08.27.08
Venice ‘08: “Burn After Reading”
Today marks the start of one of cinema’s most classy festivals, the 65th edition of the Venice Film festival, with the out of competition screening of the Coen Brothers new film “Burn After Reading.” Hopes are always high for the Coens’ films, and this year it is no different. I have hopes, I’m sure you have hopes, I bet we all have hopes, and if you want to remain ambivalent about the film before you see it, read no further. Or, simply, burn after reading.
Out of Competition
“Burn After Reading” by Joel and Ethan Coen
Andrew Pulver gives the film four stars out of five, saying “The film itself may be a bit of an afterthought down here on the Lido. Clocking in at a crisp 95 minutes, Burn After Reading is a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy that couldn’t be in bigger contrast to the Coens’ last film, the bloodsoaked, brooding No Country for Old Men. Burn, in comparison, is bit of a bantamweight: fast moving, lots of attitude, and uncorking a killer punch when it can.”
Wendy Ide also gave the film four stars out of five, but say’s that is does lack one thing – warmth. “The affection you felt from the Coens for the misguided fools in Fargo or Raising Arizona is lacking here for everyone except Jenkins’ hapless and hopelessly love sick gym manager. And while the film carries the audience with its entertaining, if somewhat ludicrous, blend of high level espionage and ab-toning exercises, it would perhaps be more rewarding if we could like the characters as well as laugh at them.”
Lee Marshall of Screen Daily liked the film too, saying it “is a smart urban screwball comedy about the perils of idiocy that uses its all-star cast to dazzling and often hilarious effect. A beautifully produced mix of spy story, US zeitgeist satire and relationship drama, Burn After Reading cons the audience into seeing depths – and Fargo parallels – that don’t really exist. The consumate, near-throwaway ending sets the record straight: it’s a feelgood comedy so enjoy the ride and don’t take it all so seriously.”
A far more negative take coming from Ronald Bergan, “It seems that the Coens had so little confidence in their own convoluted plot, involving the CIA, that they make fun of it when an agent tries to explain the intricacies of the happenings to his superior. Despite some attempts at contemporary relevance, it really is a very old-fashioned juvenile farce, with elements of the 70s paranoia films, which except for the stream of “fuck”s, could have been made a few decades ago.”
Todd McCarthy doesn’t seem to like it much either, “The Coens’ script, which feels immature but was evidently written around the same time as that for “No Country,” is just too fundamentally silly, without the grounding of a serious substructure that would make the sudden turn to violence catch the viewer up short. Nothing about the project’s execution inspires the feeling that this was ever intended as anything more than a lark, which would be fine if it were a good one. As it is, audience teeth-grinding sets in early and never lets up.”
Kirk Honeycutt is slightly more forgiving, “As a follow-up to last year’s multiple-Oscar winner “No Country for Old Men,” Joel and Ethan Coen clearly are in a prankish mood, knocking out a minor piece of silliness with all the trappings of an A-list studio movie. Those who relish this movie might treat it as the second coming of “The Big Lebowski”; those who don’t might wonder at a story in which no character has a level head. Signs look good, though, for a solid North American opening Sept. 12 following Wednesday’s opening-night debut at the Venice Film Festival.”
Shane Danielsen think’s it’s good, but when you compare it to No Country, which you shouldn’t, it’s merely decent. “It’s a decent movie, undeniably entertaining to watch, but afterwards you struggle to remember much about it beyond a general sense of fun being had — most of it onscreen. Yet even if it were better, even if it were very good indeed, it would still have its work cut out for it. It will inevitably be compared to the Oscar-winning, life-and-death-weighing masterpiece that preceded it, and found wanting.” But then he says, “More amusing than actually funny, it’s briskly-paced and well acted – Brad Pitt, in particular, is superb. The dialogue is sharp; it moves briskly. Still, something is missing.” I wonder what that could be.
David Gritten states pretty much what I want the film to be, “The end result will probably not mean a return night out to the Academy Awards for anyone involved, yet Burn After Reading is a terrific entertainment: fast-paced, inventive and relentlessly amusing. The Coens have taken a sledgehammmer to the notion, advanced in film after film, that espionage is a business pursued by grim-faced people blessed with total competence.”
Salmaya said,
August 27, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Yay! So the advance word is a good one. I’m glad. I expected it, but I am glad. I hope those “updates” don’t contain any negative reviews.
Dave said,
August 27, 2008 at 6:23 pm
I love round-ups like these, I usually use GreenCine but they seem to be slow on this particular film, so I guess I will jut sit back and wait for those updates. I am beyond stoked for this one.
Owen said,
August 27, 2008 at 6:25 pm
They will never top “No Country” so I am afraid all my interest in the Coens goes downhill from here.
Nick Plowman said,
August 27, 2008 at 6:26 pm
That’s a crappy point of view to have Owen, if you don’t mind me saying so. If anything, I am more curious to see what the Coens do now that they have clearly broken through into the field of masterworkers. That’s just me though.
