"You eat other people's lunches? Stop it!"
Wide:
Charlie Bartlett: This movie is a little too broadly unoriginal to get labeled as such. As Roger Ebert points out, it is derivative of every teen movie from the 80's you still like. Also, extra unoriginal points for casting Robert Downey Jr. as a depressive alcoholic. Original
Be Kind Rewind: I have been told that when a movie wants to include spoofs and riffs on a whole lot of other movies you can't expect anything better than Epic Movie and its ilk. Michel Gondry heard that too, and here is his answer. I don't know if it's great, but I know it's better than anything Jason Friedberg has been a part of. Not Original
Vantage Point: Spoiler Alert! William Hurt was cast as the president specifically to suggest the success of the attempted assassination. You heard it here first. Original
Witless Protection: Actual Character Names: Larry, Elmer, Gus, Tater, Wilford, Rondog. The release of this movie and a film about presidential assassination at the same time seems to be a not-so-subtle suggestion. Original
Limited:
The Signal: Actual Character Names: Random Body, Deranged People, Random Body, Dead People At Party, Screaming Man, Struggling People, Severed Woman, Chainsaw Man, Hedge Clipper Steven. Also, the premise of this "greatest cult film of all time" seems to involve a TV signal that inspires people to kill. If you're a fan of seeing people fake-killed in absurd and unpleasant ways, by all means... Original
The Duchess of Langeais: Balzac novel. Not Original
Cover: Not a lot of press or information (Coverage... he he) for Cover. Original
State Legislature: Another of Wiseman's informatively-titled documentaries. This one's about the Idaho State Legislature. Original
The Score
week: 6-2
year: 42-14
Wide
week: 3-1
year: 15-11
Note: Sunday Night is the Oscars, and the Oscar score this year for full length features in contention is 20 original and 24 not. Also, the worst Oscar nominee this year (and maybe ever) is Norbit.
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3 comments:
If "The Signal" is original, I'm not sure what to make of Stephen King's 200 novel "Cell."
I suppose I can fairly say that by "original" I mean "possibly a total rip off" or "based on something loosely enough to not have to give any credit." Check out last weeks The Caretaker.
It's true, I suppose.
And what have we learned? Never go into a grapefruit orchard. That's for the migrant laborers to do.
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