Did you miss our first round-up of reviews? Positive remarks from Variety. The Playlist gave it an A grade. Rob's performance praised! Click HERE to read. Now for a fresh batch :) More great excerpts and 2 fan reviews that are just awesome.
Excerpt from Indiewire/ThompsononHollywood:
Lately Canadian director David Cronenberg is tending toward talkier films, heavy on dialogue and discourse. "Cosmopolis," like "A Dangerous Method" (2011), imagines pseudo-intellectual characters prattling on about The Human Condition. But unlike "Method," which reduced its characters to pint-sized archetypes of psychoanalysis, "Cosmopolis" digs deep. The film is arranged episodically, as characters appear briefly and are unlikely to appear again—although Giamatti's character, a madcap employee of Eric, circulates with menace along the film's fringes.
...
The film bristles and crackles with ideas and insight, however half-baked or preposterous, about the world at large.
While Cronenberg has elicited nuanced, naturalistic performances from the likes of Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello and Naomi Watts ("A History of Violence," "Eastern Promises"), he often teases out intentionally stilted performances from his leads ("Crash," 1996). As Eric, the brooding Pattinson eroticizes every move, glance and revolver-spin. Travis Bickle is gliding beneath his dead stare. Although the profligate Eric professes ideas and obsessions, he is ultimately a wannabe nihilist. He asks one of his many girlfriends (Patricia McKenzie) to tase him, because he's ready for something new, because he wants to feel something besides empty sex and asymptotic human connection. A person who has everything, in effect, has nothing. That doesn't make Eric a deep person but, in the film's final stretches as he confronts his fate, something is roiling beneath that dark, handsome shell.
Excerpt from AVClub:
Whether the Competition jury will hand any prizes to Cosmopolis remains to be seen, but Robert Pattinson clearly deserves this year’s award for Best Career Move. Indeed, he’s among the half of David Cronenberg’s eclectic cast that completely nails the very tricky, precise tone demanded by Don DeLillo’s unapologetically inhuman dialogue.Excerpt from Slant:
Diamond-hard and dazzlingly brilliant, Cosmopolis alternates between mannered repression and cold frenzy, one of the ways in which it most closely resembles Cronenberg's prior A Dangerous Method.
Predicated on an absurd whim, Cosmopolis relates 28-year-old financial whiz and billionaire Eric Packer's (a surprisingly solid Robert Pattinson) daylong, cross-town quest for a haircut, despite repeated warnings about a credible threat against his life. Along the way, there will be time enough for sexual trysts, political demonstrations, a celebrity funeral, and the depredations of a "pastry assassin."Excerpt from the New York Times. This was a wrap of Cannes but the journalist defends Cosmopolis:
...
Everything leads up to a confrontation with a former employee (Paul Giamatti), the source of that aforementioned credible threat. By far the longest exchange in Cosmopolis's otherwise brisk forward rush, their loopy banter could easily have lost traction entirely and spun off into caricature, but Giamatti and Pattinson manage to keep it viable.
Another title that deserves a second look from critics is David Cronenberg’s latest, “Cosmopolis,” yet another under-loved competition title and a movie that will probably, as is often the case, be received more warmly when it opens commercially.Excerpt from film4. The critic was in favor of the film and had this to say about Rob:
...
Mr. Cronenberg does wonders with both the camera, especially inside the tight confines of limo, where many of the scenes are set, and with his star, coaxing a performance from Mr. Pattinson that perfectly works for the movie’s sepulchral air. Initially, when Packer slides into his limo, he seems like another master of the universe with shades, a bespoke suit and the otherworldly air of the super-rich. Yet as the limo inches across the city, where the traffic has been slowed to a creep by a presidential motorcade, a celebrity funeral and anarchist outrage, you begin to realize this is a man being chauffeured to his own funeral. As a diagnosis of what ails us, “Cosmopolis” would make an excellent if slightly nauseating double-bill with Mary Harron’s Wall Street horror shocker, “American Psycho.”
