39 response about Cinecast Episode 72 – Did Juno I Ain’t Legend? »

1. 

   I’m just partway through the show but just a quick note before I forget. Alice Braga, the woman in “I Am Legend” isn’t Puerto Rican – she’s Brazilian and the niece of the very talented Brazilian actress Sonia Braga.

   Comment by Marina Antunes — December 21, 2007
2. 

   Marina proving once again that the due diligence for the podcast is as sub par as Andrew’s taste in head wear.

   Comment by Matt Gamble — December 21, 2007
3. 

   What are you talking about? Say what you will about the podcast, that’s a nice, pricey hat. Imported all the way from the Banana Republic.

   And wherever the girl is from, she’s hot.

   Comment by Andrew James — December 21, 2007
4. 

   I third the acknowledgement of Casey Affleck for one of the best performances of the year…

   But more than any other performance this year the one that leaves me the most in awe is Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in Control… I hope this gets recognized for the Oscars, this is not so much acting as it is channeling.

   Also Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone.

   Comment by rot — December 21, 2007
5. 

   AhAHA. You guys crack me up.

   Comment by Marina Antunes — December 21, 2007
6. 

   Whoa… Alice Braga is the main female in City of God, the gal that Rocket is crushin’ on. I had no idea, but I knew that she looked familiar somehow.

   Comment by Jonathan — December 21, 2007
7. 

   Andrew, I’m saying this as a true e-friend. Lose the cranial cod piece.

   Comment by Matt Gamble — December 21, 2007
8. 

   whats with the editing of the Pumpkins song? was there something I was supposed to grab from it skipping around?

   Comment by Goon — December 21, 2007
9. 

   I’m not sure about the editing either. You’ll have to ask the post-production staff…thats, uh, Andrew.

   Comment by Kurt Halfyard — December 21, 2007
10. 

    btw RT writers, I just wanted to give a random ‘thank you’ for this site – I’m looking at it several times a day now, to the point where I realized today just out of the blue that I hadn’t even bothered to gloss over the Movie Blog in quite a while now. Even when bored with that site I would eventually find my way reading it once every couple days just because you know how it is, you “run out of Internet” sometimes and just look at the same sites over and over…
    I’m so glad Row Three has helped finally rid me of that shrill, ubersensitive, sycophant ridden, lowest common denominator tripe of a site.

    Comment by Goon — December 21, 2007
11. 

    I’d like the echo the sentiment of #10 and offer my genuine gratitude as well. A site has never become a favorite as fast as this one has.

    Bravo, you’ve really shown the “cine-net” how a communal film site is done. You should all be proud. Excellent work.

    Comment by roman — December 21, 2007
12. 

    now that I saw Juno, I finally listened to your segment of the show… and even though you guys liked the movie, the ‘nit pickings’ managed to convince me I like it less than I even thought I already did.

    And I don’t think it was the expectations. Knowing that everyone is loving this movie makes me a bit more bitchy, but I can’t say I nitpick its flaws more than I otherwise would. This film is a perfect case of where ‘indie film’ is going that I don’t entirely like. Wes Anderson is responsible for so many of these films now, and yet Anderson’s own films are not given their proper due. Places like Filmspotting trash him and go crazy for something like Juno. Anderson’s world is not REAL, but he makes the characters in it fit into the world he creates. So many of these other films, more and more so, just don’t get it – all these script chewing characters at the expense of depth, in the REAL world, not one created by the filmmakers – just make it seem more and more phony.

    Comment by Goon — December 21, 2007
13. 

    Thanks for the great compliments. I would like to say that we are really more just trying to do something a bit different than The Movie Blog or any other site. I think it comes down to that we really want to have discussions between the contributors and also the community itself. I’m really interested to see where this site ends up eventually. There is so much that we could try.

    I for one still enjoy checking out The Movie Blog plus the other 20 or so sites that are listed in the blogroll.

    Comment by John Allison — December 22, 2007
14. 

    TMB wants to have a discussion, it just wants its own opinions to be above reproach. its not a proper two way street. this site is.

    Comment by Goon — December 22, 2007
15. 

    I beg to differ. I for one am always right… of course that balances out with Andrew who is of course always wrong.

    Comment by John Allison — December 22, 2007
16. 

    http://boxofficemojo.com/reviews/?id=2436&p=.htm – if anyones looking for a laugh, check out the always retarded Scott Holleran, who finally after months and months found a movie he liked:

    PS I Love You

    way to go Scott.

    Comment by Goon — December 22, 2007
17. 

