Open Range (2003) - Costner impresses with fabulous classic western

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+ Comeback of the Year: Kevin Costner + Best Western of the Year

 

A shoot-out is about to commence on this thrilling poster for Kevin Costner's Open Range

 

Four sympathetic open range Montana cattlemen become 2½, when they head in to buy supplies in a small, inhospitable town. The two men that are left unharmed now must claim their right to freedom against the town's corrupt reign.

 

Open Range is written by Craig Storper (The Truth About Alex (1986, TV movie)), adapting The Open Range Men (1990) by Lauran Paine (Skye (1986)), and directed by Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves (1990)), who also co-produced and co-stars in the film.

The first half is the best; after this comes a long prelude to the grand, final showdown, - which is very classical and really well-made, SPOILER followed by an overlong and overly sentimental round-off.

But Open Range is still a really good western. Annette Bening (The Siege (1998)) is good, and Costner and Robert Duvall (The Godfather (1972)) are not to be messed with here, class acts all three. The American open range is the film's fourth lead. Open Range is impressive and full of warmth.

 

Related posts:

Kevin Costner: Molly's Game (2017) - Chastain is luminous in Sorkin's great true-crime debut (co-star)

Man of Steel (2013) or, Superman v Zod: Sunset of Destruction (co-star)

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

Thirteen Days (2000) - Electrifying Cuban Missile Crisis thriller (actor/producer)  

Dances with Wolves (1990) - Costner's triumphant, simpatico western 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 22 mil. $

Box office: 68.2 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 3.1 times its cost)

[Open Range premiered 11 August (USA) and runs 139 minutes. Shooting took place from June - September 2002 in Alberta, Canada. More than a million $ were spent to build the town in the film, as well as 40k $ to lay a road to it. 225 head of cattle were used in the film, handled by professional cowboys. The film opened #3, behind fellow new release Freddy vs. Jason and holdover hit S.W.A.T., to a 14 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#3-#4), grossing 58.3 mil. $ (85.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 2.7 mil. $ (4 %) and the UK with 1.9 mil. $ (2.8 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Costner didn't direct again for nearly 20 years but is now shooting his next film, Civil War western Horizon. As an actor he returned in The Upside of Anger (2005); Duvall in Secondhand Lions (2003); and Bening in The Sopranos (2004, TV-series) and theatrically in Being Julia (2004). Open Range is certified fresh at 79 % with a 6.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Open Range? 

The Great Outdoors (1988) - Deutch's low-brow comedy does the job

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A fun, magazine-styled poster for Howard Deutch's The Great Outdoors

A lovely family has headed off to vacation in a forest log cabin in Wisconsin, when their very different sister-in-law and her family turn up. - Will they be able to stand each other?

The Great Outdoors is written by John Hughes (Flubber (1997)) and directed by Howard Deutch (Pretty in Pink (1986)).

Stars John Candy (Stripes (1981)) and Dan Aykroyd (Unconditional Love (2002)) do what they can, while debuting Annette Bening (Being Julia (2004)) cackles her way through the film in the background. But there isn't much meat in this Hughes vegetable: There is a romance side story about two youths that's DOA. And then, well, what can one say about a film that's got eating a gigantic steak and killing an odd indoor bat as two of its significant plot points?

The Great Outdoors has good-looking bear scenes (with Bart the Bear (The Bear (1988))) and works as cozy entertainment, but it has lost lots of goodwill before its improbable ending binds a peculiar bow on the shenanigans. The Great Outdoors is no-one's best work.

 

Watch a clip from the film here

 

Cost: 24 mil. $

Box office: 43.4 mil. $ 

= Big flop (returned 1.80 times its cost)

[The Great Outdoors was released 17 June (USA) and runs 90 minutes. Shooting took place in Chicago, Illinois and in California from October - December 1987. The film opened #3, behind fellow new release Red Heat and holdover hit Big, to a 6.1 mil. $ in North America, where it spent another week in the top 5 (#3) and grossed 41.5 mil. $ (95.6 % of the total gross). The film seems to have had been given a very limited international release, which also is reflected in its numbers. Deutch returned with Tales from the Crypt (1989-90)) and theatrically in Article 99 (1992). Candy returned with a voice performance in Hot to Trot (1988) and physically in Who's Harry Crumb? (1989); Aykroyd in Caddyshack II (1988). The Great Outdoors is rotten at 40 % with a 4.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Great Outdoors?

