Quiet Films

[Anthony]

Yes, well... with the hype of the OSCARS over, a lot of publicity over certain flms was inevitable. However, what about the quieter films that proved to either be sleeper-hits or art-house wonders, what did you think of them? I'm thinking of films such as Todd Field's IN THE BEDROOM and Eyre's IRIS, Altman's fantastic GOSFORD PARK... not to mention MONSTER'S BALL, which ofcourse has proven to be big now that the 'doors have been knocked down by Halle Berry' and all that.

Personally, I hated A BEAUTIFUL MIND, it was manipulative shit with a damn-good performance from Russel Crowe, but nothing more. Jennifer Connolly played an annoying character annoyingly, I hoped that at one point in the movie Nash would have just slapped her or something, or possibly mistake her for Ed Harris' character and consequently shoot her. I dunno, something to stop her from delivering stupid shitty dialogue such as 'I need to believe something wonderful is going to happen... sniff sniff'; I am OH SO moved.

Altman's GOSFORD PARK was, I think, incredible. Wonderful for anglophile Americans, or for those of you who like some European humour in your films, not to mention amazing character-development and performances from a gorgeously fantastic British cast, it made me proud to be British. I STILL think Helen Mirren should have received the award, a) because her performance was so moving it made me want to cry, and b) because the academy overlooked her, again.

However, IN THE BEDROOM, which garnered our Tom Wilkinson an oscar, was purely an art-house phenomenom without reason. It wasn't a bad movie, but it lacked passion, precision and purpose; the performances by Spacek and Wilkinson were brilliant, but I felt that a very simple plot was stretched for too long a time without purpose. The film was meant to show, I think, how a family is internally destoyed by grief; it didn't convey that succesfully, in the end.

MONSTER'S BALL hasn't even been released here in the UK, but I intend to see it when it comes out. IRIS was a good movie, but sad.
What do you guys think?

Ant.

 

[pax]

"I need to believe that something extraordinary is possible." --from A Beautiful Mind

::shrugs::

Don't we all? I liked that movie.

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If you cannot live together in here, you cannot live together out there, let me tell ya. --Bono

You've got to cry without weeping, talk without speaking, scream without raising your voice... --Bono

 

[melon]

I liked "Gosford Park" a lot.

I am reluctant to see "A Beautiful Mind," because I almost think that Sean Penn is getting as trite as Tom Hanks in his films. Perhaps. I still haven't decided yet whether I think this or not.

I didn't see most any of the Oscar films mostly because they didn't look great at all mostly. But I enjoy independent and foreign films, which are generally snubbed, although it was nice to see that the independent arena was more represented in this awards show than in the past.

Melon

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"Still, I never understood the elevation of greed as a political credo. Why would anyone want to base a political programme on bottomless dissatisfaction and the impossibility of happiness? Perhaps that was its appeal: the promise of luxury that in fact promoted endless work." - Hanif Kureishi, Intimacy

 

[Naya]

I don't understand why the Oscar went to "A Beautiful mind". I am a big fan of Russell Crowe, and yes his performance was great, but that's about it.

"Monster's Ball" is a terrific movie. Great acting. Halle Berry really deserved her Oscar. Her acting is multi layered and she is very believable. Billy Bob Thornton also does a fine job. His performance is very restrained yet very powerful.

I also loved Gosford Park,with its theme of two very different social classes and two very different worlds inhabiting the same house.

I saw Iris also...Good performances by Jim Broadbent and Dame Judi Dench.

I haven't seen In the Bedroom yet.

Was dissappointed that Am?lie didn't win best foreign film. But I haven't seen No Man's Land yet..Has anyone seen it?


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"I can resist everything except temptation."
Oscar Wilde

 

[Anthony]

Originally posted by melon:
I am reluctant to see "A Beautiful Mind," because I almost think that Sean Penn is getting as trite as Tom Hanks in his films. Perhaps. I still haven't decided yet whether I think this or not.

Well, Sean Penn doesn't appear in "A Beautiful Mind", Melon, that was "I Am Sam", however; I agree that he becoming trite.. but not Tom Hanks.. surely not. Hanks has been cursed with getting to play the good guy again, and again. However, his performance in PHILADELPHIA was astounding, I thought, and one of my all-time favourite moments in movie history is when he's taking Denzel Washington's character through the Opera, its a tremendously moving piece. He shouldn't have received the award for FORREST GUMP, not because it was a bad movie (it wasn't), but because Nigel Hawthorne's perfromance as the Mad King George was not only superior, but a more interesting character, full stop. I agree, though, that Hanks needs to vary his characters a tad.

I'm glad you guys liked GOSFORD PARK, I was surprised to hear that anyone over there actually saw it, seeing as it is very English in its style.

Naya, I too was very disappointed with Amelie not winning, because it was by far the most enjoyable film of the year, I DID see No Man's Land and I can safely say that Amelie was in fact better.

Ant.