The Official Review Thread of 2005

[anonymous1980]

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Cast: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Randy Quaid, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris.
Dir: Ang Lee

Finally! After months of reading it being raved left and right I finally get to see this Oscar front-runner. I must say: I was surprised. It doesn't really strike me as a gay love story. It's a love story. Period. And a moving, beautiful love story it is. Great performances by the cast. Definitely one of the best films of the year.

Grade: A

[Mister Tee]

No, I thought the final reel was the LEAST successful, because...Woody reverts back to the commentary that he uses so often in his other films - this time in the form of two unbelievable if amusing conversations between the policemen - rather than cinematically dramatizing the events that transpired. These twists amount to a puzzle or a game, but not so much more than that. This section could have been developed even further.

See why separate threads are a good idea?

Hey, you're the one posted in the review thread. Trying to stick to the policy both you and I advocated over in the 2006 section, I was going to dig up the Match Point Reviews thread (buried deep though it be). But I followed the discussion where I found it.

Anyway, this paragraph here is what persuaded me we were of vaguely similar mind about the film:

"There's not much new here in the grand scheme of things, but it's shot and narrated with such assuredness, it's a relief in this period of gimmicks and hysteria and how-can-we-top-this? that mainstream cinema is stuck in right now."

I probably over-conflated this to match my own opinion.

[Okri]

Awesome list, Penelope. I especially love "The Things They Carried" - one for the all time lists.

[Penelope]

Thanks, flipp! With my part-time job at Barnes & Noble, I've definitely taken advantage of the employee discount--I bought some 20 odd books that I'd long wanted to read, including Dreiser's An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie, Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (just finished this Sunday night, beautiful, exquisite novel), Tarkington's The Magnificent Ambersons, Lawrence's Sons and Lovers, O'Brien's The Things They Carried, Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Stegner's Angle of Repose, Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty, and (my one nod to historical non-fiction) McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.

[flipp525]

Ya know, after seeing Match Point and how much it compared to A Place in the Sun, and humbled by the fact that I'd never read Dreiser's An American Tragedy, I immediately went out and read the book. A terrific read, much more gripping and even oppressive than either of the film versions; and it must be pointed out that the Shelley Winters/Scarlett Johansson character in the book strikes me as much, much more sympathetically presented, a bit nagging, but understandable and consistant with the way the character has been presented all along--when the fateful boat trip comes to pass, I was on the edge of my seat with dread and horror.

Oh, absolutely, Penelope. Dreiser's An American Tragedy is a classic page-turner. If you liked his style, I'd suggest Sister Carrie and Jennie Gerhardt, especially the former which I've read three times. It's a great portrait of turn-of-the-century urban Chicago (good fictional companion to Erik Larsen's non-fiction masterpiece Devil in the White City). And, as is Dreiser's trademark, there's always a "point of no return" where the character's fate is somewhat irrevocably sealed, a key element of any "naturalist" fiction.

[Penelope]

Oh, Eric, I wouldn't say it was the most crushing development of the 4th quarter (for me, that would be Good Night, and Good Luck), as I still would give Match Point 3 out of 4 stars; at the same time, however, the flaws in the film are so apparent and obvious, I'm flummoxed as to the sky-high praise the film has received. I adore Scarlett Johansson as much as the next guy (ok, maybe I don't want to have sex with her, but, still), yet she wasn't so great that she deserved an Oscar nod, as some have insisted. I think that, like the praise for Crash, the praise for Match Point is completely out of proportion to the actual quality of the film.

Ya know, after seeing Match Point and how much it compared to A Place in the Sun, and humbled by the fact that I'd never read Dreiser's An American Tragedy, I immediately went out and read the book. A terrific read, much more gripping and even oppressive than either of the film versions; and it must be pointed out that the Shelley Winters/Scarlett Johansson character in the book strikes me as much, much more sympathetically presented, a bit nagging, but understandable and consistant with the way the character has been presented all along--when the fateful boat trip comes to pass, I was on the edge of my seat with dread and horror.

(Of course, not every book is better than the films that come from them; I'm 70+ pages into Booth Tarkington's The Magnificent Ambersons and it's clear that Welles' film--for all of its gutting--is the superior effort.)

[Eric]

Finally, after months of Brokeback, Penelope and I can be on the same page again. Match Point was the most crushing 4th Quarter disappointment I had in '05. (But, then again, I'd put Bullets Over Broadway among Woody's best, just below Bananas.)

