Jason KingReview - Get Smart
June 26th 2008 03:40
Category: No Category
GET SMART (2008) $13-
I think this is probably one of the best comedy TV remakes into Hollywood moviedom ever made!
I had the great pleasure of getting up extremely early on the last day of my annual leave this morning to travel by smelly overheated bus into the abyss of the freezing city morning to view this film. And I was stoked, it had me pissing myself with laughter. Tom and Nick, sitting to my right were actually also getting laughs from the audience due to their uncontrollable fits of non-pot induced laughter.
Official Synopsis: Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). Smart is partnered instead with the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Given little field experience and even less time, Smart–armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm–must thwart the doomsday plans of KAOS head Siegfried (Terance Stamp).
Test screenings went extremely poor for this film in the US and it is being dubbed as a failure prior to its release but seriously, I just loved it. It harnessed the TV show to an extent but not overly so as to be completely compared to it. Steve Carell is amazing as 86 and manages to slip in every single remembered line of the original. Anne Hathaway is just brilliant as 99 and oh so gorgeous, all the guys in my row would have watched this film without dialogue so they could ogle her. The Rock or as he likes to be known now (why oh why) Dwayne Johnson is a shining light in the film and holds his own with comedy just as well as Carell. Alan Arkin is superb as "The Chief" and has my funniest line in the movie after a car chase, had me crying. And there is some great smaller parts, cameo by Bill Murray as 13, Terence Stamp as Siegfried and Masi Oka (Heroes) as a geek.
One review I read of this film on IMDB gave it one out of ten. He claimed that it was a waste of film and not relevant because it did not incorporate world events or espionage of today. He also had the idea that the film could have worked better if they had used the old Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. This guy was a goose - I don't want to go the movies to watch Maxwell Smart dealing with terrorism and Iraq!!! I want escapism similar to the original TV show that is making fun of the CIA and other agencies. And could the guy not read one of the first set of names in the credits???? Character stories by MEL BROOKS AND BUCK HENRY!!!!!!!! He also mentioned that he noticed people looking at their watches - I noticed cinema and film execs belly rolling out of their seats with laughter. Forgive my slight anger at this guys review but maybe he saw this film before final cut - that did have several re-shoots.
I found the directing amazing, the editing very nice, the acting superb but was slightly disappointed by the cinematography (pointed out by Tom - friend watched the film with). The film was filmed in HD in a 1.78:1 format - narrower than a widescreen film then slightly blown up. Being a big blockbuster with lots of action I assumed it would be in Cinemscope. For those that have NO idea what I am talking about. Widescreen is your normal cinema screen and Cinemascope is when the curtains (or masking) opens on the sides creating a much wider image on screen. It also appeared that a lot of natural lighting was used resulting in some very grainy scenes in some darker shots but not all. This is very surprising as Dean Semler was the DOP - a remarkable cinematographer of such films as Dances with Wolves, Young Guns, Mad Max 2 & 3, Apocalypto, and one of my all time faves, Waterworld (lol).
Consider the disastrous remakes of TV shows onto film over the last few years.......
Inspector Gadget, Miami Vice, Bewitched, Scooby Doo and The Dukes of Hazzard to name a few. Get Smart does not fit into this category in any way shape or form and I believe we will see a sequel or two. I think this is worth $13-
And a PS: We watched some footage of Speed Racer and F**K ME - THIS FILM IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST FILMS OF ALL TIME AND BLOW SOME MINDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think this is probably one of the best comedy TV remakes into Hollywood moviedom ever made!
I had the great pleasure of getting up extremely early on the last day of my annual leave this morning to travel by smelly overheated bus into the abyss of the freezing city morning to view this film. And I was stoked, it had me pissing myself with laughter. Tom and Nick, sitting to my right were actually also getting laughs from the audience due to their uncontrollable fits of non-pot induced laughter.
Official Synopsis: Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). Smart is partnered instead with the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Given little field experience and even less time, Smart–armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm–must thwart the doomsday plans of KAOS head Siegfried (Terance Stamp).
