Two Words, One Answer.
Cameron Crowe
 Elizabethtown (Widescreen Edition) $12.98 Nice and strong for the first 10-15 minutes, but movie lost focus as soon as Bloom's character arrived in Kentucky. What was the movie trying to say? Young man who loved and thought he knew his father discovers facets he never knew, thereby gaining greater perspective and understanding to handle his own problems? Nope, that didn't happen. Young man from big city who had always thought his father's side of the family was corny and strange discovers a strong loving base from which he goes forth into the world once again? Nope, not that either. Young man putzes from scene to disjointed scene wondering why he's there? Yes, that's it! A few things were very hard for me to get my mind around: why were there no focus groups done on that shoe? How did Susan Sarandon fit all those classes into just three days, and how did it happen that they all started in that exact week that her husband died? How did Kirsten Dunst make that incredibly complex guidebook in just one day? How come Kirsten Dunst kept coming back after she said "We peaked on the phone"?? Bloom and Dunst's hours long phone call bored me, by the way, as did Susan Sarandon's long speech/dance, as did the pointless journey across America. I very much wanted to fast forward but was afraid I'd miss the one little sentence or scene that gave meaning to the movie. Turns out there wasn't one. Go ahead and fast forward through this entire movie. You won't miss anything.  Songs from the Brown Hotel $8.49 The music is alright. In the film, I felt connected to the songs, but without the film much of that connection is lost.  Almost Famous $12.99 May become THE film about 70's rock. Follows the story of a young rock music reporter (based on Crowe's real-life experiences). Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Kate Hudson, Frances McDomand, and the always-entertaining Philipp Seymour-Hoffmann are a first-rate cast that bring the 70's heyday of heavy rock to life in a moving, emotional story that successfully encapsulates the mythology of the rock star life. The 'Director's Cut' includes more footage of the band's "tour" and is the version that should have been released in theatres. This is a wonderful movie that tanked at the box office; hopefully over the years more people will see it and appreciate it for what it is: Cameron Crowe's affectionale and nostalgic tribute to 1970's rock music. |
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