(SPOILER)
Cool Money: Cool, Charming Caper Flick.
Very complimentary review of Cool Money from Eclipse magazine.com. Discuss tonight's TV movie in this thread.
Long and very positive review of Cool Money ,well worth a read.
"Marsters is the main reason many will watch ‘Cool Money’ – his past as ‘Spike’ on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Angel’ has garnered him a faithful fan base. Because Spike was such a demanding role, they will, no doubt, be pleased to see that he’s equally effective in another demanding role – and that his charm and charisma do not vanish along with Spike’s peroxide blond hair. Indeed, Marsters is completely convincing in the role of Bobby Comfort...."
"Be forewarned: this is not the high-tech caper tale of the recent ‘The Italian Job’, or ‘Heist’. This tale is set in the present, but looks back to the 70s for its low-tech, personality-based capers. Even though there is great intelligence in the conception of the heists and cat-and-mouse game between Bobby’s team and the police, this is not a gizmo-based flick – and is, frankly, all the more enjoyable for it. Indeed, ‘Cool Money’ is better than many big-budget heist flicks. Sometimes a piece of pure entertainment hits every mark – ‘Cool Money’ is one of those rare pieces of entertainment."
Grade: A "
March 19 2005
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Simon | March 19, 05:06 CET
Another review:
Spike' Marsters morphs from spooky to suave
[ edited by Simon on 2005-03-19 16:24 ]
twiggy | March 19, 09:00 CET
Bad Kitty | March 19, 09:10 CET
Simon | March 19, 09:25 CET
I must admit, my computer skills are um...limited.
twiggy | March 19, 12:08 CET
Obviously they don't know it's based on actual events (even though they say it's a true tale) since they made this comment, "They supposedly pulled off the biggest such heist in history.
[ edited by Grace on 2005-03-19 20:06 ]
Grace | March 19, 12:59 CET
oh well, can't win 'em all
debw | March 19, 13:32 CET
Gill | March 19, 14:03 CET
James' performance is so subtle...I can believe he IS Bobby Comfort. He immediately made me sympathize with the character. I really don't want him to get caught and locked back up. Amazing talent there! As expected, a huge contrast from Spike.
(I can't get used to the short hair. Well, I have another hour to try!)
creepy6 | March 19, 21:56 CET
Melisande | March 19, 22:16 CET
Harmalicious | March 19, 23:00 CET
YAY, James.
[ edited by twiggy on 2005-03-20 06:44 ]
twiggy | March 19, 23:05 CET
I was worried at the opening credits, which seemed a little cheesy, but the show was terrific.
I thought James Marsters did a wonderful job, he really showed the appeal of his character, why people liked him.
It is easily the best made-for-TV-movie I've seen in years.
embers | March 19, 23:08 CET
I enjoyed the movie, though I can see why some might not like that style. It did have a very strong "crime caper" feel to it that some may not like - which goes along with how the credits were styled as well. Some may not like the "low-tech" approach; no gun fights, no big car chases, high tech gadgetry or explosions, etc. For me it made the story stand out by avoiding all of those "action movie" trappings.
I think it's a good, solid piece of work. I actually like how they sort of hinted at the actual time period with Sammy's clothes, car, the music, etc. without forcing a period piece on us. I think that let the characters be the main focus instead of the look. I was dreading a Starsky and Hutch type of deal, so was very pleasantly surprised.
Definitely something James should be proud of.
[ edited by Grace on 2005-03-20 06:24 ]
Grace | March 19, 23:08 CET
James was fantastic and I liked the actors who played Sammy, Phil and the older guy.
It's not the kind of thing I usually go out of my way to watch but I was entertained and interested the whole time.
James looked gorgeous in spite of the fact that he had no hair. (My pet peeve)
Xane | March 19, 23:46 CET
Anyway, I hope the ratings are good and it helps James' career.
batmarlowe | March 20, 00:48 CET
I'm curious though, why they called it "Rochester Downs" instead of Batavia Downs and "Rochester County court" instead of Monroe County Court? Wonder why they renamed them?
