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Posts Tagged ‘Jeff Bridges’
Saturday, June 26th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
Three of the greatest actors of any generation are looking to team up in the drama GREAT HOPE SPRINGS, written by veteran TV writer Vanessa Taylor, who has worked on shows like ‘Alias’ and ‘Everwood’. If everything goes according to plan, Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges would play a couple that has been married for 30 years and decides to go on a weekend marriage counseling session to determine if they’re going to stay together or split up. Philip Seymour Hoffman is also in talks to join the film, but scheduling conflicts may keep him out.
Oscar might be the first word you think of when you read this news, but the film is billed as a dramedy, so it might take a COUPLES RETREAT turn and get a little silly. But with Streep and Bridges attached, how can you not get excited about seeing them on screen together? Let’s hope this works out and this movie gets made with this cast.
Source: ComingSoon
Tags: Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, movie news, philip seymour hoffman, Vanessa Taylor
Posted in News |
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
Much like T-Bone Burnett’s work on O’ BROTHER WHERE ART THOU prompted millions of people to run out and buy/download ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’, I’m sure his work on CRAZY HEART will sell more than a few soundtracks. The music in the film is great and has already made its way onto my iPod. Unfortunately, I can’t say the movie had the same impact as the overly linear telling of the film failed to match the remarkable performance of Jeff Bridges and the great music of Mr. Burnett.
Bridges is Bad Blake, a former country music superstar that now tours bowling alleys and dive bars in the middle of nowhere. He has no money and when he gets a little cash, he blows it on whiskey. While working with a fellow musician, he meets Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who is working on a story about Bad for the local paper. They start up a romance as Bad starts to reconnect with his former protégé Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell). But Bad can’t stay away from the booze and his addiction continues to destroy his life.
Jeff Bridges has received a lot of attention for his great turn as Bad Blake, but I felt that Maggie Gyllenhaal also turned in a wonderful performance. Her relationship with Bad Blake was a tricky thing to pull off given the age difference and the contrasts between the two characters. But she looked at Bad with a longing and adoration that clearly defined how she could fall for him and the eventual heartache she felt after he let her down was all shown in her eyes. I respect Maggie as an actress, but I don’t think I’ve ever been captivated by one of her performances to the extent as I was in this. She did a wonderful job and her performance carried the relationship between Jean and Bad.
Although Bridges and Gyllenhaal are great, the music is the real star of the film. It’s a good thing T-Bone Burnett was involved and that the music was enjoyable; we heard a lot of it throughout the film. It did help to move the film along and I liked watching Bridges and Farrell belt out the songs. But there were times I felt the film relied too heavily on the music and I would have liked to see more time with Bad dealing with his issues rather than singing about them. Of course, that didn’t stop me from buying the soundtrack right after I finished the film.
As much as I enjoyed the performances and the music, I can’t help but walk away from CRAZY HEART a little disappointed. I wanted a deeper meaning and some exploration of more complex themes, but at the end of the day, this is just a movie about a former country music star struggling with alcoholism. Without two incredible performances, the film would have been instantly forgettable. That’s not a bad thing, but the movie experience was a little underwhelming. However, the soundtrack to the film is a completely different story.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: This is not the best transfer we’ve seen from Fox and it had a problem with the black levels and over saturation during the darker lit scenes. It wasn’t horrible by any means, but for such a dark film, I wanted a better presentation.
Audio: The audio was fine and I’m sure the extended musical performances will get played more than once.
Deleted Scenes (28:21): The extended music sequences are a joy to watch, although I wish they would have been in HD. The deleted scenes were pretty boring with the exception of one that furthered the story of Bad trying to reunite with his son. Seeing that, it made it feel like that was originally a bigger story than what it turned out to be.
What Brought Them to Crazy Heart (3:01): Bridges, Gyllenhaal and Robert Duvall briefly discuss the film. This was way too short to be relevant.
Tags: Blu-ray, Colin Farrell, Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie reviews, Scott Cooper
Posted in Blu-Ray Reviews, Reviews |
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
Posted by: Kristy Sturdivant
CRAZY HEART, the film that finally won Jeff Bridges an Academy Award after four previous nominations, will be released on April 20, 2010. The film follows an older, washed up country singer as he travels around trying to keep his career afloat. This film has received great reviews everywhere including right here at Flix66.com. No special features have been announced as of yet but stay tuned for updates as I’m sure Twentieth Century Fox will be adding some. Hopefully we’ll get a commentary from Jeff Bridges, he seems like such a cool guy who has a lot to say.
