Short Review: Tigerbeat has rewritten history.



When I found out that pot-head Brad Pitt was cast as legendary warrior Achilles in Troy I thought it was a mistake. In most cases he has been recycling his role as Jeffrey Goines from 12 Monkeys since 1995. To be honest, pot-head Brad Pitt pulled it off and carries this silly movie.

Pot-head Brad Pitt’s Achilles shows us the inherent torment living in a world where one can have whatever he wants. He knows his of his abilities and his stature above the normal man, but its not enough. Pot-head Brad Pitt’s scenes where Achilles is forced into action because of issues thrust upon him by the arrogant and ruthless Agamemnon (Brian Cox reprising his landmark role from Super Troopers) are perhaps his best in the film. This is primarily because this is the only time Pitt is asked to act. Otherwise he's pretty much a greased up prop.

Brian Cox (Super Troopers) over-acting aside, the acting is actually good (for a bloated, loud McMovie) and the script offers interesting moments. The script also offers some silliness, but this is the Hollywoodization of Troy, what do you expect?

Wolfgang Peterson's direction is strong as usual for his work. This is particularly true in how he shoots his individual fight scenes. I believe he’s one of only a handful of major Hollywood director who is capable of presenting a fight sequence properly. His editing is not too quick and his shots are open enough for us to see the movement. In many cases today, fight scenes are a whirling vortex of close shots lit very darkly. I like it when I can see not only the faces of who is fighting, but how they are going about it. I’m silly that way.

Is this movie worth seeing? Depends, are you literate? Seriously, this is a big, fat Hollywood piece of cinematic chum. It is not a history lesson. If you can accept that, you will probably enjoy seeing this movie.



Cautions: There is plenty of bloody violence and some sexual moments. Neither are over the top however.


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Labels: Brad Pitt, Brendan Gleeson, Brian Cox, Diane Kruger, Eric Bana, film, movie review, Orlando Bloom

There are moments of absolute genius in this film. These moments of brilliance are wedged between sophomoric, half thoughts that should have never made it to the screen. This film is like having fine filet Mignon served between two slices of stale Wonderbread.

The film is little more than a childish revenge fantasy where a small band of eight Jewish soldiers are assembled to commit acts of terrorism against the Nazis who are occupying France. Okay, the film actually has very little to do with that set up. Actually, Tarantino wanders about and all but avoids this construct. Instead he focuses on a developing plot between the soldiers and partisans to blow up a small cinema where all of the Nazi hierarchy, including Hitler himself, will be in attendance. This split narrative offers two avenues for Tarantino to travel. One is a send-up of the highly self-congratulatory aspect of war films; the other a reminder that war film are indeed about real death and real human evil.

Those looking for any historical accuracy will need to look elsewhere. Then again, as with most war movies, Tarantino bends history to meet his temporary needs. To complain that Tarantino takes obvious liberty with reality is as silly as looking at John Wayne's war films and considering them adept examinations of the historical record. What is interesting is that the more preposterous Tarantino gets with his mockery of war movies the less effective his film making becomes. It is when he is dealing very possible situations that the film achieves its highest points.

The "good parts" of the film opens with a carefully executed scene at a French farmhouse. German Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), a.k.a. "The Jew Hunter" has come looking for missing Jewish families from the area. Landa carries himself with a pleasant, refined manner but we understand immediately that this is a slick exterior covering a sinister soul. As the smiling Landa slowly decimates the farmer's hope of keeping the secret that the missing Jews are under his floorboards, it becomes clear we are being treated to a great performance.

The film has Tarantino's name on it. The posters promise Brad Pitt. The fact is that this is Christoph Waltz's movie. His portrayal of Landa is enthralling, absolutely amazing. His demeanor, speech, the way he manages his dialog puts Waltz's work on par with great performances such as Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lector or Ralph Fiennes' Amon Goeth.

It is Waltz's scenes that raise this film above its juvenile roots. When critics praise the film they are thinking of the scenes involving Landa investigating the brewing plot to kill his superiors. The character brings a dark cloud of tension and death wherever he goes. Tarantino smartly allows him to have long, patient conversations with others and the director drags out the tension to excruciating lengths.

The frustrating thing of this film is that Tarantino, while bright enough to create Landa, wasn't controlled enough to give him a worthy adversary. Landa lurks about, causing fear and trembling but there is no one of note confronting him. The "Basterds" are all one dimensional half-thoughts. I dare say that most people watching the film could remember any of their names. The head of the American squad is Lt. Aldo Raine portrayed by Brad Pitt. Pitt embarrasses himself with a shallow performance that is highlighted by the comparison with Waltz. Pitt wads some cotton balls in his mouth and takes eagerly mocking Tennessee hick accent and considers his work done.

