Crash (2004) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/
Because of David Cronenberg's Crash (1996), for some irrational reason, I offered resistance to fitting Crash (2004) in my home cinema nights. I could have enjoyed it in 2004, but I only did it in late 2005.
Crash (2004) is a superb movie, that - of course - has absolutely nothing to do with Cronenberg's 1996 crap.
Crash (2004) features a strong cast but, better than that, there is no "main character". I prefer movies where no actor/actress shines above all: in such character-centric titles (think Harry Potter, Tomb Raider, Super Man...), it is very easy for the movie to follow shallow and predictable paths.
Crash (2004) is not predictable. At some (fragile) point, it seems "about" racial tension, but it unfolds to much more than that. It is a credible portrait of the human strenghts and weaknesses of all its characters.
One final note: the first "true" multi-character movie I watched _and_ that made a real impression on me, was Robert Altman's Short Cuts (1993) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108122/). Since then, I tend to "label" movies with many solid personages "Short Cutters".
Crash (2004) is a superb "Short Cutter".
My Rating: 9/10
External Links:
http://www.filmcritic.com
http://www.movietome.com
http://www.thezreview.co.uk
Shop: DVD (USA) | DVD (Europe) | Poster*
*Poster info:
Title: Crash
Type: Double-sided poster
Size: 69 x 102 cm
Está disponível o artigo "JBL Encounter", conforme publicado pela revista ÁUDIO.
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20051220 - The Big White (2005) 
The Big White (2005) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0402850/
I was extremely surprised with "The Big White" (tBW).
For some reason, I always appreciated movies set on snowy environments, so this was one factor favoring Mark Mylod's latest direction.
On the other hand, I tend to dislike titles based on BIG actors/actresses, and tBW does cast giants, namely Robin Williams and Holly Hunter. Of course there is nothing wrong with proven actors/actresses... the problem is the sad (not so recent) tendency of big studios, to try saving poor scripts, burning those goliath names.
Movies like The Stepford Wives (2004) or even the latest Harry Potter - The Goblet of Fire (2005) -, totally based on key, monopolistic characters, performed by hugely popular persons, like Nicole Kidman or Daniel Radcliffe, simply don't work (for me), and shouldn't work for anyone not seeking for a one person's show.
Fortunately, "The Big White" is just perfect, balancing its characters. Robin Williams plays a man in dire straits, with no money, trying to claim one million dollars of insurance, by declaring dead is living brother. Holly Hunter is his crazy (or maybe not...) wife. These two goliaths are far, very far, from monopolizing the movie.
The Big White is diverse, with _many_ rich characters, including two (funny) mafiosos, one other imbalanced couple, the insurance company workers and the supposedly dead insured.
Of them all, impressive performance by Tim Blake Nelson (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0625789/), whose voice is just unique!
The sole character I didn't appreciate, was Raymond Barrel, played by Woody Harrelson. I think Woody is still Mickey Knox, from "Natural Born Killers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110632/)... a very limited personage.
The Big White is a huge positive surprise.
My Rating: 7/10
External Links:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com
Shop: NOT Available
Está disponível o artigo "Sony NS955V", conforme publicado pela revista ÁUDIO.
Estão disponíveis: PDF | galeria de imagens
20051210 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371724/
Based on Douglas Coupland's famous book, this movie is hard to comment... This is because "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (tHGttG), probably works great on paper, where it is up to each reader's imagination to figure the events and personages, but poses - quite literally - surreal problems on screen.
Besides the constant surreal scenes, the title's silly humour might be too much, for non british viewers or too much tied to Monty Python's days. Yes, tHGttG might spark "oh, that again" exclamations, after just a few chapters.
That having been said, 2005's tHGttG is quite good! I mostly appreciated the terrestrial scenes and Richard Griffiths' voice for Jeltz, the depressive robot.
The spaceships, the creatures, and the space travelling that takes place during nearly all the final hour of the movie, are technically "ok" to "great", but don't fascinate me, nor make me smile genuinely.
So, this is good... I think it respects the book and previous TV attempts... but it simply doesn't achieve more on space, although I think it is more solid, on Earth...
Only for those who appreciate Douglas Coupland material.
My Rating: 6/10
External Links:
http://www.popentertainment.com/hitchhikersguide.htm
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=info&id=1808411970
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*Poster info:
Title: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Type: Double-sided poster
Size: 69 x 102 cm
Está disponível o artigo "Yamaha YSP800", conforme publicado pela revista ÁUDIO.
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