Cool News
CROSSING OVER Screens In LA! Is It Worth A Trip Across The Border? Is This Harrison Ford’s TRAFFIC?!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
I don’t think I’m onboard the Wayne Kramer train.
In fact, I think I’m sort of baffled about why there is a Wayne Kramer train. I thought THE COOLER was okay, but hardly a great film. And if anything, RUNNING SCARED seemed to me to be a huge step in the wrong direction, trading generic Tony Scott Avid farts for anything human or interesting about Kramer’s first film.
So which Wayne Kramer made CROSSING OVER? And is this going to be the film that erases the sting of passing on TRAFFIC for Harrison Ford, the way RETARDING HENRY was supposed to soothe the pain of skipping his chance to make BIG? Only time will tell, but today’s spy has at least seen the film, and has this to say about it:
(I would like to remain anonymous)
No Spoilers
Hey Guys,
I went to a screening of the immigration-drama 'Crossing Over' in Burbank last night, and thought I'd share my thoughts of the film. The film stars Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta.
First off, the acting was by far the best thing about the film. Though it is an ensemble piece with little time devoted to anyone aside from Harrison Ford's character, the conflicts explored throughout the film are only emphatic due to the acting of Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta and all the other actors who contributed to the movie. However, contary to how the film is likely to be advertised, Sean Penn is only in two scenes throughout the entire thing.
Aside from the acting, I thought this movie was a horrible piece of utter trash -- and by far, one of the most irresponsible portrayals of such a critical issue. While film-makers withhold the right to examine and promote anything they want, they should also acknowledge that they must do so without trying to manipulate the audience in order to sway them on an issue, as if they were all puppets on strings.
Crossing Over examines the hardships incurred by various immigrants who are forced to break the law in order to establish lives in America. Repeatedly, we are shown how victimized these people are because they want nothing more than a chance at the prospects of good living, but who are constantly treated poorly because of their illegal status. This is why there are no main characters -- the film bounces back and forth between strangers until we are bored of seeing the same problems. However, the film never attempts to explore the negative aspects of illegal-immigration, not even by mentioning surplus population, lowered living standards, breaking the economy, etc. Regardless of one's view on the matter, it is only a successful examination if the film-makers explore both sides of the argument equally, allowing the viewer to make up their minds for themselves.
Consider how well this model worked in Curse of the Black Pearl, which each character represented an aspect of the theme to convey if criminal acts could actually be considered moral in certain situations.
This film does nothing like that. We are spoon-fed cliche stories on the poor Middle-Easterners who are treated like terrorists; the "fobs" who don't want to Americanize themselves; the Mexicans who just want better lives, etc. These are all realisitic issues -- but the film is so obviously a hit piece on anti-amnesty. More than half the audience left before the crews could even pass out the surveys.
In essence, this film is a faux attempt to be dramatic. It was made purely to get to the Academy Awards while solely promothing the writer/director's viewpoint on the issue of illegal immigration. It is the cinematic equivalent to children's learning book: this is right, this is wrong.
Regardless of that major complaint, the film isn't worth seeing simply because it goes nowhere for two hours. I didn't care about the characters for the most part, and the best scene of the movie shortly becomes its worst scene -- when a cop tries to convince a kid that he has a chance at a good life in America after he kills four of his co-conspirators. The soft music, the slow zoom ins, it all amounted to nothing but cliche garbage.
Don't let the ensemble cast deceive into thinking it's a good movie. Beware, 'Crossing Over' is boring trash.
No Spoilers
Hey Guys,
I went to a screening of the immigration-drama 'Crossing Over' in Burbank last night, and thought I'd share my thoughts of the film. The film stars Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd and Ray Liotta.
First off, the acting was by far the best thing about the film. Though it is an ensemble piece with little time devoted to anyone aside from Harrison Ford's character, the conflicts explored throughout the film are only emphatic due to the acting of Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta and all the other actors who contributed to the movie. However, contary to how the film is likely to be advertised, Sean Penn is only in two scenes throughout the entire thing.
