SIN CITY

[NoTalentAssClown]

SIN CITY is an incredible film. I wrote a review for my friend's web site, if you feel like reading it.

bloody-disgusting.com/review.php?id=723 (http://bloody-disgusting.com/review.php?id=723)

Has anyone else seen it?

[adamfly]

It doesn't come out till June in my country.:(

[The Other Steve]

Clive Owen was a guest on Charlie Rose (in the US, on television) Monday the 28th.

He spoke a bit about SIN CITY, and working with Rodriguez. Nothing revelatory (and I think “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is a similar CGI production), but if you’re a fan of SIN CITY, you might like the interview. There’s often a rerun the following day in my market.

[kitnerboy]

There are five early reviews linked at Imdb.com, including James Berardinelli's (who is usually right on the money).

All of them are resoundingly positive. I want to see this movie.

[RKBentley]

Going to see it Sat. :)

[Authorized]

David Poland, movie critic, MovieCityNews.com said that beyond all the CGI glitz and glitter the story and characters were pretty flat:

"It is unique visually. But so was Sky 'Craptain'. At least it's not as boring as that film. And Rodriguez is a far more skilled visualist. But it's a Super Size Me movie… some people will like it and feel great after eating it, some will feel sluggish and not know why, and others will vomit out their window...Me? I'm just sad that so much skill and so much daring came to so little. It's a sin."

[Salazkin]

The early reviews are overwhelmingly positive (15 out of 20 at the time of this posting): Sin City reviews (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sin_city/).

[A Pathetic Writer]

Overwhelmingly? Return of the King had 48 positive reviews before the first half-way negative one.

0]

[Salazkin]

Okay, Mr. Hairsplitter: the early reviews are whelmingly positive. ;)

[A Pathetic Writer]

Better.

|I

[Salazkin]

The reviews are still good (54 positive to 18 negative). One of the "negative" reviewers had this to say:"You know you’ve gone beyond run-of-the-mill movie violence [when] you need to use the plural for 'castrations.'":rollin

[Stupendous Hack]

Yeah, but how sexy was The Alba in it?

[Loaded 4 Bear]

You already KNOW the answer to that one. http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/liebe/love-smiley-039.gif

[zuzuII]

I saw it just an hour or so ago. I thought it was fantabulous. I thought it was beautiful. I have to go or I'd write more. I loved the snow and lightning and rain and color and everything. It was wonderful.

[Kelsey]

I thought it was wierd. I'm not sure if I liked it or not. I'll probably watch more of it tonight while I'm "working."

[zuzuII]

You gotta read the comics, maybe.

I wondered how much I would understand if I hadn't read them. But I really liked it. And I don't like noir.

[jeffkantoku]

Just got back from catching a matinee.

I thought it was pretty cool.

It had alot of over-the-top violence but in b&w mostly so much of the violence was toned down somewhat... and it has a TON of voice-over. At first I thought the voice-over was stilted and I didn't like it... But once Mickey Roarke as Marv started talking it seemed to suit the scenes perfectly.

I think I know which scene Quentin directed, so if any of you have seen it, drop me a message and we can compare notes/guesses.

[whitenavel]

Take a guess to which scene Tarantino directed.
I know which one it is.

[jeffkantoku]

Here is a link to an excellent NPR radio interview with co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller done by fellow director Kevin Smith:

www.npr.org/templates/sto...Id=4569989 (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4569989)

Just click on the Listen button.

[JakeSchuster aka Ostroff]

Take a guess to which scene Tarantino directed.


I thought it was the segment with all the warrior-women who run the town.

[Mike Samonek]

It's a lot of fun. Not to be taken too seriously. Anyone seeking anything resembling reality might want to look elsewhere. :lol

But it's a cool ride, if you can stomach it.

I'm still laughing at the reaction of the first guy who gets the arrow through his mid-section.

[JakeSchuster aka Ostroff]

I'm still laughing at the reaction of the first guy who gets the arrow through his mid-section

I am, too.:lol

[whitenavel]

That's not the scene, Jake.

[JakeSchuster aka Ostroff]

So is it the car scene--the one with Del Toro and Owen? I guessed the first because it had an echo of KBII.