[Sonic Youth]

No, I thought the final reel was the LEAST successful, because...Woody reverts back to the commentary that he uses so often in his other films - this time in the form of two unbelievable if amusing conversations between the policemen - rather than cinematically dramatizing the events that transpired. These twists amount to a puzzle or a game, but not so much more than that. This section could have been developed even further.

See why separate threads are a good idea?

[Mister Tee]

I finally got to Match Point myself this weekend, and I'm more in line with Sonic's view of the film. I wouldn't call this so much a return to form for Woody as I'd call it a pleasing new direction. I'm a huge fan of his 70s classics (loved Annie Hall; thought Manhattan one of the most perfect films ever made), and it's been sad to watch the last decade-plus, as he's churned out pale facsimiles of his great films, one after another, usually with some poor schmuck stuck speaking in Woody cadence and getting no laughs (I include, by the way, the wildly over-praised Bullets over Broadway in this pathetic group).

Match Point is clearly a whole different ball game (though it does echo some themes from earlier work): a socially-conscious noir. Parallels to A Place in the Sun/American Tragedy are obvious (though this time around there's not the imbalance of the '51 film, where sexual heat and wealth way over-matched the nagging, money-less Shelley Winters). Rhys-Meyer's conflict is an ageless one -- can I be content in a passionless marriage for the comfort it brings me? I was quite startled by the lengths to which he finally went to resolve his dilemma -- the cold-bloodedness of it shocked me to the core. But it's nice to be suprised like that.

I loved the double-reverse outcome regarding the ring -- partly because I'm a fan of twisty mysteries, and partly because it made its point about the flukiness of fate far more succinctly than the more expected outcome would have.

I also loved the characterization of the wealthy family. They're given their due -- they seem likable people, and generous up to a point. But they're also shown to be subtly demanding of those who'd enter their circle (and they're clearly not shrewd enough to recognize what a manipulator Chris is). As for Chloe...I think this is a very well-written character. She seems nice -- she IS nice. But at the same time, she's clearly using her wealth to twist Chris into the man she wants (wasn't there a line from Little Murders -- "I love the man I can see you becoming"?). In many ways, she's a hateful manipulator -- but, unlike many similar characters, you don't feel like hissing her.

Finally -- again, I think, like Sonic -- I was simply grateful to watch a well-crafted film that didn't collapse in the final reel. Having already this year become engrossed in both Constant Gardener and History of Violence, only to be deeply disappointed by their denouements, I was thrilled to see a film carry the standard through to the end. For the record, I don't think this is a work on the level of Manhattan, Annie Hall, Husbands and Wives or Hannah and Her Sisters -- perhaps because those were in Woody's unique voice, and this seemed more a borrowed form. But it's still one of the more satisfying films I've seen this year.

[flipp525]

And what movie gave me more pleasure last year than Junebug? I couldn't tell you. Lovely, lovely movie

However, it's to Amy Adams' credit that she seemed like the lead for so long to me. She doesn't appear until seemingly almost fifteen minutes into the film and is gone (save for one scene) for the entire third act. I maintain: she is perfection, so far from caricature but existing in her own world. I found myself laughing out loud at her reactions just as much as her line-readings, at how she cannot contain her almost frighteningly wide smile after beginning her interrogation of Madeleine. This is an almost ridiculously strong year for supporting actresses (seriously: why not move Amy Adams and Rachel Weisz for lead consideration? Either one would win.) but if voters watch her performance, I have a feeling she'll pull off an upset victory.

I absolutely agree. After reading all the bashing of Amy Adams' performance on this board, I had set myself up to be unimpressed with Junebug. Fortunately, I wasn't. What a little gem of a film.

I totally agree with your assessment of Adams' performance, Sabin. The character could have so easily devolved into a stereotype -- the laughable country bumpkin, but Amy Adams infuses her with such a naive humanity you really do care about her. I loved the scene when she takes the blame for the broken parrot. That really showed a lot about the kind of person she was. And that last scene in the hospital was incredible. Very good work. Again, I have to disagree with other posters here. I didn't see the strings in this performance. I've encountered these type of country mice before and her performance ran very true to life (as did, Celia Weston's slightly malevolent host).

What an incredibly strong year for female supporting performances. I'd honestly be pleased with any of these women winning.

And besides being hot as hell (have you seen him in Laurel Canyon?) Alessandro Nivola has a gorgeous voice.