Tags: Blu-ray, Collin Farrell, Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie news
Posted in Blu-Ray News, News |
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
TRON LEGACY seems to have quite a bit of buzz around it and an insane amount of people that are excited for it. The release of the trailer was an event in and of itself and people seem to be pleased with what they’ve seen so far. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Michael Sheen, Olivia Wilde, John Hurt, Garrett Hedlund, Serinda Swan and is directed by Joseph Kosinski. It hits theaters on December 17th.
Personally, I wasn’t that big of a fan of the original and I can barely remember what happened in it. I remember the video games and the neon bikes, but that’s about it. I also find it strange that so many people are still excited for this. For Disney’s sake, I hope that translates into box office sales. Sometimes fanboy hype doesn’t equal a successful movie.
Watch the trailer here.
Tags: garrett hedlund, Jeff Bridges, John Hurt, Michael Sheen, movie news, Olivia Wilde
Posted in News |
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
In what might be considered a bit of an upset, THE HURT LOCKER managed to beat out the uber-successful AVATAR for Best Picture honors at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. THE HURT LOCKER was nominated 9 times and took home 6 awards, including Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow, who became the first woman to ever win the award. Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges won top acting honors, while Mo’Nique and Christoph Waltz took home supporting actor awards. THE HURT LOCKER received the sound awards while AVATAR (of course) won all the major visual awards, including Best Cinematographer.
As for hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, I’d say they did pretty well, although the opening performance was owned by Neil Patrick Harris. But the single best moment at the Oscars came from Sandra Bullock, who leaned in to hug Meryl Streep and then pulled out, leaving Meryl hanging. It seems like those two have a friendly banter back and forth and it was a nice moment that livened up the show. Also, watching Jeff Bridges give his acceptance speech was fun, only because the Dude seems like a laid back, fun guy. If I have one complaint, it’s that the telecast is still too long, but maybe if I lived on the West Coast, I wouldn’t feel that way.
Click here for the complete list of nominees and winners.
Tags: Alec Baldwin, Jeff Bridges, Kathryn Bigelow, movie news, Sandra Bullock, Steve Martin
Posted in News |
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
By: Nathan Swank
It’s time for the big guns! The 6 major categories are somewhat usually decided beforehand with a lot of clear front-runners. The key is picking the upsets or the close races. Unfortunately, I don’t see any true upsets but there are some close races. The Picture and Director are the two categories that do not seem to have one clear front-runner. So without further ado, here are my picks for the final 6 major categories. You can thank me by giving me a portion of your office pool or Vegas winnings. If you lose, you can cry alone in a corner as I usually do on Mondays.
Supporting Actress – Penelope Cruz in NINE, Vera Farmiga in UP IN THE AIR, Maggie Gyllenhaal in CRAZY HEART, Anna Kendrick in UP IN THE AIR, Mo’Nique in PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE
Monique in PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE- While the two girls from UP IN THE AIR are great and Penelope is always beautifully terrific, Mo’Nique has this one in the bag. She was a villain that I have never fully been aware of, which is scarier because her character exists everywhere more than we realize. I’m not quite sure why Maggie Gyllenhaal was nominated. It’s ironic because she has had plenty of better performances that have never been nominated.
Supporting Actor – Matt Damon in INVICTUS, Woody Harrelson in THE MESSENGER, Christopher Plummer in THE LAST STATION, Stanley Tucci in THE LOVELY BONES, Christoph Waltz in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Christoph Waltz in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS- Waltz had the best performance of all the acting nominees in every category. He was wickedly evil while being charismatically charming. One of the most captivating performances I have ever seen.
Actress – Sandra Bullock in THE BLIND SIDE; Helen Mirren in THE LAST STATION, Carey Mulligan in AN EDUCATION, Gabourey Sidibe in PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE, Meryl Streep in JULIE & JULIA
Sandra Bullock in THE BLIND SIDE- Completely ridiculous that Bullock is going to win, let alone even being nominated, especially when all the other nominees were far more impressive with such stronger performances. Each of these women were amazing in their respective roles. If Carey Mulligan and Gabourey Sidibe had a little more experience they would easily win in different years. If Meryl Streep wasn’t so revered having been nominated a whopping 16 times and won twice, she would win. I hope I’m wrong. I so hope I’m wrong. I would gladly lose any Oscar pool, as long as it’s because I was wrong in this category.
