Archive for the 'Based on a play' Category

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Published
by
Chalupa
on December 24, 2007
in Based on a play, Crime, Drama, Musical and Thriller
. 0 Comments

The first time I was ever made aware of the Broadway play, I was sitting in a theater in Marion, IN, with my good friend Toll, watching Kevin Smith’s latest creation - Jersey Girl. In that movie a little girl is given the assignment to re-enact a play for the school talent show. Everybody chose Cats….except for this one particular girl. So all I knew was that there was this barber that killed people, the barber chair flipped down to allow the deceased to slide down, and there was a restaurant down below that cooked the victims and sold them in meat pies.

I was immediately interested in Sweeney Todd because Johnny Depp was on-board and Tim Burton was directing. Also acting was Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and the ever-funny Sacha Baron Cohen. I can’t really think of a single performance from Depp where I’ve been disappointed. He always finds new roles to push himself as an actor and do something new. I think it’s fair to say he’s never phoned-in a performance.

I was reading somewhere that this is one of the best Broadway plays adapted to the silver screen. I was pretty impressed with it. In some ways I think it resembled Edward Scissorhands, only darker and more menacing. Oh yeah, and lots of people were killed. Personally, I wasn’t bothered by any of it, but I’m sure the graphic nature of the throats being slit and bodies being dumped down a chute will bother some.

Afterwards we were all discussing parts of the movie and I said I thought Cohen’s pants were “interesting,” kind of like Bowie’s in Labyrinth. Rajeev, my brother-in-law, quickly stated anyone who’s seen Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan should know if that was fake or not.

I really enjoyed this movie and would suggest checking it out. Definitely not for kids though, or for people who can’t handle the content.

The Dinner Game

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 25, 2007
in Based on a play, Comedy, Foreign, France and French
. 0 Comments

The Dinner Game is a French movie that was recommended by a friend. The premise sounded pretty funny and it turned out to be a pretty good film. A group of stuck-up professionals get together once a week for dinner. One stipulation is the regulars have to bring an “idiot” to exploit and make-fun of.

Pierre finds such a man on a train who loves to make models of monuments, etc from matchsticks. Pierre just knows this guy is the king-of-all-idiots and invites him to dinner by making Francois think the other dinner guests are interested in making a book about his hobby. However, before Pierre and Francois can make it to dinner, everything seems to go terribly wrong. Wrong for Pierre that is. Everything from an injured back to his wife leaving him are all caused by the one man he was going to exploit and belittle. You might say Pierre got just what he deserved.

Filled with slapstick comedy and cheesy one-liners, this probably won’t be at the top of everybody’s comedy list. It’s definitely light-hearted and fun. It’s also in French so you’ll get to read some sub-titles. I’m no expert on french film, but I really felt like I was getting a taste of the french-film culture. I’d highly recommend this one to anyone who considers themself a movie-fan.

Hurlyburly

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 20, 2007
in Based on a play, Drama, Drugs and Independent
. 1 Comment

If you look up hurly burly you’ll find the definition: noisy disorder and confusion; commotion; uproar; tumult. That pretty much describes this movie. You have a core group of three friends, Eddie (Sean Penn), Mickey (Kevin Spacey) and Phil (Chaz Palminteri), who are somewhat monetarily successful and living in L.A., yet have the mentality of disturbed teenagers. Along with this core group are Artie (Gary Shandling), Darlene (Robin Wright Penn), Bonnie (Meg Ryan) and Donna (Anna Paquin).

The four guys are pretty much constantly taking drugs of some sort or another. Eddie is stuck on one long diatribe about this, that and everything else; he’s like a skipping record. Phil is prone to frequent, violent outbursts. Mickey seems to somewhat have it together, but it’s almost like he’s lowered himself to the level of his other friends. I could be totally wrong on this. If I had to make a pecking order Eddie would be in the middle with Phil on the bottom and Mickey on top. Phil has it the least together and Mickey has it the most, which isn’t saying much.

