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looper007's Replies
Elle definitely has the more unique look and you could easily see her in Vogue and other high class fashion magazines to go along with her acting talent. I just don't think Dakota took as many risks with her career, she played it safe quite a lot and her sister has work with up and coming directors, cool indie directors and done work has demanded a lot from her. She's also keep a toe in the blockbusters but not as many someone as any actress her age would usually do. Sure as I said nothing everything worked, but at least she takes the risks to challenge herself.
Just age and time, I also think getting married and having kids so early into her Hollywood turn probably stopped her career in it's tracks as other actresses came along and took her spot. If she was more ruthlessly ambitious, she probably would have waited until she was a cemented A Lister before she had kids. But rightly she put her own happiness in front of her career. Also she has bipolar Disorder which was going to slow her career down too. Also her husband was suffering from Cancer and she had two little children.
The Mask of Zoro, High Fidelity, Traffic and Chicago both Oscar winners, Oceans Twelve, The Terminal, Side Effects and Feud: Better And Joan. The woman has won an Oscar too.
I wouldn't call her career a disappointment.
For me If you are going with Election been her last great film, let's start from there so.
American Psycho (2001)
Walk The Line (2005) (I question her Oscar win but she's good in it)
Mud (2012)
Wild (2014)
Inherent Vice (2014)
Before Election
Freeway (1996)
Fear (1996) guilty pleasure of mine
Pleasantville (1998)
Throw in Big Little Lies too. She's definitely very hit and miss for me as a actress, some of the films I mentioned she's not even the lead in most of them. I definitely think Election is her best role. But she's been in great films since imo.
I think in that Adrift film, she was at her hottest. She looks far better with longer hair, she's not standout beauty imo but she's got that girl next door look to her and she's cute.
I think the Divergent franchise put a end to her probably been a A-Lister and superstar. But I don't think it did to much damage to her movie career overall.
She's got the big TV hit Big Little Lies. Most of her movie roles have been little seen and she seems to have gone more into Indie work then big blockbuster stuff, although she was supposed to do Jumanji reboot but it clashed with Big Little Lies, so Karen Gillian took her part. She also turned down or miss out on roles that probably could have easily put Divergent misfire behind her. stuff like Fifty Shades of Gray, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (she was more cut out of that then turning it down), Les Miserables (she lost out to Amanda Seyfried) and The Hunger Games (she was favorite for a while until J.Law came along). Say if she got Fifty Shades of Gray and The Hunger Games franchises, she would have been a far bigger name then she is now as much as those films aren't any use.
Her best films to date probably her breakthrough in The Descendants, The Fault in Our Stars and Spectacular Now. She's yet to really have a breakout adult performance. She badly needs one for me.
It's a film that doesn't get the love it deserves and I can see why it doesn't as I explain below.
It's far bleaker then it's French counterpart The Beat That My Heart Skipped, the kind of film that you could only make in cinema in the 70's. I could imagine feminists kicking up a fuss about how women characters are treated in the film, one of the reasons why this film isn't more well known. I think The Beat That My Heart Skipped is a better film for me cause Harvey Keital character is somewhat redeemable and is shown with more depth then been just a straight out thug. Plus the ending isn't as anywhere near as bleak as in Fingers and more hopeful. But I think both films made great counterparts imo.
Keital is fantastic, as is Michael V Gazzo as his father. The soundtrack of 50's and 60's tunes is great. And it's great spotting all the future Sopranos cast members in the film. I like to see it getting a Criterion Collection release. It's a flawed film but I love it for it's flaws.
Great mention for Thelma & Louise. He's great in that. I love the scene when they catch up with Brad Pitt's character, and Pitt is been a smart arse and Keital's character goes bad ass on him.
Bad Lieutenant (1992)
Fingers (1978)
Blue Collar (1978)
He was great in Mean Streets, but De Niro outshone him imo.
Even I think Lost in Translation is massively overrated, saved by a wonderful turn by Bill Murray and a great soundtrack.
I think there is a great director in there, I think Virgin Suicides is her best work to date. I thought The Beguiled is a solid film. I thought The Bling Ring and Somewhere were boring and self indulgent. Marie Antoinette was interesting take but doesn't work as a overall film.
She has her style of filmmaking and doesn't seem to want break from it. None of her films beside Lost in Translation have really hit at the box office but she seems to be respected name, so good on her.
I think he saw Fanning as his play thing and beside that didn't care a jot for her. I agree that he was just smoothing over Kidman as she was the boss of the household, I'm sure if he was given a chance he probably would have slept with her. With Dunst character, I'm on the fence if he really cares for her. I think she's the only one that really loves him. Fanning only interested in him as she's young and horny and Kidman doesn't seem interested and is only flattered by his kind words. I think Dunst would have probably left with Farrell's character or given up the other's up if she knew of the plan to poison Farrell's character. I think once he loses the leg and she clearly shows she cares for him is probably then he probably shows his true feeling for her imo
McBurney was having the best of both worlds, he got free room and board. He also thought he could have his way with Kidman, Fanning's and Dunst characters. I doubt he cared for any of them but knew he had to keep them onside to not have them give him up to the enemy. I think Miss Martha was probably attracted to him and his attention, but I got she was the least interested in him. I think Edwina was clearly heads over heels in love with him, and I think that's why McBurney zoned in on her. I think with Alicia, she was horny young lady and probably would have put out easily for him compared to Edwina. I think Alicia for McBurney was just sexual object for him. I think he somewhat cared for Edwina but I do think he was making sure they wouldn't have given him up.
