Taking Woodstock

[Bourne101]

http://l.yimg.com/k/omg/us/img/09/46/8527_4803683442.jpg?y=660&x=616&q=75&n=0&sig=9XUhgmvSnzGboj5H.LIOzg--

Directed by Ang Lee

Written by James Schamus

Genre: Comedy

http://l.yimg.com/k/omg/us/img/84/83/6235_1747220493.jpg?y=660&x=616&q=75&n=0&sig=zFISoK4gdzprnnMk8tNb7A--

Plot Outline: A man working at his parents' motel in the Catskills inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969.

Starring: Henry Goodman, Edward Hibbert, Imelda Staunton, Demetri Martin, Kevin Chamberlin, Emile Hirsch, Liev Schreiber, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Paul Dano

http://l.yimg.com/k/omg/us/img/a1/26/7092_1137219722.jpg?y=660&x=616&q=75&n=0&sig=QmunM8zS3.jaUgDLZxvLEQ--

Rated R for graphic nudity, some sexual content, drug use and language.

Runtime: 110 minutes

Looks pretty good, though reviews have been mixed.

[Lazy Boy]

I really like movies about this time period, but this looks incredibly boring.

[FireCaptain4]

I can't wait to see this! Hopefully it'll open near me and I'll have the option of checking this out instead of Halloween 2 or The Final Destination next weekend.

Emile Hirsch looks exactly the way my dad looked in the early 70s.

[Cop No. 633]

The previews didn't do anything for me. I especially hated that they had to put the obligatory "squares try pot and act all wacky" scene. That really shows what level of comedy they're at. It's going to be a cutesy kind of movie about Woodstock. No thanks.

Although I'm a big fan of Liev Schrieber. But him in a dress isn't enough to get me going to the movie. It also has Demetri Martin, one of the most unfunny, talentless comedians to have a show. Then again, he isn't doing his own bland material.

[echo_bravo]

^^^
Yeah, Demetri Martin's comedy is painfully unfunny. Is his show on Comedy Central canceled yet???

I'll be skipping this.

[TheJadedGamer]

Heard this was more of a drama than a comedy flick.

[Heisenberg]

This looks awful

[FireCaptain4]

Meh, I like Demetri Martin's style. He isn't one of my favorite comedians-- he's sort of like an inferior splicing of Mike Birbiglia and Steven Wright-- but some of his humor gets me:

'Sort of' is such a harmless thing to say. Sort of. It's just a filler. Sort of - it doesn't really mean anything. But after certain things, sort of means everything. Like after 'I love you' or 'You're going to live' or 'It's a boy.

Swimming is a confusing sport, because sometimes you do it for fun, and other times you do it to not die. And when I'm swimming, sometimes I'm not sure which one it is. I gotta go by the outfit. Pants - uh oh. Bathing suit - okay. Naked - we'll see.

C'mon, that's kinda funny.

Plus, this movie is directed by Ang Lee. If it was directed by one of the Weitz brothers I'd probably reconsider, but I tend to enjoy Ang's films.

[poopontheshoes7]

Whats with all the hate? This looks like a blast to me.

[Beard_of_Meat]

I dunno about this flick...I need to see more because as of right now the trailers are doing nothing for me...Plus Ang Lee and Comedy just doesn't seem like a good fit

[Reigh Kaufman]

Ang Lee has only ever steered me wrong once, but this looks flat.

I like Emile Hirsch and Liev Schreiber, but the whole thing looks bland despite the overuse of day-glo.

DVD rental.

[ilovemovies]

I don't think Ang Lee has ever made a bad movie. And this does not like an exception. Out of all the movies opening next week, this one looks far and away like the best one. The cream of an admittedly weak crop.

[Reigh Kaufman]

The cream of an admittedly weak crop.

I genuinely think if I had to choose between this or Big Fan, well, despite not liking Patton Oswalt, it would win.

Considering Ang Lee has four films in my all-time favourites list, that is surprising.

[ilovemovies]

I genuinely think if I had to choose between this or Big Fan, well, despite not liking Patton Oswalt, it would win.

Considering Ang Lee has four films in my all-time favourites list, that is surprising.


Big Fan is only playing in limited release. But I do agree that it looks better.

[Strider]

I have ZERO interest in Taking Woodstock, even though I like and respect Ang Lee as a filmmaker. The trailer was awful, and the film itself looks like a bore. I must say that Liev Schreiber looks pretty funny, however -- but...like CosmicPuppet said, Schreiber in drag isn't enough to convince me to purchase a ticket and sit down in a theater for nearly two hours for this.

Maybe (and that's a BIG maybe) a rental.

Strider

[SkyNet]

saw a sneak peak tonight

it was not a bad flick at all. Had some really good comedy in it. Ang lee is of course a dialog driven director, and there is alot of dialog in this flick again, but it doesnt really get boring (where Brokeback could get a little long winded at times, and Hulk was pure shit).

nothing you need to rush to the theaters to see, but would be a good rental on DVD

[dellamorte dellamore]

Meh, I like Demetri Martin's style. He isn't one of my favorite comedians-- he's sort of like an inferior splicing of Mike Birbiglia and Steven Wright-- but some of his humor gets me:



C'mon, that's kinda funny.

