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TheBlanchettFan
Reviews
The Aviator (2004)
The Deepth of Hollywood Dream
Let's begin by the major flaws of this biopic : it's much too long, and some of the actors are totally miss-casted. What did Martin Scorsese thought about when he hired Kate Beckinsale to play Ava Gardner ? Hello, aren't there some great actresses out here ??? Not to mention Gwen Stefani as Jean Harlow. The problem with Beckinsale is that she appears on screen only after a magnificent hour spent with Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn. Well, that's a performance ! Blanchett is great, even better than great, she IS Hepburn, funny, moving, strong, exuberant, she's a joy to watch, whereas Beckinsale is absolutely transparent ... Well i'm now going to talk about the rest of The Aviator, about the directing for example, so greater than in Gangs of New York (which was already great), inspired, glamorous and filled with self-confidence. DiCaprio is also better than in GONY, much much better, subtle, tormented and wild : mesmerizing. Just like the movie itself, and just like his lovable co-stars Cate Blanchett and Alan Alda.
Closer (2004)
One of the best of 2004
Directed by Mike Nichols just after the heartbreaking mini series Angels In America, and starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen, this "little" movie had everything to become a great masterpiece ... And it actually did ! The directing is wonderful demonstration of rediscovered virtuosity, the dialogue, written by Patrick Marber from his play, are filled with venom and cruelty, and finally ... what can I say about the cast, except that it fulfills all of our hopes : Julia Roberts has never been so sober and tormented (she proves once again that Mary Reilly was only a little mistake on her "drama" list), Jude Law shows an incredible skill at playing both seduction and vulnerability. Now let's talk about the strangely lovable manipulators that are Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. With strength and ambiguity, they give to Alice and Larry all the raw charm and the false naivety that they need. From one scene to another, they reveal themselves to the viewers, who are, naturally, totally overturned.
Bandits (2001)
A must see !
I Think this is the first movie I saw starring Cate Blanchett, since Bandits I watched every single movie with this wonderful actress . She is just brilliant, hilarious, beautiful, charismatic : she IS the perfect actress! When you put Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton beside her, and Barry Levinson who directs her ... It's a magical reaction on the screen !!!
If you're searching for a good comedy, a breathless thriller, a well done action film, Bandits is for you, because it mixes all those movies in a single one, and it's impossible to resist when there's such a great cast in front of you.
It deserves its Golden Globe Nominations !