I can understand that. To be honest, the first 20-30 minutes are acceptable, not as good as the opening scene, a bit childish, but still okay if you can accept Dwayne Johnson (i noticed that many people dislike him), but after those 20-30 mns it quickly goes overboard
I liked that one too, and I was somewhat very fond of both protagonists I think they had great chemistry as a pair.
Since I already asked you this (or maybe it wasnât a question), I wonât.
DeHaan is not a bad actor, but somehow i had the feeling he was not the right man in the right place (or space), but I didnât mind, there was enough to enjoy. I know feel like rewatching The fifth Element
Iâm not precisely sure on this, but I always disliked movie if even a freaking chimpanzee showed in it. Oh, those Eastwoodâs flicks with chimps or whatever it was, I still didnât watch that garbage. And when Iâve seen King Kong I wished those dinos kick some ape ass not the otherway around.
Pithecophobia.
Heh, funny. But that would be actually valid only if I was afraid of the damned creatures, which Iâm not.
Watched it last night ⌠very good movie. Thought provoking and a little Kubrick-esque.
I was a little concerned about Oscar Isaac, who has turned up in a few flicks recently ⌠thereâs a bit too much of the cocky Al Pacino in his style, but his performance along with the rest of the cast were of a very high standard.
Much better than I expected from a contemporary movie ⌠as Iâm usually stuck in the 60s and 70s, regarding cinema
My Darling Clementine (1948, John Ford)
****
I had seen it only once, back in the 80s or so, and had never gone back to it. It turned out to be a much better movie than I thought it was, but it still wonât ever be my favorite Ford western. Fonda is near perfect as a gentle - if determined - Wyatt Earp and Victor Mature (normally not a favorite actor) is quite alright as Doc, but both Linda Darnell and Cathy Downs (as Clementine) are a little out of place and seem to underline that famous statement that women in a western basically hold up the action. Beautifully shot in black and white. The scenes shot on location in Monument Valley have an unbelievable, poetic beauty
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2013, Peter Jackson)
**
The third and final installment in the Hobbit series. The second one was no classic but had at least some narrative structure and characters you could care for, notably the Elf Tauriel and her admirer, the dwarf Kili. The only thing the movie lacked, was the climactic attack of the dragon on Laketown. We get that attack now, at the start of this third part. Itâs a spectacular sequence but unfortunately itâs also by far the best part of the movie. Thereâs no narrative structure and the whole thing seems a poor excuse to show endless series of swordfights, with incredible numbers of orcs hacked to pieces. Tauriel & Kili are still there, but they donât have enough screen time. Definitely one trip too many to the well.
Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines (2003, Jonathan Mostow)
***
I must have seen this movie (also the third in a series) before, but the only thing I remembered, was this beautiful female terminator, T-X. Otherwise it seemed completely new to me. Not a bad idea by Cameron to ask another person to direct this third installment; the movie lacks the kinetic energy of the first two movies, but itâs also less pompous and heavy-handed. Mostowâs tongue-in-cheek approach serves the material well and Arnie seems to have a lot of fun playing a terminator suffering from an identity crisis. If only they would have dropped that one virtually interminable chase scene
Shadowlands (1985, Norman Stone)
****
Not the movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger, but an award-winning production from 1985, originally made for TV. It tells the story of British author and scholar C.S. Lewis and his decision to marry his American colleague Joy Davidman, a divorced woman. Originally it was an act of charity (so Davidmanâs children could stay in Britain), but the relationship became a severe test for his religious beliefs. Most people know Lewis as the author of the Narnia chronicles, but he also was a profound thinker and Christian apologist, who constantly questioned his own convictions and used to defend Christianity with rational arguments. The Hopkins-Winger movie might be a more emotional movie experience, but if youâre interested in the man and hi s religious and intellectual struggles, this is the better pick. Joss Ackland and Claire bloom are magnificent.
Yes, far and away the worst movie from his Tolkien trilogies. Whatâs going on here? What are the stakes? Are there five armies, or six, or seven? Did I lose count because it was confusing or because Iâd stopped caring? Does anybody care whatâs happening, to whom, or why? The The Hobbit trilogy had some decent enough set-pieces (mostly contained within the second installment) but, for the most part, it was all a bloated and overindulgent mess. I still bought them all though. Why? Because I find the hours and hours (and hours!) of behind-the-scenes material on the blu-rays endlessly fascinating. Interpreting the source material, casting, location scouting, costume design, set design, artistic concepts, bigatures, miniatures, practical effects, digital effects, forced perspectives⌠far, far more interesting than the movies themselves.
Yes, I think this one has aged quite well, really. I donât recall there being much love for it when it was released but itâs a good picture. Not a great one, but a good one (and itâs a f*cking spectacular one in comparison to the Terminator movies which followed).
Maybe itâs just me, but I liked the first part of the Hobbit trilogy best. Not sure why, it was definitely flawed for sure, but I had a great time watching that one. The second part had too much stupid crap, which was not in the book, and too much CGI extravaganza to my taste. I canât even imagine how awful the last installment is.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Finally got around to watching this, due to my new âBlu Ray makes almost everything watchableâ policy ⌠it really just holds oneâs attention a little longer, as bad is bad no matter how long you polish that turd ⌠and this really is a stinky one!