Actor – Jeff Bridges in CRAZY HEART, George Clooney in UP IN THE AIR, Colin Firth in A SINGLE MAN, Morgan Freeman in INVICTUS, Jeremy Renner in THE HURT LOCKER
Jeff Bridges in CRAZY HEART- He did do a fantastic job but this is still more of a win for his lifetime of work. Jeremy Renner might have been an upset if Bridges had won before. Clooney had one of his strongest performances to date and Colin Firth was amazing- I foresee an eventual win for him in the future. Bridges is well deserved of this award.
Director – James Cameron for AVATAR, Kathryn Bigelow for THE HURT LOCKER, Quentin Tarantino for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, Lee Daniels for PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE, Jason Reitman for UP IN THE AIR
Kathryn Bigelow for THE HURT LOCKER- I keep going back and forth on this one. As much as I would love to see Tarantino win, it’s between the one time husband and wife, James Cameron or Kathryn Bigelow. Cameron totally deserves it; he’s been working on this film for 10 years. He made a movie that people love, becoming the top grossing film of all time beating the record set by him. He invented new technology for filmmaking. But he is just so awkward and unlikeable when receiving awards. His speech from his TITANIC Oscar and his AVATAR Golden Globe makes you not want to vote for him. He himself has gone on record supporting his ex-wife Bigelow to win this award because he already has one. I’m sure he thinks that’s sweet but it comes off more egotistical than anything. Here is how I think it will go down. They announce Cameron as the winner but he does something unknowingly pompous, embarrassing and stupid by offering his award to Bigelow. She would be the first female to win this award, but I’m sure that is not how she would want to win it- pity from her ex-husband.
Picture – AVATAR, THE BLIND SIDE, DISTRICT 9, AN EDUCATION, THE HURT LOCKER, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS , PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE, A SERIOUS MAN, UP, UP IN THE AIR
AVATAR- I do hope it wins over the slightly over rated THE HURT LOCKER. It’s ironic, that most years I root for a smaller film that never wins and this year a smaller film that I won’t be rooting for, THE HURTLOCKER, could pull off the win. I would be disgusted if AVATAR loses…unless of course it’s to the all around great film INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. How come the Academy never seems to agree with me? Easy on the smart-alec answers.
Click here to read Part 1 of our Oscar Predictions
Tags: james cameron, Jeff Bridges, Kathryn Bigelow, Sandra Bullock
Posted in Driver's EDitorial |
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
Well, the Oscars are exciting times around these parts and this list of nominees definitely has some drama to it. AVATAR leads the way with 9 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for James Cameron. But the question is whether or not the lack of an acting nomination will hurt its chances to win Best Picture.
In the acting category, there were no real surprises as the Best Actor is really down to Jeff Bridges and George Clooney, both well deserving for their great performances. Meryl Streep gets her token, yearly nomination, but the real buzz is around Sandra Bullock for THE BLIND SIDE.
That leads us to the surprises and THE BLIND SIDE getting a Best Picture nomination is definitely a surprise for me. But perhaps the biggest surprise from the list is the mass amount of love the Academy bestowed upon DISTRICT 9, giving the little film 4 nominations. Perhaps most pleasing is the lack of noticeable snubs. It seems everyone that deserved a nomination got one.
Let the debate begin about the merits of having 10 Best Picture nominations. I’m not a fan of it, but I know there are plenty of people out there that love it. I think it’s a little ironic that in one of the weakest years in memory as far as Oscar-caliber movies go, we get the switch to 10 nominations.
Check out the complete list of nominations.
Tags: george clooney, james cameron, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, movie news
Posted in News |
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
I try not to fall victim to hype. Awards season, however, is a barrage of hype about the stars and movies the studios are pushing for recognition, and we as consumers of the product can’t help but be swayed. The hype machine this year follows Jeff Bridges and his performance as Bad Blake in CRAZY HEART. He has already won the Golden Globe for best dramatic performance, and is riding the same wave of “finally recognize this guy” popularity that Mickey Rourke faced last year after THE WRESTLER. The problem I faced with Bridges in CRAZY HEART, however, was the expectations this hype put in my head prior to watching the movie. It is a great performance by a diverse actor who can win over an audience as both an unemployed bowling enthusiast and the President of the United States, but it is reserved and played small and slow, with no real stand out moments. A small movie is not a bad thing, however, and this film deserves a look, especially for fans of country music and those with any knowledge of the heavy drinking, hard living Highwaymen, a group of outlaws Bad Blake looks like he missed by just a few years.
