Panofsky, who meets the great love of his life, Miriam (Rosamund Pike), at the most inopportune time imaginable: his marriage to his second wife (Minnie Driver), a wealthy Jewish princess and compulsive shopper. Narrated by Barney as a confessional, the film covers 30 years of his unusual journey — from his first marriage to the chronically unfaithful free spirit Clara (Rachelle Lefevre) and their life in Italy together, through his third marriage to Miriam, with whom he has two children. Standing in the wings is Barney’s father, Izzy (Dustin Hoffman), who continues to stick by him as his loyal right-hand man. Through it all, Barney experiences numerous highs and lows, but manages to consistently surprise everyone with unforeseen acts of altruism and kindness that turn him into the quintessential modern hero.
“Just Go With It” Thanks, but No Thanks
Feb 17th
“Thanks, but No Thanks”
“Hotshots” looks at a movie!
JUST GO WITH IT reminds me of that old joke that is an example of a backhanded compliment: “You know, for a fat girl, she doesn’t sweat much.”
In other words, for an Adam Sandler movie, it has Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman in it.
Here is another example: For an Adam Sandler movie, it has beautiful Hawaiian scenery in it, as well as a beautiful swimsuit model by the name of Brooklyn Decker.
And then when you learn that this embarrassment of a movie is a remake of the delightful 1969 CACTUS FLOWER starring Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman, and Goldie Hawn in an Academy Award-winning performance, you have to admit that of all the Hollywood remakes of previous films, this is one of them.
After all, even the 1969 movie was a remake of a Broadway play, which was a remake of a French play, which for all we know could have been a remake of one of Aristophene’s lost Greek comedies.
Here is this century’s version of the plot: Sandler plays Danny, a plastic surgeon who years ago had his heart broken when he overheard his fiancee and her bridesmaids talking about him on the day of their wedding, which broke his heart and caused him to call off the wedding.
Danny accidentally discovered that wearing a wedding ring even though he wasn’t married was a chick magnet, and he says, “Being fake married is the only way I can be sure I’ll never get my heart broken again.”
He is a pig, right, Ladies?
Then one day Danny meets Palmer, played by the swimsuit model, and he decides that she is “the one.” After all, what man wouldn’t fall in love with a swimsuit model?
Unfortunately, Palmer discovers Danny’s fake wedding ring even though he isn’t wearing it, she likes him well enough to want to marry him, but first she insists on meeting Danny’s “soon-to-be divorced wife.”
So, Danny does what any pig would do. He talks his assistant, Katherine, played by Jennifer Aniston, into posing as his wife in order to keep the ruse up, and how long do you think it takes the audience to say, “I know where this is going”?
Right, after they have already paid to see it.
JUST GO WITH IT caused me to say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
“127 Hours” Don’t Try This on Your Own
Feb 2nd
“Don’t Try This on Your Own”
127 HOURS received a number of Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, and Best Actor for its star, James Franco.
Franco, of course, plays Aron Ralston, the hiker who in 2003 was hiking by himself in a remote area in Utah when his right arm got pinned underneath a boulder, which he wrote about in his book, BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE.
The most interesting part of the story, of course, is that after failing for days to be able to dislodge the boulder, Ralston amputated his arm with a small knife in order to save himself from dying.
So, if you already know the whole story, you might think, why bother seeing this movie?
Well, because of all those Academy Award nominations, of course, and the way that the story is told on screen by director Danny Boyle.
The story begins on a Saturday with Ralston arriving in the area where he is going to start hiking.
He encounters two young women who are lost, and he tells them how to find the place they are looking for, but they look at him with suspicion.
Realizing why, Ralston removes the bandanna from his face and says, “I’m only a psychopath on weekdays. Today is Saturday.”
While the three of them spend some time together, Ralston tells them that he is an engineer, but hiking in areas like this is what he really wants to do, and he considers this his second home.
The girls invite Ralston to a party the next night at the place where they are staying, they say goodbye, and then the interesting part of the story begins.
Ralston falls in a crevice, and a large boulder dislodges and traps his arm against the rock wall.
The girls are out of shouting distance at this point, and now, you might ask, how can the story be interesting for the rest of the movie?
It might not be if the rest consisted of just grimacing, struggling, frustration, more struggling, more grimacing, even more struggling, and even more grimacing, but don’t forget all those Academy Award nominations and the talents of the writers, director, and actor.
127 HOURS is worth all the awards it receives, but don’t try this on your own.
I’m Dan Culberson and this is “Hotshots.”
