I also caught 30 Days of Night and felt it was poor. Great idea, poorly executed.
Somehow I knew this. I don't know why, the film just gave me a bad vibe. That's why I didn't bother to go... Sorry you guys has a poor experience with it.
Probably better to read the graphic novels anyway.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
One of my uni lecturers saw 30 Days of Night and loved it. After reading bad review after bad review, I don't think I'll be trusting her judgement on this particular issue.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
One of my uni lecturers saw 30 Days of Night and loved it. After reading bad review after bad review, I don't think I'll be trusting her judgement on this particular issue.
Well a couple of my art students went to see it and thought that it was bad... I believe them.
The problem for me, Dan as like many people, that no one wants to take the time and put the "scare" back into horror. It's all about gore nowadays... There is no cleverness to make the viewer feel the slightest uneasy.
Torture Porn and the slight derivatives of it, are really tired and only succeed in repulsing me; it seems like all movies of this nature flock in that direction alot.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
One of my uni lecturers saw 30 Days of Night and loved it. After reading bad review after bad review, I don't think I'll be trusting her judgement on this particular issue.
Well a couple of my art students went to see it and thought that it was bad... I believe them.
The problem for me, Dan as like many people, that no one wants to take the time and put the "scare" back into horror. It's all about gore nowadays... There is no cleverness to make the viewer feel the slightest uneasy.
Torture Porn and the slight derivatives of it, are really tired and only succeed in repulsing me; it seems like all movies of this nature flock in that direction alot.
I've heard this style refered to as 'gorno'. It lacks any originality imo.
I agree with your point about the majority of modern 'horror' films. They just leave a bad taste in the mouth.
What I prefer is to be chilled, to actually feel afraid. Not just shown various bits of mutilated bodies.
One recent film that was a cut above the others in my opinion is The Descent, a film by Neil Marshall. It's a fantastically claustrophobic film about a group of women who get trapped on a sperlunking (sp?) trip. There are elements of gore but it's never done in the 'gorno' fashion i.e. look at all this blood isn't it groovy!!
1- On Her Majesty's Secret Service 2- Casino Royale 3- Licence To Kill 4- Goldeneye 5- From Russia With Love
I also caught 30 Days of Night and felt it was poor. Great idea, poorly executed.
Somehow I knew this. I don't know why, the film just gave me a bad vibe. That's why I didn't bother to go... Sorry you guys has a poor experience with it.
Probably better to read the graphic novels anyway.
Indeed. I don't know what your lecturer was on about Dan! People were actually laughing at some of the prosthetics, the hammy acting and the silly 'language' the monsters spoke. There was just no tension, and no believability (obviously such a film will never be 'believable', but an effort must at least be made to make it credible).
To be fair I'm not a big horror fan. The last one I saw was White Noise which *did* make me jump out of my seat a couple of times (particularly when Michael Keaton's character goes to help the woman in the burning car, and all of a sudden she starts banging the window).
However, I would not advise anyone to see 30 Silly Days of Night.
Well a couple of my art students went to see it and thought that it was bad... I believe them.
The problem for me, Dan as like many people, that no one wants to take the time and put the "scare" back into horror. It's all about gore nowadays... There is no cleverness to make the viewer feel the slightest uneasy.
Torture Porn and the slight derivatives of it, are really tired and only succeed in repulsing me; it seems like all movies of this nature flock in that direction alot.
I've heard this style refered to as 'gorno'. It lacks any originality imo.
I agree with your point about the majority of modern 'horror' films. They just leave a bad taste in the mouth.
What I prefer is to be chilled, to actually feel afraid. Not just shown various bits of mutilated bodies.
One recent film that was a cut above the others in my opinion is The Descent, a film by Neil Marshall. It's a fantastically claustrophobic film about a group of women who get trapped on a sperlunking (sp?) trip. There are elements of gore but it's never done in the 'gorno' fashion i.e. look at all this blood isn't it groovy!!