The Kids Are All Right (2010) - Chodolenko's excellent indie crowdpleaser

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+ Best LGBT Movie of the Year
+ Best Shooting Star Actress of the Year: Mia Wasikowska

The pleasant poster for Lisa Chodolenko's The Kids Are All Right

The grown siblings of two lesbian parents learn the identity of their sperm donor father, which provokes a series of consequences.

The Kids Are All Right is co-written by Stuart Blumberg (Thanks for Sharing (2012)) and great Los Angeles-born co-writer-director Lisa Chodolenko (Olive Kitteridge (2014), TV-miniseries) as her 4th feature. It is a really good film. The lesbian parenting couple are no smarter or more controlling than most straight couples, which rings true and is a nice change from the standard of exotisizing sexual minorities. SPOILER It irritates a bit at first that one of them falls for the man donor, but it seems credible in the narrative.
Julianne Moore (Blindness (2008)) and Annette Bening (Open Range (2003)) both give performances that are razor-sharp, and none of the other stars are bad either.
The Kids Are All Right is a touching, fine and funny film not to be missed.

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch the official trailer for the film here

Cost: 4 mil. $
Box office: 34.7 mil. $
= Huge hit
[The Kids Are All Right premiered January 25 (Sundance) and runs 107 minutes. The script had been in development since 2004. Financing proved a challenge, and production was also halted due to Chodolenko giving birth, but it finally came together much thanks to the commitment of the three major stars. Filming took place in Los Angeles in 23 days in July 2009. The film was admitted to Sundance, although it broke the deadline, and it became a big hit there. Its distribution rights were acquired by Focus Features for 4.8 mil. $. It opened limited in 7 theaters #15 with 491k $, - a stellar 70k $ per theater average, - and wide in 847 theaters #12 to 3.5 mil. $ in North America, where it grossed 20.8 mil. $ (58.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 2.6 mil. $ (7.5 %) and Italy with 1.9 mil. $ (5.5 %). The Kids Are All Right was nominated for 4 Oscars: For Best Picture, lost to The King's Speech, Best Actress (Bening), lost to Natalie Portman for Black Swan, Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), lost to Christian Bale for The Fighter, and Original Screenplay, lost also to King's Speech. The film won 2 Golden Globes and made it onto many critics' top 10 lists of the year. The Kids Are All Right is certified fresh at 93 % with a 7.8 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Kids Are All Right?

Girl Most Likely/Imogene (2012) - Wiig is great as another dysfunctional woman in Berman & Pulcini's unfocused fare

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+ Worst Poster of the Year
 

The sorriest poster of 2012 to be sure, this pink-hued thing for Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman's Girl Most Likely with miserable-looking Kristen Wiig and Darren Criss win Film Excess' Worst Poster of the Year

Imogene is a teetering middle-aged woman in New York, who loses her shallow boyfriend, her shallow friends and her magazine job and then stages a suicide attempt that she hopes will solve all of her problems. Instead, it gets her home to live with her problematic mother and brother.

I really looked forward to Girl Most Likely, based on its funny trailer and the good people involved, its star Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids (2011)) first and foremost. Wiig is really good in the film, and she makes it float as an enjoyable escapade, but she and the other actors cannot hide the fact that it's script and concept is half-baked at best. Michelle Morgan (Middle of Nowhere (2008)) is the responsible writer. In my opinion, it needed a serious core and more of a sense of general direction (the meaning of the title, for instance, never comes into play, (and was also first picked after the first screening in Toronto under the film's inauspicious working title Imogene.)) The persistent quirkiness of the characters instead come off as a little forced, which is a shame. A much better film was hiding somewhere in this material, I think.

Girl Most Likely does have some laughs, and its other notable players worth mentioning favorably include Bob Balaban (Ghost World (2001)) and charming young Darren Criss (Glee (2010-15)) as Wiig's love interest.

