infodaddy
Joined Jul 2011
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Reviews10
infodaddy's rating
I suspect that Judi Dench has been "our" greatest female actor for a long long time. But I suspect that not until now did she have the greatness to play this role successfully. Which she does, and did.
What Ms. Dench does perhaps better than any other actor, is to become the character (not in that cloying actorish sense of "inhabiting" the character, which is really an inner thing), and to allow us to see only the character and never the acting.
If this is not the greatest female actor performance I've seen, it comes damn close. (Maybe Bette Davis in NOW VOYAGER or Charlize Theron in MONSTER.)
Oddly the American public may still know her best only for M. At least we are getting to know the wonderful Toni Collette.
What Steve Coogan, in his acting role, did so well, was to just do his job, stay out of the way, be a foil, and still be a credible character. Also, unbelievably, he was able to drive a British car from the right side and an American car from the left, without killing anyone.
The movie takes only about one hour. And then the movie begins all over again. Thus instead of the standard three-act movie, we have a six-act movie, that is three acts for each of the two movies which, like some passages in Beethoven's late quartets, meet up with each other seamlessly.
What Ms. Dench does perhaps better than any other actor, is to become the character (not in that cloying actorish sense of "inhabiting" the character, which is really an inner thing), and to allow us to see only the character and never the acting.
If this is not the greatest female actor performance I've seen, it comes damn close. (Maybe Bette Davis in NOW VOYAGER or Charlize Theron in MONSTER.)
Oddly the American public may still know her best only for M. At least we are getting to know the wonderful Toni Collette.
What Steve Coogan, in his acting role, did so well, was to just do his job, stay out of the way, be a foil, and still be a credible character. Also, unbelievably, he was able to drive a British car from the right side and an American car from the left, without killing anyone.
The movie takes only about one hour. And then the movie begins all over again. Thus instead of the standard three-act movie, we have a six-act movie, that is three acts for each of the two movies which, like some passages in Beethoven's late quartets, meet up with each other seamlessly.
Enjoyed it of course. Not bowled over. The casting was terrific. Oddly most actors dealing with this American icon were not American. But they were well cast especially Israeli Ayelet Zurer as Lara.
The eugenics angle in Kryptonian procreation was a new idea and a bad one. While Michael Shannon was superb as General Zod, that character never appeared in the comics so seemed an artificial villain choice, and his dénouement scene, after all that excessive visual fluff, was muddy. Contrast all those Jack Kirby inspired comic book splash panel scenes with the calm practicality of the Chris Meloni character (who is still L&O's Elliot Stabler), which worked well.
Zod and Jonathan Kent tried to be philosophical about patriotism and heroism and who Clark was. But it was fake philosophy, seemed to me, or was cut short. Half-ass try I guess. "Our viewers don't want ideas they want action" may well have been the operative sensibility.
Interesting plot point that who Supe was became no secret to Lois Lane. But the closing scene she seems clearly to not know that this new reporter Clark was also the Clark she knew as the superman figure (though the Name Superman was not itself clearly marked out in the storyline). Was this a bluff in that scene or did she get Alzheimer's? That relationship and whether she knew or didn't know might be a better starting angle for the next Superman movie than more CGI bee-ess and more Krypton origins and more Luthor shenanigans. How about some real creativity.
Superman on the radio was 35. In this film he was 33. Better than 20-ish like the last two.
The eugenics angle in Kryptonian procreation was a new idea and a bad one. While Michael Shannon was superb as General Zod, that character never appeared in the comics so seemed an artificial villain choice, and his dénouement scene, after all that excessive visual fluff, was muddy. Contrast all those Jack Kirby inspired comic book splash panel scenes with the calm practicality of the Chris Meloni character (who is still L&O's Elliot Stabler), which worked well.
Zod and Jonathan Kent tried to be philosophical about patriotism and heroism and who Clark was. But it was fake philosophy, seemed to me, or was cut short. Half-ass try I guess. "Our viewers don't want ideas they want action" may well have been the operative sensibility.
Interesting plot point that who Supe was became no secret to Lois Lane. But the closing scene she seems clearly to not know that this new reporter Clark was also the Clark she knew as the superman figure (though the Name Superman was not itself clearly marked out in the storyline). Was this a bluff in that scene or did she get Alzheimer's? That relationship and whether she knew or didn't know might be a better starting angle for the next Superman movie than more CGI bee-ess and more Krypton origins and more Luthor shenanigans. How about some real creativity.
Superman on the radio was 35. In this film he was 33. Better than 20-ish like the last two.
Branch Rickey got the credit he deserves. Harold Pee Wee Reese got the credit he deserves. Eddie Stanky got the credit he deserves. Leo Durocher got the credit he deserves. Rachel Robinson (still with us) got the credit she deserves. Bobby Bragan was symbolically caught in the middle, as were many.
Brooklyn was and is a great place. I was 11 or so, a white Jewish boy.
Recreation of reality? Branch used to wear a black hat I think but not black in the movie. Jackie had a hitch in his swing that Boseman caught. Jackie ran pigeon-toed which Boseman did not catch, far as I could tell. His taunting steal-and-head-back at third base was switched to first, a dramatic loss. The Reese arm around Jackie was as an inning ended but filmed as an inning began. The "Oh doctor" Al Gionfriddo catch was I think in a World Series not a playoff game shown. I wish the Red Barber segments were from original tapes but nice try. So some artistic license. But they did not distort or misrepresent facts
The vulgar taunts were less, I expect, than what Jackie really had to deal with. I'd guess this is so that children can see the movie.
Boseman was perfect. Ford even better. And the world changed. Go see it.
Brooklyn was and is a great place. I was 11 or so, a white Jewish boy.
Recreation of reality? Branch used to wear a black hat I think but not black in the movie. Jackie had a hitch in his swing that Boseman caught. Jackie ran pigeon-toed which Boseman did not catch, far as I could tell. His taunting steal-and-head-back at third base was switched to first, a dramatic loss. The Reese arm around Jackie was as an inning ended but filmed as an inning began. The "Oh doctor" Al Gionfriddo catch was I think in a World Series not a playoff game shown. I wish the Red Barber segments were from original tapes but nice try. So some artistic license. But they did not distort or misrepresent facts
The vulgar taunts were less, I expect, than what Jackie really had to deal with. I'd guess this is so that children can see the movie.
Boseman was perfect. Ford even better. And the world changed. Go see it.