Made is simply one of the funniest movies ever. Vince Vaughn's Ricky is a mixture of several roles that he has perfected throughout his filmography. Swingers is an added bonus for minimal cost.
Showing posts with label free online movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free online movies. Show all posts
Swingers / Made (Double Feature) (2012)
Made is simply one of the funniest movies ever. Vince Vaughn's Ricky is a mixture of several roles that he has perfected throughout his filmography. Swingers is an added bonus for minimal cost.
Adaptation (2002)
Spike Jonze's new movie, "Adaptation," is a funny and entertaining look at insecure screenwriters, Hollywood hokum, and the lengths to which people will go to get what they want.Nicholas Cage is terrific in a dual role. He is Charlie Kaufman, a real-life screenwriter who has been commissioned to write the movie script for Susan Orlean's acclaimed novel, "The Orchid Thief." Unfortunately, Charlie has a monumental case of writer's block. He is also an insecure, nerdy guy who has trouble connecting with women and who is ashamed of his unkempt appearance. He is chubby and he wears a flannel shirt with the tails hanging out throughout much of the film. Cage also plays Charlie's twin brother, Donald, who is confidently writing a screenplay of his own. Donald's screenplay is formulaic and derivative, but he manages to sell it for a bundle. In addition, Donald has no trouble getting a beautiful woman to be his girlfriend.
The conceit of "Adaptation" is that Charlie proceeds to write a screenplay about his inability to write a screenplay. There are hilarious vignettes with the wonderful Meryl Streep, who plays the writer, Susan Orlean, as a repressed journalist who is depressed because of a lack of passion in her life. Chris Cooper almost steals the movie as the eponymous orchid thief, a toothless, lowdown individual who somehow connects with Orlean.
Jonze and Kaufman are making several statements here. They are saying that Hollywood is a place where desperate people will do anything to succeed, include writing formulaic potboilers. The way to survive is to adapt, to become whatever the public wants at the moment. You need to "get with the program" in order to succeed in Hollywood and in life.
"Adaptation" is also a movie about passion, about loving what you do, loving someone else, and loving life itself. You need to take risks, even if you wind up falling on your face, or else your life is meaningless.
"Adaptation" is confusing, exhilarating, beautifully acted, and one of the most intriguing films that I have seen in a long time. See it, and you will understand what all the fuss is about.
Cage makes the real screenwriter Charlie Kaufman hilariously pathetic, and argues with his wide-eyed (and thinner) alter ego with equally comedic success. Meryl Streep is great in the role of Susan Orlean, especially as she takes her character from Charlie's to Donald's genre. Chris Cooper is incredible as LaRoche, the charming but strange orchid thief himself; I had to keep reminding myself that he was an actor and not the real-life Laroche himself.
Viewers who enjoy the type of weird ride that the screenwriter/director combo of Kaufman and Jonze ("Being John Malkovich") provide will find it hilariously clever; others will be left shaking their heads. If you like films by the Coen brothers such as "Fargo" and "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?", you'll probably appreciate the humor and ambition of this film.From the brilliantly warped mind of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman comes "Adaptation." This film didn't get all that much play in the theaters and true, it's not for everyone. But "Adaptation" is destined for classic-status. You've probably heard something about it or else you wouldn't be here looking at this page. For a synopsis you can look just about anywhere, so I won't bore you with that. But in the likely chance you are here because you are confused and looking for information, that I can help you with. I won't give any spoilers, I'll just help focus the line between reality and whatever dark corner of Kaufman's mind this came from.
True: "The Orchid Hunter" is a non-fiction book by author Susan Orlean about an eccentric Floridian named John LaRoche who was convicted of attempting to steal orchids from the Fakahatchee swamp.
True: Charlie Kaufman was hired by Colombia to write a film adaptation of the book. "Adaptation" is that film.
True: Nicholas Cage plays Charlie Kaufman, the real-life screenwriter of this film and the film Being John Malkovich.
False: Charlie Kaufman has a twin brother named Donald Kaufman. Kaufman does not have an identical twin brother.
False: Donald Kaufman co-write "Adaptation" and wrote a script called "The Three" that is coming out in 2004. Obviously, if Donald Kaufman doesn't exist he didn't write a screenplay. However, this is still worthy of mentioning just in case you noticed the cast bios on the DVD it lists Donald Kaufman as a writer with "Adaptation" and "The Three" as credits.
