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addict2u
Grip
Joined: 31 Jul 2003
Posts: 3
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 Posted: 09.10.2003 5:08 am Post subject: Matchstick Men |
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| Anyone seen this movie yet? I am still thinking what to expect from it. How is it compared other scam movies in the past? |
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Katiedid25
Grip
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 5
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| Posted: 09.10.2003 6:42 pm Post subject: Matchstick Men review |
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I got to see a sneak preview for the movie and here is my review of it:
?Matchstick Men? was one of the movies that I most anticipated seeing this year. I have always enjoyed Nicholas Cage and Sam Rockwell. With these two working together, the movie had to be great. Cage was brilliant in his role as a con artist with obsessive-compulsive-like phobias. In addition to Cage, Rockwell adds to the comedic aspect of the film. Up-and-coming star Alison Lohman also shines in the film as the daughter of Cage?s character. The relationship between Cage and Lohman is a huge part of the film that makes it funny. Overall, this movie was great and I recommend it to anyone whether they love Cage and Rockwell or not. |
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The Third M?n
Studio Exec
Joined: 09 Sep 2003
Posts: 575
Location: Chasing Stef around post-war Vienna
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| Posted: 09.10.2003 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Yes, I can't wait to see it. Ridley Scott is one of my favorite and most admired directors (despite having had a few fiasco or two... White Squall, anyone?), and I love Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, meaning that obviosuly I cannot wait to see it. |
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beltmann
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 2341
Location: West Bend, WI
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| Posted: 09.10.2003 9:55 pm Post subject: |
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I'll take White Squall over Black Hawk Down, G.I. Jane, Legend, 1492, and Hannibal. Scott uses the sea to great visual advantage; several passages are beautiful. Still, I can't defend the melodrama, despite Jeff Bridges.
Eric |
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the night watchman
Studio Exec
Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Dark, run-down shack by the graveyard.
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| Posted: 09.11.2003 5:41 am Post subject: |
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Considering Scott is responsible for my top two favorite movies, Alien and Blade Runner, he's really had a lot of misses for me. Blackhawk Down was quite good for what it was, but Gladiator was terribly overrated (best picture?!), Hannibal was a stylistic mess, and everything from G.I. Jane back to Black Rain (with the exception of Thelma & Louise) struck me as just slightly above-average cinema. I liked Someone to Watch Over Me and, yes, I'll admit it, Legend. Still haven't seen The Duellists. Hopefully Matchstick Men will be a real treat.
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."
-David Cronenberg |
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The Third M?n
Studio Exec
Joined: 09 Sep 2003
Posts: 575
Location: Chasing Stef around post-war Vienna
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| Posted: 09.12.2003 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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How come you consider Gladiator to be terribly overrated? Sure, so it might not have been the real best picture of 2000 (either Requiem for a Dream or Unbreakable get that title, in my opinion), but it was a magnificent, wonderfully crafted film. I loved it, and it had a massive impact on me as I saw it when I was 11. The painful realism and graphic brutality of the fight scenes struck me really hard, and seeing Russell Crowe act so majestically gave me shivers. I think it's a masterpiece, in my opinion (*****/*****). |
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The Third M?n
Studio Exec
Joined: 09 Sep 2003
Posts: 575
Location: Chasing Stef around post-war Vienna
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| Posted: 09.12.2003 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh, and here is Rob Vaux's review of Matchstick Men . I'll be seeing it next week. Good review, I hope I like it a bit more than he did, though. Has anybody seen it yet apart from him? |
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the night watchman
Studio Exec
Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Dark, run-down shack by the graveyard.
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| Posted: 09.12.2003 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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| The Third M?n wrote: |
How come you consider Gladiator to be terribly overrated? |
I enjoyed Gladiator, but only as a minor action/adventure movie. To me, it was dramatically flat and the plot was too schematic, e.g. the characters were either heroes or villains, and Maximus's journey to take vengence and restore his honor was very nearly a straight line. He met and surmounted every crisis with little or no trouble. It was too black-and-white, and too simplistic to arouse any suspense. I loved the battles, and I liked some of the performances, and I was entertained for two hours, but I got everything the movie had to offer after the first viewing.
