Dan's Non-Recommendation of the week: Pay it Forward
After seeing this movie, I felt to urge to warn 3 people about this movie. Each of those 3 people need to warn 3 other people, and so on. Epitomizing the worse that Hollowood has to offer, Pay it Forward is boring, cheesy, faux-inspirational and old-fashioned lazy moviemaking. The plot is full of holes, the characters are 2D sketches never fully realized and the ending (SPOILER ALERT) is so hamfistedly pointless and manipulative (the kid dies for no other reason than the film needing a martyr), I was ready to walk out. Sadly, some other people in the audience bought it (the lady next to me was in tears). I've seen Kevin Spacey better (in pretty much ALL his other films), never really liked Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment just undid all the praise placed upon him for the 6th Sense. And Mimi Leder did Deep Impact better, maybe simply because we expected less of it.
Speaking of movies, I've decided recently that I need to see movies mostly based on the DIRECTOR, not any of the stars. I've seen too many flicks where an actor I like struggles against a bad script and lousy direction. A good director (and a good script) will more reliably create a better piece of film. Good of course is subjective and a matter of taste. I for one am not a big fan of Altman, Scorsese or Allen. Spike Lee, Luc Besson & Wayne Wang have been hit or miss, which means I'll generally still go see their flicks. Who do I like? Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee, Coen Brothers, David Fincher, John Woo.
One last thing regarding critic's comments on films: When you see a quote printed on a movie ad ("The Feel-Good Hit of the Summer!") be sure to see where it's quoted from. If all the quotes are from local radio & TV stations, newspapers or secondar-tier magazines, be wary. Trusted sources? Joel Siegel, Roger Ebert, Premiere magazine, Time magazine. And of course in the end, make up your own damn mind. Sometimes it's simply better to read NOTHING and go to the film with a clean mental slate.
After seeing this movie, I felt to urge to warn 3 people about this movie. Each of those 3 people need to warn 3 other people, and so on. Epitomizing the worse that Hollowood has to offer, Pay it Forward is boring, cheesy, faux-inspirational and old-fashioned lazy moviemaking. The plot is full of holes, the characters are 2D sketches never fully realized and the ending (SPOILER ALERT) is so hamfistedly pointless and manipulative (the kid dies for no other reason than the film needing a martyr), I was ready to walk out. Sadly, some other people in the audience bought it (the lady next to me was in tears). I've seen Kevin Spacey better (in pretty much ALL his other films), never really liked Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment just undid all the praise placed upon him for the 6th Sense. And Mimi Leder did Deep Impact better, maybe simply because we expected less of it.
Speaking of movies, I've decided recently that I need to see movies mostly based on the DIRECTOR, not any of the stars. I've seen too many flicks where an actor I like struggles against a bad script and lousy direction. A good director (and a good script) will more reliably create a better piece of film. Good of course is subjective and a matter of taste. I for one am not a big fan of Altman, Scorsese or Allen. Spike Lee, Luc Besson & Wayne Wang have been hit or miss, which means I'll generally still go see their flicks. Who do I like? Ridley Scott, Michael Mann, Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee, Coen Brothers, David Fincher, John Woo.
One last thing regarding critic's comments on films: When you see a quote printed on a movie ad ("The Feel-Good Hit of the Summer!") be sure to see where it's quoted from. If all the quotes are from local radio & TV stations, newspapers or secondar-tier magazines, be wary. Trusted sources? Joel Siegel, Roger Ebert, Premiere magazine, Time magazine. And of course in the end, make up your own damn mind. Sometimes it's simply better to read NOTHING and go to the film with a clean mental slate.
posted by Dan at 1:01 PM
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