This was almost like watching a whole movie Derek Zoolander and his idiotic friends, only it wasn’t funny and it was much darker. At one point Bonnie, after getting thrown out of her moving car by Phil, tells Eddie, “If your manner of speech is in any way a reflection of what goes on inside your head, you are lucky you can tie your shoes.” That pretty much backs up my second observation that everybody in this film was so dumb at life they almost seemed retarded. My first observation being these 30-40 year old men were still living like they’re in college.

The whole quality of the dialog seemed quite lacking to me too. Maybe that’s because it just wasn’t very intellectual…or funny. That’s one reason why I absolutely love Kevin Smith movies. Yeah his Jersey series is all about a couple of stoners and their adventures, but there’s a lot of heart and soul put into them. It’s the same reason why I love Judd Apatow’s work. These are characters that just seem real to me in one way or another.

I’m not quite sure if the whole point of this film was to poke fun at some of the absurdity of Hollywood or not. If that’s the case, then this movie would be very similar to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I really couldn’t stand that movie…even though I realized it was satirical. It was just a bit too much for me. Everybody in this film was so selfish and narrow-minded. It was pretty crazy. Made me glad I don’t live that way. Some of the discussions and arguments reminded me of watching kids in high school all hyped up on hormones and emotions getting worked up about who-knows-what.

You might discern from my tone that I wasn’t a huge fan. That’s pretty much true, however, I’m not dismissing this film as crap or worthless. Any good work of art produces a reaction. Movies that are really just terrible aren’t even worth talking or writing about. Afterwards, it really hit me that this would make a much better play than film. I was checking out IMDB and saw that this was a play by David Rabe, who also wrote the screenplay. I don’t know if I’d necessarily recommend this or not, unless you’re really into movies.

Curse of the Golden Flower

Published
by
Chalupa
on May 7, 2007
in Action, Adventure, Based on a play, Drama, Epic, Martial Arts, Romance, Suicide and Tragedy
. 0 Comments

Once again, I was awed by yet another action movie from director Yimou Zhang. You may seen some of his other movies like House of Flying Daggers, Hero, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, Raise the Red Lantern, etc. This guy puts out good stuff.

This film centers around the royal family of China during the Tang dynasty. Like most Greek tragedies, this film doesn’t end on a much happier note. Through lies, betrayal, plots and secrecy, the royal family collapses on itself leaving very few alive when everything’s said and done. The emperor alone seems to be the only one who is untouchable. I think that’s how it’s supposed to be though. Even though he is the most powerful man in the empire, he is the loneliest because he can’t let anyone get too close to him. I’m not going to go much deeper into the plot for fear of ruining this for anyone.

I’m sure some people will/were disappointed with this film because they were expecting something action-packed from the trailer. You do get plenty of action, but not all the way through. I found the movie quite interesting and, as usual with Yimou Zhang, quite beautiful. I don’t know if he is always behind the color schemes, artwork, scenery and costuming, but they are all breath-taking in the films of his I’ve watched.

One thing I found out in the “extras” was they actually built the entire palace set. I assumed it was mostly green-screened due to its size and grandeur, but it was actually built. There was one part where Li Gong is talking about foreign tourists seeing the set and thinking they were crazy for building something of that magnitude. Speaking of which, you might recognize her from Memoirs of a Geisha. Hopefully you’ll also recognize Yun-Fat Chow from movies like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Bulletproof Monk, Anna and the King, Replacement Killers, etc.

One other thing that caught my eye were the weapons of some elite ninja fighters. I’m not expert on martial arts movies, but I feel like I’ve seen a few. These guys has scythe like swords with ropes attached. They would swing them around like grappling hooks and slice up their opponents. The epic-battle scene in the end was pretty amazing too. I was also pretty impressed with the immediately clean-up and how everything was “back to normal” afterwards. Hopefully I haven’t spoiled anything for you. I highly suggest you check this one out.

Sling Blade

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 17, 2006
in Based on a play, Based on a short film, Drama, Independent, Murder, Racism and Revenge
. 0 Comments

I never really thought much about Billy Bob Thornton until after seeing this movie. Things just never made sense to me. The few roles I had seen him in were never that great or earth shattering. He was married to Angelina Jolie, and he never seemed to present himself very well in public. Little did I know, Billy Bob is a writer and a director besides being an actor. I’ve always heard other people (actors/actresses) rave about the talent this man has, but had never witnessed it myself. That’s because I hadn’t seen Sling Blade.

