Did Critics Confuse "Beautiful Mind" with "Majestic"?!

[JonathanLB]

I just saw both of these films in the last 48 hours. Sure enough, one of them DID suck, just like critics said.

Only, it wasn't The Majestic. It was A Beautiful Mind, which in critic lingo was "not a beautiful movie." In fact, it is without a doubt on my top five for the year... worst films, that is. Giving it two stars would be way too generous. I'll give it 1.5.

Sure, I like Jennifer Connelly, I like Russell Crowe a lot, and they both did well enough, but the movie was just utterly boring. It was not only boring, but their relationship was poorly developed. It wasn't at all clear why she liked him, other than "for his mind," or why she stayed with him, and the sad thing is, I wouldn't have wanted the movie to be longer either. I think it was already a solid 30 minutes too long. I was bored most of the movie, the trailers were misleading in a bad way, as in, I thought this guy was doing something useful and instead he's a total lunatic. I didn't need to see a movie about that. "Oh but it really happened." Yes, and so did a lot of things that aren't movies and shouldn't be. This was not a good effort by Ron Howard nor was it a good film at all.

So, two awful movies, Mulholland Drive and A Beautiful Mind, are both going to be competing for the biggest honor among many organizations. That is very sad. I wanted to like A Beautiful Mind. I stayed positive until about 3/4 through and I really went in thinking it would be a good film. Both of my parents didn't like it either. My dad was like, "Ugg, when is this damn thing going to end finally?" We were all infinitely patient, but alas, it wasn't enough.

I really loved The Majestic, on the other hand. This was a great film! How could ANYONE say that a film by Frank Darabont and starring Jim Carrey isn't worth seeing? You have one of the greatest dramatic directors around today with one of the best actors in history (and one of the most versatile, which is why he is one of the greatest; nobody else has his range, ever). How could that be a bad film? I was expecting it to be somewhat mediocre, though, just by what I heard and Darabont got me into it very quickly. It didn't take long before I was thinking the film was on course to be quite good, and he didn't blow it, in fact, it got better as it progressed. It was well set up, it was an interesting time portrayed in the film, and Carrey was fantastic.

I think Darabont is truly the master. He cannot make a bad film, that I have seen anyway. He knows how to pick his projects and he is NOT about to work with sub-par talent nor is he going to sacrifice his skills on a lousy film. He had great actors in The Shawshank Redemption, then of course Hanks and the big African American guy (his name eludes me, though he seems really awesome) in The Green Mile. Both did an excellent job, were critically recognized too. Carrey is awesome in The Majestic, but I like the feel of the movie too, the cinematography, the camera angles, the way it was shot, it is very well done I think. The script was good, no lines bothered me, yet in many trailers now days, only two minutes long, there are some really awful lines.

How about that one, High Crimes or something, where Ashley Judd says, "The question is, will you survive me?" Oh... my... God. Please, someone just shoot me. Put me out of my misery so I don't have to hear lines like that every again. What was the screenwriter thinking?! What kind of an IDIOT would write trash like that?! The movie looked fairly decent besides that, and the very next line also sucked badly. Freeman says, "I love being a wild card." Um, ok the first time you said "wild card" it was alright, it was funny, but please, please don't overdo it. It was just lame.

Nothing bothers me more than awful dialogue. It just makes you feel like a fool even seeing a film that has such bad lines. Of course, I didn't write them, but I somehow feel embarrassed when I have to hear bad dialogue anyway, lol.

Well, anyone else see both of these films or either one?

I am sorry, I just thought A Beautiful Mind was yet another What Lies Beneath. A stupid, idiotic movie that somehow most people like yet in fact it was VERY boring and hard to sit through, unbearable almost. It didn't make me mad, though, like Mulholland Drive. I felt like hitting my head against the wall repeatedly after that movie. I was giving A Beautiful Mind 1/2 star until the last 20 minutes or so when they really pulled it out a bit, and it rose to nearly 2, but settled at 1.5. It was not an entirely bad ending, and I was somewhat satisfied with it, but I just felt the story was boring. A poor plot, quite misleading but not any fun, not an ending that makes up for it. Fight Club has a misleading plot, but that's obviously resolved at the end and makes the film great, but nobody can pull this off like Fincher, except perhaps Cameron Crowe who showed with Vanilla Sky that he is quite capable of putting on his Fincher-esque style when need be, haha.