[s1eve]

It's the scene in the car with Owen and Del Toro, who has a pistol stuck in his head.

[MacG]

This film was a huge disappointment. Visually, it was a marvel to look at...narratively, I fear it was too faithful to Miller's source material for its own good. He obviously has a VERY distintive "voice" that -- to me -- appears hard to translate smoothly to the big screen. (The dialogue between Willis and Madsen at the dock in the beginning showcased some particularly bad acting....)

The only ones who seemed to have a good grasp on their performace was Clive Owen and Benicio Del Toro.

I found myself bored halfway through the Marv / Goldie section...re-energized for Dwight and Jackie-Boy (and having Rosario half-naked most of the time didn't hurt, either)...and bored again during Hartigan and Nancy's tale.

SIN CITY, like ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO before it, provide conclusive proof Rodriguez needs to quit wearing so many hats on set....

[RKBentley]

I thought it was pretty good. I'd read the first Volume (Marv's Tale) a few weeks back and think it's probably the one and only comic book adapation that is so close to the source. The acting in spots did get rough but overall it was a good 2 hours spent.

Altho, I wouldn't heap it in with Once Upon A Time in Mexico, OUTM had the unfotunate problem of killing off Hayek when the movie needed her the most.

The audience I saw it with was lively and had a good ammount people in the theater for a 330 show.

[whitenavel]

So is it the car scene--the one with Del Toro and Owen?

Yes.

[zuzuII]

SIN CITY, Like ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO before it, provide conclusive proof Rodriguez needs to quit wearing so many hats on set..."

First of all, DVD extras show him in a bandana, cowboy hat and a bucket hat. Are you counting different COLORS of cowboy hats? He does wear a lot of hats, but... hey.

Second: there are about five gazillion animation companies cited in the credits of Sin City (let alone 3 directors) and there are tons of people whose names aren't Robert Rodriguez who worked on both movies. I think he's totally working on easing back. And I think that's hard for him. But I think both movies are his best yet. So I think he's doing a great job. And the other ones where he did the whole thing are great, too.

[MacG]

But I think both movies are his best yet.

Technically speaking, yes, I'd agree. Narratively, no f*cking way! ONCE UPON A TIME had about two too many subplots for its own good. It was a sloppy picture that bordered on being grossly convoluted.

...and there are tons of people whose names aren't Robert Rodriguez who worked on both movies.

Well, duh. But the fact of the matter is I'd consider any person -- even one as undeniably talented as RR -- stretched too thin when they are the film's sole screenwriter, director (let's be honest: Frank was merely watching over his shoulder....), editor, camera man, as well as co-composer and visual effects supervisor.

My opinion will probably be vastly different from most, but I felt these aspects of the film suffered as a result, as they had on OUTIM.

[NikeeGoddess]

i thought it was pretty cool. one must be able to stomach the over the top graphic violence thou. :lol if they make a "director's cut" then it should probably be rated X .... for the real fans.




i'll never understand why you people spend so much time reading what the critics have to say. can't you judge for yourself? or are you looking for descriptive words to mimic?

[Victim 655321]

Enjoyed it quite a bit, fantastic fun. Reviews all seemed to respond to the first of the 3 stories the most, I actually preferred the second. Good stuff

Carla Gugino has some of the best @#%$ I've ever seen.

"I took away his weapons. Both of them." *shudder*

[SbScript]

It wasn't very good. Sure, visually is fantastic, poetic even. So much so that it felt more like an art movie than anything esle, and any semblance of character or story were sacrificed at the altar of "the moment."

The movie had no real plot, wether this was because of the interweaving of three unconnected stories or not I don't know, and the characters were as flat and empty as any I've ever seen. The women were there to be erotic and dangerous and the men were there to kill or be killed. Without the fun of trying sto spot which of the stripper "actresses" I've seen at Bare Elegance, there's a good chance I would have fallen asleep.

Yawn.

[Postal Pictures]

Amazing film. I like it more than both Kill Bill movies put together.

[MorganTS]

It has its moments. I think my expectations were a little too high. It got to be kind of a drag halfway through... I felt like the directors were screaming, "See what we can do? Isn't it cool? We're cool, alright. We're cool..."

