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Moriarty ponders the fantastic movie, AMERICAN BEAUTY!

by stewdog	Aug 19th, 1999 03:19:06 AM
I don't trust Harry and company when they give glowing reviews of movies. The Iron Giant was definitely not all that.
I am there by Darth Fart	Aug 19th, 1999 03:31:31 AM
I am there, nuff said. I had to skim through the report, too many minor spoilers in there. Oh, I'm first.
Would all the Oscar nominees please step forward........not so f by mademan	Aug 19th, 1999 03:31:35 AM
Well...this is it. Probably the first real Oscar contender of the year (besides my much loved Fight Club). Kevin Spacey and Chris Cooper will probably pic up. The Academy loves them. Not sure of the rest though. Green Mile and (gasp) Blair Witch are the other possible contenders.
RESERVING JUDGEMENT by Dr Vooch	Aug 19th, 1999 04:30:54 AM
I read this script a while back and I must say that "compelling" is not a word I would associate with it. I would use two words, actually, "so what?". But Moriarty is usually pretty harsh on things (unlike Harry), so I will except my next invite to screen this film and, as a humble servant of this would-be hub of useful information, provide you all with a truly unbiased opinion about this film.
Yup... by Yossarian	Aug 19th, 1999 05:47:32 AM
Sounds a lot like I figured it would be based upon the trailer; another Ice Storm. Spacey has always been a favorite though, so I'll probably end up seeing it. I mean, come on, after all, it IS Keyser Soze...
Also, by Yossarian	Aug 19th, 1999 05:56:30 AM
Why is it every movie reviewed on this site has "this actor earns a best supporting for their role in blah, blah, blah". If every person AICN thought deserved an Oscar got nominated, the ceremonies would last 8 days: " And the 4,346 nominees for best supporting actor are:" AICN has made me a cynic. Too many glowing reviews. Do you guys work on retainer or what? I'M TELLIN YA, THEY'RE SUSPECT!
swimming with the sharks by fonebone	Aug 19th, 1999 06:50:56 AM
Spacey's best role.
AICN Reviews by Outrider2k	Aug 19th, 1999 07:47:05 AM
Wouldn't it be nice if we could see Moriarty or Harry put up a p/review that ran along the lines of: "I thought was going to be good, but in reality, it's a pretty mediocre movie that doesn't bring anything new to the table. Here is what's wrong with it: 1)..." instead of reviews that either go: 'This movie was so good I cried' (Armageddon) or 'This movie is shit, stay awaaaay' (Inspector Gadget). In reality, 80% of films are just..you know, there. Personally, I prefer Mr. Cranky's reviews. At least you know the movie studios don't bribe him with stuff to praise their films :)
Figures by Deceon	Aug 19th, 1999 07:47:41 AM
My first time in talkback - why now, why here? Because for about the past 2 years I've had an idea for a movie that, from what I can tell is incredibly similar to this movie. A man, beaten by the world, in thousand small way, goes through a metamorphisis, an awakening, and comes out clean on the other side. Of course, mine, Office Space, as well as this, all must pay homeage, to what in my opinion is the best movie, of this type, so far(since I haven't seen American Beauty) - John Patrick Shaley's masterpiece, Joe Vs. The Volcano. This sounds to be a good one as well.
Reviews & impartiality...AGAIN by Prankster	Aug 19th, 1999 08:08:55 AM
Oh boy, once more with the "They like stuff so often, they must be paid off or complete idiots." You people have been brainwashed by mainstream film critics, generally an UNNECCESSARILY NEGATIVE bunch (being negative helps you look cool) into thinking that a "real" critic is one who's constantly despairing about the state of cinema. Most of my local critics go out of the way to find the negative aspects of whatever movies have arrived, and only praise the utter flops. Well, Harry and Moriarty don't do that. They concentrate on trying to extract the jewels from the manure heap, rather than vice versa. If that makes them "suspect" then...GREAT. I don't know what it takes for you guys to realize this, but there's this thing called opinion. Just because Moriarty praises something and you end up hating it, it does NOT mean he's a sellout, or naive. It means you have differing opinions on a film. By now EVERYONE should know where they stand on Moriarty's opinions, and be able to keep what they can use and discard the rest. Moriarty is "right" for a lot of people, a lot of the time. But obviously not everyone is always going to agree with him. There have been people on Talkbacks saying that the Iron Giant was disappointing, if you can believe it...my first reaction is that these people are idiots who were distracted by the hype and may not even have seen the actual movie, but obviously that's not fair. They just have differing opinions. Saying that "Moriarty can't be trusted" is silly. A LOT of people trust Moriarty, but that's not neccessary; what's neccessary is that you USE YOUR OWN FREAKING JUDGEMENT on his reviews. If the idea of this film doesn't appeal to you, then don't go to see it, regardless of the glowing reviews. Of course, you could try opening your mind and trying to figure out what he saw in this movie that made him enjoy it so much, but that may be a tad advanced at this point.
Blah Blah is right by Cineman	Aug 19th, 1999 10:19:50 AM
You people have been turned into cynics by the critics of today who give negative reviews to almost every movie and the ones who don't are called "blurb-masters". Don't get down on Harry and Moriarty just because they love movies more than you and they try to see the positve side of all of them. And what the hell are you people talking about when you say "Harry only gives bad rveiews to movies people knew were gonna suck anyway (Inspector Gadget). If the studios were paying him, wouldn't Disney pay him for that film especially since most people over 10 years old thought it was gonna suck. You people love criticzing them so much, you forgot to include something in your criticisms: Valid points.