True: Robert McKee is a leading screenwriting teacher with a bestselling book entitled "Story."
As far as the story itself goes, you'll have to discern fantasy and fiction for yourself. But if you pay careful attention to what McKee says it's fairly obvious at which point in the film fiction enters ("Wow them in the end...").
Lastly, it's been stated that this film has a cop-out in the end. I can't believe someone would actually say that if they remotely paid attention to the film. It's the entire point of the movie! (And Kaufman's philosophy on story-writing.) Kaufman is anti-Hollywood and anti-formula. So clearly there is a great deal of rhetoric and irony involved in his choice of the ending, especially when you consider McKee's words to Kaufmann. It's not a cop-out it's a brilliant slap in the face to Hollywood.
Read Best Reviews of Adaptation (2002) Here
Keeping things simple, Adaptation is a fine example of a near-Escher logic and structure. Things turn in on themselves and never quite appear as they seem.Nicholas Cage gives two excellent performances as a seriously on the edge screenwriter with a ton of problems, in particular no way to write a story based on a book he admires that has little action and is about orchids, not a winning formular for a screenplay.
This could have gotten sophomoric easily and to the film's credit and the fine acting of the cast instead we see twists and turns within the mind and within the plot. Reality faces inner monologue and inner monologue becomes reality...oh, and the film is non-linear which takes the viewer on a sensory rollercoaster ride.
Truths are told as the convoluted story, which is fairly easy to follow, makes it's way through something you'd expect to read in a gonzo, prozac gone bad, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas kind of way.
The last 30 minutes (or if you prefer third act)change in tone and style, collapsing in mood and sudden linear exposition and action. On first viewing it was a bit of a disappointment but watching the film a second time it was a good choice and made sense.
An entertaining film and enlightening. You learn a lot about the creative process and the toll it can take on writers if you come away with nothing else, and there are many other areas explored. Adaptation is one of the few films that is fun to watch, challenging and not so arty as to be condecending to the audience which is probably how it got made. That and the success of Being John Malcovich by the same screenwriter/director team. Adaptation is everything a film should be.
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First of all, LOVED this movie...one of the very, very best of the year (but then, I loved Being John Malkovich and this is very much in the same vein).But this Superbit [stuff] really gets my goat! I can understand that DVD lovers may want to see an epic with incredible special effects (think, Lord of the Rings) on special Superbit technology, but ADAPTATION? The visuals didn't exactly make the story! Furthermore, Adaptation is just screaming out for extras...it's an intellectual head-trip of a movie and there could be all kinds of fascinating background stuff...but NO!!! First we have to be suckered into buying THIS version before they will put out a ..., "special edition" down the road....
It's such a marketing ploy. I mean, here I sit wishing to own Adaptation, a movie I would love to watch over and over again (and probably pick up new things each time), and the marketers KNOW that I will pay the money now, and then again later when they add the bonus features. It just leaves me with a bad taste (Why not put out both versions now and let people choose? Oh, I know why....$$$$)
Anyway, great film.
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The Toy (1982)
So many people try to turn this movie into a battle about race. Lest we forget that Richard Pryor is the hero in this movie teaching the boy NOT to be racist, arrogant or judge people. In the end the Klan and the other racists get what they have coming to them. So enjoy this movie for what it is; Lighthearted, simple, fun and hysterical, nothing more and nothing less.
Scott Schwartz, who plays Gleason's son Eric, said he wrote a sequel himself but it's difficult to take him seriously for obvious (and painful) reasons. He went on to do adult films but mostly as the comic relief. You might remember him in A Christmas Story as the kid who sticks to the flagpole.
The anamorphic video on this DVD is top notch. I was so happy because I'd never seen it in widescreen. Some grain but this was most probably on the master copy. The sound is good and clear 2.0 stereo. I noticed an occational whine.
Bonus materials consist of 3 trailers, none of which is The Toy!! ...sigh...absolutely one of the most delightful movies made. jacky gleason has a heart and it finally comes out. while richard prior is as usual the king of comedy. he beomes the toy for a over privilage boy and soon learns he will be used as the boy wishes. he does teach him all about love and respect in the long run. i have watched this and shared it many times.
