RSS
February 5, 2008
DVD Tuesday: One of the year's best arrives
Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford didn't exactly set the box-office on fire when it landed in theaters. Something tells me, though, that this superb, meditative neo-Western will enjoy a long life on DVD. Across the Universe is the world's longest music video and a treat for any Beatles fan (and only for Beatles' fans!). Elizabeth - The Golden Age was unexpectedly ripped by critics. Cate still managed to wangle an Oscar nod, however, so it's probably worth a look. In retrospect, I think I'd rather have seen Snow Buddies than the ponderous Feast of Love. Don't make the same mistake. Great World of Sound is a tiny, unexpected gem.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Across the Universe
Elizabeth - The Golden Age
The Jane Austen Book Club
Two Days in Paris
Feast of Love
Descent
Fierce People
Blonde and Blonder
The Brave One
Snow Buddies
Dresden
Great World of Sound
The Jewish Americans
Jean-Luc Godard Box Set
Niagara Motel
Croc
Slings & Arrows - The Complete Collection
The Best of Comedy Central Presents
Sumatran Folk Cinema
| 
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
[ report this ]
the assassination of jesse james... was HANDS DOWN the WORST movie i had seen all year. long, boring, too many story lines, not enough direction, mediocre acting (i don't know what kind of crack folks smoked to think casey affleck did anything commendable...), under-utilized mary-louise parker, etc, etc. the only redeeming factor was a beautiful setting, which clearly was not enough for me to feel cheated out of my $10. save yourself the agony, and skip that one.
[ report this ]
You're an idiot.
[ report this ]
and i would have the same sentiment for you, my friend.
[ report this ]
Good comeback, idiot. Now go eat some paste.
[ report this ]
wow, taking things personal, are we? i'm just providing another point of view to laist readers. i would recommend using the $5 you might spend renting The Assassination... at blockbuster to catch No Country For Old Men or The Savages at the $3 theatre. that's all.
[ report this ]
Is it wrong that Snow Buddies is at the top of that list for me?
Puppies are cute.
[ report this ]
I was just objecting to what I felt was your flippant evaluation of The Assassination of Jesse James... as "HANDS DOWN THE WORST MOVIE I had seen all year". Certainly people can have all manner of tastes, but in a world where The Game Plan, Balls of Fury, Good Luck Chuck, Wild Hogs, Norbit and Rush Hour 3 exist and make millions, it is downright irresponsible to try to steer people away from a film that is legitimately ambitious and challenging. The cinematography of Roger Deakins alone is worth the price of admission. People should take their $5, skip lunch to save another $5 and check out Assassination, No Country and The Savages.
[ report this ]
i can appreciate your point, and i'm 100% sure that The Assassination... is nowhere near the worst movie made this year. however, i clarified that it was the worst I had seen, not the worst the movie-going public had seen, and it just so happens that i did not see any of those choice selections you chose to highlight (which i agree...just thinking about those makes me gag quite a bit). with that said, i'm willing to adjust my statement to it was the most disappointing theatre experience for me personally of last year. i think there are far too many films made better and more beautifully than this one in particular to endorse it. it just gets a bit too much credit in my opinion. to each his own though. hell, i know people who didn't appreciate There Will Be Blood, which just makes me sad.
[ report this ]
I think we have a reached a concord, debaser. And people who didn't like There Will Be Blood can drink my motherfucking milkshake.
[ report this ]
Then I'm going to have to knock over your milkshake, Josh Tate... I just don't get the hype around TWBB. Same performance as Gangs Of New York, minus any element of sensuality or mystery. After that prologue, absolutely nothing Plainview did came as a surprise, so I spent most of the movie just waiting for it to end.
Nice cinematography, though, but two years from now, it's going to be nothing more than a footnote.
[ report this ]
Then I'm going to have to knock over your milkshake, Josh Tate... I just don't get the hype around TWBB. Same performance as Gangs Of New York, minus any element of sensuality or mystery. After that prologue, absolutely nothing Plainview did came as a surprise, so I spent most of the movie just waiting for it to end.
Nice cinematography, though, but two years from now, it's going to be nothing more than a footnote.
[ report this ]
Then I'm going to have to knock over your milkshake, Josh Tate... I just don't get the hype around TWBB. Same performance as Gangs Of New York, minus any element of sensuality or mystery. After that prologue, absolutely nothing Plainview did came as a surprise, so I spent most of the movie just waiting for it to end.
Nice cinematography, though, but two years from now, it's going to be nothing more than a footnote.
[ report this ]
You've made your point, DCI! Sheesh! And why can't you love both Bill the Butcher (a psychopath) and Daniel Plainview (a mere sociopath). And you weren't just a little bit surprised when Plainview confessed in the church that he abandoned his child and then later took his boy back? You weren't surprised--just a teensy bit--by the bowling alley scene?
[ report this ]
Yikes! Sorry about the triple post, I got an error the first time I tried.
The opening was the best part of the film. After a man drags his ass out of the desert on a broken leg, and puts his money over his health and/or a good stiff drink, the priorities are pretty set in stone.
The church confession didn't shock me, because that's what it took to get what he wanted. He'd already killed (if I remember the chronology), so playing along with some two-bit preacher to get ahead is child's play.
The only thing surprising about the bowling alley scene is that Sunday would remotely think that Plainview would help him out. The interesting part of the story (for me) would have been how Sunday got so desperate that sucking up to his nemesis was an option. I guess I'm surprised that Plainview didn't beat his son to death, too.
As for Bill the Butcher - it was a much more modulated character, and consequently much more interesting. Bill could unleash hell on command, but he was actuely aware that his power derived from holding it back, and making his opponents sweat it out instead.
[ report this ]
Assisination was fantastic. Glad I was able to catch it in a theatre.