Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I can't believe I haven't seen O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU yet. It's the Coens. It's Clooney. The title's a freakin' SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS joke, fer crike's sakes. It's like they made the film for me. I've seen all the other fishies Quint hauled in today, and I'll be writing my GIFT review this weekend. I'll say this... Sam Raimi is very, very good at what he does. So's QUINT, and here's the proof...
Ahoy squirts! Aye, 'tis the crusty seaman, Quint, here once more. I've just got back in the from the daily grind and let me tell you... I got one helluva catch to share with you folks. Care to take a look?
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
I love, love the Coens. Big frickin' deal, you say, so does everybody else. True enough... but that phrase was running through my head as I walked out of the early morning press screening I somehow finagled my way into. George Clooney rocks hard in this film. He proves his comedic talents and worthiness many times over here. John Turturro... he also rocks. This role is no Jesus, granted, but damned if he doesn't make this inbreed yokel hillbilly his own. Tim Blake Nelson fills out the trio nicely. His was a face I wasn't really familiar with, so I never had any problem seeing the actor instead of the character.
One of the reasons I love the Coens so much is their continual use of the same character actors throughout their films. John Goodman has a small role in O Brother that is just plain cool. He's a con artist of the highest degree and an asskicker to boot. His character is no Walter (Shomer Shabbas!!!) by any stretch, but I grinned every single time he was on screen.
The Big Lebowski is in the movie, too, as the Mayor of a small town who's trying to win a second term in office. One of the biggest laughs in the film, for me, was when you see The Big Lebowski do a jig onstage toward the end of the film. God Bless him!
And the Coens knew... oh yes... they knew the secret to any movie's surefire success! Midgets!! That's right, my fellow sailors, midgets. The Coens introduce us to a terrific little person in O Brother. He rocks. He's a broom-holding, racist little man and he just rocks the movie!
The soundtrack rocks as well. So many things in this movie rock. It would probably be simpler to just say, "This movie rocks," but when I say that... I just feel I left something out. I can't just make a blanket statement like that. What about Milton from Office Space!?! He's absolutely hilarious as the blind smalltime record producer. There is just so much about this movie to love and very, very little, if anything, to hate. If you like the Coens, Clooney, laughing, beautiful landscape or any one of the above, then go see this movie.
QUILLS
I had no idea what to expect from this film. I had seen no trailer, no ad and had somehow managed to not read a damn thing about it. Good God this movie is fucked up, but gloriously so. It is one of the most derranged movies I've seen in a very long time. It takes place in a mental hospital in France during Napoleon's rule. This particular loony bin is home to the Marquis de Sade (Geoffrey Rush), notorious erotic writer. He has been leaking his "unlawful" stories through his chambermaid, played by Kate Winslet.
Napoleon is none too happy to see the Marquis' writing getting out, so he sends Dr. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine) to oversee the mental hospital and step in to "cure" the Marquis if necessary. The only one standing between Caine's torture devices and the foulmouthed Marquis de Sade is Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix), the priest that heads the asylum.
There are hypocracies, love triangles, backstabbings, name-callings, infedelities, and much, much more abound in this film. Caine is absolutely marvelous as a downright despicable human being. I think he was the least qualified of all the actors up for the Oscar last year, but he turns in a career high performance in this film and with the career he's had that's saying a lot.
I've loved Joaquin Phoenix's work since way back in the day when his name was Leaf and he starred in one of my childhood favorites, Space Camp. His acting has improved greatly since then and he shows it here. I still think his performance in Gladiator was stronger, but his stuff in this film... whew! For his work in the last quarter of the movie alone... it's quite impressive.
Kate Winslet. She does well. She's pretty, she once again proves her worth as an actress, but Caine, Rush and Phoenix steal this movie right out of her hands. This film is very powerful, but I don't think it's the celuloid miracle that a lot of the critics are saying it is. I don't think Quills would make my personal top 10 of the year. It might, it's been somewhat of a slow year, but it'd be far down on the list if it does.
