Hey folks, last time we heard from ol Hooper X here, was about 10 months ago (if memory serves) when he was talking about ENEMY OF THE STATE. Well, this time he's here to discuss a totally different type of film.... And one that he claims may very well be in the running for a bunch of Oscars (of course it's always tough to start talking about that sort of thing till January 1st... but it never stops people) We've been hearing good things about this movie for a while now, and I have to say that I am a big fan of Norman Jewison's work and am hopeful for this movie. Word has it that a couple of Moriarty's henchmen might have been at this screening as well... I hear from him later I'm sure. Well... Here's Hooper X...
hey harry,
long time, no talk. i finally have a reason to write ya again. i've just returned from the film that will give Denzel Washington his first best actor oscar ("Glory" was a supporting oscar nimrods!). the film in question is of course, "The Bone Collector". just kidding about that, i just like getting nasty talk backs. actually, the film i just saw is Norman Jewison's "Lazarus and the Hurricane". We were told upon release (late dec.) the title would be "The Hurricane", but the print that screened tonight had the longer, and much more fitting title still attached.
for those of you not familiar with the story of Rubin 'Hurricane' Carter, here it is in a nutshell. he was a very promising boxer in the 60's until he was framed for murder, and sentenced to life in jail (three times over!!). everyone from Ali to Dylan lent their support to free this man, with Dylan penning the classic song to help publicize the case. later on, some "do good" canadians (aren't they all?) and a high school kid befriend Carter and try to help him with his case. if this synopsis sounds simple and cliché, fear not, this film takes the story and fleshes it out with great detail.
this film is all but perfect in every detail. the acting by Denzel is incredible, this is an actor who when he's "on", there are few people that can match him. in this film he's on, and his portrayal of Carter is amazing. this man can say more with just a simple gesture or look in his eyes than a whole cast of the latest teen flick. plus, Denzel pulls a deniro by getting into insanely great shape for this role. the man looks bad-ass!!! the supporting players are all above average too. vicellous shannon plays the high schooler who, while learning to read, "discovers" the autobiography of carter which leads to their friendship. i have no idea what this kid has been in before but he is a real find. his scenes with Denzel are just further proof this kids got a great future, he reminds me of a young forrest whitaker. deborah unger, liev schreiber, john hannah, & dan hedaya round out a very good cast.
i feel like i've already gone on for too long so i'll try to wrap things up now. this film should be in the oscar hunt for more than just Denzel, too. jewison has crafted an incredibly well-made film, i just pray that no one steps in to screw things up. i predict that universal will try and persuade him to trim the roughly two and half hour film down to make it more "user friendly", hopefully the buzz will keep the film intact. in this year of great films (iron giant,limbo,run lola run, just to name a few) it's pretty amazing to see one that stands above all others. "Lazarus and the Hurricane" does just that.
take care harry
Hooper X out!!
Oh yeah, on a completely non-review note the real Rubin Carter was their too. saying he looked happy is a huge understatement!!
we also "ran into" adam sandler coming in the see something on our way out- just to complete the surreal post screening part of the evening.
