May 06, 2002 - 3:24 pm
this movie thought it was cool. and that made me want to slap it around. like i'm in some Michael Jackson video. "You ain't bad! You ain't bad!" i give it a 3/10.
so i had been thinking about seeing this film for a long time. i was very unsure about it. i hardly EVER like Nicholas Cage. he's just one of those people that you feel are too stupid to be on the silver screen. in my book, he goes down with the likes of Matthew McConaughey and Mark Wahlberg. i think i kind of remember liking him in his part in The Rock (1996), and i haven't yet seen all of Leaving Las Vegas (1995). he got an Oscar for that one. but anyway, i don't often enjoy him is the point.
this movie is a huge crossover movie. meaning it tries to mix up a bunch of different genres together and come up with a miracle. when i'm watching it i'm thinking does this movie want to be a drama, comedy, thriller, romance, or just an "artistic" representation of insanity? i think it tries all of the above. and those are not easy genres to fit together. especially for someone as single-minded as Martin Scorsese. don't get me wrong-a few of his films are wonderful. they're less complex though and more pure in spirit. films like Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980).
one of the deciding factors for my renting this picture was the fact that Patricia Arquette was in it. i wanted to see more of her. i know, i know. i've been berated previously for admiring her performance in Tony Scott/Quentin Tarantino's True Romance (1993). but she and Christian Slater would have to go down in my top 5 of best on-screen couples of all time. i love that film and should buy a copy if i have any sense. but back to Bringing Out The Dead. her character was just not well written and seemed rather uneventful. therefore even she was unable to convince me to like this film.
if you want to see a good film that is able to treat the topic of insanity in a more well-conceived manner check out Terry Gilliam's Twelve Monkeys (1995) or Wim Wenders' The Million Dollar Hotel (2000).
***UPDATE*** so i was just checking out Martin Scorsese's filmography. would you believe he directed Michael Jackson's "Bad" video? i know. i must be doing something right today.