Punch-Drunk Love (2002) - Sandler breaks out of his routine in Anderson's delightful romcom

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+ Best Romance of the Year

 

A wonderful still image of a kiss with wavy dark, mellow colors underneath makes up this elegant poster for Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love

Barry lives in his own socially cautious world, in which he is saving up a ton of frequent flier miles by purchasing pudding. Then he meets a woman, who knocks him off his feet and gets him to fly for the first time in his life, - to Hawaii.

 

Punch-Drunk Love is written, co-produced and directed by Californian master filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (Hard Eight (1996)), whose 4th film it is.

It is strange to enter the anxiety-ridden world of Barry; well-achieved through feministically-diabolical sisters, led by Mary Lynn Rajskub (Hero Mode (2021)), and an untraditional, unharmonic score (by Jon Brion (Lady Bird (2017))). The film also has neat if strangely, purposely 'off' cinematography (by Robert Elswit (Inherent Vice (2014))).

SPOILER A phone sex subplot and Philip Seymour Hoffman (A Late Quartet (2012)) work exceedingly well as elements in Punch-Drunk Love and both are also some of its original parts. Adam Sandler (The Wedding Singer (1998)) and Emily Watson (Chernobyl (2019, miniseries)) are a delightful match. The film is a salute to the first, overwhelming feelings of falling in love.

 

Related posts:

Paul Thomas Anderson: 2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Phantom Thread (2017) - Anderson's exquisite drama of an English dressmaker and his Alma 

The Master (2012) - Anderson's stunning post-war reflection 

2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

1997 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
Boogie Nights (1997) - Anderson's irresistible porn 'Casino'

1996 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Hard Eight (1996) - Anderson debuts with downbeat crime drama 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 30 mil. $

Box office: 24.6 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.82 times its cost)

[Punch-Drunk Love premiered 19 May (Cannes Film Festival, main competition) and runs 95 minutes. The film came about due to Anderson's fandom of Sandler and his wish to make a 90-minute romcom with him. Sandler was paid 7 mil. $ for his performance in the film. Shooting took place from February - March 2001 in Hawaii and California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #23 to a 367k $ first weekend in 5 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #7 and in 1,293 theaters (different weeks), grossing 17.8 mil. $ (72.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were France with 1.6 mil. $ (6.5 %) and Australia with 840k $ (3.4 %). It was nominated for a Golden Globe and won Anderson the Best Director prize at Cannes (tied with Im Kwon-taek for Painted Fire), among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Anderson returned with Jon Brion: Here We Go (2002, music video), Couch (2003, video) and theatrically with There Will Be Blood (2007). Sandler returned in Mr. Deeds (2002); Watson in Red Dragon (2002). Punch-Drunk Love is certified fresh at 79 % with a 7.40/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Punch-Drunk Love? 

Hellboy (2004) - Del Toro's super-antihero is a tiring blast

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Several eye-catching characters stand out on this throw-back painted style poster for Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy

Though he is a demon from hell, Hellboy grows up to become a protector of good in the world, and an enemy of monsters and evil.

 

Hellboy is written by great Mexican filmmaker, co-writer/director Guillermo del Toro (Cronos (1993)), with Peter Briggs (Thunderbirds Are Go (2015, TV-series)) contributing story elements, adapting comic series Hellboy: Seed of Destruction (1994) by Mike Mignola (Joe Golem: Occult Detective 2015-18)).

It is very hard to give a real summary of the story of the movie, which is certainly occult, colorful, edited with rapidity - and forgotten again with rapidity. There is nothing sensational to Hellboy; everything here has been seen before, and notably better also.

Though the title character is marketed as an 'evil' hero, he is really naturally not the least bit evil. His bizarre look is another barrier for me against which the atypical movie finds itself on the wrong side of. Sweet Selma Blair (In Their Skin (2012)) seems miscast as a super-woman here. There are slimy monsters and hyper-stylized images in almost every scene. Hellboy is a tiring companion. 

 

Related posts:

Guillermo del Toro: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) - Øvredal's ascent to big budget moviemaking gets by on weird horror sequences (co-writer)

The day after the day after ... the 2018 Oscars 

The Shape of Water (2017) - Toro's strange monster romance is mostly an amusing fantasy 
Pacific Rim (2013) or, The Monster Resistance
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) - Jackson's megalomania gives birth to the first third of an enormous fantasy whopper (co-writer) 
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010) or, What Creeps in the Dark (co-writer) 
Julia's Eyes/Los Ojos de Julia (2010) - Decent Spanish horror with good craftsmanship, little else (co-producer)
Blade II (2002) or, The Vampire Ass-Kicker 2 

2001 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
The Devil's Backbone/El Espinoza del Diablo (2001) - The excellent Gothic genre-mix that is Del Toro's best film so far 

 

 

Watch a short trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 66 mil. $

Box office: 99.3 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.50 times its cost)

[Hellboy premiered 30 March (Los Angeles) and runs 122 minutes. Del Toro was inspired by the classic effects work of Ray Harryhausen for the film, but Harryhausen refused to participate with the making of Hellboy, thinking modern films too violent. Shooting took 130 days from March - August 2003 in the Czech Republic, including in Prague. The film opened #1 to a 23.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#2-#4), grossing 59.6 % of the total gross (60 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 5.6 mil. $ (5.6 %) and Spain with 4.7 mil. $ (4.7 %). The video release of the film went #1, selling more than 500k units in its first week. Del Toro returned with Pan's Labyrinth (2006). Ron Perlman (Run with the Hunted (2019)) returned in Quiet Kill (2004). Hellboy is certified fresh at 81 % with a 6.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Hellboy? 