A bald reworking of the first line from the Communist Manifesto swaps Europe for the world and Communism for Capitalism: “A spectre is haunting the world, the spectre of Capitalism”; this is shown as part of an in-movie anti-establishment protest that is as extreme as it needs to be, underling the point that insanity may be the only sane response to an insane system.Excerpt from NPR. They gave Rob Most Unexpected Great Performance. Visit the source to read what else they said about Cosmopolis. It "won" another honor from NPR.
This is also why casting Robert Pattinson in this role is a stroke of mad genius. Apart from delivering a very fine performance, he is arguably the star currently inspiring some of the least sane responses in our culture. When, at the film’s climax, he is confronted with a maniac insisting “I know everything that’s ever been said or written about you. I know what I see in your face, after years of study,” it’s not hard to appreciate how brilliant – and perhaps cathartic – a role this is for him, one that figuratively interrogates the fame-capital he has accrued so far, Pattinson apparently as interested as Packer in the possibility of re-setting as something else. Casting him could have been a Warhol moment, using the image of an icon to make a point about fame, but Pattinson’s participation is too active to merit this back-handed compliment.
And it helps that the film contains the festival's Most Unexpected Great Performance from Pattinson. He's appropriately icy and reptilian, but he's not without an odd persuasive charm; when I say that the character functions like Gordon Gekko crossed with a more literal kind of bloodsucker, I mean it as praise.Excerpt from the Telegraph. They gave the film 4 out of 5 stars :)
At its heart is a sensational central performance from Robert Pattinson – yes, that Robert Pattinson – as Packer. Pattinson plays him like a human caldera; stony on the surface, with volcanic chambers of nervous energy and self-loathing churning deep below.Good thing we're not the Twilight fanbase around here, right? ;)
...
Cronenberg’s script is often oblique, and the film is talky and evasive – heaven knows what Pattinson’s Twilight fanbase will make of it. But its portrayal of civilisation as an impossibly intricate, crucially flawed equation, about to buckle and snap, is sinuously compelling.
Excerpt from Indiewire/Thompson on Hollywood:
Last night I caught a screening of David Cronenberg's "Cosmopolis." Until then, can you believe I had never actually seen Robert Pattinson in a movie? I was surprised by his performance — cold, unfeeling, sexy, channeling some Travis Bickle in there. The film bristles with energy, ideas and confidence. The final scene, especially, is one of Cronenberg's best to date. This is his best work since "A History of Violence," and even though I'm guilty of unwavering auteur loyalty here — this guy could shit in a paper bag, and I'd be there — this film exceeded my expectations.Excerpt from NYMag/Vulture. FANTASTIC stuff about Rob:
Be sure to read more at the source. The critic goes on about Rob. :)"I'm hungry for something thick and juicy," growls Robert Pattinson at the start of Cosmopolis, and one can imagine Pattinson issuing the same order to his agents after years spent sinking his vampire teeth into wan Twilight flicks. His team earned their keep by landing Pattinson this David Cronenberg–directed movie and a berth at Cannes (where Kristen Stewart's On the Road premiered just a few days before). And yes, he's good in it.
In Cronenberg's adaptation of the Don DeLillo novel, Pattinson plays a boy billionaire who's already peaked (when someone asks his age, he contemptuously spits "28" as thought it were the new 40) and has nowhere to go but down over the course of one very long day. The thing is, Pattinson sort of seems to be enjoying his self-destruction, which comes as his limo is besieged by anti-capitalist protesters and as he consorts with several willing women who give him what may be the last lay of his life ... none of whom include his strategically withholding new bride (Sarah Gadon), whom he married in what was essentially a business merger between two families. When they briefly meet for a meal and Pattinson removes his sunglasses, his wife murmurs, "You never told me you were blue-eyed." Soul mates? Not quite.
Both Pattinson and Zac Efron have come to Cannes with the hopes of shaking up their heartthrob personas, but while Efron goes opaque in the eyes during crucial scenes in The Paperboy, Pattinson is able to convey a whole lot about his Cosmopolis character simply with a curdled sneer and a soul-sick gaze.
Excerpt from Toronto Sun.