Still. It's visually stunning. Maybe a shorter film would be better.

[NikeeGoddess]

The movie had no real plot, wether this was because of the interweaving of three unconnected stories or not I don't know

of course there was a plot - maybe you weren't paying attention. but it was all about getting the one evil guy who was more evil than all those bad guys :lol
and they were ALL connected by him. actually, there was only 2 stories not 3 (which really explains that you just didn't get it). the third story was a continuation of the first story which ended before the second story began. get it?! or clear as mud?!

or based on your reply: no, you don't know

[Camera Obscura]

Dude, why the f-ck of all the strip bars in LA would you go to Bare Elegance? Get some taste in films AND strippers, please.

[Rockridesva]

I though Sin City was amazing. Captivating scenery, story, characters, the works. It was loaded with voice overs, which piss off producers, thus making me smile :-) The acting was great, and very entertaining to watch. The characters were all tragic in their own ways, and their stories really pulled you in. The look of the film was amazing as well. I didn't expect the violence, but with the B&W it worked.

Someone was comparing it visually to Sky Captain? Well Sky Captain sucked in my opinion, and I thought Sin City was great, they are not even on the same level.

[Rockridesva]

I will add MAdsen's acting was horrid, but that's how they played that character. It's a fun film not to take it self to seriously, or be taken to seriously...though of course it will.

[whitenavel]

Roarke and Owen steal the movie.

It's visually stunning and highly entertaining in a very unique way. It was nothing like Sky Captain, which was awful IMO. Sin City had me hooked the whole way and I never found myself bored.

And the women all looked hot......Alba, Gugino, Dawson, even Brittany Murphy didn't look like her usual anorexic self.

But special kudos to the girl who played Mijo....what a stunner she is. :D

I noticed Nicky Katt was in the film, anyone know which part he played?

[SbScript]

>of course there was a plot - maybe you weren't paying attention. but it was all about getting the one evil guy who was more evil than all those bad guys
and they were ALL connected by him. actually, there was only 2 stories not 3 (which really explains that you just didn't get it). the third story was a continuation of the first story which ended before the second story began. get it?! or clear as mud?!

or based on your reply: no, you don't know

What can I tell you? I was bored to tears. For me, the stories all merged into one, numbingly underwritten and visually overdone collection of moments with no real, emotional impact. Maybe it was the unrelenting rain, but "clear as mud" is a pretty good way to describe the movie. And, of course I "got it". It sucked. Apparently you're more easily entertained than I.

[medic]

Loved it. Kept that eery tone througout and Roarke was great. And whoever mentioned, Gugino, holy shite she looked good.

This movie sticks with ya... Most of ya. Well worth the money spent.

[MacG]

Nicky Katt was the bloke who had the arrow in his belly....

[Victim 655321]

About time someone agreed with me, re: Gugino. I'm still drooling.

I'm seeing it again this week.

And Sb Script, the whole "you must be more easily entertained" thing....please. Elitism is so dull.

[Victim 655321]

Mac G,

"Heeeeeeey"

[SbScript]

>About time someone agreed with me, re: Gugino. I'm still drooling.

I'm seeing it again this week.

And Sb Script, the whole "you must be more easily entertained" thing....please. Elitism is so dull.

You were entertained by a movie with no plot and leaden, cut out characters. Therefore, you were easily entertained. It's nothing to be ashamed of.

[Rhetorick]

Saw this last night.

Ugh. I hate voice over and this drove me nuts. Yes, I agree some of the people on here that the characters were flat and the story was all over the place. And I could have done without the Owen/Del Toro story. Not sure what it had to do with the overall story.

Ok, so enough of the negative. I thought Micky R's character was a lot of fun. Especially the fighting with Kevin (what a creepy character!). Bruce Willis character, although flat, worked for me. I liked his line, "...a palsy patient doing surgery with a pipe wrench." I enjoyed the style of the scenes even when they over did it.

So I liked the movie but didn't love it. Like someone once said, all great movies are about "one thing."

[JesseNC]

I knew what to expect when I came here looking for reviews and it delivered! Stop watching movies from a writer's standpoint, carefully considering each and every scene; visually unfolding the script in your head.

