21 Grams: Brilliant. Oscar worthy performances from Penn, Watts, and Del Toro. Inventive and captivating narrative structure. Realism captured more perfectly in a movie than I have ever seen. Do yourself a favor and go see this modern masterpiece. This movie should get Best Picture, and Penn should get a second nomination for Best Actor. A+ House of Sand and Fog: Tragic. Solid performance by Ben Kingsly, as usual. He really carries this entire film on his back. Connely is gorgeous, (obviously), but at times she is just going through the motions. I found myself frustrated by the actions of a few of the characters, and how the story eventually played out. It really felt like a Greek tragedy. The only saving grace besides Kingsly is the moral ambiguity portrayed with the main characters. I could feel sympathetic for both sides of the problem. It's worth a see, but prepare to feel sad. B
Nomar, good call on 21 grams. It's an intense film, but very moving. The big three work together very effectively; no one person dominated the film.
Spoilers... 21 grams - I liked the director's previous movie Amores Perres a lot more than this. The performances were great, just none of the characters is very sympathetic. Let me put it this way, I liked the character of the dog in the director's previous movie more. The narrative also feels gimmicky. I had trouble seeing a sheriff doing what the guy in House of Sand and Fog does even if he gets to bang Jennifer Connelly. Kidnapping? Otherwise the progression of the story was pretty good. Pretty depressing stuff. There was the one woman somewhere in Houston who lost her house to a $30 or so association fee overdue.
Yes. There was a movie *better* than The Last Samurai called When the Last Sword Falls - that makes one feel like slitting one's wrists afterwards, too. This keeps happening with Japanese movies for me lately - Audition, Ichi the Killer, and Azumi.
Thanks for the review, Nomar. I've been wanting to see 21 Grams since I heard about it last fall. I'll definitely check it out now.
Please. You couldn't feel for Watts character? Or Del Toro? Blah. I could see myself doing the same in their situations. GreenVegan - No prob.
Is this on film or just implied in the dialogue/actions? (I've sat through a few bad JC films with only hope sustaining me.)
21 Grams was a good movie. However, if the movie wasn't directed in that Memento/Pulp Fiction/jump from scene to scene and let the audience fill in the blanks as we go along, it wouldn't be getting all this hype. The three actors did a great job, and it was a good story, but nothing that blew me away. I did enjoy Watts very erect nipples shots though.
spoilers... I felt sorry for both of them and hated them for destroying their lives as well - Watts wanted to drive drunk ( some weird attempt to repeat Del Toro's feat?), then commit suicide then to kill Del Toro and used Penn in an attempt to do it. The fundamentalist craziness of Del Toro that he displayed while *mentoring* the young punks and some other physically and verbally abusive behavior towards his wife and children did not endear me either. Maybe they want to show them as flawed as the rest of us but these flaws are not the kind to engender sympathy or empathy.
They are human beings. They have flaws as you say. That automatically generates my sympathy for them. I would much rather see a movie with real characters than cardboard cutouts that can do no wrong. I could see myself acting in the same manner of Watts if I had also sustained that tragedy.
I felt the male leads' flaws were so extreme as to be almost gimmicky. She plays the character with the worst situation in the film, but turning this into Death Wish for Naomi Watts is a big drop from Mulholland Drive. Great acting, weak film.
EHHH, incorrect. Gimmicky? Please. There was nothing gimmicky about Sean Penn. I could totally envision myself acting like him. Del Toro was extreme, but definitely realistic. You don't think there are tons of people out there like that? And you are totally wrong about Watts 'death wish'. I didn't get that impression at all. She was just messed up. She didn't want to repeat anything. Amazing acting, amazing film. If you want a weak film, go see LOTR again.
21 Grams was a great movie. But it took too much away from the Directors big hit movie in spanish, Amor es Perros (love is a b****) That movie was just amazing. The sound track is just incredible as well. If you liked 21 grams, go see Amor es Perros. It is in spanish, but there are english subtitles. One of the more powerful movies i've seen.
I said the flaws not the actors. The plot is not the actor's fault. There are tons of people out there like Del Toro's character. It doesn't mean I want anything to do with them. I'm Homer Simpson, Del Toro is Ned Flanders on steroids. I think LOTR is weak plotwise, too. I agree: Amores Perres is a superior film from the same director that uses different points of view without the timeshifting to tell a better story.
I meant the characters of the actors. Of course you don't want anything to do with some of the characters, but that doesn't mean they don't make for a powerful movie.
