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alexmucha
Reviews
The Brothers Bloom (2008)
Looked good in the trailer...
The trailer manages to take all the cinematic highlights and reorder them into a cogent, lively, flowing narrative - looks like the movie will be a quirky and entertaining jaunt. Best thing is to watch the trailer and just keep that thought - don't explode it by actually watching the movie, which is rather slow and monotonous, with numerous unfunny 'gags' and a one-dimensional leading character with only one expression (miserable).
Watched the whole thing with the thought 'this must all be setting the scene for something really good', but it never happens.
I think it's trying to be clever, but it only works on an academic level, not at an emotional level - is the silent Japanese assistant referencing Chaplin?, layers of fakes and cons - is the blood fake or real? Ooh it's a movie so it's all fake in the end, wow how thought provoking.
Closer (2004)
Infantile
I felt I wasted an evening watching this movie. The characters, all behave like stupid adolescents (the cast's calibre shows in the fact that they manage to carry their roles straight faced) - two relationships, each with potential but they both get screwed up, in each case they eventually realise they screwed up and try and reconcile, one relationship survives, one doesn't - end of story
The fact that the two relationships are intertwined adds a twist I guess, but the eventual 'message' is unchanged - if you act like a spoilt child and play around with your relationship like its a toy, it may or may not survive. Wow! That's really deep!
The Crew (2000)
Hugely entertaining
A plot that takes an unusual and comical look at what would normally be the darker side of society, with retired mobsters, detectives, hookers and bungling drug lords coming together in a storyline that takes all the cliches and presents them in a new and refreshing manner.
I've watched this movie several times - I think it's well written and acted, with some great characters, the casting is excellent as is the soundtrack.
Not a great classic, but I don't think it's trying to be, just a hugely entertaining movie - I'm sure the actors enjoyed making it.