There's a lot to be said for lowered expectations. I remember thinking that Taking Woodstock looked amusing enough when I first saw the trailer, but then it came and went from the theater, drifting off into the great pop ether. So when I finally did see it, I was pleasantly surprised by how...amusing it turned out to be. (Anytime you don't feel as if you wasted 2 hours of your life has to be considered a win, right? Give me something here, I mean, c'mon.)
It's the backstory of how the iconic 1969 concert took over a sleepy upstate New York town not named Woodstock. It is literally 2 hours, which is a little too long for the story (a current Hollywood affliction). But the casting is dead-on, particularly star Demetri Martin, a stand-up comedian who manages to convey an impressive range of emotions within his trademark deadpan delivery. Even Liev Schreiber, who I don't normally like for no discernible reason, pulls out a win here.
But beyond all that, this was directed by Ang Lee, emperor of the sweeping arthouse epic. It's one of those cases where you can't help but notice how well a film looks--shot selection and arrangement, visual choices, etc. I'm curious to see how Lee fares in The Distillery because I've been a fan for awhile, including the underrated Ride with the Devil. Yes, the one with Jewel and Skeet Ulrich. And, no, I don't know what Hulk movie you're talking about.
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