I agree with both of you about recent horror films. Not so long ago, I went with my GF to see Saw 3 and Hostel 2 (she loves these kind of horror films) and neither of them particularly appealed to me. Especially Hostel 2 which IMO is just a really bad film. I'm not oppposed to horror films, by any means, however I much prefer good quality horror films over bad ones. I don't think it's a coincidence that most of my favourite horror films (Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Ecorcist, Carrie, Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street to name a few) were all made over a decade ago.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
I could guess, but this is a family friendly site and I don't want to give any of the younger members any ideas. )
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Batman - that's the series on BBC4. Good fun, but odd to see how obvioulsy it's taking the mikey, with the Caped Crusader's earnest diatribes. Then again, not so different to the pompous Captain Kirk in Star Trek.
The last part of Return of the Jedi
Pretty lame. Never seen it before, but Mark Harmon can't emote the battle between good and evil he's tempted into. Darth Vader unveiled looked like a disgrunted egg: "Take the mask off me, already!" And Han Solo is a sap given nothing to do. His soppy look when Leia kisses him would shame Jon Boy off The Waltons. Lucas never knows how to end a film does he? They're all sort of laughing and then it's - cut to the credits...
Firrst part of Moonraker on Ultimate edition.
Great stuff, looks lush. Like seeing it at the cinema. {[]
Sound a bit dodgy a couple of times - the song could be louder and the 007 theme in the boat chase too.
Some observaitons:
Moore is really OLD! Don't know how people can slate him in AVTAK, he looks old enough here. Check out his saggy neck in the centrifuge scene!
Though his acting can be very good, better than Brosnan's at times, he's let down by a generally smug, ageing queen persona. He often seems quite an unpleasant nasty bloke, like his main relationship is with himself. There's been one death attempt on him, then he gets Corrinne involved. Nice.
Jaws is a rubbish henchman, not the best as Drax seems to think! Trying to kill Bond, he makes a (Sugar Loaf) mountain out of a molehill! Just get a gun... and shoot him! But then no one carries a gun in this film! Hence the chase round the houses assassination attempts. You could only justify that today if the villains were meant to be a bit odd and mad, like they don't want to just kill him, it's got to be lavish and eccentric.
Yet I loved watching this film, it looks great and each scene smoothly moves onto the next.
Pretty lame. Never seen it before, but Mark Harmon can't emote the battle between good and evil he's tempted into. Darth Vader unveiled looked like a disgrunted egg: "Take the mask off me, already!" And Han Solo is a sap given nothing to do. His soppy look when Leia kisses him would shame Jon Boy off The Waltons. Lucas never knows how to end a film does he? They're all sort of laughing and then it's - cut to the credits.
You should watch the first half. It's really good and it contains a fantastic action scene involving Luke. BTW, you watched the last part of Return of the Jedi and the first part of MR; have you considered watching an entire film? )
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Just an absolute classic by the master Hitch. Even after all these viewings, I still am surprised when what seems to be the main character is bumped off 45 minutes in.
What gets overlooked often is a wonderfully neurotic performance by Janet Leigh -- even though it ultimately goes down the drain.
I really don't like Michael Moore. He is way too biased and presents no other points of view except his own. How many people did he ask in the UK hospital "How much did you pay?". Same old questions to people in other countries. Could have been cut to a third of the length and you would lose nothing.
All it shows is what a great system we have in the UK. Makes you realise how we take the NHS for granted.
I'd love to know how much taxes each country pays and what they receive. The NHS struggles in many cases with 60 million people. Could a system work with 5 times as many.
Second half of MR. A bit heavy going without the fun build-up. On the Ultimate Edition, the space station seems a bit tinted blue, which I'm sure it isn't on the original version, a bit of a let down.
Roger looked younger without the lacquered hair he has in Venice.
Just an absolute classic by the master Hitch. Even after all these viewings, I still am surprised when what seems to be the main character is bumped off 45 minutes in.
What gets overlooked often is a wonderfully neurotic performance by Janet Leigh -- even though it ultimately goes down the drain.
This one never gets old.
I have always had a crush on Janet Leigh, ever since I saw her in a few movies with Tony Curtis, (like the Vikings)
Psycho also is scored by my favorite composer, Bernard Hermann, it adds a lot.
