A story that centers on an English professor who, after the sudden death of his partner tries to go about his typical day in Los Angeles. [imdb]
Nominated for 1 Oscar:
Best Actor: Colin Firth
I’ve waited a long time to see it and only The Last Station stands now between me and finally putting an end to 2009. Getting to the film, I didn’t fool myself thinking it was gonna be an easy ride. I imagined it was going to be overstylish and it WAS, but I can still appreciate Tom Ford’s artsy debut direction. I hope we’ll see more films from the acclaimed designer, but I would recommend a bit more thought on the screenplay.
A Single Man could have been more in the story department, where it didn’t fully convince me. Because it’s so artsy and unbalanced at times (rushed or too slow), I didn’t perceive it as a big dramatic film. And the ending was disappointing to me. The cinematography is incredibly pretty and so sugary, the art direction and costume design much adequate, but the original score is too present in the movie.
Colin Firth gives a gooood performance, but once a scene was over, I found it hard to fully remember his acting. He is most effective in the quieter scenes, but (consider me crazy) I don’t see this as the most demanding role, so that’s why I would most likely go with Jeremy Renner from the 5 nominees. Julianne is fine, but not great, yet definitely better IMO than 4 of the 5 supporting nominees.
The big achievement of A Single Man: those 10-15 minutes of pure sexual tension, which actually convinced me of Ford’s directorial potential. I was on the edge of my seat / drooling from the bar scene all the way to the end. Of course, Tom Ford understand man candy, boy candy and it’s nice to see someone cool & beautiful & sexually emancipated REALLY knowing how to direct scenes so sexual & cool & beautiful & teasing.
My rating for the film: 7/10. I admire it, but it has weak moments, often in connecting with the audience.
A Single Man could have been more in the story department, where it didn’t fully convince me. Because it’s so artsy and unbalanced at times (rushed or too slow), I didn’t perceive it as a big dramatic film. And the ending was disappointing to me. The cinematography is incredibly pretty and so sugary, the art direction and costume design much adequate, but the original score is too present in the movie.
Colin Firth gives a gooood performance, but once a scene was over, I found it hard to fully remember his acting. He is most effective in the quieter scenes, but (consider me crazy) I don’t see this as the most demanding role, so that’s why I would most likely go with Jeremy Renner from the 5 nominees. Julianne is fine, but not great, yet definitely better IMO than 4 of the 5 supporting nominees.
The big achievement of A Single Man: those 10-15 minutes of pure sexual tension, which actually convinced me of Ford’s directorial potential. I was on the edge of my seat / drooling from the bar scene all the way to the end. Of course, Tom Ford understand man candy, boy candy and it’s nice to see someone cool & beautiful & sexually emancipated REALLY knowing how to direct scenes so sexual & cool & beautiful & teasing.
My rating for the film: 7/10. I admire it, but it has weak moments, often in connecting with the audience.
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Hee, well you know I thought Julianne was better than all five of the nominees...but glad you liked her a bit. I generally agree on your thoughts, it's a credible debut but not excellent.
ReplyDeleteIt is true, being a veteran and all Moore definitely had the upper-hand.
ReplyDeleteMonique was just a better choice because of the type of character she played, and the range with which she used to flesh it out.
I agree completely with your comment about it failing to connect with the audience.
ReplyDeleteI personally really wanted to love it, but was left largely cold.