i wasn't gonna be there... by tommy five-tone	Aug 19th, 1999 03:43:23 PM
...but i'm there now. you're right, moriarty, the fall movies previews are great fun. the goodies the autumn months have in store are usually a little more spicy...it's like getting the meal of your life at that weird-ass trattoria on the wrong side of town rather than going to your faithful old burger joint for the millionth time (if my lame metaphor didn't make it clear, burger joint = summer movies). i like burgers, but sometimes you want to try another flavour. mmmmm, food...where was i? movies! that's right! and damn, i like the look of this fall: i'm all over fight club, sleepy hollow (don't people realise that burton saying "it's a hammer film" is a POSITIVE?), three kings (this looks so fucking cool), the green mile...and now this one. if it's anything like the ice storm, it's gonna rock. much to my shame, i've had unnatural thoughts about thora birch since my ex made me watch now and then (but that mena suvari chick is just weird-looking...have you seen those pics in rolling stone's hot issue? brrrrr!). look, i'm rambling, but thanks again, moriarty, another top-notch review. before i bolt: damn it, deceon, i thought i was the only one in the world who dug joe vs. the volcano (so this is what it sounds like when doves cry), and harry, where's joe hallenbeck these days. i miss that cranky son of a bitch.
Beautiful! by Jamaica	Aug 19th, 1999 04:28:45 PM
Thanks so much Moriarty, for your wonderful review of "American Beauty"! (Geez, man I practically wept.) I have been waiting for this film since August of last year when Spacey finally took the plunge and signed on board. It sounds as though he made the right decision. I know that this film may be the one to truly show what he is capable of doing, and perhaps from now on he'll be getting more promising offers for film roles that would normally go to more recognizable actors. It may be the same case for Chris Cooper, too, who has always done exceptional work for John Sayles, and deserves more credit than he is usually given. Anyway, it's about time we start getting back into films that examine people and relationshoips with one another, I mean hey, I enjoy a fun popcorn movie as much as the next gal but sometimes I want a film that will make me ache when I leave its world, and want to return to it again and again. I'm going to hope that this film gives me as many shivers of joy as Moriarty's review did!
regarding joe hallenback by Doctor Zaz	Aug 19th, 1999 04:31:51 PM
He's Harry's alter ego. A dark side of Harry just so Harry can provide negative reviews. So he can vent what sucks about Star Wars and those sorts of things. Howz that for conspiracy?
Dreamworks by AnastasiaRose	Aug 19th, 1999 04:36:02 PM
So, it's Dreamworks' best film.You know that doesn't say a whole lot when they've released dreck like The Peacemaker and The Haunting.But this sounds good so they'll probly mismarket it or some shit.
Spacey's Very Best Work? "Long Day's Journey..." by AlanBenson	Aug 20th, 1999 01:09:19 PM
Find this at your quirky video rental store if you can-- "Long Day's Journey Into Night": the made-for-cable version starring Spacey in the same role that launched Jason Robard's career... Fucking amazing. The best actor of our day, playing the most rip-your-guts-out tortured character in 20th Century literature...
Look closer... by Henry Fool	Aug 21st, 1999 10:33:52 PM
For anyone who has seen the trailer for this movie, as have I, there is an immediate concern over whether it gives too much of the movie away. Then again, I just saw, and loved, the Sixth Sense. That film had an excellent trailer although the super natural elements of the film do not really become evident until about halfway through the film. If one believes the characters and cares for them, then how much of the story one knows doesn't seem to matter nearly as much. That said, I'd like to say that this movie looks amazing. I can't review the film, obviously, since I haven't scene it. But where many trailers would use an uncreative line such as ' So and so pictures proudly present the story of a man making a new life,' this trailer simply says 'Look closer.' If American Beauty accomplishes nothing else, then I hope it will at least draw attention to the overlooked idea that trailers are an art to themselves. They should be carefully calculated to make one curious, yet still save all the surprises for the real experiences. I hope Hollywood will have the sense to stop producing trashy trailers such as the ones for films like 'The Negotiator' or 'Snake Eyes' that spoon feed that audience the entire story of a film. I think I speak for most people when I say we'd much rather see trailers like the one for 'The Sixth Sense' or the first trailer for 'The Phantom Menace' that make us want more without giving us everything in three minutes. Whether or not anyone reading this loved or hated these films, I don't think anyone can deny that seeing those previews aroused curiousity and a desire to find out whether the promise of an emotionally and/or satisfying visual experience was kept by the product.
Look closer. Hah! Made you look! by Wolfpack	Aug 25th, 2006 07:37:53 PM

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Moriarty ponders the fantastic movie, AMERICAN BEAUTY!

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