JunkerSeed Posted September 23, 2003 Share Posted September 23, 2003 Matchstick men really caught me off guard when I saw it. I think it's because it's the first sign I've seen of an influx of good movies to come in the fall. Completely different from everything I've seen this summer, this is just a movie, not a summer movie. Matchstick men is a damned good movie about con artists, family, and neurosis. And who plays a neurotic better than Nicholas Cage? Typecast him all you want, I'm not sick of it yet. This role isn't a far cry from Cage's great performances in leaving lost vegas and adaptation, but it's different enough to be really interesting. Cage is a con artist with obsessive compulsive disorder, and what looks like tourettes syndrome. Seeing not take his medication and start going off on a tourrettes tick is just awesome, this man was fuckin born to have tourrettes. So, Cage plays a fucked up con man, and his partner is Sam Rockwell (who was great in confessions of a dangerous mind). Rockwell's character is Cage's foil, the funny, casual, messy guy. It starts off with them conning people out fo money in pretty smart, funny ways like in any other con movie, then Cage discovers that he has a daughter. It branches off into a father daughter thing, and all the elements come together really damned well. The best compliment that I can give this movie is that I enjoyed it so damned much I forgot it was a con artist movie. Though the story was pretty tight as far as I can tell, I really couldn't tell you if there were any plot holes in there because I was spending all of my attention having fun and feeling for the characters that I wasn't focusing on the details of the con so much. This is a genre movie that doesn't play like one, and when it reminds you that it's a movie about con artists it's just an added bonus. This was just a damned fine overall movie, it was funny, sad, smart, exciting, they just knocked it out of the park on this one, and damned if it's not one of my favorites this year alongside Finding Nemo and Whale Rider. So, while this movie has a lot in common with stuff like the Sting, The Spanish Prisoner, the Heist, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, it actually has a hell of a lot more going on. Oh, and props to Matchstick Men for having one of the best uses of a "One Year Later" addition to the end. It actually gave the movie real closure when it usually feels tacked on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted September 24, 2003 Share Posted September 24, 2003 Ima go see it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunkerSeed Posted September 24, 2003 Author Share Posted September 24, 2003 Why thank you, guest. Nice to know somebody out there is listening to my lone voice out in the cinematic wilderness... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted September 24, 2003 Share Posted September 24, 2003 I read it too..just aint got $ for a movie right now. So, excellent review; 4 and a half out of 5 clever movie analogy things. Seriously, dont assume cause no one replies that they arent readin..lookit the # of views...at least, thats what we tell ourselves over in the comic corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunkerSeed Posted September 24, 2003 Author Share Posted September 24, 2003 I'm just foolin, I know I gets read. I just wish I could reach people sooner. You tossed 7 bucks at once upon a time in a bad film school and now you dont have money for this! It's a fuckin crime I tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted September 24, 2003 Share Posted September 24, 2003 Yeah...that wasnt a very good decision. It was ok, but i wasnt as hyped as everyone else, cause i didnt even think Desperado was that great, but you know, it was a group thing... I told you, on a double date, i backed up my boy with his dumb whore's decision to walk out of Pulp Fiction, during the first 10 minutes, to see "Housesitter" with Sinbad...for the second time that day? (DJ Ario X is a big Sinbad fan). That's right up there with the time this other chick had me see Batman & Robin, again, 2nd time that day, again, earlier with Ario X, instead of Face Off. When you throw in Postman, i sometimes wonder if i should relenquish my move-choosing duties. It can be good sometimes, but when it rains, it pours. Hey, this one's not visually stunning, is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunkerSeed Posted September 24, 2003 Author Share Posted September 24, 2003 Nah, actually, Ridley Scott did this thing that's really popular among directors nowadays. The movie is kinda dark and blue. It's not bad enough to be annoying, and it works in this movie, because Cages character is afraid of the outdoors, so it feels kinda dim and claustrophobic. But has anyone else noticed the tendency of movies to look kind of blue nowadays? Speilberg has been doin it very noticably too. It doesnt bother me too much, cause these movies look pretty damned good, but I wonder why they do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JunkerSeed Posted September 24, 2003 Author Share Posted September 24, 2003 Oh, yeah, I forgot to say, the trailers for this one were cool. It had a big one for the last samurai (the tom cruise one) and a full trailer for Eastwoods much hyped movie Mystic River. Looks like really good stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signal08 Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 saw it last night... it was good. Wasn't what I expected, but it was good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Bob Posted September 26, 2003 Share Posted September 26, 2003 But has anyone else noticed the tendency of movies to look kind of blue nowadays? Speilberg has been doin it very noticably too. It doesnt bother me too much, cause these movies look pretty damned good, but I wonder why they do it. Minority Report, Payback, Underworld, PhoneBooth, Unbreakable, Scott did it in a lot of Gladiator's scenes, the other Scott did it quite a bit in SpyGame, the Matrix movies do it but with green instead of blue, Daredevil was gonna do it but they decided against it. Yeah, I think it and the general desaturation process are getting overused. Some movies benefit from it (the desaturation worked really well for Saving Private Ryan) but most use it as a gimmick to look more like everyone else. Meh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 The LOTR movies has been doing the color thing, but using a different color for each location, do give each location it's own unique feel. I liked the way it was done in those movies. IC, you walked out of Pulp Fiction to see Housesitter? Dude, that's...adjectives fail me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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