Happy Birthday to
Russell Crowe
47 today
The Oscar winning, interestingly tempered Aussie is currently in the middle of an acting hiatus, enjoying beers and kicking back waiting for Ridley Scott's post Prometheus project. (I suspect Ridley's the only director left who'll work with him!!!)
Showing posts with label Russell Crowe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Russell Crowe. Show all posts
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Russell Crowe
Wednesday, 12 January 2011
The Next Three Days
2010. Dir: Paul Haggis. Starring: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Liam Neeson and Ty Simpkins. ●●●○○
When Paul Haggis first announced his intention to remake the superior 2008 French thriller Pour Elle there were the usual round of objections against Americanization of European output and the general lack of originality within Hollywood. Whilst watching The Next Three Days proves the latter assertion however it hasn't completely embarassed itself and might be considered one of the least inappropriate of the current crop of remakes.
After the jump I will be discussing the plot of the film as well as my thoughts on it's quality, it will be impossible to lay out it's flaws without spoilers so please don't look or if a) you haven't yet seen this and b) you want to.
Russell Crowe is a school teacher who turns his personality inside out and breaks his wife out of prison. There you have it; spoilers not yet over but that's the plot in a nutshell. After a ridiculous pre-credits flash forward, really it's pointless and does nothing to help build any tension if anything it makes the whole action scenes seem less dangerous for Russell as we're waiting the flash forward to happen, we enter the happy home life of Russell and Elizabeth Banks, complete with adorable sproglet.
Their idyllic lifestyle (sort of, she's a bit of a downer at the best of times) is shattered when the police arrive en masse to charge Elizabeth for killing her boss with a fire extinguisher. We jump to the failure of the last appeal and Crowe deciding he must break her out of jail. Naturally he goes to see prison break supremo Liam Neeson, who like Sean Connery in The Rock, can't be bothered with a consistent accent. Russell then obsessively plans the break, without giving the audience much of a clue to his real plan (and there are plenty of surprises along the way to keep us enthralled during the actual escape), and becomes a different man to how he used to be in the process, joining shoot-outs in crack dens and leaving his son for good.
I liked Crowe's performance a lot; he could manage both the emotional early scenes with Banks (not that she could) and the action scenes at the end. I suppose the trouble with his performance, or rather the casting, is that he managed the action scenes so very well. At no point in the movie did we not think he was going to be able to get his wife out, even when the plan was falling apart or when he was being shot at we knew he was actiony nough to get out of the situation. Perhaps if someone without an action background was in the ead it may have worked better.
The pace of the movie was pretty good, in spite of the obvious way it would end there were some neat red herrings and action beats that kept me guessing what methodology Crowe would be using.
I do have a problem with the final scenes though, not the family altogether stuff in Venezuela, but the moment whn we find out Banks is innocent. After setting up that she might actually be a cold-blooded killer during the movie and a couple of clever nods to Don Quixote and the triumph of irrationality over rationality it was a great shame to find Crowe's actions were worthwhile.
Overall this is a fine Sunday afternoon movie. Watch it when there's nothing else on, with nibbles and a glass of wine, enjoy the ride then forget about it afterwards.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Robin Hood
2010. Dir: Ridley Scott. Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Max von Sydow, William Hurt and Mark Strong. ●●●○○
Russell Crowe famously exclaimed "Are you entertained?" at the end of his first Gladitorial contest, and whilst I could answer a very definite yes when watching his first collaboration with director Ridley Scott here in Robin Hood I could only say that whilst I was entertained a little it was only sporadically during the film and probably not as much as I should be when watching the 'origin' tale of the bandit of Sherwood forest.
The film starts well with a frantic siege on a French castle, as the virtual bankrupt English King Richard pays for his return to Britain. We are introduced to a bunch of expendable knights and our heroes Robin Longstride (Crowe) and some Merry Men. Not only is this the best action scene in the movie, you can't fail with boiling tar and castle storming, but it also thankfully puts the Robin Hood legend into some historical context. Medieval fiefdoms essentially controlled large parts of the country with the King as only a figurehead that they report to is an important concept to put forward, as well as the appalling levels of violence and political unrest.
We also cut to London where Eleanor of Acquitaine (Eileen Atkins channelling Katherine Hepburn) is attempting to control her wayward son Prince John (the unfeasibly good looking Oscar Isaac) as he cheats on his wife and goads the French king into war. The French King who is in cahoots with John's childhood friend Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong) to attack England at it's weakest.
So far we've spent most of the film with the royal bit characters with Crowe only used as a blatant example of the british heart of oak, naturally historical accuracy helps to balance this out with Richard's untimely death and a number of convoluted twists leading Crowe back to England with the Crown (which he safely delivers to the new king) and the name and Sword of Nottingham's most influential knight.