To be fair to Pitt and crew Tarantino's script abandons them early on. Down the other road the film travels, we are introduced to the Basterds. Tarantino promises us we'll go along with them on their exploits but then we discover that the frantic director is satisfied with assuming we wouldn't be interested in such nonsense. He shifts gears exploring the preposterous cinema plot. Had Tarantino taken Raine more seriously and raised him to the level he developed Landa, this could have been a masterwork. As it stands, it will get attention but it will also fade away over time. Another example of Tarantino preferring schlock over art.

Cautions: This is a Tarantino movie - there is blood, shooting, stabbing, bludgeoning and pain. There is also plenty of bad language. Although, I probably don't need to tell you that.






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Labels: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, film, movie review, Nazis, Quentin Tarantino

h/t Dr. Epps

Labels: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, review link

Short Review: Apt title, if you redefine "Curious" to mean "Pointless".


Director David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en, Alien3) is brilliant and creating films that are marvelous to view. Each of his films is a fully realized, rich visual orgy for the eyes. He has a talent for design and revels in it every time he gets behind the camera. There are times when his gift compliments his film (Fight Club, Se7en) but there are other times where it overwhelms a weaker script (The Game, Panic Room). Fincher seems to be a little too in love with his own cinematic voice and has begun to trend towards rambling too on long. Like his previous film Zodiac, he has some compelling source material and knows how to design a film around his story. He fails to keep his narrative from getting too lethargic. Like Zodiac this film tends to be a rambling mess without a useful conclusion. Unlike that film, this outing makes up for its deficiencies by displaying a couple of notable performances and a production design worthy of study.

Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the film tells the tale of Benjamin Button who mysteriously is born an old man and gradually gets younger as his life progresses. The central conciet of the film is handled carefully by Fincher who eases the audience into the concept. Brad Pitt as the titular character gives his best performance in years (considering his films over the past few years, this isn't saying much.) He delivers on the task of combining the aging body of an old man with the spirit and mind of a very young boy. This a complicated duality to play out and make believable. Pitt, under Fincher's direction pulls it off. Opposite Pitt, Cate Blanchett plays Daisy, Button's love. While her performance is less challenging on the technical level, Blanchett does provide a empathetic and engaging character to counter Pitt's more novelty based role.

As mentioned, the film's strength is in its look and its ability to bring its world to life. The design work in this production is awe inspiring and a delight to look at. This is one of the rare films that I would recommend based purely on its look. This is a fortunate quality because the story itself ultimately fails. Since it takes place over a lifetime it is episodic. This is a result of trying to bring a life to the screen. Screenwriter Eric Roth managed this task in his script for Forrest Gump and he handles the passage of time in the same manner here. It makes sense to do so, in both stories we're following the life of an odd character across the decades, both of whom make a living on boats by the way. Like Gump, Button's story is interesting but unlike Gump it's not entertaining. This leads to being involved in his story for a good long time, it runs for almost two and a half hours, but not getting much in return. Forest Gump left its audience with a good vibe and a touching conclusion. This film doesn't strive for this result and the ending feels a bit uneven.

I do recommend the film but with the warning that it may be boring for some audience members. It is as stuffy and aloof as it appears. It is also a very literate movie that patiently displays its characters allowing us to enjoy their details.







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Labels: adaptation, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, David Fincher, film, movie review, Tilda Swinton

Screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs)
Director: Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction)
Actors: Brad Pitt (12 Monkeys), Diane Kruger (National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets), Eli Roth (Death Proof), Mike Myers (The Cat in the Hat) and Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane)

Labels: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, film, Mike Myers, movie trailer, Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L Jackson, World War II

Labels: Brad Pitt, Coen Brothers, film, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, movie review, Tilda Swinton

James Cole (Bruce Willis) lives in a future where humans have been forced to scratch a living out underground, driven there by a deadly virus. The powers that be send Cole back to 1996, the year the plague hit so he can gather evidence on its cause. They believe the virus was the responsibility of a group called the Army of the 12 Monkeys. Cole is accidentally sent back too far and winds up wasting away in an insane asylum. There he meets his doctor Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and fellow kooky inmate Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt). Cole continues to time travel and interrupts the lives of Railly and Goines as he slowly closes in on the truth.

Not only is this Terry Gilliam's most accessible film but it is also his best. The biggest reason this is his best film is because he restrains his penchant for self indulgence. Like a speaker who loves the sound of their own voice, Gilliam clearly gets so wrapped up designing his films that he forgets to tell coherent stories.

