comment #1

BurmaShave says ...

How was EASTERN PROMISES?

comment #2

BurmaShave says ...

And yes I am aware you are formulating your thoughts and will post an independant item. I don't really know why I even asked. Let me rephrase: Does Naomi get naked?

comment #3

aaron says ...

With Hunt and Broderick lining the cast, shame it's not a PROJECT X sequel!

comment #4

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Burma Shave: I'm trying to write a quickie review now, but forget any notions of anything even slightly arousing in "Eastern Promises" in the vein of, say, the Viggo Mortensen-Maria Bello sex scenes in Cronenberg's "A History of Violence." That box is locked shut in this film. Cronenberg is queer for blood and knives and borscht and slit throats in this film, and I can see now why they wouldn't show it to me in L.A. It's a "Cronenberg film," yes, but very pulpy, purple and predictable. I'm calling it a major disappointment. It's about as tedious and flat-footed as Costa-Gavras's "The Music Box," which also costarred Armin Mueller Stahl. He plays a Russian mafia godfather in Cronenberg's film, using that same old whispery guttural voice, and every time he came on screen I felt a little bit number. Towards the last third I was quietly groaning.

comment #5

George Prager says ...

C'mon, Jeff, you should crush a man's dreams that way. He's posting from a tollbooth for Chrissake.

comment #6

BurmaShave says ...

Touche!

Burma to Wells: Can't say I'm surpised. I'll reserve judgement until I can see it for myself, but I must say there didn't seem to be much there there in the trailers. To be honest I wasn't as over the moon about HOV as most, but it had the beating heart of life and some truly hot moments.

As for Stahl, he can be a wonderfully warm screen prescence, but he has to be one of the laziest accent men in the business. I noticed immediately he was using the same 'Russian accent' in this and he did in THE PEACEMAKER.

comment #7

BurmaShave says ...

*as he did.

comment #8

Geoff says ...

I'm no fan of Armin Mueller Stahl. His voice has always sounded hilarious to me, causing me to laugh at some of his performances. I just can't help it.

comment #9

DeadPool says ...

There She Found Me was fun. It features a fantastic supporting performance by Bette Midler. It need a little editing here and there but overall it's a strong directorial debut for Helen Hunt. Strong pick-up by ThinkFilm.

The Visitor was okay. It's a very small film with no well-known cast. The script was good but it wasn't memorable. It's going to get a REALLY tiny release.

Boy A is a mess with some intriguing glimpse of directorial hope in it. I have no clue why the Weinstein picked it up.

Saw the first 45 minutes of JUNO and it's GREAT! Diablo Cody truly has one of the most refreshing screenwriting voice in a while.

comment #10

lazarus says ...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Wells already admit to not being a big Cronenberg fan? From what I remember he only seemed to like his more mainstream films.

So I think his opinion should be taken with a huge grain of salt. I imagine there are many of us here who are going to love it, nude Naomi or no.

Besides, after those glorious nipple-sucking closeups in 21 Grams and her masturbation/lesbian scenes in Mulholland Dr, there's not much more she could do for us along those lines, right?

comment #11

MiraJeffAICN says ...

Eastern Promises was good but it's no HOV. It's very simple and straight-forward and lacks the depth of that film. Watts is okay, kind of a lame duck role. Viggo is great and the bathhouse scene will wind up remembered as one of the best of the year and one of the best cinematic fights perhaps of all-time. Brutal stuff. But the film is too short. I would've watched another half-hour which might have been spent exploring a late in the game twist that changes the entire film but goes absolutely nowhere because Cronenberg isn't interested in that story. Mueller-Stahl and Cassell are both very good as well but the story was lacking a little.

comment #12

James Leer says ...

Eastern Promises is terrific and every bit as smart as HOV, if on the surface of it more of a slick genre film. And no, no Naomi nudity, but there is a "will go down in history" full-frontal fight scene with Viggo Mortensen. Maybe I should send Cronenberg an email...

comment #13

Devin Faraci says ...

MiraJeff, you're approaching the movie completely wrong. It's not a great movie, but it's a very, very good movie, and it's a nice dark mirror image of HOV.