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R.P. McMurphy escapes the asylum and looks at REINDEER GAMES
Hey folks, Harry here with that madman with electrical currents bopping around that skull of his and the drool hanging from that bottom lip. Well... he's seen that ol John Frankenheimer flick that got Miramax so excited they signed him to like a half billion movies or something like that. So... We'll just have to wait and see right love? Right. Here's R.P....
Hey Harry, R.P. McMurphy here. I don't think you've had any reviews of
REINDEER GAMES yet, so I thought I'd fill you in on what I thought of
it.
I'm guessing that there are a lot of people who will hate this movie.
The script is full of contrivances and cheesy dialogue (the most bad
Christmas puns in any one movie, I believe), which is disappointing,
after the smart screenplay for ARLINGTON ROAD which Ehren Kruger wrote.
But....personally, I had a whopping good time at REINDEER GAMES. It's
not a film that needs a good script to be successful, and this is
something which many may not grasp. It does what it sets out to do very
well, which is be a wildly exciting action-thriller.
Director John Frankenheimer is a master at wringing the maximum amount
of tension out of a scene, and there are many great edge-of-your-seat
scenes (my favorite involved Ben Affleck eluding his enemies in the
hallways and parking lot of a motel). There are some fine visuals too,
with many cleverly arranged deep-focus shots.
I ate it all up: the ridiculous plot twists which make no sense, the
heart-racing chase scenes, the elaborate (but not too sadistic) death
scenes (the best involves a squirt gun, and that's all I'll reveal). It
is for anyone who really enjoys a well-crafted action movie, one that is
quick and efficient. I can safely say it's the best movie of 2000 so far
(I've only seen one other, but I thought I'd make a silly exaggeration
anyway). It's not going to win any awards, but it's not supposed
to...it's just a good "kick-ass movie," pumped with adrenaline,
testosterone, and every other body chemical imaginable. I recommend it,
even to those cynics who won't have to dig hard for plot holes. Within
it's genre, it succeeds smartly, and that's all that ultimately matters.
Until next time,
R.P. McMurphy
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Let's see here, a script written by the writers of the lame Arlington Road, full of contrivances and cheesy dialogue with ridiculous plot twists? Makes me wanna run right out and see it!!!!!
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I don't know from what I hear the script was awesome and Harvey Weinstein spent like 40 million dollars to make this movie ( Remember Miramax is a tipically a low budget studio, this is the most expensive movie they've ever made). Gary Sinise is in it and I don't mind Ben Affleck the kid is alright in my book.
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Kids, if you want to see how to waste a career, then take a look at what Affleck the Idiot is doing. Seeing as John Frankenheimer lost his talent for directing cutting-edge thrillers like 1964's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE about ten or fifteen years ago, he is now out doing routine action flicks like this and RONIN. Ben Affleck, it appears, obviously does not have the sophistication that his buddy Matt Damon does. Damon chooses his roles carefully- instead of making four or five movies a year, he does one or two, selecting roles that he can work himself into. Affleck, on the other hand, is blowing it all now, letting himself run around in mindless shit like this and ARMEGEDDON. So much for a shared artistic spirit.
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I agree with you, Stephen. Lets not forget FORCES OF NATURE. Damon's a smart guy, a good actor. Affleck is a chesseball sellout. To get off topic for a moment: Is it possible to change your User ID email address?
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Okay as thrillers go, Frankenheimer has made some great ones: Manchurian Candidate, Seven Days in May, Black Sunday, Seconds, and even the under rated Year of the Gun, to name a few. But let's remember Island of Doctor Moreau, The Fourth War, and that piece of shit Ronin. Ronin was nothing more than a couple of car chases with a contrived plot with so many holes and an absolute disregard for logic or common sense. Ben Affleck has been making waves lately about how badly the film is turning out and, with that hack who used to be John Frankenheimer at the helm, I'm not surprised.
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Got a few things to say here. First off, Jimmy, you're hardly alone. "Arlington Road" was one of the stupidest, most self-involved pieces of shit to come out of '99. I do not remember EVER being as angry at a movie as I was with this festering turd, and I have since burned the names "Mark Pellington" and "Ehren Kruger" into my Mental Film Rolodex under "Manipulative Motherfuckers Whose Future Films Must Be Avoided At All Costs". Which means I'll be staying the hell away from "Reindeer Games". Second, speaking of stupid, self-involved pieces of shit: Ben Affleck. Stephen, I HOPE YOU'RE RIGHT that this idiot is running his career into the ground; the sooner he goes away the better. And finally, Brendan3 - hey, I LIKED "Ronin", but then, I was so overjoyed at watching Robert De Niro and Jean Reno team up (they kick ass individually, and to watch them kick ass TOGETHER was an action fan's wet dream come true), I might be biased. You at least liked the car chase, right?
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and stupid film. Reindeer Games or Deceptions who the hell chose those fu*&%$# titles. Anyway as far as BEN AFFLECK's career is concerned I heard him and VIN DIESEL kick ass in Boiler Room. I'll check out that flick.
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My cock's more believable as an ex-con. For that matter so is Gwyneth Paltrow. Bruce Willis and Liv Tyler, should've gotten Oscars for Armageddon, just for calling Affleck's character a roughneck without laughing.
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My cock's more believable as an ex-con. For that matter so is Gwyneth Paltrow. Bruce Willis and Liv Tyler, should've gotten Oscars for Armageddon, just for calling Affleck's character a roughneck without laughing.
