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*** Official "A BEAUTIFUL MIND" Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

Scott Weinberg

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Again, I can't post my full review until the release date, but this is a movie I absolutely loved! Hey, I'm as surprised as anyone, seeing as it WAS written by Akiva Goldsman and directed by a fine filmmaker who admittedly likes to make big-budget FX flicks.
Russell Crowe is simply amazing. Jennifer Connelly is very strong (and as luminous as ever). The supporting cast is uniformly fantastic, especially Ed Harris, Adam Goldberg and Christopher Plummer.
I'd rank A Beautiful Mind among the 5 best movies of the year, and it's a quantum leap forward for Ron Howard. I'd consider this one his first excellent movie that was made "for grown-ups".
I don't want to oversell it, as it may have just hit me on a personal level, but I think most of you will be pleasantly surprised by how damn good this movie is.
Eagerly awaiting other opinions,
 

Aaron Reynolds

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Amongst my friends we refer to "the legendary Akiva Goldsman", whose name in the credits has thus far indicated certain doom.

I think the best Akiva-moment was when we placed bets about ten minutes into A Time To Kill as to what the final shot of the film would be. I bet on a black child and a white child playing together. Okay, so they were on swings, but I was close enough to win the money.

Are you sure that it was a good movie? You haven't been brainwashed or anything?

edit: grammar
 

TheLongshot

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Actually, I've heard that the script for "Sum Of All Fears", which was also written by Goldsman, is also pretty good. (Jeffery Wells has apparently read it)

I think part of the reason we think so badly of Goldsman are the projects he decides to take on. Lets face it, not many of the films he has worked on were prime projects, some of which (Batman Forever, Practical Magic), he was one of many.

Actually, I liked Practical Magic. Also, I have some Wiccan friends that were quite happy about how witches were portrayed, so at least one writer knew what they were doing.

Jason
 

EvanB

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I'd consider this one his first excellent movie that was made "for grown-ups".
I would have to say that Apollo 13 was Ron Howard's best work to date, and that it was most definetly geared toward an older audience. Although I enjoyed Backdraft and Ransom, I think Apollo 13 wields the most power. But I am looking forward to A Beautiful Mind. Crowe is a very good actor, and Ms. Connelly is one of the most beautiful actresses today.
 

Scott Weinberg

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Good point about Apollo 13, Evan. My logic behind that statement was that kids will most likely be bored to tears by this movie. Apollo 13, while a damn fine film, had a certain adventure-movie mentality to it.
 

EvanB

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Ahh...i got you Scott. I am looking forward to a more serious Howard work, as I believe he is more comfortable and capable when dealing with these issues. Unlike some director's out there today, I think Howard is able to get the most out of his actors. I mean, when else has Kevin Bacon done an admirable job in a dramatic role? (Apollo 13). Cheers to everyone and a happy holiday...
 

Scott Weinberg

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A Beautiful Mind opened in NY and LA this past Friday. On the 21st, it opens (I believe) in the top 25 markets and on even more screens on the 28th.
I believe it opens "wide" the first week in January.
 

Scott Weinberg

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Thoughts on the luminous Ms. Connelly:
I know that EVERYONE loves her, but I'm the Jennifer Connelly fan. :D I remember seeing Labyrinth during its theatrical run in July of 1986. (I was 14, Jennifer was 15) and I fell deeply in love with her. Well, as deeply as you can fall in love with an actress while you're only 14 and not old enough to stalk yet.
I always thought it was cool that she was basically the same age as me, and it's been really great to watch her grow up (and out, and I don't mean chunky) over the years. Although I've always contended that she's a damn fine actress, I felt a personal sense of glee when everyone else started to discover it in movies like Pollock and Requiem for a Dream.
With her performance in A Beautiful Mind, I think she makes a massive leap forward, not in her acting skills (which have been solid for years) but in her "A-list bankability". The high-profile status of this particular movie will get Ms. Connelly a lot more attention and a LOT more respect.
And look now, she's been cast in the Hulk flick. I'm not saying that it's guaranteed to be a great movie, but they don't offer roles in these mega-expensive movies to nobodies. (First is Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man and now Connelly in The Hulk... My childhood heroes are doing pretty damn good for themselves, girlfriend-wise!)
All we Connelly faithful can do now is watch her soar into superstardom, secure in the knowledge that we 'liked her all along', we know all the lines of dialogue from her topless scene in that godawful Hot Spot flick, her performance in Dark City turned a 5-star movie into a 6-star movie, and that The Rocketeer had fine taste in women.
At the very least, we'll always have Target.
Good for you, Jen!
P.S. None of this pointless and delusional diatribe is included in my review for A Beautiful Mind, so feel free to check it out.
 

teapot2001

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A Beautiful Mind opened in NY and LA this past Friday. On the 21st, it opens (I believe) in the top 25 markets and on even more screens on the 28th.
I don't know about NY, but it opens in LA this Friday on the 21st.

