cult film freak: christoph waltz

Showing posts with label christoph waltz. Show all posts

Written by James M. Tate / 6/11/2022 / No comments / 007 , 2021 , action , christoph waltz , daniel craig , drama , espionage , franchise , james bond , léa seydoux , spy , thriller

DANIEL CRAIG AND LÉA SEYDOUX BOND IN 'NO TIME TO DIE'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvAL0icl_xytgZsRH8_2_4piKo5lelpSQ1gpmVaD1cUibC2h24PeWrRVvzU45ubNhNDZTZe8kH3T2sLnPUS9-EIG7l8qCrfWogRmIQQULswCWf9yMo58ZdB68T_QCaVcCb1pt8lMhup-85tLz6m7WXRSDgBSrUmUhzibiN08Ele_u2QL0kiHVIxppOQ/s2311/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-10%20at%2011.28.14%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="2311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvAL0icl_xytgZsRH8_2_4piKo5lelpSQ1gpmVaD1cUibC2h24PeWrRVvzU45ubNhNDZTZe8kH3T2sLnPUS9-EIG7l8qCrfWogRmIQQULswCWf9yMo58ZdB68T_QCaVcCb1pt8lMhup-85tLz6m7WXRSDgBSrUmUhzibiN08Ele_u2QL0kiHVIxppOQ/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202022-06-10%20at%2011.28.14%20AM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Daniel Craig drives Léa Seydoux in NO TIME TO DIE Year: 2021 Rating: *1/2<br></u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Turns out, in a manner of speaking, after a failed attempt gave MGM the idea to remake CASINO ROYALE, Quentin Tarantino got his wish to make a James Bond flick since the pre-credit NO TIME TO DIE open has ingénue Léa Seydoux as a flashed-back little girl, witnessing a parent being murdered like the KILL BILL VOL.1 anime segment... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>By an assassin who dramatically chases her into the great wide-shot open INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS style (and later a young daughter's hidden away in a villa ala VOL. 2)... ironic since Christoph Waltz eventually returns as Blofeld, quickly... </p><p><span></span></p>

007, 2021, action, christoph waltz, daniel craig, drama, espionage, franchise, james bond, léa seydoux, spy, thriller

DANIEL CRAIG AND LÉA SEYDOUX BOND IN 'NO TIME TO DIE'

Daniel Craig drives Léa Seydoux in NO TIME TO DIE Year: 2021 Rating: *1/2 Turns out, in a manner of speaking, after a failed attempt gave MG...

TARZAN BEGINS AGAIN IN THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

2016, action, christoph waltz, franchise, margot robie, samuel l. jackson, tarzan

TARZAN BEGINS AGAIN IN THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

Sam Jackson watches Tarzan run Edgar Rice Burroughs' second TARZAN novel was THE RETURN OF TARZAN, and while this movie, THE LEGEND ...

TIM BURTON DIRECTS BIG EYES

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: *1/2</td></tr>
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What BIG EYES has in common with another Tim Burton film, BIG FISH, is that both are based on liars, but only one is a filthy, stinking liar. <br />
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The 1950’s is never really shown in a positive light, and hasn't been since… well… the 1950’s. And here we’re reminded that men are the only people who had it good during that era… Especially if they marry well… The man, that is: For in the case of fast talking Walter Keane, played by fast talking two time Oscar winning Christoph Waltz, a strategic partnership earned him a career as a famous artist, "his" work going from galleries to posters to postcards...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEtXld-7WbaiSid2nvRmaZMx2UOO_xwf30hTPdR0rAZsBzPppYRsV-3JGiTL4bi-yukFEwaaAWKml28U_XntFBxidCvhUNAbpTNluG9HjP5B7OahuWNmmYxIRT4uLsiINUjHp5mZM0tI/s1600/Big-Eyes-new-poster1-e1417531566528.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEtXld-7WbaiSid2nvRmaZMx2UOO_xwf30hTPdR0rAZsBzPppYRsV-3JGiTL4bi-yukFEwaaAWKml28U_XntFBxidCvhUNAbpTNluG9HjP5B7OahuWNmmYxIRT4uLsiINUjHp5mZM0tI/s1600/Big-Eyes-new-poster1-e1417531566528.jpg" width="121" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not A Bingo</td></tr>
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And those Gothic looking waifs with huge sad eyes are about the only Tim Burton element of a film that, based on a true story, lives up to the chauvinistic time it's based: The woman, Margaret Keane, played by Amy Adams, not only lacks important pivotal screentime but hardly gets a word in edgewise... Which is intentional since she’s stuck with a con artist charlatan using her talent for his fame, and<i> their </i>money. The biggest downside is he’s a plagiarizing jerk and ultimately becomes borderline psychotic…<br />
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Yet Christoph Waltz’s performance is so outrageously over-the-top right off the bat, there’s no progressive arc: Instead of going from A to B he starts on a frantic C and never slows down, waxing so much poetic there’s hardly a character visible at all... At least not a realistic one. Just another chance for Waltz to steal a movie that, unlike those paintings, is completely his to have and to hold, and never let go of.