The change of title after its release indicates a generally unfocused film, unfortunately, which isn't among the most successful from its directing couple Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, who have previously delighted especially with their quaint masterpiece The Extra Man (2010). They are now in post with Ten Thousand Saints (2015) a drama with Asa Butterfield, Ethan Hawke, Hailee Steinfeld, Emile Hirsch and others.

Related posts:

Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini: 2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
American Splendor (2003) or, Happily Unhappy Together

Another better but still thoroughly bad poster for Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini's Girl Most Likely

And a third ... Wiig looks nice, but this can hardly even be called a poster

Watch the hilarious trailer for the film here

Cost: Unknown

Box office: 1.3 mil. $ (US only)

= Some uncertainty although almost certainly a big flop

[Girl Most Likely may have been made for a scant budget of up to 5 mil. $, but that would still make it an very big flop. Its star and genre make it best suited for its home market, where it didn't catch any fire, and it has only had cinematic releases in 13 other countries worldwide. Some of its failure undoubtedly can be attributed to its really awful posters.]

What do you think of Girl Most Likely?

What is your favorite Kristen Wiig-moment in anything she has done so far?

Bugsy (1991) - Levinson and Beatty serve a delicious gangster treat

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A glamorous embrace between two glamorous Hollywood stars makes up this poster for Barry Levinson's Bugsy

Bugsy is the story of the larger-than-life character Benny Siegel, who left his family to prance around Hollywood and later build the Flamingo casino in the Mojave desert, thus founding Las Vegas, (although this is not historically accurate, as the building of the Flamingo was mostly Siegel's partner William Wilkerson's project.) SPOILER This all takes place before Siegel gets whacked.

 
Bugsy is written by James Toback (Exposed (1983)) and co-produced and directed by great Marylander filmmaker Barry Levinson (Diner (1982)), based on the real-life gangster.
In the leads, Warren Beatty (Bonnie and Clyde (1967)) and Annette Bening (American Beauty (1999)) are a wonderful couple, and in supporting roles, Harvey Keitel (Bad Lieutenant (1992)) and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi (1982)) are masterly.
Toback based his script on Dean Jennings' non-fiction book We Only Kill Each Other (1967) and does very well; his lines in Bugsy are a joy, and particularly the scene in which the titular Benny 'Ben' Siegel runs between a child birthday, his phone and a gangster meeting in Las Vegas is memorable.
Weighing down on Bugsy is its title, which was a nickname that Benny Siegel himself hated, and therefore it makes little sense to call the entire movie of his life just that. Also the story of his impressive life could have been served with some higher focus on one or a few select areas than the film provides.
Still, Bugsy is a good and very enjoyable romantic gangster drama with some great movie stars.

Related posts:

Barry Levinson: Top 10: Best heist movies

2001 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Bandits (2001) - Barry Levinson's great, funny heist movie

1991 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 30 mil. $
Box office: 49.1 mil. $ (North America only)
= Uncertain but likely a flop (projected return of 2 times its cost)

[Bugsy premiered 10 December (New York) and runs 137 minutes. More than a decade in pre-production, the film was a dream of co-producer/co-star Beatty, who also cast his future wife Bening as his co-star. Shooting took place from January - March 1991 in Nevada and California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #13 to a 140k $ first weekend in 4 theaters in North America, where it grossed 49.1 mil. $. International numbers are regrettably no public, but the film did sell 33,034 tickets in Denmark, a modest number coming to approximately 260k $. If we take that as an indication that foreign interest was modest for the film, a 60 mil. $ final gross is likely. The film was nominated for 10 Oscars, winning 2: For Best Art Direction-Set Decoration and Costume Design. It lost Best Actor (Beatty) to Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs, Supporting Actor (Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley) to Jack Palance in City Slickers, Cinematography (Allan Daviau) to Robert Richardson for JFK, Director to Jonathan Demme for The Silence of the Lambs, Score (Ennio Morricone) to Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast), Picture to The Silence of the Lambs and Original Screenplay to Callie Khouri for Thelma & Louise. It also won 1/8 Golden Globe nominations and 2 National Board of Review awards, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to 2 notches over this one. Levinson returned with Toys (1992). Both Beatty and Bening returned in Love Affair (1994). Bugsy is certified fresh at 84 % with a 7.00/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Bugsy?

