Friday, February 17, 2006

Godless

I'm feeling all kinds of guilty right now. You see, God has a new movie out. And I'm dragging my feet. See... I was right near where I'm sure it was playing earlier today sipping on some crazy-sweet Starbucks concoction thinkin' 'I should go see my Julie!' When I just hopped onto the subway to come back to my apartment instead.

Then, a friend called and suggested we hit the movies and I start thinking:"What's playing?" Duh! Avoiding the very obvious. The hours are ticking by. It's Friday night. Am I really breaking up with God?

More later (undoubtedly)

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

As much as I was looking forward to this movie coming out I think I'll wait until it comes out on DVD to see it. After seeing the horrible reviews I'm a little disappointed of having to see yet another flop by Julianne...and it doesn't seem like there is any relief in sight with her up and coming movies. I wish she would go back to working with quality directors. It seems ever since her stock has risen as a Hollywood actress, her choice of movies and/or the crew she works with just plain old stinks. Oh, how I ponder for the days when I enjoyed her movies.

MB

Glenn Dunks said...

Ya, there's too many other movies out that either look to be better or that I want to see for the Oscars. I won't waste my time whenever it's out here, but DVD seems likely.

I'm seeing TransAmerica today. I have free passes, but still... eep.

adam k. said...

Nathaniel, I swear, you're spying on my blog again ;) I just wrote a post about how this is now Juli's 4th flop in a row (ouch) and how I basically am start to blame her i.e. break up with her.

So yes, I share your crisis of faith. But it's OK, this doesn't mean we are no longer Juli-ites, it's just that we know when the faith gets corrputed and aren't willing to go there. Seeing yet another Juli flop is rather akin to being the kind of Christian who enjoys seeing Christ brutally crucified for 2 hours straight. The faith turns to masochism. And I, for one, refuse to go that route.

Yaseen Ali said...

No worries, Nat. As long as she's still attached to the Todd Haynes-directed Bob Dylan flick, all is well. Remember, before Far From Heaven, there was Evolution, Hannibal and The Shipping News. He'll bail her out once again...

John T said...

I feel the same way-I miss the lovely Julianne of the Far From Heaven and Boogie Nights days. I won't be seeing it, despite my continuing love of her (if Julianne can falter, what hope is there for the rest of the young, uber-talented ladies of the screen)?

Anonymous said...

Nathaniel...GO SEE IT! GO SEE FREEDOMLAND NOW! u cant break up with "god"!

Anonymous said...

please no breake up with god. Julianne Moore is a wonderful, highly talented actress... sometimes she does the wrong movies, but she was powerful and great in "The Forgotten" which was not so good as a film, and she received great, really great reviews for this indie-movie "The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio", there was NO bad critic for HER acting performance - for the film yes, but not for her performance.
And maybe Freedomland as a film isn't great..... BUT JULIANNE MOORE IS STILL GOD!!
"Far From Heaven" "Magnolia" etc. will never go!!!!!
And she will show that everybody some time... There is this new Todd Hayness film... there is Savage Grace which hopefully will come some time... there will be Children Of Men... and some other....
And she often did wrong movies but she is almost always great... and it's right, before "Far From Heaven" and "The Hours" there were many flops... GOD WILL BE BACK SOON!!!

Anonymous said...

This is a message to Todd Haynes and P.T. Anderson:

PLEASE RECALL JULIANNE FOR YOUR NEXT MOVIES!!!!!

Thanks

D. (Italy)

Anonymous said...

"Julianne Moore plays an idiot in "Freedomland" and does it so well she probably won't get proper credit for it. The usual way to play an idiot is to telegraph it, underline it, put some flashing lights around the performance and wink a few times so the audience knows the actor isn't doing this by accident. But Moore doesn't indulge in any cheap tactics. ...
Moore's meticulous character work, as well as a less flashy but rock-solid performance by Samuel L. Jackson as a popular police detective, carries "Freedomland" across the finish line when it starts limping and dragging after its first hour."
(SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE)

Anonymous said...

I've seen several positive reviews for Moore's performance, but I'm quite shocked at the amount of genuinely terrible reviews her acting is getting.

When the New York Times says "it's one of the few authentically awful performances of Julianne Moores career", that is something of a major surprise.

