Cool News
Quint hitches down RESERVATION ROAD!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I’ve seen a dozen movies in the last week and a half and I have a few more coming up, so I wanted to get a move on the review process.
I’m starting with RESERVATION ROAD because that’s hitting this weekend.
I was intrigued from the beginning by the great cast under the helm of HOTEL RWANDA’s Terry George. You have people like Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and Mira Sorvino.
The trailer grabbed me right away. The tone seemed dour, thick with sorrow and tension and the movie delivered on that promise.
On one hand you have Ruffalo’s character, a down on his luck daddy. He’s divorced, he doesn’t have enough time to hang out with his kid and is doing everything he can to get more custody of his son.
On the other hand is Joaquin Phoenix who has a happy family life. He has two children that are happy, he’s got a beautiful, loving wife and a nice house.
Right away that serene calm is shattered as one of Phoenix’s children is run down in an accident. Ruffalo’s character hits the kid and at first stops. He knows it’s the right thing to do, but then he sees his own son who was sleeping soundly before the accident, and realizes that this will end his relationship with his son. Add on to that the basic guilt and fear associated in running over a small child and Ruffalo ends up running.
The movie focuses on obsession in all its different forms. Phoenix’s character becomes obsessed with finding his son’s killer. He stays up every night prowling the internet, looking up local laws on hit and run crimes and feeds his hate with other mourning parents on websites and chat groups.
In fact, he turns away from his surviving family in order to feed this hatred. His wife needs him. His daughter needs him and he acknowledges that on a surface level, but it’s not what you say, it’s what you do. His actions keep him away from his family both physically and emotionally.
Ruffalo’s character’s obsession comes in a slightly different form. He becomes obsessed with proving to his own son that he’s a good man. He doesn’t really explicitly say this, but that’s what I took away from the character, the aspect that really impressed me. Of course you expect him to be afraid of jail or afraid of being outed as a “child-killer” however unintentional the accident was.
There’s a strong movement in the film to oddly parallel Ruffulo and Phoenix. They are not so different and each one could have been in exact opposite situation. But Phoenix let’s his fear and turmoil feed hatred and Ruffalo, on some weird level, twists his fear of being discovered and his own guilt into a desperate bid to give his son the father he never had.
I’m a big fan of all the actors involved and they all do a good job with their work, although I have to say that Jennifer Connelly went over the top a few times. There’s a line of believability and I think she crossed it in a couple of her more extreme reactions. That doesn’t mean I think she’s a bad actress. I don’t think that. She’s even very good in this film, but there are moments that were so big they felt more like acting choices than real reaction.
I dug the flick, but it’s certainly not the kind of flick everybody will love. It wallows in a very depressing place for most of its length.
I had a chance to talk to director Terry George after I saw the flick, so keep an eye out for my interview with him a little later on today.
Got more in the pipe-line, too, including my thoughts on JUNO, CONTROL, BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN and John Landis’ documentary on Don Rickles called MR. WARMTH. And that’s not even all of ‘em, just the bigger ones! See ya’ soon with those!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
-
+ Expand All
-
Do it the other way round! Simon Pegg as Ben Richards and The Rock as Killian "It's time to start running fat boy!"
-
Make it so.
-
There are too many remakes out there. There is also way too much reality programming out there. Do we really need to see a hybrid of the two most beaten to death genres in modern times? Unless Running Man amped the action and gore there is no way I'd sit through it regardless of who was in it. Problem is Hollywood believes it's the names, not the story, that puts butts in seats. No wonder we have few new stars.
-
Anyone know it's out in the U.K ?
-
I will never see this. Movies that wallow in misery without ever going anywhere except about how fucked up life is waste valuable time in my life. Assuming House of Sand and Fog is indicative of the kind of depressing crap Connelly is attracted to, I know to stay far away. I'll go watch some tedious political diatribe before wasting valuable life essence on this.
-
Unfortunately no UK release now. On a separate note, trailers and stuff just don't make this look that great. I like Ruffalo and Hotel Rwanda was good but this isn't one i'm stoked for.
-
Inventing The Abbotts? And that was only during a scene where she was getting fucked.
-
I am pretty sure it says in the bible somewhere Though Shall not remake Arnold movies. There is not an actor in the World that could touch Mr. Universes acting skills. The only way I would allow this to be re-made is if they just fucking got Arnold on the juice again (Stallone seems to be handling it just fine) and maybe pull Jean Claude out of whatever B-moive purgatory he is stuck in. And make Micheal Jai White Thunderball. Bring Back Jesse. And just pretty much make the movie over again... Oh Bob Barker to be the host of the show this time. Running Man pretty much is the closest thing to a perfect movie this world will ever see. God bless you Richard Bachman whoever you are.
-
Mark Ruffalo has definitely arrived as leading man material. It took me a few moments to even realize it was him, he was very intense. Can't say I'm looking forward to seeing this (because of the depressing subject matter) but will definitely see it.
-
Poor Kevinwillis
-
God both these guys make me wish Stallone and Jean Claude had done more drama when they were actors. Mark and Wakeen are just SOOO boring. Mark only has like one emotion and its bland. And Wakeen for some reason is famous??? Naw I never saw Walk the Line? But did not care for him in anything he has done, in Gladiator?? He was suppose to be crazy and love his sister.. umm Sorry Malcolm McDowell anyone??
-
The guy is great! I loved him in Zodiac, but also in Eternal Sunshine and Collateral. And Phoenix was brilliant in Buffalo Soldiers, Quills, U-Turn, Gladiator, Walk the Line...
-
Seriously, it would be pretty great. There would be love songs, break-away pop hits, singing, tap dancing, helicopters, murder. What's not to love? But I agree...no Running Man remake. Leave well enough alone, for the love of all that is Unholy.
And I am not excited about Reservation Road. If I want to be depressed, I'll just watch the news for free.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 325 total posts 322 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 106 total posts 106 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 63 total posts 60 posts
- Does ‘SNL’ Rhyme With ‘Deschanel’?? Learn Which SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE Vet Hosts After Sexy Zooey!! -- 74 total posts 58 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 159 total posts 51 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. -- 47 total posts 41 posts
- AVENGERS enemy revealed as pink boardgame pieces... You might suffer some form of elation... SPOILERS!!! -- 161 total posts 34 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 488 total posts 33 posts
- Friday Brings SWEEPS DAY NINE!! Gab Here About Tonight’s FRINGE!! Plus Einstein on TIM, Wiig On PORTLANDIA, MAHER, CLONE, GIFTED, GRIMM, SPARTACUS, SUPERNATURAL, GOLD RUSH And More!! -- 121 total posts 23 posts
- Here's The Red Band Trailer For Drafthouse Films' THE FP! -- 70 total posts 20 posts