Read Best Reviews of The Toy (1982) Here
The potentially hilarious teaming of Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason goes to waste in this depressing 1982 farce. Zero chemistry between the comic legends, with director Richard Donner straitjacketed by an offensively bad script. Though the Pryor-Gleason pairing guaranteed its box-office success, "The Toy" would represent a career nadir for both men.This is outstanding! Richard Pryor is incredibly funny. A rich man's son goes to his Dad's store to pick out a toy and sees Richard Pyror so asks for him. It is hilarious and a must for anyone who likes a good comedy.Save 56% Off
Playing By Heart (1998)
"Playing by Heart" is one of those quaint movies that you might never have heard of. I certainly hadn't until cruising around Amazon one day and following a link for Gillian Anderson. Being interested in seeing her in a role outside of "The X-Files" I ordered this film but for whatever reasons, this DVD sat on the rack until recently. Clearly, after watching this, I should've checked it out sooner."Playing by Heart" is hinged upon a star studded cast and a casually paced but well timed and written script that plays very well emotionally. One cannot help but think that as an ensemble cast, the majority, if not all of the stars of this film, took a significant cut in pay for doing this film, in effect, showing their shared affections for the script.
On to this stellar cast, let's see, in alphabetical order; Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie, Jay Mohr, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon Stewart and Madeline Stowe, WOW! As expected, it was extremely wonderful to see Gillian Anderson outside of the "Scully" role and it will be nice to see her in future films. As is usual with Angelina Jolie, she presents an entirely different character in this film and displays perfectly the range of her acting skills. Overall kudos goes to the entire cast for their collective performances in this wonderful film about life.
High praise goes to Willard Carroll for having written and directed this charming and extremely enjoyable film! This movie apparently won high critical acclaim when it was in the theaters, and it now deserves as much acclaim as it can from those that count, movie watchers who enjoy well scripted and performed movies! The score plays perfectly to the film as well.
The Premise:
"Playing by Heart" is an extremely well told story about life, love and the ups and downs that love brings to those that try to embrace it. The movie cuts frequently between several different couples who are either struggling through the difficulties of burgeoning love, middle years of marriage or the older couple looking back upon their lives together.
What follows from there is a movie that leads to a wonderful ending that is unfortunately a bit predictable but doesn't detract from the experience in any way and in fact actually enhances the experience. I highly recommend this film to any and all that are fans of good movies! {ssintrepid}
Special Features:
This DVD is all about the movie itself!
Although all the performances were strong, the stand out performances had to be that of Angelina Jolie and Ryan Phillippe. The chemistry between these two young actors was earth shaking. Their screen romance was very touching and endearing. Even though Jolie has the ability to completely dominate a scene, Phillippe, playing his role with subtlety and reserve, was able to hold his own. His performance was so real and moving, that once us men folk can get over the fact that our ladies are swooning over him, we have to admit this dude can act. As for Jolie, I think no one can deny her obvious talent. With this role, like many of her others, she is able to generate so much passion, sensuality, and exuberance. Her larger-than-life persona almost "devours" the film, audience and all. Personally, I enjoyed when Phillippe's character was able to take Jolie's down a couple notches. While I liked the film as a whole, I secretly wanted more screen time for these two actors. Hopefully, soon these two rising stars will be paired again in another picture. Hollywood, you better hop to it while you still can afford them!
Overall, Playing By Heart was a wonderful film with smart dialogue, an excellent cast and a clever ending. This film restored my faith in romance. Well, at least at the movies. If you are not in some small way touched by this picture, I suggest you see your doctor right away. You might not have a pulse!
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I don't often shower all the 5 stars in my reviews here at Amazon, but this precious film deserves 6!An amazing star cast, a theme that will have you guessing until the end how all the entertaining but diverse vignettes are connected, some very mature and intelligent humour, and above all some enchantingly memorable and sincere dialog about life, relationships, love.
Mind you, none of the characters is in a simple straightforward predicament. Angelina Jolie especially pitches in an absolutely stunning performance, although everyone is convincing and memorable in their role.
What a cleverly crafted movie. You know the satisfaction you feel when you've just had a complete meal, that's what I'll bet you'll feel.
Highly recommended absorbing film, for *owning*, not just for seeing once. It's one of those.
Read Best Reviews of Playing By Heart (1998) Here
When most movies boast of an "all-star cast," what they usually mean is 2, maybe 3 big name actors + a bunch of people you've never heard of. Not so with this film. With the likes of Dennis Quaid, Sean Connery, Madeline Stowe, Gillian Anderson and Angelina Jolie, this one truly lives up to the promise of having a celebrity-filled cast. They could have funded the first manned mission to Mars with the payroll of this movie. Even better, these are all cream-of-the-crop actors, as opposed to being big-name pseudo actors (like Keanu Reeves, for instance).The story is about 3 sisters (Stowe, Anderson & Jolie), all of whom experience various troubles regarding men. Stowe's character is involved in a passionless marriage; the only way she can feel alive & vibrant is by engaging in a lascivious sexual arrangement with a fellow apartment tenant.
