comment #1

MilkMan says ...

I've had enough of Ritchie's films.

And I feel the same way about Boyle.

Trainspotting was an anomaly.

Twelve years later and I'm positive that it was the material, not the direction, that makes that movie as great as it is, and it is great, at least I think so.

I would rather watch Trainspotting over say, Pulp Fiction, any day, as I find that Pulp Fiction's returns/pleasures are diminishing year by year.

Whenever I see that Trainspotting is on the television I stop and watch until the movie ends, every single time.

Danny Boyle, like Guy Ritchie, is all style.

I mean, he's got great style, probably better style than Ritchie, it's just the other things that he's lacking, and it's those things that Welsh's story has in spades.

I wish I were a film critic so I could explain in clear and concise language what it is that makes Trainspotting such a great movie, but I'm not a film critic, I'm a guy who wears a Brimstone Howl t-shirt to work, hoping that someone will ask me who Brimstone Howl is, even though I know no one will, which makes me wonder why I'm wearing the t-shirt in the first place, and why, at my age, I am still wearing t-shirts with the names of bands on them.

Brimstone Howl, Modey Lemon, Palace Brothers, Japanther.

At my age I should be wearing linen button down shirts and nice pants with expensive loafers, like my dad, instead of jeans, Chucks and tees.

Maybe I'm just all style, too.

The wrong style.

Maybe I should cop a habit.

If I was one of the characters in Trainspotting, I would be Tommy.

comment #2

Jeremy Smith says ...

They're "open to offers" on PRIDE AND GLORY, but I was told this week that the plan is still for an October wide release in the 2,000 screen range. That's a much better deal than ROCKNROLLA or SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE are getting.

comment #3

MikeSchaeferSF says ...

And now they're bumping the new Harry Potter to summer '09 from Nov '08. WTF?

comment #4

Amazing Larry says ...

If theatres are churches, then I can't wait to see Jesus throw the moneychangers out of the temple and then turn a tub of popcorn into filet mignon.

Jeff, ever read FLICKER by Theodore Roszak? He takes the whole concept of movies=religion to an awesome and dark place. Great book. Various folks keep threatening to make it into a movie, but it's never gonna happen.

I can't wait for the first major filmmaker to get fed up with the studio system, self-produce a low-budget flick, and then distribute it directly to the fans over the Net and on DVD, bypassing the studio system all together. That'll be funny.

MilkMan, TRAINSPOTTING works for the same reason that so many musicians have great first albums: they've put all of their lives into that work, whereas everything they do after that is forced to stand in the shadow of the initial "masterpiece". That's why all creative people should switch to an entirely different medium after their first success to shake themselves up. For Boyle, perhaps interpretive dance. Ritchie should take up finger painting.

comment #5

jesse says ...

Milk, Trainspotting is great, but Boyle has proven himself a surprisingly strong director (or maybe he's just attracted good material -- but sometimes that's half the battle). 28 Days Later and Sunshine are both terrific, visually arresting, gripping sci-fi/horror pictures. Millions is one of the best family films in recent years (especially considering how awful most live-action family stuff is) -- and that's my reference point for the fact that Slumdog Millionaire doesn't sound like my cup of tea. Millions didn't either (I read a synopsis and it sounded a lot like the Disney movie Blank Check from the early nineties), but I absolutely loved it -- it's sweet without being treacly, funny without being snarky, and whimsical without being insufferable.

Boyle's movies do suffer a bit from what I might toolishly call "third act problems" -- most of them have a moment in the last half-hour where someone or something goes completely strange and semi-inexplicable -- but most of his movies power through this with aplomb. I'd even say it works in Sunshine and 28 Days Later. Boyle is a lot more interesting than the more critically safe Michael Winterbottom, anyway. Though I admire both of them for dabbling in different genres (and sort of think of Winterbottom as a less talented, but still interesting, Brit version of Steven Soderbergh).

