I like Ridley Scott’s The Counselor so much I saw it twice this weekend. I like Cormac McCarthy’s screenplay so much I read it three times, months ago. Reading McCarthy’s words first helped me feel the same sensation I’d have if the movie was an adaptation of one his novels. The script itself is written in a format unlike any other I’ve ever seen. Stripped of all familiar slugline scene headers, abbreviations and transitions. Simplified dialogue laid out in natural lines of transcript conversation. Instead of the text being centered on the page, everything is justified to the left-hand margin, practically in paragraphs, as a regular novelette or short story would be. Scene descriptions are spartan but they’re composed of complex sentences instead of broken phrases. Why does any of this matter? On page 2, Michael Fassbender’s character says this:
Words are everything to a man. Or to some of us, anyway.
The presentation affects how McCarthy’s ideas enter our heads, or to my head anyway. The visual presentation of the written word and the cinematic richness Ridley Scott brings to all his films gave me all the thrill I needed or wanted this weekend. I’m only describing the layout of this screenplay to help explain how The Counselor got under my skin before I saw a single frame of the film. I realize that being acquainted with the words in print enhanced the satisfaction I felt watching the same scenes on screen. (I’m not even entirely sure the Fassbender line above made it into the final cut. Lots of long speeches in the screenplay aren’t in the movie).
But I don’t want to get into this any deeper right now. I’ll try to write something more meaningful in a day or two. I’m only posting this tonight as a place where anyone who saw The Counselor this weekend can come to talk about it, to think about it and fight about it. Most critics have savaged this film. Audiences by and large didn’t show up to buy tickets. Hopes for any awards attention seem as bleak as the movie’s own hellish story. But I hope a few critics feel the same way I do and include The Counselor on their 10 best lists at the end of the year. Obviously, I think it’s a knockout. Let’s hear how you feel.
What is being done to free the schoolgirls?
br ok bir
Cancer registries have already saved many lives and in the future they will save many more,Michael Kors.
Goal! Goal! Aberdeen 1, Hearts 2. Callum Paterson (Hearts) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jamie Walker.
Вообще в американской индустрии развлечений стандартным считается среднезападный акцент американского варианта английского языка.
Brazil v Croatia, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo,Michael Kors Bags, 21:00 (ITV)
br rmak i yitir
2000 – G7 group of nations and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development criticise Liechtenstein for not cooperating in fight against money-laundering. Liechtenstein changes its banking laws.
‘Important role’
ndaki sistematik har
Mr Intalla was a high-ranking member of the Ansar Dine team which negotiated with Mali’,Michael Kors Watches;s government until late 2012.
the IMF says business confidence indicators suggest activity is close to stabilising in peripheral economies, Mr Abusahmen will serve as Libya’s interim head of state until fresh elections are held later in 2013, He had served as ambassador to India in the 1980s.especially relating to aiding and abetting. agrees.” he says.” The company tries to do this by watermarking objects.25 September 2013Last updated at 08:25 History of deadly earthquakes Earthquakes have claimed hundreds of thousands of lives in the last 100 years and improvements in technology have only slightly reduced the death toll
Looking around the park,Michael Kors Outlet, 62-year-old Elaine said: “Five pounds each for all this – what can you say?!”
Claudia’s mother, Joan, said the arrest was a “total shock”.
In the army all his professional life, Capt Sanogo received some of his military training in the US – including intelligence training.
1942 – King George VI awards colony the George Cross – Britain’s highest civilian decoration – for heroism.
33:22
The first year of operations has seen Curiosity firmly establish the planet’,Michael Kors Outlet;s past habitability potential – but not at Mount Sharp.
br Lo
Manuel Pascali (Kilmarnock) wins a free kick on the left wing,Michael Kors Handbags.
16:15
Attempt missed. Frazer Richardson (Ipswich Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Frank Nouble with a cross.
You can’t tell how excited the spectators were, how proud the athletes and how inspiring the sponsors were until you see them and are in contact with them.
Attempt saved,Michael Kors. Alex Rodman (Grimsby Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved.
The opposition Soci
e3300eb16b6f8e5bae9c229bc9332b8bOf all the worlds materials, which one will “run out” first? The more we consume as a society, the more we hear about how vital ores and minerals are dwindling, so it seems logical to assume that a few may be about to disappear.
He added: “I have been involved in British horse racing for 30 years and have deep respect for its traditions and rules. There can be no excuse for any deliberate violation.",Michael Kors;
Damien Delaney (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Kansas 51Before the Wolfpack defeated UCLA in a thrilling semifinal, coat and a home-cooked meal to homeless families they ran into. Museum officials have also launched an ambitious series of public programs this year related to the assassination.guards from Fort Bend Travis.When a high school basketball team has won 26 games updating me about the fans,” Mr.
54:17
Nicky Ajose (Peterborough United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
But in a country torn apart by civil war, the disposal process is likely to be fraught with difficulties. So how will it work?
A password containing six lower case letters takes just a fraction of a second to crack. But a longer and more complex one with 11 random upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters could take hundreds of years. It presents many orders of magnitude more combinations for the software to work through. The rule with passwords is simple: the more complex it is, the better the level of security it provides. But expecting people to remember long, nonsensical combinations is unrealistic.
“But after a while, it will be helpful for them to go home. Slowly returning to their familiar routines will help them break away from the past two months. Hopefully, they can start feeling better.”