Packer, very well played by Pattinson, would have made a good patient for the subjects of Cronenberg’s previous movie, A Dangerous Method. Doctors Freud and Jung would have loved to analyze this road warrior with their “talking cure” methods.No detailed Rob mention but that's good too. Focused on the film and ensemble of the cast and crew - which the critic said was "smartly chosen" and "expertly used". There's this great starting quote from Hammer to Nail: "David Cronenberg’s much-awaited adaptation of Don DeLillo’s Cosmopolis is a mesmerizing, utterly cerebral inquiry into the current economic crisis as channeled by its main character’s slowly imploding mind."
We might quibble with the emphasis Cronenberg places on dialogue, on the staginess of his sets and on the relative lack of action.
What we can’t argue is that Cosmopolis is the work of a master filmmaker, one who is determined to have us think about the ideas packed into the trunk of this limo bound for the furthest corners of the psyche.
Just after 2:00, this video features 2 critics talking about Cosmopolis. They loved it and GOT it. Really great remarks and not dubbed :) Click HERE to watch.
Detailed fan reviews after the cut! SPOILERS!
Our fan reviews are from two regular readers! I love fan reviews because they're watching the film through the same lens I will. ;) The reviews are detailed because they're Rob fans! So spoilers you guys...
First up is Bru (SlaveforRob) who saw it in Italy:
The movie was out in Italy yesterday so I went to see it. I went to the theater at the first screening (4 PM) even if I knew I missed the premiere at Cannes (I'm a curious girl LOL). There were only about 4 people in the theatre and then me, the only girls (giggles) I thought it was normal because yesterday was a sunny day and the time was early for going to the cinema.GAH!!! Thank you Bru! I can't WAIT to see Rob's Eric Packer! Next is LoveyDovey who saw the film. I love this because LoveyDovey hasn't read the book! I wanted to hear from a fan that wasn't as entrenched in the material prior to the viewing of the film:
I’ve read the book and I enjoyed a lot, the dialogues are so complex but I understood everything because I have a degree in economics sciences, so I knew Cosmopolis- the movie was very difficult to understand film.
The movie is so well done and dark and the music makes it even darker. David didn't put the musics into the dialogues so the scenes are clear and you can understand what's all the characters saying.
Robert played a perfect Eric, in the first part of the movie he's so annoying and not really interested of ordinary things, he wants more of everything! He clenches his jaw (OH MY GOD!) and puts his mouth in an hard line... I can see Eric has a "poker face" in this first part of the movie
In fact, in this first part of the movie he played a (let me say that word) MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE guy who has sex just for satiating the "appetite", he talks sex lots of time, trying to convince his wife (Sarah Gadon who looks so cold and detached) to have sex with him. Sarah played so very well her role, she cold and seems thinking of other things as she talks with Eric. They don’t know each others so in every conversation they talk about their past, what they love to do…
The people with which he enters in contact give him the vision of what's going to happen in New York, so he can elaborate the things talking with them. In that first part Eric is the full expression of the power, he isn't afraid of anything in fact when the thing start being bad he shows a little smile (he smiles a few times in this part of the movie, he's so serious all the time).
One of the parts I more loved is when he talks with Samantha Morton in the Limo: she talks with her deep voice, relaxing him and teaching him. He stares at her as she talks about the future and the past, and this is another part of Eric character: he never looks intently at anybody if he isn't interested of what he/she is saying. In this case, he listens what she says with attention, trying to change that words in numbers. It's so difficult to explain with a few face expressions but Robert did it! Sublime!
The "fingering part" with the doctor is so intense: he did the visit and stares intently at Emily Hampshire (I really don't know how she's still alive because OMG he looks intently at her and groans (because of the doctor who examines his prostate) and says "You're squeezing the bottle between your legs. That's a sexual tension symbol" (djfskdfjslsò) and he says that words slowly between groans and grunts, opening his mouth to breathe.
And here we go: the sex scenes! Gah I didn't imagine how they could be! The sex scene with Juliette Binoche is what we've seen in the clip, just a few more moans (dear God!) and I can see his face when he has sex (a couple of seconds but it's so worth it!!!)
