Dese Dem Dose

Two Lovers (2929 Prods., 2.13.09) is a very decent...no, better-than-decent blue-collar drama from director-writer James Gray. It plays in the vein of Paddy Chayefsky's Marty, and has very fine performances from the entire cast, but especially from Joaquin Phoenix, Gwynneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on December 29, 2008 at 6:25 PM

comment #1

Sabina E Author Profile Page says ...

i just can't watch anything with Gwyneth Paltrow without getting irritated. I'm sorry, I just can't.

Posted by Sabina E Author Profile Page at December 29, 2008 6:35 PM

comment #2

ZayTonday Author Profile Page says ...

So this is better than We Own The Night then?

Posted by ZayTonday Author Profile Page at December 29, 2008 6:51 PM

comment #3

VoiceOfReason Author Profile Page says ...

I've dug everything James Grey has done so I'm looking forward to this. It'll be nice to have what appears to be a quality film released in Feb. Hopefully, Mark Cuban won't file for chapter 11 between now and then.

Posted by VoiceOfReason Author Profile Page at December 29, 2008 7:12 PM

comment #4

VanRamblings Author Profile Page says ...

Of course, those of us in the cold, cold north (make that, Canada) can't view Hulu videos, so the whole 'viewing area' issue is kind of irrelevant to us. YouTube works across the board, though; Hulu and NBC, not so much.

Posted by VanRamblings Author Profile Page at December 29, 2008 7:18 PM

comment #5

BurmaShave Author Profile Page says ...

I just watched the second half of THE YARDS last night. That movie really sucks me in.

Posted by BurmaShave Author Profile Page at December 29, 2008 7:30 PM

comment #6

BurmaShave Author Profile Page says ...

Wells btw how tight are you with Gray vis-a-visVinessa Shaw candids from this? I kid because I love.

Posted by BurmaShave Author Profile Page at December 29, 2008 7:33 PM

comment #7

thegreatmags Author Profile Page says ...

Lol, Burma. You should interview her, man!

Posted by thegreatmags Author Profile Page at December 29, 2008 8:38 PM

comment #8

Pinko Punko Author Profile Page says ...

Jeff- every single time you complain about the widths and every single time I post how to change them. I am now e-mailing you how to change the width on the embed.

Posted by Pinko Punko Author Profile Page at December 29, 2008 9:51 PM

comment #9

JosephB Author Profile Page says ...

Damn... I've said it before and I'll say it again. Gray's films always look INCREDIBLE. "We Own the Night" was full of great texture (thinking of the apartment scene where Phoenix goes in undercover) and pretty much everything in "The Yards". Gray certainly understands his 70's Conrad Hall.

Posted by JosephB Author Profile Page at December 29, 2008 10:39 PM

comment #10

Josh Massey Author Profile Page says ...

We Own the Night would have made my Top 10 list last year. A severely underrated film.

Posted by Josh Massey Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 5:18 AM

comment #11

MindlessObamaton Author Profile Page says ...

DBTP: Right there with you.

Wells: Yeah, probably will never be able to post about anything about Shaw ever without someone bringing up that classic ep. Roll with it, my man.

Posted by MindlessObamaton Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 5:55 AM

comment #12

actionman Author Profile Page says ...

Huge fan of The Yards and really, really enjoyed We Own the Night. That car chase in the rain is masterful.

Two Lovers looks like a change of pace for Gray but it still looks damn fine.

Paltrow's looking hot.

Posted by actionman Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 6:45 AM

comment #13

actionman Author Profile Page says ...

And hey -- does anyone know if this film is going to be released ON DEMAND before (or during) its theatrical run?

Posted by actionman Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 7:06 AM

comment #14

Edward Havens Author Profile Page says ...

According to the email sent out yesterday, TWO LOVERS premieres on HDnet Ultra VOD January 16, 2009 and opens in theatres February 13, 2009.

Posted by Edward Havens Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 12:34 PM

comment #15

Bingo Author Profile Page says ...

