Now here is a film with the strongest language I have heard in a while... The Town. Written, directed and starred by Ben Affleck, it is promising on all counts. The cast, the story, the production team. But like Affleck's other directing success, "Gone Baby Gone", it is based in Boston and comes with the city's back-alley language.
I rented the movie with some friends of mine, and like most guys, we're not too affected by strong language (even the continuous use of the F-Word). But like most ladies, my wife wasn't at all pleased, and while trying to read in her bedroom, she politely asked us to turn the volume down on account of the language.
This is unfortunate. The screenplay that is. Because it is typically a good movie. I know there has been some debate surrounding the use of the F-Word in Hollywood (not enough in my opinion) but I just wish there were some way to overcome the obstacle for so many movie lovers like me.
Take a Blu-Ray disc for example. I now hire mostly Blu-Rays, and they can hold 50gb of data! They often have additional languages as options in the menu for international audiences. So why can't an additional language be with the F-Word dubbed out? It can't be that hard! It would make the viewing experience that much more pleasing and I am sure would increase disc rentals.
Like Affleck's other directing credit "Gone Baby Gone", "The Town" is set in Boston and is a crime thriller. The cast is all star, with some outstanding performances, particularly from Affleck, Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) and Rebecca Hall (The Prestige). The cinematography, sound editing and action sequences are all stunning and give an audio and visual feast throughout the film. The story keeps one guessing and on the edge of one's seat right to the final crescendo shoot out. But then kind of drops off weakly. I guess most people enjoy their happy endings and stories to be tied up nicely, which The Town doesn't necessarily do. It leaves a lot for the viewer to complete themselves. Which is far more artistic than is stomached by our "feed me" society unfortunately.
Had the movie not used such realistic Boston language, I would have given it a B, about 75%. But because I am such a protected little boy (and proud of it), I wouldn't watch it again, and unfortunately, in my books it has to go down as a C- at 60%. Just scraping into the C's by virtue of it being a darn well produced film.
Affleck is a gifted writer and director. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future, hopefully for wider audiences.
The Town:
60% (C-)
F-Count: 3 (Strong use of the F-Word)
Written by: Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard
Directed by: Ben Affleck
Produced by: Graham King and Basil Iwanyk
I rented the movie with some friends of mine, and like most guys, we're not too affected by strong language (even the continuous use of the F-Word). But like most ladies, my wife wasn't at all pleased, and while trying to read in her bedroom, she politely asked us to turn the volume down on account of the language.
This is unfortunate. The screenplay that is. Because it is typically a good movie. I know there has been some debate surrounding the use of the F-Word in Hollywood (not enough in my opinion) but I just wish there were some way to overcome the obstacle for so many movie lovers like me.
Take a Blu-Ray disc for example. I now hire mostly Blu-Rays, and they can hold 50gb of data! They often have additional languages as options in the menu for international audiences. So why can't an additional language be with the F-Word dubbed out? It can't be that hard! It would make the viewing experience that much more pleasing and I am sure would increase disc rentals.
Like Affleck's other directing credit "Gone Baby Gone", "The Town" is set in Boston and is a crime thriller. The cast is all star, with some outstanding performances, particularly from Affleck, Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) and Rebecca Hall (The Prestige). The cinematography, sound editing and action sequences are all stunning and give an audio and visual feast throughout the film. The story keeps one guessing and on the edge of one's seat right to the final crescendo shoot out. But then kind of drops off weakly. I guess most people enjoy their happy endings and stories to be tied up nicely, which The Town doesn't necessarily do. It leaves a lot for the viewer to complete themselves. Which is far more artistic than is stomached by our "feed me" society unfortunately.
Had the movie not used such realistic Boston language, I would have given it a B, about 75%. But because I am such a protected little boy (and proud of it), I wouldn't watch it again, and unfortunately, in my books it has to go down as a C- at 60%. Just scraping into the C's by virtue of it being a darn well produced film.
Affleck is a gifted writer and director. I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future, hopefully for wider audiences.
The Town:
60% (C-)
F-Count: 3 (Strong use of the F-Word)
Written by: Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard
Directed by: Ben Affleck
Produced by: Graham King and Basil Iwanyk
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