Bad Blake is 57 years old, and isn’t in the best physical or fiscal condition. He had his day and he has his fans, as shown by those who request his old favorites and the old women who throw themselves at him at his performances. However, his is now relegated to performing gigs wherever he can find them, and traveling to them all by his lonesome in his beat up old truck, including a long drive to Pueblo, Colorado to a bowling alley’s lounge called The Spare Room. He is booked at whatever he can find by his agent, played mostly by phone by Paul Herman, to get Blake whatever money he can after squandering his success on drinking and four failed marriages. He is interviewed for a local paper in Santa Fe by Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Jean, who falls for him for unknown reasons. Bad quickly forms a relationship with Jean’s son, played adorably by young Jack Nation, but Bad’s alcoholism isn’t exactly an endearing paternal quality. His best friend is a bartender played by Robert Duvall, and his protégé, Tommy Sweet (Collin Farrell), has become a headliner. They both advise and help him find some measure of recovery. However, as with most country music singer-songwriters, Bad Blake’s redemption is found in a song… inspired by his life. And his inspiration, also like most country music singer-songwriters, comes from a woman.
The music in the film is great. T Bone Burnett and Stephen Bruton put together some old school country songs reminiscent of the greats by Kris Kristofferson, but the true genius of the music is how they tailored it for Bridges’ voice and Bad Blake’s character. Bridges has fun with the fast songs “Somebody Else” and “I Don’t Know,” but also brings it down to a somber tone with “Hold On You” and “Brand New Angel.” And though we never hear Bridges sing the full song, “The Weary Kind” is definitely worth a listen, and hopefully an entry for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards this year.
It is in these songs and his portrayal of alcoholism that elevate Bridges’ performance, but the writing doesn’t allow him to take it to the emotional depths I was expecting. There is a subplot involving an adult son Bad hasn’t seen for 25 years, but it is hastily admitted to and quickly dismissed. The relationship with Jean is also strangely underwritten. Bad drops some good lines on her, but this is a May-December romance that’s never really explained. Musicians get women, I understand, but Jean never seems like the typical women who throw themselves at Bad at his shows. Gyllenhaal does well with her emotional scenes, though, and plays strong at the end. Robert Duvall is briefly used, though his counsel is welcome as someone who has known Bad for many years, and Colin Farrell does well as Tommy Sweet, toeing the line between a commercial success trying to help his mentor, but also not wanting to simply give in to his requests at the risk of hurting his career.
I think this year’s Oscar race comes down to Clooney versus Bridges, and with the hype surrounding Bridges performance and body of work, it’s looking like it is his to lose (though we invite you to read our full Oscar Breakdown in February). However, as an audience member, I suggest you ignore the hype before watching this film and just enjoy Bridges in it, or like me you’ll keep expecting that moment we can point to as definitive, and you’ll walk out a little disappointed. Clooney had those moments this year in UP IN THE AIR, and I was expecting them here.
Tags: Collin Farrell, Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie reviews, Scott Cooper
Posted in Reviews |
Monday, January 18th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
The 67th Annual Golden Globes commenced yesterday evening and perhaps gave a peek at what March’s Oscars will hold in store. If Sunday was any indication, the Oscars are going to be blue, as in, AVATAR blue. The 3D adventure took home Best Drama while the insanely popular THE HANGOVER took home Best Comedy or Musical.
On the acting front, the Dude won Best Actor in a Drama and hopefully, this will get Jeff Bridges the other golden statuette that’s been eluding him. He’s done so many high quality films over the past 15 years that’d it be nice to see that rewarded. Robert Downey Jr. won Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical for SHERLOCK HOLMES, which for all intent and purposes was a British Tony Stark. But it’s RDJ, so I don’t think anyone will complain.
As for actresses, Sandra Bullock continued her return to glory with a win for Best Actress in a Drama for her work in THE BLIND SIDE while Meryl Streep continued her dominance with another Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical with JULIE AND JULIA.
Overall, it was a fun telecast and I was happy to see AVATAR pick up some awards. I was even happy to see James Cameron win Best Director. Surprisingly, THE HURT LOCKER was shut out and aside from Best Screenplay, UP IN THE AIR was relatively quiet. It looks like the Oscar race might not be as close as everyone thought it was.
Source: Golden Globes
Tags: avatar, Jeff Bridges, julie and julia, Meryl Streep, movie news, robert downey jr.
Posted in News |
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
by: Jeremey Gingrich
Finding diamonds in the rough is a wonderful feeling, but in order to do so, you usually have to watch a lot of bad movies. Flix66.com takes the pain away by recommending a movie that you may have never heard of, or missed when it first came out.