And A Life Less Ordinary is underrated! (There, I just lost all credibility. But it is.)

comment #6

T. S. Idiot says ...

Naysayers will note that Wells is demanding the release of a Jon Voight movie.

comment #7

Mr. Gittes says ...

Danny Boyle has yet to make a bad movie. Yes, I liked The Beach, and Sunshine for life.

Boyle should direct a Harry Potter movie. Where are ya WB?

comment #8

rr3333 says ...

I dont know why Jeff's making a big thing about the Norton/Farrell movie!

As good an actor that they both are, and as good as the movie may be, those guys dont open movies (unless Norton's the color green & Farrell has stubble).

It'll come and go topping out at 20-25 Mil regardless of when it opens.

comment #9

shepherd12345 says ...

Jeff, it's funny you should say "theaters are churches," because the last theatergoing experience I had, Dark Knight, really convinced me once and for all that movie theaters and home theaters have once and for all switched places. The home theater, whether it's a tv, laptop, or handheld device, is the place where we are now to feed our souls. And the movie theater is a place where soap is sold.

I mean the amount of advertising coating literally every inch of my local multiplex - including, of course, the films themselves - was absolutely sickening. I hadn't been there in awhile (i have three kids), and suddenly it was like my eyes were opened and I saw just what Berlin had finally become.

The arthouse theater, of course, is dying or dead, replaced by the home theater, which, as bandwidth increases, will probably become a remarkably nifty place to hang out. A church, even.

But the movie theater is gone, bro, gone the way of Vegas and Orlando. It might as well have a fucking greeter out front.

Don't despair, man. The films will out.

comment #10

Pelham123 says ...

I haven't seen "The Beach" but every other Danny Boyle film has been good to great. Along with "Trainspotting", I would put "28 Days Later" & "Millions" in the great category and "Sunshine" pretty darn close.

comment #11

Mr. Buckles says ...

Milkman,

I know exactly what you mean about the inde rawk t's. I'm close to retiring them as at some point it looks totally uncool to be trying too hard. I mean I will wear the shit out of them at home or at the park, but not generally in prime time anymore.

I can trace this back to a specific moment that I am still disappointed of in terms of how I handled it. I recall travelling once to see GBV at the Beachland Ballroom (I highly recommend all to visit someday w/ the opening act of the R&R Hall of Fame). The opening act was Phantom Planet which is of no consequence.

However, some of you might recall that Jason Schwartman was their drummer at one point. To this show I wore a T-shirt I had made which had the graphic of a dolla' bill y'all on the front with Max Fisher's face photoshopped over Washington's (the pose where he wears avaition glasses and beret - perhaps his Yankees Flyers pic) with the inscription of "In Max We Trust."

Wearing this to the show I realized was kind of gay. I cared not for I knew I would be shitcanned (not so fast there).

Anyway, in between acts I went to the merch table and I heard a familiar voice. I turned around and it was Schwartzman signing some autographs. A) He was very gracious B) He was even shorter than I thought.

Since I wore the shirt, I should have had him sign it. Instead, I quietly slinked away feeling like a fanboy stalker of some sort.

A) That was lame

B) The shirt was cool and he would have known it

C) He would have had some reservations about me

D) I remember when I made a comment to Britt Daniel at thepisser about how good his set was and he looked at me like I should go back under the rock from which I came

E) I should not have cared b/c I was at that point collecting a time capsule artifact

E) No one cares about Phantom Planet

F) The Beachland Ballroom is awesome

comment #12

MilkMan says ...

Phantom Planet opening for GBV doesn't seem very fair. It seems like those two bands would have oppoisite types of fans.

Re: Telling Britt Daniel what a great set it was and him big-timing you.

My wife has a bad habit of going up to guys in bands after the show and telling them how great they are. She did this to Bobby Conn (who's even shorter than Jason Schwartzman), and he looked at her like she was Mark David Chapman.

Back in 2001 we saw The Go at the Troubador. They opened for the Dirtbombs and they were drunk and sloppy and out of control. Every song seemed to be played at 33 instead of 45. The guitarist played most of the show on his back. The crowd just kind of stood there. My wife and I loved it.

