From the Editor's Desk, Oct. 20: The English Impatient
Filed under: Classics, Drama, Columns, From the Editor's Desk
When I watched The English Patient, I recall entering a languid dreamy state ... bored stiff by repressed people and their repression. I can tell you the five minutes it had me riveted for, though -- Willem Dafoe, unwrapping his bandages, explaining that he had found the man who took his thumbs and killed him ... and now he was going to kill the man who told the man who took his thumbs where to find him. I swear to god, during that scene I wanted to cry out: "Uh, could I watch that movie right now? The one with Dafoe and Prochnow running around post-war Africa trying to kill each other? Because I'm not digging the poetry readings and mopiness. ..." Well, I'm never going to get that movie, but this week's best new trailer made me feel like I was going to get something close to it. I've been looking forward to The Good German for a while now, and now I cannot wait -- this baby looks good, to a degree that almost seems to guarantee some level of heartbreak. I'm hoping that isn't the case, and while I think the trailer's cribbing from The Third Man almost as much as the poster evokes Casablanca, I also think there are far worse movies to follow in the giant footsteps of.
What trailer's got you excited recently?
J.
SDCC Panel: Robert Rodriguez's 'Red Sonja'
Review: The X-Files: I Want To Believe
Live from SDCC: Preview Night Gallery!
Live from SDCC: Time to Get Our Con On!
Discuss: Wednesday is the New Friday
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-20-2006 @ 1:42PM
Jo.Co. said...
That would be Apocalytpo or Children of Men. This one looks really good though. I love the B&W and Cate Blanchett.
By the way James, totally agree about The English Patient. But that wasn't half as bad as Cold Mountain.
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10-20-2006 @ 1:55PM
Chuck Bowen said...
Agreed. Cold Mountain was so boring and unconvincing that I still can't believe it didn't win an Oscar for Best Picture.
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10-20-2006 @ 2:18PM
Reuben said...
When I saw this post this morning, my first thought was "finally, some vindication!". I'm glad someone else agrees that the English Patient has lifeforce-depleting qualities, as I've been saying it for years. Nothing more boring than watching two wholeheartedly unlikable characters going through their rigamarole.
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10-21-2006 @ 12:30PM
Gio said...
The new James Bond trailer openned my eyes to the point: why not? let's see what Daniel Craig can do.
Mel's Apocalipto is going to be a hit,not to the level of Passion. The Maya's story looks very good, which ironically will get Oscar nominations from (acording to him) the war mongers, jewish Academy voters and the rest of the sugar tits.
Terry Gillian is back to his visual nightmares with Tideland (looks good) althought I've heard otherwise by early viewers. They say: it's 12 Monkeys meets Baron Muchassan.
The Good German looks very nice, but then again I trust Clooney and Sodderberg combo any time (except for Solaris)By the way, this combo has worked in 5 films altogether(3 Oceans, Solaris and Good German)which means no other director and leading man have made this many films together- beating Hanks, Cruise, Ford.
In an unrelated point I've heard Mr. Spielberg said that he is working to bring his trilogy 'men' together for a dream project of his. These men are Hanks, Cruise and Richard Draifuss. The project will combine a mdern cowboy sorrounding (OK Corral climax) with a Matrix feel. (Good luck Mister Steven)
"The day I saw The English Patient". In 1996 I took a girl I had the hots for to the movies. I told her I wanted to see MI:1 or Independence Day instead- and she said 'that's so gay'. After the 3 1/2 hour movie ended we broke up (better yet, she dumped me) I hate that movie. Even The Bird Cage was a better choice.
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