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Capone kind of hated INKHEART and begs Brendan Fraser to stop making these kinds of movies!!!
Hey folks. Capone in Chicago here.
Remember when Brendan Fraser used to act and didn't just make shitty, uninspired action-adventure movies? I have some vague recollection of those better times, but my memory of them is quickly fading. With three such hunks of junk under his belt in the last six months--JOURNEY TO THE ENTER OF THE EARTH, THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, and now INKHEART--I'm fearing the worst for an actor I used to genuinely love to watch in films such as GODS AND MONSTER, THE QUIET AMERICAN, BLAST FROM THE PAST, and WITH HONORS. Hell, I'd even settle for another MONKEYBONE or AIRHEADS. (I actually always loved MONKEYBONE, but I digress.) Brendan, please stop making these types of films, if only to preserve what little legacy in film history you might still have. In INKHEART, Fraser plays rare book collector Mo Folchart who is traveling the world with his daughter, Meggie (Eliza Bennet, one of the charges in NANNY MCPHEE), in search of elusive titles for his collection. But Meggie suspects that, in fact, her father is searching the globe's bookstores for one title in particular, although she has no idea which one. Mo's wife, Resa, (Sienna Guillory) has been missing since Meggie was very young, and while he's allowed her to believe her mother abandoned them, the truth is far more complicated.
While in the Swiss Alps, Mo finds a novel called "Inkheart" in the nether regions of a tiny specialty bookstore. Suddenly his life turns upside down when a strange man named Dustfinger (Paul Bettany), who seems to have the ability to control fire, confronts him, calling him Silvertongue and demands that Folchart send him home. Mo and Meggie narrowly escape Dustfinger's fiery ways, and they land upon the doorstep of Mo's stuffy Aunt Elinor (Helen Mirren), another book collector. But it doesn't take long for Dustfinger to find them, and this time he's brought reinforcements in the form of bizarre-looking men with misshapen faces and writing across their features. They are the minions of the evil Capricorn (Andy Serkis), the villain from the "Inkheart" book who wants to abuse Mo's abilities as a Silvertongue, a person who can bring things (both living and inanimate) out of books by simply reading passages aloud. It's a great idea for a story, but in this film, all opportunities to bring these possibilities to life are squandered in the worst possible way. All anyone in this film wants is to either be sent back into the "Inkheart" world or bring back people from it--Mo's wife was transported into Inkheart, since everything that comes out of the book must be replaced by something from our world, or some horseshit like that.
The presence of Bettany, Mirren, Serkis and Jim Broadbent as the "Inkheart" author Fenoglio might lead you to believe that this film has something special, or at least above-average, to offer, and you'd be miserably wrong. There are elements here that are actually quite interesting and in a different movie might have made for something special. The idea of characters from all of these different works of classic literature in the same world is kind of cool. There are a couple sequences in Capricorn's castle where we see a stable filled with animals from various stories, including flying monkeys from "The Wizard of Oz" and a ticking crocodile from "Peter Pan." But then none of these elements are ever utilized in a satisfying way. And then it turns out that the author of "Inkheart" can simply rewrite passages to be read by Mo and change everything, including the endings of classic books. Think about the message that sends: If you don't like the great works of fiction, change them. I didn't know the film was about a screenwriting class.
I grew increasingly frustrated with INKHEART and its changing rules and vanishing characters, who would be introduced early in the film and then go away from long stretches, only to return when the plot needs them. Fraser is giving one of his now-classic act-by-numbers performances. He couldn't care less about what he's saying or doing. He just knows he's in his third film in a row opposite a young actor, but it doesn't make him any more hip or happening or relevant. Screenwriter David Lindsay-Abaire (co-writer on ROBOTS and apparently the writer of the latest SPIDER-MAN 4 script) has drawn some good ideas from Cornelia Funke's novel, but done nothing with it. And director Iain Softley (BACKBEAT, K-PAX, THE SKELETON KEY) seems incapable of directing a decent action sequence or bothering to spend just a little time developing these characters. I actually grew to hate this film the longer it stayed on screen. If it had a running time of 10 minutes, this might be a good review. But as it stands, the film is unbearable despite a strong start and one or two interesting characters... I liked the ferret or whatever that furry creature was. This is what I was reduced to watching INKHEART.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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Folch sounds way too close to felch.
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and I was first.
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I agree Brandon should stop making these kinds of movies.
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Jan 23, 2009 7:13:11 AM CST
Airheads is one of the finest movies ever committed to celluloid
by dr sauch
AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, CAUSE I'M A MAAADMAAAAAAN!
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And I don't care if you point and laugh at me, I love that stupid hairy movie.
