Susan Hated Literature

Dec 01 2006

The Departed

Published by Fence under Moving Pictures

Dir: Martin Scorsese
Writ: William Monahan based on previous screenplay by Siu Fai Mak & Felix Chong

Leonardo DiCaprio - Billy Costigan
Matt Damon - Colin Sullivan
Jack Nicholson - Frank Costello
Mark Wahlberg - Dignam
Martin Sheen - Oliver Queenan
Ray Winstone - Mr. French
[Alec Baldwin - Ellerby

It took me a while, but I finally managed to go see this film last night, and now I want to go again, because it really is fantastic. Bloody, violent, full of no-good nastiness and general scumbaggery. But wonderful to watch all the same.

The film begins “some years ago” where we see a young Colin Sullivan being approached by local bad-guy-boss Costello and groomed to join the police force and become a mole. Billy Costigan also joins the police force, but he is sent out as an undercover cop to infiltrate Costello’s gang. Sullivan meanwhile has succeeded in rising through the force and is now doing the exact opposite, infiltrating the police for Costello’s benefit.

Thematically the film is mainly concerned with betrayal and family and loyalty. Both DiCaprio and Damon are playing the character of a rat, but in very different ways, and I’d have to say that DiCaprio plays it better. Or maybe just got the better role. Damon is great as the cocky, upwardly mobile cop, but it is DiCaprio’s character who has more emotion and development to explore.

All the acting is top-notch, though on occasion I thought Nicholson went a little over the top. It could be argued that his character is over the top, so we’ll let it go. It is two and half hours of a great film, you won’t notice the time passing at all.

IMDb | Scathing reviews for Bitchy People | Scanners | Random Burblings

Tags: 9 Stars, Alec Baldwin, based on previous film, betrayal, Boston, crime, Felix Chong, gunfights, Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, loyalty, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Scorsese, Martin Sheen, Matt Damon, police, Ray Winstone, Siu Fai Mak, The Departed, undercover cops, violence, William Monahan

6 responses so far

Jun 09 2006

Poseidon

Published by Fence under Moving Pictures

Dir: Wolfgang Petersen
Writ: Mark Protosevich & novel by Paul Gallico

Kurt Russell - Robert Ramsey
Josh Lucas - Dylan Johns
Richard Dreyfuss - Richard Nelson
Jacinda Barrett - Maggie James

You know this was a surprisingly entertaining film. Okay, so the plot was wafer-thin, and the characters not so defined, and the opening shot of the boat incredibly boring, but ignore all that and instead enjoy the multiple deaths, the explosions, and possibly the world’s worst actor. Well maybe in other roles Andre Braugher isn’t too bad, I don’t know, I haven’t seen him in anything, but in his role as Captain he is totally unbelievable and deserves his fate for his lack of ability to deliver a line.

But back to the fun nonsense, because that is what this film is all about. Wondering who will make it, and who won’t. And more importantly how won’t they. Now the death count of the “core group” isn’t as high as a horror film, because this isn’t horror, it is a disaster movie, but there is still plenty of stunts and death along the way.

You know the plot right? Big ship, starts to sink, small band determined to fight their way out. A task made more difficult because the boat has been turned upside down by the rogue wave that hit them.

Fun, pointless and funny, although I’m not sure if they meant to be, I’d recommend this film for some totally mindless entertainment.

IMDb | Film School Rejects | The Man Blog | Samizdisandat

Tags: 4 Stars, action, based on book, based on previous film, crap, disaster, Freddy RodrÃguez, Jacinda Barrett, Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, Mark Protosevich, mindless fun, Paul Gallico, Poseidon, Richard Dreyfuss, special effects, Wolfgang Petersen

9 responses so far

Jan 08 2006

The Producers

Published by Fence under Moving Pictures

Nathan Lane - Max Bialystock
Matthew Broderick - Leo Bloom
Uma Thurman - Ulla
Will Ferrell - Franz Liebkind

If you go see this film looking for nothing more than simple entertainment then you should come out entirely satisfied. It made me laugh, although the songs, with the exception of Springtime for Hitler, didn’t really do anything for me, little boring and watching it you’d wish they had left a few out.

The plot, for those that don’t know, concerns Max Bialystock, a theatre producer who can be counted on to give audiences the worst plays possible. But when an accountant (Leo Bloom) suggests that through creative accounting, a dishonest producer could make more with a flop than a hit, Bialystock sees an oppertunity.

Tags: 5 Stars, based on previous film, comedy, Matthew Broderick, mindless fun, musical, Nathan Lane, The Producers, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell

No responses yet

Dec 16 2005

King Kong

Published by Fence under Moving Pictures

Naomi Watts - Ann Darrow
Jack Black - Carl Denham
Adrien Brody - Jack Driscoll
Andy Serkis - King Kong/Lumpy the Cook
Jamie Bell - Jimmy
Kyle Chandler - Bruce Baxter

Forget that Star Wars film, this is the blockbuster film of the year. Its got the special effects, the monsters, the danger, the huge budget, and the director, and although maybe it doesn’t the explosions of a space battle, but the rumbles in the jungle you’ll see here will more than make up for missing out on big bangs and fire balls.