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AndyDursin
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#61 Post by AndyDursin »

It's been a long time but I recall positively hating THE ILLUSTRATED MAN when I saw it some years ago on cable. Dated, pretentious, and capped by Stieger overacting in every segment. Especially because I enjoyed reading Bradbury growing up, I was hugely disappointed when I eventually saw it (it was a hard movie to track down for many years, and wasn't available on video until I was in high school or later I believe).

I respect Goldsmith's score more than the movie but, given the type of score it is, it's a brittle, difficult listen and not a work that I find myself having much inclination to hear again.

Bradbury is a difficult author to capture on-screen -- SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES was a lot more successful than THE ILLUSTRATED MAN and has some elements in it that I like, but also had numerous problems of its own that prevented it from being really satisfying. (I still think we'll see a remake one day that might get it right). Prior to that, the TV movie of THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES is heavily dated and disappointing.

Ironically the one adaptation of his that really "got it" was the cable animated movie of THE HALLOWEEN TREE, which Bradbury adapted himself, was produced for TBS back in 1993 and had a superb John Debney score.

JSWalsh
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#62 Post by JSWalsh »

Bradbury is practically impossible to capture on film because his dialogue works in your head but not when heard out loud. I have several of his audio books and even they show this, though I enjoy them.

I don't think this is a defecit, actually, as there are many authors whose dialogue doesn't work when spoken, and that's a secondary consideration.

I don't think THE ILLUSTRATED MAN captures the qualities of Bradbury his fans like best. It's a fine line between gushy syrup and lyrical.

As someone who enjoys many scores that aren't easy listens, I really enjoy listening to this one. I also love listening to his scores for FREUD and THE MEPHISTO WALTZ, though.
John

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Monterey Jack
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#63 Post by Monterey Jack »

Righteous Kill: 1/10

Al, Bobby...what the HELL do you think you're doing?!

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#64 Post by JSWalsh »

Monterey Jack wrote:Righteous Kill: 1/10

Al, Bobby...what the HELL do you think you're doing?!
Imagine the scripts they REFUSE to do?
John

mkaroly
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#65 Post by mkaroly »

JSWalsh wrote:
mkaroly wrote:THE ILLUSTRATED MAN - 8/10. I liked it, though it is really creepy and weird. Steiger is over the top but effectively creepy and it's perspective of the future was so incredibly bleak. I did not read the Bradbury short stories. Very dated in its look but worth watching.
I'm probably preaching to the converted but I love Goldsmith's score for this. The mood it sets is perfect for the movie--it's bleak but it's not depressing, if you catch my drift.

You need to read Bradbury's short stories. Wonderful stuff.
I watched it with a friend who saw it when he was a little kid and loved it since it left him with so many questions. He and I had a long discussion about the movie afterwards (his wife and kids didn't contribute as much) and I suppose that's one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much.

When I have the time I would love to read some of Bradbury's stories.

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AndyDursin
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#66 Post by AndyDursin »

Monterey Jack wrote:Righteous Kill: 1/10

Al, Bobby...what the HELL do you think you're doing?!
I asked for a copy of this, now I'm sorry I did.

88 MINUTES was hilariously bad at the end, I agree. I don't know what compels Pacino to keep working with an all-out hack like Jon Avnet -- maybe they go out drinking and dining every night? Probably that's the reason, because it makes no sense otherwise.

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#67 Post by Monterey Jack »

Considering their age, De Niro and Pacino need to be a lot more selective in their projects. Both men will always be known as two of the acting greats, but their reputations are being hopelessly tarnished by their anything-for-the-paycheck slumming over the past decade. Remember, Sean Connery and Gene Hackman's last movies may turn out to be The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Welcome To Mooseport, respectively. :cry: Both men have more than enough money to live comfortably on for the rest of their lives, so it's time they starting taking the craft a bit more seriously. Take some supporting roles (like De Niro's hilarious turn in Jackie Brown) in movies by talented young auteurs, not middlebrow studio hacks like Jon Avnet and Jay Roach. No more cops (you guys are nearly freaking SEVENTY. You're not fooling anyone). No more action roles. No more creaky "tough guy" posturing. Just ACT. We know you remember how. Quit coasting on your fraying reps and DO something worthwhile or just pack it in.