2014, amy adams, biopic, christoph waltz, tim burton

TIM BURTON DIRECTS BIG EYES

year: 2014 rating: *1/2 What BIG EYES has in common with another Tim Burton film, BIG FISH, is that both are based on liars, but only on...

Written by James M. Tate / 11/26/2014 / No comments / 2014 , chris pine , christoph waltz , comedy , jamie foxx , jason bateman , jason sudeikis

JASON BATEMAN & COMPANY RETURN FOR HORRIBLE BOSSES 2

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 rating: ***</td></tr>
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Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day as working wrecks Nick, Kurt and Dale were the GoBots to The Hangover’s Transformers, but now they’re basically channeling The Three Stooges. And instead of poking fingers into another person's eyeballs, the ever-flustered Nick constantly rolls his own since his buddies are ten times goofier and inept – even with a business idea that finally makes them their very own bosses.<br />
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But the American Dream ends quickly after being ripped off by corporate jerk Bert, played by Quentin Tarantino regular Christoph Waltz. Thus a kidnapping scheme is born involving Bert’s even jerkier son, Rex...<br />
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As an eventual fourth banana, Chris Pine – while pretty great as a serious Captain Kirk – seems downright awkward in a comedy film. The trio fare better on their own: the best scenes involving the two going back and forth while the one shakes his head, never quite grasping that he's in another (and another and another) fine mess. Meanwhile, the returning Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Spacey seem like special guest stars at a reunion special.  <br />
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While the first movie spent half the time explaining why and how the characters loathed their bosses, this breezier and funnier follow-up (a plot combining 9 TO 5 with RUTHLESS PEOPLE) is an instant platform for the bantering hijinkx. A good thing since these guys were always better than their revenge-driven concept.

2014, chris pine, christoph waltz, comedy, jamie foxx, jason bateman, jason sudeikis

JASON BATEMAN & COMPANY RETURN FOR HORRIBLE BOSSES 2

2014 rating: *** Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day as working wrecks Nick, Kurt and Dale were the GoBots to The Hangover’s T...

Written by James M. Tate / 2/27/2013 / 2 Comments / 2012 , blaxploitation , christoph waltz , dennis christopher , exploitation , james remar , jamie foxx , leonardo dicaprio , quentin tarantino , samuel l. jackson

QUENTIN TARANTINO DIRECTS DJANGO UNCHAINED

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 2012 cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson rating: **1/2</u></td></tr>
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Modern exploitation guru Quentin Tarantino serves up historical revenge once again. His last film, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, had the German Nazis getting theirs, and now, with a good German on board (the villain from the last film) we’re out to set things right in the American Deep South, two years shy of the Civil War…<br />
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Although the first half takes place on the road from Texas to Mississippi as bounty hunting dentist Dr. King Schultz recruits a slave named Django to help him find three outlaw brothers (Django alone knows their appearance)... These are the more spirited and deliciously cutthroat segments as our heroes partner up and, as Django puts it, “Kill white people for money.” <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christoph Waltz</td></tr>
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Christoph Waltz (Schultz) and Jamie Foxx (Django) are a good team, and while making mince meat out of their targets, the bloodshed is something to marvel. But Tarantino throws in awkward bouts of humor, derailing the intensity of the moment. One particular scene where a group of rednecks complain about not seeing through masked eyeholes (including a very distracting cameo by Jonah Hill) feels like Mel Brooks clumsily intruding Sergio Leone. <br />
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After Django helps Schultz with his job, it’s time for the doctor to aid his more-than-capable partner rescue Django's wife Broomhilda, who resides at “Candyland,” an infamous Antebellum plantation run by the sinister though much too youthful Calvin Candie. <br />
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While Leonardo DiCaprio has more than capable acting skills, and savors the gloriously tyrannical racist dialog, there could have/should have been a backstory on why the owner of a plantation looks fresh out of finishing school. For a man who’s supposed to have a lifetime of seething venom oozing from his veins, those desperately piercing blue eyes seem more confused and frustrated than cold and calculating, making Tarantino’s purposely overboard racism more of a crutch than weapon for the DiCaprio character (perhaps Don Johnson, who played a wily brothel owner in a previous scene, could have taken this role… he had the age going for him and with that, soulless eyes that look like he’s seen – and been through – pretty much everything).<br />
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But Leo’s not alone. He’s helped along by the most wicked of Uncle Tom’s played by Samuel Jackson, whose spitefully cantankerous Stephen figures things out before his boss. This is a nice role for the QT stock actor, who has sleepwalked through many roles post PULP FICTION and JACKIE BROWN. Although his feeble mannerisms often slow down the performance, and at times he seems to be performing. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJekmyVBtl3Hf5LV5-j2toEneWVeMxGfOV2Jgmj4B14pZ982j0jwDfq1iNfe4-ev78F3dSrJdwGi-yTvMaZsL1LArGHNCMomVcPnR9F1d3HTTtPeJRmldB-Ni9YziCpvqbgg_On65B6E/s1600/1.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJekmyVBtl3Hf5LV5-j2toEneWVeMxGfOV2Jgmj4B14pZ982j0jwDfq1iNfe4-ev78F3dSrJdwGi-yTvMaZsL1LArGHNCMomVcPnR9F1d3HTTtPeJRmldB-Ni9YziCpvqbgg_On65B6E/s320/1.jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamie Foxx</td></tr>
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The main problem with UNCHAINED is how long Tarantino stretches scenes with dialog. While the actors, especially Waltz and DiCaprio, have a blast with colorful monologues, you’ll often forget there are other characters on board – and most of the speeches fail to serve the plot: the duo pretending to buy Mandingo slave fighters when they really want to free Django's girl, a slave. And unlike the movies QT grew up on, especially the Leone Westerns, there's never a genuine feeling of being outdoors. Even the exterior shots, especially the opening chain gang sequence, feels contrived and constrained.<br />
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With all the deals and discussions going on, the much-anticipated reunion of Django and Broomhilda is lost in the mix. Not even Django’s surreptitious trigger finger (whenever she's treated badly) adds worthy suspense, which, during this overlong stint at Candyland, is very much needed. But there’s not all downtime at the mansion: a particular Candie lecture involving a slave’s skull does successfully perk things up, providing DiCaprio a good five minutes of sheer unapologetic villainy. Then, after a shocking twist, it’s Django alone who must save his girl.<br />
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Jamie Foxx, having played a quietly brooding second fiddle to Waltz so far, makes up for lost time with heated gusto. This third and final act involving a group of Australians being duped by Django, who’s learned the art of waxing poetic, is replete with the bare-knuckle action we’ve anticipated (although large chunks of bloody guts flying off each gunshot victim seems like Tarantino doing an overboard imitation of himself). There are some decent montage sequences, but some of the music, especially that of the rap nature, seems too modern for the time portrayed. And the editing feels somewhat limp without QT’s longtime collaborator Sally Menke, who died a few years back: Particular flashbacks and hallucinations are often confusing and awkward.  <br />
<br />An okay ride, much better than Quentin’s last two films (BASTERDS and DEATH PROOF), yet there needed a much tighter/sharper vehicle for our hero to truly deserve the fanfare of the literally explosive finale. Instead of being the title character he mostly seems a sidekick. <br />

