Meh. If you were going to do an "emoticon performance" showing Zellweger's character, that would've been accurate. I don't remember anyone else really crying.

Mike's wife. That's it.

Russell Crowe cries when asking for money.

It's the big Oscar scene!

Im such an asshole. I started to cry during that scene. It didnt play out the way I expected it to. I expected the pen scene from A Beautiful Mind.

I couldn't come up with any emotion during Cinderella Man.

Except extreme hatred for the 80 year old asshole right behind me who was giving his wife and her friend a history lesson through 75% of the movie.

I swear, EVERY punch they were like "Ooooh! That looked like it hurt Mary!"

And yes, I knew he was 80. They had a conversation about it during the trailers. I know they are going to have ice cream cake for his birthday.

Ooh. I hope 80 Year Old History Buff and Wife/Friend Mary had a nice time out! :razz:

I love old people.

Old people irritate the fuck out of me. I'm all for a slightly more lenient Logan's Run.

Anger... rising...

A.

Thank you for your attention.

A.

Thank you for your attention.

A.

Thank you for your attention.

looks at triple post...


*vows to never give attention again*

Cinderella Man so far is easily the best movie of the year, its not just a boxing movie but a movie about the Great Depression and how it affects your average person. Ron Howard has a tendency to exploit the sentimental and turn it into a sappy plot but in the end it works and gets your attention to really feel for how Braddock is going for. Its the payoff at the end that you would really be rooting for him to win at the end although it probably would of been weird if they had shown Bierko(Eliot Gould look alike) kicking Braddock in their rematch. I give it an A grade like I did with most of the Ron Howard flicks in the past (Backdraft, A Beautiful Mind, Willow, Far And Away)

Maybe its just me but has Renee Zelwenger slowly been morphing into JEnnifer Tilly. They both won for best supporting actresses around the same age. Shes beginning to sound like her and even look like her with the black hair

Jennifer Tilly was only nominated for bullets over Broadway. :wink:

CINDERELLA MAN - 5/10 (C-)
Yep, that was expected! Once again I thought Russell Crowe's performance was quite overrated, I actually thought he was annoying in it. Renee and Paul were absolutely amazing though, I really hope they both get nominated for an Oscar, they really deserve it. Besides their performances, the film fell flat on it's face. No, the movie was never boring but I wasn't exactly interested in it. Oh well, I knew I wouldn't like it, so I'm not really complaining. I do think SISTERHOOD and CINDERELLA MAN should switch box office numbers though.

CINDERELLA MAN - 10/10 (A+)

WOW! :o What an amazing film! I never expected it to live up to the hype and truly be this excellent. I went in with relatively low expectations and was completely floored. Even though the film is over 2 hours, I didn't look at my watch once because I was completely absorbed in the story and the characters. The script is crafted so that you really care about the characters and you essentially go through their struggles. Since the film is set in the Great Depression, the background is bleak and thanks to the direction and screenplay the struggles of the characters seem completely realistic. This is also thanks to the fantastic performances. I'm not a huge fan of Russell Crowe, but he was excellent here and gives the best male performance of 2005 thus far. Renee Zellweger is also spectacular and gives an emotional performance. I've always been a huge fan of Zellweger and her work and this is truly one of her better performances. Another person who surprised me here was none other than Paul Giamatti. I wasn't a fan of last year's overrated SIDEWAYS and had never really been a fan of Giamatti as an actor. However, he is excellent here and really surprised me. The boxing scenes are filmed with expertise and seem intense and realistic. This is a true crowd pleaser in every sense of the word that will have the audience enduring the pain and anguish that the characters suffer through before cheering as they triumph. This is 2004's second best film so far and is not to be missed!

Now this is a well told tale!

I was starting to get a little gun shy of little Ronnie Howard's director skills after his recent misfires with The Missing, A Beautiful Mind, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, EdTV, Ransom... actually, you've got to go back a full decade to 1995's Apollo 13 to find a well directed film out of Opie/Ritchie!

