Critical Consensus: "Domino" Topples, "Elizabethtown" Disappoints
This week, the wide releases regale us with tales of beautiful bounty hunters ("Domino"), existential romance ("Elizabethtown"), and masses of deadly condensed water vapor ("The Fog"). Which films will connect with the critics?
The life of the late Domino Harvey would seem custom-made for a film. She was the daughter of a legendary actor (Laurence Harvey), she was supermodel-beautiful, and she worked as a bounty hunter. A story like that would make for a good movie, right? Well, according to the critics, that's half correct: Tony Scott's "Domino," starring Keira Knightley, is certainly more a movie than a biography, but it's also not terribly good. The scribes say it's simply a slam-bang, senses-assaulting action flick that gives off little indication that its heroine was a real person. At 18 percent on the Tomatometer, this "Domino" is getting knocked over. It's also the worst-reviewed film of Scott's career.
When "Elizabethtown" was screened at the Toronto Film Festival, it didn't get very good reviews. Director Cameron Crowe told audiences and critics that it was still a work in progress, that more cuts would be made. Well, the new version is now in theaters, and it isn't faring much better, either. Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst star in this you-can-go-home-again romantic comedy about a man returning to his hometown in Kentucky for his father's funeral. The critics say Crowe never establishes a coherent tone, and despite the cuts, it's still overlong. At 29 percent on the Tomatometer, "Elizabethtown" may not be worth a visit.
In a development more ominous than dark clouds on the horizon, "The Fog," a remake of the John Carpenter classic starring Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, and Selma Blair, has not been screened for critics.
Recent Cameron Crowe Movies:
---------------------------------------
39% -- Vanilla Sky (2001)
89% -- Almost Famous (2000)
85% -- Jerry Maguire (1996)
77% -- Singles (1992)
100% -- Say Anything (1989)
Recent Tony Scott Movies:
--------------------------------
39% -- Man on Fire (2004)
67% -- Spy Game (2001)
71% -- Enemy of the State (1998)
39% -- The Fan (1996)
89% -- Crimson Tide (1995)
The life of the late Domino Harvey would seem custom-made for a film. She was the daughter of a legendary actor (Laurence Harvey), she was supermodel-beautiful, and she worked as a bounty hunter. A story like that would make for a good movie, right? Well, according to the critics, that's half correct: Tony Scott's "Domino," starring Keira Knightley, is certainly more a movie than a biography, but it's also not terribly good. The scribes say it's simply a slam-bang, senses-assaulting action flick that gives off little indication that its heroine was a real person. At 18 percent on the Tomatometer, this "Domino" is getting knocked over. It's also the worst-reviewed film of Scott's career.
When "Elizabethtown" was screened at the Toronto Film Festival, it didn't get very good reviews. Director Cameron Crowe told audiences and critics that it was still a work in progress, that more cuts would be made. Well, the new version is now in theaters, and it isn't faring much better, either. Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst star in this you-can-go-home-again romantic comedy about a man returning to his hometown in Kentucky for his father's funeral. The critics say Crowe never establishes a coherent tone, and despite the cuts, it's still overlong. At 29 percent on the Tomatometer, "Elizabethtown" may not be worth a visit.
In a development more ominous than dark clouds on the horizon, "The Fog," a remake of the John Carpenter classic starring Tom Welling, Maggie Grace, and Selma Blair, has not been screened for critics.
Recent Cameron Crowe Movies:
---------------------------------------
39% -- Vanilla Sky (2001)
89% -- Almost Famous (2000)
85% -- Jerry Maguire (1996)
77% -- Singles (1992)
100% -- Say Anything (1989)
Recent Tony Scott Movies:
--------------------------------
39% -- Man on Fire (2004)
67% -- Spy Game (2001)
71% -- Enemy of the State (1998)
39% -- The Fan (1996)
89% -- Crimson Tide (1995)
Related Items
(1-10 of 10 posts) | Reply
on Oct 14 2005 05:35 AM [b]Surprise![/b] And nobody, anywhere, is surprised by any of this. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 14 2005 09:52 PM [b]kiss kiss bang bang[/b] i'll wait for next week. Kiss kiss bang bang(with val kilmer and robert downey jr.) is coming out. That looks good. funny and action packed. imma watch dat (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 15 2005 03:54 PM [b]You want to see a great movie?[/b] Go see Serenity in theatres while you still can. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 15 2005 06:43 PM [b]Elizabeth was fantastic![/b] I think the critics got it all wrong. I loved this "Elizabeth!" I found it moving, funny, and enjoyable. It's one of my films on my Top 10 for 2005. Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst have amazing chemistry. Give the movie a chance. "The Fog" was suspenseful, not scary. That's the problem with all these PG-13 horror films. They water down the scares and gore to appeal to a wider audience. Something is lost when films try to pander to a bunch of 12-year-olds who have no idea this is even a remake. The makers should have gone all out to really freak out the audience. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 15 2005 07:17 PM I just saw Elizabethtown (yes, Elizabethtown) and only because I was forced to. It was as bad or worse than I expected, and I expected very little. It was endless mayhem onscreen as Orlando Bloom did his "girly" thing. Meaning he was being a girl for the whole movie. Piece of crap. Don't see it- go see A History Of Violence. I've seen it twice. 3rd best all year. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 15 2005 07:30 PM [b]The Fog[/b] Was HORRIBLE!!!! I only went because I was treated? to this thing called a movie. Adrianne Barbeau, where are you? the original FOG was a classic compared to this (Reply to this) |
on Oct 16 2005 01:14 AM In reply to this comment (#826718) Yeah, History of Violence was great. Great characters, great acting... And everyone who deserved violence done onto them got it at the end. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 18 2005 09:31 AM In reply to this comment (#826720) I don't see Elizabetown, but, if like the critics says, Orlando is copying Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, it is the proof Orlando is not an actor but just some kind of a guy without appeal but cute. It is also said that Crowe isn't happy with his performance. gossips can be true here! I've seen Kiss Kiss Bang Bang here in Paris, it is excellent, very funny, unusual comedy. Downey is fantastic. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 19 2005 08:40 AM In reply to this comment (#826716) Absolutely! Serenity is a great film and nobody's seeing it! My wife even liked it and I normally have to drag her to the sci-fi flicks! Oh well... I guess we'll just keep living in a world where "American Idol" is a big hit. People make me sick. (Reply to this) |
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on Oct 20 2005 09:34 AM Serentiy was a real good movie, my wife loved it as well and she also usually hates scf-fi movies . She is still talking about it and that was three or four weeks agod when we saw it. i wasnt expecting it to be that good it kind of blew me away. It just makes me sick that people go see these crap movies that shouldnt have been made in the first place instead of seeing movies that actually have a good orginal story and good acting. I do like cameron crowe though and think he should have gotten better people for elizabethtown (Reply to this) |
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