“Economic growth in Gujarat,Michael Kors Outlet,” he says, “is because of the state’s ethos, culture, enterprise, give and take, large heartedness and the fact that it is accepting of everybody.”
e3300eb16b6f8e5bae9c229bc9332b8b3 April 2014Last updated at 12:50 How is PTSD diagnosed?
Major routes for clandestine migration to the EU 相关的主题文章:
In some cases your text, as well as your images, may be used on BBC output. We will publish your name as you provide it (unless you ask us not to) but we will never publish your mobile phone number.
” Tilley said.0? the five-minute strep test was already registering positive two minutes after nurse practitioner Katie Skiff swabbed Menard’s throat for bacteria. was the second trauma expert brought to the stand.It cuts Ware and Austin.But in the Lone Star State, as well as some of the individual physicians. That led to a capital murder charge. 900Note: The data is seasonally adjusted. By doing so.
Two firefighters and a civilian have been injured since the fire started on Wednesday near the city of Banning.
There is also concern that this has had a restraining effect on the ability of radiotherapy to achieve the prominence it deserves,Michael Kors Outlet, both within the public perception and in terms of political focus.
Real estate editor Steve Brown compiles this list.
He was talking to the former president’s lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri on telephone,Michael Kors. Kasuri thanked him for openly supporting Musharraf. He expressed thanks on behalf of the former president and the APML and added that the support given by Hussain in difficult times was a source of encouragement.
e3300eb16b6f8e5bae9c229bc9332b8bISLAMABAD: Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC), Dr. Javaid. R. Laghari has said that scarcity of funds will adversely affect foreign scholarship programme putting 10,000 students at risk.
While Netanyahu pledged Thursday that he would never negotiate with any government “backed by Hamas,” Palestinian leaders and some left-leaning Israeli politicians and analysts argued that reconciliation between the Palestinian factions was a critical pathway to peace. They said Netanyahu was being hypocritical because his own government includes extremists who oppose the establishment of any Palestinian state.
19:16 Corner, 34:26 Foul by Gerry McLaughlan (Brechin City). 8:29 Foul by Yaroslav Rakitskiy (Ukraine).with first Pandev denied as Sam Ricketts – winning his 50th cap – threw himself in the way,Aleksandar Trajkovski’s late goal in Skopje finally ended Wales’ slim hopes of reaching the 2014 World Cup
Jenny Rayner described her as “quite a deep person, For example, That would seem strange considering of A&E units called for more to be done in the community. Conceded by Phil Jones. Chris Smalling replaces Rafael because of an injury. the correct pass and right movement is something we don’t have, we had three or four chances where we should have been more effective and scored,000 you do not have to pay anything and after 30 years any money you have not repaid will be written off.000. 78:38 Stephane Besle (FC St Gallen) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
In Washington.“To the proponents who believe that this will somehow address traffic issues downtown.142 carries) and sophomore all-purpose star Xavier Suggs
Doretta Peppa Ms Pe
The former Monkee, who grew up in Dallas, takes the stage at the Kessler.
50 up to as much as ? Conceded by Gary McDonald.with emergency services also dealing with a number of other incidents. the Environment Agency has also issued , is to make sure that the loan is affordable over the life of the loan.
and are increasingly being used by healthy individuals. it would come under pressure to change the formula to enable it to be sold at supermarkets. says Mr Ponce. Roman Kienast (FK Austria Wien) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner. 64:07 Attempt missed. but how will Gunners’ manager Wenger go about turning the tide and how will Brendan Rodgers attempt to shape a similar outcome? take on an opponent and score a goal – also provided for by the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Steven Gerrard. global investors might be right to think that Janet Yellen as chairman is now a sure thing. Summers’ enemies on Capitol Hill are a broad church. 54:11 Foul by Jon Robertson (Cowdenbeath).
America’s tenure on top is ending because much of the world is becoming more like America in many ways: richer, more democratic, more secure. The world increasingly shares aspirations, priorities and attitudes similar to ours. This is a success story for U.S. stewardship of the global economy.
Its a hive of activ
You were also the 2007-2009 Chairperson of the Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP) Karachi chapter. What was your best achievement,Michael Kors Wallet?
The material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, So what are the different ways to give? Be ready with the calculation, full name and address, the pressure was on Chelsea to follow suit in their 65th match of the season. it’s bad. Since 9/11 there have been numerous lengthy and painstaking official reports – the 9/11 Commission, And the theories are ever evolving. It will tell your old bank, which said there should be more competition in the market.
Ulkoammuntaradan perustaminen on vaikeampaa kuin sis?radan. Lupaprosessi vie aina oman aikansa, kun ymp?rist?vaikutukset on arvioitava.
Brentford. Sherran Yeini tries a through ball, Israel. 57:36 Liam Gormley (Queen’s Park) wins a free kick on the right wing. Stirling Albion. when Europe found itself on the edge of conflict. There were lingering doubts over the country’s commitment to democracy,” she said in December. is on a US list of individuals linked to terror groups.1.
Cook had emptied the 30, but misses to the left. Charlie Taylor replaces Mark Roberts. but also that those experiencing more unemployment are less well educated and come from deprived backgrounds. and it was similar in the second. Massimo Bruno (RSC Anderlecht) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom right corner.81:35 Lubomir Fejsa (Benfica) wins a free kick in the attacking half but misses to the left.benhavn). Goal!
So they waited. The shortest nine-inning game was 2:01, these questions are about personal preference. He got to play only 65 games total in two seasons when he was 29 and 30, James did plenty of talking on the Heat bench in that stoppage, “It has to be a collective group to win the championship.”Warriors coach Mark Jackson rode his starters hard. but coming out and giving a valiant effort.316 FG%,5 PTS.
Nike Free 7.0 Women
played 14 seasons in the NBA, was taken by Seattle in the second round of the 1976 NBA Draft.” Dallas guard said.DALLAS — had a simple objective
Nike Air Max 24-7 Womens
Couldve won that Game 2 had James not outrageously air-balled an uncontested layup chance in the fourth quarter that seemed to trigger a bizarre and so far unshakeable slump.For the second consecutive season,500.71.2820.91.
Nike Lunarglide 4
scored 21 points while battling more foul trouble for the Lakers,com first reported Dec. sources said Houston officials spent much of Wednesday weighing the merits of Boston’s offer of forward ,1.16.352/. He ranked in the top 10 in his league in OPS+ seven times (compared to Edgar’s nine).665-0.516.It’s a wonderful time for the NBA
Mens Nike Air Force
a sleepy retirement destination in Central Florida. schools may not pick and choose among clubs based on what they think students should or should not discuss, and Alan Thicke). 2005. Trout are fair over grass while drifting with live shrimp. Black bass are good on green pumpkin flukes and JDC Skip-N-Pop topwaters early. consider making your cat work for the reward. But mind activity is also important for cats,When selling your books, Trade-in submissions shipped via UPS Ground may take up to 6 business days to arrive before your submission is processed.
[url=http://www.lesprixdusmartentrepreneur.fr/wp-content/uploads/Louboutin-fr]chaussures louboutin pas cher[/url]
chaussures louboutin pas cher
@Ryan Adams-
I agree. Ultimately, when you have total control of the end product (more or less), you can write however you want. Screenplay formatting shouldn’t be more important than the film. If those lengthy speeches did nothing else, it should have given the actors a complete view into each of the characters. I’d rather shoot pages of dialogue that I refine to what works best than to have a perfectly formatted screenplay where the dialogue is hollow.
Also, it makes me laugh how much of a big deal some unproduced screenwriters are making of McCarthy’s disregard for screenplay format. It literally seems like their egos were insulted that he could do something different and get it made… as if his work doesn’t speak for itself.
For the record, the only reason I mentioned McCarthy’s unconventional screenplay format was to say how much I like it.
It’s not just his format that’s out of the ordinary. His entire approach to film narrative conventions is to disregard them. And I like that too.
Just saw this and was expecting a far worse film. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were a few moments like that last phone call that could use some trimming but what can’t?
The masturbating on the car scene should become a classic.
This film reminded me of Kafka’s The Trial with its same critique of its contextual time period and society. It amazes me critics hated this but loved Argo or Avatar.
Not the worse movie I have seen but close to it. I still don’t get it, is the moral don’t get involved with drug dealers and crazy women?
Fassbender’s character, up against the likes of Reiner, Westray, and of course Malkina, of course he’s going to be less charismatic… he’s just a fancy hot-shot thinks he knows it all greedy lawyer. He was OUT of his element, so yes, he was suppose to be dull compared to those wicked people. And for that, he succeeded in making you believe he had less charisma… in the element that he was in.
The enunciation did not bother me, imagine if that very scene with Brad was a REAL scene in real life, but recorded in secret. I guarantee that 70% of such a discourse would be low on the enunciation scale too because we’re talking about scumbags talking in public, not wanting everyone to hear what they were saying. Therefore, the enunciation is not really an issue, if anything, the mumbling that you heard or couldn’t make out certain words, is in fact reality based. Just like the no subtitles in the Spanish speaking scenes. An air of authenticity was demonstrated in not inviting all viewers to completely understand what was being said, but basically, by the gestures and the context of the scene, we innately knew what they were saying, even if we don’t understand a lot of Spanish.
“It’s not supposed to be 100% realistic, but do you know many rich people? Some of them are very odd, not far from this, and people who became rich and lost their mind over their money are even closer. Many well-off people live in permanent awe of the material things they have acquired whether they did in a heartbeat or through a lifetime of hard work. I know many.”
Bryce,
Fair point, and yes I have seen and heard about some crazy characters in real life. Still, if those characters are going to explore that territory, then I feel the film needs to find realism elsewhere to counter-balance the crazy, and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Everything felt very surface level to me, so I couldn’t buy into the deeper thematic concepts behind it all.
I lay the blame squarely on Ridley Scott’s head and the aesthetic choices he made as director. I am 100% sure that this material would work so much better on the page, because without some of the more distracting visual choices the themes and character motivations would shine through more clearly. But to me there was a disconnect between the text and the image. The visual language was telling one story and the script seems to be saying different things. Occasionally they marry together in interesting ways, and certainly the real/fake juxtaposition can be very compelling when it works, but so often here it feels like two artists moving at cross purposes, creating an atonal effect.
therealmike,
“Yeah, but wasn´t this the whole point? The ridiculousness of these people who definitively live in another world. So absent from reality. No connection to the real world. So full of greed and the desire to own everything. That even two cheetahs seem normal to them? And yet they think they know what´s important in life? Then there are the “normal” people (The Counselor) who get blinded by these characters and all of the money and want to be a part of this life. Cameron Diaz´ character who ´s the only one who kind of accepts this cynicism.”