"This thing smells like piss, man" -
I didn't see any advertising or even heard anything else about it, so I figured that there might be something wrong with it.
P.S.: Add his three episodes of Scrubs to Fraser's enjoyable acting roles. -
There's a lot of different hearts out there. Shame this one isn't very good because it looked kinda cool from the trailers.
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or maybe, Igor...if they ever remake Young Frankenstein...& after a few more acting lessons- are the only roles I can think of, which.. Buggy-eyed Brandon ..has an outside chance for pulling off, someday.
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statement on our current "Remix Culture" and how we alter works of fiction to make new works. Yeah, that's the ticket.
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...written by or about Nazis?
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...better..........magic Nazis of course.
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His next two movies are:
Crowley:
A drama centered on the efforts of John and Aileen Crowley to find a researcher who might have a cure for their two children's rare genetic disorder.
This Side of the Looking Glass:
Set in New York City, centers on Charlie, an aging writer who's fame and health is rapidly fading. The sudden arrival of a professional killer named Abed, posing as his caregiver, is sent to assassinate him under strict orders from the enigmatic Ben. The plot thickens when certain details are revealed to be far more intricate than a simple murder plot.
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Remember Michael Cane he admits he played parts for the money and perhaps so does fraser. Mind you I like Inkheart not a first rate movie to be sure but stll fun.
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Is it possible that some of your frustrations with the film are actually with the source material? That doesn't really excuse it from being a bad movie or excuse Fraser from choosing to do it in the first place but does anyone know if the book suffers from some of the same story problems? They seem to be pretty popular with the kids at my school (at least the kids who read).
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God knows why they complied.
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No, that would be Mein Kapmf. DAMN there a nazi in it! Well... I guess you're right. Oh wait, no, it's Perry Rhodan. All 3000 books of it.
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1) Excellent character actor- Gods and Monsters, The Quiet American
2) Hollywood leading man The Mummy, George of the Jungle
3) Phoning it in, dont give a fuck third Mummy film, Journey to the Centre of the Earth
1 and 2- really like Fraser, number 3- he really gets on my wick -
There was actually plenty of advertising and also lots of these stupid Making-ofs on TV. It just kind of got buried by the media-frenzy over the "Buddenbrooks"-movie.
As for "Inkheart". I like the story of the novel but the writing style drove me nuts. Cornelia Funke never let a chance pass by to sqeeze in pseudo-poetic metaphors about books and reading end even when there was not a chance to include one she found ways of putting another one in. For a long time, I was actually looking forward to the movie, since, as I said, I think the story of the first book (and the second as well, the third one is really disappointing) is actually good. But from what I have heard, nearly all good parts from the novel got cut, changed or watered down, so I have now lost interest in the movie completely. -
I haven't seen or heard anything about it. I found out about its release by accident, when I was checking the listings of my local cinema. Usually I never miss the release of any kind of movie. I guess it just had to happen one day. Thanks for telling me Wile-E!
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first, for letting me in to two of your advanced screenings this summer. Hellboy 2 was a riot. And thanks as well for reviewing this movie. Talk about marketing black holes. Wasn't there another Talk Back about this back in July? and then...nothing.
According to boxofficemojo, it's only opening in 81 theaters today. It's a travesty. High concept low budget sci fi with a cast like this is not easy to come by. -
meant to post the previous comment in the Outlander thread. Damn newbie.
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Please show me the evidence.
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Jan 23, 2009 4:26:09 PM CST
I immediately stopped reading this review at "i liked Monkeybone
by somashine
And your qualified to review films how?
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He has always been acting. That is
why he is a bad performer because we always see him act. He was caught "acting" instead of being the role! You are the alias in the role! Get it. -
It's so sad to watch his spiral into oblivion. And I thought Mokeybone was great.
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Frazer would have made a fantastic Superman, but he's now almost unbearable to watch as he seems to ham it up.
School Ties, Gods & Monsters, Blast from the Past; he's great.
Mummy 3 was almost a fun movie, but his performance alone ruined it; an obnoxious, clumsy, screaching asshole. -
A young emo Hitler suffering for his beliefs in a harsh prison movie... I think it could be an arthouse hit. Kevin James could be Goering. Shia LaBeouf as Goebbles. Scarlett Johansson as Eva Braun...
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I don't know if this particular one could necessarily be pinned on Fraser. If I were told that I'd get to work with only a few of the actors in this movie, I'd jump at the chance. Broadbent? Mirren? Bettany? Please. I'd do a play in Trenton, NJ reading the rules to Scrabble with them and love every second of it.
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Mummy 3, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Inkheart...
Damn, that's unfortunate...
(Also, I'm counting Inkheart as being in 2008... just because...)
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