Hard Man; Gentle Vision
Added 8/28/2009
When you make a movie about a man who was as fiercely individualistic as Bukowski, you are bound to rub some of Bukowski's fans the wrong way. Each of us takes something different from the life and times of Bukowski. I have no doubt that many films will be made about Bukowski in the future; each will have its own vision. I've been reading Bukowski's work for more than twenty years and have always been drawn to the gentleness that I know exists within the hard man. So I loved this movie because it does touch, at times, on that gentleness. One aspect of Bukowski's nature that the film thankfully mentions is Bukowski's love of music: I wish the film could have brought that out more because I've always thought this was the keys to understanding the depth of this great writer. Music was Bukowski's sanctuary. However the film does an excellent job of portraying Bukowski's quest, which is not to be published, although every writer does seek that, but simply to live his own life and to write.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Life and art of Charles Bukowski
Added 1/21/2009
It does not take one to be a Charles Bukowski reader to like this movie. I will be the first one to admit that I have not read any of his work, but since the movie "Barfly" I know just enough that Bukowski was a social misfit who has spent his life drinking hard and writing compulsively. This semi-biographical work of his life depicts him as a man who hops from one menial job to another to make just enough to pay the rent. He is a gambler with and eye for unconventional women. It is almost surreal kind of people wh meets in this way of life that serves him as a source of inspiration.
I loved Matt Dillon's and Lili Taylor's performances. Their characters are such that one cannot but think they truly deserve one another. There are many funny moments in the movie. This film is just wonderful story about the price a person can take in order to pursue thir true nature and happiness. In this case, our main character was a writer and no social convention was going to change that.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
No wonder Bukowski hated movies
Added 12/3/2008
I love Bukowski's writing. I couldn't put the book Factotum down. On the other hand, I couldn't wait for the movie Factotum to end. I don't think it captured the spirit of Bukowski one bit, unless we are to believe that his life was slow and boring. I am quite sure that there was rarely a boring day in the life of Charles Bukowski. As far as Matt Dillon goes, with the exception of a the make-up job to make him look like Bukowski, I'm not sure there is any depth to his performance at all. His readings sound like a bad imitation of "An American Prayer" and he's completely stoic on screen. To get a better does of the Bukowski experience, I recommend watching "Born Into This."
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
Factotum - True To The Spirit of Bukowski If Not The Letter - Deserves A Second Look
Added 11/4/2008
Factotum is a very good movie. To my mind, this movie has been misunderstood and somewhat underrated. Much of the criticism of this movie is valid based upon the letter of Bukowski's work. But when you really think about the spirit of his work, this movie succeeds in translating that to a present-day story that more people can relate to. This film best serves those less familiar with his writing. Hopefully Bukuowski fans can give this movie a second chance and grow to appreciate it from that vantage point.
There can be no more fitting tribute to the anti-hero persona of Bukowski than Chinaski, his alter-ego smoothly under-played by Matt Dillon. Once again, Dillon hardly matches the profile of the gruff and unattractive Chinaski from the original writings. But he rises to the occasion and embodies the character in ways that looks alone cannot describe.
The down-in-the gutter depravity that Bukowski constantly seeks to illuminate with his work is the center piece of this movie. The realism of this movie is so tragic it's comical. Wandering from lost job to failed relationship, Chinaski is often in a drunken stupor of disillusionment and self-loathing. When he does find a woman worth keeping, he can only continuously lose her. This is real life in a world where a man simply doesn't think it's worth it to care.
While Mr. Chinaski is offered many opportunities to work below his station as a statue cleaner, factory worker or janitor, he is rarely given the chance to do work that lets him use his passion to write. Sadly, even when one of his stories is chosen, his mail is taken, read, and discarded before he even learns of it. So even his little victories are swept away from him.
In making this movie, they made creative decisions that deviated from the original story. The story takes place in the present day and not in the period in which Bukowski lived and worked. Yet they did that to adapt the spirit of Bukowski to a movie for today's audience. The mixed reaction to this movie is akin to the reaction his work and life. So it comes as no surprise to me.
