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MOVIE OF THE DAY: THE MOSQUITO COAST

post #1 of 12
9/22/10 at 7:00pm
Thread Starter 
David got bitten by this Harrison Ford film.


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post #2 of 12
9/22/10 at 7:20pm
I agree with Ebert in that the movie drags for considerable stretches, but it's also the best performance I've seen from Ford. I tend to take both his former iconic-ness and present raging apathy for granted, but this reminded me that when he felt like it he could legitimately act.
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post #3 of 12
9/22/10 at 7:43pm
I've only seen it once, must be at least 15 years ago before I paid the kind of attention to cinema I do now, but I remember liking it for the jungle and for Ford and his inventor skills. I do enjoy a good inventor.

The Peter Weir thread, and now this article, got me thinking I should get a hold of some of his films for a re-watch.
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post #4 of 12
9/22/10 at 7:44pm
I actually really like this movie, even if it does drag a bit (which I didn't really notice when I watched it). Ford is incredible, and I'm not sure Weir has ever made a bad movie.
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post #5 of 12
9/22/10 at 7:48pm
Great MOD entry, CHUD. MC is a misunderstood film, and in many ways, a tragic one. Had it done better I wonder what the trajectory of the next 20 years of Ford's career might have looked like. Instead, between MC and RH it seems like Mr Ford chose to abandon actual acting in favor of dedicating himself to a series of increasingly flimsy blockbusters. The last great film he ever made was AFO, but sadly the seeds of his destruction were sown on the Mosquito Coast

It's a marvelous turn from one of the greatest stars of all time, and should be exhibit A in any argument about whether or not Mr Ford is a talented actor
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post #6 of 12
9/22/10 at 8:51pm
I gotta disagree with Ebert. Keep in mind I haven't read his review, but I don't find this boring at all, I think it flows almost perfectly, and Ford is amazing. It's hard to believe he got a nomination for Witness but not this. He's good in Witness, don't get me wrong, but he is absolutely stellar in Mosquito Coast. David is right about the trifecta, Ford was on fire in these 3 films. Frantic is almost as underrated as Mosquito Coast, but not nearly as good(if that makes sense).

There's one thing that's always bugged me in this movie, and it's a minor nitpick. The accent of the farmer Allie works for in the beginning. I just find it a bit jarring, but maybe it's just me. They also made the missionary father jussst a little too easy to hate, but I don't really mind that in the slightest.

Fantastic movie. I'm proud to have picked it in the 80's draft.
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post #7 of 12
9/22/10 at 8:55pm
Underrated, powerful film. Ford is great, but the movie belongs to River Phoenix.
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post #8 of 12
9/22/10 at 9:31pm
I've loved this movie since I was a kid, and I have a hard time understanding why anyone would call it boring. Even when I was young and expected it to be an adventure film (I only knew Harrison Ford from Star Wars and Indiana Jones), I found it gripping. My reading of it has changed a little over the years, I identify with Ford's character more now, but it is a film full of great performances. It's sort of a cruel story in its deconstruction of the character who, traditionally, would be the hero, but it's beautifully made and truthful and it has a good sense of humour.
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post #9 of 12
9/22/10 at 10:00pm
It's been a while since I saw it, but I would say that one of the reasons it can be boring in spots is that it doesn't have much of a sense of humor. Not that there's no laughs at all, but it's pretty narrowly focused on a guy who takes himself too seriously.
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post #10 of 12
9/22/10 at 11:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Schwartz View Post
It's been a while since I saw it, but I would say that one of the reasons it can be boring in spots is that it doesn't have much of a sense of humor. Not that there's no laughs at all, but it's pretty narrowly focused on a guy who takes himself too seriously.
There certainly aren't any laughs, no, but I think there is a kind of a sense of humour in the beginning, because you see Ford's character through his son's eyes rather than his own, and from the outside anyone who takes themselves that seriously is a little bit funny. It is kind of just setting you up for how dark that's going to get later, but still.
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post #11 of 12
9/23/10 at 11:09am
Not only is this the best performance of Ford's career but it also has a nifty ambient score by Maurice Jarre to go along with Weir's hypnotic direction. I love the Mosquito Coast--and nobody ever really pays much attention to it.
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post #12 of 12
9/24/10 at 9:48pm
Love this film! River Phoenix's character is great as the boy who loves his father but also is right at the age where he is beginning to think for himself and question his father's wisdom.

Quote:
"Everything we need is here. Right here. We can live simply: gardening, beach combing. I'm a changed man, mother. No more chemicals or poisons. If what you want isn't washed up on this beach, you probably don't need it."
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