- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,424
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
The Matador is a film that's difficult to classify.
For all appearances, it might be an odd "buddy" picture.
And it is, but that's not what it is.
It stars Pierce Brosnan of Bond fame as a tired hit man going over the edge, but it really isn't about who gets whacked or how. Brosnan's performance is so beautifully controlled that many critics have noted it as the best of his career.
The other leads, Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis are "every" couple, leading a relatively dull existence trying to get by in Denver.
But they aren't really what it's about.
What it appears to be is a character study of the three, and after their paths cross, how Brosnan and Kinnear become interdependent upon each other in totally different ways.
I really like this film.
Now to the software: As a Miramax product, now Weinstein via Genius, I was extremely trepidatious placing the HD disc in my Toshiba player. The history of Miramax product in SD in the recent past has not been a good one, with major films such as Cold Mountain and Gangs of New York being among the worst looking discs on record.
It was with great pleasure that I found that the problem was NOT coming from Miramax, but most likely from the post-production facility chosen to master their films to DVD.
The Matador is a stunning HD disc!
With much of the film photographed in Mexico, with bright colors and high tonalities everywhere, this is yet another disc to show off a high end system. A sequence at a bullfight reminded me at once of Rouben Mamoulian's magnificent 1941 Technicolor Blood and Sand, with the matador's cape in pure magenta, surrounded by some of the most sumptuous cinematography ever to grace a screen.
What is the bottom line on The Matador?
This is a terrific film that cannot easily be pigeon-holed as far as concept, and as an HD disc shines as one of the most beautiful yet released.
Both film and HD disc come Highly Recommended.
RAH
For all appearances, it might be an odd "buddy" picture.
And it is, but that's not what it is.
It stars Pierce Brosnan of Bond fame as a tired hit man going over the edge, but it really isn't about who gets whacked or how. Brosnan's performance is so beautifully controlled that many critics have noted it as the best of his career.
The other leads, Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis are "every" couple, leading a relatively dull existence trying to get by in Denver.
But they aren't really what it's about.
What it appears to be is a character study of the three, and after their paths cross, how Brosnan and Kinnear become interdependent upon each other in totally different ways.
I really like this film.
Now to the software: As a Miramax product, now Weinstein via Genius, I was extremely trepidatious placing the HD disc in my Toshiba player. The history of Miramax product in SD in the recent past has not been a good one, with major films such as Cold Mountain and Gangs of New York being among the worst looking discs on record.
It was with great pleasure that I found that the problem was NOT coming from Miramax, but most likely from the post-production facility chosen to master their films to DVD.
The Matador is a stunning HD disc!
With much of the film photographed in Mexico, with bright colors and high tonalities everywhere, this is yet another disc to show off a high end system. A sequence at a bullfight reminded me at once of Rouben Mamoulian's magnificent 1941 Technicolor Blood and Sand, with the matador's cape in pure magenta, surrounded by some of the most sumptuous cinematography ever to grace a screen.
What is the bottom line on The Matador?
This is a terrific film that cannot easily be pigeon-holed as far as concept, and as an HD disc shines as one of the most beautiful yet released.
Both film and HD disc come Highly Recommended.
RAH
