Long before Claire Danes started earning multiple Emmy Awards as the bipolar Carrie Mathison on Showtime’s knock-out series
Homeland, she was starring in lesser-known, independent movies like
Brokedown Palace,
Igby Goes Down, and 2005’s completely underappreciated
Shopgirl. I watched this movie for the first time back in 2008 or 2009 and was blown away by how awesome and authentic it felt. This was long before
Homeland. I have since watched every episode of
Homeland (including seasons 1 and 2 twice each), so it was cool to re-watch
Shopgirl, knowing everything that I know about the character she plays on the television show that earned her fame. Ironically I thought this was the first movie that Steve Martin (
Parenthood, Three Amigos!) wrote. It turns out he’s written dozens of films (including
Three Amigos!, Roxanne, LA Story, The Jerk, and
Bowfinger), but this was the first real non-comedy that he wrote. Maybe the difference was that with
Shopgirl was that he wrote the novel in addition to the screenplay. And let me say that he did a great job. I had a couple of problems (which I will include below), but for the most part, he killed it. I would not read this review unless you’ve seen this movie. It’s going to be chock-full of spoilers. I would love to hear what you think about it if you have seen it. If you haven’t, stop reading now and check out the movie.
Continue reading Shopgirl (2005) →
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is not your typical Ang Lee (Lust, Caution, Hulk) film. It doesn’t have the effortless flow near the sweeping landscapes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi, or Brokeback Mountain. While these three movies netted the legendary director three Best Director Academy Award nominations, including two wins, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk likely will not earn him nomination number four. It’s awkward and clumsy at times. It has unnecessary elements in it. Most importantly, it lacks any immediate or emotional impact that the trailers lead you to believe it has. The premise felt very much like Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Father. I expected much more from these movies than from what was delivered. Nevertheless, there were some good things about Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. It is much better than its current 43% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.