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Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger - London, New York, Johannesburg (2008)
Kill The Editor
The editor of this special was so consumed with splicing footage and seamlessly meshing shows that he or she, in my opinion, got in the way of the act.
Chris Rock deserves a special focused on Chris Rock the way George Carlin's specials focused only on George Carlin.
This special had too much going on. The editing tangled feet with the punchlines. The outfit changes were jarring, as I found myself missing the jokes because I was too busy saying, "Now he's wearing a shiny jacket," or, "Now he's in Brooklyn." Not to mention the sound quality was noticeably different, especially when jokes were spliced together.
It was all just so unnecessary.
I would like to see Kill The Message from one stage, with one audience. But don't take my word for it. Watch it yourself.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The Best Movie I've Seen in a L-O-N-G Time
Prior to writing this comment, I read over the 2006 Golden Globe nominees once again. I wanted to be honest with not only myself, but with the people reading this review that Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" was in fact the best movie of the year. Indeed, I would be lying if I said I preferred any other movie from 2005 more.
I love film. I love the art of cinema -- the writing, the acting and the directing. Unfortunately, the Tinsletown bigwigs often produce movies that, more or else, serve the purpose of raking in our dollars and little of our "sense." I'm not going to bash any particular movie because I fully understand the hard work from every angle that it takes to make a movie. However, it is rare that such a movie as "Brokeback Mountain," with all it's aesthetic beauty, is made.
"Brokeback Mountain" is just that -- beautiful. Perhaps no other word could describe the film in a panoramic way. From Ang Lee's sharp, point-made directing to Rodrigo Prieto's mouth watering cinematography (most notably the Fourth of July scene) to the dream-like performances by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, "Brokeback Mountain" does what so many films fall short of doing: It captures the heart.
It doesn't take but a few of Heath Ledger's emotional grunts and Jake Gyllenhaal's lonely smile to be catapulted full-throttle into what this movie really is: A love story. By the films peak, I was so lost in the love story that I forgot I was watching two callused cowboys fall in love.
I did more than watch this movie; I felt it as Ennis del Mar's (Ledger) heart slowly suffocated, as if a boa constrictor were tightly wrapped around it as it painstakingly gasped to beat, as he tried with all his might to dump his love for Jack Twist (Gyllenhaal) into a storage bin somewhere far, far away. Ennis wants so badly to confess his love, but his brain and his heart move forward like trains going in opposite directions.
"Brokeback Mountain" is a movie that one sees for his or her love for the cinema, for storytelling. It is fictional, but drives home non-fiction emotion into anyone who watches it.
The Constant Gardener (2005)
with apologies to "Crash", the best movie of 2005...
Rather than offering the same contrived review that most people simply skim through, I am going to evaluate the movie based on several categories. Each category will be given a grade (A thru F) accordingly.
Directing: A
why: Fernando Meirelles (City of God) repeats in Oscar-worthy fashion. Without giving anything away, the structure of this movie is incredible.
Cinematography: A
why: Meirelles and Cesar Charlone combine a thrilling adventure with one of the most phenomenal displays of cinematography I've ever seen.
Plot: B+
why: while the first 3/4 of the movie are exhilarating as any, the last twenty-five or so minutes of the movie couldn't keep up the high suspense.
Script: B+
why: the film takes place in London and Kenya and the script complies, and very well at that.
Acting: A
why: Ralph Fiennes is obvious the new Liam Neesom. Fiennes delivers a stellar performance and SHOULD be a top candidate for Best Actor in 2006. However, Rachel Weisz stole the show. I was amazed are her ability to maintain the emotion and power throughout. Wow.
Editing: A
why: editing was on par with directing and cinematography - maybe even above it. The editing and mish-moshing of scenes was AMAZING and ranks among the top 10 I've ever seen.
Music: A-
why: the original score fit the movie. not much else to say about that.
Overall Grade: A
a touching, exciting film shot with such beautiful creativity that it'd be a shame if people ignored it. it's movies like this that will be remember through time, not the horrid garbage the mainstream public wastes their $10 per ticket on. SEE THIS MOVIE, YOU WILL ENJOY IT.