This movie is about a man named Karl Childers. Karl is retarded man that gets let out of the state mental hospital. Karl was in the hospital because at the age of 12 he killed his mother and one other person. Now at face value this sounds horrible and tragic, but as you take a peak into Karl’s life you start to understand why he is the way he is.

After being released from the hospital, Karl gets a job at a small engine repair shop repairing engines. He’s apparently a prodigy at it. His new boss also lets him live in the shop since Karl has no place to go and his living family wants nothing to do with him. Besides getting a job, Karl also makes friends with Frank, a local boy, while helping him tote his family’s laundry home one afternoon. Frank likes Karl so much that he asks his mother to let Karl stay with them. From then on we see the lives of Karl, Frank and Linda (Frank’s mother) unfold and we meet some of their friends as life goes on. I’m not going to much further into the plot because I don’t want to give anything away.

This is such an amazing movie, I’m not really sure how to give it justice by typing away on my keyboard. This film deals with family, friendships, doing what is right, justice, protecting your own, love, being willing to give up everything for somebody you care about, etc, etc. All of Karl’s life he’s been picked on and written off just because of his mental state. However, Karl understands a lot more than people give him credit for. He also ends up being one of the most understanding, caring and insightful characters in the film.

I was so amazed to learn that Thorton wrote and directed this film besides being the main actor. Whenever I had seen the cover, I always thought that was Ewan McGregor on the cover or somebody that looked similar. That’s Billy Bob folks. I also sat down and watched all of the extra stuff on the 2nd disc as soon as I could. It’s always rewarding to learn about some of the behind-the-scenes stuff.

Along with Thorton in the cast we also have Dwight Yoakam (Wedding Crashers, Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada), J.T. Walsh (Good Morning Vietnam), John Ritter (Problem Child, Three’s Company), Lucas Black (Friday Night Lights, All the Pretty Horses) and many other recognizable faces. I think this is one of Ritter’s best performances ever, mainly because we get to see him break out of some of his typecast roles and actually act. Thorton even got him to radically change his hair, something Ritter never did for any other director. Lucas Black also gives an amazing performance as a kid in this movie that you’ll be hard-pressed to match.

I feel like I could go on and on about this movie, but I don’t know how to appropriately tell you how much this movie rocked my world. So go see this one. Please.

The Shape of Things

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 4, 2006
in Art, Based on a play, College, Comedy, Drama and Twist
. 0 Comments

I must admit I wasn’t really into this movie until I got to the end…and it hit me like a fish in the face. This film is a great example of why you should stick out a movie and see it through because you never know how you’ll feel about it until the credits are rolling.

Paul Rudd stars in this film as Adam along with his two friends, Phil (Fred Weller) and Jenny (Gretchen Mol). Adam meets Evelyn, played by Rachel Weisz, while working at the museum one day and they sort of hit it off. She actually came into the museum to deface a sculpture. She’s an art student, you see, getting her MFA at Mercy College. She kind of fits some of the “artsy” stereotypes and soon starts getting Adam to change some of his ways to make himself more atractive, hip, and cool. At least according to Evelyn. She eventually starts trying to manipulate Adam’s friendships and relationships with other people. In my opinion, she was really starting to get out of hand.

Now we’ve come to the climax of the story - the ending. It pretty much wraps everything up and answers all of those unanswered questions. I sure didn’t see it coming.

Samurai Trilogy 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 1, 2006
in Action, Adventure, Based on a novel, Based on a play, Biography, Drama, History, Japan, Samurai, Sequel and Trilogy
. 0 Comments

This is the second installment of the Samurai Trilogy and I’d have to say I liked this a little bit more than the first. Towards the end all I could think of is Kill Bill: Vol. 1. I know that Quentin Tarantino is a big asian film buff and I would be surprised if this wasn’t one of his influences. At one point you have Takezo challenging someone to a duel. Instead of facing Takezo, his 80 minions plot and plan an ambush to try and kill him. Surprisingly enough, Takezo outwits them and kills many of them with his sword. At one point he even has two swords. Sound familiar? I’m looking forward to part three.