Owen said,
August 27, 2008 at 6:44 pm
We all have different outlooks, and that’s mine. I just don’t think that Burn After Reading is my kinda movie, despite those involved.
Nick Plowman said,
August 27, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Fair enough, I guess we are all entitled to our opinions, and it is interesting meeting someone not on the Burn After Reading train. It’s all good.
J.D. said,
August 27, 2008 at 7:08 pm
No Country can go fuck itself!
…
Nick Plowman said,
August 27, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I don’t get it…
Enlighten me o’ witty one.
Justin said,
August 27, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Nick, when does Burn open in SA?
Nick Plowman said,
August 27, 2008 at 7:47 pm
9th January 2009.
*cries*
Craig Kennedy said,
August 27, 2008 at 8:20 pm
As you know, I’m steering clear of reviews until I see it. As excited as I am, I’m trying to keep my expectations modest. I have a feeling after their Oscar they will draw in some new fans who might be a little disappointed by their (apparent) return to more straight forward comedy.
We’ll see. Soon, I will know…
Miranda Wilding said,
August 27, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Hardy har har.
J.D., I love you. Even if you were joking.
That’s what I said ALL LAST YEAR. Right up until the Coens stole ATONEMENT/THERE WILL BE BLOOD’S Oscar.
*shakes blonde mane*
There ain’t no justice. EVER…..
J.D. said,
August 28, 2008 at 1:48 am
Miranda, I wasn’t joking. I was only being a little sensational.
I don’t think it’s overrated, and I think it’s amazing, but against the competition? No. NEVER. God. Ranking:
1. Atonement (my #1)
2. There Will Be Blood (my #2)
3. Michael Clayton (my #10)
4. Juno (close)
5. No Country for Old Men (not really)
I love them all, though, and I’m glad all five of them won something, ya know? And even if Atonement’s haul was stranded at Score, I’m glad that they honored one of the best scores of the decade.
Also, random: Yay Tilda!
Matthew Lucas said,
August 28, 2008 at 4:00 am
But what about Jonny Greenwood? *pouts*
J.D. said,
August 28, 2008 at 4:22 am
Yeah, that sucked. Of course it sucked! But, like, Marianelli > Greenwood. THERE, I said it. :P
Nick Plowman said,
August 28, 2008 at 5:55 am
Speaking of scores, apparently the score for Burn is pretty good too…for me, Greenwood’s score in TWBB was the best of the year (along with the one for Assassination of Jesse James) but I guess that is all water under the bridge now. Or not.
Miranda Wilding said,
August 28, 2008 at 2:52 pm
J.D., that’s AMAZING.
Out of the 50 odd films I saw in 2007, ATONEMENT was my #1 and THERE WILL BE BLOOD was my #2. JUST BARELY. They nearly tied for for first place.
I loved them so much (I think they’re both masterpieces and modern classics – and when do I EVER think that about motion pictures that have newly come on the scene? – uh…NEVER) and I still can’t comprehend that we had such a rich, unbelievable year in terms of movies.
Felt like a post modern renaissance. But maybe it was a fluke. We’ll know soon enough.
For the record, JUNO was my #8 (I’m not a typical girl – I think all that pregnancy stuff is bogus – I wouldn’t even have gone near it except that it was an awards contender – but it was genuinely a fresh surprise), in any other year MICHAEL CLAYTON would have lingered in my TOP 10 (but I HAD to let it go) and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN would have been nowhere near it.
I do think NC is one of the most overrated films I’ve ever seen. To this day. I don’t think it’s godawful. I simply think it’s slightly above average and in no way deserving of all the accolades it got.
But no matter…
I find it exceptionally cool that you and I have the same Top 2.
Awesome taste you have there, boy. You rock!!!
Miranda Wilding said,
August 28, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Oh…I still adore you, Nicky.
I wouldn’t want you to feel left out.
I simply HAD to compliment J.D. on his taste. It was too impressive.
Salmaya said,
August 28, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Thanks for the round up Nick, will you be doing this for all the days? I hope you do.
Nick Plowman said,
August 28, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Oh no Miranda, I know JD has great taste, and he deserves all the praise in the world!
And yeah, Salmaya, I will be doing it for all the days.
J.D. said,
August 28, 2008 at 4:20 pm
MIRANDA!!! <3
They really are the two best films of the year, by a GREAT margin. They’re close to each other in my regard, too, but because Atonement has more things I love (tragic romance, period costumes, Britishness, Keira, Saoirse, JAMES), I give it the edge. But there is NO denying TWBB’s effect on me. That’s probably gonna end up being one of my favorite experiences in a movie theater, ever. Just two and a half hours of staring at the screen in horrific existential excitement, LOL.
Also, when I saw Atonement, I couldn’t get up for 15 minutes, and when I did get up, I actually fell on the floor. But that’s more to do with exceeded expectations, because TWBB was actually surprising (I wasn’t expecting the 2nd best of the year, I think).
And thanx, Nick. <3
Nick Plowman said,
August 30, 2008 at 11:50 am
You fell on the floor? I wish it hit me that hard.