Test screenings went extremely poor for this film in the US and it is being dubbed as a failure prior to its release but seriously, I just loved it. It harnessed the TV show to an extent but not overly so as to be completely compared to it. Steve Carell is amazing as 86 and manages to slip in every single remembered line of the original. Anne Hathaway is just brilliant as 99 and oh so gorgeous, all the guys in my row would have watched this film without dialogue so they could ogle her. The Rock or as he likes to be known now (why oh why) Dwayne Johnson is a shining light in the film and holds his own with comedy just as well as Carell. Alan Arkin is superb as "The Chief" and has my funniest line in the movie after a car chase, had me crying. And there is some great smaller parts, cameo by Bill Murray as 13, Terence Stamp as Siegfried and Masi Oka (Heroes) as a geek.
One review I read of this film on IMDB gave it one out of ten. He claimed that it was a waste of film and not relevant because it did not incorporate world events or espionage of today. He also had the idea that the film could have worked better if they had used the old Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. This guy was a goose - I don't want to go the movies to watch Maxwell Smart dealing with terrorism and Iraq!!! I want escapism similar to the original TV show that is making fun of the CIA and other agencies. And could the guy not read one of the first set of names in the credits???? Character stories by MEL BROOKS AND BUCK HENRY!!!!!!!! He also mentioned that he noticed people looking at their watches - I noticed cinema and film execs belly rolling out of their seats with laughter. Forgive my slight anger at this guys review but maybe he saw this film before final cut - that did have several re-shoots.
I found the directing amazing, the editing very nice, the acting superb but was slightly disappointed by the cinematography (pointed out by Tom - friend watched the film with). The film was filmed in HD in a 1.78:1 format - narrower than a widescreen film then slightly blown up. Being a big blockbuster with lots of action I assumed it would be in Cinemscope. For those that have NO idea what I am talking about. Widescreen is your normal cinema screen and Cinemascope is when the curtains (or masking) opens on the sides creating a much wider image on screen. It also appeared that a lot of natural lighting was used resulting in some very grainy scenes in some darker shots but not all. This is very surprising as Dean Semler was the DOP - a remarkable cinematographer of such films as Dances with Wolves, Young Guns, Mad Max 2 & 3, Apocalypto, and one of my all time faves, Waterworld (lol).
Consider the disastrous remakes of TV shows onto film over the last few years.......
Inspector Gadget, Miami Vice, Bewitched, Scooby Doo and The Dukes of Hazzard to name a few. Get Smart does not fit into this category in any way shape or form and I believe we will see a sequel or two. I think this is worth $13-
And a PS: We watched some footage of Speed Racer and F**K ME - THIS FILM IS GOING TO BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST FILMS OF ALL TIME AND BLOW SOME MINDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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i think im gunna have to go to the cinema and have a mini-marathon of all the films you recommend . . . i really need to start working at a cinema!
hey what do people do for projectionist training nowadays? is there a course or is it all on the job training?
Comment by Jason King
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Projection training is all on the job. And funnily enough I just had one of my guys get a full time job and resign last night so am going to start training in a few weeks, If you want to move back to Syderzzzz I will give u an interview!
Get Smart was really surprisingly good. Laughed oodles and u are right - Hathaway is brilliant casting as 99.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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give me an interview!!!!!!
haha was that desperate? no really i miss Sydney so much!
Comment by Jason King
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I also am looking for a flat mate to move somewhere closer to city on the train line and I cook great and can cat sit. LOL
Comment by Morgan Bell
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cat-sitting, cooking, a job related to film, and living quarters in sydney . . . im gobsmacked! haha
Comment by Jason King
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This is a repost as the film was released this morning.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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Comment by Jason King
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Comment by David L
this reads like a longer and better written review like mine, i even mentioned how the rocks name change is stupid.
God the cinematography is terrible here, you are right, was the difference between a three and a five star flick for me.
Silk road, is a giant 'meh' but has gorgeous cinematography and produciton values, but rhys meyers rides that film into the grave, if it had someone like ed norton it could have been great.
hope you enjoy some of it. looking foward to the review i am.