Folks, Harry here... Recently the industry has been quite proud of the numbers generated in January's Box Office.... Apparently it set new records and the theater owners and folks in suits are all rather happy, unless they've just been fired by TIME WARNER AOL.... Well... they ain't seen nothing yet. Right now there is a buzz to see HANNIBAL like nothing I've seen in a while. At the SUPER BOWL party I was at.... surrounded by folks that could care less about film and more about the pigskin... When the HANNIBAL trailer hit.... they all fell quiet... followed by instant assurances that they would be seeing this movie. The only concern is this new girl they don't know that has been cast as Clarice.... BUT, for the rest of us that know that 'the new girl' is Julianne Moore.... Well, there's no doubt she's going to be brilliant as always. At this point in her career, she's in a stronger career point that Jodie Foster is... Now, Mickey Knox here is a long time spy/associate of mine in snake garden of California... and I hate him, cuz I want to see this film NOW!!! Here ya go...
Hey Harry, Mickey Knox here.
Recovered nicely from my trip to Sundance with a preview screening of "Hannibal".
Here's my Hannibal review:
Don't you love it when you walk out of a movie so exhilirated that you just can't stop thinking about it?
That's what I'm going through right now after having seen Ridley Scott's latest masterpiece, "Hannibal". Yep, it's that friggin' good.
Every set piece from the book (which, by the way I loved, even though the ending would never be accepted by a movie audience) is orchestrated with the beauty and finesse that Ridley seems to improve upon with each film.
This is a film that exists completely on its own, apart from "Silence". Julianne Moore is better in this film than Jodie Foster would have been. Ray Liotta is the most believably creepy and moronic Krendler that we could have hoped for. Hopkins is... well... he's had ten years to stew over just how Mr. Lecter has aged, like a fine wine, and he nails every scene. Never has evil been so charming.
And as for Oldman as Verger... you have to see it to believe it. I was worried that the make-up (apparently some new stuff they just designed especially for the movie) would look fake. It doesn't. Oldman and the makeup wizards have created one of the most memorable screen villains in recent memory.
And as for the ending, well... Ridley (as well as the MPAA) had the balls to bring us the gory details without a hint of hesitation. Thank God. Your jaw will be on the floor.
Not unlike "Quills" (which failed to achieve what this film does so beautifully), "Hannibal" is a celebration of the baroque lure of evil. Ridley is our Marquis de Sade here, and he has crafted not so much a horror film, a serial killer thriller, or even a romance... but a strange combination of all three.
The humor in the film hits the perfect tone for a film that is truly operatic. In the end, you will be laughing your ass off in all the ways that the filmmakers intended.
I know that this rave probably makes me sound like a studio fake-out... but trust me, this enthusiasm is completely sincere. "Hannibal" is Ridley Scott having the time of his life, and I for one, would like to thank him for it.
Mickey Knox
Meanwhile IGGY has also splooged on the film!
Just back from a screening of "Hannibal" and Ridley Scott and his team have masterfully crafted a film that remains faithful to both the book and the previous films. The fun begins right away, with the title credits which follow B&W pigeons around an Italian square as they tear apart specs of blood red meat and ends with a high crane shot revealing a portrait of the world's favorite psychiatrist composed out of the writhing pigeons.
Anthony Hopkins is chilling and the veneer of whimsy that covers Lecter's madness never waivers. Always in control, he makes it look absolutely effortless. Every moment he is on screen is riveting. There has never been a bad guy you want to root for more than Lecter.
Jody Foster is not remotely missed, as Julianne Moore slides instantly into the role of Clarice. She is a more mature agent, no longer treads timidly. The accent she affects may seem to some mere mimicry, but it works to complete the transition to Clarice.
The rest of the cast is outstanding. Gary Oldman is terrific as he brings to life Mason Verger's face, which is a patchwork somewhere between Senior Wence's fist puppet and the fetal Alien fresh out of John Hurt's stomach. Weasley Ray Liotta achieves true sliminess as Krendler, Clarice's FBI rival. Giancarlo Gianini is convincing as Pazzi, the Italian detective who stumbles across Lecter and tries to sell him out to Verger.
While David Mamet and Steve Zaillian can't replace Lecter's "fava beans/Chianti" icon, the acid wit one-liners they wrote for him renew his vicious sense of humor.
Hans Zimmer's chorus of haunted voices flow across the music track and keep up the ever present eeriness. The sound, while good, doesn't rise to the all time standard set by "Silence of the Lambs".
SPOILER SECTION: HIGHLIGHT TO REVEAL AT OWN RISK:
The dinner party at Krendler's will be the scene which few will forget. People whose stomachs flipped when the monkeys were served at the banquet in "Temple of Doom" should come prepared to blow their Milk Duds into the next row.
The Lecter/Starling relationship which caused fans and Foster to grumble has been resolved cleanly. Off hand, the ending is satisfying. The epilogue will leave you thinking about airline food in a completely new way.
SPOILER SECTION OVER: SAFE AGAIN
Iggy
