Cool News
Mike G. Has A Different Take On BENJAMIN BUTTON...
SPOILER ALERT !!
Merrick here...
So far, we've witnessed a seemingly endless array of positive BENJAMIN BUTTON reviews.
Here's a different perspective from Mike G.
BEWARE SPOILERS!!!
Hey, kids. There are spoilers in here, but nothing too surprising.
I was at a Fincher attended screening of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" the other night, and I figured I'd offer a contrast to the glowing reviews this thing has been getting. It's not the slab of Oscar bait that Cold Mountain or Crash (the "racism is bad" one) were, but it never gets over how clever it thinks it is and-- despite it's own opinion to the contrary-- just isn't very special, alternating between beating us over the head with its supposedly fantastical world and acting like it's all very ordinary when the story calls for it.
Fincher said that he doesn't consider the film to be a fable (Wikipedia tells me that he probably meant "parable" or "fairy tale" and, no, I'm not smarter than Fincher: I had to look it up, too), but how can it not be? The movie is about a child who's born an old man and dies an infant. It tells the story of how a blind Casey Jones makes a clock that runs backwards to give the country imagined hope of their dead sons returning from the Great War. Benjamin disappears for seven years to work on a tugboat There's an ongoing joke where an old man tells about each of the seven times he's been struck by lightning (although we never see all seven of them, it stops around five for a complete lack of a literal or moral conclusion). If it's not a fable, then what the hell is it? It's "Big Fish" with identity confusion. It's "Forrest Gump" taking its story as literal truth.
Fincher said that one of the reasons he doesn't consider it a fable is that the story isn't predetermined. It's very, very apparent where the film is going most of the time. Benjamin is born a sick child not expected to live past infancy, and he speaks fairly often about his own mortality. Plus, the film's frame story shows an elderly, dying Daisy and her raised-by-a-man-other-than-Benjamin daughter. The movie never decides how seriously it's going to take, well, anything (except in the middle, but I'll get to that). The tone shifts from goofy to serious to serious with molestingly disruptive bits thrown in as Fincher randomly decides not to take anything too seriously (most frequently, it's the lightning gag).
When I say that the movie is quite obviously impressed by its own cleverness, it's all in the telling, not showing of its main character. Shots of Benjamin that involve any kind of visual effects element are held for ponderously long times, and this occurs well into the movie. Rather than letting Benjamin live and breath as a character, these lingering takes make him a special effect. It's certainly impressive, but 1) takes you out of the story immediately and often and 2) aren't impressive enough to make you forget it's doing so.
Fincher said these things but, yes, ultimately he's just one more critic, and what he meant to do is irrelevant because it's what's on screen that counts. Regardless of what Fincher said he meant to do, the film never decides on what it wants to be. Scenes and whimsy discordantly and randomly meet, and they never do so in a way that suggests an overall flow. You simply can't tell a story about a man aging backwards and act like nothing special is going on when you feel like it, which is usually how the more serious moments are handled; they're not well integrated. And this is the pitfall Fincher stumbles into most of the time. It's tough to stop seeing Benjamin's story as something other than fantastic when every person he encounters marvels at his condition. We get it: enough.
Another problem is that Daisy is an extremely unlikable, shallow human being during the section of the movie in which Benjamin actually falls in love with her as an adult, and this is obviously a problem since a large part of Benjamin's life is his love for Daisy. She begins the movie as a charming little girl fascinated by Benjamin. When we see her years later as an adult, she's shallow and horny: talking about herself endlessly and fickly abandoning Benjamin because he won't sleep with her hours after they've reunited. Daisy's horribly boring and juvenile personality in these scenes is actual very accurate to anyone who, years later, reunites with someone they once carried a flame for and finds a person not nearly as special as they remember. But Benjamin remains interested in Daisy because the story needs him to be until it reaches their mutual romance at which point Daisy suddenly becomes very charming again.
"Button" does some things right. It's gorgeous looking for the most part (although I still think movie's shot on the Viper look flatter than they would otherwise) and the special effects are pretty decent. The film finds its footing in the middle: the portion of the film in which there are no fantastic shenanigans. The tone is consistent, and the whole thing just feels more truthful. It's a section in which we get a sweet love story descending into an inevitable tragedy that sort of works. Only sort of because we've seen it coming for so long and aren't completely invested in the characters. It's tough to become engrossed in a movie when it's sitting next to you, nudging your ribs for three hours, marveling at itself.
Oh, and we do get the key shot I was hoping for: an elderly Daisy cradling a dying, infant Benjamin. That shot was the level of strangeness that we expect from Fincher. I don't believe he made this movie as Oscar bait, but he certainly needs a lot more practice with this sort of thing.
The acting is, overall, very good. Brad Pitt is one of the few major Hollywood stars who consistently reminds us that he's not just famous for being famous. Cate Blanchett is very good. Julia Ormond has been long missed and does the best anyone can with her underwritten character and frame story. Tilda Swinton is great as always. The glaring exception is Taraji Henson as Queenie, Benjamin's horrendous cliche of an adoptive mother. Every scene with her was like watching high school auditions for "The Color Purple." I'm pretty sure she never says "Massah Benjamin!" but she might as well because that's the first line of hers you'll quote when you're pondering her horrible character. I don't think it's her fault; as written, her character is very shallow. She's supposed to be funny and a moral compass of sorts but is, well, lame.
Walking out, I was reminded of a friend's reaction to Quantum of Solace: "Well, we certainly just saw A Movie."
And, ultimately, that's the film: a technically well made, well meaning film that's convinced it's premise is epic enough that it doesn't need to make an effort to be so and isn't. "Benjamin Button" does an excellent job of convincing you it has a lot more to it than it does, and I chalk that up to the skill of Fincher and crew. It's a movie that a lot of people will probably like but one that won't stand the test of time. Ten or twenty years from now, this is the second (i.e., Zodiac) Fincher movie that will be mainly be referenced when people recite his filmography: "Wait, I'm forgetting one..." "Didn't he make that Brad Pitt Button movie?" "Fincher made that? Oh, right, that was ok..." Just because a movie takes place over several decades, contains the death of one of more major characters, features sympathetic "freaks" and a moral compass who happens to be a black woman (a minority as a main character? Ground breaking!) doesn't mean its message is substantive. This is turning into a bit of a rant, but I find this kind of movie something that's very obviously trying to be Something More; a lot of people who don't see a lot of movies will quote their love of this one as proof that they know what they're talking about.