I think more in the 71 version, it comes off that she meant it out of spite. But in this version, I think she did it to save his life
I definitely prefer the Original, just cause it's feels more like horror film and it delves more deep into the characters and the ending feels more downbeat. But I think this Sofia Coppola version is a lot better then some give it credit for, I think Colin Farrell is fantastic, he goes from smooth charmer into sad loser and is the best thing in it, I thought Eastwood played a better bastard though. I thought Nicole Kidman was good too, but she's no Geraldine Page. I thought Kristen Dunst played her part well and Elle Fanning was a little underused. I thought Oona Laurence as Amy was the standout from the younger cast, shame to see Angourie Rice who was great as Ryan Gosling's daughter in the awesome The Nice Guys, somewhat wasted.
As a remake, it's nothing goundbreaking. It didn't overstay it's welcome and it's one of Coppola's film's I actually enjoyed, she's a director I just don't get the hype around. Solid 6/10. Watch the original instead.
It was way too long and in love with itself, but it had some great moments and a great turn from Samuel l Jackson and Jennifer Jason Leigh and with a little editing could have been his best film in years. But a lot like his latest movies they are way too long.
It's still a fantastic film, and you can see why it was so groundbreaking for it's time. I still put Pulp Fiction ahead of it, but Jackie Brown and this are duking it out for 2nd place on my list. I always go for early Tarantino over his later films, although I really like Django Unchanined, Kill Bill films and The Hateful Eight. His first three films are still his best and most fun for me.
Great performances from all the cast especially Madsen and Keital for me. Great dialogue and a fast pace really stand out. I think he went back to this one location style with The Hateful Eight which didn't pack as much as punch as Dogs did.
That's you're opinion of course. I think it's masterpiece of early 70's cinema, and the start of the late great Nicholas Roeg's great 70's run and late Donald Cammell. That's why I love it for the reasons you dislike it, that it's strange, it's editing is unique and it's got a bleak end of the 60's now into drug fueled 70's feel to it. To have got such a art house film made by Warner Brothers deserves praise. A great turn from James Fox, really eye opening as he usually played upper class toffs in his films, and he goes agaisnt type to portray a East End working class gangster. Watch is performance in The Servant then his turn in Performance and it's mind blowing. Mick Jagger is basically doing a Brian Jones impression, and he bring a awesome song called Memo From Turner to the film and you get a 70's classic, and I think it's one of the best films of the 70's. 10/10 for me.
Reid portrayal did seem like to get one over someone you just don't like. I've heard stories with some talent that knew Reid well, that he wasn't anywhere near as bad he was shown in the film. Even the article you linked too shows many feel the film's portrayal of him was unfair. If I was Reid I'd be pissed off too, basically he's shown to be callous, sex maniac asshole.
I think it better then you give it credit for. Is it a all time classic, no not really. Is it anywhere near Lee's best film, no way I'd have Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X, Inside Man, Crooklyn, Blackkklansman, 25th hour are all better films imo. I'd put it in middling Lee group, still good films just flawed like Jungle Fever, Summer of Sam, Clockers,He Got Game, Get On The Bus, Mo Better Blues and I think She's Gotta Have It slips easily into that group.
You can see why it was such a calling card for Lee as a director and is still highly rated and now has a spin off show on Netflix. The film wears it's influences on it's sleeve like French New Wave, John Cassavates's debut Shadows and Jim Jarmusch early work. I love Bill Lee's Jazzy soundtrack, the performance from Tracy Camilla Johns is career making but she only acted in a few films after which is a shame. Only performance I wasn't feeling was Tommy Redmond Hicks as Jamie, his acting was off for me. I liked the breaking of the third wall with character's talking to the audience. I like that Nola Darling is still the same person in the end that she was at the start and doesn't change herself which is pretty ballsy thing to do in the 80's. The locations around New York from the 80's are great.
I'm still uneasy with the rape scene and the film is too in love with itself in places and drags even at only 85 mins long. But overall a very good debut from Lee.
She's probably at her most adorable here, I think she was sexier in other films and black hair suits her.
As I always say when it comes to the late great Jonathan Demme's work, even if his so-so films have a lot going for them.
I would put Married To The Mob above the likes of Swing Shift, Ricki and the Flash, Beloved and The Truth About Charlie, it's nowhere near his worse film. I think it's got flaws to it for sure, the whole third act isn't as good as the first two imo, What in the hell happened to Pfeiffer's character's son, he just disappears half way through the film, and I don't quite buy the Modine and Pfeiffer romance. It feels like a 80's film and hasn't aged too well. It does have some cheesy stuff in there.
But it's got some great things in it, Michelle Pfeiffer is fantastic in it, you can see why for a while she was a big star. I think while some go OTT in their performances she remains the heart and soul of the film. People forget she was a very good actress. Matthew Modine is fine, I think they could have casted better but he's nowhere awful.I think someone like a Jeff Daniels (who Demme worked with on the by far better Something Wild) would have been a better choice. Dean Stockwell and Mercedes Ruehl are acting up a storm and having fun with it.I think Ruehl almost steals the film. Nice little performances from Alec Baldwin and Oliver Platt. The soundtrack is fantastic and the train scene at the start is a great scene. Some of the comedy hits the mark and it's supposed to be a satire. It doesn't always work but it's a film i would recommend.
I probably give it 6.5 on IMDB. It's got a sweetness to it and Pfeiffer delivers one of her better performances. Not one of Demme's greatest films but not one his worse either.
She definitely looks like her mum from the late 80's period, with a splash of her Dad in there. Be Interesting to see how her career plays out.