Aside from the acting, I thought this movie was a horrible piece of utter trash -- and by far, one of the most irresponsible portrayals of such a critical issue. While film-makers withhold the right to examine and promote anything they want, they should also acknowledge that they must do so without trying to manipulate the audience in order to sway them on an issue, as if they were all puppets on strings.
Crossing Over examines the hardships incurred by various immigrants who are forced to break the law in order to establish lives in America. Repeatedly, we are shown how victimized these people are because they want nothing more than a chance at the prospects of good living, but who are constantly treated poorly because of their illegal status. This is why there are no main characters -- the film bounces back and forth between strangers until we are bored of seeing the same problems. However, the film never attempts to explore the negative aspects of illegal-immigration, not even by mentioning surplus population, lowered living standards, breaking the economy, etc. Regardless of one's view on the matter, it is only a successful examination if the film-makers explore both sides of the argument equally, allowing the viewer to make up their minds for themselves.
Consider how well this model worked in Curse of the Black Pearl, which each character represented an aspect of the theme to convey if criminal acts could actually be considered moral in certain situations.
This film does nothing like that. We are spoon-fed cliche stories on the poor Middle-Easterners who are treated like terrorists; the "fobs" who don't want to Americanize themselves; the Mexicans who just want better lives, etc. These are all realisitic issues -- but the film is so obviously a hit piece on anti-amnesty. More than half the audience left before the crews could even pass out the surveys.
In essence, this film is a faux attempt to be dramatic. It was made purely to get to the Academy Awards while solely promothing the writer/director's viewpoint on the issue of illegal immigration. It is the cinematic equivalent to children's learning book: this is right, this is wrong.
Regardless of that major complaint, the film isn't worth seeing simply because it goes nowhere for two hours. I didn't care about the characters for the most part, and the best scene of the movie shortly becomes its worst scene -- when a cop tries to convince a kid that he has a chance at a good life in America after he kills four of his co-conspirators. The soft music, the slow zoom ins, it all amounted to nothing but cliche garbage.
Don't let the ensemble cast deceive into thinking it's a good movie. Beware, 'Crossing Over' is boring trash.
-
+ Expand All
-
And could he possibly review a movie without them?
-
Harrison Ford makes bad films when he's not working with Spielberg or Scott. Simple.
-
I haven't heard anything about this movie before, good or bad, but comparing this movie to Curse of the Black Pearl seems like comparing Schindler's List to Serenity.
-
As in "Pirates of the Caribean - the Curse of the Black Pearl"? I can't take the review seriously when it references "Pirates of the Caribean" as a legitimate moral study of criminals and their motives. Really? The eye-candy Disney adventure film? The reviewer seems to have a political bias which jaded his review. I'll wait to hear other less biased reviews.
-
Oct 12, 2007 5:47:53 PM CDT
"Consider how well this model worked in Curse of the Black Pearl
by -guyinthebackrow
That's a joke, right?
-
It's a movie. It doesn't have to examine both sides of the issue.
This "review" was about politics, not about the movie. -
"Regardless of one's view on the matter, it is only a successful examination if the film-makers explore both sides of the argument equally, allowing the viewer to make up their minds for themselves."
I couldn't disagree with that more. I may not agree with the movie, and I may even think it sucks, but a movie isn't successful because it shows "both sides" (and really, what issue only has two sides?)What makes a great movie is exactly the opposite...the P.O.V. of the movie and people involved in making it. Citizen Kane didn't set out to make a well-balanced, objective portrait of Hearst. -
Well, what's the point?
-
did anyone who works here read it before posting it?
As mentioned in nearly all the previous commnets...the reference to that pirate movie in a review of a film about contemporary immigration was inappropriate, and a bit nuts.
at the very least: before posting such an article, you all could give a little warning(i.e. "here's a strange review for everyone to ponder) -
was a great little film with all sorts of character development. A film like crossing Over cant be compared to it, or POTC. What the hell is wrong with this reviewer?
-
He has the same beef that I do with SCHINDLER'S LIST, which COMPLETELY ignores the sympathetic side of the Nazis. I mean, without the Nazis, we wouldn't have Volkswagens.