NightshooterIn bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
The Darjeeling Limited.
Wes Anderson's new film is great. It is really, really great. His film is a character study of three brothers, their quirks, their differences and similarities, their parents, and their lives. The film is really funny and really clever, with many intelligent gags running throughout the film which prove to be entertaining again and again. Plus, a cameo by Bill Murray is always welcome. Go do yourself a favor and see this film.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
edited November 2007
"Seraphim Falls"
I really enjoyed this one, although it gets a bit weird in the third act, when metaphors begin to dominate and steer the action, with Anjelica Huston's unsettling (but effective) cameo appearance...
Mostly, though, it's a straightforward revenge/adventure film, a chase through the 19th Century wilderness of the wild west, from the high snowy mountains to the arid desert wastelands, as Pierce Brosnan flees from Liam Neeson and a posse-for-hire. The performances from Brosnan and Neeson are top-notch, as are those from the entire supporting cast. They don't make movies like this very much anymore---basically 98% outdoors, and in the elements---and more's the pity.
The pacing probably won't appeal to many from the MTV generation, but it worked for me. Get ready for an 'art house'-type ending...Still, I recommend it B-)
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I've seen this movie several times now, but I think I enjoy it more each time. Some of the characters are, obviously, made up, but for the most part, this movie truly portrays the Japanese point of view during the Battle of Iwo Jima. I've started reading up more on the history of Iwo Jima, and the battle in particular. General Kuribayashi really was a role model for the men he led. And Baron Nishi, once an Olympic Gold-medalist, becomes a hero in this battle as well.
Anyway, the history of the story is really amazing and inspiring, to say the least. I truly recommend watching it!
Dreadful sequel that goes completely barmy from the second act, and as the camera swirls around the monarch while over-the-top opera music plays on the soundtrack I genuinely thought the cinema itself was going to take off and ascend to the heavens.
The first film was quite gritty, but The Golden Age aims higher; much higher in fact and aims to portray Elizabeth as having transcended her earthly limitations and turned herself into a higher being. There's a ridiculous action sequence that sees Walter Raleigh jump off a ship and swim towards the Spanish Armada. And Mary Queen of Scots was French, so why Samantha Morton uses a Scots accent here when she couldn't be bothered using one for Morven Callar is anybody's guess.
As lame as any sequel that Hollywood has churned out in the last 30 years. This is the Highlander 2 of period dramas.
Christina Ricci in a whiny adaptation of Elizabeth Wurtzel's whiny memoir. No wonder this movie didn't get anywhere near a cinema, or a DVD release in the UK (I watched it on Youtube). It's awful. Like its author, Prozac Nation thinks it's deep and profound, but actually it's full of crap.
The Threepenny Opera, G. W. Pabst's 1931 adaptation of the Bertold Brecht/Kurt Weill musical. The film has been restored and its quality is amazing--crisp and clear and with sound as smooth as glass. Certainly it's aged a lot, but it's still fun, and it's significant as one of the last German films made before the Nazi grip took hold. Also of note is Lotte Lenya, a full 32 years before she played Rosa Klebb, as the sympathetic prostitute Jenny--she nearly steals the show!
The Threepenny Opera, G. W. Pabst's 1931 adaptation of the Bertold Brecht/Kurt Weill musical.... Also of note is Lotte Lenya, a full 32 years before she played Rosa Klebb, as the sympathetic prostitute Jenny--she nearly steals the show!
Was she pretty as a young woman Hardy? She always struck me as somebody who might have been really pretty back in the day. It's kind of sad that she did all that work with Brecht/Weill, but is best remembered for trying to kick Sean Connery in the b***s with a knife/shoe combo.
Was she pretty as a young woman Hardy? She always struck me as somebody who might have been really pretty back in the day.
Well, in my opinion, no. I don't think Lotte was ever beautiful, but there's some old saying about the eye of the beholder and all that. Anyway, here's a picture of her from the movie. She was about 32 or 33, I think.
