Aloha (New Cameron Crowe Movie)

[Hurm...]

The first 8 minutes are as stale as a 3 year old Ritz cracker.

 

[mclay18]

The whole movie itself is stale and muddled. I'll just cut and paste my review from a different forum:

"If you're an insomniac, this film is a great alternative to sleeping pills. It meanders, it's too talky, and Alec Baldwin and Bill Murray's characters should've hit the cutting room floor entirely. Those two grind the film to a halt, but that's the least of the film's concerns. Rachel McAdams and Emma Stone are far too good for this movie, while Bradley Cooper's performance is hit-and-miss. At times he has this creepy expression that sent chills down my spine... is he trying to win Stone's character over or gut her like a fish? Then there's this lame thing with John Krasinski's actions and facial expressions are subtitled -- cute idea on paper, but it falls flat in the film."

I disagree with Amy Pascal on many things, but I agree with her on this. Aside from the fantastic cast, why did Sony greenlight this?

 

[Incarnadine]

Aside from the fantastic cast, why did Sony greenlight this?

That part is easy, they got a great cast willing to work cheap. The budget is just $37m so if it had hit it could have been a huge money maker and if it misses (which is clearly what's happening) it can't lose very much.
Its opening weekend looks to be 12.5-13m so it should end up in the 30's domestic, add in an even a moderate OS total and it will end up anywhere from a small loss to a small profit theatrically (close to the low end of what SONY thought the potential was when this was greenlit)

 

[TheVileOne]

The whole movie itself is stale and muddled. I'll just cut and paste my review from a different forum:

"If you're an insomniac, this film is a great alternative to sleeping pills. It meanders, it's too talky, and Alec Baldwin and Bill Murray's characters should've hit the cutting room floor entirely. Those two grind the film to a halt, but that's the least of the film's concerns. Rachel McAdams and Emma Stone are far too good for this movie, while Bradley Cooper's performance is hit-and-miss. At times he has this creepy expression that sent chills down my spine... is he trying to win Stone's character over or gut her like a fish? Then there's this lame thing with John Krasinski's actions and facial expressions are subtitled -- cute idea on paper, but it falls flat in the film."

I disagree with Amy Pascal on many things, but I agree with her on this. Aside from the fantastic cast, why did Sony greenlight this?

Pascal said this on a movie she probably oversaw?

 

[Octoberist]

Well my issue is that Cameron falls into the same trap as his other movie 'Elizabethtown', the movie that helped coined the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl*'...only to have the same archetype here with Emma's (half-Asian?) character. Was he not aware of that meme? Heck it was totally deconstructed by 500 Days of Summer.


*That quirky fantasy girl who is only there to fix the male lead's life.

 

[Octoberist]

He's falling into the 'greatest hits' of his career, repeating himself. That's the fear that Tarantino has, and is aware of. Not Cameron Crowe sadly.

 

[MadVillainy]

The whole movie itself is stale and muddled. I'll just cut and paste my review from a different forum:

"If you're an insomniac, this film is a great alternative to sleeping pills. It meanders, it's too talky, and Alec Baldwin and Bill Murray's characters should've hit the cutting room floor entirely. Those two grind the film to a halt, but that's the least of the film's concerns. Rachel McAdams and Emma Stone are far too good for this movie, while Bradley Cooper's performance is hit-and-miss. At times he has this creepy expression that sent chills down my spine... is he trying to win Stone's character over or gut her like a fish? Then there's this lame thing with John Krasinski's actions and facial expressions are subtitled -- cute idea on paper, but it falls flat in the film."

I disagree with Amy Pascal on many things, but I agree with her on this. Aside from the fantastic cast, why did Sony greenlight this?

Am I the only one whothinks this of Cooper in general?

I think he's a great actor. I like him and he seems like a decent guy.

But if it was to get out that he was a serial killer I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe it's those icy blue eyes.

 

[mclay18]

Pascal said this on a movie she probably oversaw?

In the Sony hacks from last November, in one e-mail Pascal openly disparaged Crowe's script and how the film was turning out.

She was right on the money there.

 

[mclay18]

Am I the only one whothinks this of Cooper in general?

I think he's a great actor. I like him and he seems like a decent guy.

But if it was to get out that he was a serial killer I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe it's those icy blue eyes.

This movie and that awful Sandra Bullock one he did back in 2009 were the only ones he did that gave me the creeps.

