This is for HVB. If this is going to get deleted for a rule I still do not know (like the Eternal Sunshine threads), please let us know why so I know whatever rule it is that we are breaking...
I am not a movie critic and most of you people probably have no interest in this, so just ignore it if you don't care...
OK, I saw the Coen Brothers' latest effort on Saturday night, The Ladykillers, starring Tom Hanks. Judging from my own reaction and also gauging opinions others I have spoken to about it, this is a movie that you are probably going ot either love or hate. Personally, I loved it, but I can definitely see how some may really dislike the movie. This movie is vintage Coen Brothers. If you don't know what that means, you probably have not seen a movie done by them before. These guys write scripts like no others in the business. I am not sure if this is something that I can really put into words too well, but if you want to know what I mean, sit down and watch The Big Lebowski (my personal favorite of the group), Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, and Intolerable Cruelty (not nearly as good as their other efforts, but more mainstream and well-acted). They play with dialogue in a way that I have not seen in a long time. You probably know what i mean if you saw the previews for this movie and saw the scene, for instance, where the Tom Hanks character is sitting in a Waffle Hut restaurant and declares "We must have waffles! We must all have waffles forthwith!" His character plays with crazy dialogue you will never hear anybody ever use pretty much the entire movie. I found it hilarious, others may fnd it tiresome.
Anyways, the thing I liked most about the movie was the collection of characters. I will list them here:
Professor G. H. Dorr:
This is the Tom Hanks character, He is a very eccentric professor who is also the mastermind of the whol ecriminal operation to hijack the money off of a river boat casino, making it look like the money literally disappeared into thin air.
Gawain MacSam (played by Marlon Wayans):
Very stereotypical black "gansta" thuggish character. Fuck this, fuck that, constantly getting into verbal altercations and slapped around like a bitch by the old lady.
Garth Pancake (played by JK Simmons from Oz, Law & Order, etc.):
Typical know it all who knows about absolutely everything, but is good at nothing. He has some of the best scenes in the movie, providing a great deal of comic relief and some funny catch phrases. He also suffers from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
The General (played by Tzi Ma from Rush Hour):
Another excelllent character. He plays the Chinese general who can kill people with his evil stare (not really, but you get the idea). He doesn't speak much, but has some good scenes.
Lump Hudson (played by Ryan Hurst from Remember the Titans):
Big dumb jock. Can barely talk and is the muscle, though not really. His purpose, as Professor Dorr puts it, is to be the thug. Every crew needs a thug who will follow orders and he is it.
And then, of course, there is the old lady, Marva Munson, played by Irma Hall. She is pretty basic. Elderly, church going woman who slaps the shit out of marlon Wayans to try to heal him. Doesn't like hippity dibbity music. Very similar character to the one she played as Martin Lawrence's mom in Nothing to Lose.
The bottom line is that, just like any Coen Brothers movie, this is not your typical comedy. There are not a lot of belly laughs. Most of the jokes are either situational or dialogue-based, but often not obvious. I am not sure how to explain it... but the bottom line is that if you are the type of person that generally enjoys movies byt he Coen Brothers, I think you will like this. If you are looking for a slapstick comedy, this is not it. It is mostly subtle humor. I really enjoyed it though.
And Tom Hanks (in my opinion) was great, though others feel differently.
I hope this is remotely helpful to anyone that wanted to know about the movie.
I am not a movie critic and most of you people probably have no interest in this, so just ignore it if you don't care...
OK, I saw the Coen Brothers' latest effort on Saturday night, The Ladykillers, starring Tom Hanks. Judging from my own reaction and also gauging opinions others I have spoken to about it, this is a movie that you are probably going ot either love or hate. Personally, I loved it, but I can definitely see how some may really dislike the movie. This movie is vintage Coen Brothers. If you don't know what that means, you probably have not seen a movie done by them before. These guys write scripts like no others in the business. I am not sure if this is something that I can really put into words too well, but if you want to know what I mean, sit down and watch The Big Lebowski (my personal favorite of the group), Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, and Intolerable Cruelty (not nearly as good as their other efforts, but more mainstream and well-acted). They play with dialogue in a way that I have not seen in a long time. You probably know what i mean if you saw the previews for this movie and saw the scene, for instance, where the Tom Hanks character is sitting in a Waffle Hut restaurant and declares "We must have waffles! We must all have waffles forthwith!" His character plays with crazy dialogue you will never hear anybody ever use pretty much the entire movie. I found it hilarious, others may fnd it tiresome.
Anyways, the thing I liked most about the movie was the collection of characters. I will list them here:
Professor G. H. Dorr:
This is the Tom Hanks character, He is a very eccentric professor who is also the mastermind of the whol ecriminal operation to hijack the money off of a river boat casino, making it look like the money literally disappeared into thin air.
Gawain MacSam (played by Marlon Wayans):
Very stereotypical black "gansta" thuggish character. Fuck this, fuck that, constantly getting into verbal altercations and slapped around like a bitch by the old lady.
Garth Pancake (played by JK Simmons from Oz, Law & Order, etc.):
Typical know it all who knows about absolutely everything, but is good at nothing. He has some of the best scenes in the movie, providing a great deal of comic relief and some funny catch phrases. He also suffers from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
The General (played by Tzi Ma from Rush Hour):
Another excelllent character. He plays the Chinese general who can kill people with his evil stare (not really, but you get the idea). He doesn't speak much, but has some good scenes.
Lump Hudson (played by Ryan Hurst from Remember the Titans):
Big dumb jock. Can barely talk and is the muscle, though not really. His purpose, as Professor Dorr puts it, is to be the thug. Every crew needs a thug who will follow orders and he is it.
And then, of course, there is the old lady, Marva Munson, played by Irma Hall. She is pretty basic. Elderly, church going woman who slaps the shit out of marlon Wayans to try to heal him. Doesn't like hippity dibbity music. Very similar character to the one she played as Martin Lawrence's mom in Nothing to Lose.
The bottom line is that, just like any Coen Brothers movie, this is not your typical comedy. There are not a lot of belly laughs. Most of the jokes are either situational or dialogue-based, but often not obvious. I am not sure how to explain it... but the bottom line is that if you are the type of person that generally enjoys movies byt he Coen Brothers, I think you will like this. If you are looking for a slapstick comedy, this is not it. It is mostly subtle humor. I really enjoyed it though.
And Tom Hanks (in my opinion) was great, though others feel differently.
I hope this is remotely helpful to anyone that wanted to know about the movie.