Jeff Wells, who comes up for air to write:
I know I predicted this based on a reading of Peter Buchman’s script, buy [sic] the first half of Steven Soderbergh’s 268-minute Che Guevara epic is, for me, incandescent — a piece of full-on realism about the making of the Cuban revolution that I found utterly believable and politically vibrant and searing.
It’s what I’d hoped for and more. Benicio del Toro’s Guevara portrayal is, as expected, a flat-immersion that can’t be a “performance” as much as a knock-down ass-kick inhabiting. Oh, God…the second half is starting right now. Whoa….the aspect ratio on the second film is 1.85 tov1, but the first film was in Scope 2.35 to 1.
I think I see it…if I could just…maybe I could…almost…I…we lost him.
God, now we know what movie he’ll be bitching about all year when it gets absolutely zero awards recognition. “Zodiac 2”?
I’d like to see Benecio Del Toro in something not so overwrought.
Totally miss the days when he was opposite Alicia Silverstone.
“… Baggage”?
Variety: ‘Scattered partisans are likely to step forward, but pic in its current form is a commercial impossibility except on television or DVD. ‘
Heh, at the mention of scattered partisans I immediately thought of poor old Jeff Wells!
Variety’s review is extremely disappointing & since their review will reflect the wider consensus amongst serious print critics Soderbergh clearly has his work cut out. I look forward to hearing about a hopefully much improved recut in the not too distant future.
Variety has already panned both films. Ouch! I hope others like it. I want these two films to be GREAT!
Wells has been so enthused by the very idea of these films it seemed like his reaction was almost predestined. That said, it’s always nice to see him love a movie, or in this case two of them.
Benicio is always excellent but in “Thing We Lost in the Fire” last year, he showed me that he is one of the best 3 living actors in my opinion.