 

[Marvolo]

Can't say that Cooper has ever creeper me out.

 

[TheVileOne]

In the Sony hacks from last November, in one e-mail Pascal openly disparaged Crowe's script and how the film was turning out.

She was right on the money there.

Wow. I guess it is realistic, but just goes to show studio system for you.

I assume this film got greenlit because it is Cameron Crowe and his name still has some prestige and nostalgia behind it, and he probably got some A-list talent packaged to the project.

 

[Voltron]

Wow. I guess it is realistic, but just goes to show studio system for you.

I assume this film got greenlit because it is Cameron Crowe and his name still has some prestige and nostalgia behind it, and he probably got some A-list talent packaged to the project.

Yeah I wonder if they gave it the greenlight before there was a completed script.

This movie and that awful Sandra Bullock one he did back in 2009 were the only ones he did that gave me the creeps.

I actually liked All About Steve..

 

[Doctor Jones]

Well my issue is that Cameron falls into the same trap as his other movie 'Elizabethtown', the movie that helped coined the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl*'...only to have the same archetype here with Emma's (half-Asian?) character. Was he not aware of that meme? Heck it was totally deconstructed by 500 Days of Summer.


*That quirky fantasy girl who is only there to fix the male lead's life.

Wait wut.

 

[Octoberist]

Yeah she's half-asian in the movie. Her character's last name is 'Ng', which is Chinese. hah. I think Emma is more of a draw than Oliva Munn, who's actually half Asian. And a bigger star than Kristen Krieuk. Cameron Crowe should've known better or just adjust the script for Emma Stone.

 

[StarLord]

I just read about this movie on Indiewire. Lawd.

17% on RT.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Yeah she's half-asian in the movie. Her character's last name is 'Ng', which is Chinese. hah. I think Emma is more of a draw than Oliva Munn, who's actually half Asian. And a bigger star than Kristen Krieuk. Cameron Crowe should've known better or just adjust the script for Emma Stone.

*Ian Malcolm*

"I... what?"

This terms gets so overused and I don't say this often but that is indeed offensive. Maybe more demeaning than anything but nevertheless it's incredibly stupid.

 

[Octoberist]

It is.

 

[Doctor Jones]

This goes without saying, but this type of **** really needs to stop.

 

[Blue42]

Aloha bombed at the box office with $9.6 million this weekend.

 

[Black Narcissus]

If Emma Stone can play a half asian then Wesley Snipes can play a white jewish man..

 

[Lencho01]

And it sounds like the majority of the cast in the film were White actors, Weird, but not weird.

Also, Google "Allison Ng" and check out the images.

 

[mclay18]

And it sounds like the majority of the cast in the film were White actors, Weird, but not weird.

You see some native Hawaiians in mostly background or very small roles, but nothing substantial. There is merit to 'Crowe's whitewashing Hawaii in Aloha!', because it's true.

CBS's "Hawaii Five-0" reboot better represents Hawaii's diversity by comparison.

 

[Octoberist]

It's the Hollywood problem. People are divided on race bending comic book characters. It's controversial, got it.

Okay...let's create a role tailored to a minority then. Okay...cool....

.okay...let's get Emma Stone as Allison Ng!

Only if Olivia Munn, Chloe Bennet, Maggie Q or whoever were bigger stars. The problem is that they're never able to get there as the lead in anything movie related. Bennet is lucky to be a part of Agents of Sheild, sure, but her character can even reach the level of Maria Hill. Nor can I see her and the other cast members get big after their AoS run. Then Kristen Kruek is stuck on the CW b/c she's a so-so actress who wants to stay in Canada. Fine.

That's why I was happy that Maggie Q was the lead on Nikita, a show about her character. Even though she's back to doing small roles in movies, at least the show was trying to break barriers.

 

[Lencho01]

With the recent news of Maggie Gyllenhaal saying she was told she was too old to be the love interest of someone in their 50s, I wonder if some are tired of seeing older guys with such younger ladies.

Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, and Scarlett Johansson Have an Older-Man Problem

 

[MadVillainy]

It is weird to me how many kinda/really young girls are with much older counterparts.

I mean I know it happens in real life, but yeah when I heard about the Gyllenhaal thing I wasn't surprised.

Most main male characters is suppose to be the fantasy. Being older but still getting it with young girls