Now I should go read the bad reviews of The Majestic to see what they said.

[CMJ]

Well I happened to really enjoy both films...but I prefer BEAUTIFUL MIND. I really couldn't disagree with you more on it Jon. :P

[JonathanLB]

That's fine, I just personally thought it was a waste of time.

[CMJ]

Thats cool... Noentheless out of the films most lilkely to be nominated it's my favorite. It could be the frontrunner...right now it's gonna be FOTR or BM.

[JMK]

I liked A Beautiful Mind, but I agree with Jon in that I found it about 20 minutes too long.

Ironically, I just heard the review of the Majestic on the radio, and
basically its "sugar-coated junk." Here's the same reviewers review on the website:

The Majestic :
A rather alarmingly poorly made movie. Frank Durabont's mordent
directing pace, Jime Carey's oscar begging acting and the worst costume work of the year make this movie a must miss.

But again, what are reviews? Opinions. To each his own.

[JonathanLB]

Worst costumes?! Wow, what? I never noticed that at all. Everything looked fine to me, totally. Then again, who are these people anyway? Are these the same people that not only did NOT give TPM a costume Oscar, but they didn't even nominate it?!

TPM has the best costume design in history, let alone of 1999, yet it failed to receive a nomination. Similarly it was apparently forgotten about in every other significant technical category despite the production being the most lavish ever. That is unbelievable.

What movie did this guy see?! The Majestic is a great film. It has great acting and the only complaint you could make is that perhaps part of the ending could seem too "Hollywood" for you or too "corny," but I would not dare call it either any more than I would call ROTJ's ending corny or any more than I would call Remember the Titanic a corny film, when in fact it was my 2nd favorite of its year.

Anything can be called corny if you don't want to see a happy ending, I suppose. I don't need a happy ending to be satisfied, I can certainly do with a Vanilla Sky/Fight Club/The Empire Strikes Back type of ending and still award the film a super high review, but some movies are just meant to end on a happy note and I prefer that most do, actually.

Perhaps one reason I love both of the first Superman films so much is the idea that in that alternate world, good is always watching over everyone and always triumphs. Just like in Star Wars where evil may rise and cause its damage, but the forces of good will always triumph ultimately.

I hope you guys still decide what movies to see based on how you perceive them from trailers and from the talent in them, not just from what the idiotic critics say.

I probably disagree with "the critics" (as a whole) 60% of the time or more. If I agreed with them 80% of the time, I would really pay attention to what they say, but I rarely ever find them right.

I loved A.I., many critics did not, probably most. I loved The Majestic, critics didn't. I hated Mulholland Drive and A Beautiful Mind, but critics loved them. The One was definitely THE ONE to see in the fall, I thought, one of the best action films of the year, yet critics hated the thing of course. Spy Game rocked, but I forget what they thought of that, probably hated it.

I loved Ali, they apparently in general found it to be good, if not great, so we somewhat agreed there only I thought it was great, with flaws I admit.

Critics loved LOTR, I loved LOTR, so that is good at least. The main movie of the year, they agreed it was great, which is something I suppose.

Notice a theme, here? A Beautiful Mind is somewhat of a dark film, or it has its very dark moments, they loved it. LOTR: FOTR is definitely a dark film, they loved that. Mulholland Drive is weird, confusing, and dark, all good things for critics, and they loved that. The Majestic was a light-hearted film where the good guy enjoys a great ending, and they hated it. Is it surprising, then, that the critics didn't like TPM at all? That film is not overtly dark whatsoever, although the undertones of it are very dark... but you didn't expect critics to look that deep, did you?

I wonder if they will like Episodes II and III, then. They should, judging from that criteria! Then again, they don't like Star Wars, so I guess that is asking a bit much.

[CMJ]

Okay Jon, first thing..critics were very divided on A.I., it's making numerous lists as one of the years best films.

