November 18, 2003

Las nueve reinas.

Last night Jacob and I (plus the roommates, of course) watched the movie Nine Queens. Netflix's blurb described it as a heist flick, but it certainly wasn't a heist flick in the same way that, say, The Italian Job was a heist flick. It wasn't fast-paced and exciting, exactly. It was slow and elaborate and dialogue-driven, which means you have to either speak Spanish or keep up with the subtitles (watching the dubbed version instead is not to be considered).

The bottom line is this: it's brilliant and satisfying, and, like a good heist flick has to, it pays off nicely. Go watch it. Do it now.

Posted by dianna at November 18, 2003 01:51 PM
Comments

i love heist flicks. is it super violent? (i'm guessing not, if it's slow and dialoguey, but i always like to make sure.)

you should check out Heist by david mamet, if you haven't already.

Posted by: didofoot at November 19, 2003 11:15 AM

Heist? I'm intrigued already. Is it a movie? Book? Isn't Mamet a playwright?

Nine Queens isn't super-violent. Not physically, certainly. I don't think a single shot is fired and only a few punches are thrown in two hours. But the shaft is generously given out left and right by all characters involved.

Posted by: dianna at November 19, 2003 11:44 AM

it is a movie. mamet also did "the spanish prisoner" which is another excellent mind-bending film. and he did "state and main" which i like, though it's not his best, and some other movies. in conclusion, go out this weekend and rent every mamet film you can find listed on imdb. you won't be sorry. and i will rent nine queens.

but yes, he is also a playwright. (why isn't it "playwrite"?)

Posted by: didofoot at November 19, 2003 12:30 PM

Because whatever the verb is that becomes "wrought" in the past tense and means to make, he does it with plays. Like a wheelwright. Or... um... lots of other examples even though I can't think of a single one.

I will go out and rent Mamet movies. Mostly, I will continue to say Mamet over and over, because while I may be pronouncing it improperly it's fun as hell.

Posted by: dianna at November 19, 2003 01:08 PM

ohhhh. thank you.

i always say "mam-eh" and gene always says "mam-ett" and then i feel dumb for having wasted three years on high school french when everyone is just going to pronounce things all american anyway.

Posted by: didofoot at November 19, 2003 01:33 PM

There once was a young man named Mamet
Who lived on the River Willamette
He had in his fist
An extensive list
And he used his computer to spam it.

If your Froggy pronunciation cannot be defended with a limerick, you lose. Go!

Posted by: dianna at November 19, 2003 07:27 PM

A playwright who goes by Mamet
Loves to drink fine chardonnay
He's charming - so French
And he's asked Judy Dench
To star in his next Broadway play

Posted by: didofoot at November 21, 2003 09:09 AM
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