[Penelope]

And Penelope, I found it very interesting that you called Scarlett a "shrew". I've heard this before, and I've heard others say she was insane. Considering the circumstances she was in - and considering what a worm he was - I didn't think her motivations or her behavior was unreasonable at all. Contrast that with Angelica Huston's character in Crimes and Misdemeanors in which she was a raving, immature lunatic. And it's one major reason why I prefer Match Point to Crimes and Misdemeanors.

LOL, in a way I agree with you, but to the detriment of the film--considering what a worm he was, and so obviously a worm, that even Nola seemed to recognized that he was a worm, I found her sudden turn into a nagging, begging, demanding "shrew" to be an incredible stretch. Nola is simply too wise and sophisticated in the first section of the film for this character transition to be believable.

[Sonic Youth]

Finally saw Match Point. Yeah, maybe it's overrated, but I don't the reason is just because Woody's had a major flood of bad films in the past several years. (And by the way, I just rented Anything Else which I couldn't bring myself to watch when it was released in the theaters; this was a surprising - though miscast - little gem of a movie.) I think the reception is also because it's nothing like a Woody Allen film, and it suits him fine. If you wandered into the film after the opening credits in all ignorance as to who the director was, would you have guessed? There's not much new here in the grand scheme of things, but it's shot and narrated with such assuredness, it's a relief in this period of gimmicks and hysteria and how-can-we-top-this? that mainstream cinema is stuck in right now.

Everyone's saying that this is basically a restating of themes he's gone over before, and so this is nothing new. Well, I saw several new things here. Woody has always been too dependent on using voice-over or on-camera narration or heavy exposition or endless pontifications to advance and deepen the story. This is one of his rare films that I can think of that uses none of this trickery but just let's the story develop organically. This means, of course, that his "personal touch" is nowhere in evidence. I say, he should give that personal touch a rest and start from scratch. It's also far more sensual than anything he's ever done before, more sensual than all his previous films put together. And the violence is genuinely startling. Where did all this come from, suddenly? Never knew he had it in him. Anything else? Well, instead of angst-ridden millionaires, many of the characters are billionaires. That's different. But really, there is something new here, because for once the wealthy characters AREN'T angst-ridden and suffering metaphysical torment. They are happy with their lot in life, content. This is a relief, although it does convey some uncomfortable messages of class differences, since the two main protaganists who AREN'T inherently wealthy are suffering and unhappy. But after decades of making his films in Upper West Side penthouse apartments and not making anything of the fact that his protaganists are fabulously wealthy, this is probably the only Woody Allen film I can think of that addresses class issues at all.

Quickly: I thought the twists in the final twenty minutes were the LEAST compelling part of the movie. Too glib. I thought Scarlett was wonderful and most of the cast was good. Brian Cox was actually watchable for the first time in I don't know how many years. And yeah, Jonathan Rhys-Witherspoon or whatever his name is, was just totally wrong for the part, although his performance did improve as he grew more unfettered. (And what is it with all these bad actors, like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, who are entirely incapable of putting across a normal human being convincingly, but are more at ease with conveying dispair or hysteria or any other extreme state of mind? Someone should write a phsychological exigesis about this.) And Penelope, I found it very interesting that you called Scarlett a "shrew". I've heard this before, and I've heard others say she was insane. Considering the circumstances she was in - and considering what a worm he was - I didn't think her motivations or her behavior was unreasonable at all. Contrast that with Angelica Huston's character in Crimes and Misdemeanors in which she was a raving, immature lunatic. And it's one major reason why I prefer Match Point to Crimes and Misdemeanors.

[Penelope]

I'll never forget, years ago, when I was working at Disney, there was a Cuban immigrant I worked with who passionately loved classic American films, and his favorite films, he always talked about them, were the films of Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson.

I love Jack Carson, it's a shame that the vast majority of people today have no idea who he is; he was an all-around consumate entertainer--he could sing, dance, do drama and comedy--all with an assured ease and grace.

[Damien]

Wha-wha-wha? I ADORE Romance on the High Seas, a wonderfully silly musical comedy with two of my fave performers, Doris Day and Jack Carson.

Any movie with Jack Carson in it is worth anybody's time. I love the guy.

By the way, Doris Day has always spoken lovingly of Jack Carson. She says that when she was a greenhorn in movies, Jack would give unstintingly of his time to give her advice and to make her feel comfortable in front of the cameras. She recalls that he was unfailingly generous emotionally, which is as nice a thing as can be said of you.

[kooyah]

As for the graphic scenes. They were pretty graphic, and i'm not used to seeing "gay" sex.

Um, WHAT graphic scenes? There wasn't even any nudity in the sex scenes.