Frost/Nixon

[chamber-music]

I saw that Culture Show interview with Micheal Sheen his a really good chameleon actor. He was good in The Underworld movies, Timeline and really good in Four Feathers with Heath Ledger.

Too bad Beckinsale left him for Wiseman.

 

[The Englishman]

I can't wait for the sequel, Through the Keyhole.

I Think this is going over most peoples heads..t:

Wow Micheal Sheen has taken a break from playing Tony Blair to play Frost

Yes and i cant wait to see him as Brian Clough in his next film The Damed United......t:

 

[Matt]

Yup. He really doesn't look anything like him either. I suppose the look isn't all that important but the voice... he just sounds silly too me.

It baffles me as to why, to this day, Dan Hedaya has not gotten his chance to give a serious performance of Richard Nixon. The man is a dead ringer for him and does the voice to a T.

 

[The Senator]

I don't have high hopes for this. The play was excellent, but I don't think Langella has given Nixon justice based on the trailers and previews I have seen. He just seems to be portraying him as an angry old man, which was only one minute aspect of his post-presidential personality. Also, Ron Howard hasn't made a lot of excellent films lately. The Da Vinci Code was a total disappointment, and A Beautiful Mind was overhyped.

I have read a lot of good reviews for this movie, so that's part of the reason why I want to see it when it comes out. But I'm going into the theater with low expectations.

 

[Movies205]

I just finished reading, what I assume, is the shooting script to this film and after just watching the trailer, my interest has plummeted. The script was an enjoyable read but the first 30 or so pages (roughly the first act) is a snooze-fest that slightly ham-fisted. David Frost comes off as an affable ass with no real insight to who he is or what he does, his supporting cast are nothing more than pretencious annoying liberals (that go absolutely no where in film other than to constantly pronounce terror), and there's even a half-ass attempt at a love-interest. So what makes it good? Its portrayal of Richard Nixon and the actual plot is the saving grace of the script which is actually what so powerful.

This film is not about Richard Nixon's presidency or even water-gate, somethign even the script doesn't realize till the second act, which is why the first act is such a bore. Its about the character of Richard Nixon and David Frost, when things become more about money, and its about honor. The face off between Nixon and Frost is amazing and through it we begin to understand Frost and his motivation, what's at stake. This is my problem with the trailer, they make it seem very dramatic about the search for the truth, but its not really what the story's about. Frank Lagella's performance also seems like a characiture and butchers the subtly of the script.

I'm still going see it, but my hopes have dropped

 

[cerealkiller182]

The only scene where Langella looks like a cheap impression is the big line from the trailer "When the President does it its not illegal." The rest feels much more like a natural homage to Nixon.

And yes it is definitely about the dogfight between Frost and Nixon but Sheen plays Frost so well and his character arc was so good i wonder if it really even happened that way. There is a great scene where Sheen and his "crack squad of investigators" are doing preliminary research and they have great chemistry there and throughout the movie but most evident in that scene. Rockwell and Platt definitely break up the possible monotony of the premise and act as the audience would. Those questions and comments you feel like yelling at the screen when frost screws up or nixon BS's frost they say. I felt an immediate connection to them.

The scenes between the interviews can get tiresome, but they also represent how the tension of the interviews grows with each one.

Overall it was a good flick worthy of award consideration but i think it will fail to bring home any substantial awards

 

[TNC9852002]

Yes, a very well made film. I have to see it again because I was dog tired, 4 hours of sleep in 2 days, I was drifting asleep here and there. The movie wasn't really boring or anything, I was just really tired and I couldn't fight it to stay awake through it all.

I easily give it a 8/10,...MAYBE a 8.5/10.

Trailers shown with my print:

-The Wrestler
-Gran Torino
-State of Play
-Angels & Demons
-The International

-TNC

 

[tzarinna]

Saw this last night, we got the last two tickets. That's right this sucker Sold Out. We had to sit in the front row, lol.

It certainly builds up a lot of tension, and I had more of an emotional connection to Frost in the movie than in the play. I'm very impressed with Micheal Sheen. The boyfriend preferred the play, thought the transitions were a lot smoother and he really liked Stacy Keach as Nixon. The actors in the play were great, no doubt.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I saw it tonight, the acting is solid for the most part with Sam Rockwell giving the standout performance for me. Langella is mostly good but Sheen feels like he is playing Frost as a camp parody at times, whilst at others he imbues him with a likable underdog quality.

I liked the structure, using the talking heads documentary looking back at the events with members of both supporting teams, inter-cut with the movies glossy fly on the wall style documentary. However I felt they betrayed this with the phone call scene before the final interview scene, it was so Hollywood and unnecessary, Frost's subsequent "training montage" was just cliche.

The way Howard sets the interview segments up like a prizefight with each verbal pugilist having their own corner team, is very effective and the interview scenes are engrossing and compelling, I wish they had been longer as the behind the scenes stuff padded around them is far less interesting.

It's an average movie, well marshaled by Howard with 2 solid lead performances and a couple of really good scenes.

7.5/10