Closer

[J.R. Hudson]

It's that time of the year when I start catching up on all of last year's releases and tonight was CLOSER by Mike Nichols

Wow. I really enjoyed this. This was depp. It was dark and touched on some dark emotional responses about relationships; infidelity taking center stage. The performances are great by all 4 of the stars although I found myself saying "Julia is getting old".

I can totally see why Clive and Natalie were nominated as they give breakout performances in this picture. The pacing is a little hard but if you can appreciate the subject matter dramtacially played out; it works.

It is sad to think that there are people who play these games and do these things to other people. The shining mark on this film for me is the performance of the actors.

3 of 5 Hudson Stars

[Nick Adams]

I've been thinking about seeing this, The trailer for the film just didn't do it for me, although I've seen leaving las vegas and it's way up there in my fav drama's, I just for some reason hated the way this was promoted... But maybe I should give Nichol's the benifit of the doubt...

[Final Design Studios]

I loved this movie, it was rough, but very interesting.

[J.R. Hudson]

Nick

See it for Natalie and Clive; they grow in this one.

TBob - It is rough; the subject matter is disheartning to me.

[Nick Adams]

yeah, I think Clive has really been getting the short end for a while, I've been talking about him for a few years and really believe he'll end up being one of hollywoods heavy contenders in the next few years..... and natalie portman is well worth the viewing alone... I really enjoyed her performance in Garden state, I didn't think it was the best movie.... but the cast is what brought that film together... I'll probably rent the film.... lately I've had shitty experiences with movie talkers / kick the back of my damn seat people.... I think Ebert stated " the worst thing taking place in today's cinema's are people talking" he went on to say " it's gotten to the point where I often have to get up and move acoss to the other side just to finish enjoying a film"

[J.R. Hudson]

I always see flicks in the A.M. and never on a Saturday or Sunday. People are so damn rude and inconsiderate; mostly the young-un's unfortunately.

You'll' see Natalie in a whole new light in this film. I have liked Clive since THE HIRE; he's pretty cool.

[Chris Messineo]

I got this from NetFlix yesterday, but haven't had a chance to check it out yet. I can't wait, I am a huge Natalie Portman fan (I loved her in Garden State <-- my state).

Chris

[uhrgl]

I enjoyed this move way more than Million Dollar Baby.

[bgundu]

You get to see a whole other side of Natalie portman.... If you know what I mean.

[J.R. Hudson]

Oooh I know Bob!

[Isaac_Brody]

Actually I don't know what you mean. Please elaborate. :happy:

[J.R. Hudson]

:)

[bgundu]

Actually I don't know what you mean. Please elaborate. :happy:


ohh ummmm....... ask John.

[John C Lyons]

the current DVD release is pretty bare-bones by today's standards, so I am still holding out on buying it since i absolutely HATE when studios double-dip (see donnie darko, seven, panic room, hellboy, matrix, ....well i could go on forever)!

anybody hear anything in regards to an actual SE version?????

[bgundu]

the current DVD release is pretty bare-bones by today's standards, so I am still holding out on buying it since i absolutely HATE when studios double-dip (see donnie darko, seven, panic room, hellboy, matrix, ....well i could go on forever)!

anybody hear anything in regards to an actual SE version?????

It's a superbit version. There's always a feature packed version down the road. One of my favorite dvd sites is:

www.dvdfile.com

[Isaac_Brody]

Bob, thanks for the resource. Did you catch this article on HD-DVD and privacy/piracy. Unbelievable. That's friggin' ridiculous.

http://www.dvdfile.com/news/viewpoints/editors_desk/2005/04_01.html :thumbdown:embarasse
(http://www.dvdfile.com/news/viewpoints/editors_desk/2005/04_01.html)

[bgundu]

Yeah I did. I really don't know what to make of it. Sounds pretty scary. Big Brother is watching us because of piracy? Who would have thought?

[John C Lyons]

DVDFile definitely has one of the best site presentations, but I still prefer thedigitalbits.com for current info.

In regards to the HD Disc piracy article:

"be prepared to connect the high definition player to either a telephone line or your local area network for access to the Internet"

B.S. Half of this stuff in the article won't see the light of day if they ever want the mainstream audience to upgrade from DVD. The date of the article was April Fool's day.

Although with all the BluRay vs. HD DVD garbage anyhow one wonders if they really want a single next generation format anyhow or a big mess...

[uhrgl]

I think the music industry learned the hard way that trying to stop piracy is less important than providing a faster, more modern business model. You can still rip CDs, right? At one point, the RIAA was trying to get people to buy CDs that were not rippable -- they just wasted their time and money.

Whoever steps up and starts distributing legal content (movies and TV) via bit torrent is going to become a gorilla in the market (kind of like iTunes). Anyone want to get some VC together ;)

[Chris Messineo]

Finally found the time to watch this movie with my wife. Great film!

I love the way it deals with infidelity and the nature of human forgiveness.

Fascinating stuff.

Chris

[bgundu]

Bob, thanks for the resource. Did you catch this article on HD-DVD and privacy/piracy. Unbelievable. That's friggin' ridiculous.

http://www.dvdfile.com/news/viewpoints/editors_desk/2005/04_01.html :thumbdown:embarasse
(http://www.dvdfile.com/news/viewpoints/editors_desk/2005/04_01.html)


The author has written a follow-up article.

http://www.dvdfile.com/news/viewpoints/editors_desk/2005/04_06.html

[Shadow]

I saw it last night, I liked it a lot too.

[Nick Adams]

wow, Finally got around to seeing this today and the trailer doesn't do it justice.... a really great film...

[Mike_Donis]

Very dark, almost repulsive - a great look into the human character. It surprised me - it was very intense and hard to stop watching. Nichols (and the entire cast, no less) did a fantastic job.

[reservoir]

Just saw this last night. Wow. What a breakout performance by Natalie Portman. Goodbye Queen Amidala......Hello Skantily Clad Strippers!! Oh MY!!

~reservoir~

[Shadow]

Isn't she lovely. Hum!!!

[surf]

I like this film. It was very interesting. 2.5/5 strars :D

[ExtremeSleuth]

the current DVD release is pretty bare-bones by today's standards, so I am still holding out on buying it since i absolutely HATE when studios double-dip (see donnie darko, seven, panic room, hellboy, matrix, ....well i could go on forever)!

anybody hear anything in regards to an actual SE version?????


There probably won't be one cause there were no deleted scenes with the movie. The only thing cut was a frontal topless shot of Natalie that Mike Nichols destroyed upon her request... I don't think there are plans for a release of behind the scenes featurettes, though I would like to see something like "From Page/Stage to Screen" feature because this was adapted from the play by Patrick Marber.

That outta the way, I loved this movie. Very dark, gritty. Finally a movie that shows what relationships can go through, not the Hollywood glamorization of relationships. It really showed the dark side (no Star Wars pun intended) of relationships and how far people will go. I was really hoping Natalie and Clive would actually win the Oscar because they did a great job in this film. Between this V For Vendetta and Garden State (one of my favorite Independent movies ever) Natalie is really showing she is way more than just Queen Amidala. I've always been a big Natalie fan and this movie she really showed what she has. I thought she was just great in the movie.
I liked the way it was shot, the cinematography was great, it really captured the mood of the scenes and what was going on with the characters. Jude Law was alright... basically a poor version of his Alfie character IMO. I've never been the biggest Julia Roberts fan, but in this she was alright. Anyway there's what I thought of the movie.

3 1/2 outta 5 stars for me.

[Aaron Marshall]

I liked this movie too. I've been through some of that infidelity crap. My ex-wife reminds me of a mix between the Julia Roberts, and Jude Law characters...yikes.

Watching "Closer" is kind of like listening to a country song. It makes you feel better about your own life by getting a peep into a very disfunctional alternate life hahaha. "My wife was'a cheatin', near near near goes the steel guitar, going out to the strip joints..." Only "Closer" takes place in an artsy fartsy environment instead of the 2-step dance barn.

I love Mike Nichols.

[SPZ]

Great theme song, also. One of the most inspired love songs of the decade.

[ExtremeSleuth]

ya i usually don't like songs like that but this one was hauntingly beautiful and very proper for the film.

if you wanna hear the song it's "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice

worth finding and listening to.