| Overall Grade: |
A+ |
|
| Story: |
N/A |
|
|
| Acting: |
N/A |
|
|
| Direction: |
N/A |
|
|
| Visuals: |
N/A |
|
|
Must See - Val Kilmer Comeback of the Year A+
by Jesse (movies profile)
Oct 8, 2007
12
of
13 people found this review helpful
Great film. Val Kilmer was fantastic. I can understand to a point why some folks are not "getting" this movie if they have not lived in the City of Los Angeles for many years and come to be intimate with a large cross-section of it's citzenry. The frenetic pace of the film, the jagged chronology and sometimes hard-to-follow scene shifts, and never knowing for sure what's really what (which are very minor devices, really) - that is exactly what it is like living here for the average person! Exactly! Critics, this was the whole point and unfortunately most of you missed it. Like so many films scened in Los Angeles, Los Angeles itself was the main character, the characters - most of them beautifully acted - are really just a part of the scenery. This is a COMPLETELY different film from Boogie Nights, in my opinion this film is more realistic of what the business does to people over time. Boogie Nights was a sympathetic portrait that left you liking the father-figurish Burt Reynolds character, among others, now how realistic is that? The Eric Bogosian character was great...do you critics know how many scumbag club owner wannabe mafiosi there are in this city JUST LIKE HIM?? The Lisa Kudrow character was great, and played brilliantly...this film captures the heart of Los Angeles, and no, it ain't pretty but it doesn't make any judgments either. Be warned: this film makes you think and you are going to have to use that brain of yours to fill in some blanks. You are going to have to answer some moral questions. You get to figure out for yourself what you think about Holmes, how he got to be the way he is, the people he hung out with, and the city and world that they occupy. It is a very violent movie, but in my opinion none of it was gratuitous. The entire movie centers around how 4 people came to be savagely, brutally murdered on Wonderland Avenue, a crime that deserves to the centerpiece of Hollywod movie widely seen. It's a violent look at a violent city in the world's most violent country. If you and your family and friends are not as f'd up in the head as many of these beautifully portrayed people are, then you should leave the theatre feeling tremendous gratitude for your many blessings. This movie is a must-see. A+ |
My Public Profile 