Anderson plays the sister "in the middle" who has been burned by men in her past & is apprehensive and more than a little bit reluctant to "play the field" again.
Jolie's persona, meanwhile, just plain can't seem to find the right guy. She goes thru frequent romances, but never finds a worthwhile partner to hang on to.
In the meantime, their parents are having their own marital troubles. Closing in on their 40th wedding anniversary, they cannot help but summon up ghosts of past lovers.
The tale is presented in a very different way than any other film I have ever seen. We see the characters deal with their individual struggles, then their stories are woven together at the end. This is a fascinating "angle" by which to detail the narrative.
The film is very well done & all of the acting performances, as expected with this ensemble, are impeccable. Jolie, in particular, stands out. The acting job she delivers is magnificent; I become a bigger & bigger fan of her's each movie I see her in. This is one of the best "date" movies I have ever seen; funny, yet emotionally poignant. Sometimes, it's best to play by heart.
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This is the movie I always recommend, no matter who asks. My teenaged daughters and their friends have enjoyed as well as my friends and co-workers. I have watched this movie many times and find a little something more each time.The story appears at first to be a series of unrelated stories that begin and end aburptly, leaping from one set of characters to another randomly. Gradually a pattern begins to emerge and connections begin to appear, some I anticipated but others caught me totally off guard. The various relationships couples, parent/child, siblings, in-laws all ring true. These are characters that draw a viewer into their lives.
It would be difficult to say who 'stars' in this film. The cast is packed with well-known actors, Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie, Jay Mohr, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon Stewart and Madeleine Stowe. All give stellar performances but none dominate the movie or distract from the story.
There is no violence, some profanity and sexual situations but nothing graphic or excessive. The only flaw I see in this gem is after having nearly every character in this film repeat the line about "talking about love is like dancing about architecture" why did they change the title from the original 'Dancing About Architecture' to the very forgettable 'Playing By Heart'?
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Monty Python's Life Of Brian - The Immaculate Edition (1979)
I suspect most fans of this film and Monty Python in general already own a copy on DVD. The bonus features in this new double-disc edition definitely make it worth the repeat buy. Most of the features from the Criterion edition (two commentary tracks, five deleted scenes, radio ads) are here. (The nice 1979 BBC documentary "The Pythons" is the only feature from the Criterion version missing from this new set.)The new hour-long documentary included with this edition is worth the purchase alone. All five surviving Pythons are interviewed and offer a lot of insight into the film, from its conception, to the controversy surrounding its opening (in the US and in the UK), to its lasting standing as the Pythons' greatest work. (Yes, I know, many fans like "Grail" even more.) I'm always pleased to see up-to-date interviews with the team, now all in their sixties.
The other significant feature is an audio reading of the original script, recorded with all six members several months before filming began. This is much more enjoyable and watchable than you might expect, illustrated onscreen with storyboard drawings and script pages. The reading is 20 minutes longer than the film, and you hear some bits that never made it past this stage.
And the film itself, of course, is a treasure. A hysterically funny, yet thought-provoking satire whose target is group-think in general, and not merely religion or superstition.
There are many who would say this movie is a sacrilege. As a Christian, I would disagree with such a statement. I have heard some say that this movie is making light of Jesus' ministry, and especially his crucifixion. They are missing the whole point. I think this movie illustrates how some people will blindly follow religious leaders, or will just go with the crowd without really questioning what they're doing, or why they're doing it. The scene where Brian is mistaken for Jesus and chased by the crowd is a good example. When his sandal falls off, some take it as a sign that they should remove their own sandal, while some choose to follow the Holy Gourd of Jerusalem. How can anyone NOT see the humor in that??? Also, what if there really were some in the far back of the crowd at the Sermon on the Mount who couldn't quite make out what was being said??? I have seen this movie countless times, and at no point is Jesus ever actually made fun of. Even the crucifixion scene is obviously not a slight on Jesus' own crucifixion. He is not the only person to ever be crucified, since there were countless others who suffered this horrible form of death. The crucifixion scene obviously is not about Jesus' crucifixion since there are much more than three men being crucified. Of course, I'm sure there are those who would disagree with me. If you do find this movie to be offensive, then simply don't watch it. After all, this is still a free country. To those of you who have longed for a pristine version of this classic Python piece, you MUST get this one on Blu-ray. I will be waiting patiently for Sony to deliver a comparable version of the Holy Grail on Blu-ray soon.