Conversely the sex scene with Patricia Mckenzie is so fuckin' hot!!! OMG he touches her ass and looks and touch her breasts as he has sex, puts his thumb in her mouth (R.I.P. Bru) and has orgasm with her!!!!! (I cannot!!! I have his face printed in my mind!) I have to admit that I wasn't prepared to THAT kind of scene and I'm not a woman who is often embarrassed !
Ok let’s leave Eric having sex (djfsklhhgsjdhgsjh)... The things precipitate when he understands he's losing his fortune and his wife leave him. Immediately his character change: he's not that master of the situation, he's confuse and starts doing stupid things, destroying his life little by little. I loved how he manages this change of direction in his character he surprised me he played this second part as an expert actor and I love so very much the final part with Paul! He perfectly manages the scenes with a great actor as Paul is and I can say that in the final 2 minutes Robert's acting is EXCELLENT! OMG I can't spoiler those 2 minutes because watching the movie is so worth!
Overall the movie is so well directed (that's not a news) and the musics are perfect for the scenes, Robert's acting is extraordinary and complex. I think he is surprised by his acting as well because well.. you've never seen him acting that way! The final part is stunning and leaves you mouth-opened.
I'm Georges addicted but DAMN he played so well this character so this is my valuation:
Movie and musics: 10
Robert: 10 and praise
A MUST SEE MOVIE! Cosmopolis deserves to win the Palme d'or and Robert to win the award for best actor because his character was so complex and he did a great job with it!
Let me start with saying that it was not your average movie-going experience. This was something completely different, the best way I can describe it is such: I wasn't watching a movie......I was watching art!Your review was great, LoveyDovey. And so was Bru's. I adore what the fans say. Thank you for sharing.
The review that completely hits the nail IMO, is the one by Filmoria:
Cronenberg’s latest will not be for everyone – it’s a slinky, scabby and repressed black dramedy that’s unobliging and unconventional – I’m sure some ‘Twihards’ will enter upon release simply for R-Patz and leave the cinema feeling either bored, bruised or baffled, but for those who enjoy challenging, alternative and uncompromising pictures, Cosmopolis is your drink of choice.
And especially this bit I completely agree with:
I’m sure some ‘Twihards’ will enter upon release simply for R-Patz and leave the cinema feeling either bored, bruised or baffled
'Cause that is exactly what I saw happening yesterday with a bunch of movie-goers, they had a culture-shock. That's mainly due to expectations, they were expecting to see a certain something and their expectations weren't met, hence their dislike. They were expecting to see a Hollywood-movie, this is NOT your typical movie, this was art and was in a league of its own.
I myself hadn't read the book and kept myself as clueless as possible, although I got the gist of certain things that were going to happen and also was prepared about the ending.
I'm glad the movie opened in Cannes. You can rest assured that if anyone is going to appreciate it, it's going to be the French. They to me symbolise art and their love for it. Honestly, had it opened anywhere else but there I'm not so sure if it would have gotten the warm welcome its gotten now. 'Cause this is not your typical Hollywood-movie, this was something else and can only be appreciated by those who like to think outside the box or draw outside the lines.
As for Rob's performance: he was absolutely stunning in it, for instance his reaction after he shot his hand.........JFC!!!
But if you would ask me what the movie was about, I'd probably have to say the same thing as Rob: I have absolutely no idea. I went in with an open mind, I saw it, I liked it, I'm going to see it a couple more times because I'm an art-lover myself. And this was art that, at the least, I could appreciate.
I know my review wasn't much or extensive. All I can say is, you will see for yourself, you're either gonna love it or hate it. But nonetheless it was art of a finer form.
While Rob is impressing the majority of critics, Rotten Tomatoes shows that the film as a whole, has critics split. If you want to see some of the reviews that aren't favorable, you can see which reviews at RT aren't "fresh". Since I'm so familiar with the story, the negative reviews to me feel like they didn't "get it" but that's ok. Keeps people talking...debating. :)
Photo: Source
Posts
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
0 comments:
Post a Comment