I tend to agree with the critical majority about 70% of the time which is why I tend to take their opinions seriously. If that mamkes me a film snob, so be it. Personally I don't feel I'm one.

[JonathanLB]

I don't think that makes you one necessarily, and anyway, you and I agree a fair amount of the time.

I would say I disagree with critics probably 80% of the time, but maybe it is only 60%, I am not sure.

Let's see, let me just list some stuff off the top of my head.

The One.
Me: loved it.
Critics: hated it.

Shrek.
Me: loved it.
Critics: loved it.

Imposter.
Me: thought it was pretty good.
Critics: hated it.

A Beautiful Mind and Mulholland Drive, obviously, we disagreed.

Tomb Raider.
Me: loved it.
Critics: didn't like it.

Swordfish.
Me: loved it.
Critics: mostly didn't like it.

The Fast and the Furious.
Me: loved it.
Critics: didn't like it generally.

I just don't think I happen to agree with critics more than about 1 in 4 times at most. The best critics, perhaps I agree with them 50% of the time, but even that is rare. I cannot agree with Ebert anymore, the guy is a lunatic. He didn't even like one of the best movies ever made, Gladiator. Regardless of whether he liked TPM or not doesn't matter, the guy is just becoming a lousy critic lately, giving every good film a bad review and a lot of bad ones good reviews.

[Dutchy]

Never mind.

[CMJ]

I disagreed with Ebert on GLADIATOR as well(in fact he was one of it's most voval detractoors). Nonetheless he's on of my favorite critics.

There was one local critic when I lived in the Dallas area whom I agreed with about 85% of the time. I miss that guy.

[ReturnOfTheCB]

Regardless of whether or not critics like films that I like (they loved FOTR), I'm going to say what I've thought for years...critics are full of ****...they're paid to sit around and write bull****. And it's not even good quality bull****...good bull****'s the kinda stuff that will keep you alive during an English class :D

Jon, kinda off subject, but I just now thought about it...did you ever read the book Fight Club? It was very good, though a bit different from the movie (the movie was based on the book).

[ReaperFett]

I read it. Great read. Only book that comes close to Starfighters of Adumar, IMO

[JonathanLB]

I am sure I will get to read it, though. I have a project of mine, possibly a bit into the future, where I am going to need to read the books that several (or many) books were based on, that being one of them. I bet the Fight Club book rocks.

Hey... umm, do I know you? TheReturnOfTheCB... I mean, I just remember Country Boy from like a long time ago. Not the same or the same? I'm trying to think of any other CB's I know, hmm... hehe.

I like Shawn Levy of The Oregonian, he seems to do a pretty good job. A- to TPM, which isn't that bad at all, hehe, and I have agreed with him on more occassions than most critics.

[Dutchy]

Originally posted by JonathanLB
Sure, I like Jennifer Connelly, I like Russell Crowe a lot, and they both did well enough, but the movie was just utterly boring. It was not only boring, but their relationship was poorly developed. It wasn't at all clear why she liked him, other than "for his mind," or why she stayed with him

Then I don't think you've experienced true love. She loved him unconditionally and it was as sincere and heart-warming as can be. One of the most convincing couples ever.


and the sad thing is, I wouldn't have wanted the movie to be longer either. I think it was already a solid 30 minutes too long.

The ending felt kinda rushed and I thought it was 30 minutes too short, actually.


I was bored most of the movie, the trailers were misleading in a bad way, as in, I thought this guy was doing something useful and instead he's a total lunatic. I didn't need to see a movie about that. "Oh but it really happened." Yes, and so did a lot of things that aren't movies and shouldn't be. This was not a good effort by Ron Howard nor was it a good film at all.

I couldn't disagree more.

I thougth A Beautiful Mind was a very intruiging movie that worked on an informative as wel as an emotional level. I loved it and I hope it'll win every Oscar it's nominated for, especially the major ones.

[ReaperFett]

She loved him unconditionally and it was as sincere and heart-warming as can be. One of the most convincing couples ever.

Didnt they divorce IRL?