On returning to the East Midlands he's persuaded by the cantakerous blind father of said deceased knight (Max von Sydow) and the widow Marion (Cate Blanchett) to take his place in order to prevent the state taking their castle - is this a thinly veiled support of Conservative plans to increase the Inheritance tax threshold - and to generally restore order to all of Britain.
On the plus side the script is more coherent than Kingdom of Heaven, Scott's last foray into the Middle Ages, but it does suffer from the same saggyness and lack of humour. At times we appear to be going in circles with superfluous battles and unnecessary plotting - why, for instance, does Robin's lineage have to be both significant to the plot and unknown to Crowe - and on the other hand supporting characters are given no chance to develop themselves. Why does Sir Godfrey want to help the French? Does John really believe the points he's making? Why does William Hurt consumate politician not think before he ever opens his mouth?
I said earlier that the first action scene is the best, I think it's even more fair to say the last is the worst. The invading French army land at some very big cliffs perfect to be rained on by British archers and proceed to just stand their whilst the repelling English army rides across the country to trap them on the beachfront. Of course every speaking character who's still alive joins them. Would it be silly to have Marion and Friar Tuck (a woman and an obese priest) turn up on the South coast to fight the French, of course it would, but there they are...
On the acting side Crowe tries too hard with a wavering accent so comes across the least impressive from the major performances, Blanchett gives a suitable sarcastic performance and Max von Sydow shines in his thankless role. Both Mark Strong and Matthew MacFayden (virtually cameoing as the Sheriff of Nottingham) desperately try to out Rickman each other with both of them coming short.
I suppose that comparison may even be the major issue with the film. Whilst it is a solid piece of film-making (Scott continues to make me believe he's just a hack for hire who lucked out in his early career) it has none of the sexual chemistry, derring-do or fun of either Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves or The Adventures of Robin Hood. The film may be making interesing points about Hood's place in history but it fails to entertain whilst doing it, and that, for such a wonderful folktale, is unforgiveable.
Monday, 18 January 2010
20 for 2010 - Robin Hood
And so, a full 17 days since we started, here is my most anticipated film for 2010, hitting the bullseye is Ridley Scott's Robin Hood.
Perhaps it's an odd choice, delayed due to wrong colour leaves and with a revolving door for the cast list (Sienna Miller as Maid Marian - ugh, Vanessa Redgrave as Eleanor of Aquitaine - dropped out) there was lots to make you worry. There was also the Ridley Scott factor. I am not a fan of Scott. Whilst he has made some of the greatest films of the 20th century I think that's more luck than judgement - when things go right they go very right, but when things go wrong they go very wrong.
Consider his previous collaborations with Russell Crowe:
2000 Gladiator
2006 A Good Year
2007 American Gangster
2008 Body of Lies
Even in this small selection we can see massive highs (Gladiator) and stinking lows (A Good Year) and the others were closer to misses than hits.
But I believe this will be another high water mark. The trailer conciously echoes the feel of Gladiator and with Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River, A Knighht's Tale) on scripting duties hopefully it will be tight and without the wandering passages Scott likes to include.
The cast is also top notch, Crowe remains one of my favourite actors. His performance in even the weakest of films manages to be packed with a nuance and power that few of his generation can manage. Cate Blanchett is the perfect Marian, with the right mix of haughtiness and gentility. Casting group of largely unknowns as the Merry Men and current go-to baddie Mark Strong in a villianous role only help.
Finally I will confess a deep and abiding passion for the tales of Robin Hood. As a child one of my most thumbed books was about this extraordinary figure from English folklore. I have since devoured every version of this story, from the superb Curtiz film (the best so far) to the current BBC afternoon TV series via Disney and Kevin Costner. It's no coincidence that I ran the Robin Hood marathon last year.
The competition...
Thank you so much to Alex, Tom and Andrew for participating. Unfortunately you all missed the mark. I can understand why you guessed the films you did, The Last Airbender, Harry Potter and Toy Story 3 all look like interesting projects, and are all big summer releases. I will probably see M. Night Shyamalan's latest, but probably grudgingly. Whilst I want the Potter films to do well, I've only seen one at the cinema after having hated the first book. Talking about hating I've avoided Pixar at the cinema since my excruciating experience at Monster's Inc - I don't want to talk about it - saying that I loved Wall-E when I saw it on video and Finding Nemo is now one of my favourite films of the last 10 years so I may try and go again.
I suppose I could have given more clues, although Robin Hood was my most talked about film in the News posts from 2009, and today's birthday was no coincidence...
Anyway as no-one won, but you're all good readers who frequently make nice comments, I'm going to award a draw. I'll send small packs of minstrels - a taster rather than a chance to gorge - to each of you. Please e-mail addresses to ben-j-thomas@hotmail.co.uk and I'll pop them in the post to you.
