Dusty Morningwood Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 I have been reading Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy. Finished All The Pretty Horses a few days ago. Did not know it had been made into a movie. Is it worth renting? Now, before a couple of you start ranting about Matt Damon being a Hollywood Puke and you wouldn't watch anything with him in it (you know who you are), just pipe down and let others with an opinion of the artistic merits of the film speak up. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Milo Talon SASS #23163 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Outside of that fact.The movie is not that bad.It is worth waching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cinch, SASS#29433 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 I liked it... some of the scenery is just awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stepnmud#33546 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 I enjoyed. Lot more than first expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anvil Al #59168 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Not a great movie. But a good one. I liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paniolo Cowboy SASS #75875 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 I have been reading Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy. Finished All The Pretty Horses a few days ago. Did not know it had been made into a movie. Is it worth renting? Now, before a couple of you start ranting about Matt Damon being a Hollywood Puke and you wouldn't watch anything with him in it (you know who you are), just pipe down and let others with an opinion of the artistic merits of the film speak up. Thanks in advance. Now that's funny Dusty. How do you talk about "the artistic merits of the film" without talking about the Star of the movie, ie: his role, his character developement and portrayal, his deliverery, his acting abilities, or if he was able to carry the film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder SASS #13056 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 All the Pretty Horses All the Pretty Horses The year is 1949. A young Texan named John Grady finds himself without a home after his mother sells the ranch where he has spent his entire life. Lured south of the border by the romance of cowboy life and the promise of a fresh start, Cole and his pal embark on an adventure that will test their resilience, define their maturity, and change their lives forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Morningwood Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 How do you talk about "the artistic merits of the film" without talking about the Star of the movie, ie: his role, his character developement and portrayal, his deliverery, his acting abilities, or if he was able to carry the film? So you've seen the film? Was the acting horrible? Did it not follow the book well? Or is it something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boondock Saint, #70146 Posted December 19, 2010 Share Posted December 19, 2010 Do you like the book? If so, the movie is a pretty good match. They change it up a bit, like they always do, but it is good, and pretty true to the book. Matt Damon does a good job of bringing John Grady Cole to life. Honestly though, Lucas Black steals the screen in what is, in my opinion, an almost perfect rendition of Jimmy Blevins. I am a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy. I get excited and a bit apprehensive every time one of his books get transferred to the screen. In my opinion, All The Pretty Horses passes muster. YMMV, Boondock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Morningwood Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 Do you like the book? If so, the movie is a pretty good match. They change it up a bit, like they always do, but it is good, and pretty true to the book. Matt Damon does a good job of bringing John Grady Cole to life. Honestly though, Lucas Black steals the screen in what is, in my opinion, an almost perfect rendition of Jimmy Blevins. I am a huge fan of Cormac McCarthy. I get excited and a bit apprehensive every time one of his books get transferred to the screen. In my opinion, All The Pretty Horses passes muster. YMMV, Boondock I did like the book. Typically bummer of an ending, though, but that is what McCarthy does. Got it downstairs now and will watch it tomorrow night. Have to watch the Packers play tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paniolo Cowboy SASS #75875 Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 So you've seen the film? Was the acting horrible? Did it not follow the book well? Or is it something else? Actually I did see it, back in 2000 or 2001 when it first came to the theaters. And yes there was a reason it tanked in the theaters. As for the lead, I thought Matt Damon's role was pourly done and extremely flat. It was as bad as when he did The Legend of Bagger Vance the year before. He has a very plastic reserved persona that he brings to the role. In the novel his character has a fullness of a Cowboy, Matt Damon's idea of the character was Soap Opera perfect with no depth to his character at all. His acting abilities do not show well in this movie. He doesn't match the character in the book at all. It was just like the romance in the film between he and Penelope Cruz, it never seems to get a spark going. And the whole sensitive drama thing stinks. He makes an unconvincing Cowboy. Variety said of Damon's work in All the Pretty Horses: "Matt Damon just doesn't quite seem like a young man who's spent his life amidst the dust and dung of a Texas cattle ranch. Nor does he strike any sparks with Penelope Cruz." When I first saw the film, since I didn't know who Matt Damon was or how he does his roles, I marked it down as a poor adaptaion of a good book and just poor direction by Billy Bob Thornton. Even with his jagged film style the movie seemed tiresome and blah. Overall the only things that worked well in the movie are the horses and the scenery. At least the glimpses that we the audience do get. For me, the movie as a whole was slow and dull. Very boring. The movie lacks vitality. It seemed like a waste of time. But hey, some people like to sit in a Dentist chair and wait for the dental hygienists to finish talking with her boyfriend while you wait. That's about what it's like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Tom Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 I loved the book. I liked the movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Morningwood Posted December 20, 2010 Author Share Posted December 20, 2010 By and large the book dragged along, too, but so does real life. John Grady in the novel is not by and large a dynamic character. He is shy, awkward and a man of few words. The romantic parts of the book did not exactly sizzle and much went on behind the scenes that the reader was not privy to. Watched part of it last night and think all of the characters are doing a respectable job of portraying the characters in the book. I agree with Boondock Saint. Lucas Black is a great Jimmy Blevins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 Lucas Black was the only one that captured the personality of a hardscrabble kid out of the Texas ranch country. Although an Alabaman, he was entirely believable in his role. None of the others were in character with the except of some of the Mexican actors. I read where Lucas turned down a role in the Horse Whisperer because the producer wanted him to change his accent. Now, I really like that boy even more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paniolo Cowboy SASS #75875 Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 Lucas Black was the only one that captured the personality of a hardscrabble kid out of the Texas ranch country. Although an Alabaman, he was entirely believable in his role. None of the others were in character with the except of some of the Mexican actors. I read where Lucas turned down a role in the Horse Whisperer because the producer wanted him to change his accent. Now, I really like that boy even more! +1 That's my opinion as well. Merry Christmas Sam! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusty Morningwood Posted December 20, 2010 Author Share Posted December 20, 2010 Well, I finished watching it and was moderately happy with the results. But like most translations to film, so much of the book was lost or compressed. Having read the novel the movie made sense, but might not have had as much impact for someone who had not. I did not have any complaints about the acting, though. I personally think the actor who played the Captain of the Rurales gave one of the best performances, but that was due to the Director giving him lots of camera face time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Hoss Fly #63711 Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Very gud movie IMO- Plus Miss Cruz is in it Had it on DVD for several yrs now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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