Ever get the feeling that youâre from another planet and you just donât get some of the hysteria over events that pass for art, culture or entertainment ?
How in the name of hell did this overblown, self important, cliched, badly acted and directed piece of shite ever manage to rate a 9/10 on IMDB ???
Are we the public supposed to be respectful or awed by the filmâs reported $185,000,000 budget ? ⌠( if it cost that much = it must be important ? ) and Heath Ledgerâs performance suddenly became Oscar worthy because of his unfortunate premature death. Sorry, but the guyâs miscast and overacting and not in the least bit terrifying or funny, as I believe the makers were aiming for.
I have never been a fan of superhero films, but Iâve seen a few which were tolerable, though they didnât exactly blow me away, but I could see how they might appeal to kids or kids who never grew up.
This Batman DC comic franchise is a different monster, it has artistic pretentions, it has âAâ list method acting, from a bunch of old movie whores, like Michael Caine and yes even the beloved Morgan Freeman ⌠and a lot of bad, fucking bad acting from a group of slightly younger whores.
Who told Christian Bale and Gary Oldman that they are good actors !? Theyâre just a couple of English wankers who are revered for making it big in Hollywood.
Baleâs âBruce Wayneâ is the same slimy narcissist he played in American Psycho, and when heâs Batman, he suddenly becomes, Clint Eastwood in âHeartbreak Ridgeâ
Oldman plays Commissioner Gordon with a whispery little voice and a look that resembles a confused Ned Flanders from The Simpsons
People respect the money ⌠and thatâs all this exercise is about. Story telling, riveting action and escapist adventure ?, no ⌠itâs about making lots and lots of money, and fuck their so called âcraftâ.
This movie has about as much depth as a Van Damme or Seagal film ⌠but what a triumph in marketing from Warner Brothers!
I think Bale is Welsh. From the clips Iâve seen I canât take his Batman voice seriously. Even Kevin Conroy trashed him for it.
PS. Would The Dark Knight be as acclaimed if it wasnât for Ledger? I doubt it.
Hope you didnât get the idea I was being slanderous or anti-English ⌠I should have of course said, UK wanker or British wanker.
Iâm not a patriotic type ⌠which is just as well, because the biggest Northern Irish wanker, Mr Neeson appears in the first Bale Batman, in which I bailed after only 10 minutes.
I just fucking detest these mediocre actors who play the, âas an artist cardâ, but take part in all the worst most exploitative garbage which has effectively fucked up the film industry for 20 years plus.
Regarding Heath Ledger, that was just a gift for the PR people ⌠and probably did add to the success.
I liked The Dark Knight, I thought Nolan did a good job there, but itâs definitely vastly overrated, just like a large portion of his other films, other than Dunkirk perhaps. At least itâs somewhat darker than Avengers or some other Marvel crap that I do not find all that gratifying. Itâs as good as a movie based on a comic book can get in the contemporary film industry, but then again Iâm a filthy pleb, so donât mind me, carry on with your rant, donât keep it in, let it all out.
Of course not, Iâm from the UK and I still hate limeys
I feel sorry for the USA putting up with Piers Morgan, Ricky Gervais & James Corden etc.
BTW, I feel that every nation in the world has their share of wankers, so no need to be walking on eggshells, itâs really unhealthy, Aldo. Take a deep breath, drink a glass of water and carry on, let it all out.
Now that you mention that unholy trinity ⌠maybe Dark Knight wasnât that bad after all ! ???
Ugggh ⌠Iâm confused - need to lie down
Thanks Doctor Mick ! LOL
I think The Dark Knight is outstanding, the best superhero pic Iâve seen, and Iâve seen a few. Was Heath Ledgerâs performance an Oscar-deserving turn? Well, I canât imagine it wouldâve had a sniff at the Oscar if he hadnât died but, nonetheless, it was imo the finest live-action performance of an established comic-book supervillain Iâve ever seen.
Just IMO, of course.
Well, no, theyâre good actors. Come on.
Definitely a polarising take from Bale here. The idea behind it is that he plays Bruce Wayne like kind of a silver-spoon asshole, which I guess is what he would be, really., if he wasnât Batman. More at home starring in The Only Way is Gotham or somesuch; not quite so likely to be a masked gothic vigilante psychotic genius MMA fighter. More âPrince Edwardâ than âDark Knightâ. Conversely of course the vaguely hilarious Bat-voice is supposed to disguise his own. So it makes sense, even if it was ultimately a bit heavy-handed in the execution.
I think The Dark Knight would still be a terrific crime-thriller even if the main protagonists/antagonists werenât costumed comic-book creations. And whatâs wrong with acclaim coming from Heath Ledgerâs performance? Wasnât it any good?
Now, The Dark Knight Rises⌠THAT was poor. Again, purely IMO. (Tom Hardy was good though, and I bloody hated that muffled performance initially. âMffftr Wfff!â)
I have to disagree ⌠if all the Superhero stuff was stripped away and it was a modest budget movie with a few members from the cast of The Sopranos, no one would have ever noticed it.
Story wise, itâs a Nicolas Cage straight to video special ⌠without the pleasure of watching Cage go over the top as per âŚ