BootDigest
Such a frustrating disappointment
MoPoshy
Absolutely brilliant
InformationRap
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
NateWatchesCoolMovies
The Big Empty is a quirky, off kilter little flick that packs a backpack full of borrowed elements from the Coen brothers and David Lynch, before embarking on a perplexing outing into the Twilight Zone. That's not to say it rips any of these artists off, and indeed it's got a style and cadence all its own. It just loves other oddballs before it and wants to wear it's influences proudly. Everyone's favourite lovable schlub Jon Favreau plays John Person, a flailing, out of work actor. He's presented with a dodgy proposition by his whacko neighbour Neely (eternally bug eyed Bud Cort). Transport a mysterious blue briefcase to a remote town in the Mojave Desert called Baker. There he will meet a much talked about, little seen individual called The Cowboy (Sean Bean), who will take the case off his hands. He agrees, as he must in order for us to have a film to watch, and heads out to the back end of nowhere. In any respectable piece like this, the town our hero visits must be populated by weirdos, eccentrics, dead ends, missed encounters and an abiding, ever present atmosphere of anomalous peculiarity. Right on time, he meets a host of charming characters, including Grace (Joey Lauren Adams), her sensual daughter Ruthie (Rachel Leigh Cook), Indian Bob (Gary Farmer), grouchy FBI Agent Banks (Kelsey Grammar), and a bunch of others including Daryl Hannah, Melora Walters, Jon Gries, Brent Briscoe, Adam Beach and Danny Trejo. He's led from one head scratching interaction to the other, each step of the way proving to be a step behind the elusive Cowboy, with no form of coherence appearing to ease poor John's bafflement. I was reminded of Jim Jarmusch, particularly his masterpiece Dead Man, perhaps because Gary Farmer appears in both, but most likely mainly due to the fact that both films follow a hapless Joe on a journey that doesn't seem to be going much of anyplace, but holds interest simply by being bizarre enough. Favreau is the only one that doesn't fit, the outsider whose laid back suburban affability creates friction with almost every individual he meets, all who seem to have wandered in from the outer limits of some other dimension. Sean Bean is relaxed, mercurial with just a dash of danger as The Cowboy, quite possibly the strangest person John meets. The film has unexpected jabs of humour too, which occasionally breach the surface of its tongue in cheek veneer of inaccessibility. Upon meeting Indian Bob, John inquires: "Are you Bob The Indian?". Bob jovially retorts "No, I'm Lawrence the f$&kin Arabian." Gary Farmer brings the same cloudy, sardonic cheek he brought to the role of Nobody the Indian in Jarmusch's Dead Man, which had much the same type humour as this one: little moments of hilarity buried like treasures amongst the abnormal. Sometimes I muse that films like these which seem to really go nowhere in high style are there simply to give your brain a workout in odd areas that it wouldn't normally play in. Set up a voyage like this, lead the audience down a yellow brick road and arrive at.. well basically nowhere in particular, just to chuckle at your efforts to figure it all out, jab you in the ribs and say "Don't take this stuff too seriously, man!". Or maybe not. Maybe there's deeper meaning behind the meandering, that will reveal some holy significance. This one, though, I doubt it. It's pure playtime.
AxelVanHorn
I have never in my life seen such a dull plot. They writer and director in that occasion, must have stolen all the movies he liked and yet created something boring. Who produce this movies? I understand the caliber of the actors playing in it, but why people spend money making these junks? The story seems fake from start to end, this damn suitcase is empty when the actors hold it The movie fails even for the obvious, to make you interested what the hell is in the suitcase.The guy is a low life, who has sex ideas coming out of nowhere and getting horny for every chick around. Even the masturbation reference is given in such an amateur way from the writer slash director.If you suffer insomnia, watch 30 minutes of that. On extreme cases take a lethal dose of 1 hour. If by accident or force you watch the whole flick, you will be in a comma, for several years, so make sure you live a note behind for the people who love you. I want a refund for my viewing time.
rbslack1
This is one of those movies you actually HAVE TO watch two or three times to fully appreciate. You'll start noticing little things - like that Grace has a band-aid on her neck at the very beginning. When Neely's doing his sales job on Jon, Jon's clock says it's 11:11pm, yet he needs to be in Baker by 10:00 (?). Grace is in apt 12, across the hall from Jon (so Jon is in room 11). Most (all?) clocks shown, even in the background, throughout the movie show the same time: 11:11. Jon's room number at the Royal Hawiian is 111. Jon's shoe size is 11. Bowling at the end of the movie - lane 11 and he gets an 11th frame. Significance? I haven't figured it out yet!Notice Neely's blue jump suit, and the logo on the jump suit. While Jon is chatting with Dan in the diner, later in the movie, someone walks by outside wearing the same style jump suit. Near the end of the movie, when Jon visits the FBI (Kelsey), watch keenly when Kelsy (Agent Beggs?) opens the file. Right there on top is a document with the same logo as on Neely's jump suit.There's a few other things along these lines, but you get the drift. Watch it once and enjoy it. Watch it again (and again!) with a keen eye and be a bit fascinated. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie on first viewing. It grabs your attention and keeps it. It's pleasantly different from anything you've seen before. All the acting is great, as is the soundtrack. I've recommended it to all my friends, and have gotten positive feedback from all who've seen it. Watch it again!
Scrugulus
This is a nice film, a sort of "stationary road movie". As such it is something for fans of the genre: something for those who believe that in a film - as in a journey - the way is the goal. It is not something for people who expect closure from a film.The film presents the "hero" (and the viewer) with a nice bunch of "crazy locals". And it throws in some nods to, and mockeries of, alien and conspiracy themed films.There's not much else to say about this film. The list of cast-members is impressive, and their performances are brilliant - or "stellar", as one should rather say in this case.