[Elieen Cross]

From what I am lead to believe and what i have read, A Beautiful Mind does not reflect on John Nash's real life at all. It's simply a made up story, or at least that is the situation as I see it.

Not being a person that follows many movies, I could be wrong on this. If that is the case, I suggest that A Beautiful Mind is nice melodrama, nothing more.

Why is it that if you play a person with mental problems, you seem to be favoured to win an Oscar?

[ReaperFett]

REALLY hate how films do that. If you're going to not tell the truth about someones life, DON'T TELL IT! Can't they base it on his life, and use a different name?


About Oscars for playing people with mental problems, I think it is because you can't play yourself. Some actors go fro role to role staying the same. To do a mental problamatic person, you have to fully be someone else. Also, believability is harder to achieve.



TPM has the best costume design in history, let alone of 1999
Definately, IMO

[Elieen Cross]

Given some of the people in Hollywood, I would believe playing a normal person with no mental problems would be easier. Seems like most of them are mentally challenged in some way.

No, it appears to me that A Beautiful Mind is simply an Acadamy movie. It seems that it is a vehicle to win Russel Crowe another Oscar and I do not believe it should be rewarded for that.

What I do think is that a movie is not just acting, it is a sum of it's whole parts. The only movie I have seen this year, where that is met is Lord Of The Rings, which I love. I would also have to query your comment about costume design in Phantom Menace, it was not the best, in my view, it was quite ordinary. To me, Lord Of The rings is vastly better and far more detailed, I get amazed when Mark points out some other minute detail they have right. For me, The Phantom Menace dissolved my love of Star Wars to a considerable degree and in part, the only reason I would watch the video is simply because Mark is. Or I do my sewing. Does that say something about The Phantom Menace, that I would find sewing more attractive?



Then I don't think you've experienced true love. She loved him unconditionally and it was as sincere and heart-warming as can be. One of the most convincing couples ever.


Oh come on, please. What would a movie from Hollywood be able to tell you about true love? Not a lot and if they do try, it's force fed down your throat to the point where someone who undeniably does like the occasional "romantic" gags.

[ReturnOfTheCB]

Haha, yeah, Jon, it's the same old me (C0untryB0y), just a different name :D

Oh, and for everyone else, I bought the book "A Beautiful MInd" (the biography it was based on), so once I get around to reading it I'll have to post with how much of what was in the movie actually happened...for now though, I've got a practice LSAT to get to.

[CMJ]

Yes John Nash and his wife divorced in real life, but they like practically lived together anyways for years. Then they remarried several years ago. It's obvious she loved the guy even if the film left out some stuff.

It also left out his bisexual tendencies. Nonetheless the REAL John Nash, I've heard, is quite happy with the film.

[JMK]

Of course he is! He's going to win an oscar! :lol

[Dutchy]

Originally posted by Elieen Cross
What I do think is that a movie is not just acting, it is a sum of it's whole parts. The only movie I have seen this year, where that is met is Lord Of The Rings, which I love.

Nice eye candy and all, but LOTR left me plain cold.


Oh come on, please. What would a movie from Hollywood be able to tell you about true love? Not a lot and if they do try, it's force fed down your throat to the point where someone who undeniably does like the occasional "romantic" gags.

Nope, not a lot, but this one did. Connelly did a great job convincing me she truly loved him.

[ReaperFett]

Dutchy, that's probably because they were together at the time :)

http://us.imdb.com/WN?20020117#7

[JonathanLB]

Seriously, do not expect Dutchy to like a guy's movie like LOTR. What are you thinking?! It has way too many beautiful scenes and awesome special effects for his tastes, plus, the plot is too epic. Dutchy has trouble with epic plots. He likes love stories much more, leading me to believe he could possibly be a woman.

Dutchy there is nothing wrong with admitting you are a woman! Seriously, it's ok we won't love you any less. Or maybe you are of the opposite sexual persuasion, but whatever the case may be you an feel safe around us! :)

"Does that say something about The Phantom Menace, that I would find sewing more attractive?"