People watch movies to get their minds off of things so of course you're going to be dissappointed if your only intent is to wrap your mind around everything you can. You must watch movies with peripheral vision to enjoy them or else the ones you do like will be the self-involved perfectly written retchid sh!t that writers like you churn out to win awards at Sundance.

I thought the film was brilliant, both in the artistic sense and the acting. I'm not a big fan of Clive Owen but I may have to review my stance on him. Bruce Willis once again played the character saving the little girl, but he threw some stank on it this time and I think it paid off.

The scene with the arrow was byfar the gem of the whole thing. Odd that a few sequences can make an entire movie worth watching many many times. Kind of like when Pitt gets hit by the car in Meet Joe Black. I think I wore out my rewind button.

My only gripe was the overusage of "eeesh." The best voice over work in my opinion was when Dwight was defining his Valkyrie.

Mijo was a supernova in a sky of bright stars. Played the character perfectly and made me want to see an entire movie based around her, dialogue or not.

As for the hot chicks, I don't really care. I don't go to movies to look at girls.

And to whoever threw out the reference to the LA strip club, I thought you sounded really cool when you knew stuff about LA.. You know, like you're actually in the know and not another dreamer stroking his ego amongst the slack-jawed yokels that are Internet screen writers.

Overall: 5/5 rating from me. I loved contrasting colors against black and white and I think the acting came together with them to create an emotional symphony. It's trendy to hate voice over, but I think it was done superbly and really I thought I was moving along with a fluid comic book. I mean christ, what would comic books be without voice over? Especially older ones?

Learn to watch movies. Who really cares if Scene 43 had an extra leaning the wrong way in the background when in the foreground, sh!t was getting blown up?

[zuzuII]

Go Jesse!

I wasn't big on "yeech" either. But it was funny.

But yeah, Clive Owen was great.

Miho wasn't really how I envisioned her at all. (Odd for a meticulously done comic book movie, huh? I think sometimes I ignore the pictures and still picture things my own way when it's a book.)There definitely could have been more of her, though. I liked her.

[whitenavel]

Jesse, Clive Owen is a superb actor. If you haven't already, go rent Croupier.

[victoriaellis]

It's a film noir.

Film noir = lots of VO's.

[A Pathetic Writer]

I wanted to see this. I got to see Beauty Shop instead.

Men, treasure the days you get to see movies like Sin City. For days of Beauty Shop are sure to come.

[writerly]

this movie was friggin BORING.

[billythrilly7]

It's a film noir.


=

this movie was friggin BORING

Nuff said.

[victoriaellis]

It was obvious this was a film noir. And if you went and saw it and were not a fan of that genre, that's your own fault. But to box this movie in as boring because of that, well that's just ignorant.

[Rhetorick]

I didn't say I hated the film because of voice overs. I still liked the film, just don't put it high on my list. Just when I give a review I talk about things I liked and disliked. I'm definetly glad I watched the film and definetly think I got my money's worth.

But as a writer, I do watch movies from a writer's perspective and from a casual viewer's perspective. When I say I like something or dislike it, want to back up my reasons why. I hate when you ask a person about a film and they say it was good. But that's me.

[fairtrax]

Not to start beating the carpet here, but it seems like everyone commenting has so far missed the big thematic elements of this film.

The plots were loosely connected, this is barely a concern. What made the individual stories of this film so uniquely linked to one another is that each protagonist (Roarke, Willis, and Owen) had the fatal flaw of protecting women. This is a natural motivation which comes from the gut and subconscious of the character, and it played out wonderfully in this wicked setting. It is truly what makes the character human and motivated, regardless of their monstrous and evil natures. Even if the woman is a whore, her existence and the male drive to protect it, projects itself into our (the viewers) subconscious understanding of the ultimate value of women to humanity, that being procreation.

I thought the film was beautiful.

[kojled]

picture popped off screen, but would have been just as entertaining w/o sound


z

[writerly]

I actually love noir. This just happenned to be noir with a sledgehammer.

[Rhetorick]

Fairfax.

Dang, good point. Guess I was watching too closely or let my Writing Angle get in the way. Now the movie makes more sense to me.