Good movie, got it on tape for me and my best friend so we'll be sure to watch it again. Good job James!!!
WilliamTheBloody | March 20, 00:59 CET
It was great to see James as a lead for 2 hours, though. And since I love heist movies, I didn't mind sitting through this one half the time. I totally had the same thought as embers when the credits ran. As for the "cheaply made" comments, yes, it was and you can tell (the budget for these things is probably less than an episode of Ed), but at least the story was solid. And James' character wasn't even the only one I liked; I liked the older guy too. The actress playing Bob's mother must only be 5 years older than James and that made me laugh every time she was onscreen. The hair was easy for me to get used to, but the accent? Not so much. James needs to play British again 'cause I like it. I TiVoed for the sake of TiVoing to prove that I watched and to help with the ratings if it counts at all, but I've already deleted it.
Arabchick | March 20, 04:02 CET
The music might have seemed cheesy but I think they were going for a certain style that would get people ready for a "To Catch a Thief" kind of flick. The plot was..well the plot. It wasn't meant to be Checkov, just something to entertain. James was superb as always and it can't hurt to keep you acting muscles limber till another great role comes along.
cousine | March 20, 07:06 CET
Actually, I think Margot Kidder was born in 1948 so that puts her at about 57 years old - not sure what age she was supposed to be in the flick.
" Did any one else think the Bobby voice overs sounded a bit like James's Harry Dresden voice ???
It did but I've only heard some clips, never heard an entire book. I actually kind of thought that the clips I've heard sound LIKE a voiceover to the action happening in the books so I guess that makes sense. I'm sure folks just aren't used to hearing so much of his "real" voice.
[ edited by Grace on 2005-03-20 14:33 ]
Grace | March 20, 07:21 CET
James was so natural, relaxed and absolutely believable in the part that he made it seem effortless. I got the feeling he was thinking his character’s thoughts (which not every actor can do) not merely saying his dialogue. Despite nasty cinematography that did nothing to pretty up the flat, grey light of late fall, James is still one handsome fella. How strange to see him in daylight. And a suit and tie. In a tux, even! The costumes and Sammy’s awful car gave a sense of the 70’s without having to go there, thank goodness. The ¾ length leather coat was almost a litmus test for fans and to his credit as an actor, he didn’t give any hint of Spike while wearing it.
Before, I was thinking he could have a solid career with character parts, but now I believe he could carry the load of leading man as long as the parts are complex enough to let his talent shine. He may be better than the material he’s in for a time, but I think he can be trusted to be choosy enough not to screw up too badly. I don’t know what else to say. I’m even more impressed by him now and so proud. Can’t. Stop. Smiling. Face. Hurts.
bloodflowers | March 20, 08:55 CET
The movie isn't going to win any Emmy awards or anything, but I thought James and the rest of the cast (especially Margot K) was great. Unlike with "The Mountain," I do think this was a good move for James. I know he's got a life to live, and I think, a dependent or two to support, but I hope he stays away from tripe.
sari | March 20, 09:36 CET
I'm used to his natural voice and I loved hearing it. It was also nice to have good lighting on him for a change, so that you can see those gorgeous eyes. Seeing him wear something other than black was nice too. I hope it shows the doubters than he is leading man material in addition to being a wonderful character actor.
BTW, I don't think I've ever seen a Canada Dry vending machine in the United States. They couldn't find a regular coke machine? Otherwise, nothing really stood out to me as being out of place and I like the way they captured the time period with subtlety.
killinj | March 20, 10:31 CET
I'm saying I liked how this screenplay was handled. The director recognized the writing and responded accordingly. As for the writing--I appreciated the low tech hands on approach street guys like these would have taken, and that simple way was echoed in the style of the text and maybe that in itself was the reason they got away with the crimes for as long as they did. They flew under the radar.
But because they took the scaled back approach, the 'getting to know the guys' thang--I did crave, at least one scene that went a little deeper into that and didn't always advance the exposition in an obvious way. A moment where Bobby was...I don't know, just eating a meal with his family or something and they were talking about what was on TV.
