Go (Special Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Go (Special Edition)
Movie Review: One of my favorites from 1999
Summary: 5 Stars
The cast of Go doesn't have a lot of star power, and the director is familiar only to people who keep up with independent films. He directed the critically acclaimed Swingers in 1996. The cover art for the video box is atrocious. If you are over 25, you are not apt to have heard of the artists who make the music for the soundtrack. And in a period where the shallow reigns at the boxoffice, this movie was not a hit. Don't worry about these things. Go is the hippest, hottest, funniest and most unflinchingly honest American movie about young people since Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In fact, it's much better, and it takes place nowhere near an institution of higher learning.The movie begins normally enough. The fanfare music plays, and there's the statue of the lady with the torch, which tells is this is a Columbia Picture. Suddenly, the studio music is cut off by lively rock and roll. We are suddenly in the midst of a huge rave party. The credits quickly roll, and we are whisked off to a supermarket, the kind where today's kids unhappily toil in order to get the money to pay for their fun, which is lot more expensive than the fun their parents had.
We see young Ronna [Sarah Polley] waiting on a customer in the check out line. She's the kind of customer who quickly puts the work ethic on shaky ground. Then Ronna goes to clock out. Her friend, Claire [Katie Holmes], advises coworker, Simon [Desmon Askew], that this is not a good time for him to ask Ronna for a favor. He doesn't listen. You need to pay close attention to this scene, because it is repeated twice later in the movie and is critical to the densely woven plot.
I don't want to give away much of the story, because it's one of the delights of Go. The plot is not complex, but it unfolds in such a clever way that, if you blink, you miss something. I will say only that it revolves around a drug deal gone wrong and that it is told from three different viewpoints.
The young cast is far from being world famous, but it's a sure bet that some of the actors will be one day soon. The Canadian Sarah Polley is an awesome talent. Taye Diggs, who played Angela Bassett's young lover in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, is hysterical as Marcus, a bright but somewhat too impulsive hustler. Equally amusing is Desmon Askew, whose character, Simon, does bad things because he is too clueless to know the difference between right and wrong. All of the players are first-rate. I think we have in Doug Liman a true directorial talent. The mark of a great director is the ability to elicit from actors performances that are several cuts above what they normally give. They make even ordinary actors shine.
Go is a very modern movie. It uses all the techniques people learn while working on commercials and music videos. Liman uses them wisely. All the quick cuts and odd camera angles are in perfect synch with the style and subject matter of the film. Too often, such tricks are used to mask the fact that a movie is all style and no substance. Here we have both elements in equal parts.
This is a movie for people who either are or who yearn to be free spirited and open-minded. It is certainly not for the judgmental or the self-righteous. It's subject matter may be on the wrong side of the tracks, and it may not send the politically correct messages we insist our kids should see and hear today - as of they were incapable of forming their own opinions. But its heart is in the right place, it is very funny, and it rarely treats its characters unkindly. That's more than can be said of many so-called uplifting Hollywood pictures which are ultimately hollow and empty.
There are so many memorable moments in Go that some of them are still playing in my head. The movie is full of memorable characters, most of which you wouldn't bring home to met Mom. Still, in a way that only the magic of movies can do, they are a lovable bunch of rascals. I am sure I will see them again several times.
Movie Review: Going, going, going...GONE!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I saw this film back in 2000 I was shocked at how much fun it was. Watching it multiple times over the past decade (I can't believe this decade is over) I am shocked at how `good' of a film it really is. `Go' may be a little all over the place at times, and it is true that it lacks a real solidified `plot', but this film shockingly holds up very well, beings that it is now nearly eleven years old. It's rare to find films of this nature (in this genre) that age so well.
I mean, I don't think anyone even remotely considered this would be a longstanding modern masterpiece or anything.
