SLEUTH
YOUR MAY 2005 RMC LITE RESULTS ARE IN!
This was our first RMC LITE, meaning, no pizza, no Preshow Entertainment- just a movie and snacks, if you wanted to bring any.
Oh, and there's a new rule for RMC LITE. Everyone who attends must, at sometime or another, bring a rock star with them. Today, Janet brought Todd Rundgren. As many of you know, I am a pretty big fan of Todd's. After all the time and money I've spent on him, he made good by coming over. I'm not the starstruck person I used to be (I think I may actually mature soon), but I must admit, there were a few times during the movie I thought one of the most absurd lines ever- Todd Rundgren is on my couch and we're watching SLEUTH.
SLEUTH stars Sir Laurence Olivier (HAMLET) and Michael Caine (JAWS: THE REVENGE). Clocking in at 2 hours 18 minutes (we can veto movies over 2:20), they apparently haven't shaved much from the original stage play by Peter Shaffer's (EQUUS) twin brother Anthony.
A delightful movie, SLEUTH's actors get to revel in some of the most charming wordplay (and gunplay) on film, ranging from comedic moments to suspense. It's a lot of mind games, as we spend the entire time trying to guess who's messing with who (or whom, as Larry O. would say...and so should everyone). Not flashy like THE GAME, and not ZONE-y like M. Night, just smart dialogue and staging, laid nicely on a blanket of conceits. And the characters go through some wonderful emotional peaks and valleys, often within seconds.
Like the last RMC movie we saw, THE HUSTLER, I couldn't help but wonder how they would screw it up today. They'd probably cast it with Ben Affleck and Ice Cube. Also, like THE HUSTLER, two of SLEUTH's actors and the director (Joseph Mankiewicz...his last film as a director) were nominated for Academy Awards. And IMDb has it as best movie #26 for mysteries.
Telling you much more might ruin, or at very least dampen some of the twists, so I best keep mum lest I slight you. That said, not all the ruses work. Yet it's still satisfying till the last drop. I've seen SLEUTH almost* four times now, and it never loses its charm.
*The first time I saw it was in the theaters in '72. My friend and I didn't realize it was so long, and we were getting a ride home from his mom. We had to leave 5 minutes before it ended. I'm still reeling over that. Imagine leaving THE SIXTH SENSE five minutes before it ends? We should have let the bitch wait.
This was our first RMC LITE, meaning, no pizza, no Preshow Entertainment- just a movie and snacks, if you wanted to bring any.
Oh, and there's a new rule for RMC LITE. Everyone who attends must, at sometime or another, bring a rock star with them. Today, Janet brought Todd Rundgren. As many of you know, I am a pretty big fan of Todd's. After all the time and money I've spent on him, he made good by coming over. I'm not the starstruck person I used to be (I think I may actually mature soon), but I must admit, there were a few times during the movie I thought one of the most absurd lines ever- Todd Rundgren is on my couch and we're watching SLEUTH.
SLEUTH stars Sir Laurence Olivier (HAMLET) and Michael Caine (JAWS: THE REVENGE). Clocking in at 2 hours 18 minutes (we can veto movies over 2:20), they apparently haven't shaved much from the original stage play by Peter Shaffer's (EQUUS) twin brother Anthony.
A delightful movie, SLEUTH's actors get to revel in some of the most charming wordplay (and gunplay) on film, ranging from comedic moments to suspense. It's a lot of mind games, as we spend the entire time trying to guess who's messing with who (or whom, as Larry O. would say...and so should everyone). Not flashy like THE GAME, and not ZONE-y like M. Night, just smart dialogue and staging, laid nicely on a blanket of conceits. And the characters go through some wonderful emotional peaks and valleys, often within seconds.
Like the last RMC movie we saw, THE HUSTLER, I couldn't help but wonder how they would screw it up today. They'd probably cast it with Ben Affleck and Ice Cube. Also, like THE HUSTLER, two of SLEUTH's actors and the director (Joseph Mankiewicz...his last film as a director) were nominated for Academy Awards. And IMDb has it as best movie #26 for mysteries.
Telling you much more might ruin, or at very least dampen some of the twists, so I best keep mum lest I slight you. That said, not all the ruses work. Yet it's still satisfying till the last drop. I've seen SLEUTH almost* four times now, and it never loses its charm.
*The first time I saw it was in the theaters in '72. My friend and I didn't realize it was so long, and we were getting a ride home from his mom. We had to leave 5 minutes before it ended. I'm still reeling over that. Imagine leaving THE SIXTH SENSE five minutes before it ends? We should have let the bitch wait.