Comedy isn't her bag, but I never expected Julianne Moore to be getting bad reviews for her acting in a serious drama, no matter how weak the movie is. She needs to drastically re-evaluate her career. Stop playing overwraught mothers and period Housewives. It's making her stagnant. Maybe playing a historical Queen or something would do her some good (I hear they've been trying to make a Catherine The Great movie. Julianne, call your agent, ASAP!)

Anonymous said...

I agree with you. She needs to separate herself from motherly roles. I recall the first time I saw a preview to Freedomland it reminded me of The Forgotten. She's playing a mother who is looking for her missing son. If she has such a need to continue to play a mother, I wish she would have stuck with Running with Scissors. At least, this is a different type of mother.

I wonder how much of her decision are being made on location of filming. The majority of her last batch of films were shot in NY. She has made reference to preferring to work in NY to stay close to her family. To me, this is nothing but committing career suicide.

MB

Anonymous said...

Yes, it's time to end it with her. The Forgotten, Prize Winner and of course Laws of Attraction. Now comes Freedomland. All in less than two years. You know that this is something a true God would never have on their resume. Look at Michelle and Kathleen Turner, sure they're long gone now but at least they went away gracefully (What Lies Beneath & White Oleander/The War of the Roses & Serial Mom), rather than leaving us with a sour taste. It's done. The only other thing she could do to truly hit rock bottom is to remake a classic hollywood film, something like Casablanca or Psy....oh wait.

adam k. said...

We are seeing the "dark ages" of Juli. Hopefully the Rennaissance will come soon.

The test, for me, is whether she can manage to get Savage Grace made, and rock the house with it. She's trying. But TRY HARDER, JULI! This is your CAREER on the line! Put up your own money. Scour the internet to raise funds. Film Experience readers will donate, I'm sure. But find a way.

adam k. said...

Though in all fairness to her and the "motherly roles"... it's not like there's that much to offer women in their mid-40s other than motherly roles. Unless you're, say, Meryl Streep. But even she had a dry spell in her mid-40s.

Anonymous said...

I think that many things that some of you say aren't true. It's certainly not time to end with her. Not at all.
Ok, I haven't seen "Laws of Attraction". Maybe it was a dissapointment. And, yes, "The Forgotten" wasn't a very good film itself. But Julianne WAS good, she was great, she carried the movie in a sovereign way. Then, there came the Bart-Freundlich-indie-movie "Trust the Man" (starring David Duchovny, Billy Crudup, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob Balaban, Ellen Barkin, Eva Mendes!) which was at the Toronto Film Festival.

And then there came "The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio". OK, I haven't seen the movie yet because I'm from Germany,
BUT: it's true: She really got great reviews. Not always the movie, but Julianne at all - „Moores is an impressively layered performance...
Smiling through adversity, Moore is the heart and soul of "Prizewinner" and worthy of prize consideration come Oscar time.“ (San Francisco Chronicle); „Huge credit is due Moore, in a FASCINATING PERFORMANCE that again show's she's among the BEST AMERICAN ACTRESSES onscreen.“
(Variety).
These are just examples.
And, not to forget, she received a Golden Satellite Award Nomination as Best Leading Actress and the Annual Muse Award.

OK. And now there's "Freedomland". I haven't seen the film yet and I read good and bad reviews. But I'm just angry that Joe Roth became the director and not Michael Winterbottom. WHY???
Well. Maybe Julianne made a mistake. But there is no reason to say that it's time to end with her. NO. NOT ANY. And Julianne is an actress who gets much, different offers. And nobody is perfect. Also Meryl Streep made mistakes.
And there is still hope: We can look ahead to "The Children of Men" by the highly-acclaimed and Oscar-nominated and "Harry Potter III"-director Alfonso Cuarón. We can look ahead "Savage Grace" which HOPEFULLY will be realized!!! GO, JULIANNE!!! And there will be "I'm Not There" by Todd Hayness!!! And "Next" starring Nicolas Cage. And "Friendship, hateship, Courtship" with a great part for Julianne.

THERE IS STILL HOPE!!!!

And don't forget: After "Magnolia" and "The End of the Affair" she made films as "The Ladies Man", "Hannibal", "Evolution", "World Traveler" and "The Shipping News" (in which Julianne was fine). Great dissapointments!!!
And then there came "FAR FROM HEAVEN"!!! And all the films and mistakes before were forgotten!!!

The pressure doesn't help. Julianne needs a break.

And then. Certainly. Undoubtedly. :

GOD WILL BE BACK.