Tag Archive: john goodman


Flight

Filed under: Cinema by thefriedgold — Leave a comment
February 12, 2013

Flight (2013)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly and Nadine Velazquez

Flight-poster

 

After an Airplane suffers a mechanical failure, Captain William ‘Whip’ Whitaker successfully lands the plane with only a few casualties and is suddenly at the centre of hero/villain story where he has to live up to the serious fact that he has problems in his life that need to be dealt with.

 

This is a serious film with some very strong issues that need to be worked out by Washington while he tries to understand how his life has taken such a fall. Drink and Drugs play a major role in the film and go to show the effects they can have on someone’s life, even if you did just become a hero. His relationships with women, his son and work colleagues differ throughout the film showing his downfall as they try to either help or disown him.

John Goodman adds the comedy to the film playing Washington’s brother and drug dealer and helps him out/makes it worse when he needs it although he isn’t seen much in the film. The actually plane crash is amazing and filmed excellently. It is not a quick flash in the pan crash; it takes you through the whole scenario.

A note that the film does start with full nudity from My Name is Earl Actress Nadine Velazquez who looks stunning.

 

Recommend

I enjoyed the film even though it was a lot more serious than I thought it was going to be. Denzel was brilliant and thoroughly deserves his Oscar nomination for Actor in a Leading Role and the crash scene was dealt with brilliantly. The film does clock in at a long 2 hours and 18 mins and tackles some serious issues however I do think people should see this film.

TheFriedGold rating – 7/10 – Denzel reaches for the sky

 

Film Fact

Denzel Washington’s first Oscar-nominated role in over 10 years. His last Oscar-nominated role was for Training Day.   

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Argo

Filed under: Cinema by thefriedgold — Leave a comment
November 21, 2012

Argo (2012)

Directed by Ben Affleck

Starring Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston and John Goodman

 

 

 

Six Americans are trapped in Iran and so a joint secret operation by the CIA and the Canadians is launched to get these people back.

Ben Affleck is Director, Co-producer and main character in this film and has once again done a great job. The film is based around a real event but has been dramatically changed in certain areas to make the film more tense and exciting.

Ben Affleck comes across as a totally different actor when he is directing himself and gives a great performance. The whole idea of making a fake film to help with the release of some captives from another country is inspiring and ingenious. Even if this wasn’t based on a true story this would have made a great premise for a film, the real aspect just makes the whole thing more enjoyable.

The film was shot on regular film and was intentionally made to look grainy as if it was made in the 70’s, the time the film was set. This is also apparent by the use of the old Warner Bros logo at the start of the film.

 

Recommend

I was quite surprised at how much i enjoyed this film. The film clocks in at 120 minutes which at first, along with the film being based on real political events, made me doubt the film and that it wouldn’t be something that I would enjoy. However the film flew by and keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through and John Goodman adds the comic factor to an otherwise serious film along with a witty catchphrase that is used throughout. I would recommend this film to all as an enjoyable drama.

 

TheFriedGold rating – 8/10 – ‘Affleck, you da bomb in Argo yo’

 

 

Film Fact

Ben Affleck’s first choice to play as Tony Mendez was Brad Pitt, but Pitt had some scheduling issues so he cast himself in the role.

 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

The Artist (2011)

Filed under: Cinema by kelvbrown — 1 Comment
June 5, 2012

Directed by Michael Hazanavicius

Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman

George Valentin, a silent movie star, sees his career fade with the advent of sound in the movies as an early co-star of his, Peppy Miller, sees her star rise.

When I first heard about The Artist I was interested – I have never seen a silent film in the cinema and a modern silent film – is there an audience for this type of film? Then it started getting awards buzz and I didn’t want to see it for fear of getting swept away with the hype. Fortunately I managed to see it before it disappeared and I am glad that I did. The Artist doesn’t break any boundaries in terms of story but the way that it is told and the performances of the two leads is what makes it stand out. The depth of emotions conveyed by the leads – in fact, the entire cast – is fantastic, highlighting a good actor doesn’t need dialogue to tell a story. Aside from an excellent dream sequence in the middle, The Artist only uses musical accompaniment with a smattering of intertitles in place of local sounds and whilst this is odd to begin with (never seen a film told this way), it quickly becomes very easy to follow the plot beats and is quite liberating to see a story told in this way. The Artist is an excellent film, showcasing a lot of talent and is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. See it.

If you like this then you might like:

 

I wouldn’t know what to suggest that is in a similar vein to The Artist that I have seen. Terrible I know, but I’ve not seen anything like this! 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

Red State (2011)

Filed under: Cinema by thefriedgold — Leave a comment
October 10, 2011

Red State (2011) 

Directed by Kevin Smith

Starring John Goodman, Mellissa Leo and Michael Parks

 

 

 

Straight away with this film you can tell that it is directed, written and edited by Kevin Smith himself. The opening scene is very much in the mould of Clerks is the style of acting and camera shot. The film does seem quite confusing and relies heavily on the script.

The film is about 3 young college friends who find a lady on the internet to go and have sex with. Things take a turn for the worse and they end up drugged and waking up in a church with some religious nuts wanting to rid the world of people like them. From there it goes a bit here and there.

Michael Parks and John Goodman have some very long solo speeches/conversations in the film that seem to go on that bit too long. It’s not that i didn’t enjoy the film but i did find myself being slightly bored in places and it’s as if Mr Smith was trying a bit too hard. He should stick with comedy films and bring us another Clerks or Mallrats that combine real life and relationships with humour.

If you’re a fan of Kevin Smith this film is different to anything else he has done so just prepare yourself for less laughs however i would say it is worth a watch, although maybe not at the cinema.

 

Film Fact

The film was shot in sequence and Kevin Smith edited each days shooting on the same day. He was able to show the crew a rough cut just two days after they had wrapped up all the filming.

 

 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment