MovieChat Forums > Motherless Brooklyn (2019) Discussion > Pretty good

Pretty good

posted 5 years ago by PrimeMinisterX (8720)
9 replies | jump to latest

Decided to skip the SJW girl power fiesta that is Terminator: Dark Fate and go see this tonight instead. I'm glad I did!

I think Norton has a winner here. He wrote, directed, produced and stars in this film and that's a pretty big accomplishment. It was also reportedly made on only $26 million.

It's not a classic, but it's an interesting and effective 50s-era noir with some nice cinematography and some really good performances.

It's really kind of a throwback to films of yesteryear and definitely feels like a they-don't-make-'em-like-they-used-to entry into the modern film landscape. And I don't mean it feels like a movie that would've been made in the 50s even though it is set then. It actually feels more like a movie that would've been made in the 90s than a film that would've been made today.

7.5/10

[–] NorrinRad (5468) 5 years ago

I enjoyed it and the "Chinatown" vibe was a pleasantly warm welcome for this film.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8720) 5 years ago

Yeah, the film definitely feels like a throwback to an earlier era, not just due to the time period in which it's set but also because of the kind of movie it is. It just seems like the kind of movie we don't see much of anymore, unfortunately.

Sadly, it looks like the box office returns aren't likely to encourage studios to make more films like this. From what I've read, despite being a wide release with a great cast, it's only going to make $3 million for the entire weekend. That's terrible.

Poor Ed Norton. Apparently this was a real passion project for him and he's been trying to get it made since 2012.

[–] NorrinRad (5468) 5 years ago

It also was released to 1/3rd of the amount of screens for a wide release but the distributor understood the appetite for this kind of movie.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8720) 5 years ago

I would still think it would pull in more than $3 million. Somewhere around $15 million shouldn't be unreasonable. It has a good cast and it's not like it hasn't been promoted. I've certainly seen ads.

[–] Satan2016 (25539) 5 years ago

OW is $3.6m, only expected 2.5m.

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 5 years ago

I love Noir so was compelled to see this. I was disappointed. Norton's Turrets portrayal was fairly accurate but that is sadly as jarring and off putting as the real thing. The real thing is absurd on the surface. Constantly reminded me that I was watching a performance. The movie was also loaded with cribbed Noir classic scenes like it had a checklist. They even tacked on the standard "bad news note swirls away in the wind while down-guy mopes down an ally." They also took care in the script to identify Baldwin's politics which was completely unnecessary and tedious in the vast company that it keeps in modern film. The movie treated itself as some complex labyrinth of plot yet I easily guessed the whole story within the first 10 minutes of the 2:24 long film. The made Chalky White gay for no germane reason (other than maybe because they just watched the excellent Green Book and wanted to copy that too). Defoe is 50/50 with me and this was on the fail side of that equation for him. Almost everywhere it got style just right, it was a trope or worse, stolen.

However ... it was shot beautifully. Many many scenes were top notch production and breathtakingly beautiful. Most everyone's performances were good despite the jarring moments of authentic turrets outbursts. Baldwin was incredible as usual. The story setting was interesting but ultimately dull.

A pretty but vacant wanna-be Chinatown. I expected better from Norton. Could have been fantastic. 4/10

[–] RickVee (21) 5 years ago

I saw it a few days ago. Decent movie but definitely has its flaws. On the positive side, Ed Norton is fantastic in his role. Oscar nomination worthy imo. Another positive is the musical score - absolutely phenomenal imo. On the downside, the story is boring and often very confusing. The dialogue is entirely too "wordy". Needlessly so. Everyone in the crew I saw it with said they were zoning out at various times due to the wordiness. Norton also does a poor job of wrapping the story up with regard to several of the characters. I'd give it a 6.5 rating.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8720) 5 years ago

I'll agree that the story takes enough twists and turns that the viewer does start to feel like they're hanging on by a thread. I think that's often the case with mystery-thrillers though. Usually a second go around clears a lot of things up.

[–] JoWilli (20130) 5 years ago

any good?