Eastern Promises
I’ve been wanting to see the movie Eastern Promises for a couple of weeks now, the story sounded interesting, very similar to the film ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ which I’d liked – I believe it has the same screenwriter - and its been getting great reviews from the critics. It also has Viggo Mortensen in it, which is no bad thing in my book. I’ve had a bit of a thing for him ever since I saw Lord of the Rings. Phew, that Aragorn, very sexy. I think Viggo probably won a few admirers following that role and even John – of John and Louise – admitted to having a bit of a boy crush on Viggo after seeing him in LOTR.
Eastern Promises had a limited release in New York a couple of weeks ago and even then my curiosity to see it was fully piqued based on the great reviews it was receiving; however chick flick loving Tel Aviv - favourite movie, ‘When Harry Met Sally’ – was having none of it. “It sounds too violent,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s that bad”, I replied “if it’s anything like Dirty Pretty Things it’s more of a thriller.”
Unfortunately Tel Aviv wasn’t to be budged, so I ended up seeing it on Friday night with Melissa who jumped at the chance. The film had been high on her list of ‘must see’ movies too.
I don’t know what I was thinking!!
I’m not going to spoil any of the movie for those of you that plan to see it, but five minutes in, when one of characters had his throat slashed rather graphically, I realised I had made a big mistake in coming to see it. In fact, as someone of a very sensitive and squeamish disposition, I realised I was an absolute idiot and should have known better than to see anything by David Cronenberg. I ended up watching most of the movie through my eyelashes and, during some of the more gruesome sounding scenes, I did my best impersonation of a napping barn owl, head tucked into my chest, eyes tightly closed; resisting all temptation to look back at the screen until the audience’s horrified gasps had abated.
Melissa however had no such sensitivities and afterwards said she found the violence so over the top it was almost comical, like watching a cartoon. She said she almost expected an ACME safe to fall from the sky and squash one of the bad guys.
I, on the other hand, went home and checked under my bed for Russian gangsters. I think I’ll be sticking to chick flicks with Tel Aviv from now on.
18 comments:
HI HI HI HI HI...Poor Fish!!! Tel Aviv loves chick flicks? That's AWESOME!!!
I should tell my hubby about this movie. Just like your friend Melissa, he loves gory movies and find them funny due to the same reason. ;-D
I have no problem watching movies like that he he he he he...'coz I LOVE horror movies. ;-D
Btw, I prefer Legolas over Viggo Mortensen (a friend of mine does, too - but Orlando doesn't look as good in other movies), but another friend of mine fell head over heels with Viggo.
I have not heard about this movie. But I can enjoy some gory movies so I will keep an eye out for this one. Thanks.
Yeah, that's the thing about Cronenberg. That overly stylized violence. I still have a hard time watching that scene in A History of Violence when Viggo kills the two gangsters in his diner. But I do want to see Eastern Promises.
Sorry you didn't enjoy it, though. Maybe the Darjeeling Limited will be more your thing? BTW, you should download Wes Anderson's short Hotel Chevalier from iTunes. It's free, and really amazing.
i got queasy just reading about this movie.
chick flicks ALL the way for me.
or suspense. love those too.
just no gore. you'd be picking me up off the nasty, sticky theater floor.
Hi, Fish, go and claim your award here:
Totally Fab Award
Hi Amel - for the most part the movie isn't that gory, but when it gets violent, it really overdoes it. I'm a wimp, I can't take it ;-) Let me know what you think of it if you see it. Legolas was cute too, but Viggo was still my fave. Thanks so much for the award :-)
Hi Emmy - thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the movie if it's out there too.
Hey Ha Ha. Yeah, I really should have known better given it was a Cronenberg movie. I never saw A History of Violence, although I'd been intending to, but I don't think I will now. Violent images just stay in my head too long. Thanks for the Hotel Chevalier tip, downloading now. Maybe the Darjeeling movie would have been a better bet for me :-)
Hi Heather - I'm not huge on the chick flicks unless they are good ones - like Tel Aviv I do love When Harry Met Sally, but a good suspense movie...now you're talking. Do NOT let anyone coerce you into Eastern Promises. It's not worth the bad dreams ;-)
Oh, I love movies like that. I'll have to keep an eye out for it, it looks like it's being released in the UK later this month!
Hi Alcoment, enjoy!! I could not watch the scene in the bathhouse. Ugh!! I'm way too squeamish!!
oh dear.
if I watch one of the million Law and Orders a little too late at night, I am checking behind the curtain and shower curtains. And the closet. And the side of the bed near the wall.
(eek)
I'll let you know when we've seen it. ;-D It's MY pleasure about the award. I LOVE the way you write. ;-D
Hi Kitty, your comment made me laugh. I am just like that with anything graphic. I can just about manage Law & Order, but I do have to turn my head during some of the autopsy scenes on CSI ;-)
Amel, you are such a sweetheart :-)
I wondered about this film, I heard it 'didn't hold back'. I like some of Cronenberg's things, okay, one film and I can't remember the name but it was good.
This? Probably not.
And yeah, Viggo holds up well in LOTR, even if I preferred, omygawd, blanking now, too much work - the guy who was also Mr. Smith in the Matrix - he was the one I dreamt of when the movie was over. "Midnight matinees of the mind" i call them.
Hi Victorya, I saw Dead Ringers years ago and don't remember it being that bad, but I think I have also become more squeamish as I've got older. I'll be avoiding Cronenberg movies from now on.
Ah yes, Hugo Weaving. I love him as an actor, although I didn't think the elf ears did much for him in this film ;-)
This reminds me of the time a galpal and I went to see Christian Slater in "True Romance" thinking it was a romantic chick flick. It turned out to be the bloodiest thing I'd ever seen on the big screen! We still laugh about that.
eXistenz! that was the film I saw and liked (a gun that shoots teeth, how cool was that?)
Hugo Weaving - hawt in a suit.
Looks like everyone beat me to the punch with "A History of Violence."
I actually like Cronenberg. Eh, to each his/her own. I'm not squeamish about anything.
You might really flip out if you saw his "Crash." Oh dear... Not particularly violent but rather twisted(?) material?
Again, to each his/her own.
Based on J.G. Ballard's novel so it's not like Cronenberg came up with the idea himself. I like/d it. but then again, PA's well...kind of "interesting..."
However, that is not to say that I'm into that sort of thing.
HA! I just realized I made two puns in this post without even trying...oh, always doing that either intentionally or unintentionally.
Hi PA Poppet, thanks for stopping by. Hope you got the ceiling sorted. I'm nowhere near as bad with books as I am with graphic movies - I've read Crash, I just don't think I could watch it on screen. I'm a wimp!!
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