Frightened Inmate No. 2's Reviews

Yeah, I kind of figured that out a little after I wrote the review. It does make the movie seem even smarter. It's definitely a movie that seems better in memory, but I still wouldn't change what I wrote in the review.


Glad you guys liked Before Sunrise. I'm definitely gonna watch the sequels pretty soon.

Even though it wasn't quite as good as Before Sunrise, this movie was still great. It was amazing how the only real changes in the movie were in the set-up, and in the topics of their discussion, and yet it never feels remotely repetitive or rehashed. It feels so far apart yet so similar to the first one all at the same time. The only negative for this one compared to the other one was that Sunset didn't feel quite as magical as the first one. I guess that's just the handicap of being a sequel to a magical film about two people's love, and then not having the second one showing them completely in love, but it was still great. The dialogue and the acting was still top-notch, and the characters were as great as ever. Julie Delpy's character became slightly unlikable at one point, but the fact that I would think of that moment as making her relatively unlikable just shows how much you care about the characters0, because that moment wouldn't have as much of an impact in an average movie. I also liked the nighttime setting in the first one better, and the fact that it took place over a longer timeframe was a bit better for me, but the shortened timeframe didn't hurt the movie at all. It was still really great, and I really can't wait to see the third one, which many people are calling the best of the trilogy.

4.5/5

I think maybe my timing was bad for watching Sunset. I just thought it was despicable how Hawke talks to Deply despite having a wife and child thousands of miles away. It really rubbed me the wrong way. Good review. I'm looking forward to Midnight as well. These are the times I wish I lived in the city and near theaters that played more than the latest blockbuster.

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Letterboxd

Wow, this was great. It surpassed my insanely high expectations. The last hour was just so great. The weird thing, though, was that I didn't even care for the beginning much. There is a dinner party scene early on that I wasn't very fond of, and I think it's because it's the first time other characters were used heavily in the movies, and it was almost a little off-putting, because we're so used to just being with Jesse and Celine. There was nothing wrong with the characters, except that we didn't know them as well. It's still a good scene, and I liked it, but it was still a lowpoint in the trilogy for me. The last half more than made up for it, though. This is the most their relationship has been tested since we've met them, and the fight is almost kind of heart-breaking. The acting may have been the best it's been, but the acting has always been pretty flawless, so it's almost impossible to improve upon it. I don't want to spoil the ending, but it really couldn't have ended more perfectly, and everything leading up to it was pretty perfect, too.


4.9/5

Besides having a very similar plot, this movie was nothing like Clue or any other murder-mystery at all. Barely any time is actually spent solving the murder. The majority of the film is spent showing the master-servant relationship, and it became a bit dull at times. It had some great performances, with the standouts being Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Clive Owen, and Helen Mirren. The "twist" at the end was certainly interesting and I didn't see it coming, but it's hard to call it a twist when the movie is mostly uninterested in its plot (I don't mean to imply that that's a bad thing). It almost reminded me of Serpico, in that it focused more on its theme (police corruption for Serpico) than on an interesting story or on being entertaining. However, it does handle its them very well, so it still manages a certain level of enjoyment, just like Serpico.

3.25/5










2nd Ryan Phillippe
Crash

6th Michael Gambon
Harry Potter 3,4,5,6,7pt2

8th Maggie Smith
Harry Potter 1,2,3,4,6,7pt2, Murder By Death

3rd Clive Owen
The Bourne Identity, The Pink Panther

3rd Stephen Fry
A Fish Called Wanda, Alice in Wonderland

3rd Bob Balaban
A Mighty Wind, Moonrise Kingdom

The image doesn't work, so some people won't know you are talking about Gosford Park. You should mention the title of the movie in your post, in case the image stops working.

I liked it a lot more than you did, but I can understand your criticism. You shouldn't watch this film if you're merely looking for a tensive murder story. There's way more to it.
I personally enjoyed every minute of it and thought it never got dull, as I was very interested in the relationships between the rich amount of characters. You obviously weren't (that much), so that perfectly justifies your rating. Good review!


P.S.

It would also be interesting to add the director (and the movies you've seen from him) to your enumerations of seen movies from all the actors, at the end of your reviews.

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Cobpyth's Movie Log ~ 2019

Yeah, I keep meaning to do that, but I keep forgetting. Either way, this was the first Altman I've seen, although I'm gonna try to explore his filmography more. In fact, the next movie I'm going to review is an Altman, and I liked it a lot more than this one.

I'm very curious!

You said "the movie is mostly uninterested in its plot". That's extremely accurate, and if you said the director it would be even more accurate since I can't think of one film where Altman is.

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

I agree. In Altman films, plots are secondary. They are there to serve a sort of bigger message or idea and probably also to keep a bigger audience hooked.
I personally like it a lot, as Altman is never unclear about that purpose and always lets you know immediately (in the films I've seen from him so far, anyway).

