Nov
19
2008
Dir: Oliver Stone
Writ: Stanley Weiser
- Josh Brolin … George W. Bush
- Elizabeth Banks … Laura Bush
- Ellen Burstyn … Barbara Bush
- James Cromwell … George Herbert Walker Bush
- Richard Dreyfuss … Dick Cheney
- Ioan Gruffudd … Tony Blair
This is an odd sort of a film. I mean, it clearly isn’t meant to be full of praise for George W. Bush. But at the same time it is almost gentle in its treatment of him. Presenting him as a somewhat simple-minded, but well-intentioned, fool. With Daddy Issues.
The film cuts back and forward in time. From W. as a drunk, to W. as president. It looks at his relationship with his father. With that decision not to go after Saddam in the first Gulf War and W.’s insistence that America do so in the second. And every so often inter-cutting W. and his love of baseball.
I enjoyed it. I suppose. But it really isn’t anything special. The acting is all fine and well, but it lacks any real sort of insight. If you are going to have a character-study, even a humourous one, then you really need to study the main character. Instead we seem to get a collection of scenes from George W. Bush’s life. Maybe we’re supposed to provide the analysis ourselves, I dunno, it just didn’t really work for me.
One to save for the dvd release I think.
IMDb ; Elsewhere
Tags:
6 Stars,
bio,
biopic,
comedy,
Elizabeth Banks,
Ellen Burstyn,
George W. Bush,
Ioan Gruffudd,
James Cromwell,
Josh Brolin,
Oliver Stone,
Richard Dreyfuss,
Stanley Weiser,
W.
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Jan
08
2008
Writ & Dir: Andrew Dominik ; based on the book by Ron Hansen
- Brad Pitt … Jesse James
- Mary-Louise Parker … Zee James
- Casey Affleck … Robert Ford
- Sam Rockwell … Charley Ford
- Jeremy Renner … Wood Hite
- Sam Shepard … Frank James
- Garret Dillahunt … Ed Miller
- Paul Schneider … Dick Liddil
I loved this film.
I loved everything about it. The acting was brilliant. The way the story unfolded. The narration. The casting. The scenery. The cinematography. The soundtrack. Everything was just great. Best film I’ve seen this year. Which’d be a higher compliment if this wasn’t the first film I’ve been to see so far this year. But I’m guessing it’ll be up on the top ten list by the end of 2008.
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Tags:
10 Stars,
1860-1890,
Andrew Dominik,
based on book,
betrayal,
biopic,
Brad Pitt,
C19th,
Casey Affleck,
character driven,
Garret Dilahunt,
Jeremy Renner,
Jesse James,
Mary-Louise Parker,
murder,
Paul Schneider,
R15A,
Ron Hansen,
Sam Rockwell,
Sam Shepard,
The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert F,
USA - western
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Dec
20
2004
Dir: Martin Scorsese
* Leonardo Di Caprio - Howard Hughes
* Cate Blanchett - Katherine Hepburn
* Kate Beckinsale - Ava Gardner
* Alec Baldwin - Juan Trippe
Not being a huge fan of DiCaprio’s I wasn’t really sure why I wanted to see this film, the trailers weren’t anything special, but I suppose all the talk about how good this film was made me more inclined to watch it.
Not knowing anything much about Howard Hughes I am not in a position to offer a verdict on how well it portrayed him, or how accurate it was. However, DiCaprio does a fantastic job. First off he plays the dashing playboy, directing films and flying planes as fast as possible. We see his romances, and Blanchett is fantastic as Hepburn, his battles to keep shoting, or kepp flying, or to keep his business (TWA) out of Pan-Am hands. But it is later in the film where he really shines, when Hughes becomes a recluse and, lets put it bluntly, a bit of a wierdo. Even better is his courtroom battle, when he comes back from insanity to challenge the crooked senator and keep his planes in the air.
There are quite a few stunning visuals in this film, and the plane crash that Hughes suffers is fantastically awful (I’m wondering how Flight of the Phoenix will compare, its trailer was showing before The Aviator). And yet beneath the glossy surface we only catch glimpses of the man that was Howard Hughes, and although the audience may think we have a better understanding of him, it is hard to really get to know him.
Surprisingly good
Tags:
8 Stars,
Alec Baldwin,
biography,
biopic,
Cate Blanchett,
Howard Hughes,
Kate Beckinsale,
Leonardo DiCaprio,
Martin Scorsese,
The Aviator
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