2012, blaxploitation, christoph waltz, dennis christopher, exploitation, james remar, jamie foxx, leonardo dicaprio, quentin tarantino, samuel l. jackson

QUENTIN TARANTINO DIRECTS DJANGO UNCHAINED

year: 2012 cast: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson rating: **1/2 Modern exploitation guru Quentin Tarantino se...

Written by James M. Tate / 1/22/2012 / No comments / christoph waltz , jodie foster , john c. reilly , kate winslet , roman polanski , tens

CARNAGE

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKsyR9gtTt0uN9Y8Am_HuVxaVdgo4NwHDEHwV9XpT5t4waahiLal6USsIKUtw7tgjROFV8-pPqyFeztkPMhtK4HnkHRjg2AsubOFrYurGYirtTmemVgDI8UvT-CzLGonVK9Z3zlPfG02d/s1600/Carnage-2011-Kate-Winslet_Jodie-Foster_John-C.-Reilly_Christoph-Waltz-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaKsyR9gtTt0uN9Y8Am_HuVxaVdgo4NwHDEHwV9XpT5t4waahiLal6USsIKUtw7tgjROFV8-pPqyFeztkPMhtK4HnkHRjg2AsubOFrYurGYirtTmemVgDI8UvT-CzLGonVK9Z3zlPfG02d/s320/Carnage-2011-Kate-Winslet_Jodie-Foster_John-C.-Reilly_Christoph-Waltz-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>title:</b> CARNAGE<br />
<b>year: </b>2011<br />
<b>cast:</b> Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz<br />
<b>rating:</b> ***1/2<br />
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In Roman Polanski’s first feature film, KNIFE IN THE WATER, he kept us interested in three people on a small boat. Cut to many years later: four people are bickering inside a tiny apartment consisting of two couples in a particularly uncomfortable situation: Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly’s son was beat up by the son of Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz, and they plan to work it out. The first half… what should be called a “round”… sticks close to the issue at hand – after which, when the characters get unraveled and eventually drunk, the conversation embodies a broader scope: each neurotic personality shown in the light. Jodie Foster, as the most uptight and opinionated member of the group, fares well as the story's instigator but eventually goes overboard as the stress mounts; while Kate Winslet provides a few good moments but is otherwise limited by the results of a reoccurring stomach flu. Christoph Waltz, as a blunt, metronomic lawyer, is glued to his cell phone, which becomes an important character in itself. But it’s John C. Reilly, as Foster’s working class husband spouting the funniest and most unpredictable lines, who really steals the show. The first round works best – the dialog's lively and fresh with the actors in peak form. But after a while, and a few shots of bourbon, the atmosphere gets a bit too stagey and we forget, like the characters, about the purpose of the meeting. And beware of an extremely… abrupt… ending.

christoph waltz, jodie foster, john c. reilly, kate winslet, roman polanski, tens