Word: stones
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...he’s maintained a close relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Kelly (Jena Malone), who sleeps with him immediately upon his arrival home only to reveal that she’s been considering marrying her new boyfriend. Montgomery is soon paired with a gruff superior named Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), a recovering alcoholic and serial womanizer who at first glance seems to be a stern, humorless caricature of a military...
...through this intensely character-driven movie, Montgomery—and the audience—gradually warms to Stone as Harrelson deftly portrays the nuanced and deeply vulnerable character as plagued by feelings of inadequacy and loneliness. The foundation of the film is the development of this cautious friendship between the two men, a relationship marked by regular returns to the same seedy bar. Stone is eager to move past the professional boundaries of his role as Montgomery’s superior, and an ambivalent Montgomery is slowly drawn to Stone’s sincere rambling. Foster plays Montgomery with admirable...
Despite its intensity, “The Messenger” avoids becoming emotionally manipulative. The reactions of the next-of-kin upon receiving the news are varied, from violent outbursts to calm acceptance. Like Montgomery and Stone, we see these individuals only at their weakest moment, left with a single, striking image. There are no build-ups or resolutions, and, as such, the film rarely slips into facile sentimentalism. Instead, the audience sees only an immediate reaction, captured by a trembling handheld camera as opposed to traditional close-up techniques. Warned against giving hugs and other gesture of comfort...
Moverman underscores the perpetual untimeliness of death in day-to-day life. The brief and rare use of music is entirely diegetic, stemming only from sources within the scenes, such as a barroom jukebox or a beaten-up car stereo. Montgomery’s first somber exchange with Stone, for example, is set to a cheery Beach Boys tune. The movie also resists the impulse to tailor the style of scenes to their emotional underpinnings; in one scene, a woman discovers that her husband has died on the sunniest, most peaceful of early fall days. With a careful hand...
Them Crooked Vultures are a bona fide supergroup. Consisting of Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Dave Grohl (Nirvana and Foo Fighters), and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), they form a formidable lineup of rock’s elder statesmen both past and present. Despite the impressive breadth of the band’s talent, however, it is Homme who controls the group. Dominated by aggressive and fast-paced hard rock, the band’s self-titled debut feels very much like a continuation of Homme’s prolific career, and that is precisely...