The purpose of this portion of our site is to suggest to you films that we think you should watch because they were obscure, but still good. “Diamonds in the rough,” we call them. But this movie is just rough. MASKED AND ANONYMOUS was looked forward to by Bob Dylan fans from sea to shining sea (a tribe of which I am a member). And though we knew this film wasn’t the Dylan biopic we craved (like the cryptic I’M NOT THERE), we’d heard interesting tidbits about the story, it had a known director (Larry Charles, of “Seinfeld” and BORAT fame) and was riddled with big name stars. Of course it had to be good. These actors wouldn’t come together to make a bad movie, right? This is why I suck at logic games. Or do I?
The movie begins with the strange rendition of Dylan’s song “My Back Bages” sung in Japanese, which much of the rest of the movie could have been in as well, and most wouldn’t notice at first. Bob Dylan starred in this film as much as we can say a man stars in a film where he speaks maybe 12 lines. The other folks are an eclectic collection of actors from all over, playing a manically diverse collection of characters. Dylan is Jack Fate, an iconic musician bailed out of jail to perform a concert to heal the wounds of a civil war-ravaged future/fictional America. He’s put in touch with a sleazy promoter in John Goodman and sexy, confident TV executive Jessica Lange to put this concert together. He’s hounded by a manic reporter in Jeff Bridges, whose clinically insane girlfriend is played by Penelope Cruz. Ed Harris pops in fresh from a minstrel show and Val Kilmer has a hectic diatribe about…well, everything. Luke Wilson plays Dylan’s friend and fellow musician. Angela Bassett and Dylan meet as ex-lovers. Giovanni Ribisi plays a troubled soldier Dylan meets on his travels, and Cheech Marin, Christian Slater, Chris Penn and Mickey Rourke get involved as well.
At the movie’s end, the first time I saw it I stared at the credits for a beat and finally said, “What the hell was that?” You may have this urge as well, but fight it for a few more viewings, and try this on for size.
After watching this a few more times, I started to view it more as a Dylan song than as a Dylan movie, and I have always loved the cryptic Dylan songs like “Desolation Row” or “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again.” Both of these examples showcase a collection of outlandish characters, making their way through an unsure landscape. But MASKED AND ANONYMOUS actually has more structure than those songs, as the characters are held together by their connection to Jack Fate (how his last name fits in). There is a great performance by a little girl, Tanashe Kachingwe, singing “The Times They Are a’Changing” while Dylan does a monologue in voiceover that tells more backstory than anything else in the film, and Dylan’s grizzled voice combined with the young girl’s works great. Ribisi’s and Kilmer’s rants (on war and imperialism, respectively) seem less hysterical and more poetic on second glance. The landscape is held together with great Dylan songs (“Blind Willie McTell”), performances (“Cold Irons Bound”), and covers (“Most of the Time” by Sophie Zelmani, “One More Cup of Coffee” by Sertab), and ends in a monologue from Dylan that ties it together but resolves nothing. But then again, “he stopped trying to figure everything out a long time ago.”This movie grows on you. Allow it to do so.
Also, on a selfish note, for the musical performances in the film, Dylan is backed up by Tony Garnier (bass), Larry Campbell and Charlie Sexton (guitars), who I met at a gas station outside of Fargo, Minnesota after a concert. Great bunch of guys, but they wouldn’t let me on the bus to meet Dylan.
Tags: bob dylan, ed harris, Jeff Bridges, penelope cruz, val kilmer
Posted in One You Might've Missed |
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
Jeff Bridges has been one of my favorite actors since BIG LEBOWSKI and it’s a shame he hasn’t received an Academy Award (he’s been nominated four times) yet. Early buzz has him as a favorite for his work in the upcoming CRAZY HEART, but I can’t shake the feeling that the Academy won’t reward another down and out musician character. I’m sure he’ll be fantastic in it, but the idea seems a little played out at this point. Click the the link to get a preview of what’s going to be on your iPod in a month or so.
Watch the trailer here.
Tags: Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie news, Robert Duvall
Posted in News |
Monday, November 9th, 2009
George Clooney has proven he can go quirky, most notably in Coen Brothers fare such as BURN AFTER READING and O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, but also in more obscure films like WELCOME TO COLINWOOD. For the latest in his diverse filmography, THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS mines Clooney’s comedic talents once again, bringing other actors into the mix which make it look like another creation from the minds of the Coen’s (especially with a Lebowski-like Jeff Bridges and Coen regular Stephen Root), but is instead directed by Clooney-collaborator Grant Heslov – who co-wrote GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK with Clooney. I guess Heslov won the coin flip for direction of this one, and what he has delivered is a war satire with comic elements carried off well by its actors, but whose message is peppered thick with inside jokes and is too many times heavy-handed (especially at the end). But for those who can put politics aside and just enjoy a collection of actors having fun with their material, never taking themselves too seriously, you may find an enjoyable film.