This film is coherent and benefits from Gilliam's strengths. His unique visual style combined with his sense of the absurd. He slowly weaves a complicated time travel story that at first seems muddled and disjointed. The various strings of images and plot points seem to fly around wildly but are brilliantly tied together in the film's final moments. On first viewing, this ending is one of the most satisfying that I have ever seen.

The standout in this film is Brad Pitt who gleefully plays Goines as a stuttering, twitching sociopath obsessed with animal rights. Pitt clearly established many of his acting tricks from this role as you can see traces of Goines in many of the roles he's done since.

This is a great movie. It is layered and well plotted but not overly so. This makes it a smart, fun film that is a good pick if you're looking for something out of the ordinary.


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Labels: Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, film, Madeleine Stowe, movie review, Terry Gilliam, time travel

This certainly looks interesting and it is directed by David Fincher (Zodiac, Fight Club), one of the better directors of his generation. I have high hopes for this one but the presence of Tilda Swinton gives me pause. Don't get me wrong, Swinton is a solid actress, she's a red flag because she seems drawn to pompous films (Orlando, Adaptation, Edward II, Thumbsucker, Vanilla Sky, The Beach). She's not Nicole Kidman, her presence doesn't guaranty the film will be lousy (Kidman, to my knowledge, has the worst project picking skills of anyone since Dan Ackroyd). Swinton does have some good marks on her resume (Michael Clayton, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) its just that her tendency is to pick insufferable projects. Toss in one of the Fanning kids and Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett working together again, (please let this be more watchable than Babel) and you have some reasons to be concerned its not as good as it looks.



Screenwriter: Eric Roth (Forrest Gump)
Director: David Fincher (Fight Club)
Actors: Brad Pitt (12 Monkeys), Cate Blanchett (Babel), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton), Elle Fanning (Deja Vu), and Julia Ormond (Legends of the Fall)

Labels: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, David Fincher, film, movie trailer, Tilda Swinton

This is a big fat McMovie, and a very charming one at that. Remaking the Rat Pack flick of the same name, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon front an ensemble that includes Elliot Gould, Bernie Mac and Don Cheadle. The titular Ocean (Clooney), and his cohorts, plot to steal from three big ticket casinos all at the same time. Each of these casinos are owned and operated by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Benedict is a ruthless, streetwise business man who will kill the thieves if they get caught.

Little is made of the moral questions at the heart of the piece, we are rooting for the bad guys after all, they're just not as bad as the real bad guy Benedict. Director Steven Soderbergh guides the audience away from the criminality or morality of what's being done on screen and he focuses on making us like these villains as much as possible. He succeeds in delivering a charming film that entertains but at its core, this movie's moral sleight of hand is a bit too manipulative.

I'm certain there's readers who would say "So what? So they rip off a casino? Settle down and just relax, its just a movie!" Stealing is wrong and a film that promotes it is likewise wrong. Screenwriters Ted Griffin (Matchstick Men), clearly understands how to present his story. To steer us away from judging what Ocean and company are doing as being inherently wrong, he makes sure to muddy the moral waters by giving these thieves some honor. They are robbers with rules, those rules are #1 No blood. #2 Rob only who deserves it. #3. Do it as if you have nothing to lose. This is very clever since the rules assure the audience that while these guys steal, they won't hurt anybody, they're not really that threatening. They only hurt people we can all agree have it coming, who can be against the really "bad" people getting hurt? The final rule gives the illusion they are stealing out of need, they have "nothing to lose" which also reduces the reflexive moral judgment because as we all know, there's a difference between stealing for greed and stealing to eat. This and other tricks to distract the audience from what is really happening on screen are done for a single reason - the filmmakers know what they're showing is actually wrong.

I know its a fun film but sometimes adults needs to step back and really look at what they're consuming.


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Labels: Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, film, George Clooney, Matt Damon, movie review

The Coen Brothers are remarkable for their ability to switch between the deeply serious (No Country for Old Men, Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing) to the absurd (Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou). This film is about a couple of quirky gym employees who discover a CIA Agent's memoirs on a CD. All heck breaks loose when they attempt to sell the found property.



