Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Perfectly constructed. Perfectly acted. Perfectly directed. This is the kind of movie that inspires me to be a screenwriter. It’s also the kind of movie that leads me to believe I never will be. How could I write something this extraordinary? Even the end credits – a dance number by the cast […]
Entries Tagged as 'Adaptation'
Slumdog Millionaire
November 8th, 2009 · No Comments · 2008, Adaptation, Color, Danny Boyle, Dev Patel, Drama, Freida Pinto, India, Pathe Pictures International, Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire, Widescreen
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Departed, The
November 6th, 2009 · No Comments · 2006, Adaptation, C-Word, Color, Composer: Howard Shore, Departed, Drama, F-Word, Jack Nicholson, Martin Scorsese, N-Word, Nudity, Sex, Warner Bros. Pictures
Few movies are as violent, foul-mouthed, and bloody as The Departed. I can’t help but wonder what audiences in, say, 1939 would have thought of The Departed had this film been inserted into the projector instead of Gone With the Wind. I dare say every last one of them would have run, screaming, out of […]
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Million Dollar Baby
November 4th, 2009 · No Comments · 2004, Adaptation, Clint Eastwood, Color, Drama, Mid-Point, Million Dollar Baby, Morgan Freeman, Paul Haggis, Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Screenplay Structure, Warner Bros. Pictures
I think I’ve seen this movie before – when it was called Gran Torino. Or was it Rocky? Or maybe it was The Wrestler. Or Who’s Life Is It Anyway? I don’t know. There’s a little of each of those movies in Million Dollar Baby. There’s something very familiar about this movie. Maybe I think […]
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The Lord Of the Rings: The Return of the King
November 3rd, 2009 · 2 Comments · 2003, Adaptation, Bernard Hill, Color, Composer: Howard Shore, Fantasy, JRR Tolkien, LOTR: The Return of the King, New Line Cinema, New Zealand, Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings, Viggo Mortensen
Where do I even begin to comment on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King? I feel like falling to my knees and shrieking “I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy!” The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King surpasses even Gone With the Wind for sheer scope. Director Peter Jackon’s […]
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Chicago
November 2nd, 2009 · No Comments · 2002, Adaptation, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago, Color, Miramax, Musical, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere
Did I say that I hate musicals? Silly me. I meant to say I hate most musicals. Chicago is a musical, sure. But it’s so damn fun that I forget that people are singing their way through the story. Plus, it’s about hoofers, dancers, people who shake their booties and tap their toes. Chicago harkens […]
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A Beautiful Mind
November 1st, 2009 · No Comments · 2001, A Beautiful Mind, Adaptation, Color, Composer: James Horner, Drama, Dreamworks Pictures, Ed Harris, James Horner, John Nash, Mid-Point, Plot Point I, Plot Point II, Ron Howard, Russell Crowe, Screenplay Structure
Now this is a movie that showcases both great acting and fantastic direction – and does so in such a way that neither calls attention to itself. The end result is a movie that doesn’t look or feel like a movie. A Beautiful Mind is a an incredibly moving experience. For me, a lot of […]
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English Patient, The
October 27th, 2009 · No Comments · 1996, Adaptation, Color, Drama, English Patient, Kristin Scott Thomas, Michael Ondaatje, Miramax, Naveen Andrews, Nudity, Ralph Fiennes, Sex, War, Willem Dafoe
Once again, I must turn to Seinfeld to help set the tone for my blog entry. This time, it’s Season 8, Episode 17: “The English Patient.” Mr. Peterman and Elaine are in a theater watching the movie The English Patient. Peterman stares, enraptured, at the screen. Elaine is totally frantic with boredom. PETERMAN: Elaine, I […]
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Forrest Gump
October 25th, 2009 · No Comments · 1994, Adaptation, Color, Drama, F-Word, Forrest Gump, Paramount Pictures, Robert Zemeckis, Robin Wright, Saddest Movie Of All Time, Tom Hanks
After Schindler’s List ended a minute or two before midnight last night, I waited until the new day official began and then popped Forrest Gump into the DVD player. I didn’t want to attempt sleep with visions of Schindler’s List jack-booting through my dreams. Not that Forrest Gump is all sweetness and light. There is […]
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Schindler’s List
October 24th, 2009 · No Comments · 1993, Adaptation, Black and White, Drama, F-Word, Nationalization, Nazi Socialist Germany, Oskar Schindler, Schindler's List, Seinfeld, Sex, Smoking, Steven Spielberg, Universal Pictures
In my mind, Schindler’s List will forever be associated with the two-part episode of Seinfeld (Season 5, episodes 18 and 19: “The Raincoats 1 and 2”) that aired in 1994. Jerry’s parents are staying with him while they’re visiting from Florida. Consequently, he hasn’t any privacy. And he wants time alone with his girlfriend, Rachel. […]
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