Customer Reviews

Pushing Tin (Widescreen)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Fantastic flick. "All in a day's work". You'll love the way one of them lines up 4-5 as if that's all he's been doing all day. And you'll laugh your head off about how they just love to feel that back-draft.

This has to be one of the funniest films I have ever seen. John Cusack plays airtraffick controller extraordinaire Nick Falzone. The environment could be any work place that encompasses a great amount of stress. Billy Bob Thornton (Bell)arrives on the scene, a quiet but brilliant, airtraffick controller. The complete opposite to Falzone's personality. The reaction of the two main characters to each other is swift and combustable. Falzone happens to chance meet (Angelina Jolie)Bell's wife followed by one night of togetherness. Falzone and Mrs. Bell are already feeling guilty. She tells Bell of the occurence and the fun begins. Bell cleverly plays mind games on Falzone by "noticing" Mrs. Falzone (Cate Blachett). Falzone's becoming fanatical about the (implied)relationship between Bell and Mrs. Falzone.Nothing is happening but his desperation drives his wife away.The best scenes are those in the car after the funeral of Mrs.Falzones dad and the scene on the aeroplane. All the actors do a great job of defining real life scenarios, John is wonderful and has a great cast alongside him to present this fabulous film.

Starring John Cusack as an air traffic controller, Pushing Tin introduced me to a scary world where split-second decisions can decide the fate of planes full of people, where being good enough to do this job and command good salaries requires quick thinking, fast talking and steady nerves. Set in pre-9/11 New York, I'm familiar with the neighborhoods and the skyline and I must say that every time a camera panned the World Trade Center, I got a little twinge. The year the film was made, 1999, comes across as a much more innocent age.

Anyway, John Cusack is married to Cate Blanchett and they live with their children in an area that looks like Staten Island or Queens. She's a real babe in this film and plays her part well, being so good at her New York accent that I could have sworn she had grown up in Brooklyn.

When Billy Bob Thornton, an air traffic controller from another part of the country, is transferred into the New York area, there is immediate competition between the two men. They compete on the job and I realized that the term "pushing tin" means pushing the planes on their computer screens through the complicated ritual of landing in a way to make sure they come in on time. This sometimes requires big risks be taken, as these planes have to be very delicately manipulated.

The two men also compete for women. Billy Bob is also married to a babe, Angelina Jolie, and it doesn't take long for the two couples to get caught up in a romantic web. There's tension throughout as bedroom shenanigans seem to be getting out of hand and Billy Bob's propensity for unpredictable violent behavior becomes more and more threatening.

Acting was excellent, and I loved the cinematography of the planes and the skylines. The romances were a little silly and maybe that was why the film is billed as a comedy, but it really didn't matter because I was totally caught up in the story itself. Certainly, Pushing Tin gave me a new understanding about the challenges of keeping airline passengers safe in the sky and the jobs of the people who do this for a living.

This a really good film. Follows a group of air traffic controllers as they stand at a crossroads and figure it all out. Excellent performances by John Cusack, Bill Bob and Angelina. Angelina plays the very young wife of an already aging, Billy Bob--and this was years ago and before they became a couple. [How it is that Hollyood folk meet and do movies together, no sparks, but then down the road, they suddenly get interested... Odd to me, really] Anyway, both do a super job. Billy Bob is remote, inaccessible, mysterious. Angelina is angst-filled, bored, and sexy. John Cusack is terrific in his performance as the top dog threatened by the newcomer. And Kate Blanchett delivers as his wife.

Presentes by british director Mike Newell, PUSHING TIN with John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton hasn't had much success at the box office last summer. Why ? Cusack and Thornton are both excellent actors, Newell directed two great hits in the recent years, FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL and DONNIE BRASCO with Al Pacino, and the comedy genre is generally appreciated by international audiences.

So, it's a weak screenplay. NO ! In my opinion, PUSHING TIN's screenplay is one of the smartest of 1999. At least, for a non-american audience. Imagine John Cusack impersonating THE air-traffic controller of your worst nightmares : big mouth, cafeine-loaded and willing to stay the best even if it means to endanger hundreds of lives.

So, what a relief when appears Billy Bob Thornton, a half-breed Choctaw (an american-indian nation), with a sexy wife and a politically not so correct attitude. His motorcycle (not a Harley...) is faster than Cusack's car, he can handle more airplanes on his screen and beats Cusack's records when playing basket-ball.

So, with subtlety, Mike Newell attacks a certain number of american attitudes or certitudes. Now do you understand why PUSHIN TIN had no success at all ?

