Tuesday, January 27, 2009

"I only have two rules for my newly born daughter: she will dress well and never have sex." - John Malkovitch



Burn After Reading ... have you seen it yet? If you have keep reading. If you have yet to see it and are planning to, then you should probably go make yourself a cup of tea and why not a croissant to go with it(I have some spare if you are all out, some have chocolate in them and others almonds and a dusting of sugar for extra pleasure. I dig them all). If you are not bothered about the film then you can read on, or by now you might be gatvol of this post anyway, so in that case head back to your skinner kak that you were reading before hand.

So I popped over to the Labia Theatre on Kloof to watch the movie by the sometimes enigmatic Coen boeties - Burn After Reading. A top cast of dudes and a women whom I think won an Oscar for best supporting chick a few years ago. I think it was called Fargo and in fact also the result of the Coen's efforts. Yea that's her ... you got it spot on. Correct, the one with the funny mouth. You wondered what it was about her face that bothered you right? Have a good look, I bet you its her mouth. Very pronounced. Perhaps pushing out of that head too much ... moving away from the Golden ratio of Divine proportion, but not enough to make her ugly. Lets call it - interesting. An interesting look. Good.

Well I paid 20 bucks for the movie which is, I think, about half of the SterKinekor and Nu Metro prices and was amused by the ticket I received from the elderly lady whose knitting I interrupted to make the transaction. It was one of those little tear off "admit one" things that we used to get when watching movies like Puff The Magic Dragon or Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo at school for 2o cents.
So for R20 I sat down to watch Brad Pitt, George Clooney and John Malkovich do their thing for me on the big screen. The plot was decent. Brad Pit was damn funny as a gay, quirky gym instructor dude, Clooney an ex body guard, adulterous sex fiend and John Malkovich the scary alcoholic ex-CIA freak.
Now as entertaining as Pitt and Clooney were for me in rolls that I just never thought they jelled to, Malkovich was incredibly close to the way I would imagine the fella to be at times in his real life. I mean that is a stupid assumption to make and I hope that is how it stays, as when I saw him go at one of the other characters with a tomahawk type axe blade, it just felt as if those 6 blows he inflicted on the victim were supremely comfortably suited to him. The movie shows off how old he is looking too with some strange teeth going on and all sorts of skull action that accentuates his intense and pronounced dialogue.

Brad Pitt really is a funny cat in this one though and its worth going to watch just to laugh at that whole vibe even if the rest of the film - for me - was just decent.

3 comments:

Brian Tristam Williams said...

You can catch a movie at Nu Metro Cinemas V&A Waterfront or Canal Walk for R 33,00, so R 20,00 is not quite half-price!

However, if you're price-sensitive, go on a Wednesday - all tickets R 15,00 :-)

Anonymous said...

Hey Pi.

I too ventured a trip to the Labia on Orange last week with the wife. Vicky, Christina Barcelona was the flick of choice (wife's turn to choose, but worth it to see Penelope Cruz's role).

I loved the stub ticket and seagull-shit vibe and my only issue was the air-popped popcorn, which doesn't hold its salt.

You are the first person I've heard that didn't love Burn after Reading, and to be honest, I am glad. I thought it was totally overrated, boring and at times shocking (but in a stupid way, rather than in a surprising one).

It seems to me that the Coens are lauded for any film by the academy, irrespective of the quality of their work. Personally, I loved The Big Lebowski, hated Fargo, loved No Country for Old Men and hated Burn after Reading.

I'm no critic, but I was massively disappointed, and other than Malkovitch's line, "You're a Mormon, in comparison we're all alcoholics!" I thought he overacted (as usual - "Give the man his fyucking myoney") his way through the whole thing.

Anonymous said...

haha.. just watched it night before last - illegally I confess as where I am there ain't no babysitter - so down loading is the order of the day .. which quite honestly I'm happy about - I do think if I had paid for it - as well produced and film as it was.. and even with Brad hell-of-a funyy.. WHAT A CROCK OF SHIT... perhaps Hollywood has run out of stories to tell.. seriously, this is 'BURN after watching'... and if you can avoid it - 'DON'T watch at all' material.

Over and out...
gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg........
Cam :)