Ask the Dust (2006)

One of my all time favorites.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

I really enjoyed the first half of this movie, I enjoyed the characters; Justin Kirk as Sammy felt as the right move, Salmha Hayek wasn't exactly depicting the picture I head of Camilla in my head after reading the novel, but overall, it is a good cast. Colin Farrell does a great job being witty and submerges with excellence to the abyss of desperation and frustration a writer faces when not able to give into the suffering of his vision. Every now and then his acting would get kind of cheezy and close to overacting (see the exaggerated use of his limber eyebrows), but he does catch the character of Arturo Bandini.Now the second half of the movie elopes into a endless turning of the script. Shoot the scene and move on to the next one, as long as we get everything that's needed. It was very much an anti-climax. I also didn't like that the movie wasn't true to the book. It was to much of stir-up and in the end, it messes with the books entire soul and entity.

Although this film started slow, as a love story it was alright. As an adaption of the Fante novel I would give the film a 5.0.I think DiCaprio would have played a better Bandini. Maybe it was just my impression of the character when reading the book, but I didn't see him as how Farrell portrayed him, laid back. I saw the great Bandini as full of passion, which Ferrell did not seem to have in this film -- or for the role of Alexandre for that matter. And how old is Farrell? Not 21 -- so maybe a younger actor would have been a better choice. Hayek did well, she is a natural beauty and played the Camilla character they way I imagined her, with strength, charm and humility.I liked the LA scenery very much, the feel, the sand grains "from the Mojave" brought Ask The Dust alive, although -- and I've never seen 1939 LA -- the set did seem kind of sparse.One thing I did not like too much was the script, using as a base of comparison the novel. It too seemed to lack a certain flare, charm or passion.To sum up my impression of the film as an adaptation was Sutherland as Hellfrick. He did it very well and had whatever was lacking -- which, however, from his small part was not enough to compensate for the rest.I say if you're looking for entertainment, read the book; if you're looking for a love story, rent something else. If you've read the book, watch it and decide for yourself.

Awful from the story, dialog, chemistry/acting stand point. If not for decorations and cloths, the movie should not get even 1. What a great promise from the previews. All you need to enjoy this piece is to watch the preview. The actors seem to not be into each other or their characters. I like both of them as actors but not in this movie. I am sure it was difficult to act with such poor dialogs and situations the character were placed in. I have felt more acting chemistry in a porn movie. I am very sorry this movie did not live up to its previews. Since my review has to be longer I am going to fill it in with nothing else, else nothing, nothing else, else nothing

The movie has the hallmark of old American writings, with lots of metaphors and big words for showing what is really everyday life. The script is original, unlike most of the films today, because is based on a book about the depression era in the US. The actors play very well and the images are very well done. I would venture to say the soundtrack was equally flawless, since it didn't bother me one bit (didn't really notice it, either).So what was wrong about the movie? I don't know. Maybe the pace, since it was two hours long. Or the subject, which was ... smooth. I mean, there were no real bumps in it. Everything just went by itself. In the tradition of "road writers" the character is almost an observer, left to his own emotions, but incapable of acting. I can't say that characters weren't original, but more in the direction of weirdly annoying rather than interesting.Bottom line: it's a drama. The romance itself is strong, not the diluted stuff you see nowadays, but I wouldn't call this a romantic movie. I suggest watching it when you feel philosophical or want something new, yet slow paced.