There you are. "Benjamin Button" isn't garbage, but it's certainly forgettable. It's better than both "Four Christmases" (I'm a good boyfriend) and "Australia" (I'm a good boyfriend), but can't hold a candle to "Slumdog Millionaire" or any number of other things you can find on DVD. Like "Bringing Out the Dead." I just saw that again another couple of times-- give that one another chance instead.
A final note: almost every question that was asked of Fincher was along the lines of: "I love your film and all your other films. I expect to see all of you on stage again at the Oscars..." etc. etc. This is David Fincher. The man made "Seven" and "Fight Club." If you don't have anything interesting to say, then don't say anything.
--Mike G.
I was at a Fincher attended screening of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" the other night, and I figured I'd offer a contrast to the glowing reviews this thing has been getting. It's not the slab of Oscar bait that Cold Mountain or Crash (the "racism is bad" one) were, but it never gets over how clever it thinks it is and-- despite it's own opinion to the contrary-- just isn't very special, alternating between beating us over the head with its supposedly fantastical world and acting like it's all very ordinary when the story calls for it.
Fincher said that he doesn't consider the film to be a fable (Wikipedia tells me that he probably meant "parable" or "fairy tale" and, no, I'm not smarter than Fincher: I had to look it up, too), but how can it not be? The movie is about a child who's born an old man and dies an infant. It tells the story of how a blind Casey Jones makes a clock that runs backwards to give the country imagined hope of their dead sons returning from the Great War. Benjamin disappears for seven years to work on a tugboat There's an ongoing joke where an old man tells about each of the seven times he's been struck by lightning (although we never see all seven of them, it stops around five for a complete lack of a literal or moral conclusion). If it's not a fable, then what the hell is it? It's "Big Fish" with identity confusion. It's "Forrest Gump" taking its story as literal truth.
Fincher said that one of the reasons he doesn't consider it a fable is that the story isn't predetermined. It's very, very apparent where the film is going most of the time. Benjamin is born a sick child not expected to live past infancy, and he speaks fairly often about his own mortality. Plus, the film's frame story shows an elderly, dying Daisy and her raised-by-a-man-other-than-Benjamin daughter. The movie never decides how seriously it's going to take, well, anything (except in the middle, but I'll get to that). The tone shifts from goofy to serious to serious with molestingly disruptive bits thrown in as Fincher randomly decides not to take anything too seriously (most frequently, it's the lightning gag).
When I say that the movie is quite obviously impressed by its own cleverness, it's all in the telling, not showing of its main character. Shots of Benjamin that involve any kind of visual effects element are held for ponderously long times, and this occurs well into the movie. Rather than letting Benjamin live and breath as a character, these lingering takes make him a special effect. It's certainly impressive, but 1) takes you out of the story immediately and often and 2) aren't impressive enough to make you forget it's doing so.
Fincher said these things but, yes, ultimately he's just one more critic, and what he meant to do is irrelevant because it's what's on screen that counts. Regardless of what Fincher said he meant to do, the film never decides on what it wants to be. Scenes and whimsy discordantly and randomly meet, and they never do so in a way that suggests an overall flow. You simply can't tell a story about a man aging backwards and act like nothing special is going on when you feel like it, which is usually how the more serious moments are handled; they're not well integrated. And this is the pitfall Fincher stumbles into most of the time. It's tough to stop seeing Benjamin's story as something other than fantastic when every person he encounters marvels at his condition. We get it: enough.
Another problem is that Daisy is an extremely unlikable, shallow human being during the section of the movie in which Benjamin actually falls in love with her as an adult, and this is obviously a problem since a large part of Benjamin's life is his love for Daisy. She begins the movie as a charming little girl fascinated by Benjamin. When we see her years later as an adult, she's shallow and horny: talking about herself endlessly and fickly abandoning Benjamin because he won't sleep with her hours after they've reunited. Daisy's horribly boring and juvenile personality in these scenes is actual very accurate to anyone who, years later, reunites with someone they once carried a flame for and finds a person not nearly as special as they remember. But Benjamin remains interested in Daisy because the story needs him to be until it reaches their mutual romance at which point Daisy suddenly becomes very charming again.
"Button" does some things right. It's gorgeous looking for the most part (although I still think movie's shot on the Viper look flatter than they would otherwise) and the special effects are pretty decent. The film finds its footing in the middle: the portion of the film in which there are no fantastic shenanigans. The tone is consistent, and the whole thing just feels more truthful. It's a section in which we get a sweet love story descending into an inevitable tragedy that sort of works. Only sort of because we've seen it coming for so long and aren't completely invested in the characters. It's tough to become engrossed in a movie when it's sitting next to you, nudging your ribs for three hours, marveling at itself.
Oh, and we do get the key shot I was hoping for: an elderly Daisy cradling a dying, infant Benjamin. That shot was the level of strangeness that we expect from Fincher. I don't believe he made this movie as Oscar bait, but he certainly needs a lot more practice with this sort of thing.
The acting is, overall, very good. Brad Pitt is one of the few major Hollywood stars who consistently reminds us that he's not just famous for being famous. Cate Blanchett is very good. Julia Ormond has been long missed and does the best anyone can with her underwritten character and frame story. Tilda Swinton is great as always. The glaring exception is Taraji Henson as Queenie, Benjamin's horrendous cliche of an adoptive mother. Every scene with her was like watching high school auditions for "The Color Purple." I'm pretty sure she never says "Massah Benjamin!" but she might as well because that's the first line of hers you'll quote when you're pondering her horrible character. I don't think it's her fault; as written, her character is very shallow. She's supposed to be funny and a moral compass of sorts but is, well, lame.
Walking out, I was reminded of a friend's reaction to Quantum of Solace: "Well, we certainly just saw A Movie."
And, ultimately, that's the film: a technically well made, well meaning film that's convinced it's premise is epic enough that it doesn't need to make an effort to be so and isn't. "Benjamin Button" does an excellent job of convincing you it has a lot more to it than it does, and I chalk that up to the skill of Fincher and crew. It's a movie that a lot of people will probably like but one that won't stand the test of time. Ten or twenty years from now, this is the second (i.e., Zodiac) Fincher movie that will be mainly be referenced when people recite his filmography: "Wait, I'm forgetting one..." "Didn't he make that Brad Pitt Button movie?" "Fincher made that? Oh, right, that was ok..." Just because a movie takes place over several decades, contains the death of one of more major characters, features sympathetic "freaks" and a moral compass who happens to be a black woman (a minority as a main character? Ground breaking!) doesn't mean its message is substantive. This is turning into a bit of a rant, but I find this kind of movie something that's very obviously trying to be Something More; a lot of people who don't see a lot of movies will quote their love of this one as proof that they know what they're talking about.