After the show my wife saw John Krautner at the bar, by himself, drinking a beer. She went up to him and told him how much she loved him and his band. He took a sip of his beer, looked at my wife, and said, You've got to be fucking kidding me.

comment #13

DavidF says ...

No one mentioned Shallow Grave which I recall liking quite a bit - it's certainly where I discovered Ewan McGregor.

So Boyle has made, let's say, 3 films that are at least above average. (SG, Trainspotting and 28 Days.) Personally, I liked and have big respect for Trainspotting but I don't find it that re-watchable. If it was on TV, I'd certainly give it a shot.

Ritchie made two above average films and then some abonimable trash. I keep having hope he'll make something decent and hope it's not all Madonna's fault.

Anyway, I think it's too easy to these guys are all-style, flash-in-the-pans and Jeff has raised my curiosity about Pride and Glory.

comment #14

Daviddb says ...

I'm in agreement on Ritchie, but I'm all aboard the Danny Boyle bandwagon...Everyone knows TS is great, but so is Millions, 28 Days Later, and Sunshine is near-great...

comment #15

Bocephus says ...

I liked Sunshine very much, but I liked it more when it was called Event Horizon.

comment #16

Terry McCarty says ...

MikeSchaeferSF wrote:
And now they're bumping the new Harry Potter to summer '09 from Nov '08. WTF?

Apparently Horn wants to please shareholders by moving the release date (plus some mumbojumbo about not enough tentpoles for 09 because of this year's strike); perhaps he figured that THE DARK KNIGHT has made enough money to keep WB solidly profitable for this fiscal year.

comment #17

storymark says ...

"I liked Sunshine very much, but I liked it more when it was called Event Horizon."

That's a staggeringly simplistic comparison.

comment #18

lipranzer says ...

My aunt recommended "Flicker" to me. One of these days, I'm going to have to check it out.

Jeff, I do think you're a little behind on this one. Maybe this is the first time Horn has actually come out and said he's only interested in "tentpole" films, but the studio's certainly been heading that way for a long time now. And I agree the Ritichie film doesn't interest me that much (though if you believe the comments section in the Goldstein article, there are millions of Gerard Butler fans who can't wait for this film), except that it's nice to see Stringer Bell get work.

As for Boyle, I liked SHALLOW GRAVE, TRAINSPOTTING, and 28 DAYS LATER, but I can't join in the love for MILLIONS (I found it a little too precious), and whoever mentioned that he has a third-act problem? To me, that third-act problem sent SUNSHINE off the rails, which up till then had been as terrific as I'd heard.

comment #19

Legowombat says ...

Is the theatre still a church for most people? My local cinema offers uncomfortable seats; grainy picture quality; intermittent sound and shifting focus. One teenage projectionist running films at once, so problems aren't corrected quickly.

The cost of two people to see a new release movie like 'The Dark Knight' would be at least $30. I can wait four months and buy it on DVD for $22 and actually stand a chance of hearing the dialogue over the tinny speakers and buzz of talking teens and mobile phone messaging, especially as i never care if i have to be the first one to see a particular movie or not. This year's big hype is just tomorrow's late night movie.

The competition from home viewing is only going to grow stronger. I can't get most people I know interested in going to the cinema any more. They have to be *really* pumped for instant gratification, otherwise they 'can wait'. I honestly think tentpole pics will be all they eventually get people to turn out for.

In this climate, releasing 'Pride and Glory' as a wide release probably is a bad business decision. Colin Farrell has had more than enough chances for his box office to deliver on the amount of hype he received, and has continually failed to do so. Audiences don't seem to respond him. He's a bad investment.

Norton and Farrell won't bring in the mass audience, and given the cost of prints, advertising and promotion, what's the advantage of getting it further into debt by a wide release, thus guaranteeing more films like it won't be greenlit?

A good movie will find it's audience eventually, even if it is at home. There's no shame in that.