Two For The Money
Here's the thing... I saw this movie a couple of months ago. It has that little known indie actor I like so much, Al Pacino (Dick Tracy), in it. Not to mention Matthew McCognagogney (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation), who I think of as a brother, if not a doggie rescuer. If he would only keep his clothes on and smoke a little less weed, maybe he'd be married to Sandra Bullock (Who Shot Patakango) instead of Frank James... or Jesse James or Cole Younger... whoever.
So this movie... hmmm... Two For The Money...this movie... well, it's based on a true story, just like 95% of the movies of 2005. It's about a guy who makes picks for sports betting in Texas, and then is hired by Pacino to come to New York to work for the biggest sports betting firm on planet Earth. He does really well for awhile, then starts to lose it, and the line between good guys and bad guys gets blurred. Women are sleeping with men, men are working out, there's a lot of football on the t.v. and Armand Assante (Mrs. Columbo) lives on an island.
That's pretty much the lowdown on this flick.
Oh, and Pacino says, "TAL-ONS". You know... bird claws... but separated with a hyphen, it seems.
I enjoyed this movie as much as anything I see for free. It has solid performances by the lead actors, including Jeremy Piven (Body Chemistry II - The Voice Of A Stranger) -- playing a prick, imagine that -- and Rene Russo (Matlock) -- who seems to be tossed in here in case she needed to buy bread that week or something -- she's mildly important to the story, but any dame would do.
What this movie does, instead of telling this formulaic story, is it explores the psyche of the better and the bookie. Pacino's character, on the outside, is the pseudo-Godfatheresque guy making McCognagogney an offer he ought not refuse, but the movie really isn't about their relationship, so much as it is about the inner demons of Pacino.
That's what makes the movie interesting. But I'm not sure director D.J. Caruso (Taking Lives) really had much to do with it. It's solely built on Pacino's performance and his interactions with McCognagogney and his wife, Russo.
We see a man on top of the world, and at the same time being torn apart. He's successful and a failure. He's trusting in one turn and paranoid in another. It really is a wonderful performance, but the film doesn't lend itself to help. Instead, it continues to try to push at the McCognagogney character as some sort of protagonist, even though there are obvious flaws.
This film is sort of like The Color of Money. That film, contrary to some belief, isn't about Tom Cruise at all. It's about Paul Newman getting back in the game. It's about overcoming personal problems to get back to what you know. The Color of Money, however, actually did this. Two For The Money doesn't. It leaves you with a bit of a taste in your mouth, that is something akin to Frank's RedHot (read: annoying and hard to get out).
Did I just give mad props to a Scorsese film? Write that down.
But the film is at times funny and overdramatic, as well as personable and enjoyable. It's a fun "rise and fall" sort of film that tries to walk a more prestigious line than it is allowed to, though deep down I think it really wants to.
I'll see anything Pacino does, and to hell with all of the Pacino-haters out there. He's always fun to watch, whether he's huge or subdued (and don't say he's never subdued, 'cause that means you didn't see Insomnia, and that's just lame), and I am really starting to enjoy McCogna...fine... Matthew McConaughey. I believe pretty much everything he says, and I think he has a latent honesty in his work that is hard to find in Hollywood these days.
Check this one out when you have the time between seeing Serenity over and over again.
I give this one 7 1/2 Celluloid SHEEEEEEEP!
-Constable Kreegal
Big Boss of the Sheep
So this movie... hmmm... Two For The Money...this movie... well, it's based on a true story, just like 95% of the movies of 2005. It's about a guy who makes picks for sports betting in Texas, and then is hired by Pacino to come to New York to work for the biggest sports betting firm on planet Earth. He does really well for awhile, then starts to lose it, and the line between good guys and bad guys gets blurred. Women are sleeping with men, men are working out, there's a lot of football on the t.v. and Armand Assante (Mrs. Columbo) lives on an island.
That's pretty much the lowdown on this flick.
Oh, and Pacino says, "TAL-ONS". You know... bird claws... but separated with a hyphen, it seems.
I enjoyed this movie as much as anything I see for free. It has solid performances by the lead actors, including Jeremy Piven (Body Chemistry II - The Voice Of A Stranger) -- playing a prick, imagine that -- and Rene Russo (Matlock) -- who seems to be tossed in here in case she needed to buy bread that week or something -- she's mildly important to the story, but any dame would do.
What this movie does, instead of telling this formulaic story, is it explores the psyche of the better and the bookie. Pacino's character, on the outside, is the pseudo-Godfatheresque guy making McCognagogney an offer he ought not refuse, but the movie really isn't about their relationship, so much as it is about the inner demons of Pacino.
That's what makes the movie interesting. But I'm not sure director D.J. Caruso (Taking Lives) really had much to do with it. It's solely built on Pacino's performance and his interactions with McCognagogney and his wife, Russo.
We see a man on top of the world, and at the same time being torn apart. He's successful and a failure. He's trusting in one turn and paranoid in another. It really is a wonderful performance, but the film doesn't lend itself to help. Instead, it continues to try to push at the McCognagogney character as some sort of protagonist, even though there are obvious flaws.
This film is sort of like The Color of Money. That film, contrary to some belief, isn't about Tom Cruise at all. It's about Paul Newman getting back in the game. It's about overcoming personal problems to get back to what you know. The Color of Money, however, actually did this. Two For The Money doesn't. It leaves you with a bit of a taste in your mouth, that is something akin to Frank's RedHot (read: annoying and hard to get out).
Did I just give mad props to a Scorsese film? Write that down.
But the film is at times funny and overdramatic, as well as personable and enjoyable. It's a fun "rise and fall" sort of film that tries to walk a more prestigious line than it is allowed to, though deep down I think it really wants to.
I'll see anything Pacino does, and to hell with all of the Pacino-haters out there. He's always fun to watch, whether he's huge or subdued (and don't say he's never subdued, 'cause that means you didn't see Insomnia, and that's just lame), and I am really starting to enjoy McCogna...fine... Matthew McConaughey. I believe pretty much everything he says, and I think he has a latent honesty in his work that is hard to find in Hollywood these days.
Check this one out when you have the time between seeing Serenity over and over again.
I give this one 7 1/2 Celluloid SHEEEEEEEP!
-Constable Kreegal
Big Boss of the Sheep
posted by Constable Kreegal at 10:57 AM
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