There you are. "Benjamin Button" isn't garbage, but it's certainly forgettable. It's better than both "Four Christmases" (I'm a good boyfriend) and "Australia" (I'm a good boyfriend), but can't hold a candle to "Slumdog Millionaire" or any number of other things you can find on DVD. Like "Bringing Out the Dead." I just saw that again another couple of times-- give that one another chance instead.
A final note: almost every question that was asked of Fincher was along the lines of: "I love your film and all your other films. I expect to see all of you on stage again at the Oscars..." etc. etc. This is David Fincher. The man made "Seven" and "Fight Club." If you don't have anything interesting to say, then don't say anything.
--Mike G.
-
+ Expand All
-
My main problem with the film is that it's a love story that gives you no credible reason why the two people are in love. And no, calling it "fate" doesn't quite cut it.
-
Technically brilliant but little else. One of those films that's way too pleased with itself. A real shame, considering Fincher's Zodiac was one of my 10 favorite films of 2007.
-
If your purpose in submitting a review is to stand out from the crowd by promoting an opinion forged for the purpose of being 'stand-out from the crowd', then you've done a lousy job as a reviewer.
-
Can you fix it so it doesn't say "poile"? Can't be hard.
-
I haven't seen Benjamin Button, or any other Oscar contender yet for that matter, but I do take exception that Zodiac will be "forgotten." I think it's fairly underappreciated and was definitely one of the better movies of 2007. I suppose it might be forgotten because most everyone already did, but I'm really hoping it's one of those movies that people eventually rediscover and see how good it is. For me personally, as long as we're comparing Fincher movies, I thought it was better than Fight Club. I'm sure I'll be flamed for that, but I don't care.
-
This sounds like the most needlessly horribly depressing movie ever made that didn't involve Robin Williams. Who the fuck would watch this who wasn't a sadomasochist?
-
Zodiac could be the equivalent of All The President's Men in terms of its feel and attention to detail. As for B. Button, I can't see myself wanting to watch it. Just the premise sounds unspeakably dopey.
-
I do think it will stand the test of time. Fincher is the real deal. I'm excited for Ben Button. I can look past these faults.
-
i wasnt expecting it to be so fucked up and bad...what the hell was that shit? now when i watch alen3 i think...oh yeah now i see why this film sucked so badly as well... maybe it wasnt the fault of the producers and fox after all
-
...I don't know how to relate to you.
-
Doesn't that describe most talkbackers(myself included)???
I agree with Arcadian up there... "I figure I'd offer a contrast to all the glowing reviews..." Sounds like Mike G. sat at his keyboard with a definite purpose to de-bunk the magic. I had an ex-girlfriend who, because she majored in Theater, dissected every movie we saw. I, being more laid-back, despite learning and appreciating all the same things, still had that great ability to turn it off and just enjoy a movie. Can't we all just go to the movies anymore? I'll go check it out despite the heartfelt warnings of Mike G. -
What about Fight Club didn't you like? The anti-materialism? The violence? The anarchy? Maybe if Tyler Durden had green hair and a white face. Oh well. Do whatcha like, man.
I DID think it was better than "Alen 3" though.
-
...since the reviewer is using that as a critique of the film, I'm going have to point out that this reviewer never gets over how clever he thinks his own review is.
-
I don't think Fight Club sucked. I think it's good, and it certainly has moments of greatness, but it loses its way towards the climax. Personally, I believe Zodiac is better, particularly in pacing and its ability to keep you engaged. I just think Fight Club has been overrated over the last few years, particularly when you look at the IMDB Top 250. Yes, I know that's such a worthless ranking system, but when I see Fight Club right ahead of Psycho, Dr. Strangelove, Sunset Boulevard, Citizen Kane, Vertigo, Paths of Glory, Chinatown and a whole bunch of others, it makes me wonder.
-
This is one of the great films of the decade. It's a multi-layered motion picture experience that may actually make you appreciate your life and health more after you see it than before. But if you are a snarky, teen or twentysomething talkbacker who hasn't lived much or only likes flicks that are "dark and edgy," there is a chance it may open your eyes a bit wider to mortality, to aging, to beauty and abilities being so fleeting. But, more likely, you'll resist this like a baby resists spoonfuls of stewed ocra ... until 20 or 30 years from now, that is, when you pop this thing to whatever media is playing movies at home then. Then, it will hit you HARD.
-
I was kind of curious about this one but this review has put me firmly on the fence. Still, Fincher gets a pass from me simply because he's an interesting director with artistic vision rather than a hack director (and there sure is a lot of those in Hollywood at the moment). I wish him well with this, even if I'm not in line to see it.
-
But I don't like movies in which dialogue feels more like narration. It just seemed dumbed down to me, like Fincher was worried we might not get it if someone didn't explain EXACTLY what was going on.
-
coming to renatl back rooms everywhere
-
Seriously.
-
To see what some didn't like about Fight Club. But I'm not one of those "If you hated (fill-in-the-blank), then you are (fill-in-the-blank with ghetto expletive/insult of the week)!!!" I enjoyed it a lot, and it was one of my first must-have DVDs, but it's not in my Top 10. Maybe 20. It's funny how getting older changes things. Oh yeah, and zom-bot.com... HILARIOUS.
-
I didn't get that from the dialogue at all. The film is a lot more subtle (and smart) than its critics are blasting it for. It's not just a bunch of sappy, obvious moments strung together. By the time, it does get around to its big emotional payoffs, it's earned those moments.
-
Why dont you over anylyze it a little more? How could anyone enjoy any movie with a state of mind like this guy? You worried about every nth detail and missed the point of watching a film. Complaining for the sake of complaining is hardly movie reviewing...WHere the fuck is Harry's review?
-
The Big Guy is gonna love this film. If he hasn't seen it yet, they are gonna have to cordon off a couple of rows behind of and in front of him, because it's gonna be like a SeaWorld splash section once the tears start flowing.
-
Lord that was a steaming pile of crap. I tried to watch it but could never get through it. It is Scorsese's WORST movie. Period.