Just keep in mind that this movie has some truly disturbing imagery, scenarios, whathaveyou. I love fucked up scenes in flicks, the ones that make you go, "Ohhhh... DAMN!!!!" I thrive on them. I walked out of this film saying, "Goddamn that is one fucked up movie."
THE GIFT
I'm such a sucker for this kind of flick. Well shot, well directed, well acted thriller bordering on horror movies. Quite honestly there aren't a lot of them made these days. The only other film I can think of that resembles The Gift that has been made in the last 10 years is Silence of the Lambs. And if anybody has the nerve to suggest American Psycho down below I'll chop ya' into chum and feed the fishes with yer' bloody insides!!!
Raimi is a master. He has proven to me that he can direct in any genre he pleases. Western (I might be the only one, but I loved The Quick and the Dead), Drama (Simple Plan. 'nuf said.), etc. I want to see him do another Evil Dead film just like everybody else out there, but if he chooses not too, then I'll be perfectly happy with whatever else he dishes out.
The Gift has a fairly well used plot. A person with psychic abilities living in a small town is called upon to help solve a missing persons case. Very Dead Zone, I know, but Raimi, with the help of Billy Bob Thornton's terrific screenplay, rises above the bar and delivers real characters and throws them into believable situations. Well, as believable as one can achieve with this kind of material.
Cate Blanchette heads the amazing cast and plays the part of the psychic terrifically. She walks a thin line. Go too far this way and it's absurd. Go too far the other way and it's typical horror movie cliche. To quote Bush Sr., "She stays the course."
Hey, Keanu. Um... Let's forget about that football movie and that serial killer movie and let's play pretend. I'm going to pretend that you followed The Matrix up with The Gift. OK? Shhh! Don't tell anybody!
Katie Holmes (drool noise here)... oh Katie... Another nod to Raimi's supreme directorial skill. He actually talked Katie into doing a topless scene. Not only that, but she can even say "I did it because it was essential to the plot." You know, that bullshit! It works for the story! So, from all the collective fanboys (and some fangirls, too, I imagine) out there, I say God Bless you, Mr. Raimi!
Giovanni Ribisi doesn't blow ass! As a matter of fact, he doesn't just not blow ass, but he kicks it. If you'd have told me that there would be a movie where I wouldn't only not hate Ribisi, but love him... I would have called crackhead on that one. Another point for Mr. Raimi! And of course, all the props to Giovanni for breaking out of his slump.
I, like the majority of you guys, can't wait for Raimi's Spider-Man. I have spent a good 12 hours of the last day and half playing that new N64 Spider-Man game. Pretty damn good game. It really got me thirsting for a live action Spider-Man movie and I have absolutely no worries that Raimi won't deliver us the goods.
For those of you that felt What Lies Beneath didn't deliver the goods, then you have found your movie. The Gift is a fine, fine freaky flick. I love any movie that makes full use of that creepy sped up audio and visual... The fiddler kicks ass in this movie! Ahem... You'll understand soon.
SNATCH
Harry was kind enough to give all the Butt-Numb-A-Thon attendees, myself included, the greatest gift of all: Snatch. I love Snatch. If it were up to me, I'd enjoy Snatch every single day of the week. The world of Snatch is so vivid... well, during the film I swear I could feel myself immersed in Snatch. Almost literally, I was in Snatch. I could feel Snatch. I could just about taste it.
Snatch is for both the guys and the girls out there. Everybody will like Snatch. Everybody from all walks of life will be into it. From out of every port in the world, I'd be willing to bet seamen will be all over Snatch. There will be some that will turn their nose up at Snatch, but some day they will realize it doesn't smell like they think it does. They will be saved and find themselves deep into Snatch like the rest of us.
Don't let Snatch pass you by! You'll be sorry if you do, I promise you that!
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There you have it, squirts. That'll be it from this old salt... fer a day 'er two, at least. I hope y'all have been keeping up with Harry's Lord of the Rings posts. Damn engaging stuff. As usual, keep yer eyes on the horizon. I have my own adventure to tell you guys about. It involves Mouth, Myself, a movie set, a piece of Harry's anatomy and one of the absolute masters of horror cinema. Until then, this is Quint signing off.