I think one of the reasons the wife was so unlikeable (I agree with previous posts on that) was that she was put in the unenviable position of either ragging on the guy we came to like or celebrating the fruits of his crimes and the contrast made her seem morally wishy washy. Some basic scene bewteen the family unit would have helped; where we could have seen her deal with him in a nonjudgmental or applauding way. And if that wishy washy success loving 'I'll take it as long as we can get away with it' quality was singular to her character--maybe make that point more specificaly.
There was a mini moment with Bobby and the daughter in the kitchen but I would have liked more. That's my only suggestion. Otherwise--I liked it. It was entertaining, James recognized what his job was in the pic and he did it very well. Subtle is the word and subtle in a way that you couldn't tell how he was working on you until the end and I too, didn't want to see him sent back to jail.
And I'm all about the justice and the balance and the comuppance.
I liked the moment when he was laying on the bed staring at the ceiling waiting for the clock to tick to 6:00. A lot of nice subtle layers of expectation and tension and a nice micro of what Bobby was all about.
I would have liked more moments like that--but I still enjoyed the scaled back simple way the tale was told.
I also think this is a good transition movie for JM. He worked very hard on BTVS; cut himself open in way we may not see another actor do for some time and he has admitted that ATS exhausted him and I think he needed an exercise in 'being.' Just living in the moment and this he did very well. Like how a painter craves another color after exhausting the studies in red and black. Cool Money is his...forest green.
Cool.
Good on James.
[ edited by BforBeth on 2005-03-20 18:46 ]
BforBeth | March 20, 11:40 CET
As far as overall prodution values and opening credits. It was a cheap movie for TV that I thought did what it could with what it had. I thought it was unusually well acted and the director and producer have to be given credit in casting and letting/encouraging the actors go in unusually truthful directions. The writing also pointed the way. And the credits made me think of the movies from back in the 60's like original "Pink Panther." I think they were going for that feeling that this is an old fashioned movie without hitting you over the head with the period.
So I liked it. It was what it was supposed to be, an entertaining TV movie.
Oh, and I still think The Mountain was a good move on JM's part. He was paid to make an audition tape. He had brown hair, an American accent, was playing a human being in a non-genre show, with a really nice emotional scene. That had not happened in a really long time. Now he has his first leading role on film which he made it a point to be non-genre and a new take on what could have been a stock character. He is moving right along building a TV/film career step by step. I look forward to seeing what comes next.
newcj | March 20, 12:01 CET
yourlibrarian | March 20, 14:31 CET
Reddygirl | March 20, 14:46 CET
I wasn't expecting too much from the script, and I got about what I expected. What was missing, that I would have liked to see, was the script showing us what made Bobby so successful, rather than just telling us that he was. For instance, it was said that he was born to be a thief. Did that just mean that he was born without an inclination for honest work, or that he had some actual skill requisite for the job? He didn't seem particularly skilled on any of the heists (not knowing what to do with the Mariachis and so forth). The brains of the operation seemed to be the other guy (even if he was a bit unhinged).
We are told that he spotted something none of the lawyers did, that got him released even after a jailbreak. What did he see? What did he notice that allowed him to stay a step ahead of his partner in the last sequence of the movie? He came out ahead, but we're not really shown quite how he did it, or how he knew that that was what he needed to do.
The theme of the wife who is uneasy about her husband's criminal life, but who enjoys the spoils of it, has been done much better elsewhere of course, notably in the Sopranos and Goodfellas. The movie seemed to borrow a bit much from the latter film, with the freeze-frame character introduction and main character narration.
But as cj said, it was what is was supposed to be, an entertaining tv movie. And it was nice to see JM so much.
fruit punch mouth | March 20, 14:47 CET
kathylovesspike | March 20, 15:41 CET
newcj | March 20, 16:00 CET
cmbackshane | March 20, 21:06 CET
newcj | March 20, 22:14 CET