Jack's and my eager anticipation of this crime comedy was rewarded after the trailer enticed us with its bumbling dognappers and the big-time criminals whose paths they cross. Colin Farrell (last blogged in Horrible Bosses) reunites with director/writer Martin McDonagh (you must see In Bruges (2008), another crime comedy, which earned Farrell a Best Actor Golden Globe), this time playing a struggling screenwriter in over his head. Among the movie's accolades are its Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Male for Sam Rockwell (most recently in Cowboys & Aliens).
After the funny bit at the opening with Michaels Stuhlbarg and Pitt, who play psychopaths on Boardwalk Empire, we are treated to great work from Abbie Cornish (Limitless), Christopher Walken (A Late Quartet), Woody Harrelson (The Messenger), Tom Waits (covered in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus), Gabourey Sidibe (Tower Heist), Bonny the Shih Tzu (the movie's tagline is "They won't take any shih tzu"), and more.
The prolific Carter Burwell (mentioned in both True Grit and Howl) composed the soundtrack and there are quite a few songs, recognizable and not (here's the amazon page).
We liked it a lot and rottentomatoes' averages are 81% critics/80 audiences. Perhaps it will win something at the Independent Spirit Awards the night before the Oscars. It's available on DVD now (we saw it on Halloween). Yeah, it's violent and profane.
Showing posts with label seven psychopaths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seven psychopaths. Show all posts
Monday, January 7, 2013
Monday, November 12, 2012
Another placeholder, another 6 movies
Sing Your Song, seen 10/27. Fabulous documentary about Harry Belafonte. We learned a lot about his activism. He sings in the movie, mostly in old footage, including on The Smothers Brothers and Muppets shows. Imdb has given us this list of songs.
Seven Psychopaths, 10/31. Pretty darn funny story about some bumbling petty thieves and the big-time criminals whose paths they cross. With Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, and a ton of well-known cameos. Directed and written by Martin McDonagh, who brought us the excellent In Bruges.
The Paperboy, 11/1. Sultry story about low-lifes in the 1960s south. Jack hated it and I didn't like it much. Roger Ebert called it "trashy" in his positive review. With Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, David Oyelowo (you'll be seeing a lot of him soon), and John Cusack playing against type as a particularly despicable character.
My Best Enemy (Mein bester Fiend) 11/4. I had trouble laughing at this holocaust story (listed on imdb as both comedy and drama) about an Austrian Jew and a Nazi whose lives are intertwined, but that's probably just me. There were some funny moments and the rest of the audience seemed to love it. Starring Moritz Bleibtreu (Soul Kitchen, more) and Marthe Keller, among others.
Argo, 11/7. Loved it. Ben Affleck directs and stars in this dramatization of how his character helped get six hostages out of Iran in 1980. This one truly is both a drama and a comedy--there are plenty of laughs, a lot of action, and some nail-biting suspense. Be sure to see it, as it is a "best bet" for multiple Oscar nominations. As my friend Mike advised me, the scenes with Alan Arkin and John Goodman are priceless. See my longer post here.
Flight, 11/11. OMG. So good. This is a powerful story about addiction with Denzel Washington turning in an amazing performance with help from Kelly Reilly (Mary Watson to Jude Law's Doctor in the Sherlock Holmes movies) and others. Every time John Goodman showed up (usually to Rolling Stones music), we laughed. Director Robert Zemeckis decorates the movie with excellent vintage tracks a la Forrest Gump. I'm working on a song list for when I write more about this. I walked into the theatre today wanting to see the plane flying upside down. Turns out that part had my heart pounding and my eyes filling.
These placeholders are my only hope of staying current. When (if?) I write longer postings I will link these short blurbs to the completed posts.
Seven Psychopaths, 10/31. Pretty darn funny story about some bumbling petty thieves and the big-time criminals whose paths they cross. With Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, and a ton of well-known cameos. Directed and written by Martin McDonagh, who brought us the excellent In Bruges.
The Paperboy, 11/1. Sultry story about low-lifes in the 1960s south. Jack hated it and I didn't like it much. Roger Ebert called it "trashy" in his positive review. With Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, David Oyelowo (you'll be seeing a lot of him soon), and John Cusack playing against type as a particularly despicable character.
My Best Enemy (Mein bester Fiend) 11/4. I had trouble laughing at this holocaust story (listed on imdb as both comedy and drama) about an Austrian Jew and a Nazi whose lives are intertwined, but that's probably just me. There were some funny moments and the rest of the audience seemed to love it. Starring Moritz Bleibtreu (Soul Kitchen, more) and Marthe Keller, among others.
Argo, 11/7. Loved it. Ben Affleck directs and stars in this dramatization of how his character helped get six hostages out of Iran in 1980. This one truly is both a drama and a comedy--there are plenty of laughs, a lot of action, and some nail-biting suspense. Be sure to see it, as it is a "best bet" for multiple Oscar nominations. As my friend Mike advised me, the scenes with Alan Arkin and John Goodman are priceless. See my longer post here.
Flight, 11/11. OMG. So good. This is a powerful story about addiction with Denzel Washington turning in an amazing performance with help from Kelly Reilly (Mary Watson to Jude Law's Doctor in the Sherlock Holmes movies) and others. Every time John Goodman showed up (usually to Rolling Stones music), we laughed. Director Robert Zemeckis decorates the movie with excellent vintage tracks a la Forrest Gump. I'm working on a song list for when I write more about this. I walked into the theatre today wanting to see the plane flying upside down. Turns out that part had my heart pounding and my eyes filling.
These placeholders are my only hope of staying current. When (if?) I write longer postings I will link these short blurbs to the completed posts.
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