Goolphipp Award: 3 (Worth 11 Bucks)
Goolsby:
First point – empty theaters are the best places to view movies like Public Enemies. We were in a showing with only 2 other people. This means we exchanged banter basically through the whole movie.
Second point – we exchanged banter through the whole movie, because we were both so frustrated and confused with the filming style. This movie can’t make up its mind. You’ve got your artsy epic shots that take up too much time. I’m okay with a few key shots that highlight an actor’s delivery or the action, but this was absurd. There were grainy shots for no reason at all. What was the worst thing was the shaky cinematography. Phipps said something like Blair Witch Project, so I’m stealing her line. It was horrible. I never forgot about it until the last 10 minutes of the film. Since we were basically in an empty theater, I caught myself holding out both my hands trying to steady myself. So distracting. You got to wonder what the director Michael Mann was thinking?
Third point – filming took away from the awesome deliveries. Depp brings in a winner again. And could his hair be any more awesome? Swoon. Maria Cotillard, who played Billie Frechette, was amazing as well. She closed the movie, and that scene was perfect. The whole cast was amazing. And random Leelee Sobieski, where has she been?
And on a final note – the one thing I did like about the cinematography was the color hue. It fit well into the period with the round browns and warm colors.
Oh oh oh, how could I forget this! The scene in which Dillinger (Depp) walks into the police station... it was the greatest thing I've seen in a long time. Loved it.
Goolsby overall: 3
Loved everyone's hair.
Phipps:
This film was a big-budget, period piece modeled after the Blair Witch Project. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a hit, like its predecessor. I was completely distracted by the cinematography the ENTIRE time. I think it was worse than Pitof’s Catwoman, and that’s saying something.
And that is a crying shame, because all the performances were spectacular. I was equally drawn to both protagonists, John Dillinger and Melvin Purvis. Depp pulls off the likeable thief - charming me with his half smiles. Bale, of course, is always stellar as the smart, squeaky clean lawman. Everyone got to see that Channing Tatum could realistically die on screen, which further builds his repertoire.
All the historical junk looked authentic…as far as a layman is concerned. It was weird to see the police action without the use of walkies and vests. I'm glad I live in the age of S.W.A.T.
Public Enemies had all the right pieces, but someone let us down in the sound and cinematography, and I’m going bet it’s the director, Michael Mann. Mr. Mann, shame on you for robbing some people of Oscar nods.
Wait for the DVD, folks, and don’t forget the Dramamine.
Phipps overall: 3
Giving it a 3, simply because the performances deserve the world. Could have easily been a 5, Mr. Mann.
No comments:
Post a Comment