Next (2007) - Weak script sinks Tamahori's Dick adaptation

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Hot and cold meet in terms of colors on this star-pushing poster for Lee Tamahori's Next

A Las Vegas magician can see 2 minutes into his future, as he gets involved in a shooting incident. In its wake he is wanted in order to help retrieve a stolen weapon, and he also falls in love.

 

Next is written by Gary Goldman (Big Trouble in Little China (1986)), Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon (1998)) and Paul Bernbaum (Hollywoodland (2006)), loosely adapting the 1954 short story The Golden Man by Philip K. Dick (The Man Who Japed (1956)), and directed by great New-Zealander filmmaker Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors (1994)).

It is regrettably a very bad Dick adaptation. The script is the main culprit: If you ask questions about the plot (as one usually does), almost nothing holds up in Next.

Jessica Biel (The A-Team (2010)) and Nicolas Cage (Astro Boy (2009)) barely make the cut performance-wise, but nothing much happens to their characters in terms of development. Hollow action and CGI doesn't salvage this miscarriage.

 

Related post:

 

Lee Tamahori: Die Another Day (2002) - Tamahori makes a thrilling, grand piece of Bond escapism

 

 

Watch a 2-minute clip from the movie here

 

Cost: 78.1 mil. $

Box office: 77.6 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 0.99 times its cost)

[Next was released 25 April (France, Belgium) and runs 96 minutes. Shooting took place from April 2006 - ? in Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada and California, including Los Angeles. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit Disturbia and fellow new release The Invisible, to a 7.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#5) and grossed 18.2 mil. $ (23.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 7.1 mil. $ (9.2 %) and the UK with 4.9 mil. $ (6.3 %). Tamahori returned with The Devil's Double (2011). Cage returned in National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007); Biel in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007); and Julianne Moore (Gloria Bell (2018)) in Savage Grace (2007). Next is rotten at 28 % with a 4.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Next?

Mona Lisa Smile (2003) - Supporting performances and production elevate gender inequality drama

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+ Best Massachusetts Movie of the Year 

 

 

Four distinguished actresses in 1950s garbs look at something unseen, - perhaps Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting, - on this poster for Mike Newell's Mona Lisa Smile

 

A privileged girls' school in New England in the 1950s gets a new art teacher, who challenges the young women's perspective on art and gives them a critical mind towards their future as housewives, - or possibly more independent individuals.

 

Mona Lisa Smile is written by Lawrence Konner (Mercury Rising (1998)) and Mark Rosenthal (The Jewel of the Nile (1985)) and directed by great British filmmaker Mike Newell (Comedy Workshop: Love and Maud Carver (1964).

The title refers to the famously mysterious 'maybe-smile' on Leonarda da Vinci's Mona Lisa (1503-1506) painting exhibited today in Paris' Louvre museum, as the film thematizes women's opportunities for trying to create a (possibly) happier life for themselves. Newell's film lives especially due to a plethora of strong, engaged performances: Marcia Gay Harden (A Cat in Paris (2010)), Maggie Gyllenhaal (River of Fundament (2014)), Ginnifer Goodwin (Electric City (2012, TV-series short)), and Kirsten Dunst (Marie Antoinette (2006)) not least create compelling characters here. Julia Roberts' (Erin Brockovich (2000)) character's outbreaks against the confines of the institution of marriage and more, and something about her essence and smile, don't seem entirely authentic. Roberts gets dropped into the 1950s here, and she stands out. She isn't bad in Mona Lisa Smile, but the performance wouldn't rank in a top 10 of her best turns.

The story is uplifting, circling the century's slow changes for women, and the production is grand with fantastic costume work.

 

Related posts:

Mike Newell: 2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

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

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) - Newell straddles too much in fair action-adventure 

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Love in the Time of Cholera (2007) - Newell's Márquez adaptation is a disaster

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

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

Donnie Brasco (1997) - Newell's fantastic, authentic gangster tale 

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) - Newell, Curtis and a stellar cast's romcom triumph

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here 

 

Cost: 72.3 mil. $

Box office: 141.3 mil. $

= Flop (returned 1.95 times its cost)

[Mona Lisa Smile was released 19 December (USA, Italy) and runs 119 minutes. Shooting took place in Massachusetts, Arizona, New York, Connecticut and in California, including San Francisco from September 2002 - January 2003. Roberts received the biggest payday for a female actor in Hollywood history up to the point at 25 mil. $. The film opened #2, behind fellow new release The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, to an 11.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd week and grossed 63.8 mil. $ (45.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Germany with 13.1 mil. $ (9.3 %) and the UK with 8.1 mil. $ (5.7 %). The film was nominated for a Golden Globe. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Newell returned with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). Roberts returned in Freedom: A History of US (2003, TV series documentary) and theatrically in Closer (2004). Mona Lisa Smile is rotten at 34 % with a 4.93/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Mona Lisa Smile?