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You have to be a genius to be this silly. Monty Python has done a fantastic amount of research into Jewish history and the birth of Christianity to make a total mockery of the hypocrisy found in people who claim to practice these religions. As a deeply spiritual man, I found this film completely unoffensive. This film doesn't poke fun at those who are a part of their religion because of an informed, knowledgeable decision, but rather at those who believe what they believe despite all evidence to the contrary and can't offer any valid explanation for it. Most people have probably been embarassed by people of that sort even in there own religion. Anybody who thinks that Monty Python's sense of humor is stupid isn't smart enough to understand the vast amount of research they must have done to turn verifiable history into such a ridiculous commentary on unchanging human behaviour. From the political issue made out of Stan's irrational desire to be a woman so he could have babys (You haven't got a womb. Where's the fetus going to gestate? You gonna put it in a box?) to the embarrasing meeting where the PFJ finds out that maybe the Romans aren't so bad (Okay, they did provide the roads, the aqueduct, public sanitation, education, the wine, etc.) to Pontius Pilate's speech impedement (Who do you want weleased? And no more Wudolph the Wed-nosed Weindeer.) followed by his best friend's linguistic problems (Thampthon of Thithily the Thaduthee thtrangler wanted for theveral theditious crimeth) to the finale of optomistics on crosses singing "Always look on the bright side of life." If you don't get this epic joke and at least appreciate some of what they deleted to keep the plot tight (DVD--Criterion Edition only) I feel sorry for you. But I'm not your judge. Review this film for yourself.Read Best Reviews of Monty Python's Life Of Brian - The Immaculate Edition (1979) Here
...and blessed are the Pythons, the crackerjack British comedy troupe creating one of the most funniest movies I have seen in a long time.The Life of Brian has long been one of my most favorite comedies, and no matter how many times I watch it, I cannot help but break out into raucous laughter at the insanity of this film. Truly blasphemous, truly hilarous, John Cleese and his troupe of merry men leave no stone unturned poking fun at anything and everything religious. From brainless mobs finding shoes as signs from God, to a lisping Roman emperor, to the classic cruxifiction song, this movie is not for the religious light-hearted.
Even better, this Criterion Collection version has so many extras, the true fan will be preoccupied for many hours enjoying it all. Especially wonderful were the deleted scenes and the running commentary by members of the troupe. Also, I appreciated the subtitles. For once I was able to get more of the jokes due to the British accents hard to understand with this untrained ear. If all DVD's were this rich, I'd be a happy camper. You are getting your money's worth for the price!
Rent or buy "Life of Brian Criterion Collection" immediately!!
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This movie is often decried for being sacrilegious. Quite the contrary! It should be seen by every Christian, as it so illuminates Christian history. But in a supremely enjoyable and funny mannermaking it, along with Princess Bride, the top comedy ever. Unless one feels they can not laugh *along with* God, there is nothing offensive in this movie. Here you get to learn why there are so many splits in the church, as people in the very beginning follow the holy shoe or the holy cloak. Or the fight that breaks out in the first scene of the movie (the only one depicting Jesus) over whether, when Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers," he meant cheese-makers or everyone in the dairy industry. How can one not see here a reflection of Christian misinterpretation and subsequent divisions through the ages? In truth, I know of no other work that in such a light-hearted manner shows me truly who I am.Monty Python is always great acting, and even better writing; The consummation of British wit. They take reality around them, and twist it, to show us the reality that lies beneath. Some brief unfortunate gratuitous nudity is easily endured. Watching this movie provides innumerable quotes for future use. ("Splitters!" "What have the Romans ever done for us?") And the final song, which I can't describe for risk of spoiler, and also following reviewer guidelines, is worth the price of the entire video.
