Montreal Film Journal

Worth seeing for fans of Rodriguez's brand of Tex-Mex splatstick. Just don't expect it to be anything more than what it is. (KL)

9/3/2010

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Screening log here 9/1/2010
NEW ON DVD:
8/24/2010
NEW ON DVD:
8/9/2010
Cine fact: Gambling in the movies

One of cinema's most gut-wrenching and vivid gambling scenes must be the poker game in Guy Ritchie's 'Lock, Stock and 2 Smoking Barrels'. Shot with harsh, contrasting lighting you feel like you're watching a real gangster's poker match. No glamorous girls, or fine cocktails, just straight whiskey and cheap cigars. The typical gambling montage is given an exciting twist here with Ritchie employing sophisticated use of slow-motion and freeze framing, which gives the players motions an extra weight and coolness. Of course the whole location is quite grotty and most people would probably rather be playing at an online casino at home. So too would our protagonist, most likely. By the time he's been chewed up and spat out, he's been cheated out of almost $1,000,000, and then he proceeds to leave the club in sweaty delirium and vomit on the sidewalk. Let it be a lesson to you kids!

Anton Corbijn is clearly more interested in mood, atmosphere and visual storytelling than in the plot. (KL)

8/31/2010

It is rarely, if ever, funny – not that is doesn’t make numerous, desperate attempts to be just that.(Joe Belanger)

8/21/2010

Like a Troma production with a bigger budget and a better-known cast, but just as much gore, gratuitous nudity and disregard for good taste. (KL)

8/20/2010

Flawed, but the action scenes are as violent, ridiculous and over the top as you could hope for. (KL)

8/16/2010

I laughed a lot while watching it, and isn't this the most important thing a comedy needs to accomplish? (KL)

8/8/2010

It only took about two minutes though to see that this was going to be nothing more than just another dance movie after all. (Joe Belanger)

8/6/2010

Cartoons, video games, comic books, action movies, music, girls: this is basically all I ever loved packed into two hours. (KL)

7/27/2010

When I see an Angelina Jolie action film, I’m not looking for anything particularly challenging in terms of depth. (Joe Belanger)

7/23/2010

An intellectualized action flick or an action-packed intellectual film? The answer, of course, is that it's both. (KL)

7/14/2010

I almost want to recommend the movie anyway for the sheer lunacy that Nicolas Cage [and Jay Baruchel] bring to it. (KL)

7/14/2010

Almost ends up living up to its name and leaves you with little more than a few funny moments. (Joe Belanger)

7/10/2010

Adrien Brody does what he can, but at the end of the day, he'll never be as badass and physically imposing as Arnold Schwarzenegger. (KL)

7/9/2010

The spectacular events take up a relatively small portion of the running time, which is mostly devoted to dull and generic melodrama. (KL)

7/6/2010

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