Sin City
I finally got around to seeing "Sin City" last night. It was the only movie I had really wanted to see when we went back to the States in May, but it was already out of theaters. Tons of pirate copies were available around here, but they were all the craptastic kind that are shot in a cinema with a handheld video camera. I didn't want anything to spoil my enjoyment of this film, so I waited until I could obtain a crystal clear copy. And I'm glad I did. It was worth the wait.
This is maybe the coolest and most entertaining movie to come out since "The Matrix" in 1999. It combines the eye-candy "wow" factor of "The Matrix" with the panache of "Pulp Fiction". Yet it's unlike anything that has come before it. "The Matrix" was live-action anime, "Sin City" is a live-action graphic novel. I completely agree with Wired magazine's comment that directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller didn't so much as adapt the graphic novel as upload it.
The movie has three tangentially related storylines, and I think it is a mark of how excellent they all were that I still can't figure out which one is my favorite. My initial reaction is to say the storyline with Mickey Rourke's "Marv" is the coolest, but then I remember Clive Owen's character "Dwight" and think about how freaking awesome that was. Then I think of Bruce Willis's "Hartigan", and the heartbreaking choices he makes. They're all so damn good.
Technically, the film is incredible. I was skeptical that the CG backgrounds would look good at all, but they perfectly conveyed the gritty and stark atmosphere demanded by the stories. I was also doubtful that Rodriguez would be able to coax good performances from the cast, since they would mostly be working on empty sets in front of a green screen. The lifeless "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", not to mention certain films about a galaxy far, far away, seemed to be stark warnings about the dangers of relying to heavily on technology.
But man, the performances. Rodriguez utilized everyone to perfection. I mean, no one is going to say Jessica Alba has great range or depth, but the way she is employed here is perfect. Rourke and Del Toro are also riveting. I can't think of a single performance that fell flat.
Oh, and before anybody rags on me for buying a pirated copy, let me just say that I buy more legitimate DVDs here than anyone I know. When I see a movie that I really like, I buy a legit copy. Amazon.com is my friend.
Yes, you can get pirate DVDs for a $1 a pop here. I know people with collections of 1,000 disks or more. I know a lot of people don't have a problem with buying pirated stuff. But for me, it's still theft. Directors and actors, and yes, the studios that bankroll films in the first place, deserve to make their profits.
The problem here is that there are literally no options other than buying a DVD from Amazon (paying U.S. price plus shipping) or buying pirate copies on the streets. I would love to be able to rent movies here, but no one has dared to enter the market or figure out the regulatory framework.
I would say that 90 percent of the pirated movies I buy are ones that I would just rent in the States. Watch 'em once and you're done. I'm never going to want to watch "The Ring" a second time, even though I thought it was damn good (just saw it over the weekend, too). So I usually end up just chucking the disk or passing it on to a friend. I don't keep them.
The other 10 percent ends up being movies that I think are really cool and have definite re-watch potential. "The Matrix" movies. "The Lord of the Rings", "Office Space", "Spongebob Squarepants Season One". That sort of thing.
So believe me, "Sin City" will be one of the first DVDs I get when we get settled in in San Francisco. And the complete set of the graphic novels.
This is maybe the coolest and most entertaining movie to come out since "The Matrix" in 1999. It combines the eye-candy "wow" factor of "The Matrix" with the panache of "Pulp Fiction". Yet it's unlike anything that has come before it. "The Matrix" was live-action anime, "Sin City" is a live-action graphic novel. I completely agree with Wired magazine's comment that directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller didn't so much as adapt the graphic novel as upload it.
The movie has three tangentially related storylines, and I think it is a mark of how excellent they all were that I still can't figure out which one is my favorite. My initial reaction is to say the storyline with Mickey Rourke's "Marv" is the coolest, but then I remember Clive Owen's character "Dwight" and think about how freaking awesome that was. Then I think of Bruce Willis's "Hartigan", and the heartbreaking choices he makes. They're all so damn good.
Technically, the film is incredible. I was skeptical that the CG backgrounds would look good at all, but they perfectly conveyed the gritty and stark atmosphere demanded by the stories. I was also doubtful that Rodriguez would be able to coax good performances from the cast, since they would mostly be working on empty sets in front of a green screen. The lifeless "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", not to mention certain films about a galaxy far, far away, seemed to be stark warnings about the dangers of relying to heavily on technology.
But man, the performances. Rodriguez utilized everyone to perfection. I mean, no one is going to say Jessica Alba has great range or depth, but the way she is employed here is perfect. Rourke and Del Toro are also riveting. I can't think of a single performance that fell flat.
Oh, and before anybody rags on me for buying a pirated copy, let me just say that I buy more legitimate DVDs here than anyone I know. When I see a movie that I really like, I buy a legit copy. Amazon.com is my friend.
Yes, you can get pirate DVDs for a $1 a pop here. I know people with collections of 1,000 disks or more. I know a lot of people don't have a problem with buying pirated stuff. But for me, it's still theft. Directors and actors, and yes, the studios that bankroll films in the first place, deserve to make their profits.
The problem here is that there are literally no options other than buying a DVD from Amazon (paying U.S. price plus shipping) or buying pirate copies on the streets. I would love to be able to rent movies here, but no one has dared to enter the market or figure out the regulatory framework.
I would say that 90 percent of the pirated movies I buy are ones that I would just rent in the States. Watch 'em once and you're done. I'm never going to want to watch "The Ring" a second time, even though I thought it was damn good (just saw it over the weekend, too). So I usually end up just chucking the disk or passing it on to a friend. I don't keep them.
The other 10 percent ends up being movies that I think are really cool and have definite re-watch potential. "The Matrix" movies. "The Lord of the Rings", "Office Space", "Spongebob Squarepants Season One". That sort of thing.
So believe me, "Sin City" will be one of the first DVDs I get when we get settled in in San Francisco. And the complete set of the graphic novels.
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