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Summary: A Poem
Review: I don't know how he does it but Hal Hartley makes moving, funny, thought-provoking films out of stilted dialogue, deadpan delivery and washed-out cinematography. Martin Donovan does his typical extraordinary job of conveying utter innocence in a strangely sinsister way, and Burke and Sage (a sadly underrated actor, by the way-- why is he not a leading man????) are enthralling as brothers who are opposite sides of a coin. The dance scene hommage to Godard's Band of Outsiders is worth the purchase price.
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Summary: Hartley has done much better.
Review: I might have just been expecting more from this, but I was very disapointed in this movie. It was placed under "Comedy" at the video store, and I can't imagine why. Some scenes were funny, but only some. Most of the film was slow, and tried too hard to be romantic. Perhaps I should see it again, but I'm afraid that I'll just end of disliking it even more. Other people really liked it, so perhaps it is just me, and maybe the film really is great. But I personally liked TRUST and AMATEUR, two other Hartley films, much more than this one.
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Summary: Top ten films of all time?
Review: I was stunned by Simple Men: simply one of my top ten favorite movies. The last scene ranks up there with Sean Penn's Indian Runner, the Cohen Brother's Miller's Crossing, and, of course, La Femme Nikita. There ARE contemporary films that transcend the genre--like those I've just listed, and including Fresh, The Last Emporer, and Raise the Red Lantern. Simple Men is among the top.
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Summary: an englisher writes..........
Review: i'm not even gonna say things like "this may not be everyone's cup of tea" as this is (along with "surviving desire/theory of achievement and ambition") my favourite film EVER! FULL BLEEDIN' STOP! many brilliant moments in "simple men" but the part when martin donovan recites the music he's into (tull, ten years after etc) and ends up saying "hot fucking tuna" at the end of it is my fave film moment just about ever! no one is listening to him > that is a scream!
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Summary: Hilarious Dry Satire
Review: Last night I watched this movie for the fourth time. I love it. I think it is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The humor is dry and satirical. I have to smile just thinking about some of the scenes. Although it is wonderful satire, at the same time it seems to capture something eternally true about the human experience, but this truth is beneath the surface and not amenable to a simple statement. I intend to watch the movie again. I don't own a DVD player, but if this movie were available on DVD, I'd probably buy both the player and the DVD version of the movie.
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Summary: Should be on a Top-100 List to see
Review: Perfect in it's balance of unnatural dialog and incredible insight into life and relationships, this is a fabulous movie. As surreal and funny as Raising Arizona, Simple Men's subtle humor isn't quite as redundantly over-the-top. If you appreciate dry wit and intelligent rapport, you are in the right vicinity. Although I love his films, Hartley isn't for everyone. The obscure dialog and sparse camera work is tailored for artistic sensibilities.
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Summary: Release all of Hartley's films on DVD, immediately!!
Review: Seriously, I love this movie. This and Trust are my two favorite Hartley movies. I think it's criminal that they are not available on DVD. To me the dialogue is absolutely true (not to mention hysterical) in a completely different way than I've ever seen done by any other filmmaker, plus the deadpan delivery just cracks me up. I can't even really do it justice, you need to see it for yourself. However - be warned, if your idea of a quality flick is one directed by Tom Green, you will not appreciate the subtle charms of this movie. If you have half a brain, however, you should be able to get into Hartley's strange but ultimately satisfying groove.
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Summary: Release all of Hartley's films on DVD, immediately!!
Review: Seriously, I love this movie. This and Trust are my two favorite Hartley movies. I think it's criminal that they are not available on DVD. To me the dialogue is absolutely true (not to mention hysterical) in a completely different way than I've ever seen done by any other filmmaker, plus the deadpan delivery just cracks me up. I can't even really do it justice, you need to see it for yourself. However - be warned, if your idea of a quality flick is one directed by Tom Green, you will not appreciate the subtle charms of this movie. If you have half a brain, however, you should be able to get into Hartley's strange but ultimately satisfying groove.
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Summary: fun, fun, fun.
Review: The driest deadpan humor ever, dialog to die for, and Yo La Tengo in the background. Who could ask for more? -robin
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Summary: It's about time...
Review: This is a great film, and it's crazy that it hasn't been available on DVD until now. I think it's HH's best work. Now where is 'Trust?'
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