SHORT CUTS
[Film stats: Earned $6.1M domestically. Got 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 88% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
Don’t be misled by this film’s title. SHORT CUTS is a long movie… but please don’t let that keep you from giving it a watch. The cast is absolutely superb, and the story, despite featuring the occasional implausible point, is undeniably absorbing. Assuming you sit down to watch it, it won’t feel like its three-hour runtime.
To me, that’s a good barometer of determining whether or not a film is good. If its runtime is short but it feels long, stay away. If its runtime is long but feels like it ticks along at a relatively brisk pace, it’s probably worth a watch. The fact that this film is almost like a series of vignettes, though not self-contained as in the case of a movie like FOUR ROOMS, probably helps it not to drag nearly as much as it otherwise could.
Which brings me to the plot. According to the IMDB, it is: “The day-to-day lives of several suburban Los Angeles residents.”
If you happen to check out the cast for this one, you’ll realize why a movie that spends any amount of time with those “day-to-day lives” is going to be somewhat long. Still, the stories weave together so well and the actors do such a good job that it isn’t a chore to watch it.
Speaking of which, in case you’re keen to get a sampling of what the film is all about, I’ve embedded a trailer for it below:
There you have it. If I tried digging in to the intersectional tale of all the different stories going on concomitantly in this film, I’d need three posts for the one film. So, I’ll refrain and just say that it’s a great film that’s well worth the admittedly significant time it takes to watch it… and not just because of the Alex Trebek cameo.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out NASHVILLE or MAGNOLIA [although it tries too hard to be what SHORT CUTS actually is].
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER]
[Film stats: Earned $6.1M domestically. Got 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 88% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
Don’t be misled by this film’s title. SHORT CUTS is a long movie… but please don’t let that keep you from giving it a watch. The cast is absolutely superb, and the story, despite featuring the occasional implausible point, is undeniably absorbing. Assuming you sit down to watch it, it won’t feel like its three-hour runtime.
To me, that’s a good barometer of determining whether or not a film is good. If its runtime is short but it feels long, stay away. If its runtime is long but feels like it ticks along at a relatively brisk pace, it’s probably worth a watch. The fact that this film is almost like a series of vignettes, though not self-contained as in the case of a movie like FOUR ROOMS, probably helps it not to drag nearly as much as it otherwise could.
Which brings me to the plot. According to the IMDB, it is: “The day-to-day lives of several suburban Los Angeles residents.”
If you happen to check out the cast for this one, you’ll realize why a movie that spends any amount of time with those “day-to-day lives” is going to be somewhat long. Still, the stories weave together so well and the actors do such a good job that it isn’t a chore to watch it.
Speaking of which, in case you’re keen to get a sampling of what the film is all about, I’ve embedded a trailer for it below:
There you have it. If I tried digging in to the intersectional tale of all the different stories going on concomitantly in this film, I’d need three posts for the one film. So, I’ll refrain and just say that it’s a great film that’s well worth the admittedly significant time it takes to watch it… and not just because of the Alex Trebek cameo.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out NASHVILLE or MAGNOLIA [although it tries too hard to be what SHORT CUTS actually is].
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER]