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Taking Woodstock (2009)
This was a real treat. Being an extreme Woodstock-phile I know alot of small behind the scenes facts and details. The Michael Wadleigh documentary is simply the holy grail of doco's! I was under the assumption parts of this were made up for the movie and I refused to go to the theatre to see it. I was sooo wrong! Not only is it factual, they nailed so many details taken and recreated from the documentary!Like the nuns being filmed while flashing a peace sign! The Earth Light players! Hog Farmers!All of the people who whine that it's a movie about a concert with no music in it, GO WATCH THE MICHAEL WADLEIGH 4 HOUR DOCUMENTARY! In fact, if ya wanna make a weekend of it, watch them back to back! This tells the background of the concert and the local politics. You don't need a movie with the music in it...The documentary already exists and more people need to become hip to it. This movie just made my heart jump when the first helicopter lands at the El Monaco motel!
Eugene Levy's portrayal as Max Yasgur is uncanny. No other actor could have pulled that off but him. He looks and talks just like the real Max. Watch the documentary right before Hendrix near the end and you won't believe the likeness! A perfect companion to the Academy Award winning documentary!
Into this languid summer come two key folk Michael Lang and Max Yasgur. Lang is an imperturbable saintly visionary from the City with the faith and means to walk the key parties through messy negotiations. Yasgur is portrayed as an enlightened agrarian businessman able to envision qualities lost on his parochial peers and acumen to make this into a venture profitable for all.
There were initial clashes between locals and those part of early negotiating. However, once contracts were settled and the project began to unfold the momentum of the operation overwhelmed the situation. Construction crews, event planners and early arrivals for the festival descended. Masses of gentle folk grew daily until the entire region was gridlocked by thousands of `citizens' of the `Woodstock nation'.
The carnival of freaks, politicos, quasi-psychotic acid heads, spiritualized bohemians and other assorted holy men and women were stereotypically characterized. Locals were bemused, perplexed, exasperated and offended, but most did not fail to succumb to the combination of gentle-spirited hippie culture and the financial boon that poured in.
One particular narrative episode captures the hippie mythos underlying the film's vision. The preparations for the event are done. Elliot, his father and Vilma, a free-spirited transvestite providing security for Elliot's family, stand overlooking a lake as nude bathers play openly. The first strains of Richie Havens move through the woods signaling the festival's beginning. Elliot's father nudges him to go and experience the festival. Elliot hesitates but Vilma urges him on, "Go" he says, "see what the center of the universe is like". Elliot finds himself wandering among groups of camping hippies still some distance from the stage. He encounters a young couple who gently seduce him to drop acid with them. They retire to the interior of their bus richly decorated for inner space travel where Elliot is initiated in the ecstasy of cosmic visionary experience. Some hours later he emerges an awakened soul accompanied by the female consort. Still flashing in colors and serenity they make their way to a bluff overlooking the sea of people dotting the night with campfires. The view is rolling and undulating, wrapping around a vortex the lighted stage in the distance. The lights, colors and liquid landscape coalesce in a visionary patterned dance around the pulsing brilliant core of illumination flowing from the stage. Space and time are lost in the enveloping ecstatic vision in the presence of the Center.
This scene is the sacramental center of the story. The whole event is actually a festive gathering to celebrate the eucharistic psychedelic ritual. Its enactment is the animus mundi, the navel of the world, around which the dance of being whirls. This entire countercultural phenomena is like a fountain of creative and colorful life flowing from the bellies of ecstatically enlightened participants. Bohemian and transient in nature it wanders about the land erupting into spontaneous happenings. This particular one, though `planned', nevertheless exploded into unexpected proportions and intensity.
Of course this story is one in relatively recent history with many participants and critics alive and well. And the verdict of history has unfolded less graciously on subsequent events. This is not lost on the filmmakers who put in the mouth of a confident Lang plans of another festival of peace and love at Altamont. The irony is not lost on those knowledgeable of the tragic events there.
Following this narrative peak the story winds down to address loose ends between Elliot and his parents. The windfall of the festival has paid off their mortgage with surplus and Elliot is free to complete the process of separation-individuation from his family.
It was a delightful film that will fade quickly from public attention, leave theaters and be on DVD shortly. For some who go it will be for a moment of nostalgia, an entertaining story resonating with faint longings that surface as one ages. For the counterculture youth of today it is not their history, it is the history of their grandparents. The heady excitement of the Sixties is textbook material to them and most are living out their own generational narrative. They have Burning Man, Goa, Ibiza, and elsewhere.
For some the longing pricked cuts perhaps more deeply. Sure enough it was a period whose potency faded with the passing decades. What seemed of cosmic significance at the time was swallowed in the relativity of social change Nevertheless, the glimpse into the white-hot core of mystery pulsing at the Heart of the Universe wouldn't be extinguished. It is a core memory implanted somewhere deep in psychic regions.