-
That's the fincher movie that will be remembered and stand the test of time. It's awesome and Alien 3 is by far his worst. Gonna give this Bejamin button flick a look that's for sure!
-
Of course, I think Fight Club is a ridiculously stupid movie. A good first hour ruined by a ridiculous second, a movie aimed primarily at closeted homosexuals that fails to address any of the issues its first hour broached. Still waiting for evidence of Fincher's alleged brilliance.
-
Dec 22, 2008 12:56:53 PM CST
Why I think Fight Club is a bad movie (since you're asking)
by laserhead
Because it fails to explore ANY of the issues its first hour addresses (notions of masculinity, materialism, existential crises), instead becoming, in its second hour, a ridiculous, loopy tale of fantasy and so-called psychosis. There's no such thing as psychosis like Norton's character is supposed to be suffering. That's not schizophrenia, it's a dumb plot point. Moreover, not only does the film not address any of the juicy questions it raises in its first half, the entire thing is basically aimed at closeted homosexuals who'd rather get punched in the face than admit they want to suck a cock (this is keeping with Palanuik's book, who is a closeted homosexual who accidentally outed himself last year). The movie just doesn't say ANYTHING relevant, but instead POSTURES as though it were relevant. It's a slick package with NOTHING inside, and a waste of a terrific first act. That's why I don't like Fight Club.
-
Sounds like the fucking reviewer. Hey listen up, mini Jonathan Rosenbuam - don't for a second think that you're smarter than David Fincher. Let's remember, he's the one who just made Benjamin Button and you're the douche who wrote about it as if you were smarter than Fincher on AICN. Stop and consider this next time you're full of such noisome arrogance. BTW, 20 years from now people will be (jake gyllenhall aside) watching Zodiac. Bringing Out the Dead, hell even Scorcese fanatics don't care for that one too much, Bob Richardson's highlights are about as over the top as Cage's performance. Goddamn I can smell the Summer's Eve coming from this review. Bejamin Button might be a bad movie, but it's a damn sight better than whatever Mike G is cooking up in his brain.
-
If anyone has the Alien box set, there's Fincher's original cut of Alien 3, and I think it stands with the first two, but Fox kinda thought it was too depressing and cut it to shreds. Go check out Fincher's original cut and be surprised with how good it is.
As for Fight Club, the first time I saw it, I thought it was a headscratcher. You need to see the film a couple more times before it truly sinks in what Fincher is trying to do. It stands as one of the best satires of the last decade.
"Benjamin Button" does not seem like a typical Fincher film, however. I'll give him points for trying something new, but we shall see how the public responds to it. -
...and all of its homo-erotic glory. It's the film that made all the geeks in here fantasize about Brad Pitt menacingly approaching them with his big, well-lubed closed fist.
-
For the longest time, I thought I was the only person on this planet who didn't think Fight Club was a piece of absolute, infallible brilliance. Having said that, I'm a huge fan of Zodiac ... that flick didn't/doesn't get enough love. And, for the record, Benjamin Button is definitely worth seeing. Certainly flawed (I think some of Mike G.'s issues with the film are pretty valid) but for my money, worlds better than sentimental/jokey crap like Forest Gump.
-
Dec 22, 2008 1:06:44 PM CST
Before you ask, How does someone accidentally out themselves?
by laserhead
Palahnuik thought an Entertainment Weekly reporter was going to out him, so he cursed her out and outed himself on his website. When her article came out and she hadn't outed him, he retracted the statement. But the dude's whole story is about guys who really want to suck dick but have to find other excuses to roll around and be sweaty with other men instead.Sad, in its way. And both story and movie have a kindergartner's understanding of Nietzschian philosophy. Alright, I'm gone for the day.
-
It's technically brilliant, but the story never really connects to you. And no, I don't only like dark and edgy movies. I can enjoy sappy love stories as much as the next viewer. Hell, I think Forrest Gump is fantastic. It's silly and ridiculous, but Hanks fucking owns that role, and when Mama and Jenny die, you feel it with him. This just never earns anything. The scenes set in the present day don't add anything to the story. They are there out of obligation to the structure. Characters come and go, and apparently they have a major impact on Benjamin's life, but I never really saw it in the movie. Beyond their teenage years, there is never a real reason for Benjamin and Daisy to love each other. We see that they are in love, but I couldn't tell you why.... it's just how the story goes. This movie covers all of the bases. It hits all of the notes that it is supposed to hit, but it just never really does anything beyond that to earn its pay. It's paint by numbers.
-
...shot.
That's right people, it's come to death threats here at AICN. -
I like the darkness. The despair. The desperation and hopelessness. The contagion. The suspicion. The betrayal. The portrayal of the alien "beast" as an infection, or--in Ripley's case--a Satan that will not give up until it has her, body and soul.
-
That scene put a huge lump in my throat and got me really amped for the rest of the movie. Then, nothing. Why did that scene, which was only tangentially connected to the rest of the movie, feel so honest while the rest of the movie felt manipulative and heavy handed?
-
Aging backwards was a lame idea when MORK & MINDY introduced it back in the '80s and the idea of a romance with the couple aging in opposite directions just makes it even worse.
-
I forgot about that idea from Mork & Mindy. I cannot believe I watched that.
-
If what follows the first hour doesn't work, then what would have been the logical conclusion to both the story and philosophy of FIGHT CLUB based on that successful first act?
-
Dec 22, 2008 1:36:43 PM CST
To everyone who suggests this guy is over analyzing the movie
by lolthien
You do realize you are writing a review of his review when you post... you are adding a layer of analysis, and thus more guilty of your sin than the original.
-
Because he didn't call it "Se7en." Jeez!
-
...apparently you didn't get the memo. One of the reasons we all come to this site is to read reviews of new movies; some are written by AICN staff, some are sent in. Not all reviews are positive--and the headline for this particular review suggests as much. The reviewer never betrays any pretensions to literary or filmic aspirations or, as you put it, "noisome arrogance," and in fact displays respect for Fincher's accomplishments regardless of his dissatisfaction with this movie. All he did was to send in a pretty well-written review and to say that, in his considered opinion, the movie isn't all it should be. If you're one of those jackasses who gets bent out of shape whenever someone offers negative criticism and says (oh so smartly) "let's see you do better!" perhaps you should just stick with the reviews of Gene Shalit--he likes everything! And if you think this reviewer is a nothing because all he's doing is critiquing someone else's movie instead of directing his own, what does that make someone like you who is critiquing a critic? A Nothing Twice-Removed, I'd say.
