Tuesday, March 8, 2011

BAD HAGGIS

I just tried to watch "The Next Three Days," starring Russell Crowe, written and directed by Paul Haggis ("Crash" and both recent James Bond movies). 

I couldn't stand "The Next Three Days." It was so heavy handed it was painful. It made me wince and cringe, again and again. I wanted to say to the director, Gee, Paul, guess what? We are not all THAT stupid, do you know what I mean? No, he doesn't, or he wouldn't hit us over the head with such a sledge hammer.

At about seven minutes in, I had to pause it. Didn't know how much more I could take. We get it, Paul, we get it. I can't imagine who would like such a grossly ham-handed flick. Its fans must be people who are so insensitive they have to be spoon fed their emotions and can't figure out how to react on their own.

This movie is about a very, very, VERY loving couple who are hard to believe. She has an argument with an over-the-top bitch (there's no polite way to say it) who gets murdered. Guess what? Our loving, loving, LOVING wife is arrested and sent to jail for the crime. Yeah, right.

I tried to get through act one, but I couldn't. How do these people, who make such movies, get to be so successful? I wish I didn't know the answer, but I do. Their movies make money. That is the shame of it.

Needless to say, I don't recommend this movie or this way of making movies or telling stories.

Trust your reader or your audience to figure out some of it. Let them add two and two on their own. That's my advice.

(The title of this post, "Bad Haggis," is a joke referring to haggis, an earthy, gross Scottish dish made from a sheep's stomach that only a drunken Scot can eat. Somehow, that name fits this director.)

-- Roger

© Copyright 2011, Roger R. Angle

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4 comments:

John said...

And I thought this was going to be about food and that you were now going to be a food critic, think the food idea might be better than the movie from the sound of it.

Sharine said...

Roger, have you read this article about Paul Haggis? It is fascinating and will answer your question about how these people get to be so successful:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/02/14/110214fa_fact_wright

Roger R. Angle said...

Yeah, Sharine, I read it. But there is no adequate explanation. Not even their connections.

Roger R. Angle said...

Yeah, brother John. This column is about food. Food for the soul. Have you had haggis? Only strong me can even approach it.