The film does borrow a lot from `Pulp Fiction' in structure and pace, and that is a wonderful thing because it basically updates Tarantino's style to envelope what the late nineties was all about. What is so cool about `Go' is that even now, eleven years later, this feels fresh and fun and relevant. Sure, times have changed over the past decade, but `Go' still carries with it a smart and spunky sense of nostalgia. Roaring through a single 24 hour period, `Go' spirals off in a few different directions as it incorporates the lives of a slew of teenage (or barely out of their teens) slackers/hoodlums/`whatever you want to call ems'.
Let's see if this makes sense...
Ronna is about to be evicted, so she drags her friend Claire with her to see drug-dealer Todd to score some drugs they can sell for profit, infringing on Simon's turf, but it's okay because Simon and his buddy Marcus are in Vegas getting roughed up by bouncers. Ronna bites off more than she can chew when she runs into Adam and Zach, two soap opera actors who are forced into a real `sting' operation by an officer named Burke in order to clear their names of a drug charge they claim innocence to.
I think that kind of covers it.
The film is littered with fun performances, all of which really rise to the occasion and deliver mature and believable (and praiseworthy) turns. Sarah Polley is a great (if largely overlooked) actress who has delivered many times before, and this is no exception. Her steely sadness is beautifully mixed with her determination. Timothy Olyphant made a big impression on me when I first saw this movie (I initially campaigned him for a Supporting Oscar nomination), and while I feel as though he has squandered his talent by playing this same character in every movie to the point where his turn here even feels strangely stale, I still remember that I totally loved what he did here when I first saw it. The real standouts for me though, are Katie Holmes (who steals her every scene, not only with her virginal beauty but also with her stellar acting chops) and Scott Wolf. I also really liked Desmond Askew's energetic delivery.
But really, singling out anyone is rather pointless when the entire ensemble cast is truly in tune with one another, the material and their director. If you want a fun film that is brash, engaging, briskly paced and genuinely intense, then `Go' is certainly the movie for you!
Movie Review: One of the best
Summary: 5 Stars
Loved Pulp Fiction? Then you will most likely enjoy a fun-ride called GO, directed by Doug Liman who also did Swingers and is currently attached to direct Bourne Identity with Matt Damon. I went into this movie expecting a typical teen comedy but I walked with my jaw dropped. I could not remember the last time I have seen a movie that was this much fun. This flick is pure example of how much fun a story can be. An intelligent, balls-out entertainment for everyone who enjoys fun movies. Most people tend to praise movies with a 'message', Go has no 'real' message but it does show how much fun something can be. Most people will try to live this story out on their own because it's just that good. Everyone, in some weird way, would love to experience what these bunch of people experienced in this movie. Comedy, sex, guns.. I can go and on.. but who can forget this fun cast who made the movie oh-so-memorable.
Here we have three separate stories that take place the same day/night. It's one of those things that shows you that everyone you meet has a story to their name, and what fun stories do these character have! First up we have Ronna Martin (Sarah Polley) who goes a bit too far and tries to screw a local drug dealer over, we all know how those stories end up but you'll never guess what turn this one takes. Ronna is a work related friend to Simon Baines (Demons Askew), a (...) British dude who just so happens to be friends with the drug dealer who is out to find Ronna. Simon decides to take some vacation time to Vegas with his buddies Marscus (Taye Diggs), Singh (James Duval) and Tiny (Breckin Mayer). Next up we have the third story that just barely fits into the loop. A story of Adam (Scott Wolf) and Zack (Jay Mohr), two guys who have been busted by a cop named Burke (William Fichtner) for a drug possession. Adam and Zack just so happen' to be friends with Simon, who use to hook them up with the right stuff thru the drug dealer Todd (Timothy Olaphant) who just so happens to be out to find Ronna who screwed him over. See how much fun this sounds like? Well, it is. I have seen this movie over thirty times and I am yet to get bored with it, every time I watch it, I get more and more entertained. It is just that much fun!