[bottomlesscup]

I greatly enjoyed this film, but I'll readily admit that it wasn't perfect.

Most of the criticism I've seen has been pretty ho-hum. It's getting ripped here and in the press for rejecting convention, which is certainly true, but not necessarily a criticism - unless you're an abject purist.

For me, the uniqueness and daring (if you will) were the most exhilarating aspects of the film (and RR's career as a whole.) Yes, it centered on theme, not plot, but I think it worked. Its "film noir with a sledgehammer" style is the whole point - that's Frank Miller's vision and it was carried to the screen quite faithfully. If nothing else, it's one of the most visually stunning films ever.

The acting was spotty. Madsen was far from the top of his game; Alba has all the chops of a lingerie model; and Brittany Murphy's bizarre Betty Boop impression was grating. But we also had the always-great Owen and Rourke in a fierce comeback. It's an ensemble pic; there'll always be good and bad.

In the end, it's not for everyone, but what great and singular film is?

[writerly]

In the end, it's not for everyone, but what great and singular film is?

ah, just about every "great and singular" film, say for example the AFI list of top 100 films, are considered great by a great number of people.

this film is wayyy too genre to have a wide appeal and not good enough (so that you LOVE it) to have a real cult following.

[Hairy Lime]

I'm an enormous fan of film noir. I'm sure Adam Isaac will chime in at some point as well (just as soon as he finishes up his script and sees Sin City).

As I usually do, I avoided reviews of Sin City before I saw the film. I'd seen the posters and the trailer so I went into Sin City expecting a grown up comic book and that's what I got for the most part, except this was an homage to film noir from the very first scene. I've never read the graphic novels, but this is clearly the best comic book/graphic novel adaptation from the standpoint of looking like a graphic novel. This felt like a comic book more than Superman, Batman, Spider-man, X-men, etc.

What surprised me was that it was an homage to the best and worst of film noir. The teeth-grinding acting between Willis and Madsen was clearly a nod to the b-movie acting of many film noir classics. Let's face it, the acting in many noir films is really uneven, because they were shooting on an ultra low budget in just a few days with many b-movie actors who made careers out of playing the heavy or the cop in this week's matinee.

I also wasn't crazy about the episodic nature of the film. I expected all 3 stories to converge in the end, but they never did. That kind of denouement would have greatly added to my enjoyment of the film.

Since nobody's mentioned it yet, I loved Josh Hartnett's bookends to the film. Very nicely done.

This'll end up in my DVD collection, not because it's such a great film, but because it is a wonderful tribute to my favorite genre.

[Pencey]

I didn't see it yet but I'm surprised this moive has only made $70 milliion. I thought it would clear $100 million easily.

Theories?

[Camera Obscura]

At a cost of just 40 million, 70 million is a great return. And that 70 million is just domestic and still counting as the film is still in theatres. This not including foreign, eventual DVD sales, etc.

The one theory why it hasn't broken the 100 million mark is because it's rated R and extremely dark and violent.

[Authorized]

I didn't see it yet but I'm surprised this movie has only made $70 milliion.

D-Cam Robert Rodriquez films don't often hit the century mark....

Date Title Studio Lifetime Gross / Theaters

4/1/05 Sin City Dim. $70,619,000 3,230

9/12/03 Once Upon a Time in Mexico Sony $56,359,780 3,289

7/25/03 Spy Kids 3D: Game Over Dim. $111,761,982 3,388

8/7/02 Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams Dim. $85,846,429 3,307

3/30/01 Spy Kids Mira. $112,719,001 3,191

12/25/98 The Faculty Mira. $40,283,321 2,365

1/19/96 From Dusk Till Dawn Mira. $25,836,616 2,007

12/22/95 Four Rooms (The Misbehavers) Mira. $4,257,354 319

8/25/95 Desperado Sony $25,405,445 2,027

2/26/93 El Mariachi Col. $2,040,920 88

Maybe when Robert settles down and quits fvcking with camera angles, green suits and blue screens and makes
a picture with tight screenplay structure without blowing up things and butchering people then maybe he'll even hit $200M domestic gross.