-
...he's always interesting, unlike many of today's Hollywood hacks and studio-parachute-in-shooters (I'm looking at YOU Brett Ratner). I myself never thought Fight Club was this brilliant masterpiece of a movie; I took it as a satirical thriller, that was a little silly and simplistic, but a lot of fun nonetheless. I think Fincher's best story-constructed movie to date remains Seven.
-
a whole movie about how you think your buddies are hot, and since you can't fuck them, the only way to express your lust is to punch them. Totally understandable.
-
Every fucking talkback a new classic movie is suddenly "absolute shit". Jesus christ people, first you start calling Terminator 2 crap, now all of a sudden Fight Club is awful? Next thing you know someones gonna call Raiders of the Lost Ark a piece of shit. I mean seriously, for a bunch of movie-lovers, you guys sure seem to hate everything.
-
Haha, watch all the repressed right wingers come out of the woodwork because THEY'RE threatened by some topless men fighting!
Criticise Fight Club all you want but leave out your own homophobia and other baggage you bring to the film. -
Eye of the beholder, son. Just like whether I think you're an idiot for thinking Fight Club is a classic is subjective. Savvy?
-
Mork's son was Jonathan Winters.
-
That's the 2nd time I've seen them do that this week.
-
I am a repressed right winger and I love Fight Club!
-
What was the first you saw this week? This one changed from "not everyone liked benjamin button" or something like it to this, right?
-
So is the dying Benjamin a regular-sized baby or an adult sized one? Seems kind of stupid for him to shrink again as he gets older. Of course, seeing a ginat baby cradled onscreen is somewhat stupid also. These are the questions that keep me up at night.
-
Will giant baby have vaguely familiar Pitt-like features?
-
not for a single second during the entire movie do you even twig finale shocking reveal. It is so well made that movie. Fight club. Fox get such a kicking these days. hard to believe that fox released that movie. I have a broad taste in films. I have all sorts of all kinds of movies . Form comic book films to horror to oldies comedy to action to oldies to musicals to documentary. Ihave a seen a lot of films.
-
First I loved Fight Club. But WTF was ZODIAC??? Its one thing to walk out of a theater because the film sucks..I walked out on watching the DVD for fucks sake. I went FF x4 and the endless boring scenes kept going after an 1.5 hrs of the story going nowhere I fucking shut it down.
-
You should write your posts phonetically, like Irvine Welsh wrote Trainspotting. That would be awesome.
-
has ever made. i havent seen zodiac. Although Zodiac is supposed to be his sbest.
-
The lead line is different than it was this morning. Did some studio exec call and start whining? C'mon AICN, show some nuts.
-
Zodiac is Fincher's best film. Who Is It is pretty great, too.
-
Loved loved loved this movie! it took awhile to get to me. I thought it was to CGI in the beginning and just kind of fairy tale lightish... but WOW, from the steam boat section on this movie is fantastic. it really hits a lot of true notes about growing up and first encounters with girls and getting the timing just right and plays against that idea a man who's growing younger through that time. Was not expecting to love this movie as much as I did but wow, LOVED IT
-
I liked Ben Button, but it is nowhere near good enough to even be considered for Best Picture. I love Fincher and would love to see him nominated, but not for this (he should've been nominated for the absolute masterpiece that is Zodiac).
Fincher's style doesn't seem to lend very well to epics. He's always been much more focused on character, and that's the part that works most in the movie (although I agree that Queenie is pretty meh). Brad Pitt and Tilda Swinton especially are great.
But please Academy, keep this one out of the short list. -
Jonathan Winters playing the son of Mork and Mindy?
-
hahah it's funny, i was going to end my comment with this now my number 1 for the year. this is your best picture folks. I guess it's all subjective
-
Jonathan Winters. Well played
-
Are we arguing semantics here or is 'and I figured I'd offer a contrast to the glowing reviews this thing has been getting.' just someone offering up their review which happpened to be a contrast to the glowing reviews the film has received?
Wait, which is the coolest club anyway? The lovers or the haters? It'd be nice to see some critical responses to the review that don't take the shape of, 'You are a cuntz, because like FIncher isz the Ubergodz of your balllsz'. -
Button is shit.
Ah well. -
Ben Button has been one of my most awaited films of 2008, and I was happy to read a dissenting opinion from Mike G. that did not feel over the top negative as some reviews can get. I'm ready for this little 3 hour opus Fincher has made (meaning I 'm prepared for the film to take its sweet time)and I can even remember audibly gasping when I saw the first trailer for Ben Button in front of Indy 4 because I was not expecting to see the trailer for the movie that early. Baring that in mind I also have to say that I agree with talkbacker Bishop 6. I have enjoyed all of Fincher's films very well with the exception of one: Zodiac. It is perhaps one of the most coldly clinical movies I have ever watched. Just an overly long case study and look at events that transpired within this certain time period without all that much drama to speak about (it is possible to have drama without the actors evolving downwards into histrionics). I can see some of the love put into the film by Fincher and his crew and to a certain point even how some people like it. However, I just got really sick and tired about how many times a shot of San Francisco was shown with a date and time, it got on my damn nerves almost how some people say they had a problem with the first 20 minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey because they are just not used to a movie starting out as a 20 minute music video without any dialogue whatsoever. At least the murders were suitably chilling a couple of times, but I also got kinda pissed off when badly done CGI was used in one of the murder scenes when the Zodiac's victims were shot in the head. Jake Gyllenhaal did fine in the film but I would have much preferred to see a biopic about Robert Downey Jr.'s character. When Zodiac ended and I got up to leave the theater I noticed the handful of other people that had come to see it. One of them was a young couple of whom the boyfriend asked his girlfriend what she thought of the movie and all she could say was that she was glad it was finally over and he agreed with her. I guess I'll always have trouble seeing how some people have fallen all over themselves loving Zodiac just as I guess people will continue to look at me funny when I say I liked Eyes Wide Shut. Again, glad to know I'm not the only one that didn't much care for Zodiac. The next time I need some help falling asleep, maybe I'll just switch channels to The History Channel where it will inevitably be played. Even with that disappointment, I still can't wait to see what Fincher does next (yeah that's right, I even kind of enjoyed Panic Room!).
-
you dissed Quantum of Solace, and then you lost all credibility.