American Beauty (1999) or, Escape by Death

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+ 3rd Best Movie of the Year

+ Best Debut of the Year + Best Drama of the Year + Best Mega-Hit Movie of the Year + Biggest Moneymaker of the Year: 127.48 mil. $ range

The iconic poster for Sam Mendes' American Beauty with its ingeniously simple tagline, 'Look closer'

Lester Burnham is a middle-aged father and husband, who is numbed to a zombie-like-state in an American suburb with his 9-5 job, his real estate-pushing wife and angry teenage daughter. just as some unpredicted things start to happen to him...

At first glance the characters of American Beauty might seem a bit psychologically sketchy, but then the plot takes them to new places: And although everything which takes place in some ways couldn't be more banal, yet they all still feels perfectly real and plausible.
American Beauty is written by Alan Ball (True Blood (2008-14), creator) and directed by debuting English master filmmaker Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road (2008)). It is Ball's thematically heavy script, above all, which has been studied over and over again since 1999. - What is the film saying exactly? And how does it say it? People obsess over American Beauty as few other films. And pairing it with Mendes' sensitive, keen direction is a perfect match.
Kevin Spacey (Margin Call (2011)) arguably has the role of his career here as Lester, SPOILER who liberates himself (and pays for it.) Spacey shines brightly here, and will always be remembered for his time as Lester, a great character that really strikes up the audiences' imagination. In other parts co-starring Annette Bening (The Siege (1998)) and supporting actors Mena Suvari (Psych (2010), TV-series), Thora Birch (Winter of Frozen Dreams (2009)) and Chris Cooper (Great Expectations (1998)) are all remarkable.
American Beauty is an incredibly powerful film, SPOILER and I wish I could believe in the final thoughts from Lester in the film, while instead it just makes me sad.To understand and make up your own mind, you will have to watch the film.

Related posts:

Sam Mendes: Spectre (2015) - Mendes' second Bond delivers
Skyfall (2012) - Overly celebrated third pout from Daniel Craig as Bond in slick production
Away We Go (2009) or, Where Do We Start This Family?

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 15 mil. $
Box office: 356.2 mil. $
= Mega-hit
[American Beauty premiered 8 September (Los Angeles) and runs 122 minutes. Ball had developed his idea for the film as a play in the early 1990s. He sold the script as his first movie script in 1997 to DreamWorks for 250k $. Reportedly 20 big filmmakers were approached to direct, before Mendes was hired from the directing stage successes, working for scale, he reportedly finally only made about 38k $ on the job. Shooting lasted 50 days from December 1998 - February 1999 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #11 in 16 theaters to an impressive 816k $ first weekend (a 53k $ average). It spent 7 weeks in the top 5 in an unusual release that saw the film boom and decline, only to boom and enter the top 5 again for another 2 weeks months later following its Oscar wins: Its placements were #4-#3-#4-#5-#X-#4, followed in March with 2 weeks in #5. The film played a very long 38 weeks in North America, where it grossed 130 mil. $ ( 36.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 34.6 mil. $ (9.7 %) and Germany with 24.1 mil. $ (6.8 %). The film was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning 5: For Best Picture, Director, Leading Actor, Script and Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall (Divorce American Style (1967))). It lost Actress to Hillary Swank for Boys Don't Cry, Editing to The Wachowski Brothers' masterpiece The Matrix and Best Score (Thomas Newman (Skyfall (2012))) to John Corigliano for The Red Violin/Le Violon Rouge. It also won 3/6 Golden Globe noms, 6/14 BAFTAs, a Grammy, 3 National Board of Review awards and many other awards and honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch better than this review. IMDb users have ranked it #65 on the site's Top 250 list, sitting between Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece Princess Mononoke/Mononoke-Hime (1997) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Mendes returned with the great Road to Perdition (2002). Spacey returned in The Big Kahuna (1999) and Bening in What Planet Are You From? (2000). American Beauty is certified fresh at 88 % with an 8.2/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of American Beauty?