What does surprise me is to hear many fans of Bukowski's work state that this movie does not measure up to the message of his writing. In my mind, the spirit of his work should not be overpowered by the literal recounting of it.
If you have a dark sense of humor and a love of poetry, this story is painfully funny and all-together real. One can't help but be reminded of that famous Alan Ginsberg poem that starts, "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical."
Granted, this movie's negative message is somewhat of a downer if taken literally. So it is not for everyone. Yet if you can suspend judgment, this is a very interesting movie. The material is succinct yet well done, and the acting is minimalist yet once again well done. The one point I would make in criticism is that the first half of this movie isn't nearly as good as the second half. If you watch the second half alone a few times, it's easier to appreciate what they were shooting for in the beginning.
Regardless, I really enjoyed this movie. I've watched it many times and it still rings true to me, despite the artistic liberties they took. This is not for the typical movie night. But if you want to watch something dark, subtle and creative, this is it.
Enjoy.
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
|
Excellent film, great acting, very good direction
Added 10/2/2008
Now right of the bat, I must mention that a lot of reviewers are unhappy because the original character was quite different and his intrigue was somewhat compromised in this film. I am one of those lucky people who knew nothing about the book, saw the film for what it was without knowing anything about the book, the character and sundry. I think it is a very good film in itself.
There are few wasteful films of the sort that deserve a second opinion but Factotum truly stood it's ground and without being boisterous, gave a very good account of Hank Chinaski. I only saw it recently and I must say Dillon is a very good actor. I've seen numerous threads since complaining about who else could have done more justice to the character and that really downs me.
Anyhow, there is a few love-making scenes and hedonism is kept alive. I also found it very slyly humoros how a failed writer, a failed professional with little discipline in his life advocates and professes beleifs and quotes. You'll know once you watch this film.
If you like this film, you might like, "Sideways" , "Love Liza" , "American Splendor" and "Hollywoodland" - Also vice versa.
Kudos to Matt Dillon. This, in my unwanted opinion, is his best performance till date.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
Dark, Intelligent Melodrama
Added 10/26/2009
This movie hits hard, especially in today's miserable economy. Two brothers, desperate for money for different reasons, plot to rob their parents' suburban jewelry store. The brothers have grown up in the business so they know how to fence the jewels, they know their way around the store and its schedule, and the parents are insured, so the brothers will get what they need (or think they need) and no harm done. Of course it all goes horribly wrong. The story is old hat but the story-telling structure is thought-provoking, the visual style unobtrusively perfect, and the acting excellent all around, particularly Albert Finney. The audience is challenged to think about the choices we make, what really matters to us, what we might be driven to, and how we delude ourselves that if we can just surmount this or that obstacle, we'll be in clover. The bonus feature about the making of the film is interesting. However, this is uniformly dark, perhaps Lumet's bleakest work since "The Pawnbroker." Don't go looking for anything fun or life-affirming. It's easy to see why this was not a big financial success.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
a good performace
Added 10/16/2009
The title has a basic history, than make remember about the feelings was everyone have inside
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
"The Pawnbroker" Redux
Added 10/11/2009
When you have made as many classic films as Sidney Lumet has, self-conscious filmmaking
stops eons ago. You know a pro when you see a film that does not flash across
each scene: "Wow, look at my editing, look at my script, look at my mise-en-scene,
look at my cinematography, etc., etc...." This is such a film. This is not a collage
of pretty scenes, neat editing and fancy dialogue (which describes 90 % of art-house film
today). This is, in some ways, a conservative film with an almost Art-Deco minimalist and realist
stylism without the wink-wink nod-nod that has, on occasion, even afflicted a Scorsese film
(and all-too-often Coen Brothers films) and has made Tarantino completely unwatchable.
The always topnotch and realible score by Carter Burwell is near perfect. There are many
good postmodern crime and film-noir movies produced in the past 10-20 years; what makes this
film so good is the deft hand of a pro who need not reaffirm any cinematically credibility
that may have been questioned in the past. He doesn't need to and moreover he doesn't care.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
