JayDee's Movie Musings [Archive] - Page 11

Used Future

06-10-15, 01:27 PM

Good for you JD for saying what you really think about Fury Road instead of what you're 'supposed to think'. It's not a terrible film, just an average one - a classic case of tons of money being thrown at a mediocre script and the critics masturbating over it all with inflated review scores. I don't agree with your comments regarding the superior original films (namely Mad Max and The Road Warrior), or your comparison of Hardy to Clint Eastwood and seventies stars (he looks more like a pumped up Jamie Oliver to me), but the rest, yes. :up:

The problem with Mad Max: Fury Road for me is it's saddled with an already dehumanised iconic character now reduced to a near mute secondary role. This might have worked with Gibson who knows Max inside out and could have injected some much needed charisma, but not with a newcomer like Tom Hardy. For Hardy to work in the role Miller needed to give him more to do on an emotional level - fleshed out his madness if you like. The pre-opening credits sequence is one of the worst I've ever seen because it's a complete missed opportunity to introduce Hardy effectively. Compare it with The Road Warrior opening and there's just no contest whatsoever. Hardy has gone on record saying he didn't know what Miller wanted from him and it really shows.

The Furiosa character doesn't work for me either because unlike Ellen Ripley in Aliens we haven't grown with her through an earlier film, and don't really know her back story until three quarters of the way through Fury Road. Let's cut through the crap here. Furiosa is nothing more than a modern action/horror cliché little better than Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld films - but hey it's acclaimed actress CharlizeTheron so everyone's cooing over her. It's Mad Max forgodsake. This gives us two uninspired leads who lack interest and thus removes the tension from key action sequences. The best example is the initial fight between Max and Furiosa (when Max is shackled to Nux) which is supposed to be very suspenseful because Joe's minions are catching up to them; but instead feels ho-hum-matter-of-fact because the characters are so sketchy and detached. There's just no one to root for in that scene, and it's a nonchalant feeling that seeps through the rest of the film.

I have a conspiracy theory regarding Mel Gibson's Hollywood blacklisting in the wake of The Passion of the Christ - which upset a lot of Jewish people, many of whom coincidentally run the big studios. I think it goes a lot deeper than some drunken indiscretions he's committed which had to make it into the press to begin with. Gibson has clearly been betrayed by a lot of people over the past nine years. He's never been a saint, but the way the press have consistently demonised him after he was such a Hollywood darling in the nineties stinks of conspiracy. It's just the typical abhorrent media pattern of build someone up, then tear them down. Never mind the fact the guy is an alcoholic who needs help and support - after he himself helped a very troubled Robert Downey Jr. make a comeback. No let's just destroy him so we can all feel better about ourselves. Hollywood is definitely worse off without Mel Gibson in my opinion.

I suspect Miller desperately wanted Gibson but a string pulling Warner said no and so Miller got upset and decided to relegate Hardy to a support role. This may well have extended to not adequately communicating with the actor on set. Pure speculation of course. ;)

For the record the original Mad Max is far and away my favourite of the series. I feel it has the best characterisation, setting (society on the verge, and in the process of collapse), musical score, and performances. Talk about doing something stylishly different and brilliant with a deceptively simplistic revenge plot. All for around $350,000. Amazing.

Max's Boss Fifi: They say people don't believe in heroes anymore. Well, damn them! You and me, Max, we're gonna give 'em back their heroes!

Toecutter: The Nightrider. That is his name... the Nightrider.
Station Master: The NightRider.
Toecutter: Remember him when you look at the night sky

Miss Vicky

06-10-15, 01:42 PM

Good for you JD for saying what you really think about Fury Road instead of what you're 'supposed to think'.

Yes, because those of us who say we loved it are apparently just parroting each other and those masturbating critics instead of expressing our own real opinions. Or something. :rolleyes:

Used Future

06-10-15, 01:58 PM

Yes, because those of us who say we loved it are apparently just parroting each other and those masturbating critics instead of expressing our own real opinions. Or something. :rolleyes:

I think bandwagon jumping definitely exists in the critical media to some extent. I've also seen the backlash people get here when they criticise Fury Road (JD even PM'd me regarding concern over this). When combined these factors surely influence others in my humble opinion. I respect the honesty of JD's review which reflects some of my own opinions on the film. Just as I respect your right to an opinion, and understand why you like it so much. I certainly don't think Fury Road is a complete loss; just not the resounding masterpiece the media claim. Please don't be too angry with me. :)

jal90

06-10-15, 02:16 PM

There's no doubt a degree of bandwagoning around any popular or hyped movie, however I don't think that complimenting people just for voicing a contrary opinion helps to normalize the situation, if anything it will make it worse. And it's easy to mistake as an arrogant way to dismiss popular opinions given the context.

Anyway, we all respect each other's opinions here and their right to like or dislike whatever stuff they watch, so this is kind of an unnecessary demonstration.

In short. I should watch Mad Max: Fury Road and stop getting into discussions about stuff I haven't seen.

honeykid

06-10-15, 02:57 PM

In short. I should watch Mad Max: Fury Road and stop getting into discussions about stuff I haven't seen.

Pfft. Where's the fun in that? ;)

Used Future

06-10-15, 03:18 PM

I don't think that complimenting people just for voicing a contrary opinion helps to normalize the situation, if anything it will make it worse. And it's easy to mistake as an arrogant way to dismiss popular opinions given the context.

I complimented JD because I (for the most part) agree with his opinions on the film, and know he was anxious about posting the review. He personally asked for my 'back up' in this thread.