-
He's the best director working today. I can't wait to see Button and I adore Seven, Fight Club and above all, Zodiac. That was my favorite film of last year. Some call it boring, but such a realistic procedural drama about a very interesting part of our history, fucking brilliant.
-
Is it perfect? Not by any means. But it is very entertaining, poignant and well-done. Most of all, it's a very life-affirming film, believing that a life is worth living at all costs, whether it be in forward or in reverse. This reviewer makes it seem like it's a travesty and that's just not the case at all. If there's a shortcoming in my opinion, it's that it ends too soon. (try and say that about a 3 hour movie!) I felt the ending was a bit too abrupt, almost like the didn't quite know how to do it. But I thought the film was very moving and the love story was both emotional and tragic. (and it's the best looking film ever shot in New Orleans!) And I was at the same screening of the film at The Egyptian with Mr. Fincher and he was very charming, intelligent and surprisingly funny. (I had always heard he was a bit of an asshole, but if he is, he was on his best behavior that night) As to the Q&A, there were actually some good questions, not like your usual screening questions, certainly none as bad as "did the dogs really bite Christian Bale"? This reviewer seems to have a bias against and a bone to pick with Fincher and can't let it go for some reason. As to "Bringing Out the Dead"? WORST. SCORSESE. MOVIE. EVER. Seriously! (what was up with that weird camera dissolve/shot around Cage's face at one point during a conversation scene? Completely took me out of the movie!) And for the record, I think Seven, Fight Club and Zodiac are brilliant films. (not so much for Alien 3 and Panic Room, though!)
-
Dec 22, 2008 3:48:03 PM CST
Some people's missteps are greater than other people's successes
by johnnyangel
because they were trying to do so much more. Somebody above mentioned Kubrick and I always thought that true of him.
-
This movie is no Zodiac. Pitt is good. Jared Harris is best thing about the movie. Tilda Swinton awesome. Can't believe Fincher made Cate Blanchett boring. Oh, the Video kinda looks like film.
-
It's a well made movie about nothing. It focuses on a non event of a life and follows it to a non conclusion. The korean film Memories Of Murder dealt with a similar subject and theme and smashed it out of the park. Zodiac just sort of dribbled along, despite being fantastically well shot, acted, designed etc etc.
-
..have to be as long as the damn movie?
-
"Because it fails to explore ANY of the issues its first hour addresses (notions of masculinity, materialism, existential crises)" Um, what? The entire rest of the movie addresses those questions. Obviously it's not a realistic psychosis - we're dealing with a magic realist film. The protagonist's response to his existential crisis is to adopt an anti-materialist, hyper-masculine ultra ego. Unfortunately that alter ego's response to the protagonist's life problems is ultraviolent fascist sociopathy and misogyny. That's the whole joke, dude. "Dealing with these issues will give you worse issues" is the film's point of view. Disagree with it and dislike it if that floats your boat, but don't accuse the film of ignoring its own issues because it dealt with them in a way you don't like.
-
some of you got broners(spelled this way intentionally)looking at Brad's glistening abs in Fight Club doesn't mean that was the intention. And BP's attractiveness is a focal point of the film because he embodies the ideal that Ed Norton's character thinks he wants. One can perhaps take away minor homosexual overtones from the film but 1)so what and 2) they are minor anyway, so stop projecting your fantasies onto the film and those that like it, homos.
-
condescending douchebag? Christ. Can't we talk about movies without being fucking assholes to each other?
-
I can't help but laugh when I hear people take this film waaaaay to seriously.
-
Is that these people were all fucking morons. The problems that they presented were valid but the way they went about executing the solution was retarded. That's why all the criticisms of the film that call it fascist are completely missing the point. The movie isn't siding with any of the characters.
-
Mike G sounds a bit anal. Not to mention cynical and condescending. '"Benjamin Button" does an excellent job of convincing you it has a lot more to it than it does, and I chalk that up to the skill of Fincher and crew.' You make it sound like you're the only one in on the joke Mike and that all those other critics who have lauded Button are just feeble-minded. Come on!
-
You're the type of person Fincher would be ashamed to have as a fan. Spare us your thinly veiled homophobia please.
-
Bringing Out The Dead was tepid at best, and this reviewer's mention of it makes me distrust his opinion completely. Fight Club is hilarious. Like I Dunno said (the bastard beat me to it), anyone who takes that film at all seriously is *completely* missing the point.
-
Nietzschian philosophy over a middle school understanding of christianity pretty much any day of the week. But I guess like many things, that's just a matter of taste. I ... guess...
-
A fable is nothing more than a legendary story of supernatural happenings, at least per my copy of Webster's 9th. The whole talking animals thing is common but not essential. Maybe "legendary" is pushing it a bit here but does anyone really care? If Fincher wants to call it a fable, I can't find anything in the dictionary that says he's wrong.
-
the water was too clever for its own good
-
This is very disappointing coming from Fincher.
-
It's an absolutely hilarious science fiction story.
-
'nuff said
-
...it absolutely DOES explore the issues of masculinity, materialism, existential crises...think about what happens in the second part, for chrissakes! No, they did not verbally SAY IT IN DIALOGUE...or maybe YOU always need that to understand a film?
-
but none of the rest of the boys in fight club did it for me at all... that doesn't make me gay, surely.
i mean, he had TITS, dammit
;) -
This movie isn't shit, it certainly isn't Oscar material, it's just there.
-
Could somebody explain to me how an old man crawls out of a woman's vagina? I mean, I saw it in Xtro, but somehow that doesn't sound like the vibe of this movie. This sounds like the most amazingly pretentious movie ever. I can't imagine a less appealing reason for me to go waste $20 (at least) at the movies.
-
the Bi-Curious case of Benjamin's Butthole
LOL! I know that it may be juvenile but I laughed out loud on that one. -
is two different movies. When you watch it again after knowing the big plot twist, it's a totally different experience. You pick up on all the clues and really appreciate the pure got-damn genius that went into it. This movie, however, hasn't interested me so far.
-
Perfect. That sums it up. It's like Forrest Gump for 2008. Oh, did I say that? Yup. Shawshank got robbed in '94.
-
i'm also interested to see if dying baby benjamin is baby-sized or man-sized. he's born as an old looking baby, so logically he should be die as baby-looking dude. a six foot tall baby is gonna look creepy as hell.
-
I'm sick of Fincher and everyone else (from Mork & Mindy to Martin Amis) ripping off Kurt Vonnegut.
