|   any seabiscuit buzz yet? | tweedle-Dum
Aug 1, 2003 8:25 AM | | -i may go see it this afternoon - what say you? |
| re: any seabiscuit buzz yet? | tugmcmartin
Aug 1, 2003 9:12 AM | | Everyone i know who's seen it has loved it. Of course, they're also a bunch of horse freaks too. I haven't heard too much bad pub regarding the movie, so its probably worth seeing. But i'll wait til its out on rental. |
| re: any seabiscuit buzz yet? | JazzHead
Aug 4, 2003 11:28 AM | | Hi Tug -
For what it's worth, this one's a big-screener. The cinematography and the sound mix are stunning, and the way the race scenes are choreographed and shot (multiple POVs from within the pack) is breathtaking. I definitely think it would lose quite a bit in the transition to HT.
It's a wonderful movie beyond its technical achievement. It's unapologetically sentimental, with a script and performances that try to convey universal emotions and nail them every time. So much of what Hollywood puts out these days is sour and cynical, layered with a thick schmear of irony; it's a joy to see that someone in the mainstream movie industry isn't dismissive of, or condescending to, the majority of Americans who live between the coasts.
peace,
jh. |
| I got yer Seabiscuit buzz right here.... | Kam
Aug 4, 2003 11:46 PM | | Tug's definitely right on this one, very much so a big screen movie. The racing shots are amazing, and I have never felt so much emotion in a horse race before, but that is the beauty of film. It really is a great underdog movie and thankfully I didn't know any of the history about the horse so I didn't know which races he won/lost, added for good drama for me. Chris Cooper continues to deliver another knock out performance, I wouldn't be surprised if he got another oscar nod. Tobey Maguire was extremely good, red hair and all, and definitely does a great job choosing his projects.
Definitely worth checking out, right now it's right up there with Whale Rider as best of the year so far.
peace
k2 |
| lol ya had me till the last line..... | learnin24get
Aug 5, 2003 11:29 AM | | whale rider was ok, but just a cut above mediocre imho, i was more 'entertained' by orange county (hmmmm what does that say about me? lol) |
| of horses and LH | jack70
Aug 7, 2003 11:30 AM | | I read the book by Laura Hillenbrand, so I'm gonna pass on the movie till some years go by and I can enjoy it more without trying to compare the film & book. The reviews I've read (mostly worthless IMO) are mixed here. Many who were not overwhelmed seemed to expect a deeper story, perhaps less formulaic. My own viewing of a clip (with Bridges) made me cringe a bit... why not use someone with a lower profile instead of such an old shopworn battleaxe... but, I nit-pick. Others found it pretty solid, but just not spectacular enough. Again, I fear people who've read the book are almost always dissappointed. There's always subplots and stuff that has to be overlooked. On the other hand, lots of regular people have liked it.
Hillenbrand was kept updated with the screenplay as it was filmed, and she said she was delighted with the result, so how you gonna knock that? I've heard a couple hour-long interviews with her over the past few years. <b>Her</b> story is as much a triumph as the story she wrote. She has CFS (chron Fatigue Synd), and has had it for decades. She has it especially bad, with hardly the energy to even get up to go to the bathroom. Her worst burden is the severe vertigo she has (room spinning and spinning). When she went to the White House to see it with Mr & Mrs Bush and Steven Spielberg, she stayed in bed all day to gather her energy, and still needed a wheelchair. She talked candidly about nearly comitting suicide because of the never ending daily anguish she suffered for years without respite. It's truly remarkable she could write a book when you consider the energy it takes to write something like that, let alone do such a great job.
I'm not a particularly big horse-racing fan or anything, but I remember the Ruffian-Secretariat tragic duel. Driving to work at my summer job on the following Monday morning I remember Wynn Elliot on WCBS-AM (NY) describing the race again, and the many tears that his moving words produced down my face as I drove down the road. An even more emotional horse story than the Biscuit. |
| Seabiscuit is worth seeing on a big screen | Swerd
Aug 11, 2003 10:51 AM | | Saw Seabiscuit this weekend, and I agree with those above who said the racing scenes are great and best viewed on a big screen.
I'd already read Laura Hillenbrand's book, so the plot and its outcome were not an issue for me. But the choice of the actors was important, and that did not disappoint me. I liked all the portrayals. Jeff Bridges was just what I had imagined as Charles Howard, the big, wealthy, loud, in your face auto salesman, who also had a talent to pick underdogs and develop them into successes. Chris Cooper, as Tom Smith the horse trainer (by far the most interesting character in the book), was fabulous. Toby McGuire was fine as Red Pollard the jockey. Some fans of the book might be unhappy with the minor way the movie altered his character. The movie needed a simpler way to present what was a complex character in the book. Perhaps as a reward for that change, the movie also presented a new character, the radio announcer Tick Tock McLaughlin, played by William Macy, who was a unexpected treat.
In short, I liked the book and the movie didn't disappoint. That is a rare combination. With such slim pickings at the theaters this summer, don't wait for the DVD, see it in the theater. Then go read the book. |
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