I also think that DELIVER US FROM EVIL completely ignored all the good that Catholic Priests have done. -
Oct 12, 2007 6:51:49 PM CDT
I love how everyone is surprised this guy has political opinions
by j-dizzle
EVERYONE HAS POLITICAL OPINIONS!!! We see this in talkbacks every friggen day!!!!!
-
in a sleazy dirty sort of way
-
Oct 12, 2007 7:22:18 PM CDT
hey i know! if you are being treated unfairly, GO BACK TO MEXICO
by bmacsmith
Where your citizenship gives you full rights!
-
I always have problems to transcend gigantic laugh issues to these little text boxes. Especially in this case. But beyond my "he (he(the reviewer)'s such an inhumane nutcase" laughter there's that fear that once again...Harrison Ford chose poorly...
-
And yet he didn't talk about the acting....This is a worthless excuse for a "review".
-
i was still laughing...hence the typos.
-
Wayne Kramer's work is so underappreciated.
-
This review is worthless, not because it picks a pretty dumb comparison (Black Pearl), but because it's premise is faulty to begin with: "While film-makers withhold the right to examine and promote anything they want, they should also acknowledge that they must do so without trying to manipulate the audience in order to sway them on an issue, as if they were all puppets on strings." Um, no... the filmmaker "should" do whatever it is that he or she intends to do. In this case, he apparently wanted to portray one side of the story. Fine.
It appears that this spy wasn't so much offended at the film, but at the political stance of the film. It's a valid view to have, but it hardly makes the movie trash. I'll reserve judgment until I see a real review of the film, or better yet, until I see it myself. -
Oct 12, 2007 7:53:16 PM CDT
I have never seen a review turn to horrible so quickly due to a
by industrykiller!
Curse of the Black Pearl....really? And here I was just enjoying the effete pirates and skeleton monkey's. Maybe, he's right, I guess Dead Man's Chest was really an eamination on how the spectres of British Imperialism haunt us to this day leading up to even the Iraq War. Yes, indeed. It's a shame, because just given the films material I was looking forward to a talkback showcasing the inhumanity of our more conservative talkbackers, who usually take this bate like a shark to chum to make fools of themselves. Alas...only BMacsmith so far.
-
I am in the minority. I hated the cooler, thought it was a great idea done terribly, with everyone overacting and everything being so damn obvious. Running scared took everything a step further. i think this guy is a hack and i have interest in seeing this flick... but again, it's all subjective.
-
Talk about biased. I am more excited about the movie than ever. And Harrison is Indiana Jones, bitches!
-
"Consider how well this model worked in Curse of the Black Pearl, which each character represented an aspect of the theme to convey if criminal acts could actually be considered moral in certain situations."
In full GEICO Caveman voice: What? -
So can my 9 minute short film taking place in a car where I'm a man being a woman listening to Frank Zappa music while a hitchhiker might be a killer!
-
PTA.Id be surprised if ford every won any type of award because let be honest,he's a great actor that sticks to the same type of formula.Not to say thats bad but all his films are Harrison ford films except star wars and those dont take good acting.
Yeah he needs to hook up with PTA and have PTA really challange ford as an actor,maybe then he'll get his oscar. -
wrong with that review. Seriously, re-read it. "conflicts explored throughout the film are only emphatic" EMPHATIC!? "While film-makers withhold the right to examine" WITHHOLD?! This guy obviously has zero idea what he's talking about, and is using big words to make himself sound intelligent. The Pirates reference would have put paid to that, if he hadn't already used the wrong fucking intelligent-sounding words. Absolute joke of a review.
-
right on, brother.
-
...a Harrison Ford related TB without all of those pesky "HAM" references...
-
You say that other than Spielberg or Scott-directed films, Ford isn't in any good films. Have you seen "The Fugitive"? "Witness"? "The Mosquito Coast"? The original Star Wars trilogy? These are just to name a few, but your extreme statements hold about as much water as a hummingbird bladder.
-
Oct 13, 2007 3:18:25 AM CDT
Ford hasn't made an entertaining film since Air Force One
by kwisatzhaderach
Ten long years ago...and hasn't made a truly great film since The Fugitive in 93. I hope he can still play Indy...