James Gray is a terribly overrated filmmaker. His films are horribly derivative and clunky with boilerplate plots and cliched characters. They have the pretense of being raw when he wouldn't know raw from a walk to the deli. He would have been a brilliant college professor, specialising in the American films of the seventies from which he steals everything except real emotion, of which he is incapable. As a director he's a pretentious dud.

Posted by Bingo Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 1:04 PM

comment #16

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

"I just watched the second half of THE YARDS last night. That movie really sucks me in."

You had me until the last two words of the 2nd sentence.

Jesus, what a D.Z.-esque retort that was. I quit for the day.

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 1:25 PM

comment #17

CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page says ...

I guess I lied. Bingo pretty much summed up my opinion of JG better than I could myself. Erm, bingo!

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 1:26 PM

comment #18

MilkMan Author Profile Page says ...

What Bingo said. Gray is a hack. The Yards is lifeless and so was We Own The Night. He has the portentous vibe down pat and that's about it.

Posted by MilkMan Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 3:29 PM

comment #19

MilkMan Author Profile Page says ...

Oh, and one more thing: I am Jewish. Leaf Phoenix does not look Jewish nor have even a vague Jewish vibe to him and neither does Shaw. I know this is a nitpicky thing to point out, but it always bothers me. And making a dude chose between Vinessa Shaw and Gwyneth is shitty drama. Both of them are super hot and it's hard for me to not hate a character that is having some kind of existential crisis about which of these two babes he's going to bone. You can make Shaw as dowdy as you want but you can't erase the fact that she's a genetic bonanza. Let' see, do I want to drive my Rolls Phantom or my Aston Martin? Gee? I don't know. Maybe I should look pensive while deciding what I should do. Fuck this movie and fuck James Gray. Hated Little Odessa and his other movies and I'm tired of being told what great director he is. If James Gray is a great director then Jack Sholder is a genius.

Posted by MilkMan Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 3:36 PM

comment #20

MilkMan Author Profile Page says ...

From Director James Gray...

Gordon Willis' Some Kind of Wonderful

Posted by MilkMan Author Profile Page at December 30, 2008 3:43 PM

comment #21

hownice4u Author Profile Page says ...

milkman, your point about the actors being jewish makes no sense, since the press in france (TWO LOVERS came out here last month--and it is really great) says that both joaquin phoenix and vinessa shaw ARE actually jewish in real life. as for your angry point about joaquin choosing between two hot women, well, like i said before, i saw the movie in paris two weeks ago and that's not even the story of the movie! in it, joaquin is in love with gwyneth but she doesn't love him back. so you can say fuck james gray all you want, but you sound like a real idiot because you obviously don't know a single thing. please stop posting and embarrassing yourself.

Posted by hownice4u Author Profile Page at December 31, 2008 7:54 PM

comment #22

YRG Author Profile Page says ...

I don't know if it's meant to, but in the trailer I saw, Joaquin's character comes across as a bit slow. Also, I think it's safe to say that any film with V. Shaw will be positively reviewed on this blog.

Posted by YRG Author Profile Page at January 5, 2009 3:38 PM

comment #23

wenwen Author Profile Page says ...

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comment #24

dd Author Profile Page says ...

in it, joaquin is in love with gwyneth but she doesn't love him back. so you can say fuck james gray all you want, but you sound like a real idiot because you obviously don't know a single thing. please stop posting and embarrassing yourself.


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Posted by dd Author Profile Page at May 10, 2010 11:48 PM

comment #25

dd Author Profile Page says ...

as for your angry point about joaquin choosing between two hot women, well, like i said before, i saw the movie in paris two weeks ago and that's not even the story of the movie! in it, joaquin is in love with gwyneth but she doesn't love him back. so you can say fuck james gray all you want, but you sound like a real idiot because you obviously don't know a single thing. please stop posting and embarrassing yourself.

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comment #27

janee Author Profile Page says ...

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