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I think that the talk-back section is useful for those that want to offer constructive criticism to the writer of the piece, but I find it sad and pathetic that it often becomes an arena for childish attacks on one's personal integrity.
Yojimbo-I have written about film for the local publication of a major U.S. city, so I really don't want to hear you tell me how to write a review. It sounds like you are requesting a plot summary, not a "review." While reviews can include plot summary, that is not their primary function. Ironically, I tried to make my review Ebertesque in that I subjectively explained why I enjoyed the movie despite the fact that it is not "good" or "great" by any major critical standards. If you read his review of The World is Not Enough, you'll understand what I mean. Plus, I can not divulge even the plot setup of REINDEER GAMES without resorting to spoilers. Basically,without giving anything away, Rudy (Ben Affleck) is not even supposed to be sexually engaged with Ashley (Charlize Theron) upon his release from prison, so the subsequent intrigue involves a "mistaken identity" setup which I don't think I should reveal.
Whoever wrote the "review of a review"- I find it offensive that you stereotype, in one fell swoop, fans of the action genre, fans of Lynrd Skynrd, and rednecks in general by tying the three together in one harsh generalization. Go to a more appropriate forum if you want to peddle your prejudice.
I was also going to explain why I found ARLINGTON ROAD to be a good film, but I'm taking up a lot of space here.
Until next time,
R.P. McMurphy -
I totally agree with my man RP. I think that movie sounds friggin awesome, not because it's a Chinatown screenplay masterpiece, but because it's a movie you can chill to. It's gonna rock! And John Frankenstein is the man because he takes chances, unlike so many gutless L.A. fucks out there. And how pathetic are you all to sit there and rag on this guy who's trying to provide you with a review.
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Let's look at your review again. You say that "the script is full of contrivances and cheesy dialogue." You then go on to say that it's "not a film that needs a good script to be successful," which is basically admitting that the movie doesn't have one (considering it was written by the guy who wrote "Arlington Road", this is no surprise). You elaborate that the movie contains "ridiculous plot twists which make no sense," and admit that its critics "won't have to dig hard for plot holes." And then, after all this, you heartily endorse the movie. Now, what's wrong with this picture? If you're so damn gung-ho for this movie, then why be so apologetic about it?
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I love when he cries at the end. His performance in that movie was funnier than anything that year. "Yeah, I'm fine. Considering this is the most scared I've ever been in my whole life." And then Bruce Willis does that squint thing at him. That's the whole movie. Affleck says something goofy, and Bruce squints or screams at him and calls him a hotshot. If I had to pick a favorite part of ARMAGEDDON, it would be Michael Clarke Duncan on his motorcycle. "Come get Papa Bear!"
Ben is really becoming a low-life, but BOILER ROOM looks cool.
I will see REINDEER GAMES, though this review really makes me think twice. I'll check it out just to see Charlize Theron. Aw, what am I saying? I don't have to pay. She'll invite me to the premiere. But I probably won't be watching the movie...heh heh.
And I liked ARLINGTON ROAD. -
If the first person in this talkback had voiced a positive opinion about ol' Ben, the rest of you would have followed like cattle. Sadly, it went the other way, and he is now to be mocked for all time. (That's about a week, in AICN time.) How quickly you all have forgotten Dogma, which I hesitate to even bring up, but Affleck was damn fine in that movie, which I loved. What's more, he's funny as all hell, as evidenced by commentaries on Chasing Amy and Mallrats. And if that's not enough, he's Fucking O'Bannion, for Christ Sake!! "I'm sorry, I was just escorting your son home from school, there are some ruffians about and..." Beautiful. For that alone, he is granted at least 10 years leniency, in the hope that his former glories will not be forgotten. -Renly
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Although I'll be the first to admit that Affleck has made some TERRIBLE role choices in the last couple years, I don't think he's all bad. This month's Premiere (Jeez, second time I've plugged this issue in Talk Back...) has a cover story on Be, written by...HIMSELF. It's well done, and I came away with more respect for the guy, almost back to the level I had when I saw Chasing Amy, or his speech in Good Will Hunting ("...if you're still here in 20 years I'm gonna kick your ass..." or whatever) Anyway, what the fuck is wrong with McMurphy's review? Give the guy a fucking break! He didn't write a these like Harry. I'll show respect for anyone who even knows who John Frankenheimer is (aside from "Wasn't he the guy that did that toilet iceberg of a film The Island of Dr. Moreau?"), and what Frankenheimer is known best for--namely good ol' action thrillers. How anyone can say Ronin was a generic piece of shit can have fun watching the 100% PURE ADRENALINE of Con-Air and overdirected crap like that. As McMurphy mentioned, Frankenheimer knows his way around a chase scene (as does William Friedkin), and gets great usage out of his location shooting. The Riviera was used in Ronin to great effect, not just "for the hell of it". Maybe it wasn't as intricate as the Manchurian Candidate, but it was one of the better choices Robert DeNiro made in a while, and it had a great cast. The recent James Bonds and Mission Impossible didn't have much more to offer than this film (which reminds me, didn't DePalma rip off some French film for that Cruise handing from the ceiling computer break in scene?). I'm out of breath. Suck on that.
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other than that I'm sure he's a nice guy. As i stated before, I refuse to watch any affleck movie.
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