The Ghost Writer: 2.5/4 stars.
The Ghost Writer is about a writer who is tasked with taking someone's memoirs and write a book about their life. Ewan McGregor plays the part of the ghost writer writing an "autobiography" of the former prime minister of England (Pierce Brosnan).
I didn't realize until the credits rolled that The Ghost Writer was a Roman Polanski film. I'm not afraid to say that kind of put a twist into my perspective of the movie. Although, I'm going to try to avoid spinning this into a moral argument, I do think that Roman is a waste of talent. If he would (or would have) faced his accusers, paid his time and gotten his (really effed up) mistake behind him, he could get back to making films without having to worry about where.
Moving along.
Great acting on the parts of Ewan McGregor and even Pierce Brosnan(!). I had a difficult time understanding the dialogue however, likely due to the poor sound system I was watching on, and the thick accents of the 'brits.' I had to review some scenes to make sure that I could understand what was going on.
I was glad to view a movie that didn't treat the viewer like an idiot, because it really kept me guessing. In fact, there were a few times that I felt downright lost (perhaps because the accents?). But, in the end, the suspense created when you found out the main character was in trouble was very intense, but I was confused because I didn't really know why he was in trouble.
The cinematography was artful, and the location where the movie was shot was beautiful. I am confused though, it was supposed to have taken place on an island off of Maine. But, I don't know how it's possible that it was shot there, at least with Roman directing.
Overall, it was a good film, one worth seeing at least once.
9.23.2010
9.19.2010
Movie Review: The American
Well, I haven't really established my preference for a scale when rating movies, so I'll stick to the standard 4-Star system...
The American 2/4 Stars
The American showed a lot of promise to me before I saw it. All I had heard about it was that it was a quasi-action suspense drama film starring George Clooney. That was a half truth. It was a quasi-suspense drama film with little action starring George Clooney.
The film starts out building reasonable suspense and questions in the mind of the viewer, and at times, that suspense is re-captured, but I found myself bored for most of the movie. The picturesque village in which the movie takes place was second only to the acting job of George. He, and the scenery, however, were the only shining stars of the film. There were far too many shots of George staring off into the picturesque distance wishing for a life different than his own. You could put a camera on most people in America and get similar shots, and perhaps that's why the film is called 'The American.'
One common theme in the film was the amount of nudity. There was quite a bit, and some lengthy sex scenes. I don't know how to comment about the directors choice in this except two things: he picked his female leads very well, and he has an unhealthy obsession with showing their asses. Like seriously... A lot of ass in this film.
In the end, there was not enough story development as to who certain characters were, nor their motivations. The story also ended abruptly with no followup as to what happened after the climax. I assume that this was an artistic nod, but, therein lies the problem. Unless I'm mistaken, I believe this was a major studio release, but it felt much more like an independent film and as a result, I was left wanting. It's not that I don't enjoy independent films, I just think I was mislead.
I would be surprised if George Clooney didn't get a best actor nod at the Oscars, which might be deserved, but as for the rest of the movie, I hope against seeing any nominations.
The American 2/4 Stars
The American showed a lot of promise to me before I saw it. All I had heard about it was that it was a quasi-action suspense drama film starring George Clooney. That was a half truth. It was a quasi-suspense drama film with little action starring George Clooney.
The film starts out building reasonable suspense and questions in the mind of the viewer, and at times, that suspense is re-captured, but I found myself bored for most of the movie. The picturesque village in which the movie takes place was second only to the acting job of George. He, and the scenery, however, were the only shining stars of the film. There were far too many shots of George staring off into the picturesque distance wishing for a life different than his own. You could put a camera on most people in America and get similar shots, and perhaps that's why the film is called 'The American.'
One common theme in the film was the amount of nudity. There was quite a bit, and some lengthy sex scenes. I don't know how to comment about the directors choice in this except two things: he picked his female leads very well, and he has an unhealthy obsession with showing their asses. Like seriously... A lot of ass in this film.
In the end, there was not enough story development as to who certain characters were, nor their motivations. The story also ended abruptly with no followup as to what happened after the climax. I assume that this was an artistic nod, but, therein lies the problem. Unless I'm mistaken, I believe this was a major studio release, but it felt much more like an independent film and as a result, I was left wanting. It's not that I don't enjoy independent films, I just think I was mislead.
I would be surprised if George Clooney didn't get a best actor nod at the Oscars, which might be deserved, but as for the rest of the movie, I hope against seeing any nominations.
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