-
When will Hollywood make a balanced pirate movie, about filthy immigrants that ruin your drinking water. And the well meaning day laborer that fixes my roof for mere peanuts.....*sigh* A man can dream though, a man can dream......
-
If they put Al Gore in it.
Doesn't have to be for long. Just a quick still photograph at the end. If a powerpoint presentation can win an oscar, think of what an actual movie can do with Mr. Internet.
Bring on the award season! -
Let's see how far he's come. Go Al Gore. One more grammy in the bag! They should make Al's Grammies in copper--so they're green.
-
They need to fix the LEGAL immigration process. You know what every other country does with illegal immigrants?
They SHOOT them. Give me a break about the "poor" immigrant waterworks. Half of them are felons from their own countries, many are rapists and drug-traffickers, more laugh at our assistance as if we are fools, and all of them burden the economy (particularly health care). I'm sure we prefer the "Leave It To Beaver" view of immigrants. But it is simply not the case. If we need more immigrants to supplement labor (a flimsy argument to begin with for a number of reasons), then let's change the process to bring them in legally and issue temporary working visas.
Breaking the law is still breaking the law. And we need another piece of Hollywood propaganda like a hole in the head. The same assholes who give this movie (and Michael Moore) a pass for not showing the "other side" are the ones who would butcher an anti-immigration piece or any film that would be remotely conservative. Yeah, I'm looking at you, Harry. Why not try for just a little intellectual honesty for once? Keep bleating, idiots. -
amazing, but based on the Brother's Grimm stories. Made in 2004, but held up for the additional CGI.
-
Since 1986 Harrison has been wallowing ever deep in the sludge pit of progressively filthier lucre. As for Running Scared - loved the kiddie-raper disturbanites and the Nosferatuesque shadows. And any movie that cites the tragically unappreciated The Cowboys deserves to have their gaping flaws overlooked.
-
It was a Ford Explorer, I believe.
-
Literally. Anyone who doesn't enjoy that movie on some level is either an a)woman or b)Helen Keller.
-
My girlfriend loved Running Scared. Maybe it was because I explained the fairy tale aspect to her beforehand but we both walked out of the theater happy.
And no, I'm not dating Helen Keller. -
I saw Random Hears, K-19, and What Lies Beneath. While his character in the latter surprised me, the movies were only good, at best. I guess we've just been spoiled by the 20 years prior to these, and were expectinga home run every time. Don't be hating on Regarding Henry though, if you haven't seen it you gotta get yourself some of that.
-
C'mon, Mori, that shit's beneath you. I'd expect it out of most of the fucksticks that frequent these TBs, but not you. Given that the T is just above the G, please tell me that was a typo.
-
"Though it is an ensemble piece with little time devoted to anyone aside from Harrison Ford's character..." This shit doesn't make sense, B.
-
I enjoyed Running Scared for what it was, trashy nonsense.
-
Sounds great!
-
Oct 14, 2007 2:07:01 AM CDT
I Thought Maybe I Missed a Legitimate Documentary on Immigration
by birdys piano teacher
Called "The Curse of the Black Pearl". But no, he meant the pirates movie. You have got to be kidding.
-
heh did he gain weight for the role?
-
...primarily because - apart from Indiana Jones - Harrison Ford has proved unable to pick a good movie in the last 15 years.
Also, I agree completely that one-sided docu-dramas and there's few things more tedious than hollywood trying to hit you over the head with a liberal agenda dressed up in a po-faced drama. And I say that as a liberal.
But this review was frakking terrible. It was so terrible, it made me question why AICN would even run it. For a start, there may be downsides to illegal immigration. One of them is that - at the same time as it allows a lot of desperate hardworking people in, it also allows for the possibility of crime and exploitation: something which i think was established in the first five minutes of Scarface).
But none of the downsides of illegal immigration can be said to be "surplus population, lowered living standards, breaking the economy, etc". Unless you're Lou fucking Dobbs or some other nutjob. Complaining that Crossing Over fails to show these aspects of illegal immigration is like complaining that Crash doesn't show the positive aspects of Racism, like community cohesion among people of the same ethnic group, or that Schindler's List didn't show the positive aspects of the Holocaust, such as full employment for the Jews and more living space for the Germans.