A trailer as sole bonus feature. Spanish subtitles.

A curious DVD.

This is a good film, funny in parts, but you find yourself wanting to see more antics in the the control room. Still, it is a movie worth renting. You'll buy it only if you have friends who are into flying...

John Cusack and Billy Bob Thorton star as air traffic controllers in this interesting little movie. The stressful conditions of being air traffic controllers, the complex relationships between the star actors and the "whatever" attitude of Billy Bob's character makes this an intriguing and interesting film.

This is one of these movies where two diametrically different characters, Nick Falzone(John Cusack) and Russell Bell(Billy Bob Thornton), go head-to-head in a battle of wits and testosterone to see who is the better man. One will fall to an all-time low, while the other rediscovers himself and helps the man who has fallen.

As Air Traffic Controllers for one of the worlds busiest TRACONs, the New York-New Jersey air corridor, Nick and Russell are working in one of the most high-stress jobs around. Nick is known as "The Zone" for his ability to "push tin" faster than any other air traffic controller. Nick and his tight-knit group of work buddies are suddenly thrown a curve ball when Russell Bell transfers in from Denver. At first, they assume Russell is just another back-woods controller who wont make the cut. But, Russell has a unique talent for pushing tin that bothers Nick. Suddenly, this guy, who wears a feather in his headset and carries his own wooden chair to work is making Nick look bad. Nick has finally met his match.

Rumors and video tape about Russell soon fly all over the TRACON and upset the finite balance Nick and his buddies have. Nick is so bothered by this mysterious character that he tries to push a few of Russell's buttons, but to no avail. Everyone, including Nick's wife Connie, find Russell "interesting".

At the same time, Nick finds Russell's wife equally intriguing. It's not long before marraige vows are broken and friendships are strained, with Nick coming out the loser. Nick Falzone has to go to extraordinary lengths to undo the damage. In the end, Russell Bell is the one who saves him.

I didn't quite know what to expect when I bought this movie. I must admit, I had stereotyped Billy Bob Thornton as some hick who had made a short break in the movies, but I was completey wrong about him. And, John Cusack was not on my short list of favorite actors, either. But when these two actors were cast together for this movie, the outcome was nothing short of hilarious. Angelina Jolie played a great supporting role as Russell's inebriated wife. Just a funny and satisfying movie from start to finish. And, Im now a Billy Bob Thornton fan.

If you liked this movie, I highly recommend you see 'Bandits'.

This movie was shown on a Sunday night here in Mexico on Fox's Channel. I didn't expect much from it but itwas fascinated with it.

I think that yes, it is a comedy but it is also a drama, a drama that reflects and teaches many things about life. I found myself reflected with the character of nick because in a way I am very much like him. When he loses control and has many mistakes, that hapens to me sometimes but most of the time Im very good at things and I get like crazy with strong competition.

I think that the script is fine because the way in which conflicts start arising first with Nick's infidelity and then by Mary's and Russell's response to it.

I found the character of Rusell Bell to be intriguing and misterious, and maybe that's why not much of his background is mentioned. I really don't know why but this movie is very cool, it does has a sotisphicated humor but on the inside it is also a deeep drama about life and how stressing life can become and how in a minute your life can be ruined, like Nick's life was ruined.

I didn't like the ending either but this movie is definitely worth watching at least once in your life, when you do, you will know why.

Nick Falzone (John Cusack) turns out to be, the most Busiest and the best Air Traffic Controller on Long Island, when Nick become jealous and curious at the same time about an unusual man named Russell Bell (Oscar-Winner:Billy Bob Thornton), who is actually a very intelligent man, who has a young beautiful wife (Angelina Jolie). Nick has all, has all what he needs including a nice, pretty, caring wife (Cate Blanchett). Everything turns up side down, when Nick and Russell goes Head to Head with eacother by doing uproarious contest of Wit and Wills that can ultimately only have one winner.

Directed by Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Into the West) made a winning (if long) one of a kind comedy to being Free-Spirited and Wildly funny flick (With a Snappy Repartee). Cusack, Thornton and Blanchett offers great and engaging performances. This underrated film was a missed with the Critics and at the Box Office. The movie has become a Cult Classic. DVD's has an strong non-anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer and a terrific Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The film only extra is a Tralier. This film is better on video and DVD. This has a fine Screenplay by Glen Charles & Les Charles (T.V.`s Cheers). Based on a Article by Darcy Frey-Something's got to Give. Super 35. Grade:A-.