Directors: Ethan and Joel Coen (Miller's Crossing)
Screenwriters: Joel and Ethan Coen (The Big Lebowski)
Actors: Brad Pitt (Se7en), George Clooney (Good Night and Good Luck), Tilda Swinton (Orlando), John Malcovich (Dangerous Liasons), Frances McDormand (Fargo), J. K. Simmons (Juno), and Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers)

Labels: Brad Pitt, Coen Brothers, film, George Clooney, J K Simmons, John Malkovich, movie trailer, Tilda Swinton

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Labels: Al Pacino, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, film, George Clooney, Matt Damon, movie review, Vincent Cassel

Releasing in December, the latest film from David Fincher (Zodiac, Fight Club) looks great. They've finally released the trailer in English. Check it out below.



Screenwriter: Eric Roth (Forrest Gump)
Director: David Fincher (Fight Club)
Actors: Brad Pitt (12 Monkeys), Cate Blanchett (Babel), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton), Elle Fanning (Deja Vu), and Julia Ormond (Legends of the Fall)

Labels: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, David Fincher, film, movie trailer, Tilda Swinton

Short Review: Go find the trailer of the film and play it over and over for two hours. Essentially, this is what the director has done.


The movie is almost exactly one-half good, one-half bad. The meat (or should I say beefcake) of the movie is Pothead Brad Pitt and Angelina “No, I’m not crazy, trust me, I’m sane now, honest!” Jolie as an unhappily married couple who are actually fantastic international spies who end up having to kill one another…or something like that, Jolie kept distracting me and I lost a couple of the plot points. Once the two join forces and they blow up their home the film is actually over. Unfortunately, moderately talented director Doug Liman (the man responsible for having the world pretend the puggish Matt Damon is a tough guy in the sleepy Bourne movies) is too limited to understand this wholly obvious point. The film drags on for another hour after this point.

Here’s a clue for Hollywood directors and writers, have a bad guy. Have a breathing, talking, visible bad guy. In this film, Pothead Brad and Human Lipgloss Ad Angelina are the good and bad guys and their respective agencies are their backdrops. Once the two come together the central conflict and the reason for watching the film evaporates. They are left battling faceless minions of an unknown evil for the remainder of the film. This is why the film goes from a mindless but enjoyable Hollywood flick to brainless and horrid shoot-em up.

The first half of the film is very tongue-in-cheek and well written for having the depth of a Bally’s Ad. This part of the movie is pure fluff but relatively harmless in its own little post-modern way. Pothead Brad Pitt is a charismatic actor and Angelina’s surgeons and make-up artists should be proud. Brad offers some endearing quirky moments and Angelina provides her “turn my head to the left and look out of the corner of eyes at the camera while offering a come hither look” look. Perpetual second-banana Vince Vaughn injects his unique brand of buddy character acting that makes me wonder which beer commercial he’s escaped from. Overall, this is just a plain ol’ stupid Hollywood movie, but a passable one.

The second half is a cartoon based on the first half of the film. Pothead and Lipgloss spend their time being chased by their former compatriots in tedious battles. In the final big battle the two models shoot roughly 6,893,886 ½ bad guys while not messing up their hair. This portion is so mindless and slapped together, Pothead is stabbed in the leg by Lipgloss and he doesn’t even yelp. He pulls the offending knife from his thigh and continues to slaughter bad guys. To make things worse for those of us who can’t help but pay attention, Pothead keeps forgetting to limp for the rest of the film.

Here is my advice, watch until their house gets blown up. That is the movie. The rest is just filler.


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Labels: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, film, movie review, spy, Vince Vaughn

The film opens with a boy masturbating after seeing his sister naked and then the piece actually manages goes south from there. Alejandro González Iñárritu's smug and unpleasant work proves that being critically acclaimed doesn't necessarily mean you've made something worth seeing. Much like his previous film 21 Grams, which I recommend, this effort weaves a chain of seemingly unrelated events into one narrative mash. Also like 21 Grams, this film seems completely unaware how self-important it is. This feels less like a movie and more like a rambling lecture where the speaker isn't making any sense but darn it, when they find a point, they mean it!


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Labels: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, film, movie review

They've turned the Wild West into the Wandering, Talks Too Much West.

If you think the title is needlessly drawn out, wait until you see the movie. It has now been proven, you can take one of the most interesting and infamous criminals in American history and turn him into a yammering, and boring she-male. The intentions when making this film may have been good but the results are dismal. For those of you looking for a traditional Western, you're clean out of luck. This isn't a Western, it simply takes place in that time frame. If you're looking for a headier work, you're still going to come up dry. All this movie is offering is two hours and twenty minutes of talented actors drawling through long tracts of dialog for no real purpose. I kept getting the feeling that this was the result of a bunch of effete snobs wandering in the woods telling each other how smart they are.


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Labels: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, film, Mary-Louise Parker, movie review, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard