A tight script. Steady, sensible direction with a few interesting flourishes from Werner Herzog. A bravura performance from Nicholas Cage that makes you see what a terrific actor he used to be and is still capable of being. Movie humor that is actually funny. An editor who has the genius to cut many scenes to the bone but leave in two iguanas singing to Engelbert Humperdinck's Please Release Me Let Me Go. These are a few of the reasons that Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a thriller that you probably never heard of and certainly didn't go see in the movie theatre. Well the Russians liked it as you can see from this poster. And it has Val Kilmer and Eve Mendes in it. Still not convinced? Ok it's your loss. I don't know why I bother. Just forget it and go rent Avatar for your Blu Ray instead.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
A tight script. Steady, sensible direction with a few interesting flourishes from Werner Herzog. A bravura performance from Nicholas Cage that makes you see what a terrific actor he used to be and is still capable of being. Movie humor that is actually funny. An editor who has the genius to cut many scenes to the bone but leave in two iguanas singing to Engelbert Humperdinck's Please Release Me Let Me Go. These are a few of the reasons that Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a thriller that you probably never heard of and certainly didn't go see in the movie theatre. Well the Russians liked it as you can see from this poster. And it has Val Kilmer and Eve Mendes in it. Still not convinced? Ok it's your loss. I don't know why I bother. Just forget it and go rent Avatar for your Blu Ray instead.
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It did well here in Poland too. I liked it a lot.
Where's Harvey Keitel?
Thanks for the recommendation,have to check it out. I like Cage His portrayal of an alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas was impressive and realistic. Good ole Harvey. Life on Mars didn't have much of a shelf life. That show hooked me when Micheal Imperioli flicked his cig ashes on a body bag in the morge.
Saw Barfly last night, and Trees Lounge a couple weeks ago. Both good alchie centric movies,not seen by many.
I will never see Avatar, Harry Potter, or(gulp)Lord of the Rings.
Now you've gotten me curious..(I've never heard of it). I'll admit, I'm not the biggest Cage fan but he's Ok. I'll have to check it out.
As far as Avatar goes, I'd rather not, thanks anyway. ;)
Paul
It just vanished completely in the UK and US and I dont know if it even got released in Australia. Weird. Yes its strange but I thought Cage should have got an Oscar nomination.
Marco
Abel Ferrara said that everyone associated with BLPOCNO should die in the same bus crash, so I dont think Harvey wanted to be associated.
Sean
I saw bits of the US Life on Mars. It had potential. Completely crack pot ending of course. But then so had the British one, which unlike the fawning UK critics, I did not love.
Apparently though when Ashes to Ashes ends in the UK in a few weeks all will really be revealed.
Dog Snob
I wouldnt mind seeing Avatar on DVD. I'm curious as to what happened during those long periods when I had fallen asleep in the cinema.
Fat chance I'll ever get to see Ashes to Ashes, unless PBS is going to show it. One of these days, I'm going to splurge and get the complete DVD set of The Sweeney. Lately, been watching The reruns of Miami Vice, which is being run a new cable channel here.
Finished Fifty G last night / this morning. Awesome. Thandie Newton should play Mercado. The image popped into my head right from the get go and it stuck thoughout. Just googled her pictures, and it is freaking me out.
I hope, if it has not already happened, the screen rights are bought for this, or it will be a complete injustice. But then again, the world needs more dystopian teenage vampire novels and movies, and I hear zombies are all the rage now.
Adrian -
One word, long overdue: McIlroy!
I'm enjoying Life on Mars, the British version. Don't tell me the crackpot ending.
Seana
How do you see it in the US?
There's a PBS station out here in California that does a lot of British mystery stuff. I don't know that there's any way to get it over the web but it's KTEH if that helps.
Sean
Thanks for that mate. Glad you liked 50G. It was an interesting book to research and do.
BBC America shows Ashes to Ashes if you get that on your cable.
Seana
Ok I wont spoil it but when you see the final episode just be aware that that apparently is not quite the end.
Brian
Its the passing of a torch
I'm not holding out a lot of hope that the device of the story will end satisfyingly. But I Like the characters a lot. Well, like is maybe the wrong word in some cases.
Adrian,
I can almost promise you didn't miss anything falling asleep...unless you saw it in 3D, then I hear it was pretty good.
Seana
Good, keep those expectations low.
Dog Snob
I did watch in 3 D. All that meant was that I also got a headache before I took the glasses off and resated my eyes.
A few weeks later I met a film reviewer for Empire Magazine. I said to him "I hope you werent the jerk who gave Avatar five stars!"
He was.
I have two free tickets for it next week. (Do you want to come?) I was almost ready to cancel, though, but you're telling me I want to go? And if so, will Mr Bookwitch like it, or will he need to sleep through it like he did with the last one we saw?
Miss Witch
If you like bluesy New Orleans noir or Nic Cage or Werner Herzog you will LOVE BL.
Sounds like someone peed in your cornflakes, but I do agree with you that this film is awesome and needs to be seen by many more people to give them a broader perspective on what good movies are. I LOVED the original Bad Lieutenant, but this new installment I judge from a whole different standard and you mentioned each of the criteria in your post. Good call on this one Adrian. Have you seen "The Human Centipede"? I'd love to hear your opinion.
Adrian,
Haha, nice!! I always say we need more honesty :)
Not to long ago a saw the Danish crime thriller, PUSHER on cable. It was really good. Low budget and subtitles, but a real find, at least for me. Tonight, Requiem For A Dream is on, and although I've seen it around 10 times, I'll always watch it.
Greg
I loved the original too. This is more of reimagining but they are both very good.
Dog Snob
I could have been more tactful.
Sean
I'll look for Pusher.
I do like RFAD. Lucky bastard though, young, rich, happy, married to Rachel Weisz...
I'll tell you if I don't, then.
Ok .... I ordered the dvd.
I generally shy away from anything with Cage in it - I enjoyed his performance in "Raising Arizona" but not much else.
I'll give him another try in between an "Avitar" Super weekend :-)
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