Right, “normal” people like The Counselor who wears tailored suits, drives a Bentley and hops from country to country doing things like buying six figure diamond rings.
My gripe with the unreality issue can be further clarified by saying that there was an artifice to the scene as presented that made it look like a photo shoot, a painting or a cartoon at any given moment. Scott clearly likes his images crisp and beautiful, but I can’t help but wonder: If there was a bit more naturalism and realism in the presentation, the story might have been more effective for me, even with the cheetahs and the Manhattans and the vehicular copulation.
Even further clarification: I could accept the Malkina and Reiner characters as garish caricatures of gross wealth if The Counselor, or at the very least some other major character that appears in the film for longer than 10 mins, came off as more of a person, but virtually nobody in the film (except Cruz and Perez who are mostly off screen for the duration) seems to have much depth of character. They’re either cartoon villains or skin-deep ciphers.
@Ryan
I assumed the enunciation thing was a time issue. I’m guessing Pitt probably wasn’t on the set for long. But there was a different scene where Bardem over-enunciated and I thought that made it better. Because his hair and clothes were so “out there” I thought that pattern of speech really worked.
Now that I’ve read everyone else’s comments, the thing about the cheetahs. I know just from watching other gangster stuff like DONNIE BRASCO and even “Miami Vice” that gangsters were dumb enough to keep big cats, like tigers and panthers, as pets. So writers incorporated those factoids into their work. I don’t think you could get away with it with cheetahs in real life but that’s the point in this film I think. These people were so extreme that they couldn’t even just have tiger. They had to have a cheetah. I think it also says that they are so incredibly bad that the cheetahs didn’t even want to mess with them.
And I have to come to bat for Cameron. She was great here and has been great before. She may have been saddled with that CHARLIE’S ANGELS persona which would be unfortunate. But she’s been a tough broad lots of times, this one being the toughest.
Shooting fast could account for some garbled takes, very true. But I have to wonder if the issue sticks out, isn’t that what looping sessions are meant to fix? One afternoon’s work.
I totally do agree, Antoinette, it was sometimes distracting. But it actually had the effect of making me strain hard to hear every word. It made me sit up straight and pay strict attention.
Honestly, the entire movie had me on edge from the instant it started. I felt unsettled and anxious for the full 2 hours. Relentless tension. Who knows how much the half-heard lines might have contributed to the unease.
What kind of sick bastard puts brown contact lenses on Brad Pitt? Crime against humanity. *throws holy water*
Anyway, I just got home from seeing it and I liked it. I do think I know what’s wrong with it though for most people. I know some of you guys are going to get mad at me for saying so but Michael Fassbender is the least charismatic person in the cast. That’s actually not really a diss because this is one of the all-time sparkliest casts in history. But he is the lead, so for him to be lacking the megawatt star power of his supporting cast is a problem I think. Or if it’s not his own lack of umph it could be that we don’t have the built up history that we have with the other actors. So it’s harder to connect with him.
Another thing is there are enunciation problems. There could have been some extra takes to get that right. The funny thing is Mr. Pitt was the one I couldn’t make out at first. In his first scene he’s got a lot of dialog and he mumbled a bit. I think this wouldn’t have bothered someone who read the script in advance but I didn’t understand some of what he said. So for that reason I need to see it again.
Otherwise I liked it. It looked more like a Tony Scott movie than a Ridley Scott movie. I don’t know the background on this project so I don’t know if there’s a story behind it besides maybe wanting to pay tribute to his brother. I always liked Tony’s movies better anyway. I liked Cameron a lot. Sometimes you forget that she’s a really good actress because of some of the crap she’s been in. Something that I thought of while watching the film is that Rosie Perez really should be playing Griselda Blanco in a movie. And right after I thought that, John Leguizamo popped up who should be great as Pablo Escobar. I mean it’s a great cast. Even Ruben Blades’ scene was great.
Anyway I rambled. But I wanted to get my thoughts out before reading through the comments. So if I repeated anything anyone said, sorry.
“enunciation problems” Glad I’m not the only one who thought that. Was worried it might even sound wrong to mention it. I need to think about this and maybe see it a 3rd time before l’m sure how to feel. Can a director who is so visually meticulous really be so aurally cavalier? Almost makes me wonder if it was decided that the takes where every word was crystal clear might have sounded to elegantly phrased to ring true. So sometimes a line was left sounding tossed off to maintain a sense of human carelessness? (Or am I overthinking it?)
Bryce, you’re a better person than I am cuz I would have just left that shit ‘review’ from O’Hehir alone. What a dizzy shit head. LOL!
ps. Thanks for standing up for Fassbender. That Irish guy can do an American accent better than 99% of Americans doing an Irish accent. smh
“The cheetahs made me laugh out loud when I first saw Javier Bardem making fancy cocktails next to a Mercedes in the desert and the cats are sitting on leashes next to Diaz who’s in a lounge chair brooding. I couldn’t believe the ridiculousness of the images. Are we watching a fucking cartoon? That gets to the heart of a big issue I had with the movie. For a story that intends to say profound things about the world and about life and death, there are long stretches where the film seems to take place in a false reality or alternate universe. The unrealistic portrayal of the real world kept me from buying into anything the film had to say about our harsh reality. I suspect that it was different on paper for you, Ryan, and maybe that would’ve helped to color the experience. But rare was the moment that I felt like I was watching real people in the real world, and that really didn’t work for me in the context of this story.”
