― jaymc, Monday, 9 August 2004 05:50 (nineteen years ago) link
xpost
fuck washing a cat
― ||amateur!st|| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 05:53 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 05:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 05:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― |||| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 05:57 (nineteen years ago) link
Right, to a point. The character doesn't rely on *his* texture, though, it just relies on *texture.* It doesn't depend on mega-star power to make it work -- I'd get very depressed if I thought any role did. It's a personality role, sure. Many, many actors have personality. Think... oooh, I like this one... think Benecio Del Toro in that role. Wouldn't that just be thick and delicious?
Truth is, this character is all texture. And a more subtle actor would have provided a more subtle texture. Tom Cruise is incapable of being thick and delicious.
― Harold Media (kenan), Monday, 9 August 2004 05:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:04 (nineteen years ago) link
mann went to the london film school y'know.
― |||| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:08 (nineteen years ago) link
― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:08 (nineteen years ago) link
Yes! I know.
kyle, there is no formula for suckiness. It just happens. I blame the script.
I have decided that Mann must have seen this film as some kind of back-to-basics logistical challenge - (relatively) small budget, location shooting, mainly at night, small cast, etc. I don't think he could have done any better with this material, actually.
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Harold Media (kenan), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:44 (nineteen years ago) link
― kyle (akmonday), Monday, 9 August 2004 06:46 (nineteen years ago) link
Resisting joke.
Anyway, once I have more time, I am going to comment on the Film People! Explain Yourselves! thread because I think my enjoyment of Collateral may have something to do with my relationship to Hollywood these days.
― jaymc, Monday, 9 August 2004 12:53 (nineteen years ago) link
*cellphone hand*
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 12:59 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 9 August 2004 13:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 9 August 2004 13:57 (nineteen years ago) link
Yes. Although Miami Vice is the show Manhunter *could have been*.
― ENRQ (Enrique), Monday, 9 August 2004 14:04 (nineteen years ago) link
― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Monday, 9 August 2004 14:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― ENRQ (Enrique), Monday, 9 August 2004 14:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― dave k, Monday, 9 August 2004 14:49 (nineteen years ago) link
― |||| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 14:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― cruizen, his unwavering FAN. (Cozen), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mr. Tony Plow (Leee), Monday, 9 August 2004 19:56 (nineteen years ago) link
Actually, he does grin very briefly. The camera doesn't hold on it so I wonder if it was a reflexive action that Mann left in and not anything deliberate.
The real star of the movie is the City of Los Angeles - obviously fitting for a neo-noir about anonymity. Each frame could have easily been blown up into a coffee table-sized book of photographs.
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:55 (nineteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:57 (nineteen years ago) link
Absolutely OTM.
― adam. (nordicskilla), Monday, 9 August 2004 20:59 (nineteen years ago) link
I think it's a Michael Mann thing. I didn't mind it too much - heck even the Oakenfold during the scene at the Fever club was pretty effective. Really the only time I found the music intrusive enough to kick me out of the moment was the idiot song that comes on during the coyote sighting.
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:06 (nineteen years ago) link
― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:31 (nineteen years ago) link
― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Monday, 9 August 2004 21:41 (nineteen years ago) link
I really liked the sequence when Ruffalo seems to save the day, then takes three in the chest, Foxx's shoulders slump and he gets in the cab. Ruffalo's death was unexpected, even under "the good guy automatically gets killed" logic.
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:33 (nineteen years ago) link
― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:38 (nineteen years ago) link
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 12 August 2004 02:45 (nineteen years ago) link
Anyway, I went to see it because I love the way his movies look on a big screen. I wasn't disappointed. His movies are like giant video installations, and it was way cooler than anything I saw at the Whitney Biennial.
― spittle (spittle), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:07 (nineteen years ago) link
whoa. lop off the last 30 minutes and the film could easily have gone this route.
spittle, you are cool..
― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:11 (nineteen years ago) link
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:17 (nineteen years ago) link
Vincent was just such a weird character, wasn't he? And the way no one in the office building at the beginning or in the hospital reacts at all to this silver-suited dude wearing shades indoors after dark? He was like the most conspicuous hitman ever. But then he wants to be all "anonymous", and has the whole riff about the guy dying on the train and no one even noticing, as if there's anything remotely overlookable about him. But I guess that's what Edelstein got at with that line about the lonely man in the great suit.
― spittle (spittle), Thursday, 12 August 2004 03:23 (nineteen years ago) link
spittle, it's funny that you say vincent = imaginary; the other day there was some cruise bio thing on E, and i started cracking up at the thought that he was delivering his interviews to noone, just an empty room with a camera, for hours. there's something abt cruise that invites that kind of dislocation.
i liked the shootout at the club even tho i could feel the movie heading south during and after; cruise (even if he doesn't 'get' his character the way welles got harry lime) does understand the kinetics of that kind of thing. his chilly gunhandling was fantastic.
― g--ff (gcannon), Thursday, 12 August 2004 04:26 (nineteen years ago) link
Actually, I liked that about the character. He *doesn't* get it, not completely. He's ex-special forces, not a natural, charming philosopher like Lime. He's resigned himself to the fact that killing is his job, but in several scenes, it's made clear that he's not at peace with it.
― Harold Media (kenan), Thursday, 12 August 2004 04:31 (nineteen years ago) link
"private sector? six years"
― g--ff (gcannon), Thursday, 12 August 2004 04:35 (nineteen years ago) link
― Mr. Tony Plow (Leee), Thursday, 12 August 2004 21:47 (nineteen years ago) link
― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Thursday, 12 August 2004 22:06 (nineteen years ago) link
And while the blacked out building is illogical (though, no more than anything that precedes it), it (including the subsequent train chase) disposes with the plot irregularities in favor of pure mood, and, further, it's exquisitely brought off -- there's no musical score to distract from the level of suspense. And TC (or a stuntman) bailing on the window-thrown chair. That counts for something.
― Mr. Tony Plow (Leee), Thursday, 12 August 2004 22:15 (nineteen years ago) link