appleknight
Joined Jan 2006
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appleknight's rating
Spread is an unusual little film. I say 'little', as it's essentially a low budget character-driven drama that is some how being commercially packaged as a rom-com. A quick glance at the credits reveals that this isn't your average Kutcher vehicle: it's directed by Scotland's David Mackenzie of "Young Adam" and "Hallam Foe" fame.
Make no mistake, the Kutcher we see at the start of the film is very familiar: arrogant, uptight and utterly beautiful. But as the run-time flies past, we somehow warm to his character even though he's getting more sex than most of us will get in a lifetime. And here's the good news: Kutcher's performance is fairly astounding. He manages to reveal the humanity in his deeply flawed character with notable subtlety and a distinct lack of cliché. Kutcher's (many) sexual relationships portrayed in the film are brutally realistic: the modern and perhaps unromantic realities of casual sex are not dressed-up in any cheap Hollywood moralising. This is also evident in the overall tone of the film: there are many moments that could have descended into schmaltz, but a sharp edge it maintained on just about every line of dialogue.
Kutcher fans: beware. This is a real departure for the actor, but thank goodness: it's a movie with all the superficial gloss of Hollywood and all the invention of an indie flick.
Make no mistake, the Kutcher we see at the start of the film is very familiar: arrogant, uptight and utterly beautiful. But as the run-time flies past, we somehow warm to his character even though he's getting more sex than most of us will get in a lifetime. And here's the good news: Kutcher's performance is fairly astounding. He manages to reveal the humanity in his deeply flawed character with notable subtlety and a distinct lack of cliché. Kutcher's (many) sexual relationships portrayed in the film are brutally realistic: the modern and perhaps unromantic realities of casual sex are not dressed-up in any cheap Hollywood moralising. This is also evident in the overall tone of the film: there are many moments that could have descended into schmaltz, but a sharp edge it maintained on just about every line of dialogue.
Kutcher fans: beware. This is a real departure for the actor, but thank goodness: it's a movie with all the superficial gloss of Hollywood and all the invention of an indie flick.
I can't quite find the words to describe just how painful a film this is to watch. But I'll give it a go...
At a fairly busy industry screening at the Edinburgh International Film Festival today, Big Things had the audience optimistic after providing some great promotional material and freebies. Over the next hour and a half, said audience had every ounce of their enthusiasm drained from them. Those of us that didn't walk out after the first half hour exited the cinema looking ready to top themselves by the end.
This film is neither funny nor poignant. Normally in a badly conceived comedy, one can at least spot where the attempted jokes fell flat, but here there were no such guideposts. The only faint titter of laughter came from a scene in which one of the (criminally under-used) minor characters made a vaguely interesting facial expression. Perhaps the most jarring aspect of the film is the lead actor (who also co-wrote the script): a man so lacking in basic comic acting ability and any discernible charisma that every minute of his screen time is painful. He's in every scene.
To go into greater detail would take up more of my time than this deserves, so I'll keep it brief. The script is terrible. The production values are cheap (and not in a cool, low-budget kinda way). The lead actors are talentless. And the biggest joke? The marketing material quotes an IMDb review of the film which sounds more than a little biased. That same review compares the director's work to that of Leigh, Loach and Winterbottom: a sickening, self- indulgent statement that is frankly unforgivable and delusional in the extreme.
Don't believe me? By all means go and see this film, if it ever screens again. I dare you to stay in your seat beyond the first half hour.
At a fairly busy industry screening at the Edinburgh International Film Festival today, Big Things had the audience optimistic after providing some great promotional material and freebies. Over the next hour and a half, said audience had every ounce of their enthusiasm drained from them. Those of us that didn't walk out after the first half hour exited the cinema looking ready to top themselves by the end.
This film is neither funny nor poignant. Normally in a badly conceived comedy, one can at least spot where the attempted jokes fell flat, but here there were no such guideposts. The only faint titter of laughter came from a scene in which one of the (criminally under-used) minor characters made a vaguely interesting facial expression. Perhaps the most jarring aspect of the film is the lead actor (who also co-wrote the script): a man so lacking in basic comic acting ability and any discernible charisma that every minute of his screen time is painful. He's in every scene.
To go into greater detail would take up more of my time than this deserves, so I'll keep it brief. The script is terrible. The production values are cheap (and not in a cool, low-budget kinda way). The lead actors are talentless. And the biggest joke? The marketing material quotes an IMDb review of the film which sounds more than a little biased. That same review compares the director's work to that of Leigh, Loach and Winterbottom: a sickening, self- indulgent statement that is frankly unforgivable and delusional in the extreme.
Don't believe me? By all means go and see this film, if it ever screens again. I dare you to stay in your seat beyond the first half hour.
Moore's Sicko takes the slightly contrived, vaguely preachy style of his previous documentaries and partners this with some genuinely emotional human stories.
Less reliant on punchy vignettes and cartoons and more focused on case studies, Moore highlights the profit-hungry world of the US healthcare system (or lack of one). To viewers from overseas, this is an extremely enlightening experience, as Moore manages to hit at the central issue of ideology that has so far prevented the US adopting universal healthcare. To viewers inside the US, be prepared for some shocking revelations as you are shown just how different it can theoretically be.
Featuring some excellent contributions from real people on every side of the spectrum (Americans living in Europe etc...), and a rather staged yet emotionally effective conclusion, it is difficult to come away from this movie unangered about the state of the "American Dream".
Less reliant on punchy vignettes and cartoons and more focused on case studies, Moore highlights the profit-hungry world of the US healthcare system (or lack of one). To viewers from overseas, this is an extremely enlightening experience, as Moore manages to hit at the central issue of ideology that has so far prevented the US adopting universal healthcare. To viewers inside the US, be prepared for some shocking revelations as you are shown just how different it can theoretically be.
Featuring some excellent contributions from real people on every side of the spectrum (Americans living in Europe etc...), and a rather staged yet emotionally effective conclusion, it is difficult to come away from this movie unangered about the state of the "American Dream".