After the ecstasy many wandered back into the enveloping social order of the modern world. Some were damaged and wandered for years. Some re-acclimated into the status quo, even `succeeding' well at it. Some found creative paths integrating alternative spaces with demands of survival. Some became monks, roshis, gurus, disciples, teachers, and priests. None, however, whose hearts were pierced have forgotten when they were touched by the Center of the Universe.
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I was lucky enough to see this movie in an actual theatre (remember those?) this past September, and it really was a delight. Watching with a small group of friends and loved ones, I felt a kinship with the central character and his simple desire to do something, anything, to change his fate while the world seemed to be changing its tune for those three days, at least. Being both a musician and a fan of all things European, I really liked the look and the pace of Ang Lee's film. While the book on which the film is based bubbles and froths madly and delightedly like a late Seventies hot tub, Lee's film presents a place and a time that feels alive and gentle like a spring leaf but also has the sullen gravity of the fallen leaf once the autumn comes. Demetri Martin comes across like a slightly-stoned Pinocchio, hoping through his 11th-hour involvement in helping to save Mike Lang's Woodstock festival from cancellation to become a real boy. (It's not coincidental that the actor who plays his father, Henry Goodman, looks a bit like Gepetto in the Disney animated classic of years ago.) Those who complain that this film doesn't have music are missing the point the film itself is music, and a soft and glorious one at that. Besides, there's a wonderful sequence towards the end of the film involving use of a song from `60s group Love being played on an 8-track cassette player in the back of a psychedelic VW van . . . that scene alone captures the real experience of being at Woodstock, at least as told to me over the years by those who were really there or who wanted so badly to have been there in person (though they were already there in their hearts). Having seen this film, I feel like I was at Woodstock too . . . and when this movie is available on DVD, I plan on going back . . .Read Best Reviews of Taking Woodstock (2009) Here
I happened to recently find this movie on my On Demand cable service. I had not ever heard of it.I'm a HUGE fan of 1969 WOODSTOCK, (have Collector's Edition of DVD). I have always felt I was born in the wrong era--I should have been there! (To me, there is really only ONE REAL Woodstock.)
I knew some of the facts in the movie Taking Woodstock, but it was AWESOME to see it put together and done so WELL!
I love the portrayal of Elliot, whom I perceived as the main character. I saw this as also a "coming of age" film, from his point of view. He was amazingly brilliant at such a young age and to make such excellent "business/promotion" decisions that had to be made under pressure.
It is *totally* a "feel good" movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to own the DVD!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!
In my opinion, the best review here on Amazon about the movie is by James Lossing (it should be the top review) so be sure to read it!
Want Taking Woodstock (2009) Discount?
Oscar-winning director Ang Lee's "Taking Woodstock" takes us behind the scenes of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, but don't expect documentary-like accounts of the legendary concert. Based on the book by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte, and adapted by James Schamus ("Brokeback Mountain"), "Taking Woodstock" is a comedy drama about a young man who wound up bringing Woodstock to the quiet town of Bethel, New York.The film, set in the summer of 1969, centers on 34-year-old Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin), an interior designer whose parents Jake (Henry Goodman) and Sonia (Imelda Staunton) run El Monaco Motel. The small motel, of which service and quality is not the best in town, is facing foreclosure.
Elliot manages to persuade the bank manager to wait for a while. Then he hears that the town of Wallkill pulled the permit for the upcoming Woodstock festival. Elliot, who happens to have a permit for a small local music festival, makes an offer to the concert's organizers. As it turned out, the music festival ends up attracting about 500,000 people to the town.
I am not interested in the factual accuracy of "Taking Woodstock." I know this is not a documentary (and there is already one, simply amazing "Woodstock"). The film beautifully captures the confusion (and near chaos) caused by the influx of attendees for the three-day concert. Ang Lee's comedy drama is full of fashion details and eccentric characters, mostly likable, but suffers from its underwritten drama about the protagonist and his family, and one-note performance from the lead. Where is Jake Gyllenhaal when we need him?
I enjoyed "Taking Woodstock" for its atmosphere of the late 60s America, and nice turns from supporting players (some of which sometimes border on caricature, though). What "Taking Woodstock" needs is a more strong portrayal of the protagonist, who is somehow the least interesting person in the film.
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