There are three standouts to be considered here. First is Sandra Bullock..for being Exec Prod of this one. IF she selected this script, then she truly knows her own acting chops. And it was great to have a woman take the lead in a murder mystery. The other two stand outs are Gosling and Pitt whose depiction of their roles and subtext of their relationship should have been recognized in some sort of awards. They both are truly destined for impressive performances on the right roles that hopefully be coming their way. First portion of the film is SLOOOOOWWWWW and doesn't need to be...even a slight speedup would have been welcomed. And once the story started to move along it becomes addictive. And the twists and turns that occur kept everyone predicting different outcomes. Again cudos to Gosling and Pitt!
Reviews
8 Reviews
Murder by Numbers
(2002)
Two great performances, one great script selection and good performance
15 April 2003
Disasterious Then, Laughable Now
8 April 2003
The concept of Acting in a film was obviously not a reality then. The overuse of music themes must have been popular then. The storyline that was believable, attractive or interesting must not have been required then. But the shots were great, the riding stunts good and the over use of dynamite (must have had long long fuses) pseudo effective. I understand 'they' also dubbed in the voice for the Lone Ranger since the actors voice was deemed unusable. If so, maybe that contributed to the bad acting on his part. Michael Horse as Tonto wasn't believable as an Indian..but his name seems to indicate he was a native American afterall. Hell, it was a BOMB then and seeing it now (93) was indeed a good laugh. And I'm surprised a cable network hasn't re made it.....obviously as a mini series starring Johnny Depp.
A Walk in the Clouds
(1995)
Romantic and Classic Style Film
3 April 2003
This film is a lovely portrait of a love story from the 40's. Based on the age of the Director and the fact it's a remake that's understandable. However, I feel it could have been better if someone wrote dialog to fit the stars. Keanu Reeves, who is good in this role, sometimes seems to recite dialog rather then say it. That may be his failing of that the dialog needed to be updated or adapted..not sure which. Visually the film is a series of oil painting like shots...lovely and somewhat unrealistic at times, but beautiful. All performances seemed strong and of course Anthony Quinn is a classic himself. Keanu Reeves always amazes me that he will take such a role as this, then do a completely different one...brave actor not just doing the same thing time after time like so many other actors..albeit their same role films are often financially better.
P.S. Your Cat Is Dead!
(2002)
Not even a "NICE TRY" for this one.
29 January 2003
I never walk out on a film (well, hardly ever). But this one prompted me to do so often..and finally I left.
The original play, I had seen in San Francisco many years ago and I remembering laughing and thoroughly enjoying the performances. However, it was so long ago, I can't remember who the actors were.
Guttenberg's first problem is looking depressed. He can't do it without looking like someone trying to imitate a monkey's mouth. His forced emotion is both false and nearly laughable.
His rages of anger, however are totally believable and near demonic. If he is ever cast in a role as a demented killer, he'll do well. But as a depressed performer whose girlfriend has left him and whose apartment is burglarized and who's cat is dead.....sorry.
He also directed the film. If the performances of the other actors or the camera work is a reflection of his work as a Director, then I was impressed.
But it MUST be difficult for an actor to direct themselves. In this business where nobody dares say anything to a "STAR". That's a shame because he needed input regarding his acting.
OK, I acknowledge that by leaving the film about 3/4 of the way through I am subject to "but it got better" - "the ending was great" - "you missed the best part" type of comments.
I don't care. The rule of thumb for any form of communications is "get them in the first paragraph/ten minutes and you can keep them".
As for Guttenberg's adaptation of the original material (he cowrote the screenplay), it was a nice expansion of the original play which only had two actors and one set (I believe). The film added both cast and locations. One actor I began to like was the woman who plays his rich Aunt. I can't find her name among the credits on www.imdb.com however.
It's only because I liked the original play, that I stayed that long. And I'm glad because AJ Benza plays a nelly queen according to the credits. And I can't stand AJ Benza let alone ANYONE playing a stereotype nelly queen in features.
Cudos ? to Steve Guttenberg for getting this play filmed however. It's a success just by existing I guess. And it does make one look at him without thinking of Police Academy films.
But ........ don't bother!
The original play, I had seen in San Francisco many years ago and I remembering laughing and thoroughly enjoying the performances. However, it was so long ago, I can't remember who the actors were.
Guttenberg's first problem is looking depressed. He can't do it without looking like someone trying to imitate a monkey's mouth. His forced emotion is both false and nearly laughable.
His rages of anger, however are totally believable and near demonic. If he is ever cast in a role as a demented killer, he'll do well. But as a depressed performer whose girlfriend has left him and whose apartment is burglarized and who's cat is dead.....sorry.
He also directed the film. If the performances of the other actors or the camera work is a reflection of his work as a Director, then I was impressed.
But it MUST be difficult for an actor to direct themselves. In this business where nobody dares say anything to a "STAR". That's a shame because he needed input regarding his acting.
OK, I acknowledge that by leaving the film about 3/4 of the way through I am subject to "but it got better" - "the ending was great" - "you missed the best part" type of comments.