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."
-David Cronenberg |
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Danny Baldwin
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 1354
Location: San Diego, CA
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| Posted: 09.14.2003 12:58 am Post subject: |
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I agree with Night Watchman on Gladiator. I just got back from Matchstick Men, and I was quite disappointed by it. I thought that it worked for the first hour and forty-five minutes, but then comes the awful little twist, that basically kills it. 2.5/4. My review will come soon.
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Danny Baldwin
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beltmann
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 2341
Location: West Bend, WI
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| Posted: 09.14.2003 1:39 am Post subject: |
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| the night watchman wrote: | | I enjoyed Gladiator, but only as a minor action/adventure movie. To me, it was dramatically flat and the plot was too schematic, e.g. the characters were either heroes or villains, and Maximus's journey to take vengence and restore his honor was very nearly a straight line. He met and surmounted every crisis with little or no trouble. It was too black-and-white, and too simplistic to arouse any suspense. I loved the battles, and I liked some of the performances, and I was entertained for two hours, but I got everything the movie had to offer after the first viewing. |
I agree with every word, but I might be slightly more forgiving of the archetypical characters, especially because the film is clearly striving for mythmaking proportions. I also appreciated how concentrated the movie was on its themes, and Crowe's performance truly commands attention. As for the Best Picture thing... what's the use of complaining? The Academy Awards have never been about true merit anyway.
Eric |
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Mark Dujsik
Director
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 212
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: 09.14.2003 7:08 am Post subject: |
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Well, I should have seen Matchstick Men tonight, but instead I caught Cabin Fever. Dear lord, what a mess.
Anyway, since we're talking Gladiator, I'm a big fan of the film. Crowe's commanding performance is a given, but Eric's right again about the use of archetypes in characters and story. I really thought the after-life imagery gave it a nice edge as well. I've been meaning to watch it again, so maybe I'll get a chance soon.
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10 Best Films of 2006
Mark Reviews Movies |
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The Third M?n
Studio Exec
Joined: 09 Sep 2003
Posts: 575
Location: Chasing Stef around post-war Vienna
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| Posted: 09.14.2003 7:55 am Post subject: |
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| Glad to see you love it; it's one my favorite films. |
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beltmann
Studio Exec
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 2341
Location: West Bend, WI
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| Posted: 09.14.2003 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Mark Dujsik wrote: | | Well, I should have seen Matchstick Men tonight, but instead I caught Cabin Fever. Dear lord, what a mess. |
Yes, who is going to clean up all that flying flesh?
Eric |
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Mark Dujsik
Director
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 212
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: 09.14.2003 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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| beltmann wrote: |
Yes, who is going to clean up all that flying flesh? |
Maybe that'll be the sequel: Cabin Fever Cleaners. :?
Hmm... That joke made no sense. I'm just going to walk away slowly and pretend I didn't say anything. Don't follow me. There's nothing... to... see... (Mark runs away.)
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"Film lovers are sick people."
--Francois Truffaut
10 Best Films of 2006
Mark Reviews Movies |
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Michael Scrutchin
Studio President
Joined: 26 Jun 2003
Posts: 832
Location: Pearland, TX
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| Posted: 09.14.2003 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Mark Dujsik wrote: | | Well, I should have seen Matchstick Men tonight, but instead I caught Cabin Fever. Dear lord, what a mess. |
I had mixed thoughts about Cabin Fever upon leaving the theater (that ridiculously stupid final joke certainly left a bad taste in my mouth), but, overall, I really enjoyed it. It's not a great horror film, but it's a lot of fun if you're in the right mood. I think it's a much more successful homage to late '70s/early '80s era horror than, say, Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses (which, by the way, I was far too easy on in my review... did I really give that a B-?). I'm currently whipping up a review for the site.
Haven't seen Matchstick Men yet, but I probably will soon -- although Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Lost in Translation are higher on my priority list.
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Michael Scrutchin
Flipside Movie Emporium
www.flipsidearchive.com |
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