I love Gosford Park. It was on my 100 until I remembered a couple of films which had to be on there.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Phillip Marlowe is so cool. Right after seeing this movie, he quickly became one of my favorite film characters of all time. My favorite comedy of all time is Fletch, starring Chevy Chase, and Elliot Gould's Marlowe reminded me a lot of Chase's Irwin Fletcher. Fletch is overall a funnier character, given that it's a comedy, but Gould had some really hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments. It was just entertaining to see him on screen. I wouldn't say the plot is particularly inspired, or that it's even executed in a unique way, but it still works on every single level. As said in my earlier review, Altman never cares much about plot, which is still true here. I would say this movie is a bit more plot-focused than Gosford Park, but he still goes for character and style more than anything here, which is fine by me. Again, the resolution is a pretty big twist, but it doesn't leave a big impact like it would under most directors because of how little it was ever built up, but it certainly worked well here. I was never on the edge of my seat, but there were some shocking and fascinating scenes, mixed in with the jokes.

4.4/5








2nd Robert Altman
Gosford Park

4th Elliot Gould
Ocean's 11,12, and 14

6th Arnold Schwarzenegger (I didn't even recognize him at first)
Total Recall, Predator, The Running Man, Conan the Barbarian, Batman & Robin

This movie was pretty good, but I felt like it could have been better. Part of my problem was that it just wasn't very subtle. It kind of beat you over the head with a lot of the themes and scenes, when I think it's the kind of movie that would have been incredibly powerful if it had some subtleties. I do think that probably comes more with having a more experienced director. With that said, this director still did a great job. The cinematography was great, and that's coming from a person who doesn't usually notice that kind of stuff. The little girl was pretty adorable, and that actress did a really great job. Her narration was great, and the whole idea of viewing that way of life from the eyes of a six-year-old is a pretty great premise, and it led to some beautiful and emotional scenes. Even though it's a pretty depressing story, it somehow creates a feeling of optimism by having it through the eyes of a child. Entertaining and occasionally beautiful movie, but flawed.

75/100

I'm with you on the Philip Marlowe character. Enjoyed him since seeing The Big Sleep with Bogart and Bacall when i was a youngster. Good review and yeah, the end did surprise me a little, forgot how it ended since i saw it at the drive-in as a kid when it first came out and there is some very intense scenes mixed in.

I've taken about a week to start writing this review, so it might be an exceptionally vague review, but I liked it. I found it a tad dull at times, but it was never boring. It was another Altman where he wasn't really interested in the plot, and the plot was actually semi-interesting. The way it was all like a modern business film that's disguised as a western was pretty impressive, but that doesn't make a movie inherently great for me. Warren Beatty and Julie Christie both gave pretty good performances. I wouldn't say either were exceptional, but they were quite solid. Pretty good movie, but nothing special, and slightly overrated. I would still recommend it, though.

73/100


3rd Robert Altman
The Long Goodbye, Gosford Park

2nd Shelley Duvall
Roxanne

2nd Julie Christie
Troy

3rd Rene Auberjonois
Batman Forever, The Patriot

This movie was really weird, yet it was pretty fun to watch. It wasn't hilarious, but their were quite a few humorous, surreal moments that set the perfect tone. Bud Cort isn't a great actor, but he's perfectly fine in this role. There were some surprisingly fun and clever scenes that were just really entertaining to watch. The scenes with Rene Auberjonois were really creepy, yet really great. I don't quite know what it all meant, and I don't think it was intended to mean as much as it seemed, but I liked it. I wouldn't call it a great movie, but it was thoroughly enjoyable and likable.

79/100










4th Robert Altman
The Long Goodbye, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Gosford Park

2nd Bud Cort
Harold and Maude

4th Rene Auberjonois
McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Batman Forever, The Patriot

3rd Shelley Duvall
McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Roxanne

This movie was pretty great. It was incredibly fascinating and incredibly creepy at the same time. It's one of the most bone-chilling movies I've seen in a while. Roger Ebert criticized the movie for being a bit "cold," which I completely agree with, except that I don't think it's a fault. It wasn't a very emotional movie, but it had a ton of suspense, and as far as I'm concerned, suspense is one of the most powerful emotions when it comes to movies. I can't imagine the movie being anywhere near as enjoyable without the cold feel of it. Susannah York's performance was great, and it really added to the cold feeling, even if she isn't really a great actress in a traditional sense. Rene Auberjonois is quickly becoming one of my favorite character actors, as he can play a great and likable oblivious husband like in Images, and he can excel in a performance where his character slowly turns into a bird like in Brewster McCloud. And holy crap, that ending was awesome. I was mentally preparing myself for a huge twist, because I knew one was coming, but I really didn't see that coming. I have to give this movie major kudos for keeping me guessing until the very end. Great movie.

84/100














5th Robert Altman
The Long Goodbye, Brewster McCloud, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Gosford Park


5th Rene Auberjonois
Brester McCloud, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Batman Forever, The Patriot

All Altman movies are cold. Especially Quintet.

McCabe approves.

I'm probably gonna take a break from Altman in a little bit. Since Images, I've seen one other one that would probably be my least favorite of his. I'm still gonna watch his more popular movies, though, like Nashville, Short Cuts, and The Player, and then 3 Women probably. I might watch MASH or A Prairie Home Companion if I feel like it, but I probably won't.