I don't care. The rule of thumb for any form of communications is "get them in the first paragraph/ten minutes and you can keep them".
As for Guttenberg's adaptation of the original material (he cowrote the screenplay), it was a nice expansion of the original play which only had two actors and one set (I believe). The film added both cast and locations. One actor I began to like was the woman who plays his rich Aunt. I can't find her name among the credits on www.imdb.com however.
It's only because I liked the original play, that I stayed that long. And I'm glad because AJ Benza plays a nelly queen according to the credits. And I can't stand AJ Benza let alone ANYONE playing a stereotype nelly queen in features.
Cudos ? to Steve Guttenberg for getting this play filmed however. It's a success just by existing I guess. And it does make one look at him without thinking of Police Academy films.
But ........ don't bother!
Catch Me If You Can
(2002)
Good Film, Good Story
14 January 2003
There's nothing wrong with this film. Acting is as strong as one might expect from people like Hanks, DeCaprio, Walken. The overall film is a good story told by a good storyteller, Spielberg. Not all films can be an E.T., Philadelphia, Lord of the Rings..and when they aren't it's important that they be a solid demonstration of the talents of those involved. Such is the case with this film. Cudo's, however, to Walken who demonstrated restraint from his usual over-the-top Walkenisms and portrayed his character within the story. I think if Spielberg keeps this up, he'll be a good Director (kidding of course).
Nicholas Nickleby
(2002)
Wonderful performances of this strong adaption of a classic
2 January 2003
Not only did McGrath adapt this Dickens story well, but neither the play nor the actors competed ... as is often the case with such classics. The performances were as strong as the parts, with some surprising revelations of abilities from greats such as Christopher Plummer as well as the up and coming actors like Jaime Bell. If one is usually yawning at PBS type Dickens' stories, you will be wide awake, delighting in and responding to this version. Regretfully, it is apparently booked only in Art Houses as it demands wider exposure then this. I hope various cinematic awards organizations recognize it as the type of performances and production that such awards are supposed to.
Something for Everyone
(1970)
Angela at her Best, Michael York at his most interesting
22 September 2002
"Something for Everyone"'s plot has already been described. So, I'll REVIEW it instead. Angela Lansbury wonderfully typlifies the aristocracy that existed at the end of WW II..and someplaces, even today...at least in some people's minds.
York's character, Konrad, is both charming and convincingly conniving doing whatever he has to do to achieve his goal. "Can you sleep with anyone?" , Helmut asks. "If I have to" Konrad answers.
Angela has two specific speeches that leave you breathless...making the dialog pure prose, or if you will, Arias. Her struting, expressions and attitude make the basic point of the film more obvious and comedic.
York is as smilingly disarming as the rouge as Matt Damon was in "Ripley --". Anthony Higgons as Helmut was convincing too. But something must have ended up on the editing floor that would have helped his participation.
Hal Prince's talent direction is wonderful, but either the camera direction or editing is somewhat ordinary at times.
Music theme is by John Kandor (Kandor-Webb who created "New York, New York" and "Cabaret")is fun, memorable and perfect for the film's style time and content. However, I wished Hal Prince had him underscore the film....at times the film is slow and needs some mood music.
"Something for Everyone" is an overseen classic - storywise and performance wise. I had the chance to express my opinion to Angela and she smiled wonderfully at me. York too told me he loved the character and the story and like me, wished the film got more notice.
York's character, Konrad, is both charming and convincingly conniving doing whatever he has to do to achieve his goal. "Can you sleep with anyone?" , Helmut asks. "If I have to" Konrad answers.
Angela has two specific speeches that leave you breathless...making the dialog pure prose, or if you will, Arias. Her struting, expressions and attitude make the basic point of the film more obvious and comedic.
York is as smilingly disarming as the rouge as Matt Damon was in "Ripley --". Anthony Higgons as Helmut was convincing too. But something must have ended up on the editing floor that would have helped his participation.
Hal Prince's talent direction is wonderful, but either the camera direction or editing is somewhat ordinary at times.
Music theme is by John Kandor (Kandor-Webb who created "New York, New York" and "Cabaret")is fun, memorable and perfect for the film's style time and content. However, I wished Hal Prince had him underscore the film....at times the film is slow and needs some mood music.
"Something for Everyone" is an overseen classic - storywise and performance wise. I had the chance to express my opinion to Angela and she smiled wonderfully at me. York too told me he loved the character and the story and like me, wished the film got more notice.
The Producers
(1967)
A Classic!
6 August 2002
This is a classic film with wonderful performances all around (although I didn't take to Dick Shawn's as much as the others). Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder were perfect casting as was Christopher Hewitt (later to be known as TV's "Mr. Belvedere"). What's even more impressive are the various elements of truth that are beneath the histerical if not obsurbed storyline. The current Broadway hit doesn't compete with this film. The performances are good on stage but not as wonderful as here. Due to long term business problems this film wasn't released for home video and cable until much later then it should have been. Outright broad comedy and silliness belong in our daily lives and this film offers them very well. EVERYONE should see this film!
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