Buried within "Slaughterhouse Five" is a wonderful passage where the protagonist becomes 'unstuck in time' and watches a world war II movie backwards. It's an amazing bit as the dead are dug up, taken to concentration camps where they are worked on by surgeons, brought back to life, given their gold, their clothes and reunited with their families and taken by train back to their homes in Germany and Poland. The bombs are taken back to their factories where they are aken apart, the components taken all across the land and buried in distant places. Brilliant.
And people have been ripping it off ever since. -
Every movie that comes out nowadays has to compete with the overwhelming tide of hype that's created on the internet before the first frame has unspooled.
Occasionally, I pine for the days when I walked into a movie theatre having maybe only read a newspaper review. Back then I could be pleasantly surprised or even somewhat let down all by myself, without having ever been told how I should feel by a thousand and one internet critics. Oh well, what can I do. I am here, after all. :) -
Crash was "everyone is racist". But if you stopped paying attention after that, you missed the point. Crash says "everyone can be racist, everyone can be afraid, everyone can be their own racial stereotype, the world can bring out the best in you and the worst in you. It's you're life.. make the decisions you make be important.
Get over yourself and accept that people are different but that there are more important things in life to believe in.
That's what Crash was about.
-
Merrick didn't say that.
-
Damn you Mastidon
-
MORK did it first! MORK ages backwards. There was Mork's infant son Mearth too. Played beautifully by Jonathan Winters. Yet he got no enemy.
-
SCIENCE!! It's amazing what modern plagiarism can do these days. But time travel? I had no idea. Wow, I was almost as snarky as the review there for a second.
-
So that you know my comment was all in jest and fun, it IS a wonderful passage in a wonderful book. But still long after Fitzgerald's story.
-
minus the horns and deer.
-
The Highlander falls in love. Knowing that ultimately it'll end tragically. When he stays young, but his wife will get old and die.
-
Now THAT was an overrated movie. One of the least compelling things Ive ever seen.
-
A newly-married husband and wife return to the husband's late mother's home where he grew up. He finds it very difficult to leave the place, let alone sell it, and she can't bear it. Eventually the man becomes so engrossed in childhood memories that his mother reappears and he actually becomes a child again. His wife accuses the mother of causing this, but the mother rather sadly says that this was not her doing. In the end the horrorstruck wife flees the house, leaving her boy-husband and his spectral mother behind. --- Then there was that episode called, A Short Drink From A Certain Fountain. Where an old man tells his brother to inject him with a youth syrum. He eventually becomes a baby and his hot spoiled girlfriend has to raise him.
-
prolly the most spot-on review of the film I've read so far. excellent work, your thoughts were convincing and motivated. and I totally agree about bringing out the dead, a grossly underrated and underappreciated film. great job!
-
it kind of annoys me, yet for some reason I find myself watching it whenever its on tv.
-
that one is underrated.
-
I'm cold, lost and frightened. I don't know who to believe!
-
could not disagree more. the lightning guy very definitely does have a moral that he states very obviously near the end. benjamin does not fall in love with Daisy when she is annoying. he falls in love with her when she is a little girl , it doesn't work out between the two when she is self absorbed and annoying - that part felt very very true - it's only later when they both mature a bit that their love finds it's true course - I have to say again - LOVED this movie. So much rang so true. love it.
-
...comes the next step in TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION:A V A T A R - fucking your eyeballs in 2009!!!
-
especially about how unlikeable Daisy is in her early 20's. I dont like Cate Blanchett in general, but her character was grating and self-absorbed, and there is no rational reason why BB would love her the way he does. There are wandering storypoints that exist for no good reason (the zapped by lightning 7 times guy, the love story with Tilda Swinton, etc). When BB's mother sees him for the first time in years and he's much taller and younger looking, it seems she doesn't find it odd. Dunno, just doesn't make sense on the whole. I liked it, but with many reservations, and while it looks fantastic, it's not a great movie.
-
that makes me want to see this.
Like Cruise, Pitt gets a pass on all his projects, no matter how bland or same ol', same ol' it is.
OMG IT'S BRAD PITT! THIS IS TOTALLY THE BEST MOVIE EVER!
OMG IT'S TOM CRUISE! THIS IS TOTALLY THE BEST MOVIE EVER! -
Except, instead of a big, violent Mexican guy, they have some guy who ages backwards, with Cate Blanchett in the Cheech Marin role (except she's a woman who isn't a gun-wielding priest). Oh, and it's a romance instead of a revenge flick.
Fincher, get your own damn story and stop the blatant theft! -
How can you relate to a movie that can't decide on a hero, protagonist, or even point-of-view character nor a villain or antagonist? Zodiac's script needed a lot of work. Direction was good (as usual).
-
"Get over yourself and accept that people are different but that there are more important things in life to believe in?"Wow. Seriously, wow. How very impressive. No wonder "Crash" won an Oscar for Best Picture. That is incredibly deep. And moving. Life changing really. It's so insightful. So very "very." Who needs Mohammed, Buddha, Christ, or G-d when we've got such amazing, incredible understanding in the person of Paul Haggis.Puh-fucking-leeze. Give me a motherfucking break.Get over yourself and accept that people are different, but that there are more important things in life to believe in? That "message" only matters if your definition of "self" involves NOT accepting that people are different. Additionally, this NOT accepting that people are different is somehow equated to a "belief" as well?!?!? What does that even mean? Is that message equating NOT accepting that people are different as a faith/belief system? Who the fuck is "Crash" or Paul Haggis to tell me or anyone what to believe or not to believe in? Who the fuck DOESN'T "accept that people are different?" Seriously. And is it the movie's contention that some people don't "accept" it and that their "not accepting" is a bad thing that should be replaced by the good thing of "accepting" in addition to mysterious other "good things" to believe in? If so, isn't the non-acceptance of another's beliefs as valid (even if that belief is that people are not or should not be different), the same as the implied racism of not accepting that people are different?Oh and if I'm not being clear, fuck "Crash!" That movie is fucking retarded and for the kind of idiots who think that they're geniuses and that "accept that people are different" is some sort of earth-shattering wisdom for the less-intelligent masses.
-
...do this story before Mork & Mindy? That is all.
-
ug, what a piece of crap. The scenes weren't even in ORDER. I'd like to be even more sarcastic, but it's early in the morning, and right now I can think of any more fundamentally perfect, defining films of our generation to casually fling my ignorance as a movie-goer at.
