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Post by Bartwald on Apr 18, 2004 15:19:49 GMT -5
Saw it today and it's the best movie of the year so far! ...not for long maybe, 'cause there's this Volume 2 on Thursday, but still.
Performances by Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn are so good and full of pain that it's hard to believe! It wouldn't work so well without the director Innaritu, though: this guy breathed so much life into this dark (yet close to reality) plot that you can't disconnect your emotions from what's happening on the screen even for a goddamn moment!
Anyone who saw it? I'd like to hear some opinions on it, mates - very, VERY much!
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Apr 18, 2004 16:17:43 GMT -5
I saw it & was totally blown away by it. It's one of those movies that you think about for a long time afterwards. The story was great & the performances awesome esp. by Naomi & Benecio, who has long been one of my favorite actors & imo is very underrated. Anyway, loved this movie!! I agree w/ everything you mentioned above Bart!
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Apr 18, 2004 20:38:03 GMT -5
Benecio, who has long been one of my favorite actors & imo is very underrated. No offense, I think he's an excellent actor too, but how exactly is he underrated? He won an Oscar for TRAFFIC and was nominated again for 21 GRAMS. I'd say he's getting a lot of acclaim for his acting. Deservedly so. Anyway, I too thought it was one of the best of 2003, but like Bartwald, didn't get to see it until 2004. Just before the Oscars, in my case. I honestly didn't know what to expect when I went in to see this movie. Boy, was I surprised. I liked that the story wasn't linear, leaving you to wonder at first, what the hell is going on, but putting the pieces together as it went along. Great performances by all involved. There is no doubt that Sean Penn is one of the best actors working today. If he hadn't been nominated for MYSTIC RIVER, another brilliant performance BTW, he easily could've been nominated for this role. 8/10 |
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Post by Bartwald on Apr 19, 2004 3:09:13 GMT -5
Cool, I'm glad you guys liked it so much!
The story being non-linear was a perfect idea: Sean Penn clean-shaven here, Sean Penn with a careless beard there, and almost until the end you don't really know what was earlier and what later! You have to invest lots of emotion in this movie, but you also have to think hard all the way through it - amazing!
As for Del Toro being underrated... it's a strange thing with him: he surely is recognised as a talented actor - and gets all those awards - but yet he is not an actor widely recognised by the audiences, an actor the producers are fighting for to have him in their movies. So, from the commercial point of view he probably really is underrated.
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Apr 19, 2004 18:08:56 GMT -5
I guess I should've clarified & said he hasn't gotten as much recognition as other actors until the last year or so. And Bart explained it so much clearer than I could have  . The point I was getting at was that generally when people are talking about good or great actors his name usually doesn't pop up much, esp. in the mainstream/commercial side of things. |
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Apr 19, 2004 18:27:55 GMT -5
Okay sure, from that perspective you're probably right. I've been a fan of his since THE USUAL SUSPECTS, but I guess actors do tend to become "household names" in the homes of real movie fans quicker than in the mainstream. Meaning people who don't see movies as often and don't post on movie related message boards. Aaahh, we're all freaks!  |
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Post by Termination on Oct 7, 2004 9:57:28 GMT -5
Though the film isn't fresh in my memory, I liked this film a lot too. In fact I thought Penn should have been nominated for this instead of Mystic River. Oh well thats history now. I've kept up with this little company (Miramax I think owns) Focus Features & they have put out some of the best Drama's in the past couple of years. 21 Grams is still a favorite of mine, but I think I like these 4 Focus Features in this order;
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. 21 Grams
3. Lost in Translation
4. Vanity Fair *note* Reese Witherspoon Best Actress 2004
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Oct 7, 2004 13:49:54 GMT -5
In fact I thought Penn should have been nominated for this instead of Mystic River. I agree. I liked Mystic River but I thought he was a little flat in that one. He was much better in 21 Grams. |
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Post by Bartwald on Oct 11, 2004 14:22:54 GMT -5
For me it would be difficult to decide in which movie Penn was better. His performance in Mystic River is much more reserved but I think it fits the character perfectly.
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Oct 11, 2004 16:28:18 GMT -5
I thought he was brilliant in both and was glad he finally won an Oscar for either. He was long overdue.
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. The point I was getting at was that generally when people are talking about good or great actors his name usually doesn't pop up much, esp. in the mainstream/commercial side of things. 
