Tag Archive: George Clooney


The Coen Brothers’ cesarian cut and paste job

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March 12, 2016

HAIL CAESAR! directed by Joel & Ethan Coen (USA,2016)

large_large_ux5y8qjkszufab5vsaqxhndmyt3Friends, Romans,countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Hail Caesar!, not to praise it.

We all love the Coen Brothers, and not without cause, yet I am sad to report that this is one mess of a movie.

It’s as if the siblings decided to do a cut and paste job based on ideas left over from earlier films, then phoned round all their favorite actors to see who was available for a two hour love in.

There are some clever and amusing scenes but none of them lead anywhere because there is no coherent storyline to tie them together.

Along with the equally dire Burn After Reading from 2008, it is plain that what we have here is an ensemble cast that had more fun making a movie than the audience have watching it. Continue reading →

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THE GRAVITY OF EXISTENCE

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November 17, 2013

GRAVITY directed by Alfonso Cuarón (USA, 2013)

Hedonistic sex and conspicuous consumerism are staples of the American film industry so a high grossing, critically acclaimed movie that includes neither is worth celebrating.

I’m not knocking the joy of fucking and shopping per se, but as a philosophical basis for a fulfilling life I don’t regard these recreational activities as the be all and end all.

In Gravity the immeasurable vastness of the universe serves as a spectacular metaphor for human potential and isolation, putting our existence into context by showing the relative insignificance of mankind. Continue reading →

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THE NOT SO FANTASTIC MR. FOX

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May 22, 2012

FANTASTIC MR. FOX directed by Wes Anderson (USA, 2009)

Wes Anderson (illustration by Jame Taylor)

With Wes Anderson’s new movie Moonrise Kingdom getting a lot of publicity at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, I was alerted to the fact that I had missed his Foxy predecessor.

It’s quite a strange film because, while it  looks like a kids movie, it probably holds more appeal for an adult, arty audience. Continue reading →

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THE DESCENDANTS : A UNIQUE AND DRAMATIC SITUATION

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February 4, 2012

THE DESCENDANTS directed by Alexander Payne (USA, 2011)

Dad & daughter : Matt + Alex (George Clooney and Shailene Woodley)

This movie has won over most American critics and also looks likely to win George Clooney an Oscar for his role as affluent property lawyer, Matt King.

But while it’s a warm-hearted, highly watchable film, it is far from being the classic it’s made out to be.

As a mid-life crisis movie it is not in the same league as Payne’s earlier films (Sideways + About Schmidt) and I tend to agree with one of the dissenting critics, Rex Reed of The New York Observer, who described in as “a soap opera with Hawaiian shirts”.

I also hated the soundtrack of Hawaiian music which is at best mildly irritating and at worst a major intrusion.

The story is of a lost,and soon to be lone, parent confronted by pressing life choices.

Matt’s  wife, Liz, has had a motorboat accident and she is now in a coma with no realistic hope of recovery. As a result, Matt  has the full charge of  his daughters Scotty and Alex aged 10 and 17. This is a big responsibility and a major headache since  both girls are wayward, rebellious and practically unmanageable. His problems are compounded by the fact that Alex’s boyfriend Sid comes over as a stoner nerd from hell. Continue reading →

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DO THE AMERICAN

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February 8, 2011

Clooney gets his girl and keeps his clothes on.

With the Ian Curtis biopic Control, Anton Corbijn made a very smooth switch from photographer to filmmaker and shows with his follow-up movie ,The American, that this was no one-off.

The film may be a star vehicle for George Clooney ,but it also  a tight and tense Zen thriller which is not afraid to maintain a slow pace.

Clooney (Edward/Mr. Butterfly) plays a hit-man and gun expert who works for a shady organisation. He is pursued by Swedes and is holed up in a sleepy Italian town.

Clooney looks immaculate throughout – Who washes and irons his clothes? How come his suit is so perfectly pressed?  We need to be told.

His employers are not named but could easily be called Designer Assassins Inc. (D.A.) with a suitable advertising slogan being ‘Need someone dead? Come to D.A. and get your killing done in style’. Continue reading →

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