Highlights
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Friday, 24 July 2009
Trailing Eli
Ad for Hughes brothers latest The Book of Eli. What's it showing? A gloss-action riff on Cormac McCarthy's The Road, a motion picture of which is due fairly soon. Expect Denzel scurrying all over the ex-United States safeguarding a McGuffin book; pray it ain't a religious text. Is Eli scrambling after that lucrative I Am Legend money? Is black male lead post-apocalyptia the hot ticket? That's how the studio hive mind works: give 'em similar. If so, Denzel's better suited to rugged individualism than chatty Will Smith. Smith's a charmer, Washington can seethe and danger. As previously demonstrated, trailers are notoriously unreliable at communicating a film's virtues, but it sticks in my craw to see the Hughes brothers losing themselves in anonymous tent-pole actionering. We've already lost Alex Proyas to such insidiousness.
"We've already lost Alex Proyas to such insidiousness."
ReplyDeleteDid you watch Knowing?!
I haven't! Ebert's gush aside, I've heard it's a real piece of shit. You seen then? What did you make of it?
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, how was America?
ReplyDeletethought this looks good..
ReplyDeleteI have hopes anyways.
Looks very Fallout.
Upon first watch I almost wanted to turn my nose up to Knowing, it seems mildly rediculous at times, but I couldn't get it out of my mind long after.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of the most subversive mainstream movies made in years, it blows my mind it was allowed to be made and released the way it is. I can't explain why I love it without spoiling shit, but I can say that it's such a refreshing change to see a picture of this nature actually follow through on its threat for a change.
There was something deeply troubling about the action set-pieces as well, and then it hit me. There's a train de-railing scene that makes Die Hard With a Vengeance seem pussified! The reason being is that you actually see the effect of such a disaster, with people being crushed and minced under the destruction, with blood splatter everywhere. This goes down the same with every other set-piece, it's like a Saving Private Ryan cause-effect put in a Roland Emmerich end of the world movie. Anyone I've watched it with have been deeply troubled by these scenes, saying something like "is that necessary?! I don't want to see what happens to these people" yet these same people wouldn't bat an eyelid at DHIII or any other disaster picture.
The ending actually has balls, I can think of only two other movies that have actually gone where this movie goes. I have so much Respect for Knowing and think it's a masterpiece despite itself! So yeah, agreeing with Ebert is never a good thing but I guess even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day!
sweeeeet!
ReplyDeleteMal: It does! Rubble world aside, have you seen the font? It's very similar to Fallout's! Do you think that'd be a direct appeal to gamers, or an attempt to cop style from a 'marginal' art form?
ReplyDeleteNada: Sounds like I've been talking out of turn. Knowing sounds great. Am trying to source a copy now. I think Mathieu Kassovitz would've been a better mudsling.