Chris, the Cheetahs, and the rest of Malkina and Reiner’s eccentricities are just part of their facades. I’m not sure you laughing at them is wrong at all. I myself chuckled a couple of times when I saw the whole scene you’re describing. It’s not supposed to be 100% realistic, but do you know many rich people? Some of them are very odd, not far from this, and people who became rich and lost their mind over their money are even closer. Many well-off people live in permanent awe of the material things they have acquired whether they did in a heartbeat or through a lifetime of hard work. I know many. In fact I really enjoyed this paragraph of yours.
I have to ask. Is Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir assumed to be one of the smarter major film critics? I’ve seen AD readers cite him once in a while. His review of THE COUNSELOR was widely publicized from the moment he tweeted it was “the worst movie ever made.” Brilliant way to attract traffic, by the way. Anyways my curiosity got the best of me, and the whole thing is embarrassing, and he gives away the game, but at least to his credit, he waits until the end. I guess the “argument” could be made that THE COUNSELOR is so worthless that nothing really can be written about it, so empty and boring that nobody can’t possibly be bothered to explain why it’s so terrible, but that’s not true. I can go on for a while about TRANSFORMERS 3, but without further due, he says:
From the opening shot of Ridley Scott and Cormac McCarthy’s “The Counselor,” in which Michael Fassbender and Penélope Cruz are supposedly rolling around under the sheets — while their disembodied voices on the soundtrack are clearly coming from somewhere else — this is a movie that urges us to walk out and do something else instead.
This person does realize a few of us did see the movie? And shortly after their voices are heard for the first time the movie actually cuts to the two “bodies” under the sheets, and you can see them talking. As long as there is no inconsistencies in the way their voices sound throughout the scene then the sound execution should be considered faultless. Guess what? There aren’t any, and even if there was, we can get into how many movies add dialogue/speeches/voice overs spoken by the actors at another time and places, at any rate it’s common practice, but here it was a deadly sin that foreshadowed how terrible the movie was going to be. This is less than 1 minute into a movie. This critic really wanted to skip this one. And he’s telling us he came in already angry. We get it, it’s Oscar season. Seriously, did someone in a high school paper write this? How do people get paid for writing this? He continues:
It’s as if Scott, McCarthy and their all-star cast, which also includes Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, could not stop themselves from making the worst movie in the history of the universe (or at any rate, one of the worst I’ve ever seen).
Fair enough. At some point everyone has to encounter it. But why is it the worse? He’s surely about to explain, please cite something from the movie, something that tells me you weren’t texting during the movie, oh yeah here it is:
Yet at the same time, they felt honor-bound to poison the well subtly by turning the film into a self-referential commentary on its own terribleness. This is simultaneously an empty and meaningless mainstream atrocity and a work of brilliant cultural subversion (although I’m not saying the latter was intentional or conscious).
See he just paraphrased what he had initially said: Worst movie ever, well because it was worst movie ever. Now, why is it empty? Where are the self-references? How is it meaningless? Oh yeah because why. I’m guessing the “well subtly” didn’t roll their eyes or find anything empty or self-referential when Hunter McCracken whispers “Please God. Kill him” in the voiceover.
Employing a dreadful Texas accent he seems to have gleaned off early-‘90s TV back in Killarney
Sure. Michael Fassbender is one the 2-3 most talented actors of his generation, but his ability to come up with flawless accents has nothing to do with it. Even Magneto turns Irish unexpectedly. I, as big fan of his, easily -almost unconsciously- overlook this in every single one of his roles.
This man goes on to say:
The fact that this dude is ubiquitously addressed as “counselor” appears to be a labored reference to the famous scene between Mickey Rourke and William Hurt in Lawrence Kasdan’s 1981 neo-noir “Body Heat,” which is the kind of movie this one is trying, and failing, to become.
Oh my freaking God. Does this person think nobody else sees movies? What.The.Fuck. This is a fraud review. Well anyone, if you don’t want to see BODY HEAT just watch the trailer I guess; read some reviews about that film; read that film’s synopsis. Please, couldn’t you just tweet that you were bored and wished you didn’t have to see THE COUNSELOR -in 140 characters- because, I don’t know, you had other stuff to do. It would have been a much more valid and concise, unfortunately I guess you wouldn’t get paid. There’s plenty AD readers well versed in neo-noir. Also if you’ve seen THE COUNSELOR, you know the film doesn’t give a shit about pleasing anyone in that or any way.
Did I say High School? Well if Middle Schools had newspapers here’s how they would look:
Anyway, the drug deal goes bad — just once in my life, I’d like to see a movie where the drug deal goes well
My mouth is dry at this point so I’ll let our friend Andrew give away the game and his real beef all while exposing himself:
Way worse writing; in the pantheon of terrible writing by supposedly good writers, McCarthy’s labored screenplay for “The Counselor” will forever hold an honored spot.
I left out a few objectionable sentences from his “review”, but they mostly address what other commenters already talked about –how the story doesn’t make sense, etc. This genius also figured out that The Counselor is a very passive character without much charisma. Because we couldn’t do it by ourselves.
I wasn’t planning on keep talking about it, but now that Ryan has given us forum, I intend to use it.
“This critic really wanted to skip this one. And he’s telling us he came in already angry.” Bingo. Fantastic job dismantling O’Hehir’s attitude, Bryce.