I'm not even going to touch the Curse of the Black Pearl reference, other than to say it reads like April Fools came early or Mori let his retard cousin mind the store this weekend.
-
i just realised that you made the same Schindler's crack as i did, and well before me too.
Sorry, dude. What can i say except great minds think alike? -
Oct 14, 2007 12:38:24 PM CDT
WHAT PART OF "ILLEGAL" IMMIGRATION DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?!?
by uss cygnus
This country was built on LEGAL immigration. I am all for, and wholeheartedly support anyone who enters this country as a LEGAL immigrant, learns english and assimilates into our culture. That is what this country is all about. It is not about wetbacks hopping the fence and crossing the river in the middle of the night. We need a harsh military border with Mexico, and RUTHLESS illegal immigration policing and enforcing of immigration law. The presidential canidate for 08 who makes this a tentpole of their campaign will win in a complete landslide. You heard it here first.
-
Only the posters here are.
-
I might've been interested in seeing "Crossing Over" if the nameless reviewer had posted anything resembling a real opinion. But he wafted on like a cloud of fart-smelling cologne about nothing I could sink my teeth into. And that shit smell is stinking up my impression of the film.
Consider me unimpressed.
-
that guy is a hack. he is a terrible, awful filmmaker and should be nowhere NEAR the vicinity of any serious 'issue movie'
also, fuck this reviewer. i dont remember reading about how verbinski watched a bunch of kieslowski in order to get the moral v. criminal aspect of black pearl right. -
There were no laws in America regarding the genocide of the Natives, and slavery was legal at that time as well, but that hardly makes it moral or just. America was invaded - it was imperialism, not immigration.
-
Oct 14, 2007 7:56:46 PM CDT
The Cooler was a good film with a great soundtrack and Alec Bald
by stormwatcher
Enjoyed the movie. Loved Alec in it. Loved the music, same dude that did Afterglow and I believe Collateral. Can't find the songs online though and no good music stores around me.
-
Or maybe it's a typo.
-
obviously a studio plant. After reading sbout how awful this is suppose to be, I actually wanna see it... i love bad movies
-
This guy is one of the few recent filmmakers that has a cool visual style and the balls to go along with it. New Line should be lynched for dumping Running Scared. Every time I watch that film I see something new that I missed the first time. Kramer should have directed the new Punisher film. Drew, it doesn't surprise me that you don't appreciate Running Scared, since your own screenwriting efforts leave a lot to be desired. Your Masters of Horror episodes were the worst of the series, especially your abortion episode. What the fuck was that? And what happend to your Race with the Devil remake script? Maybe you should get Kramer to direct it - he'd actually be the right guy to give that thing some style and freakiness. When you can write and direct a film half as good as Running Scared, then you can throw down against Kramer - but until then, the Kramer train will always keep passing you by. You probably don't even know what made that film so cool - and it wasn't the Tony Scott "avid farts" that you're so fond of mentioning in your reviews. And if you listened to the DVD commentary track, you'd see that the style had nothing to do with Avid manipulation. They were using a hand cranked camera to achieve that twitchy look - which was done in moderation in the first place, unlike Scott's Man on Fire and Domino. As for the reviewer of Crossing Over, maybe next time you can actually describe some of the characters, the set ups, Kramer's style (is it Running Scared or The Cooler or something different?) and actually give us a sense of the actual movie, rather than pissing on it because it never achieved the staggering narrative prowess of Pirates of the Carribean. And where the fuck is the trailer for the film if it's supposed to be coming out this year?
-
Oct 15, 2007 2:15:38 PM CDT
Ford made the Stormtrooper trip and fall in the Holiday Special
by kingdingaling
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 439 total posts 159 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 144 total posts 142 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 155 total posts 140 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 55 total posts 45 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 196 total posts 45 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 35 total posts 35 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 34 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 127 total posts 32 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 513 total posts 29 posts
- The Sensorties Revisit The Friday Docback (And Still Smell)!! DOCTOR WHO Story #7 Again, The Coming Of Season/Series 7, And More!! -- 118 total posts 27 posts