It's kind of sad that she did all that work with Brecht/Weill, but is best remembered for trying to kick Sean Connery in the b***s with a knife/shoe combo.
I think that's true of Bond fans, but not of the general public. Lotte is credited with bringing Weill's work to Americans and is still famous for her singing and for her work on Broadway. There's even a singing competition in her name. But even if she's remembered only for Klebb, that's one heck of a thing to be remembered for!
Vox clamantis in deserto
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
It's kind of sad that she did all that work with Brecht/Weill, but is best remembered for trying to kick Sean Connery in the b***s with a knife/shoe combo.
I think that's true of Bond fans, but not of the general public. Lotte is credited with bringing Weill's work to Americans and is still famous for her singing and for her work on Broadway. There's even a singing competition in her name. But even if she's remembered only for Klebb, that's one heck of a thing to be remembered for!
She's also referenced in the lyrics to 'Mack The Knife' B-) It's interesting where a distinguished career on the stage can take you :v
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Spectreisland and I checked out the new, all CGI movie Beowulf today. Based on the epic poem of the same name, the film tells the story of the brave warrior Beowulf and his battle with, among others, the monster Grendel. While quite faithful to the original poem, the movie also expands the story by making Beowulf a more (pardon the pun) 3-dimensional character, full of flaws and weaknesses, and also introduces a subtle subplot with king Hrothgar. The story, with its themes of the price of pride, greed and vanity, is very engaging and the voice acting is uniformly strong and convincing.
The CGI, while clearly visible as CGI, is still very very well done. The medium allows for sprawling vistas that go on forever and fantastic characters that could not be adequately created with traditional filmmaking techniques. Characters' facial expressions are also very well done and the CG actors bear an uncanny, almost photo-realistic resemblance to their real-life counterparts (especiall Angelina Jolie).
We saw the digital 3D version and the 3D effect is really amazing. The picture is always sharp, the colors vibrant, and the sense of depth very convincing. The image sometimes loses focus slightly during fast movement but this is by far the best theatrical 3D implementation I've yet to see.
The movie gets a big thumbs up by us; one of the more engaging films we've seen in a while.
There's a big-budget version of I Am Legend heading our way soon starring Will Smith, so here's the low-budget rip-off version, a straight-to-DVD cash-in, that mixes and matches the titles of the classic story and the previous film version, The Omega Man. And cheap and cheerful as it may be, it's actually a lot of fun. Martial-arts expert Mark Dacascos is the lonely hero, fighting zombie type creatures in a desolate future. Worth a look if you like this sort of thing.
A pretty good comedy/drama starring Keri Russell, who delivers a (mostly) competent performance. It gets a little silly at times, but overall the film is worth watching; I do recommend it.
A solid 6.5 out of 10.
"Well, he certainly left with his tails between his legs."
I didn't love it. I'm a massive fan of Jet Li who IMO is among the world's truly great physical artists. However the martial arts in the film was disappointedly kept to a minimum, I didn't love Li's character and much of the focus was on Jason Statham whom I don't like nearly as much as the great Li. The plot also annoyed me. Ultimately it was enjoyable, but it didn't provide for me the 'Wow ' feeling I had with previous Li films such as Romeo Must Die, Unleashed, Hero and Kiss of the Dragon.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Dreadful sequel that goes completely barmy from the second act...
The first film was quite gritty, but The Golden Age aims higher ...
As lame as any sequel that Hollywood has churned out in the last 30 years. This is the Highlander 2 of period dramas.
Yes, I gave this one a miss. The first was a bit of a pantomime but quite edgy, you had footballer Eric Cantona doing very well as the French ambassador, and Kathy Burke (best known as silly comic actress on Brit sketch shows) as Bloody Mary, plus Angus Deayton (snooty quiz show host comic) in there with Richard Attenborough and upcoming stars like Geoffrey Rush and that Fiennes fellow and so on. It all meshed, but this one seems like revisionist nonsense (Eliz was 60 during the Spanish Armada, not 30 something and pining for Sir Walter...).