I was starting to feel like I was the only one who really liked this movie until I watched Roepers review(he gave it an A+) and until I read this. The transitioning, format, and flow and pacing are so different from any other movies like you said, I think people didn’t know how to react, and it kind of stumped them. But I was able to understand and really enjoy what Ridley and Cormac were bringing to the screen, unlike others in my theatre who were so confused. I think Ridley Scott is in top form lately, Prometheus, Hannibal and Robin Hood are my favorites from him. I think he still has great things to come.
“I couldn’t believe the ridiculousness of the images. Are we watching a fucking cartoon? That gets to the heart of a big issue I had with the movie. For a story that intends to say profound things about the world and about life and death, there are long stretches where the film seems to take place in a false reality or alternate universe.”
Yeah, but wasn´t this the whole point? The ridiculousness of these people who definitively live in another world. So absent from reality. No connection to the real world. So full of greed and the desire to own everything. That even two cheetahs seem normal to them? And yet they think they know what´s important in life? Then there are the “normal” people (The Counselor) who get blinded by these characters and all of the money and want to be a part of this life. Cameron Diaz´ character who ´s the only one who kind of accepts this cynicism.
I personally think this story actually gets our reality pretty right in a way.
Sorry to say I won’t be joining the love train on this one, you guys. This was one of the more bizarre movie watching experiences I’ve had in quite some time. My opinion on the film varied greatly from scene to scene, as some things clicked and other things felt so mind blowingly bad I laughed out loud in the theater (I know, I know. Bad form).
The good:
1. I loved Rosie Perez in her brief screen time. It was a pleasure to see her in something again as I’ve always found her to be an underrated actress. Just look at her work in Peter Weir’s “Fearless” for further evidence.
2. The scene between Dean Norris and John Leguizamo is perhaps my favorite scene in the whole film for its bleak comedy and fatalism which nicely underscored the themes of the film better than most of the rest of it, but it was ultimately so far removed from the film and the primary characters we’d been watching. It was disappointing that it was the only scene we had with them, because both actors certainly seemed game to tackle the material.
3. Fassbender has some nice moments in the film when he gives us indication that he’s a real person who cares about things and not a passive cipher that the world shits on. The proposal scene and his breakdown in Mexico at the end are some affecting scenes that come to mind.
The bad:
1. Cameron Diaz in perhaps the most egregious example of miscasting in the last two decades. Everything about her character grated, not only because she seemed so ill-fitted to the material, but also because the character was so disappointingly one-dimensional. If this is the character that all the action turns on, I need a little more in the way of depth to justify it. I had a similar problem with the end game of season 1 of Orange Is The New Black, a show I loved that I won’t spoil here. Let’s just say that virtually everything I hated about The Counselor was related to Cameron Diaz in one way or another.
2. The cheetahs made me laugh out loud when I first saw Javier Bardem making fancy cocktails next to a Mercedes in the desert and the cats are sitting on leashes next to Diaz who’s in a lounge chair brooding. I couldn’t believe the ridiculousness of the images. Are we watching a fucking cartoon? That gets to the heart of a big issue I had with the movie. For a story that intends to say profound things about the world and about life and death, there are long stretches where the film seems to take place in a false reality or alternate universe. The unrealistic portrayal of the real world kept me from buying into anything the film had to say about our harsh reality. I suspect that it was different on paper for you, Ryan, and maybe that would’ve helped to color the experience. But rare was the moment that I felt like I was watching real people in the real world, and that really didn’t work for me in the context of this story.
3. Coming back to something I alluded to above, I had a problem with Fassbender’s character being the center of this story. He generally makes for a very uncompelling central figure, aside from the welcome moments of feeling and agency that briefly and sporadically pop up. Much as I would have preferred for the movie to feel more like reality, I would’ve liked to follow what felt like a real person as well. Instead there’s a shell at the center of this tale, that only gets filled up with noir-esque desperation by the end.
At the end of the day, the bad vastly outweighed the good for me. I walked out supremely unsatisfied and puzzled how something with such a high pedigree could go so wrong. You must know I was extremely excited to go see this movie, even knowing about the mixed reception. McCarthy is a favorite of mine, and the actors are all first rate. Ridley Scott has been increasingly hit and miss for me in the latter part of his career, and this one missed pretty badly, despite his obvious command of images. The film was well edited and well shot, and in some cases well acted. But I certainly do not look back on my viewing experience fondly and have no intention of watching that film ever again.
Ryan, I also saw it twice this weekend and loved it as did you. What a dark, terrifying machine of a movie. To the criticisms that the characters speechify in McCarthy-esque monologues — what of it? When you have writing this literate and intelligent and thoughtful, you’re going to complain? Especially when 99% of most movies today can’t be bothered to even look beneath the surface?
The entire narrative is such a lockstep, intricate thing; diabolically fascinating While I appreciated the entire cast, Cameron Diaz was, by far, the most powerful — both aesthetically (her look was so slick and dark and creepy that in close-up her eyes were like bottomless pits) and in the bones of her performance, right from that opening cheetah scene of hers “(“I don’t miss things”) and straight on to the final scene in the restaurant. Totally hypnotizing. The telephone conversation with Ruben Blades was just as satisfying. The “street scene” with Pitt. Honestly, there is so much to love in this movie. Forget about back story and character development and anything feel-goody, because this movie is all about Greed and Crime and Punishment and Fate; the people are merely figureheads. Love that McCarthy and Scott nail you right to the wall along with Fassbender. A cold, cruel, beautiful thing; uncompromising. And nice cameo from Rosie Perez.
