Rating: Summary: overrated! Review: Yes, this movie has great cast, good acting, grand period setting but where is the meat? I mean, much touted mystery. The movie starts off slow and boring...and stays that way, despite so many people going up and down the stairs, in and out of rooms, in and out of light and shadows.Definitely overadvertised, overpromoted, overrated, overhyped, overpraised...I guess you get the picture.
Rating: Summary: Wonderful. Review: It's such a pleasure to watch fine actors such as these in this movie. Maggie Smith stole the movie as usual.
Rating: Summary: Interesting twist on Agatha Christie's works Review: Not the best movie in the world but far from the worst. Being a fan of old Agatha Christie mysteries, this movie provided me a nice change from the celluloid drivel currently seeping out of Hollywood. While the mystery itself isn't the most difficult to solve (I won't reveal the solution here so as not to ruin the 'surprise') the film nonetheless is enjoyable. The biggest disappointment of the movie is Altman's moralizing. It is an annoying undertone that several reviewers see as subtle. With all the subtlety of a ball peen hammer being forcibly applied to an exposed skull, Altman engages in a sociological examination of the downtrodden working class. He portrays all the 'upper class' characters as vain, lazy pretentious and uncaring. At the same time the servants are portrayed as selfless and loyal to a fault. Obviously, the truth of pre WWII England was somewhere in the middle. The best parts of the film are the magnificent performances by the British ensemble cast (Maggie Smith alone is worth the cost of the DVD though what Ryan Philippe is doing in the cast is beyond me - he delivers what must be the worst Scottish/Irish/whatever accent heard on the silver screen). The humor is understated and the characters are brought vividly to life. You don't, as one previous reviewer suggests, have to have voted for Al Gore (heaven knows I did not) to enjoy this. In fact, given the wide spread illiteracy of FLA democrats evidenced in the last election, I would venture to say the nuanced performances are lost on most Al Gore supporters. All in all the movie is a fine diversion - but don't buy it for the mystery as there really is not that much of one. In this case, the acting is the thing.
Rating: Summary: A bit dull in places but on the whole an entertaining film Review: Gosford Park assembles a huge cast and under Altman's direction, that cast interacts very successfully. We have a schism between the upstairs aristocracy and the downstairs servants, but then again the two are blending together as we see who interacts with whom and who is really dependent upon whom. This is a great social comedy -- and it is also very entertaining. The cast, too, brings together a collection of new stars, brand new faces, and the aging stars of yesteryear. This is done remarkably well, and the storyline never gets bogged down in either too much detail or too much triviality. The film is more of a character study and a social study -- a presentation of how it was and how people lived within the rules of what it was. The actual murder and mystery are secondary, but in the end the solution to it is rather delightful in part because it is well-justified in the storyline and also well-covered up by the bumbling arrogance of the police inspector come to solve it. The film seems to be meant only as an exposition of a lifestyle, and it rewards us beautifully. I can well understand why this was nominated for an Oscar for best picture. If you are interested in a film with great acting and great characterizations, with brilliant stories and with maturity, take the time to see this one. It's fun and witty, but it is also memorable, which you can't say about many films out of Hollywood these days. Good soundtrack too. Oh, and for Jeremy Northam fans, he sings several songs in the film and does a great job -- all in all, a very good film.
Rating: Summary: well written, acted, and directed Review: If you are sick of the poorly written trash that Hollywood produces year after year; if watching such Hollywood blockbusters as Armageddon was more painful than getting a colon exam; If the last book you read did not have lust in the title, I suggest watching this movie. I am amazed it ever got made. Come on Maggy Smith did not even take off her shirt. There is not a cheesey love story in which one-sided characters, say, kill their fiance's mother, then torture kittens, and finally take away food from starving orphans, nor is anything blown up by an army of overgrown bugs on an uncontrolled rampage of human flesh. The movie simply relies on good acting, directing, and writing. I thought it deserved best picture.
Rating: Summary: Monotonous except for the directing Review: This movie was just painful to sit through. No real conflict is established until the murder is committed. It's just a bunch of ppl arguing with a bad parallel between the servants and their masters. There is nothing witty or even funny about the writing. There is no real mystery at all when he is killed because of the emphasis on a particular character and half the characters could've been taken out to move the movie along. The entire first hour sets up almost nothing and is just filler. However, Altman saved this wretched script by producing superb shots. That is the only redeeming quality about the movie.
Rating: Summary: A Triumph! Review: I don't understand all the backlash against "Gosford Park". A frequently hilarious, occasionally heartbreaking, always insightful dramedy, it features a superb ensemble cast and the steady direction of Robert Altman. This solid film deserved every one of its Academy Award nominations, and maybe even a few more acting ones. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates good acting and the work of one of the best directors of our time.
Rating: Summary: It put me to sleep Review: Ok, I don't expect many people to rate this review as "helpful". All I want to say is this thing put me to sleep pretty fast, and the dialogue is so muffled, I had to crank the volume all the way up and still couldn't make it all out. As for the movie itself, it reminded me of a boring British television drama. It was unappealing from the start, and never got my attention afterwards. This seemed to be a movie for your stodgy Aunt Millie. As for why it got Oscar nominations: Two words: Altman and BORING. You may want to keep this in mind when considering my opinion: I didn't pick this movie up--a friend brought it over, as it is not something I would bother with on my own to begin with. I generally don't care for high-brow period pieces (i.e., Dangerous Liasons).
Rating: Summary: should have been better Review: it Stunk. no mystery , or comedy. just an overdone movie.
Rating: Summary: One of the biggest disappointments ever Review: This movie just ends up being nothing. It's a comedy that isn't funny, a drama that isn't dramatic, and a mystery that isn't that mysterious. I jsut felt like I had wasted 2 hours when I left the theater, and thats never a good sign.
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