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
edited November 2007
FALLING DOWN (1993)
It's been a long time since I've seen this movie but I still love it. IMO, one of Michael Douglas' better roles. In a weird way, I felt sympathy for his character...
I mean who hasn't had this movie run across their minds for a second or two when your stuck in a busy traffic jam?
Although I don't in any way condone his behavior nor ideals, I always laugh at the bigoted Army surplus owner and the things he says. I never know if it's supposed to be comic relief or what.
For those that have seen this, didn't you find that all the women cast in this were either abstract and/or quite negative?
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Mr MartiniThat nice house in the sky.Posts: 2,707MI6 Agent
It's been a long time since I've seen this movie but I still love it. IMO, one of Michael Douglas' better roles. In a weird way, I felt sympathy for his character...
I mean who hasn't had this movie run across their minds for a second or two when your stuck in a busy traffic jam?
Although I don't in any way condone his behavior nor ideals, I always laugh at the bigoted Army surplus owner and the things he says. I never know if it's supposed to be comic relief or what.
For those that have seen this, didn't you find that all the women cast in this were either abstract and/or quite negative?
This is one of my favorites to. It's been a long time since I've seen this movie. I'll have to keep an eye out for the ladies you speak of.
I know the four women shown were:
Douglas Wife and his mother
The sergants wife.
then the female cop
Then there were a couple of minor women cast to. One who I remember crystal clear :007)
Some people would complain even if you hang them with a new rope
Comments
Somehow I knew this. I don't know why, the film just gave me a bad vibe. That's why I didn't bother to go... Sorry you guys has a poor experience with it.
Probably better to read the graphic novels anyway.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Well a couple of my art students went to see it and thought that it was bad... I believe them.
The problem for me, Dan as like many people, that no one wants to take the time and put the "scare" back into horror. It's all about gore nowadays... There is no cleverness to make the viewer feel the slightest uneasy.
Torture Porn and the slight derivatives of it, are really tired and only succeed in repulsing me; it seems like all movies of this nature flock in that direction alot.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I've heard this style refered to as 'gorno'. It lacks any originality imo.
I agree with your point about the majority of modern 'horror' films. They just leave a bad taste in the mouth.
What I prefer is to be chilled, to actually feel afraid. Not just shown various bits of mutilated bodies.
One recent film that was a cut above the others in my opinion is The Descent, a film by Neil Marshall. It's a fantastically claustrophobic film about a group of women who get trapped on a sperlunking (sp?) trip. There are elements of gore but it's never done in the 'gorno' fashion i.e. look at all this blood isn't it groovy!!
Indeed. I don't know what your lecturer was on about Dan! People were actually laughing at some of the prosthetics, the hammy acting and the silly 'language' the monsters spoke. There was just no tension, and no believability (obviously such a film will never be 'believable', but an effort must at least be made to make it credible).
To be fair I'm not a big horror fan. The last one I saw was White Noise which *did* make me jump out of my seat a couple of times (particularly when Michael Keaton's character goes to help the woman in the burning car, and all of a sudden she starts banging the window).
However, I would not advise anyone to see 30 Silly Days of Night.
The last part of Return of the Jedi
Pretty lame. Never seen it before, but Mark Harmon can't emote the battle between good and evil he's tempted into. Darth Vader unveiled looked like a disgrunted egg: "Take the mask off me, already!" And Han Solo is a sap given nothing to do. His soppy look when Leia kisses him would shame Jon Boy off The Waltons. Lucas never knows how to end a film does he? They're all sort of laughing and then it's - cut to the credits...
Firrst part of Moonraker on Ultimate edition.
Great stuff, looks lush. Like seeing it at the cinema. {[]
Sound a bit dodgy a couple of times - the song could be louder and the 007 theme in the boat chase too.
Some observaitons:
Moore is really OLD!
Though his acting can be very good, better than Brosnan's at times, he's let down by a generally smug, ageing queen persona. He often seems quite an unpleasant nasty bloke, like his main relationship is with himself. There's been one death attempt on him, then he gets Corrinne involved. Nice.
