Friday, May 21, 2010

More Monkey Movie Reports

I had seen this film years ago when it first came out on video but I had forgotten most everything about it except for the relationship between Gina Gershon and Billy Zane's characters.
It's based on a Jim Thompson story so if you are familiar with his hard boiled crime fiction then you know what you're in for. Gershon and Zane play incestuous twins who have a penchant for crime and grift. Rue McClanahan plays their guilt and drug addled mother and Sheryl Lee plays a female cop who may or may not be playing them all.

This film is full of twists, turns, smoldering sexuality, and more. I'm almost ashamed to say that I had forgotten how good it is and how good everyone in it is. The phrase 'hubba hubba!' was invented for Gershon and Lee's performances in this movie, both are knockouts who make great femme fatales. Zane and McClanahan are wildly over the top both both are oddly compelling to watch.

I recommend this crime noir film highly but be forewarned, it's full of murder and violence. And quite a bit of the violence is between a man and a woman and the woman gets hit and knocked around some. It takes place in the 1950's when guys were tough as nails and women were dames who knew how to take a punch or a slap. It's hard to watch Lee get slapped and knocked about but it's very germane to the story and faithful to the noir style the original story was written in and the film catches perfectly.

I was pleasantly surprised by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I liked it a lot more than I thought I was going to. The story sucked me in and kept me interested.

Based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story this film tells the story of a man who is born old and who gets younger as his life progresses. While he gets younger all those around him get older. In the wrong hands, like say those of the master of fake film sentiment Steven Spielberg, it would have been a sappy disaster. But director David Fincher pulled it off and made a very good film. Pitt is very good and despite my refusal to buy Blanchett as a 20 year old at one point in the movie she was good as well. The weakest parts of the movie are when we're in the present and Blanchett is on her death bed, had they cut those scenes out entirely the film would have been much tighter and more cohesive.

All in all though, this is one worth investing three hours in.

3 comments:

Wings1295 said...

Have yet to see either of those, although I think my kids have seen Benjamin Button.

Good reviews, Doc.

Mnmom said...

I like Benjamin Button and cried like a baby at the end.

Ricky Shambles said...

Did not see the BB movie, but did invest 25 minutes in reading FSF's short story. And it was worth just about that.