-
While I consider Crash no masterpiece, I found it to be an ok film, generating no inner rage or 'you think you gots fancy smarts better than me' fixins at the die-rector. I wasn't looking for a 'message' when I saw it. I couldn't help but notice that the common thread between all the parts of the story involved pre-judging people, but there are also several plot threads that have nothing to do with racism at all. Like Don Cheadle's deal with his junky mom blaming him for the brother's death. All I really saw in the film was a string of very personal moments of connection between people who otherwise ignore each other in a big city. And most of the scenes worked, and were pretty touching. I think if you went into the movie without already having a rock in your vagina about what hollywood was trying to preach to you (which by the way, is something attributed to the movie not by the film makers, but by the people like you who already didn't like it before they saw it for the same very reason) you might have actually seen and enjoyed the movie for what it was, a movie.
-
Button is easily the film of the year and deserves all the fucking plaudits it's getting.
-
Dec 23, 2008 8:25:47 AM CST
Fight Club was a very, very stupid film posing as a smart one
by laserhead
This was never a classic movie, just because Pitt's character rouses your man-love. I reiterate: a first hour that raises issues of materialism, masculinity, and what we lose of ourselves when too immersed in comfort becomes instead a silly comedy sketch about repressed homosexuals rolling around together and committing "pranks". NO-- the issues aren't addressed at all. People just jerk off into soup.Emeraldboy: I knew the big shocking finale from the first time we see Pitt, when Norton passes him on the moving sidewalk and says something about 'waking up as someone else.' Hell, I saw the movie in the theatre and I thought we were SUPPOSED to know they were the same guy. The filmatists were being pretty blatant about it the whole movie.I liked Zodiac a lot, but Button is tedious and self-important and just plain ridiculous. Like if Forrest Gump thought of itself as 'War and Peace'.
-
I saw it this week. It's very nice to look at, the performances are great, but it does drag in places.
-
Then you have no testicles. And if you're a girl, you're man probably has no testicles neither.
-
It's not about a serial killer. It's about obsession and the need for closure. It's about facts, information, police procedure and how a case can be made on details. What it isn't about is providing instant gratification through empty, meaningless visceral thrills. If you want that go watch shit like The Cell.It's Finchers best film.
-
If that's what you were getting from the movie, that's what you were secretly desiring the whole time. I myself never got that vibe, although 300 was pretty close, and I like that movie... Hmmmmm.
-
Did this become a Fight Club board? Oh well, when in Rome...
I never saw Fight Club having homosexual undertones. Even if it does, how does that alter the overall theme of the movie?
If you hate the movie, that's fine with me.
I think it's one of better movies in the past ten years.
On Benj.Button:
I haven't seen it so the reviewer could be dead right, but how come nobody seems to actually "review" the movies? Everybody here likes to think they know so much about movies, but this review doesn't provide any insight other than the movie thinks it's smarter than it actually is--which may be right.
Anyway, I find it hard to believe this movie is horrible. -
Dec 23, 2008 9:29:12 AM CST
It's funny that Laserhead made the leap from...
by i_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looking_for
Pitt pissing into soup to Pitt jerking off into soup.And not even an EW reporter in sight!
-
If the movie followed any kind of internal logic, we would see an adult sized infant. But the movie makes no sense whatsoever in regards to the aging thing.
-
you probably won't see this but here's a big old fashioned fuck you! Fincher is clearly very proud to have me as a fan... and there was no "thinly veiled homophobia" in my post, I said Fight Club can be seen as having some homoeroticism(bath tub scene etc.) and then go on in the post to say that's not a big deal(to me anyway.) I wrote homos at the end as a joke to make fun of the people claiming if you like fight club then you have some latent homosexuality going on. Okay, faggot? (see I did it again, hopefully I have not offended your delicate sensibilities again.) I'm not a homophobe I just play one on the interweb!
-
Rick Baker worked on the old-age makeup design. And his once protégé Katsu Tsuji too. And Craig Reardon. If you're an oldschool makeup fan this is awesome. Best of the old and best of the the new tech. The way it should be.
-
I avoided that movie like the plague but eventually event conspired and I found myself sitting through it. It was, is, and shall be remembered years after most movies are in the dust bin at Wal-Mart in 2025. FIGHT CLUB blew me away. I knew zip about it going in. The images and scenes are seared into your brain forever. Awesome move.
-
that it beats the viewer over the head with its message. It is so obvious and blatantly manipulative. It assumes that the audience is ignorant and incapable of understanding subtlelty.
-
they said the entire movie they were playing it up on purpose. and fincher took it because he thought it was funny. all the white male rage obsessives who cream over fight club don't get it at all. it's hilarious to me that the entire movie parodies the pathetic institutions these damaged people create in order to feel alive, and then pahluniak fans go and do the same with the guy, treating him like he's some kind of cult leader. but if you ask me, fight club is seen best as a) a comedy and b) totally freaking homoerotic subtext just for laughs. In fact, the film is utterly confused in what it's saying from moment to moment, suggesting you do one thing and then giving you an image that suggests the opposite. I think ultimately Fight Club the film is on a whole other level a parody of advertising in general.
-
So THERE!
-
Fight Club is great, and The Game is underrated.
-
on these big Hollywood type movies so very very long ago. I still can't recall one movie off the top of my head made since 2000 that has had the "amazing" factor of movies from the 90s and before that. BTW rewatching Being John Malkovich now. What a genius piece of a work. The film is actually both very FUNNY and seriously philosophical at the same time. Very dark themed, and the "message" it tried to get across wasn't hanging off your face you sort of had to take it for what it is (Be yourself and not your idol). Unlike Crash, which was IMO, Trash!
-
I just came back to this talkback now and realized my mistake. oops... sorry Merrick!
Well... same point to make though. I loved Crash and I am shocked when I hear people write it off. -
Technically clever, but very distancing. I never got involved. Jared Harris is awesome, though - the film comes alive when he's on screen. Oh - and I loved FIGHT CLUB. What's the problem with that one?!
-
Burton has Johnny Depp. Scorsese has Leo DiCaprio. Nolan has Christian Bale. Soderberg has George Clooney Each of them wonderful actors. Fincher, I feel, has somewhat drawn the short straw with Pitt. Pitt's intentions and intelligence and commitment to projects are beyond reproach - his heart is definitely in the right place. But I just don't think he's that good an actor. Sorry.
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