Jaws is a rubbish henchman, not the best as Drax seems to think! Trying to kill Bond, he makes a (Sugar Loaf) mountain out of a molehill! Just get a gun... and shoot him! But then no one carries a gun in this film! Hence the chase round the houses assassination attempts. You could only justify that today if the villains were meant to be a bit odd and mad, like they don't want to just kill him, it's got to be lavish and eccentric.
Yet I loved watching this film, it looks great and each scene smoothly moves onto the next.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Just an absolute classic by the master Hitch. Even after all these viewings, I still am surprised when what seems to be the main character is bumped off 45 minutes in.
What gets overlooked often is a wonderfully neurotic performance by Janet Leigh -- even though it ultimately goes down the drain.
This one never gets old.
I really don't like Michael Moore. He is way too biased and presents no other points of view except his own. How many people did he ask in the UK hospital "How much did you pay?". Same old questions to people in other countries. Could have been cut to a third of the length and you would lose nothing.
All it shows is what a great system we have in the UK. Makes you realise how we take the NHS for granted.
I'd love to know how much taxes each country pays and what they receive. The NHS struggles in many cases with 60 million people. Could a system work with 5 times as many.
Roger looked younger without the lacquered hair he has in Venice.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Psycho also is scored by my favorite composer, Bernard Hermann, it adds a lot.
Wes Anderson's new film is great. It is really, really great. His film is a character study of three brothers, their quirks, their differences and similarities, their parents, and their lives. The film is really funny and really clever, with many intelligent gags running throughout the film which prove to be entertaining again and again. Plus, a cameo by Bill Murray is always welcome. Go do yourself a favor and see this film.
I really enjoyed this one, although it gets a bit weird in the third act, when metaphors begin to dominate and steer the action, with Anjelica Huston's unsettling (but effective) cameo appearance...
Mostly, though, it's a straightforward revenge/adventure film, a chase through the 19th Century wilderness of the wild west, from the high snowy mountains to the arid desert wastelands, as Pierce Brosnan flees from Liam Neeson and a posse-for-hire. The performances from Brosnan and Neeson are top-notch, as are those from the entire supporting cast. They don't make movies like this very much anymore---basically 98% outdoors, and in the elements---and more's the pity.
The pacing probably won't appeal to many from the MTV generation, but it worked for me. Get ready for an 'art house'-type ending...Still, I recommend it B-)
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I've seen this movie several times now, but I think I enjoy it more each time. Some of the characters are, obviously, made up, but for the most part, this movie truly portrays the Japanese point of view during the Battle of Iwo Jima. I've started reading up more on the history of Iwo Jima, and the battle in particular. General Kuribayashi really was a role model for the men he led. And Baron Nishi, once an Olympic Gold-medalist, becomes a hero in this battle as well.
Anyway, the history of the story is really amazing and inspiring, to say the least. I truly recommend watching it!
Dreadful sequel that goes completely barmy from the second act, and as the camera swirls around the monarch while over-the-top opera music plays on the soundtrack I genuinely thought the cinema itself was going to take off and ascend to the heavens.
The first film was quite gritty, but The Golden Age aims higher; much higher in fact and aims to portray Elizabeth as having transcended her earthly limitations and turned herself into a higher being. There's a ridiculous action sequence that sees Walter Raleigh jump off a ship and swim towards the Spanish Armada. And Mary Queen of Scots was French, so why Samantha Morton uses a Scots accent here when she couldn't be bothered using one for Morven Callar is anybody's guess.
As lame as any sequel that Hollywood has churned out in the last 30 years. This is the Highlander 2 of period dramas.
Christina Ricci in a whiny adaptation of Elizabeth Wurtzel's whiny memoir. No wonder this movie didn't get anywhere near a cinema, or a DVD release in the UK (I watched it on Youtube). It's awful. Like its author, Prozac Nation thinks it's deep and profound, but actually it's full of crap.
Was she pretty as a young woman Hardy? She always struck me as somebody who might have been really pretty back in the day. It's kind of sad that she did all that work with Brecht/Weill, but is best remembered for trying to kick Sean Connery in the b***s with a knife/shoe combo.
