http://christinawaters.com/2007/10/18/michael-clayton/ Smart Mouth Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:20:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 http://christinawaters.com/2007/10/18/michael-clayton/#comment-1985 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:36:29 +0000 http://christinawaters.com/2007/10/18/michael-clayton/#comment-1985 And you, Pedro! AlmoDoVar! Please forgive me. And you, Pedro! AlmoDoVar! Please forgive me.

]]> http://christinawaters.com/2007/10/18/michael-clayton/#comment-1984 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:22:23 +0000 http://christinawaters.com/2007/10/18/michael-clayton/#comment-1984 Ooops. Sorry, Tony Gilroy, I dissed your movie and misspelled your name. Ooops. Sorry, Tony Gilroy, I dissed your movie and misspelled your name.

]]> http://christinawaters.com/2007/10/18/michael-clayton/#comment-1983 Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:20:52 +0000 http://christinawaters.com/2007/10/18/michael-clayton/#comment-1983 This film is good enough, which all I seem to hope for these days. Like the inexpensive wines I drink because I must, this film, didn't make me mad or leave me feeling cheated. The writer/director is more clever than most, but he's still inexperienced in the things real writers know. Babbling, long monologues are boring, particularly when ranted by cliched mad men "speaking truth." If you want us to truly deeply care about your protagonist, focus on him unflinchingly in brilliant unexpected ways. (Starting the film with T. Wilkinson's monologue is just plain wrong and diverts us from Clayton.) Make us cry. Make us cringe. Few film writers, especially men, dare to make us care; they're too afraid of seeming maudlin. I just saw "Volver." Now that's a movie. Maybe if I give T. Gilmore a few more years and a bunch more movies, he'll be as brilliant as Almovodar. And yes, I'll watch G. Clooney do, say almost anything. But if he ever gets a really well-written, world class role, oooolala. This film is good enough, which all I seem to hope for these days. Like the inexpensive wines I drink because I must, this film, didn’t make me mad or leave me feeling cheated. The writer/director is more clever than most, but he’s still inexperienced in the things real writers know. Babbling, long monologues are boring, particularly when ranted by cliched mad men “speaking truth.” If you want us to truly deeply care about your protagonist, focus on him unflinchingly in brilliant unexpected ways. (Starting the film with T. Wilkinson’s monologue is just plain wrong and diverts us from Clayton.) Make us cry. Make us cringe. Few film writers, especially men, dare to make us care; they’re too afraid of seeming maudlin. I just saw “Volver.” Now that’s a movie. Maybe if I give T. Gilmore a few more years and a bunch more movies, he’ll be as brilliant as Almovodar. And yes, I’ll watch G. Clooney do, say almost anything. But if he ever gets a really well-written, world class role, oooolala.

]]> http://christinawaters.com/2007/10/18/michael-clayton/#comment-1919 Fri, 19 Oct 2007 04:19:49 +0000 http://christinawaters.com/2007/10/18/michael-clayton/#comment-1919 What a pleasant surprise. Much more substance than I expected. Casting was perfect. Clooney was the Best!! What a pleasant surprise. Much more substance than I expected. Casting was perfect. Clooney was the Best!!

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