[dgrunert]

Maybe when Robert settles down and quits fvcking with camera angles, green suits and blue screens and makes a picture with tight screenplay structure without blowing up things and butchering people then maybe he'll even hit $200M domestic gross.

Wow, that's harsh! I've been a Rodriguez fan since El Mariachi. That flick came out when I was still in film school, and Rodriguez became like an idol to me - even more so after reading his book Rebel Without A Crew.

I think it's great that Rodriguez has created his own film dynasty in Austin, where he can make whatever the heck he feels like whenever the heck he wants. And to have a studio back him very single time is just the icing on the cake. Who needs to make $100 million dollar blockbusters when you have that kind of power?

And for the record, I loved Sin City.

[Authorized]

Who needs to make $100 million dollar blockbusters when you have that kind of power?

Rodriguez does in order to continue to get funded by Miramax and the studios.

M. Night has his own production building (in metro Philly), too. But, at least he delivers over $100M each time he cranks out the celluloid.

Rodriquez is a leading edge genius. But, it's box office success that ultimately counts.

[dgrunert]

To the best of my knowledge, M Night doesn't have a full fledged soundstage and FX house in his own backyard. Even if the Weinsteins dropped Rodriguez (which they've gone on record saying they have no intention of doing), another studio would jump on the Rodriguez bandwagon in a heartbeat.

Let's not forget, he can make BIG movies for relatively small budgets. That's the secret behind his success.

[Pencey]

Rodriguez's problem is that he's an "over the top" director who thinks his directing will overcome any weaknesses in writing.

Once he sees how he's deluding himself and remedies the problem, plus tempers his own style, he'll be on his way to greatness.

[writerly]

To the best of my knowledge, M Night doesn't have a full fledged soundstage and FX house in his own backyard.

um, actually he does.

Rodriguez's problem is that he's an "over the top" director who thinks his directing will overcome any weaknesses in writing.

Once he sees how he's deluding himself and remedies the problem, plus tempers his own style, he'll be on his way to greatness.
totally agree!

[elephant1978]

I dug it. First "new" approach of the comic genre. These movies are getting stale, but Sin City did something different.

I particularly liked the Marv story. You really root for the guy.

And I noticed some bad acting with Bruce and Madsen at the start as well. It was shockingly bad. So glad it ended there and got good. But I'm not sure why Rodriguez kept such sh!tty acting for those scenes. They stick out like a sore thumb in an otherwise great film.

Ele...

[dgrunert]

To the best of my knowledge, M Night doesn't have a full fledged soundstage and FX house in his own backyard.

um, actually he does.

Rodriguez's home in Austin is his studio -- he can literally roll out of bed and he's at work. That's where he writes, directs, edits, oversees all visual efx and composes the music for his films.

M Night shoots his films in Philadelphia but does a lot of his post production work in LA and/or New York.

[writerly]

my bad. I need to read better, I was thinking of Rodriguez's...

[whitenavel]

I wonder how many of Rodriguez's films Authorized has seen? I'm sure he/she hasn't seen Sin City.

[noh1]

This has to be one of the best, if not the best, comic book adaptions, hands down.

Funny, filled with gore, filled with hot chicks and smoking guns. A dark and bloody tale of damnation and redemption, well told in an interesting and killer style.

Yeah, Madsen sucked ASS, I tell you! ASS! Bruce was great. He's so much better as an older guy. The barbie dolls were barbie dolls.

This was a living comic book, and I loved it.

[EJ Pennypacker]

I thought Mickey Rouke was excellent in this movie. Madsen did suck big time. I thought his acting was awful - and I like his style.

EJ

[Deus Ex Machine]

This has to be one of the best, if not the best, comic book adaptations, hands down.


I disagree.

It was the best reproduction of a comic book, but it was a failure as a film adaptation because it failed to deliver the dramatic narrative a good film requires.

A good adaptation doesn't just reproduce the comic book's images, it adds the narrative depth and unity a good film needs.

This was a great looking film, but the story (stories) worked much better as a comic anthology than as a film.

My 2 noir cents, bub.

[Ire]

I enjoyed it. It was pure popcorn and little substance. Wasn't expecting much as far as substance. It is cool to look at. But really, it's as deep as a puddle. Very low on my resonance scale.