No, it says something about you actually. Do you remember when people made the racist claims against TPM? Same situation. That said a lot about the people watching the movie, nothing about the movie itself. Typically with art, you learn a lot about yourself from it but the art never changes. It's still just the same piece of art, but what you bring to it is what makes some people like one piece of art and some people dislike it. The quality of the art is the same regardless of what opinions anyone casts on it because opinions about something do not reflect its actual quality (good or bad), they just are outside of it, floating around. As for you liking sewing a lot, hey, whatever gets you off, lol.

As for the costume design comment, LOTR has wonderful costume designs, yes, but nothing like TPM. Even if you were going to tell me ignorantly that LOTR has better costumes not a person on earth would call TPM's costumes ordinary because by definition, they are not! Nothing in Star Wars is ordinary because it's not of this world. It's entirely different than what has been seen before and so are the costumes.

It's one thing to take a period piece and get costumes from that time period that already existed. That is not difficult, sorry to say, and it doesn't impress me when a film just recycles old material that we all know wasn't that hard to research whatsoever (I'm sure I'll get plenty of dissenting comments, but I love originality, if you don't, that's your problem). Fantasy and sci-fi films, yes like LOTR and TPM, are the only type of films that really give us costumes that require actual work and thought and originality. That's why I don't think any other genre can challenge sci-fi/fantasy for supremacy because the potential for new ideas always exists there, but in drama, simple everyday type of things, it has all been done before to some extent.

[Champion of the Force]

REALLY hate how films do that. If you're going to not tell the truth about someones life, DON'T TELL IT! Can't they base it on his life, and use a different name?
But if they did that they wouldn't be able to have the magical words 'Based on a true story' on the trailers and posters. :)

Indeed, claiming that a movie is based on a true story would appear to be a golden ticket in Hollywood - my mother and her friends are suckers for such films and I'll bet a lot of other people are too.

Unfortunately I can't give my opinion on the film yet - 'A Beautiful Mind' doesn't open down here until March 7th (don't even know when 'The Magestic' is meant to show up). >_<


Dutchy there is nothing wrong with admitting you are a woman!
For a second there I thought Jon was being serious and I nearly fell off the chair. Luckily I read the line above just afterward. :x

[Dutchy]

Originally posted by JonathanLB
Seriously, do not expect Dutchy to like a guy's movie like LOTR. What are you thinking?! It has way too many beautiful scenes and awesome special effects for his tastes, plus, the plot is too epic. Dutchy has trouble with epic plots. He likes love stories much more, leading me to believe he could possibly be a woman.

Dutchy there is nothing wrong with admitting you are a woman! Seriously, it's ok we won't love you any less. Or maybe you are of the opposite sexual persuasion, but whatever the case may be you an feel safe around us! :)

At least I don't sound like I'm still in kindergarten. You have a lot to learn. :)

By the way: I love the "we" and "us" part of your post. Yeah, you must have so many supporters. :)

[Marcus Telcontar]

:lol :lol :lol

[ReturnOfTheCB]

This is what I watch when there's nothing good on TV...never a dull moment here :D

[JMK]

There should be a banner when you get here; "We aim to entertain".

[JonathanLB]

I have fun giving Dutchy a good ribbing here and there, it's just part of a hard day's work.

Oh Dutchy, come on, Kindergarten? We both know I'm already in 2nd grade! ;)

[ReturnOfTheCB]

This is almost as amusing as annoying Corran, and I don't have to do anything :D Free entertainment! Wahoo!

[JonathanLB]

I just saw The Pelican Brief on TNT.

I think that's the last time I watch TNT for a movie. Yes, I already knew there were tons of commercials, but I hardly even know what I thought of the movie because it seems hard to judge something where right in the middle you see ads for whatever else. It's very weird seeing ads in the middle of a movie, to me, I just do not watch movies on TV and I'm not used to seeing ads in the middle of them.

I think I want to say that The Pelican Brief was a good film with two high quality actors, but it moves slowly in parts. Despite that, the plot is fairly compelling and I'd give it probably 3 or 3.5 stars, but I have to decide which...

[ReturnOfTheCB]

Yeah, I can't stand watching movies on TV...completely destroys the experience.....