Confusing title for a movie about a Idi Amin. His Scottish doctor plays a important role hence the title. Forest Whitaker plays Amin. Whitaker is one of the most under-rated actors IMO. The star football player in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the gay soldier in The Crying Game, the assassin in Ghost Dog, Charlie Parker in Bird, the IAD investigator in The Shield, & now Idi Amin.
Alright Todd, if you're gonna see 'The Departed' - see if you can write your review without making fun of:
- Damon's funny Boston accent
- Nicholson acting like, well, Nicholson
- Leo trying to look tuff and stuff, but ending up looking pouty
- All the 'Scorcese-isms' that will ultimately wind up on screen.
Actucally, that would be one boring review - scratch that.
Todd simply does not have it in him to ever love a movie ever again. He seems disappointed every single time he leaves the theater. If this movie doesn't knock your socks off, I don't know what will. This portion of the site should be canned and we should get a weekly review of, hell I dunno, albums? Sodas? Interior design? You don't like movies anymore buddy, and that's okay, let's just try and find you another outlet.
I think in the back of your mind you expect yourself to be disappointed every time you go, and you end up that way. I mean, looking at the slew of reviews you've managed to accumulate since you've been doing this, I find it odd(Todd lololmofamolol) that you pretty much hate/dislike about 90% of them.
I'll explain why Todd is disappointed with current mov-ays - he's not 16. When I was 16, I must have seen at least 20 flicks in the theater. 20?!? Hollywood ain't dumb (sorta), they know where their core demographic is. Nowadays, I'll see 5 maybe 6 in the theater - mostly because I know what I am in for.
But to give a film a 'high' rating (4 1/2 to 5 cook-ays), the movie must not be great, one must be surprised at how great it is, without the anticipation, as it were. Consider Todd's 4 1/2 rating of 'Punch-Drunk Love'. I had no idea that it was gonna be such an awesome flick - and I am sure neither did Todd. Note: It was AWESOME.
But when films get barraged with hype for weeks, even months before the opening, one has the tendency to be over-critical. Next month, 'The Fountain' is coming out (from the guy that made 'Pi' and 'Requiem for a Dream'. And I have been waiting nearly a year for this flick. And unless it doesn't sufficiently knock me on my ass, I'll be disappointed, which is a shame because it'll probably be better than I perceived it to be.
On the other hand, Todd did give 4 1/2 cook-ays to friggin' 'Finding Nemo', so maybe he has lost his mind. Sorry buddy.
Yeah it is sort of weird. I woke up this morning wondering if I should actually go see this movie again. That maybe I watched it wrong or I was in a mood. But there also have been times in the past when I've been hit with 'you're crazy' for not liking a flick like Lost in Translation or Sideways. Only to find later on that people come out of the woodwork to like it less. So who knows.
There are alot of images stuck in my head from this movie. But if it was in some sort of a groove. I didn't catch it while watching it...
Think back a few years to "Gangs of New York". This one was overhyped and I heard a rumor it was on the editing table for 18 months. Todd gave it 2 1/2 cookays and I think he was being generous. Don't get me wrong, there were moments of absolute brilliance in this film. Alot of the long shots and some of the details--you could SMELL New York [and that certainly wasn't pleasant]...but there were other moments where you'd sit there and go...'uh...What? What were they thinking?'
An ok movie with some GREAT moments, but if it did truly take 18 months to edit, I'm wondering why there were some obvious rough edits that even an amateur [me] would get rattled at. [Specifically I'm talking about Cameron and Leo on the dock making out; and then Leo and this other guy getting into a fistfight in a bar where you could see Leo obviously not hit the guy because the camera angle was wrong.]
The departed: I'm guessing probably some really great moments, but I'll wait for DVD, thanks.
If it looked like First Blood I'd be foaming at the mouth to see it... unfortunately it looks like First Bloods cheaper practically made for TV knock off.