But heavens be praised, he's pulled another great movie out of his creative imagination!

Cinderella Man is an exciting biographical story, set against the Great Depression, which hits all the right emotional punches to knock the viewer ecstatically silly with joyous glee as the classic underdog story swimgs toward the final round.

Supporting actors including Zellwegger, Giamatti, and a whole troop of perfectly cast character actors add immeasurably to the believability of the 1930's period feel.

Yup, I really enjoyed this one!

I gotta give it 5 out of 5!



(I don't know why they release this kinda movie in June - it came in 4th at the box office this weekend - why drop it into the summer fray? If they're not going to launch it in the usual Xmas slot for this kind of Oscar-worthy drama - then why not put it out in February or March when there's nothing worthwhile to see?)

(...and boy, it makes me mad that a piece of misdirected schlock like Million Dollar Baby gets so many accolades, and tries to steal the thunder from a quality boxing drama like this... )

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

If I get a chance, I might see this tomorrow. It's still at my theater, but Fantastic Four and Dark Water will surely push it out. I missed out on seeing The Longest Yard there, because I waited, and I'd have to drive to another theater to see that one now. Not too crazy about paying to see a Russell Crowe movie, so I hope it's worth it.

Arghhh! They moved this from my theater, too, so I probably won't catch it this week. We'll see. The other theaters are about 20 minutes from me, but I'm kinda spoiled by my theater. It's only 5 minutes away and is much nicer because it's new and I'm spoiled by it.

Cinderella Man was a damn good film, but I broke my vow to never pay to see a Russell Crowe movie, damnit! I felt Ron Howard did a great job with the pacing of the movie, as well as having very convincing set pieces. It really felt like the depression era. The fights were well done, but I think Hollywood has got that down to a science by now. Crowe was very good as James Braddock, Renee was solid as always as Mae, and Paul Giamatti will probably get an Oscar nod for getting snubbed last year, but he deserves it. Craig Bierko was also great, and very menacing as Max Baer.

I am undecided about a grade. It's between a B+ and A-.

I'm surprised it hasn't done better at the box office, because it's definitely a quality movie, so maybe people are finally getting tired of Crowe's antics.

If you went to AMC, you could have demanded your money back, hehe.

I liked it, so I wouldn't have cheated them out of their money. I honestly don't see how anybody wouldn't feel that they at least got their money's worth. Desperation on the studio's part to get people to go see it.

This movie was a mixed bag for me. On the one side I hated Zellweeger and some of the dialogues, on the other side I loved Crowe and Giamattis performances as well as the box fights. Especially the fight against Max Baer was incredible. B

A surprisingly moving and beautifully shot film. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the acting is solid across the board. Even the children are very strong, especially that darn cute little girl. This is a definate recommendation, and the film portrays depression era New York unlike any film I have ever seen. Beautiful.

Crowe is good, but nothing special in my opinion. The one thing I do love is that Russel Crowe can say everything without speaking one word. His face speaks volumes. Giamatti was certainly a standout, and after watching this film, I certainly would not mind to see him receive a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Oscars. And my personal favourite person in this film was Zellweger. People make fun of her all the time, but I think she is an exceptional actress, and she was the best of this film.

I loved how stunningly accurate humiliation was portrayed in this movie. When Jimmy went to go on assistance, his face along with the woman's tone of speech when saying "I never expected to see you here, Jimmy" combined with the perfect camera angle showed the humiliation so well. And when Jimmy went to "beg" for money, Russel Crowe showed enormous restraint and did not over act the scene in any way.

Problems that prevented this from being a solid A were the few cheesy moments, including the friend cheering Jimmy on in the bar, as well as the HEAVILY OVERBEARING music. That detracts from a lot of scenes that would have been better off with no music at all. Otherwise, a top notch film, which is totally surprising coming from me, considering I've always disliked Ron Howard.

A-