Twixt (2011)

This is Coppola cum David Lynch. In fact, if this were directed by Lynch it would be hailed as a return to form from the master of the surreal, however Coppola can't seem to catch a break. I've been a big fan of his revitalized art-house film making, admiring Youth Without Youth, and really loving Tetro. Here he continues the trend with a surreal film right up the Twin Peaks alley. It is gorgeously shot, the dream sequences are visually astounding, Coppola playing with blacks and whites, and touches of vivid color, providing a lucid experience. What's more is that this is an extremely personal film for Coppola, with themes of selling out as an artist, losing a child, and confronting failure. It has some great acting, providing Val Kilmer with is first decent role since Felon, and much to his own surprise, he still has it. He is in turns funny, but also hopeless and adrift. Drunk, tired, and distracted as the bargain basement Stephen King. When he roles into town to sign books at a hardware store, the local sheriff ropes him into the haunted towns history. Through a series of strange experiences, and lucid fever dreams (a drunken dream inspired the film) he uncovers the dark secrets of the town, meets Poe, and confronts his long buried feelings. It's a pleasure to watch something so pulpy, abstract, and full of atmosphere.

Fmovies: Best known as the director of classics like "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now", Francis Ford Coppola has directed some unusual movies in the past few years: "Youth without Youth", "Tetro" and now "Twixt". What's particularly interesting about this movie is that Coppola uses a trick that he previously employed in "Rumble Fish": color objects standing out starkly amid a black and white setting. This could draw your attention to the object...or to the object's color.

It's not really a scary movie. Unsolved murders are a common theme in movies. But each character has something perplexing about himself or herself. Just which kind of secret does each of these individuals hold? I recommend the movie. I guess that you could say, it's an offer that you can't refuse.

This film is an embarrassment for all concerned. If the rumors are correct, and Coppola's inspiration for the screenplay was a night spent indulging in alcohol-fueled dreams, might I suggest that this turned out a great deal worse for him than it did for Val Kilmer's character in the film. Have you ever had a dream that seemed vivid and fraught with "meaning" and symbolic "importance" to you, and then tried to describe that dream to others? Remember how their eyes glazed over after a few moments, and they stopped paying attention to you? Well, that's what is going to happen to you if you see this film.

Shockingly, Val Kilmer is the best part of the film. Fans who have watched *his* career circle the drain, consider that statement. He has at least a couple of great scenes. The first shows him, as a failed writer struggling with writer's block, trying to come up with the first lines of his new novel. The result is hilarious. The second is him sitting down over a bottle of Irish whiskey in the dream plane with Edgar Allen Poe and getting a lesson in writing technique from the master. If Coppola had such a dream-lesson himself, he should have listened more carefully.

Plus, Coppola uses a bunch of visual techniques that make him look like a first-year film student, not the director of the first two "Godfather" movies. He pretty much flushes his career down the toilet with this film, and I'm inclined to give the handle a second push to make sure there are no "floaters" left around. I suspect that the only person who will like this film is David Lynch, because finally there is a film that is less coherent than one of his. :-)

Twixt fmovies. I have eagerly been waiting for the last two years for this film to be released, for no reason other than to add it to my collection of Tom Waits featured films. A shallow and callous reason that may be, but bear with me.

A couple months ago I had the pleasure of a good friend praising a film he had just seen called 'Tetro', a Francis Ford Coppola fanatic, he encouraged me to watch it, saying it will change my opinion on the famed director after my disappointment in 'Youth Without Youth.' Needless to say, he was right, and my eagerness for the arrival of this film increased immensely.

I watched the film last night, somewhere between twelve and one in the morning, trying to get the mood just perfect. From the opening narration (yes, it just so happens to be Tom Waits) the film grasped every bit of my attention. From the beautiful photography, to the moody music, to the ever entertaining Val Kilmer sitting behind a desk ready to sign copies of a book that no one will ever read, this film was a delightful treat, and what I had built up in my mind the last couple months, this film delivered and then some. It is greatly entertaining, with elements of horror, comedy, mystery, and hints of David Lynch's Twin Peaks, it is a film I am proud to add to my collection. I don't like horror films, and this film is so much more than that. While, at times, the horror elements may have been a bit over whelming, the film changes pace just in time, just as you're about to be pulled out of your comfort zone, cringing and clinging to your sofa. So don't let the marketing turn you away.

This is a beautiful film, and wonderfully entertaining. If you're an on and off Coppola fan like me, a Tom Waits fan, or want to see the only good Val Kilmer performance of the last decade, I highly recommend this film. In a world full of recycled ideas and unknown and untalented directors, how a little gem like this directed by the great FFC went so long without distribution is beyond me. Do yourself a favor and watch this film.

I went into this movie with little expectation, seeing as I've never followed Francis Ford Coppola's work. Perhaps that's the only reason why I found it mildly entertaining. From reading other reviews, it's clear that this work doesn't even take a step toward what Coppola is capable of. But what baffles me is that a film this bad was made by a director that obviously has proved their artistic vision plenty in the past. But I digress. At 40 minutes into the film, I had a feeling that things weren't going to get any better. The storyline felt cliché, the acting was sub par, and the dream sequences were so strange and misplaced (yet somehow boring at the same time), that I was having trouble paying attention to it. But I kept watching because 'hey, you never know'. Well, now that I've watched this train wreck to its end, I can tell you with confidence that if you aren't watching this simply for indulgence of one of the supporting actors' performances, you will be greatly disappointed. Though I suppose you could argue that the dream sequences have some substance to them, the whole film feels not only unfinished, but without a true message, which is why getting to the end feels like such a strain.

First thing is first. Do Not go into this movie expecting Godfather or Apocalypse now material. Those were Coppola's masterpieces and no one will ever make anything quite like those films. Okay? Okay.

I have been waiting for this film for quite the while. I saw the trailer when it came out and was very excited. It was a long and hard search to find this film but I found it eventually. My hopes had been really high since the trailer, but then I saw some of the reviews which just had nothing but awfulness to offer this film. So I lowered my expectations, and still watched it only to be confused. Not by the film itself, but by the fact that it got bad reviews and ratings. I could see what some people didn't like about it, but I didn't notice anything that would have given such an undeserved wave of hate.

I think that this movie is good for people who appreciate obscurity and uncertainty in films. Most of these are hardcore film buffs. This film was very visually fantastic and was very haunting from the start. Val Kilmer surprised me with his acting in this one. He was cocky, depressed, and stressed all at once. Bruce Dern as the kooky sheriff was great as well. All of the cast did good, and same goes for the directing.

In the movie Val kilmer starts to have these dreams, and my god these dream sequences are glorious. They are visually very pretty yet spooky. The encounters with people are creepy and quirky. Even the scenes in which he is awake share the same qualities, but there just not as intense. The story felt like homage to Gothic horror films, and there was some vampire content in it. Francis Ford Coppola has been making more personal films, and yes it's noticeable. In a specific scene, I won't reveal, was not really needed and felt like a filler.

This movie sort of feels like a really cool dream. Which makes sense knowing that Coppola got the idea from a dream which might throw some of you off, but I loved this film and recommend to all.