    I saw Sweeny Todd and it was pretty damn good. I’m not going to say great since I’m not too into musicals but I will mention that Kurt you said something about actors breaking out into song that you don’t expect, how about Alan Rickman or Timothy Spall or for that matter Sacha Baron Cohen. All of them have their own song to sing.

    Comment by John Allison — December 22, 2007
18. 

    I also saw Walk Hard and it was good enough. It kind of slipped near the end, not from just too much of what they were doing, but because it got too far away from the music and rapid fire jokes.

    Anyways, the real treat for me now is the soundtrack which I picked up. Everyone HAS to hear the song “Royal Jelly”, the Bob Dylan parody. Oh jesus its great.

    Comment by Goon — December 22, 2007
19. 

    ….and……

    today I rented Once.

    lets just say I have a new #1 for the year

    Comment by Goon — December 22, 2007
20. 

    @Goon
    Nice. ONCE is an amazing piece of indie film making. I’m so glad you liked it and I actually haven’t met anyopne who hasn’t. Not my #1, but damn close and this film is going to need all the love it can get. With the writers strike, it won’t see any love at the GG or Oscars (since the ceremonies need big names to show up).

    As for Sweeny Todd, I was less than enthused. I LOVED the music (the opening credits ruled), but hated the songs themselves and the singing was bordering on atrocious. At least Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman can sing. Hearing Depp, Carter and Spall trying to sing was tough. Yes, they can carry a tune, but they can’t sing.

    PS – Row Three: home of the Juno backlash.

    Comment by Andrew James — December 22, 2007
21. 

    Oh yes, and I’ve heard nothing but GREAT things about the roles in Control. Unfortunately I never got around to seeing it. I will catch up with it on DVD soon.

    Comment by Andrew James — December 22, 2007
22. 

    One of the best unorthodox song of all time is Jim Broadbent singing “Like A Virgin” in Moulin Rouge. But I’ve always got a soft spot for my man Tim Spall. I’m anxiously awaiting checking this one out, after the fat man has come and gone…

    Comment by Kurt — December 23, 2007
23. 

    I’v had Happiness on my DVD queue for a while now. I’m looking forward to checking that one out.

    I think you’re a bit harsh on Rachel Weisz. Maybe not an Oscar-winning performance, but she is fine in A Constant Gardener.

    What is the “lost potential” that made you so anngry about A.I.? I love that movie.

    Comment by TheSnowLeopard — December 23, 2007
24. 

    It was the ‘bad parenting’ for the scripts sake in the first Act of A.I. that initially got my hackles up. This was followed up by the far too oversimplified and Robin Fucking Williams-ed Pinocchio middle act, all washed down by the endless, Close-Encounters-of-The-Clones-Kind final act. Rubbish I say. It is rare that a movie made me as angry as this one. For that reaction alone, I may revisit it some day, but at the moment I’m still stewing (still OK, Jude Law Performance in there)

    Comment by Kurt — December 23, 2007
25. 

    LOL. I don’t like Robin Williams and that animated sequence is very Disney-esque, but it didn’t bother me for some reason. Maybe because the film as a whole is a dark re-interpretation of the Pinocchio fairytale and maintains a child-like perspective right to the final act. Gosh. I adored every frame of that movie.

    Comment by TheSnowLeopard — December 23, 2007
26. 

    I like A.I. – but I should point out that I’m probably overly apologetic for future-based films, I’ll let a lot slack in the realism department, or what services the script vs what rings true. I think the only thing in future-based movies (Save Back to the Future) that bugs the hell out of me is when they specifically date it. I mean, Minority Report? 2054? Don’t buy it for one second.

    Yeah, I’d probably nitpick Minority Report to pieces much more than I’d bother with something many steps further removed from reality to begin with like A.I.

    Comment by Goon — December 23, 2007
27. 

    In all fairness, the ending pissed me off in Minority Report (and the obvious mystery structure was so facile (see also, Strange Days, The Generals Daughter, Presumed Innocent, So I Married and Axe Murder…it’s always the fourth person in the credits who is the bad guy right?)

    On second viewing however, and completely blacking out the fucking terrible ending, I was able to appreciate just how slick of a job that Minority Report did on integrating entertainment, technology, and society into a fun flick. It surely won’t age well story-wise (due to the abundance of cliches), but it looks great, especially that freaky spider-drone sequence). Oh, and I heart ♥ Morton.

    Comment by Kurt — December 23, 2007
28. 