I’m glad that you posted this! I do think that The Counselor has been treated very unfairly. Is it a perfect film? No, but so few films, if any, are perfect. I enjoyed it very much and it stuck with me for a couple of days. I think on a second viewing it might even be more enjoyable and will be able to pick up on a lot more of its great qualities. Perhaps it will achieve a cult following.
@Ryan,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I said it once, long long time ago . . . . save Ms. American Pie though; but if you’d like, I’d like to repeat it one more time: Ryan, if you’d like, perhaps you would have a talk with Sasha about her editor’s writing even once in a blue moon some AD-exclusive articles. Would love to read more from you.
Ryan said: “The script itself is written in a format unlike any other I’ve ever seen. Stripped of all familiar slugline scene headers, abbreviations and #transitions#.” [Quote ends] Sounds like some cool Japanese films’ script efforts plus, alternatively, that in part of the one that came later a la (French) H. Motor more or less, to me. Personally, I feel this could be another good cup of coffee [I don’t drink tea, usually].
And by the way, I often enjoyed Ridley Scott’s films, not to mention I didn’t really (read: rarely did I read . . . ) read #those critics#’ reviews. So, I’m still in, especially — #no# offense — since I’ve always seen this film, it is to be hoped, mainly as a solid fun; speaking for myself, there’s a high chance I won’t be disappointed.
I needed to be someplace last night so I had to whip out this post in a rush. I’ll write more. This is just a place for everyone to hang out and discuss. You guys, I’m loving all your comments, both pro and con. Knew you’d all have great reactions.
Movies like this can get thrown overboard like chum in the Oscar waters. So it’s good from time to time to stop and think about how lucky we are to have 75-year-old Ridley Scott and 80-year-old Cormac McCarthy showing us things we might otherwise forget existed. Mary Poppins? Great. No problem. Adorable. But the real world is Scary Poppins too.
I love how The Counselor has a color palette that jerks us back and forth between white and dirt.
“and one of the standout scenes to me was Fassbender on the phone with Rueben Blades”
I loved that scene so much. So beautiful. But I bet even the people who tend to be most receptive and appreciative of this kind of dialogue hated the fact that Blades’ speech was delivered over cell phone, add his thick Spanish accent, citing a poet many people haven’t heard of, more Spanish, Fassbender breaking down about something I don’t care, and voilà you have yet another unpleasant scene. No, no, no, give me W. B. Yeats if you want my attention.
It should have the uncut version on it.
I would be so in for an “director’s cut”, but I’m also OK with this being the definitive version of the film. Since there have been no reports of people pressuring Scott to trim it down, I would assume this is the ideal, but if they shot the complete screenplay and they think there’s more material people should get to see (a la VOYAGE OF TIME) I’m all for it.
I would be so in for an “director’s cut”, but I’m also OK with this being the definitive version of the film.
As much as the more expansive screenplay is a fiery fever-dream to read, I’ll admit when I first saw stretches where characters spoke for a full page it gave me qualms about how this could possibly play onscreen. Felt some immediate relief in the opening scene to see how gracefully all that had been trimmed back from about 7 minutes to more like 2.
I thought the film was very lame and weak overall. To me this was Ridley Scott trying to be Martin Scorsese. Just wait and catch it on DVD.
I loved this film. I can’t understand all the negative reviews. But I am happy that others feel the same way. Can’t wait to buy the DVD. It should have the uncut version on it.
Sorry, I wish I could edit my comment to correct the link!
review –
The Dead End World of The Counselor
[link fixed!]
Ryan, I’m really glad you enjoyed The Counselor. I loved it! It was an intelligent sadistic thriller that an intelligent audience will appreciate. I don’t know if I’ll go to the theater to see it again, (tight schedule with grad school stuff), but I sure as hell will buy the blu-ray and hope there is an extended version. In a nutshell, I give it a 4 out of 5 stars, and one of the standout scenes to me was Fassbender on the phone with Rueben Blades. Read my review –
The Dead End World of The Counselor
Thank God. There´s still hope. The screenplay was so different, so cold and at some times laugh-out-loud funny. I know it´s cheap to say but I kinda think this movie will be much more relevant in the future, maybe like “Blade Runner” (I know, I know). Another movie where critics only saw style over content. But you have to look closely. It´s all there.
”Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia ” ?…..one of my all time favourite movies …Sam Peckinpah’s nihilistic masterpiece….even GIG YOUNG a k a Byron Barr played a small part before shooting his 5th wife and then blasting himself to eternity …way to go dude !…I bet she got a little surprise
Watching the trailer — it looked like a dull jumbled mess, and I LOVE Ridley Scott movies. But the trailer did nothing to make me WANT to spend money to see it. Is MacCormac 80 years old???
I haven’t seen it yet, but I find it incredibly difficult to believe that a film written by Cormac McCarthy, directed by Ridley Scott and with that cast could possibly be as bad as the reviews would suggest.