Well, in my opinion, no. I don't think Lotte was ever beautiful, but there's some old saying about the eye of the beholder and all that. Anyway, here's a picture of her from the movie. She was about 32 or 33, I think.
I think that's true of Bond fans, but not of the general public. Lotte is credited with bringing Weill's work to Americans and is still famous for her singing and for her work on Broadway. There's even a singing competition in her name. But even if she's remembered only for Klebb, that's one heck of a thing to be remembered for!
She's also referenced in the lyrics to 'Mack The Knife' B-) It's interesting where a distinguished career on the stage can take you :v
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Spectreisland and I checked out the new, all CGI movie Beowulf today. Based on the epic poem of the same name, the film tells the story of the brave warrior Beowulf and his battle with, among others, the monster Grendel. While quite faithful to the original poem, the movie also expands the story by making Beowulf a more (pardon the pun) 3-dimensional character, full of flaws and weaknesses, and also introduces a subtle subplot with king Hrothgar. The story, with its themes of the price of pride, greed and vanity, is very engaging and the voice acting is uniformly strong and convincing.
The CGI, while clearly visible as CGI, is still very very well done. The medium allows for sprawling vistas that go on forever and fantastic characters that could not be adequately created with traditional filmmaking techniques. Characters' facial expressions are also very well done and the CG actors bear an uncanny, almost photo-realistic resemblance to their real-life counterparts (especiall Angelina Jolie).
We saw the digital 3D version and the 3D effect is really amazing. The picture is always sharp, the colors vibrant, and the sense of depth very convincing. The image sometimes loses focus slightly during fast movement but this is by far the best theatrical 3D implementation I've yet to see.
The movie gets a big thumbs up by us; one of the more engaging films we've seen in a while.
There's a big-budget version of I Am Legend heading our way soon starring Will Smith, so here's the low-budget rip-off version, a straight-to-DVD cash-in, that mixes and matches the titles of the classic story and the previous film version, The Omega Man. And cheap and cheerful as it may be, it's actually a lot of fun. Martial-arts expert Mark Dacascos is the lonely hero, fighting zombie type creatures in a desolate future. Worth a look if you like this sort of thing.
A pretty good comedy/drama starring Keri Russell, who delivers a (mostly) competent performance. It gets a little silly at times, but overall the film is worth watching; I do recommend it.
A solid 6.5 out of 10.
I didn't love it. I'm a massive fan of Jet Li who IMO is among the world's truly great physical artists. However the martial arts in the film was disappointedly kept to a minimum, I didn't love Li's character and much of the focus was on Jason Statham whom I don't like nearly as much as the great Li. The plot also annoyed me. Ultimately it was enjoyable, but it didn't provide for me the 'Wow
Yes, I gave this one a miss. The first was a bit of a pantomime but quite edgy, you had footballer Eric Cantona doing very well as the French ambassador, and Kathy Burke (best known as silly comic actress on Brit sketch shows) as Bloody Mary, plus Angus Deayton (snooty quiz show host comic) in there with Richard Attenborough and upcoming stars like Geoffrey Rush and that Fiennes fellow and so on. It all meshed, but this one seems like revisionist nonsense (Eliz was 60 during the Spanish Armada, not 30 something and pining for Sir Walter...).
Roger Moore 1927-2017
It's been a long time since I've seen this movie but I still love it. IMO, one of Michael Douglas' better roles. In a weird way, I felt sympathy for his character...
I mean who hasn't had this movie run across their minds for a second or two when your stuck in a busy traffic jam?
Although I don't in any way condone his behavior nor ideals, I always laugh at the bigoted Army surplus owner and the things he says. I never know if it's supposed to be comic relief or what.
For those that have seen this, didn't you find that all the women cast in this were either abstract and/or quite negative?
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
This is one of my favorites to. It's been a long time since I've seen this movie. I'll have to keep an eye out for the ladies you speak of.
I know the four women shown were:
Douglas Wife and his mother
The sergants wife.
then the female cop
Then there were a couple of minor women cast to. One who I remember crystal clear :007)