I watched two amazing movies this 'weekend', and I've got to blather on about them for a bit...
First, Equilibrium. Whooo! That one blew my socks off! (At least, it would have if I'd been wearing socks when I watched it; I was barefoot, however, as usual) It's like taking the basic premise of Fahrenheit 451 and tossing it into a Matrix-style setting. And with Christian Bale and Sean Bean, how can you miss? Not nearly enough Sean Bean for my taste, but at least for once he wasn't completely eeeeeeeeevil. And okay, the religious references were a bit overt (what with a character called 'the Father', people called 'clerics', and that reference to the 'opiate of the masses'...). But still, it was a totally energizing romp. Thank you, Rescue Ranger (aka The Banana Stalker) for recommending it to me!
Second, Ordinary People. Oh my word! Timothy Hutton is gut-wrenchingly amazing! The dude was like 19 or 20, and he was acting more intensely than most 'grown up' actors ever ever ever do! No wonder he got the Oscar that year--I'm surprised they even nominated anyone else. To some of you young squirts reading this who have never even heard of this movie, let me say that I think Matt Damon and Ben Affleck watched Ordinary People a lot before writing Good Will Hunting. Robin William's character in the latter is especially reminiscent of Judd Hirsch's in the former, right down to those saggy blue-grey sweaters.
...revealing my thoughts about movies, writing, and life to the audience...
Rescue Ranger fastforwarded me to the good parts of Equilibrium and I have to say that the hand-to-hand gunfight at the end is probably cooler than anything in the first Matrix.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't that rock? And it goes on and on! Could you imagine rehearsing and filming that? Wow! I really liked the sword-slaughter at the end too, except when he sliced Taye Diggs' face off, which was just doofy.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's probably better than anything in "The Matrix", with the possible except of my most-favorite Matrix scene, where they go thru the metal detectors and then all havoc breaks loose...
except when he sliced Taye Diggs' face off, which was just doofy.Yeah, #1, they were setting you up to laugh with how easily he won the big faceoff, then they went with the horror thingie instead. #2, it was completely cloned from the Resident Evil corridor scene except not half as creepy, compelling, or convincing. That scene was perfect.
ReplyDelete"Ordinary People" was a powerhouse of a film. Complimented by tremendous acting by everyone involved, no wonder it stole awards.Timothy, looking very much like his dad Jim Hutton in this one, was a relative newcomer, and pulled the rug out from everybody. He's an outstanding actor. I agree wholeheartedly about his performance. I believed him every step of the way.Mary Tyler Moore commented that Redford really put her through her paces by telling her to basically lose her "Mary Richards" persona and become Beth, the colder tragedy-scarred character she was playing.
ReplyDeleteI would really love to see it again, because it's been ten years (!) since I saw it and wrote this review, and that's much too long. Too bad our library here doesn't have it.
DeleteHow interesting about MTM! I agree she was really cool in it, and definitely not like Mary Richards. I was pleasantly surprised by both her and Sutherland.
I've been watching Judd Hirsch in the current show Forever, and every scene of his is so entertaining. I always enjoy watching his performances.