Very slow start, but an ok finish
Added 8/27/2009
If you don't know much about Diane Arbus, this imaginary fable may arouse interest, though it's not factual, warns the prelude. The whole thing is a weird love affair between the tortured housewife, Kidman, and her carnival freak boyfriend, Downey, who looks like Wolfman Jack. Was he real? We aren't told. The look of the film is its high point: gorgeous colors, wonderful set decoration that evokes a cleaned up 1950s NYC and a nicely evocative soundtrack. Too bad this didn't try to get closer to reality. Then, the two hours spent might seem more worthwhile.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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nice "inspired by the life of" movie
Added 6/1/2009
This is not an actual biographical movie. It is inspired by the life of Diane Arbus. Very nicely done and not over the top quirky. The actors are great and so is the imagery.
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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A Unique Experience of a Film
Added 4/21/2009
A very poignantly told tale of this fascinating woman called Diane Arbus. The movie starts off with Dian Arbus 'trapped' in her very ordinary middle-class life with her husband and two kids. Her inner artist is just dying to break free and is finally able to do that by the meeting of a strange neighbour, Lionel. By her friendship with Lionel, Diane is introduced to an entirely different world and she is able to discover her true self and become the artist she was meant to be - or so as the story is told in the film.
What fascinated me was how this whole story is told in the movie. The intricate details of the camera work made the characters' every move, every look, every thought so purposeful and so intense. A very rare form of story-telling in the movie. There were many symbolic moments which, again, were so beautifully put on screen.
Nicole Kidman proves herself, yet again, in this movie. She is the masterpiece that she creates in her craft. I really think she is in her own league in her acting. She has allowed the audience to feel everything that Diane was feeling through her. Robert Downey Jr is another magnificent actor. He has a unique quality to him that no other actor has and this movie just proves him to be one of the greats. He spends most of this movie covered in 'fur' but his erotic charm exudes out of his eyes - what a performance!
I knocked one of the stars off because this movie definitely is not a conventional film that I would recommend to any movie-goer. I recommend it to people who are looking for an unconventional movie experience.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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This movie is fabulous! So happy with my purchase. Seller shipped out in a timely manner.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Furball: An Uninspired Portrait of an Artist by Nicole Kidman
Added 1/25/2009
I waited quite a while to see this movie on cable, mostly because I adore
Robert Downy Jr. Restoration is one of my favorite films. What a total
disappointment. Kidman's role choices are pretty predictable, so I knew
the story would involve forbidden love and tragedy in some shape or form
and that given her tendency for one-note performances, there would be a
lot of pouting, brow-knitting, and plenty of shallow breathing. According to
those intimately acquainted with Diane Arbus and her work, it also seems
ridiculous to have chosen a tall, gangly Australian woman with strawberry
blond hair to portray a small Jewish woman with dark features. Janine
Garofolo or Jennifer Conolly would have been more appropriate choices.
I was less prepared for Downey's lackluster performance, which was utterly
void of passion. He seemed exhausted throughout the film, and looked old
and tired without the fur veil. Instead of haunting and mysterious, his
character betrayed a boredom and lack of depth that ran counter to his life
and circumstances. Furthermore, there was absolutely no chemistry between
these two actors! The scene where Kidman shaved off his hair had the potential
for eroticism, but the lack of passion between the two resulted in a paint-by
numbers sex scene and a cheeseball "tragic" ending. In sum, neither actor's
performance lived up to the mystery and complexity of the characters they set
out to portray. The finest performance in the film was given by the gentleman
playing Arbus's husband. A virtual unknown, his portrayel was raw and inspired
in comparison to the banal acting of his illustrious counterparts.
In addition to the poor acting, the premise of the story was seriously flawed.
The thesis: "true artists" must sacrifice everthing for their "art," even if it's their
home, husband and children. If that's the case, why didn't the film choose
to portray Arbus as the dark, tortured individual that she truly was? The
director's way out of this dilemma was to produce a self-conscious piece of
drivel that advances style over substance and banality over true art. Imaginary
indeed. Hopefully some day another film maker will come along and not only
present a truer picture of Diane Arbus, but provide a unique and visionary window
into the mystery...and misery...that pervaded her life.
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Very slow start, but an ok finish
Added 8/27/2009
If you don't know much about Diane Arbus, this imaginary fable may arouse interest, though it's not factual, warns the prelude. The whole thing is a weird love affair between the tortured housewife, Kidman, and her carnival freak boyfriend, Downey, who looks like Wolfman Jack. Was he real? We aren't told. The look of the film is its high point: gorgeous colors, wonderful set decoration that evokes a cleaned up 1950s NYC and a nicely evocative soundtrack. Too bad this didn't try to get closer to reality. Then, the two hours spent might seem more worthwhile.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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nice "inspired by the life of" movie
Added 6/1/2009
This is not an actual biographical movie. It is inspired by the life of Diane Arbus. Very nicely done and not over the top quirky. The actors are great and so is the imagery.
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
A Unique Experience of a Film
Added 4/21/2009
A very poignantly told tale of this fascinating woman called Diane Arbus. The movie starts off with Dian Arbus 'trapped' in her very ordinary middle-class life with her husband and two kids. Her inner artist is just dying to break free and is finally able to do that by the meeting of a strange neighbour, Lionel. By her friendship with Lionel, Diane is introduced to an entirely different world and she is able to discover her true self and become the artist she was meant to be - or so as the story is told in the film.
What fascinated me was how this whole story is told in the movie. The intricate details of the camera work made the characters' every move, every look, every thought so purposeful and so intense. A very rare form of story-telling in the movie. There were many symbolic moments which, again, were so beautifully put on screen.
Nicole Kidman proves herself, yet again, in this movie. She is the masterpiece that she creates in her craft. I really think she is in her own league in her acting. She has allowed the audience to feel everything that Diane was feeling through her. Robert Downey Jr is another magnificent actor. He has a unique quality to him that no other actor has and this movie just proves him to be one of the greats. He spends most of this movie covered in 'fur' but his erotic charm exudes out of his eyes - what a performance!
I knocked one of the stars off because this movie definitely is not a conventional film that I would recommend to any movie-goer. I recommend it to people who are looking for an unconventional movie experience.
1 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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