Cheers
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
2009 in Review - Best Actor
Compared to the last three days the Best Actor category is by far the starriest group with a couple of massively popular performers, but it still has it's fair share of wtf selections so I'm looking forward to hearing comments on this. Tee hee.
1. Benicio Del Toro - Che Part 1 and 2. There are few biopics where the actor so inhabits the person that we can't see the affectations and walls the actor has copied off the original. As far as I'm concerned Del Toro is Che Guevera.
2. Russell Crowe - State of Play. This superior thriller may not be the sort of film you would imagine as an acting showcase, but in casting Crowe as the archetypal news hound they managed to make it one. Everything he does is natural and built around an solid believeable characterisation.
3. Max Records - Where the Wild Things Are. Few child actors can make me sit up and notice their performance, often they come across as mannered or "stage schooly". As the one real wild thing in the movie Records was equally impressive when having a temper tantrum as when feeling isolated in his fantasy island.
4. Willem Dafoe - Antichrist. The He in Lars von Trier's nightmarish vision was a tough role for anyone to take on, both loving yet arrogant and mentally abusive, the performance had to be perfectly balanced to prevent it from going over the edge. Dafoe managed that and with Charlotte Gainsborough salvaged the humanity in the film.
5. Sean Penn - Milk. It's a tough choice for number 5, with both Penn and Mickey Rourke fighting for it. In the end I had to decide which performance spoke to me more, and Harvey Milk recruited me.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
State of Play
2009. Dir: Kavin MacDonald. Starring: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams and Robin Wright Penn. ●●●●○
I've been running late on reviews over the last couple of weeks, so I'll be publishing ont today, tomorrow and Thursday in order to catch up. This means there won't be a trailer today, but there's naff all out in June so I really don't care.
Coincidently I was also running a tiny bit late when I went to see State of Play and therefore missed some of the early plot. But it's OK, as I missed the plot bits about a druggy and pizza-delivery guy getting shot randomly and this was subsequently referred to a lot over the rest of the film so I don't think I actually missed anything of substance. The other story, the film starts with, is the death of a Congressional aide under mysterious circumstances. The aide works for Ben Afflecks left leaning politico who's chairing an investigation into Military subcontracts. By coincidence his high school roomie, Russell Crowe, is a top reporter for the Washington Globe and before you can say "conflict of interest" or "journalistic integrity" Russell is investigating the link between the deaths.
The film follows Crowe and Globe Blogger Rachel McAdams as they follow each twist and turn of the murder(s?) discovering a massive conspiracy which includes the ambitious and murky subcontractors, party power brokers (Jeff Daniels) and low-life PR men (Jason Bateman).
I won't give away the ending, suffice to say the screenplay leads you and Crowe in a number of false leads and suppositions until he - completely out of nowhere - remembers a small detail and solves everything. If you've seen the BBC miniseries of the same name you will know which of the supporting characters is hiding the truth, but if you haven't, like me, then the twists will be sufficiently hidden to be able to enjoy the journey.
Part of the fun in this film is comparing it to it's predecessors, the political thrillers and journalism heroics of the 70's. See All the President's Men or The Candidate. Especially in the way it treats the Newspaper setting. Foul mouthed Jason Robards may have been replaced by foul mouther Helen Mirren but the look and feel of the editors office hasn't changed at all. Although there are many hints as to the way print journalism is going - increased focus on the web side, focusing on the shareholders - it's a clear indictment of the current trends.
All of the supporting cast do a fine job, but the film squarely rests on the shoulders of Russell Crowe. He seems to be aware of this and gives his most lived in performance in 5 years, thoroughly believeable as a shlubby journo and as a man torn between the loyalty to his friends and to his job.
The techinical elements are all good, with special kudos to Cheryl Carasik's set decoration.
I do have some minor quibbles; the whole conspiracy seems a little forced, it's almost as if the plot needs a little more time to breathe. The affair between Crowe and Robin Wright Penn as Affleck's wife is retained from the original series but used as background to the relationship, I think it would have benefitted from being excised completely. Finally Michael Barresse's turn as the hitman is too bland, and perhaps the way his character operates is too opaque - almost to the point that you have no idea why he isn't caught sooner.
Overall though this is an excellent piece, proving MacDonald as a director and reaffirming Crowe's reputation as an excellent character actor.
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Russell Crowe
Happy Birthday to
Russell Crowe
45 today
I don't care what anyone says, there is no way on earth I'd throw him out of bed. Yum yum. Plenty of chance to see Crowe in the next couple of years, too. First up is State of Play at the end of this month. Early reviews are good, even if it doesn't reach the heights of the BBC mini-series it's adapted from. Next year we have him in Lincoln Green for Robin Hood, and he's rumoured to be starring in the Aussie drama Dirt Music.
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