Samurai Trilogy 1: Musashi Miyamoto

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 1, 2006
in Action, Adventure, Based on a book, Based on a novel, Based on a play, Biography, Drama, History, Japan, Samurai and Trilogy
. 0 Comments

In my neverending quest to try and culture myself on good film, I’ve started watching what is known as the “Samurai Trilogy” here in the states. These are three films by Hiroshi Inagaki that were made in the mid 1950’s about a man wanting to become a samurai warrior set a few hundred years ago.

I really enjoy watching older films sometimes because I can definitely see the transition from the stage and theater to the silver screen. Scenes are shot differently, actors do and say certain things, sets and positioning are a little different, etc. This is the era where there used to be an intermission in the middle of the movie. Can you imagine that happening today? Not likely. Didn’t even happen during the Lord of the Ring movies and those were pretty long.

I can definitely see most people not getting into a movie like this because it’s not full of the action and lacks many characteristics of a modern film. I’d say it’s worth sticking through though. Defintely a good conversation piece if nothing else.

The Woodsman

Published
by
Chalupa
on September 1, 2005
in Based on a play and Drama
. 1 Comment

This is one of those movies that always seemed just a little bit intriguing. So I popped it onto my Netflix list and Liz and I watched it last night. To start off, I would have to say that I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anybody. I wouldn’t say I absolutely hated it, but it’s not very high up on the Chalupa approval scale.

Kevin Bacon’s character is a convicted child molester who just got out of jail. The only place he can find to live is an apartment overlooking a schoolyard playground where he watches kids during the day and notices a pedophile in a white car that always seems to be hanging around. Then there’s a cop who is constantly coming by to harass him and his job at the lumberyard. At work he is befriended by one and pretty much hated by everyone else after one disgruntled co-worker posts his rap sheet all over work.

Bacon eventually gets back into his old habits and starts following a 12 yr old around after work. Luckily nothing happens as Bacon discovers that what he does hurts people and then later that day he sees the pedophile letting a boy out of his car and beats the crap out of him. Does this redeem his actions? Not really. Was it the right thing to do? Probably. Has Bacon’s character had a huge change of heart where he’s no longer a pederast? We’re really left thinking ‘no’ to that question.

This movie was definitely hard to watch. After it was over Liz and I just sat there not knowing what to say. It left us just feeling mad, angry and not quite knowing what to do. I don’t think I’ll ever watch this one again.  I do have to say this is a good piece of art because it elicited quite a strong reaction.

The Big Kahuna

Published
by
Chalupa
on June 18, 2005
in Based on a play, Comedy, Drama, Independent, Religion and Salesman
. 0 Comments

This one is a little old, but not quite over the hill by any means. Came out in 1999. There’s also only 3 main characters - Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli. Now I’ll be the first to admit this movie is a little slow, but as Toll says, “slow movies have the greatest potential for being great at the end.” Let’s just say that this one keeps up with Toll’s saying.

The plot goes something like there’s 3 guys from a company that go to a convention to schmooze with representatives from their customers and try to encourage them to maintain/increase/create accounts with them. The whole point of the night it to try and find one guy and talk him into using their product, The Big Kahuna. Well, nobody can seem to find this guy, but Bob - the new guy, apparently ran into him and talked to him all night about pets, life, religion, etc. When they find out Bob made a connection with the man, his colleagues send Bob back out to try and talk to him again only this time about the company. Turns out Bob decides not to talk business, but talk Jesus instead. Now this last sentence may or may not resonate with you, I’m sure you can guess this irrates Bob’s fellow businessmen. An argument and fight ensues between two of them and afterwards Danny DeVito says a few, yet powerful words. Bob insists that in talking about Jesus he’s being real with people. DeVito’s character points out that if you’re going to have a conversation with somebody, the minute you steer that conversation it becomes a sales pitch, not a conversation. This doesn’t matter if you talk about Jesus, widgets, hamburgers, steel beams, etc.

So even though this one is slow, I still think it packs a powerful punch. If you have some time to mildly pay attention and are looking for something to think about, check this one out.