tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post6968266721655382588..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Living in Django's ShadowSJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-26034753232062259512017-07-17T18:12:11.645-05:002017-07-17T18:12:11.645-05:00I didn't mention Waters above, but it's so...I didn't mention Waters above, but it's so clearly and obviously John Waters, too, pencil-thin mustache and all.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-60355370990929850072017-07-17T17:04:34.677-05:002017-07-17T17:04:34.677-05:00I saw Sweet and Lowdown a few months ago as part o...I saw Sweet and Lowdown a few months ago as part of my quest to see all of Woody Allen's feature films (I've only got three to go!) and I rather liked it, sort of in spite of itself. It IS an amazing performance from Sean Penn.<br /><br />Still, the thing that sticks out in my mind is that John Waters is in this movie. Yes, the guy who directed Pink Flamingoes and Female Trouble. THAT John Waters.Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17921029597363212734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-61046388623994942912017-07-17T07:38:40.240-05:002017-07-17T07:38:40.240-05:00That does happen sometimes, and I suppose it's...That does happen sometimes, and I suppose it's cold comfort for Penn and others to be told how good they can be at making an audience dislike them.<br /><br />Where <i>Sweet and Lowdown</i> has an issue, though, is that Penn's Emmet Ray is on screen in virtually every frame. It's a lot easier to appreciate a hateful, nasty performance when it's from a character who isn't the constant focus of the camera. Watching this, we're <i>forced</i> to spend time with Emmet Ray, and that does make it hard to appreciate Penn's solid work. <br /><br />In a strange way, it demonstrates just how good the performance actually is. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-51209421113262742282017-07-17T03:54:43.073-05:002017-07-17T03:54:43.073-05:00Sean Penn’s performance is why I watched this, and...<b>Sean Penn’s performance is why I watched this, and here I’m torn. Penn is a fine actor and often turns in a performance of note. It’s hard to say he’s not very good as Emmet Ray, but it’s in service of such an awful character that it’s a little difficult to appreciate. I genuinely didn’t like spending time in the company of Ray because he is so unpleasant on almost every front.</b><br /><br />Penny Johnson was the actress who played the vile, scheming, Lady Macbeth-like Sherry Palmer, wife of the near-saintly David Palmer on the TV series "24." I hated Sherry Palmer with a passion, but when I stepped back from the show and assessed what was happening in my head, I realized that <i>the actress</i> had done a fantastic job of making me hate the character. As a result, I found myself in the weird position of adoring and respecting Penny Johnson while simultaneously execrating Sherry Palmer. Horrible character; great artist. The emotional/aesthetic paradox actually made Sherry Palmer <i>more</i> watchable for me. I suppose your mileage may vary.Kevin Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01328790917314282058noreply@blogger.com