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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Screenwriting

"Dirty Pretty Things"... what an excellent movie!

Nominated for last year's original screenplay Oscar in case it sounds familiar. Film was from 2002 but it was only released in the US in 2003.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301199/combined

Outstanding. How did it do in the States?

Watched it last night because Sophie Okonedo is in it (playing a prostitute) and she's one of the British (supporting) actresses nominated for an Oscar ("Hotel Rwanda").

But I wasn't expecting such an outstanding film. Audrey Tautou ("Amélie") plays a Turkish illegal immigrant. Sergi López plays this seedy Catalan head porter. But the STAR of the show is Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays the Nigerian illegal immigrant. Outstanding.

Chiwetel won best actor award at the American Black Film Festival and the Black Reel awards. What I can't understand is why these are the only real awards he won Stateside. He doesn't even appear to be nominated in any other awards. Just black ones. This is so inward-looking of the major festivals... With the exception of the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards, who awarded him Best Actor too. I'm glad to say he won best actor at the BIFAs (British Independent Film Awards) as well as the Evening Standard British Film Award for best actor (although this latter award is not very important).

This guy is a superb actor. And an amazing strong character. I felt I knew him. It was bizarre watching the film too, as I knew every location... including the cab rank, which is a real cab rank I use quite a lot!

What an outstanding piece of film. Definitely the best thing I've seen by Stephen Frears!

TRISTÁN
  

Top answer

com: [nq:1]Nominated for last year's original screenplay Oscar in case it sounds familiar. Film was from 2002 but it was only released in the US in 2003. com/title/tt0301199/combined Outstanding.

  • com: [nq:1]Nominated for last year's original screenplay Oscar in case it sounds familiar.
  • Film was from 2002 but it was only released in the US in 2003.
  • com/title/tt0301199/combined Outstanding.
  • [/nq] Dunno about the states, but it was pretty much a sleeper in Canada.
  • Saw it though, and while I liked it, I thought the ending was preposterous in its desperate attempt at a happy one.
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9 Answers
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@reader2.panix.com:
[nq:1]Nominated for last year's original screenplay Oscar in case it sounds familiar. Film was from 2002 but it was only released in the US in 2003. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0301199/combined Outstanding. How did it do in the States?[/nq]
Dunno about th
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[nq:1]Dunno about the states, but it was pretty much a sleeper in Canada. Saw it though, and while I liked it, I thought the ending was preposterous in its desperate attempt at a happy one. Sort of ruined the movie for me.[/nq]
unhappy endings!!), I didn't find this one contrived at all.

I found it uplifting. In fact I found it therapeutic. They so deserved that happy ending.
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[nq:1]... But the STAR of the show is Chiwetel Ejiofor, who plays the Nigerian illegal immigrant. Outstanding. Chiwetel won best ... is not very important). This guy is a superb actor. And an amazing strong character. I felt I knew him...[/nq]
Are you looking forward to Joss Whedon's "Serenity"? Chiwetel has a major role as The Operative in this spinoff from Whedon's "Firefly" television seri
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[nq:2]Dunno about the states, but it was pretty much a ... a happy one. Sort of ruined the movie for me.[/nq]
[nq:1] unhappy endings!!), I didn't find this one contrived at all. I found it uplifting. In fact I found it ... Silly? All that and more. But it gave such a funny twist to what was deep-down a rather depressing premise.[/nq]
Whatever happened to Jaco Van Dormael?

M
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(snip)
[nq:1]After all, not every independent European film has to or should end in tragedy, surely? ;-)[/nq]
No, not every one. Hitler dies at the end of "Der Untergang" (gee, I hope I haven't spoiled that for anyone). Some cause for merriment, there.

M
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It's a *** awesome movie and Chiwetel performance is absolutely stunning. I don't think I've seen a performance imbued with such depth and *****-out sincerity since David Thewlis' turn in Mike Leigh's "Naked". If there's any justice in this world he's going to be a HUGE star.

Cheers,

B
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[nq:1]Are you looking forward to Joss Whedon's "Serenity"? Chiwetel has a major role as The Operative in this spinoff from Whedon's "Firefly"[/nq]
I'm afraid sci fi leaves me cold :-/

But I know a lot of people love it, and if Chiwetel is in it, all the better.
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Saw this when it first came out, fantastic film - excellent performances from Chiwetel and Ms. Tautou both, so much so that I have the poster above my PC at the moment.

I didn't feel the ending was forced in the way that some Hollywood blockbusters are, the film always felt like it needed an uplifting ending for me. Something good had to happen to them eventually!

Regards, Jamie
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It was a sleeper in the USA - played in art houses, but I think it did okay (at that level).

I loved the film - it' my kind of thriller (innocent man gets sucked deeper and deeper into **** until he must make the kind of decision no one would ever want to make). I really like the way it showed us the world of illegals as part of the story. I never felt like I was watching a movie

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