    A.I. and Minority Report two summers in a row was what made me lose it for Steven Spielberg. I have tried going back and watching some of his supposed good movies from beforehand (Schindler’s List which has its moments, and Jaws which is pretty bad), but no dice.

    Minority Report was so boring. It is a perfect example of people praising Steven Spielberg for being able to execute convention in a slick, non-faulty way. It is a good piece of craftsmanship, but offers nothing in terms of content. It’s just a plot with special effects on top. Big deal.

    If you want something that integrates entertainment, technolog and society into a fun flick, I can recommend Stanley Kubrick’s “A clockwork orange”, which is basically Minority Report for adults. Also, leave it to Steven Spielberg to ruin even somebody like Max von Sydow (albeit to be fair, none of his english-language parts or movies have been anywhere near as strong as his european stuff).

    Comment by Henrik — December 23, 2007
29. 

    I think if you switch out Tom Cruise with, well, ANYONE, that the movie would be something I’d apologize for. But Cruise’s presence always makes me aware I’m watching a movie – and I end up noticing the flaws more.

    My main problem with Speilberg this decade isnt his storytelling – its his style – have you noticed most of these films, save Catch me if you Can and the Terminal, have this washed out look to them now? I dont like it very much, and really hope it isnt part of Indiana Jones 4.

    btw, for the record, the ever-praised Munich is my least favorite Speilberg movie of this decade. yes, i like it even less than the terminal, which at least has ’so bad its good’ camp value to me. “Where to I buy the Nike shoes?” = classic. I like to pretend Tom Hanks is doing a Borat impression the whole time.

    Comment by Goon — December 23, 2007
30. 

    I think Minority Report handles the theme of the short story by Philip K Dick (i.e. Fate vs Free Will) quite well. I wouldn’t say it’s without content.

    I really disliked the flashback sequences in Munich, particularly the sex scene near the end. I find that scene totally bizarre.

    Comment by TheSnowLeopard — December 23, 2007
31. 

    Saying that Minority Report is about Fate vs Free Will is to me like saying that Die Hard is about the war on terror.

    Comment by Henrik — December 23, 2007
32. 

    Ebert choose Minority Report as best picture of that year…
    just continuing my campaign of hate for the man.

    Comment by mike rot — December 23, 2007
33. 

    Henrik, that’s a ridiculous comparison. Just because you can’t see the content doesn’t prove it’s absence.

    Here’s a quote from James Berardinelli’s review:

    “Is it possible that the act of accusing someone of a murder could begin a chain of events that leads to the slaying…The only reason he ends up in circumstances where he might be forced to kill is because he is a hunted man. Take away the accusation, and there would be no question of him committing a criminal act. The prediction drives the act – a self-fulfilling prophesy. You can see the vicious circle, and it’s delicious (if a little maddening) to ponder.”

    Minority Report explores such conundrums in an interesting way. It’s not a perfect movie, but it is one of the more intelligent sci-fi films made in recent years.

    Comment by TheSnowLeopard — December 24, 2007
34. 

    Minority Report explores such conundrums to the same extent that Die Hard explores terrorism. And with the same amount of realism.

    Comment by Henrik — December 24, 2007
35. 

    At least you now acknowledge Minority Report has thematic content, even if you believe the script doesn’t explore it effectively. Needless to say, I disagree.

    Comment by TheSnowLeopard — December 24, 2007
36. 

    Like I said, if you want Minority Report with content, watch “A Clockwork Orange”. Otherwise, it’s all about the weird cars driving on buildings, shooting air guns and fighting CGI plants.

    Comment by Henrik — December 24, 2007
37. 

    A Clockwork Orange is more about the nature of good and evil. Normally I’m a big fan of Kubrick’s work but I really disliked this film, though I enjoyed the novel. I need to see it again.

    Comment by TheSnowLeopard — December 24, 2007
38. 

    Andrew I saw some of your posts on other boards.

    Welcome to the anti-Juno club!

    I love how Campea defended it by pointing out that it was critically well received, while in the same sentences blasting Zodiac.

    what a maroon.

    Comment by Goon — January 23, 2008
39. 

    Finished “Two Lane Blacktop” last night. The more I’m thinking about it, the more I liked it. It doesn’t have a lot going on and the acting is pretty horrendous, but it’s got a style that I quite dig for some reason. The counter-culture pizzaz the film exhibits is pretty fun and hard to ignore.

    Being a Beach Boys fan helps too – especially since bad boy Dennis Wilson was always my favorite member of the band.

    Comment by Andrew James — April 3, 2008

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