Go reminded me why I love movies so much, the fact that I can sit down and watch this movie over and over and not get bored. We rarely find movies such as this and it would be shame for any movie fan not to see it because it is a real treat. Older folks will not be drawn to this movie one bit because this movie will simply give them fuel for their fire. An excuse to rip the younger generations apart, so to say. However I will go as far as to say that if this movie was ever brought back to the big screen, I would definitely go back and see it again.
Movie Review: Defines "Hip And Intelligent"
Summary: 5 Stars
Aaahh, if only this movie came out before Pulp Fiction. It would've been hailed as one of the greatest movies of all time. But although it borrows heavily from Pulp Fiction the way the story is told, the similarity stops there. This movie is amazing in so many ways, I never tire from watching it.
First, a short account of the story. It has basically 3 stories but they are ironically related. One is about Ronna and because of her financial difficulties, she engages in a drug deal and of course it turns sour. Simon meanwhile, who works with Ronna takes a trip to Las Vegas with his buddies and they get entangled with prostitutes and mobsters with hilarious results. And finally we have Adam and Zack, a gay couple who get mixed up with a cop because of drug possession. You probably can see bits and pieces of a puzzle, but how it all adds up will definitely give you tremendous satisfaction and fun.
I have to say kudos to the writers for doing a fantastic job. The script is written very well and having been a teen myself, it does represent teenagers to a certain ammount of accuracy. The script is also tinged with humour and wit to make it entertaining. Really good work from the writers! Of course, no movie can do well with just a good script. Which brings me to my next point, the acting. Unbelievable performances from some of Hollywood's up-and-comers at the time. I usually highlight the best acting, but everyone was equally good in their roles here, from Sarah Polley to Timothy "The Man" Olyphant (his pre-Deadwood days and he's a cool mutha even then). It all made the story so convincing.
The directing was also superb. Doug Liman maintained the authenticity and ambience of the whole movie very well. And special mention about the music from BT...it was awesome, and fitted the movie very well. I even bought the soundtrack, really a rare find with it's variety of songs from some of the best artists around. In short, I felt that everything about the movie came together very well thus the 5-star rating.
Make no mistake, this is not your average teen movie. It is brilliantly conceived and executed, with some of the best dialogue ever written. It's definitely a classic in my opinion. Rarely do I find myself enjoying a movie as much as this, everytime I watch it. Highly recommended, a must-buy!
Movie Review: Go - Get it!
Summary: 5 Stars
It is an old technique to link three stories under a similar theme and tie them together in the one film. It was done in memorable films such as Neil Simons "Plaza Suite" and in "The Yellow Rolls Royce".
Here, the technique is souped and hyped up to modern fast lane speed.
Story one is the tale of Ronna, the rude shop clerk facing eviction who is handed the opportunity to sell drugs to get herself out of debt. But she finds herself set up in a police sting, and then has to double cross the drug dealer to stay solvent. One bad move begets another and she ends up in a carpark at night having her live saved by being run over by a car. Sounds incredible, but it works brilliantly. This part of the movie owes a lot to Pulp Fiction and True Romance.
Story two is Ronnas drug dealing english buddy on his trip to Vegas. He loses his money, scores with two bridesmaids, burns down the hotel room, steals a car with his buddy, goes to a strip joint, shoots the pimp and has to exit Vegas in a high speed car chase to avoid being shot himself. Unbelievable? But it works. This section of the movie pays homage to college/road movies such as American Pie, Planes Trains and Automobiles and Road Trip.
Story three is the gay TV detective stars forced into a police sting to clear a drugs charge. Their day descend into consumer hell when they find the only way to clear their rapsheet is to sign up an "Amway" style franchise with the detective. They kill Ronna in the carpark, but then come back to save her, and perversely do the right thing for all the wrong reasons. This is the most surreal part of the movie, replete with dangerous sexual situations that cannot be consumated.
Backed up by a sizzling sound track, full of excellent jokes and side-splitting situations, this is a really good black comedy. Top viewing! I can't understand why it never screened in Europe. Oh I do! It is all very black, and very adult and probably bombed in the USA.