[moviestrut] The town

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  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    batmon said:
    rootlesscosmo said:
    batmon said:
    One last job w the love story shit.

    one of the most tired combos in all of moviedom.

    no more tired than pacino and dineros schticks

    nah man.

    I acknowledged the corniness of the Pacino-DeNiro scene. I actually thinks it DETRACTS hugely from an otherwise good flick.

    But that's ONE scene (the only scene of them together, which is why nerds slurped it up). It was lame, but it's not "tired."

    On the other hand the "one last score"/"sensitive crook + clueless non-criminal civilian chick" is a classic Hollywood trope: tired, hackneyed, been-done-a-million-times-before type trope.

    (and if you're talking about the Italian gangster thing being tired, then you're just changing the subject. That's not what Heat was about.)

  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    I didn't mind The Town but then, despite myself, I quite like watching the films Affleck makes these days even if they tend to feel like cinematic versions of the second series of The Wire. The ending wasn't great but I'd kind of expected it and always up for any "one last job" film (it may be a cinematic cliche but they're few and far between these days). It did help that I just caught it on TV as if I'd rented/bought it on the Point Break cover I would probably have been disappointed by the focus on character rather than action (and the lack of homoerotic behaviour).

    Didn't rock my world but passed the time nicely.

    I'm wondering if it's time to revisit Heat. I was really underwhelmed when I watched it originally - it felt like a couple of great set pieces surrounded by another two hours of hollow space and actors trying to act their way out of a lumbering script. I don't think the hype helped - all I remember from the two greats is De Niro pulling the Bobby glum look a lot and Pacino going bug eyed and shouting. I've always maintained that I preferred Mann's earlier LA Takedown for the b-movie style lean and focused storytelling but I should probably revisit both sometime soon.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    rootlesscosmo said:
    batmon said:
    rootlesscosmo said:
    batmon said:
    One last job w the love story shit.

    one of the most tired combos in all of moviedom.

    no more tired than pacino and dineros schticks

    nah man.

    I acknowledged the corniness of the Pacino-DeNiro scene. I actually thinks it DETRACTS hugely from an otherwise good flick.

    But that's ONE scene (the only scene of them together, which is why nerds slurped it up). It was lame, but it's not "tired."

    On the other hand the "one last score"/"sensitive crook + clueless non-criminal civilian chick" is a classic Hollywood trope: tired, hackneyed, been-done-a-million-times-before type trope.

    (and if you're talking about the Italian gangster thing being tired, then you're just changing the subject. That's not what Heat was about.)

    im not talkin about the scene, im talking about thier overall schtick. fuck heat right now its not the topic and isnt comparable in the first place.

  • GrandfatherGrandfather 2,303 Posts
    dammit, this is pretty spot on.


  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    batmon said:
    rootlesscosmo said:
    batmon said:
    rootlesscosmo said:
    batmon said:
    One last job w the love story shit.

    one of the most tired combos in all of moviedom.

    no more tired than pacino and dineros schticks

    nah man.

    I acknowledged the corniness of the Pacino-DeNiro scene. I actually thinks it DETRACTS hugely from an otherwise good flick.

    But that's ONE scene (the only scene of them together, which is why nerds slurped it up). It was lame, but it's not "tired."

    On the other hand the "one last score"/"sensitive crook + clueless non-criminal civilian chick" is a classic Hollywood trope: tired, hackneyed, been-done-a-million-times-before type trope.

    (and if you're talking about the Italian gangster thing being tired, then you're just changing the subject. That's not what Heat was about.)

    im not talkin about the scene, im talking about thier overall schtick. fuck heat right now its not the topic and isnt comparable in the first place.

    right, your disdain for Italian gangster shit is well established. but that has nothing to do with either movie being discussed here.

    you're saying the Town was better than Heat (crazy).

    I'd say that comment absolutely belongs in a thread about the Town; it's not off-topic.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    batmon said:
    rootlesscosmo said:
    batmon said:
    rootlesscosmo said:
    batmon said:
    One last job w the love story shit.

    one of the most tired combos in all of moviedom.

    no more tired than pacino and dineros schticks

    nah man.

    I acknowledged the corniness of the Pacino-DeNiro scene. I actually thinks it DETRACTS hugely from an otherwise good flick.

    But that's ONE scene (the only scene of them together, which is why nerds slurped it up). It was lame, but it's not "tired."

    On the other hand the "one last score"/"sensitive crook + clueless non-criminal civilian chick" is a classic Hollywood trope: tired, hackneyed, been-done-a-million-times-before type trope.

    (and if you're talking about the Italian gangster thing being tired, then you're just changing the subject. That's not what Heat was about.)

    im not talkin about the scene, im talking about thier overall schtick. fuck heat right now its not the topic and isnt comparable in the first place.

    right, your disdain for Italian gangster shit is well established. but that has nothing to do with either movie being discussed here.

    you're saying the Town was better than Heat (crazy).

    I'd say that comment absolutely belongs in a thread about the Town; it's not off-topic.

    I never brought up the Italian Gangster thing. You did.
    And i didnt say The Town was better than Heat.

    How are you making these connections? Seriously?

    How are those two actors playing themselves have anything to do w/ the Sopranos?

    Do u want to talk about ME or The Town?

  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    How about you talk about the Town? Cause you haven't really done that yet, despite having started the thread.

    Did you like it? Why or why not? Many people in this thread have suggested it compares to Heat. Do you have an opinion on that?

  • ^I'm not that dude, but since it's 'strut appreciation month, here's 2 cents:

    The Town was alright. Affleck's a good and getting better director.
    The book it was based on ( Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan) was a direct re-write of Heat. I mean almost note for note.
    Go check it out and see.

    So the movie( The Town ) is based on a book that's based on a movie that was based on a made-for-TV
    flick ( LA Takedown,).

    Interestingly enough: Drive the movie was based on the book Drive by James Sallis.
    That book was basically a direct re-write of a Walter Hill flick called The Driver which came out in the 70's.
    Again, almost a note for note rewrite. Dudes are cashing in or out of ideas I guess.

    All of the pieces here have been recycled, but what isn't these days?

  • rootlesscosmorootlesscosmo 12,848 Posts
    SolidState16 said:


    All of the pieces here have been recycled, but what isn't these days?

    see I just can't get with this this fatalistic line of thinking. I guess it's why I'm so critical of the shit that comes out of Hollywood these days. Why do I have to shell out 12 bucks knowing that what I'm gonna see is just a reboot/remake/rehash? Do we expect that little of an industry employing millions and spending billions? They can't come up with some new ideas?

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    Drive was pretty good. Borrowed from the 80s stylistically to tell a story very early-mid 70s in plot and tone. I would agree that it attempted to use atmosphere and stylization to compensate for a lack of story and character, but I would also argue that it was successful at this.

    I think RC butts heads with I (and others) over these kind of movies so often because he wants something from genre flicks that just isn't ever going to be there. Drive was a cool, quick neo-noir heavy on style and shaken up with excessive and graphic violence. I can understand coming away thinking it was too "slow" or even somewhat vapid, but I think it succeeded at what it wanted to be.

    The Town was ok but fairly cliched, highly unbelievable and kind of lame. As a native Bostonian it did nothing for me on that level. The fact that I can barely remember anything about it tells me what kind of impression it made.

  • fauxteurfauxteur 342 Posts
    SolidState16 said:

    All of the pieces here have been recycled
    Doubt I'll see this Town movie, but Le deuxi??me souffle (1966) was an even earlier version of the plot of Heat
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