MovieChat Forums > The Fountain (2006) Discussion > Darren Done Did it AgAiN!

Darren Done Did it AgAiN!

posted 9 years ago by stonekeeper_ever
7 replies | jump to latest

Yep, once again I found myself staring at the screen, my mouth open in awe as the credits rolled. It seems that people either loved or hated this movie. I don’t see how you could hate it unless your one of those peeps who doesn’t like the Aronofsky’s, Gilliam’s and Malick’s of Cinema. The lighting, the ambiance, the cinematography, the music, the acting, the storyline etc. Everything was above my hopes and expectations. I was especially surprises to see the range of acting from Jackman. He did a super duper job yo! I will admit I had doubts about him and I was left impressed on all levels. I found all three parts of the movie interesting and I would’ve gladly taken more of each of them. The Fountain was the only movie I hadn’t seen from Darren and WOW, it ended the circle perfectly. Here are my ratings of his work in order that I’ve watched them: Requiem for a Dream 10/10
PI 7/10
The Wrestler 7.5/10
Black Swan 8/10
Noah 6.5/10
The Fountain 8.5/10
So bottom line, Darren is most definitely in my Top 3 Fav Directors.

Excuse my English, I am French-Canadian

[–] search_for_truth 9 years ago

Just out of curiosity, what work of Hugh Jackman's had you seen before watching The Fountain? I always find it fascinating when people say they didn't realize what range he has (I remember how excited I was the first time I realized his range), but I'm spoiled because I am very familiar with his theater/stage work (and have been lucky enough to see him act from the front row this past year!)

He was phenomenal in The Fountain. If the movie wasn't so poorly received by audiences, I would have loved to have seen him get award recognition for his performance. As far as movies go, The Fountain, Prisoners, and Les Miserables are my favorite Hugh Jackman performances.

[–] stonekeeper_ever 9 years ago

To be honest it was mainly based on the X-men serie. Besides that I saw him in The Prestige and Swordfish; two movies that disappointed me.

[–] search_for_truth 9 years ago

Oh, okay. Well, you know Swordfish was practically the same year as the first X-Men movie - he had just started his Hollywood career, and was still not well known so I don't necessarily put too much stock into that movie. It was supposed to be a summer popcorn thriller and so I got what I expected from it: action, sexiness, and explosions (and the rare but sweet moments between Stanley Jobson and his daughter).

I am a little surprised you didn't like The Prestige, as generally that film is beloved by movie buffs, but that's understandable. Out of curiosity, why did it disappoint you? I thought it was very well executed by Chris Nolan, I enjoyed the philosophy in it, and I felt Jackman, Bale, Cain, and Bowie all gave excellent performances (Johansson did well with what she was given). I found Jackman's character interesting in that movie, and I really appreciated the subtle way in which he played a British magician pretending to be American (love how he did the accent).

I think Les Miserables really shows his range. Not sure if you are into musicals, but Jean Valjean is my favorite character in any novel (Les Miserables has been my favorite novel since I was a teenager - so for about 17 years). And he really did that character so much justice - played the vulnerability perfectly, and truly embodied the saintly, tortured man that Valjean is in such a powerful way. To watch him go from Wolverine to Jean Valjean is truly a transformation. I don't believe two characters could be more different. I was happy he was nominated for the Academy Award.

I do think Prisoners is worth seeing, if you ever get the chance to see that movie. Fabulous, fabulous directing and story, in my opinion, and some brilliant acting moments. Several people even complained that Jackman was not nominated for the Academy Award for his performance in that movie. Gyllenhaal, Dano, and Viola Davis were great too.

Notable performances to watch: Hugh Jackman playing the flamboyantly gay songwriter and Australian icon, Peter Allen, in The Boy From Oz, for which Jackman won the Tony Award on Broadway. Simply magnificent, and again - complete opposite of Wolverine! There are some clips on YouTube if you are interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3zU2IcVzbc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b20D_ON2Etc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaU8pXPWBqE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPZLqbdY9F0

Also, did you watch Jackman host the Oscars? True triple threat right there!

Sorry, I got carried away. :) Glad you enjoyed him in The Fountain. Have a good evening.

[–] stonekeeper_ever 9 years ago

Thanks! I actually bought the Blu-ray of prisoner a week ago and it's on my watchlist. And unfortunately I'm really not a musical type a guy.

[–] search_for_truth 9 years ago

Oh okay, I hope you like it! Well, that's okay :) But you have to admit, it takes a lot of range to go from playing Wolverine to winning a Tony Award on Broadway for playing a flamboyantly gay character in a musical, and then getting an Oscar nomination for playing a tortured and complex man who was virtually a saint in a movie musical! Action and musicals with singing and tap dancing are virtually opposite ends of the spectrum.

Have a good night! :)

[–] stonekeeper_ever 9 years ago

Yeah I agree, Especially when your character is always in the same mood, making the same face, smoking the same cigars, drinking the same drink...
I'll try to come back to you when I watched prisoners.

[–] search_for_truth 9 years ago

Haha Wolverine was like that in the cartoons though.

Okay, have a good evening! 