Insomnia

[JunkerSeed]

Caught this a second time with Irish and Dinghy, forgot to post about it the first time I saw it.  Insomnia was a really cool detective movie.  The story is fairly typical, a girl is killed, they call in Dormer (pacino), he investigates, things happen, and it plays out like most detective movies do.  This isn't to say it was bad though, it was a typical detective movie, done really well.  I think it's a lot like "The Score" was a typical heist movie, just done really well.  The acting was obviously fucking great, Pacino plays the archetypal sort of old cop, does it really well.  Might have been just me, but his attitude reminded me of Colenal Slade from scent of a woman at times.  Hilary Swank from "Boys dont cry" (and "the next karate kid", heheh)  plays a fairly new, wide-eyed, small-time cop who idolizes Dormer, I think she did a fine job, usually when they turn attention away from the main plot, and go to sort of side characters it's annoying, I guess she was pretty good, because I didn't mind when they shifted to what she was doing.  Williams did a damned fine job.  He played a calm, creepy killer.  I like the new direction he's going in, I think the fact that we never see him act this way makes him even more creepy, look out for him as a villain again in "One hour Photo" (coming soon).  After seeing it a second time, I can tell that Nolan's (memento) a pretty damned good director, definately has his own style.  Visually reminds me of fincher a little, especially the colors.  For some reason I noticed that he used the color yellow a lot in this movie, I really liked the look.  You can tell it's the same guy who did memento, he does play on memory a bit, and is really fucking good at intercutting little flashbacks and reminders of things at proper times.  That usually comes off as cheesy, but it worked perfectly in this one.  Also liked how he got to show off cool looking stuff when Dormer doesnt get any sleep, cool off-focus stuff.  So, all in all, this is about as good as this type of detective movie gets, good characters and acting, looks great, story makes sense.

 

Hmm, wrote a bit more than a usually do for stuff.  I guess I spent more than the usual minute writing 'cause I figure people will actually read this one.  So, while I know this doesn't touch the cinematic standards set by "Enough", I'm basically here to tell you that Pacino is enough (no pun intended... I think) to tide you over if J-lo is sold out.

[Reverend Jax]

if J-lo is sold out.

NOOO! Don't even joke about that. that's why I bought my tickets for 'Enough' days in advance. I took every procation possible to make sure I didn't miss this gem of a film. Oh wait, is Enough that one with the kid who get bit my the genetically altered spider and turns into some kind of superheroes? No? Which on was 'Enough' then?

[Heartlessbitch]

Insomnia in my opinion sucked ass.

 

well let me preface my post by saying this.. this is the first movie IN MY LIFE that i walked out on...

 

the trailer made me think the movie was something it totally didn't turn out to be which was an utter dissapointment.. i expected it to be a cat and mouse game with the serial killer (Robin Williams)

 

i won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it but i'll say this much.. robin william's character in the movie had a LAME ASS motive for killing his victim.. it's the dumbest shit i've heard in my life.

 

i was like "he "accidentally" killed a girl cause of THAT"

 

granted i didn't watch the WHOLE THING so there could have been a twist at the end..but from what i saw i was sourly dissapointed and was a waste of $8

[Reverend Jax]

Damn. Harsh words for a movie directed and written by Christopher Nolan, mastermind behind Memento. Though it would be the first horrible sophomore effort that pales in light of it's predesessor (Unbreakable). I haven't seen it yet, but I hope you're wrong.

[dinghy]

It's hard to refute this without giving away stuff, but I do beleive he was lying to Pacino when he said he "accidentally" killed her. He was just messing with him. the Bruises and stuff proved that he tortured her. Beat her to death over a period of like 15 minutes or something.

  I didn't see the trailer so I guess I didn't go in with much expectations at all. butat any rate I don't think it deserved a walk out.

[The NZA]

Yup, i think movies should all be exactly what the trailer says they are so there's no twists and i think critics should definitely walk out of films & then be heard...no, no wait i dont thats just dumb.

OK i wont totally jump on Heartless' ass but then she damn near walked outta Lord of the Rings, way i hear it so if youre a different kinda person - ie those that enjoy good movies - i wouldnt take this to heart too much.  

Yes, Insomnia was slow, and for its cast & such coulda been better but fuck, i watched most of Speed II and that was just shit on film really.  But this one, it aint winnin Oscars and i aint buyin it on DVD but it was a fair movie, defintely woth seein if your a fan of Al.

But then, im also not payin eight bucks to see it.  Christ, are you goin with the director or what?

[JunkerSeed]

**spoilers throughout this prolly**

 

coño, walked out on the thing?  I could see why someone wouldn't like it as much as I did, but that's pretty harsh.  I don't think the trailer made it look like much more than it was, a genre detective movie, with the little device of not being able to sleep thrown in.  And I never thought for a second that I was ever supposed to think that he really accidentally killed the damned girl... There's not one point in the movie where dormer is doing anything other than trying to put him behind bars.  When he says it was an accident, he comes off as a crazy shit, and Dormer isn't phased by it at all.  I like the talk he gives to him about him being no more mysterious to him as a toilet is to a plumber.  We're never expected to believe that it was actually an accident.  Sure, he says it was... he's a psycopath!  

 

 The only real complaint that I have about the movie is the fact that it ends typically in a gunfight, because we know that no good story can end without a gunfight.  Didn't kill the movie though.  I kind of like this one the more I think about it (& more times I watch it apparently).  Everybody will say "it could have been better" because they only look at the actors, but the actors dont write the movie, the actors did just fine, it was always obvious to me that it would be a well crafted genre movie, much like the score, not breaking any new ground, but it does what it's respective genre does very well.  It's not very flashy, pacino doesn't yell "this whole trial is out of order!" and the bad guy doesnt ask if he likes scary movies.  It was sort of subtle if you want to put it that way, but I liked it.  There was lots of room for the director to make it fairly atmospheric between Dormer's lack of sleep and the alien setting, and I think he did a really good job with that.  As for hoping it would be a cat and mouse game... I'd rather that the conflict be based on morals and guilt, than random games some crazy guy decides to play with a detective.  I hate movies where for absolutely no reason, the killer decides to play games with the detective just because he enjoys it, when he could have gotten away scot free if he wanted to.  This guy sees Dormer's bad situacion as a way for him to get out, he has a reason to be messing with the detective.  I just like it when movies are character driven, and people act like human beings, not plot devices.

 

I mean, if you didn't like it you didn't like it though.  I guess I just typed this epic post because I certainly don't think it could ever be perceived to be bad enough to walk out on.  Then again I've never walked out on a movie, not even on video really, not unless I had to leave for some reason anyway.  I dunno, I expected a lot of "it was good, could have been better" posts, but didnt think anyone would hate it much at all.