Sunday, April 24
The Important Movie Pass Experiment continues...
16. The Interpreter
This is one of those films where Nicole Kidman is just plain annoying. Perhaps it's her South African accent, or maybe her fluency in Ku, a language that doesn't actually exist. There's no denying that herself and Penn are fine actors, but with a script with as many holes as this, all they succeed in doing is acting themselves in circles. Kidman overhears a discussion to an attempt to kill an African dictator. A succession of people then break into her house, trying and failing to kill her. Here's an idea, move! The New York scenery is great but the script is spectacularly overwrought and full of gaping holes. It left me cold.
Rating 54%
17. The Assassination of Richard Nixon
It has been described as a kind of Taxi Driver for the 21st Century and I don't disagree. A mesmeric performance by Penn which will probably (rightly) be considered for an Oscar nomination next year. He plays Sam Bicke, an office furniture salesman. As his world slowly unravels, Nixon's sweaty, twitching, flabby face pops up on TV screens during the film. Penn also sports a fine moustache throughout most of the film. When forced to shave it off by his boss, he finally cracks.
Rating 88%
18. Be Cool
There is no reason whatsoever for this film to have been made, but it does prove to be mildly amusing. Vince Vaughan is as always, very funny. As is Cedric the Entertainer and surprisingly The Rock. It's cameos left right and centre though of course, and John Travolta is a waste of space (and he takes up enough of it). His dance with Uma Thurman, supposedly harking back to Pulp Fiction, was like watching your aging parents dancing at a wedding, struggling to recapture their youth, but only managing to embarrass themselves.
Rating 70%
16. The Interpreter
This is one of those films where Nicole Kidman is just plain annoying. Perhaps it's her South African accent, or maybe her fluency in Ku, a language that doesn't actually exist. There's no denying that herself and Penn are fine actors, but with a script with as many holes as this, all they succeed in doing is acting themselves in circles. Kidman overhears a discussion to an attempt to kill an African dictator. A succession of people then break into her house, trying and failing to kill her. Here's an idea, move! The New York scenery is great but the script is spectacularly overwrought and full of gaping holes. It left me cold.
Rating 54%
17. The Assassination of Richard Nixon
It has been described as a kind of Taxi Driver for the 21st Century and I don't disagree. A mesmeric performance by Penn which will probably (rightly) be considered for an Oscar nomination next year. He plays Sam Bicke, an office furniture salesman. As his world slowly unravels, Nixon's sweaty, twitching, flabby face pops up on TV screens during the film. Penn also sports a fine moustache throughout most of the film. When forced to shave it off by his boss, he finally cracks.
Rating 88%
18. Be Cool
There is no reason whatsoever for this film to have been made, but it does prove to be mildly amusing. Vince Vaughan is as always, very funny. As is Cedric the Entertainer and surprisingly The Rock. It's cameos left right and centre though of course, and John Travolta is a waste of space (and he takes up enough of it). His dance with Uma Thurman, supposedly harking back to Pulp Fiction, was like watching your aging parents dancing at a wedding, struggling to recapture their youth, but only managing to embarrass themselves.
Rating 70%