Plus, this movie is directed by Ang Lee. If it was directed by one of the Weitz brothers I'd probably reconsider, but I tend to enjoy Ang's films.

You're right, the guy is funny, maybe not gut busting, pee in your pants funny, but he has an easy charm and is very witty. I like his delivery also, sort of:) a droll, innocent, contemplative, philosophical style.

It wouldn't be enough to get me to see this because i realize he's not going to be doing his standup routine but playing a character. It's a rental for me.

[ericdraven]

Martin looks like he cannot carry a film at all.

[dellamorte dellamore]

He admittedly looks somewhat lost and out of place, that could be the character though.

[LordSimen]

I haven't seen a piece of marketing for this movie that actually told me anything other than "IT WAS MADE MY ANG LEE." I'll probably end up waiting for this one to hit Showtime or somethin'.

[Cop No. 633]

I haven't seen a piece of marketing for this movie that actually told me anything other than "IT WAS MADE MY ANG LEE." I'll probably end up waiting for this one to hit Showtime or somethin'.

Using this logic, you could say the same thing about the Halloween 2 marketing. But I doubt you would say that.

[LordSimen]

Using this logic, you could say the same thing about the Halloween 2 marketing. But I doubt you would say that.

The trailers for Halloween 2 wasn't just flashing text like all the trailers I've seen for this flick have been.

[Cop No. 633]

The trailers for Halloween 2 wasn't just flashing text like all the trailers I've seen for this flick have been.

This is really the strangest reason I've ever heard as to why somebody isn't interested in a movie. Flashing text.

[LordSimen]

I find the trailers insulting to my intelligence and for that reason they will get no cent from me.

[APzombie]

This film sucked.

I projected it last night and decided to watch it. It's a mess.

Firstly, there is no pulse. It is a series of 'cute' gags concerning hippies and neurotic Jewish parents. Everything Woodstock represented is vacant from this film and is replaced with quirky observations about middle America and hippies. All the actors playing the attendants/coordinators of the concert are posers. They are a generation of hipsters pretending to be kids in the late 60's, they come across more interested in their hair than being apart of a revolution. Ang uses his HULK split screen/comic book set up but it comes off more of a quirky tool than an organic flow of pace.

There is absolutely no love for the music, because it is pretty much absent. The way Cameron Crowe made even the most square grandparents fall in love with rock and roll when they watch Almost Famous should have had the effect here, instead, it emphasized that the music wasn't important to these people- which wasn't the case, and it made everyone look like posers because of it. I know it's a movie about a family only concerned with money, well, thats what it felt like, a movie posing as a comedy about one of the most beautiful pop-revolutionary events of American history and it's all about money. Not funny, not interesting.

The acting isn't good but the writing is worse. I absolutely love Imelda Staunton and her New York accent is spot on but Jesus Christ i wanted to beat the shit out of her one dimensional non-humorous character.

Demetri Martin was surprisingly charismatic, that is of-course until he had to play along with the whole homosexuality part. For a filmmaker who crafted a love story effortlessly homosexual with Brokeback, you could not ask for more awkward direction and an even more awkward performance from Martin when it came to gay flirting and kissing. It completely ruins his character and essentially the genuine atmosphere of the period because it feels so un natural.

Emile Hirsch is a one note goofy nam vet who does what he can with what is basically the rambling writing of a child imitating Travis Bickem.

Eugine Levy is surprisingly terrific, i usually hate him (at least his films) but he really nails the honest neighbor. I wish he did more semi-serious parts and quits his American Pie shtick.

Liev Schreiber was the saving grace for me. Not only was he hilarious, he didn't take the role as farce and he served as the most genuine human in the film.

The fat dude from Fanboys plays what he always plays, a cross between buger from Police Academy and Jon Belusci. His character is neither funny or interesting. He is a part of some acting troupe that always end up getting naked, except for him of course. I guess Lee only wanted the attractive people getting nude, way to man- you really understand what Woodstock was all about...

There is one interesting bit that has almost nothing to do with the intentions of the filmmakers...

I saw the poster and noticed Paul Dano with long hair. So, forty minutes in, we get a black guy and his girlfriend asking for Woodstock tickets at the motel. We haven't been introduced to Paul yet, and i think- Jesus. This chick looks fucking identical to Paul Dano. Is that him? His voice is so feminine! What the fuck is going on? I'm thinking about it for a half an hour until Paul finally shows up (as a man). I couldn't stop thinking about how much that chick resembled Paul, then i realized the film absolutely fell flat on it's face when i came out and this was all that was on my mind.

here is a picture of that actress, she had identical hair to Paul's

http://images.broadwayworld.com/upload/17601/darkplace05.jpg

2/4