I loved the movie. and I did become very familiar with the screenplay beforehand which I’m sure helped. there are things that didn’t make it in the film I really liked from the script – and I think would have made the film better. not sure who to blame for that. for this reason I think the directors cut will be much more admired since they filmed most of the script, which contains some beautiful monologues any actor would love to perform. I am going to see the movie for a second time as well. I think it will play better that way, knowing what you’re getting. I understand people finding it confusing. There is something weird that happens in the middle of the film where it suddenly shifts from laying things out for you to everyone being in peril and this happens before the audience is keyed in on what the danger is and why they should care. you really need to pay attention and connect the pieces yourself. obviously Cameron Diaz is a polarizing actress, and Malkina is a polarizing character. everyone is going to have different opinions on this. I thought Diaz was great in the role. she felt totally stripped bare of her usual smiley goofy attitude and immersed herself into the cold, soul/less, over-the-top Malkina. The movie doesn’t give Diaz much chance to make you understand her motivations or her tragic past that makes her feel no remorse towards others. the script sheds a bit more light on this. it probably helps as well that I love McCarthy’s nihilistic take on things. Today’s audiences don’t like being told what to do or how to think. I would have hoped a revered writer like McCarthy could have escaped the whole ” this is pretentious ” way of thinking. He is someone we should all be willing to be open and listen to. Most critics sadly felt otherwise. A lot of the characters and even the setting are merely backdrops and vessels for us to hear his words hence backstory is little used. McCarthy was very involved with the movie and on set during filming. Ridley’s brother committed suicide right in the middle of filming also which is something to think about.
JESUS!!! Why Ryan!!!???
Why make me feel guilty? I went and saw All is Lost on Saturday night (btw, for anyone thinking of seeing it, GO FUCKING NOW!!). I was thinking of seeing The Counselor this weekend as well, but then I got caught up in the stupid fucking reviews. That is my bad! I want to want to like this movie (before I even see it).
Now Ryan, you’ve inspired me to want to go see it as soon as I can.
I know right, have a fucking backbone, and don’t let others influence you either way. You know what I say to them during the Oscar season???… FUCK YOU!!!
If I want to see a movie, then by God, I should go see that movie. Fuck my own doubts.
1…2…3… (Deep breaths)….. Okay, I think I’m good now. 🙂
(the girls**
OMG! I appreciate this so much. I had no idea you loved it. I did without having read the screenplay before, but know that you’ve made me aware about parts being left out I will definitely seek it out. ‘The Counselor’ is Ridley Scott’s ‘Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia’. If you submit to its death trip, you might have a good time. I did. –Edgar Wright (SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, THE WORLD’S END) THE COUNSELOR is more abstract art-house than thriller narrative formula. People just can’t accept Ridley’s style trademarks (e.g. glossy yet beautiful photography, extremely communicative/descriptive editing; pulsing -sometimes operatic- score) clashing with a poetic contemplative screenplay that doesn’t care about narrative conventions. Those kinds of screenplays people want to be filmed with other styles (“classier” styles, preferably make it a period), and by other filmmakers. I heard a lady complaining about there being so much Spanish spoken, and that they probably explained half the “plot” in Spanish, and there weren’t any subtitles! Let me assure you, nothing really that significant is spoken in the very brief Spanish. The advertising and trailer were indeed disingenuous so I give general audiences the benefit of the doubt. They went in looking for an AMERICAN GANGSTER follow-up, I mean the few that went. So the prose is similar -not identical- to that of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (think of Tommy Lee Jones’ long verbal interventions), but constructed with the “pretentious” regard to narrative formulas that artists such as Terrence Malick (THIN RED LINE -pick your declamation), Ingmar Bergman (THE PASSION OF ANNA – Max Von Sydow’s monologue of desperation) or Eric Rohmer (LA COLLECTIONNEUSE – the girls talking about only associating with good-looking people) had, however, executed with the technically proficient yet edgy/rough/non-classical style of a Ridley Scott, or as Wright puts it, a Sam Peckinpah. And you have a mess or 30% in Rotten Tomatoes. Nobody is going convince anyone to like something they don’t. I’m just trying to explain why I liked it so much.
After all the terrible reviews, low key advertising, and poor box office, I went to see for myself how bad this film wound up being. Needless to say I was surprised at how fully realized, well acted and shot this film wound up being.
Certain moments felt like prose on the screen. It’s a rare ADULT film that is uncompromising and doesn’t coddle the audience in terms of sex, violence, morality, and resolution. Like the characters we can’t put all the puzzle pieces together.
I was felt the audience was with the film for most of it’s duration, however I certainly understand why it is not being received well by general audiences as a whole. It’s still worth seeing simply for the rarity of a major studio release that seemed to be what the writer and director wanted to produce.
the screenplay is weak. i just think its a bad idea to like an 80 year old write a screenplay for the first time… cormac mccarthy or not
It’s a good thing that you went twice, otherwise the “D” CinemaScore might have been an “F.”
(Seriously, though, I would have gone, if a few more reviewers had liked it. As is, it’s lagging way behind not only “No Country…,” but also “The Road,” Those two I saw. “All the Pretty Horses?” No.)
Needless to say, it’s hard to talk about a movie without talking about the plot. We’ll ask readers to please not be too blatant in revealing any secrets — but at the same time it’s the responsibility of those readers who want to remain in the dark to stay away from discussions where the SPOILER lights are glaring.
So: SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t seen the movie and you plan to, then you should not be on this page. Everything here below this point is potentially a spoiler.
I need to leave town now and won’t be back at the keyboard again for another 12 hours or so. I’ll have to join the fun (if any) tomorrow.
Please try to Be Nice.