~T
 

Robert Crawford

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This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "A Beautiful Mind". Please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.
All HTF member film reviews of "A Beautiful Mind" should be posted to this thread.
Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Crawdaddy
 

Mike Kelly

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This film seems to getting polarized responses. Well, put me into the "worked for me" side. I was absorbed, entertained and moved throughout. Ron Howard's decisions on how to portray the delusional side of John Nash have taken some heat, and called a cheap audiance manipulation trick. I think it was the right choice. For me, the film is about how John Nash sees himself as opposed to how others see him. The expression on Nash's face when Parcher (Ed Harris) tells him that he is the best code breaker he has ever seen, speaks volumes about the motives that drive Nash. I think it is the most accomplished work of Howard, Crowe and the luminous Connelly.
 

Chad R

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Okay, I've got a good question that bugged me. I'll spoilerize it:

Did Nash work for the DOD at all? Harris's character was obviously a figment, but after his first "meeting" with him Nash has an MP outside his door when Connelly comes to see him. She sees the MP so he must have been there. Also, later there's an MP at a desk. Now I don't know if where Nash worked that was standard, but the oddness of the MP opening the door for Connelly was off putting.
 

David Oliver

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Chad, in response to your spoiler.

Yes he did work for the DOD. Remember when he broke their code that first time and he asked, "Who's Big Brother", I expect that guy was real and then Nash went with that and started building his parnoid world, although he was already schizophrenic before that.
 

Patrick Sun

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Hey, did Jennifer Connelly lose some boobage with this film?

BTW, I enjoyed the film, and the performances were all very good.
 

Brad Porter

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Let me echo the sentiment that Akiva Goldsman's name on the production allowed me to enter the film with lowered expectations so that I enjoyed myself thoroughly. Upon viewing the credits, I noticed that Rance Howard had a very minor role, but there was no Clint to be found anywhere. Is this the first time he's been left out of his brother's picture?
One other observation: I kept hoping that Nicky Katt would show up at the college bar smelling of marijuana so that a full reenactment of the fight scene at the moon tower in Dazed & Confused could occur. Somebody in casting had to be considering it when they put Adam Goldberg and Anthony Rapp together as buddies. Not even a reference to sex dreams with Abe Lincoln's head. Highly disappointing. :)
Brad
 

Tom-G

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Let me echo the sentiment that Akiva Goldsman's name on the production allowed me to enter the film with lowered expectations so that I enjoyed myself thoroughly.
I couldn't have said that any better. I totally agree. Akiva Goldsman is a hack and I'm still in awe that he wrote the screenplay for this film.
I was also apprehensive about Ron Howard's penchant for playing on the audience's sentimentality, but overall, it wasn't oozing sap.
Russell Crowe is a fantastic actor. There isn't much he can't do. Ever since L.A. Confidential I've had a growing adimiration for him. And Jennfer Connelly? She's has always been a good actress in addition to being my favorite babe, but she is in top form here (pun intended). Yes Patrick, the boobage is down, but she's still my girl and I'm sure they are still beutiful. :)
I don't understand the criticizing of a film because of it's historical inaccuracies. If anything admonishing a film for its historical innacuricies are an individual and subjective thing. The Hurricane was extremely inaccurate, yet people seemed to overlook that and heap praise on it. Pearl Harbor was also historically inaccurate and it got lambasted primarily for that reason.
If you want accuracy, watch a documentary. If you want entertainment, watch a movie. I suppose when a subject is near and dear to one's heart, one tends to expect a film to be true to it's subject.
 

Edwin Pereyra

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From the review thread, Allen Hirsch wrote:
If, OTOH, Howard and Imagine Entertainment claimed this was Nash's life story - i.e., a faithful telling of the biography, I'd probably be more critical of the film for its material omissions in telling that story.
On national TV during the AFI Awards last Saturday, Ron Howard made a promotional pitch on this film stating that A Beautiful Mind is the true story of John F. Nash, Jr.
False declarations like that on national TV by its director just don't sit well with me.
~Edwin
 

Allen Hirsch

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Edwin-

I missed that.

Did Howard say ABM was "the true story of John Nash", or that it was "based on the true story"? I don't want to be a nitpicker, but that is a material difference, to me. And if it's the former, not the latter, I understand your problem with ABM. (I'm still impressed with the way they were able to depict mental illness, and the love story between John and Alicia.)

Do you think Howard made those choices of omission, or wouldn't the studios, aiming for a mainstream story with more box office upside, not neccessarily a faithful recounting of Nash's life, dictate those choices? (I assume the 2 majors, and not Imagine, had the bulk of the capital at risk in making this movie.)
 

Robert Crawford

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The Hurricane was extremely inaccurate, yet people seemed to overlook that and heap praise on it.
Tom,

Many people didn't overlook the inaccuracies displayed in "The Hurricane". There were many articles and discussions regarding that controversy which some speculated ultimately hurt Denzel Washington's AA bid for Best Actor. There were more than a few threads and posts concerning "The Hurricane" on this forum.

Crawdaddy
 

Edwin Pereyra

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Did Howard say ABM was "the true story of John Nash", or that it was "based on the true story"?
I don't exactly remember his EXACT words were. But either one of those two would bother me. Now, if he said "LOOSELY based on the true story of..." then that would be more accurate. And I know he did not say "loosely".

~Edwin
 

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