The film’s action takes place in 2003 and begins with a reporter out of Ann Arbor, Bill Wilton (Ewan McGregor), interviewing a man claiming to have been a member of a Psychic Spy unit for the Army, and he drops the name of the man he believed to be the ultimate psychic warrior, Lyn Cassady (Clooney). After a bizarre circumstance that leads his wife to leave him for a one-armed man (a small element of Coen-like absurdity), Bill believes he will prove something to himself and her by going to Iraq to be a war correspondent. In Kuwait, awaiting clearance to cross into Iraq, Bill meets Lyn Cassady and Lyn then spills the beans on the whole story behind the New Earth Army since its creation by soldier-turned-hippie-turned hippie/soldier Bill Django (Jeff Bridges). The training of the new psychic spies, called Jedi Warriors (and yes, people in the theaters always laugh when McGregor says “Jedi”), takes place in flashbacks and shows Django’s techniques for Jedi development and introduces Lyn’s psychic nemesis, Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey). In between the flashbacks, Lyn and Bill make their way into Iraq on an obscure mission which Lyn seems to be making up as he goes along, but also dropping little hints as to his psychic powers: cloud bursting, sparkling eyes, and of course the ability to stop the heart of a goat by simply staring at it. When the actual mission is finally discovered, we see that Hooper is working as a Psychic contractor working with the Army to use their powers against the Iraqi people, and Lyn and Bill must try to stop him.
The film’s star power carries its weight with great aplomb. Clooney plays the role perfectly, delivering every line with the conviction of a true believer in the goals and abilities of the New Earth Army, and also reacting to the wide array of circumstances that befall him with the right measures of mania (at times) and reserve (at others). Ewan McGregor starts off better than he finishes, and his narration is a bit off-putting, perhaps because of his American accent, which oddly enough wasn’t a problem in films like BIG FISH. Kevin Spacey has a variety of scenes showcasing diverse talents: from childish envy and spite directed at Lyn’s superior psychic powers; to the comical display of his own psychic power; to an evil, opportunistic contractor (take that Halliburton); to stoned. In a smaller role that delivered laughs simply in a look or a smile, Stephen Lang displays talents as the New Earth Army’s biggest supporter, General Hopgood, that warms us to him before we start to hate him later in James Cameron’s AVATAR. But the big show is the Big Lebowski, Jeff Bridges, who’s Bill Django is great to watch in all stages. Some may say it’s Lebowski in the military, but it fits the role, and his work training the new members of the New Earth Army is hilarious to watch, especially in an initial exchange between him and Clooney which can’t help but get a good laugh.
However, the fact that we find out towards the end of the flick what the journey was all about in the first place, though it works in context of the story, doesn’t do much for an audience that doesn’t like to feel lost during the majority of the picture. Also, the flashbacks are great, especially the progression and training techniques of Jeff Bridges’ Django, but they are strewn throughout in such a way that detracts from the story. Also, while most of the films out of Hollywood may be anti-war, few of them are anti-soldier, and the end of this film may raise the debate as to whether that is part of the message. Granted, that might have been a consequence sticking with the source material – Jon Ronson’s non-fiction book of the same name – but when Iraq War films do as bad as they do already, coming off as unsupportive of the troops may have fallout even with this film’s star power.
Tags: Ewan McGregor, george clooney, Grant Heslov, Jeff Bridges, movie reviews
Posted in Reviews |
Monday, October 26th, 2009
Posted by: Sturdy
Matt Damon and Josh Brolin are in talks to star in the upcoming Joel and Ethan Coen film TRUE GRIT. The film is a remake of the 1969 Western by the same name. Coen favorite Jeff Bridges has already signed on to star as the famous Rooster Cogburn. Damon would play his partner as they track the killer of a little girl’s father. Brolin would play the killer.
Variety reports that the remake is supposedly more faithful to the novel that the original film is based on, with the script written by the Coens. The Coens are hit and miss with me, but with a cast like this, we should be in for a good film. Of course, I said the same thing about BURN AFTER READING…
Tags: Ethan Coen, Jeff Bridges, Joel Coen, Josh Brolin, Matt Damon, movie news
Posted in News |
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