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#68 Post by AndyDursin »

Connery did produce LEAGUE, and honestly I don't think it's at all bad -- it doesn't quite work but it has some good elements in it. And Connery is likewise good in it too. MOOSEPORT though...Hackman has to do more than Lowes voice-overs to offset that one. :lol:

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#69 Post by JSWalsh »

These guys won't be remembered for their last roles, anyway--when you die or retire, your whole career is seen as one object. Whatever I think of some of their later roles, they'll be remembered for:

Pacino--Godfathers, Scent of a Woman, possibly Heat

Deniro--Taxi Driver, Godfather 2, Raging Bull, possibly Heat

Connery--Bond, Untouchables

Hackman--French Connection, Unforgiven, possibly Conversation
John

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#70 Post by AndyDursin »

I agree with that John. Does anyone remember the final role of...I dunno...James Mason? Agreed it doesn't really matter in terms of their entire body of work -- I think MJ just means it in the context of the audience, and being able to enjoy them in another role again. At least that's how I view it.

I think the issue with DeNiro & Pacino is they still have "time" left and they've gone through a really prolonged period, both of them, of phoning it in.

Connery had a nice kind of "farewell" movie anyway with FINDING FORRESTER, and his late career, as you mentioned, will always be marked by his Oscar winning role in THE UNTOUCHABLES. And he was wise to turn down the latest INDIANA JONES...even LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN had more going for it than KINGDOM OF THE TIRED SKULL.

Hackman has always been a workaholic so there are lots of films to choose from. And he's been in supporting turns for years and years anyway.

Pacino has kind of been on a steady decline since his Oscar win in SCENT OF A WOMAN. Other than HEAT and, say, an amusing performance like DEVIL'S ADVOCATE where he was absurdly over the top, he's been cashing it in for a while. Same with DeNiro.

The two of them could be doing some interesting roles at this stage, but each of them have been..well..making 88 MINUTES and RIGHTEOUS KILL.

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#71 Post by JSWalsh »

What makes their career choices so sad is that they're both capable of more. LOOKING FOR RICHARD and INSOMNIA are proof of that for Pacino. I've never been as enamored of Deniro as most people. Daniel Day Lewis is a good model of how a good actor can be choosey while still keeping his career viable. Crowe and Pitt also make more careful choices than Pacino and Deniro, who seem to want to work but whose instincts seem a little off.
John

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#72 Post by Jedbu »

I agree with you totally re: Bobby and Al. Personally the last performance by Pacino I thought ranked high was FRANKIE & JOHNNIE. As much as I love HEAT, he just chewed the scenery way too often. I actually enjoyed DeNiro in STARDUST, and I'll bet he had fun doing a bit of drag.

To refer to the topic, I just revisited a title I saw back in the late 80's called WHITE MISCHIEF, which starred Greta Scacchi in her heyday of playing nude scenes before Sharon Stone took the crown from her. It is a bizarre little movie that has not come out on DVD here, but a friend loaned me a VHS copy without George Fenton's score. Instead it had a score by someone named "Keff" something, and it is perhaps the worst score I've heard in years. :P The British disc appears to have Fenton's score, but was it on the prints here in the US and the score replaced for the US video release? I don't remember cringing while watching it 20 years ago-any guesses?

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#73 Post by JSWalsh »

I saw it on cable and it had Fenton's score. Schacchi was hot in some of her earlier movies. She is gorgeously nude in THE COCA COLA KID (a nifty little flick with a clever score).

My favorite memory of WHITE MISCHIEF is the line "Another gorgeous (bleep)ing day." Perfectly captures the mood of the idle rich.
John

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AndyDursin
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#74 Post by AndyDursin »

I had to watch BABYLON AD the other night.

Decent first half followed by a horrid last 30 minutes. Odd, strange, and apparently cut to shreds by its corporate entities (Fox, Studio Canal, etc.), with Vin Diesel sharing screen time with Gerard Depardieu. A bizarre "international" affair from French director Mathieu Kassovitz.

For sci-fi crazies just interested in seeing a film that might've been good go so horribly wrong.

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#75 Post by AndyDursin »

Finished APALOOSA this afternoon. It's not bad, but it's hugely disappointing...it never takes off and just kind of sits there. I guess I blame Ed Harris' direction, and likely the fact that the music was just so flat...much like the whole movie.

A let down.

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