Posts Tagged ‘george clooney’
Author: James
‘We will not walk in fear of one another’
It was around this time, 2005, that George Clooney really began to prove what he could achieve, both as an actor, director and, in the case of Good Night, and Good Luck., both at the same time.
The year also saw the release of Stephen Gaghan’s Syriana, one of the most complex, intelligent and unforgiving examinations of the oil industry, in which Clooney delivered a performance that was brilliantly at odds with any of his previous screen personna and, while his interpretation of 1950 CBS producer Fred Friendly in Good Night, and Good Luck. may have the charm and swagger more traditionally associated with a Clooney interpretation, there is no doubting the sincerity of his direction, nor his excellent complementing of anchorman Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn), in this charged, thrilling account of the men who took on McCarthy.
Author: Colin
Unless, of course, you know different?
Some actors are just so good that we can forgive them their little peccadillos – let’s face it, George Clooney is a top bloke, but not all of his films are great, and not all the roles he casts himself in are well-advised. And Johnny Depp – for every Donnie Brasco (1997) there is a Secret Window (2004) (come on – I love JD, but this one was crap). Here, then, Picturenose celebrates the fact that our favourite actors can be as screwed up as the rest of us when a large amount of cash is waved in their direction.
Author: Colin
Oil be damned…
“Yeah, the whole Middle East thing, it’s all about oil and money, isn’t it?” Nope. Watching this was a real eye-opener. Through a long and heavily convoluted film, we are reminded of the complexities of international trade and negotiation, and just how utterly perplexing the whole business can be.
Starring (among a raft of others) George Clooney and Matt Damon, you may think this was a direct paraphrase of their ‘roles’ in Team America: World Police (2004): All corporations are bad, and the movie stars of the world, dripping with cash, are just the people to tell you how crap it all is. Happily, this intelligent, well-paced and genuinely thought-provoking piece is anything but an anti-business or anti-capitalist diatribe.
Author: James
Intelligence overload
They have been with us from as far back as Blood Simple (1984) and, following their Oscar-winning epiphany with the overrated No Country for Old Men (2007) (which should never have taken Best Film and Best Director away from Paul Thomas Anderson’s sublime There Will Be Blood (2007)), Ethan and Joel Coen return with a largely good-natured romp – one with more than a few echoes of what is les freres Coen’s actual masterpiece, The Big Lebowski (1998).
Author: Colin
Subjectivity abounds in this piece. I’ve no doubt that whatever I cite as my 10 most prominent cinematic pieces of chaff, there will be those who will cite at least 11 I have missed. You are more than welcome to point out the error of my judgement.
The 80s were a time of bad music, bad fashions and truly cringe-making hairstyles, but also a breeding ground for trash movies. I often wonder if the entire decade was invented just to provide something on which the middle classes of the 00s could base their kitschy parties.
Author: Colin
Normally, a 65-year-old man touting a bullwhip would be the kind of thing to make me swear off eating cheese before bedtime, but I am of course referring to the latest offering in the incredibly popular Indiana Jones series of movies. James has now seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – read his review here.
Author: Colin
Kings for a day?
I was clearly in trouble. The take away food had been ordered, the beers were in the fridge and I sat my good lady down in order to treat her to a screening of David O. Russell’s Three Kings (1999). It was partly her choice – she said something about George Clooney and, after allowing her a few moments reflection, I thew a bucket of cold water over her and she was back to normal. I knew there was something wrong when she spent the first fifteen minutes with her face in her hands – this is, after all, not a movie many people would like to watch while eating.
- Colin: Mike: the Matrix was utter toss. Don’t go there. Anyhow, I’m right with you on Aliens –...
- Colin: James: Why not do ten more and see if you can avoid putting the god-awful travesty that is Independence Day in...
- CD: The Day the Earth Stood Still (it’s about an alien who is Jesus…but better than ET) Soylent Green...
- James: Hello Chris, and welcome to Picturenose!
Many thanks for your comment – I thought, in fact, that... - James: Colin, good points, both on Westworld (which should really have been included, I know, I know) and otters.