Posted on 06/06/2005 11:16:07 AM PDT by NutCrackerBoy
Too little, too late.
I heard Russel was arrested for trying to KO a hotel clerk yesterday.
Saw the film over the weekend with the wife. We both liked it.
I'm not prepared to say it will have been the best-directed film of the year, but I predict liberal Hollywood will punish it at Oscar time.
My wife and I had a rare spare evening to catch a movie without the kids.
It was this or Star Wars..I wish we would have seen Cinderella man...star wars wasnt nearly as good as I heard.
The wife kept elbowing me, as I had a tendency to giggle at inappropriate moments. A poor movie, IMHO. It shines only in comparison with the two preceding, which were truly awful.
But then I was never a fan of even the original trilogy.
I thought Paul Giamatti should get a best supporting actor nomination for his portrayal of Joe Gould, Braddock's trainer.
I thought Yoda was the highlight of the whole movie.
but Ive seen him before. The 1st movie to come out was still the best..I guess 20 years of special effects since then sort of makes it ho hum.
The plot stunk..it was as if they were just trying to tie up all the lose ends instead of making it interesting.
The dog fights in the beginning were were pretty cool but renting the dvd would have been a better route.
It did beat a chick flick, so not all was lost.
But back on subject I look forward to watching Cinderella man..though Im sure it cant compare to Gladiator.
brawling punk actor plays good guy- big reach
Hi diddle dee dee
an actor's life for me
"Truly awful" on the first two is kind of harsh, don't you think?
I mean..Gigli..that Bennifer bomb ranks as truly awful. Compared to that SW3 deserves and oscar.
I did have one reaction that surprised me. About half-way through the film (2 hr. 14 minutes), I had a kind of epiphany. I realized I was watching something that did not exist any longer. Yes, the setting is the 1930s, and yes, that was 75 years ago. But, it's not just the passage of years. Cultures have lives that far exceed the lives of those who live within them. The culture I was watching in the film is not the one in which I live today. Indeed, it's difficult to suppose they are even related in any way more than the mere succession of years.
For the first time that I can recall, I knew I was watching a culture that had passed away. I can't recall ever sensing this before. When Hollywood portrays a past era, it seems inevitably to squirt something anachronistic into it, usually in the form of modern values that would never have been around in that by-gone era, or if so, then not in the form in which they appear in the screenplay. This is why I hate Bible movies. No one can leave the background alone; it must always be updated, embellished from a modern point of view.
But Cinderella Man is different. It all hangs together. This or that scene, this or that plot device, this or that comment -- which would sound trite, or banal, or ridiculously pollyanna-ish in any modern setting -- they all fit together naturally in this film. I wasn't alive back then, but I know a lot of people who were, and what I've gleaned from them about that time validates what Ron Howard portrays in the film -- not just the characters, but the entire cultural matrix of the time.
And that is what I realized was utterly gone. Today is the brave new world.
You'll enjoy this film.
i thought the rules stated, hit with gloves only, not telephones...
I kind of like honesty in "reality based" movies. Max Baer was no killer (as depicted). Howard needed a "bad" guy to make the hero look more heroic. It was unnecessary and cheap, aside from the fact that it indicates a lack of skill on the writer's part.
Russel Crowe, Rene Zellwegger, and Paul Giamatti should all get Academy Awards. Great Movie. Very well directed and acted.
Right!
My different but related reaction was that this film shows that the Greatest Generation "had the stuff." And it does it realistically.
We know for a historical fact that the Americans, despite being weakened by a depression, went out and defeated enemies that had buku strength and momentum. It wasn't luck.
That era is gone, but I am not convinced that its spirit is gone forever. Our postmodern way of looking at and talking about things tends to deny the reality of spirit. That is not only the fault of liberalism.
Actually, we had bailed out of Monster-in-law, which was even worse, IMO. Unappealing actors in unattractive roles.
Im just glad the yaya sisterhood or some other chick flick wasnt out that my better half insisted on seeing.
Just watched what has to be the best movie I've seen in five years, and a movie that would already have to find a place in the top ten of all time. If you want to see a film that captures the essence of the American dream, with wonderful performances, especially from Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti, and a conclusion that makes you feel like you've just been at the greatest live sporting event of your life, you've got to see this. It's an homage to what used to be known as old-fashioned virtues without ever being heavy-handed or didactic. I challenge anyone to keep a lump out of their throat when Crowe as Braddock finds out his son stole a salami from the local butcher (the family is essentially starving) and then makes the boy take it back after telling him "we don't steal, never," or is forced to finally go on assistance, making it plain it's the lowest thing he's ever had to do (he takes the money back, later, in another great scene). This is just a great, great movie, as you could guess given some of the sneering reviews by some of the more liberal reviewers. Little Opie has made one helluva film about courage, honor, manly virtues, and his own belief in America. Hollywood will probably never forgive him for it, but everyone else should be grateful for this gift. This is one you don't want to miss.
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