the assassination of my eyelids

Rating: 5/10 (4 January 2009)

no matter what people write about this movie, it is not bad. but it really can't be considered something of merit either. the performances are so flat and wooden--i realize that some "critics" would claim them subtle--that none of the characters really shines as someone you want to root for or be too interested in.
the good--it's nice looking. the soundtrack fits, too. plus, i liked seeing nick cave late in the movie as a bar singer. plus, the actors look like they could have been from that time period.
the bad--it's not malick. i read that the original version was four hours long. oh my goodness!!! this version came in at a sloooooooow two hours forty. not a lot of action and not much reason for us to feel reverence for jesse james. if he's a big deal, make him a big deal.
there's a reason movies like this don't do well in theaters. i know that many a good movie is overlooked and misunderstood, but i have no idea what audience would appreciate this. teens? no. women? not many bathing scenes for pitt here. men? not this man.
i'm disappointed to see that this director, who has now made two movies that no one has seen, has signed on to do cormac mccarthy's cities of the plain. i wish him, and his audience, better luck.