There's been some pretty heated posts regarding Fury Road. JD's review struck me as particularly brave on a popularity-contest-style-forum inhabited by some cliquey troll-prone members who often appear to be baiting others for nothing more than a pointless argument - or meaningless sense of aloof superiority. ;)

You're right some mediocre blockbusters receive a disproportionate amount of media praise, and whilst I definitely wasn't trying to 'normalise' this phenomena whatever that means (your assumption); I certainly feel baffled by the extent of it where Fury Road is concerned. If that can be interpenetrated as dismissive arrogance then I guess I'm guilty, but you really didn't need to make that insulting stretch in the first place considering what you go on to say next. :D

we all respect each other's opinions here and their right to like or dislike whatever stuff they watch, so this is kind of an unnecessary demonstration.

Indeed. Some of us more than others. I simply didn't want Miss Vicky to think I was singling her opinions out seeing as she's one of the biggest defenders of the film on these boards. Hence not an 'unnecessary demonstration' but one of friendly reassurance. :)

Swan

06-10-15, 03:25 PM

Doesn't surprise me...you gave Deep Rising, Charlie's Angels, The Expendables 2 all higher ratings than the more impressive, on all levels, Mad Max.

No longer care to read essay reviews from someone with obviously bad taste.

http://www.siteproppc.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/google-slap-site-pro-ppc.jpg

Miss Vicky

06-10-15, 03:51 PM

One of the complaints I've seen over and over from those who dislike the film, is in regards to the "mask" (actually, it's a muzzle) that Max wears. I keep reading over and over about how he wears it for a "significant length of time" and it "obscures his expressions." This complaint just leaves me scratching my head.

Apparently I have a different definition of a significant length of time than others do. He is muzzled just before the chase into the dust storm, then removes the muzzle shortly after he joins Furiosa on the War Rig, which immediately follows that chase. Also there are big gaps in the muzzle that allow you to see what his mouth is doing and there is more to expression and body language than just a person's mouth anyway.

I also hear complaints about Max's lack of dialogue and the voice he uses. I didn't have a problem with this at all. His role is not one that requires a lot of dialogue and the grunts and gravelly voice he uses fits the character of someone who "runs from both the living and the dead." Max is a loner, not a social butterfly. Before aligning with Furiosa, he didn't have much opportunity or reason to speak, so likely hasn't spoken to anyone in quite some time. Furthermore, his past traumas and self-imposed isolation also mean his social skills are not what they should be. So IMO the resulting gruffness was appropriate to his situation.

Used Future

06-10-15, 05:03 PM

The mask was never an issue for me personally. I liked the idea of him tethered to the front of one of the war boy rigs too because it nodded back to commune escapees from The Road Warrior quite nicely. Of course the argument is Max hasn't been effectively re-introduced prior to this sequence, and so to further obscure the character's face only serves to prevent the audience from connecting with him. That's pretty big when you need the original Max fans (at least picky old fogies like me:D) to accept a new actor in the role. Doubly hard when the character is so emotionally detached to begin with.

Whilst I also agree on the nature of the character based on past experiences; I still think it's a mistake that ties in with the intro because Miller could have approached the pre-credits sequence a lot more effectively. Max makes a much bigger emotional transition between the first and second films (from family man to hate filled avenger to emotionally distant drifter) but the pre-credits sequence of The Road Warrior does a much better job of conveying this descent into the abyss. It feels grandiose and poetic whereas Fury Road simply feels uninspired and hackneyed - at least to me. So Max is as mad and emotionally scarred as everyone else in the wasteland? Tell me something I don't know. Give me something to root and hope for here. The Road Warrior had a very clear set moral dilemma for Max to bounce off. He was constantly challenged by decent supporting characters like Papagello, The Gyro Captain, and Feral child who lent the whole affair some weight. Let's face it characters like Max become uninteresting rather fast unless you, either flesh out their mental state, or give them an epiphanic backdrop of some sort.

The choice to leave Max in this mute, dehumanised state for the practically the whole of Fury Road just felt like a cop-out to me. It's been said elsewhere that one of the best parts of the movie is the scene in which Max finally utters his name. I personally needed more of this redemptive humanity gradually seeping through the character throughout the film. I wonder if Miller will address this in later installments (that is if he decides to direct one). He mentioned in one interview that he didn't see Max going in the direction of something like Eastwood's Unforgiven, which left me disappointed because that's exactly the kind of direction I think the franchise needs. I also wonder if those comments were simply PR surrounding Hardy's casting, and Miller's original vision was an older Max finding redemption in a similar way to Bill Munny.

Miss Vicky

06-10-15, 06:12 PM

I had a long response all typed up and ready to send and then I accidentally closed the tab. Ugh.

Anyway, how much of a backstory do we really need? Fury Road spells out what we need to know: Max's family is dead and he feels like he failed them. As a result, he's isolated himself from other people and now his only urge is to survive.

Like Gibson's Max of The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome, this Max is compelled to interact with other people in order to regain what was taken from him. The only difference here is that he is quite literally forced to be around people and one of the things that was stolen was his freedom.

And I don't see this Max as being dehumanized at all. Hardy's Max is certainly more solemn and his actions and emotions more subtle than the cocky Gibson, but his humanity seeps out all over the place, not just when he finally reveals his name. He overpowers Furiosa and the wives when he could have just killed them to get the rig. He shows concern when he thinks Splendid was struck by the rock and relief when he sees that she is okay (even if only momentarily okay). He urges the women not to come looking for him if he doesn't return and to move on without him. He convinces them to turn back when they attempt to cross the salt, when he could have simply turned away and just saved himself. You can see the concern in his eyes when he sees that Furiosa has been hurt and the worry when he acts to save her. To me, Hardy's Max actually seemed more human and believable than Gibson's. He's terribly damaged, yes, but he still finds it in him to do what must be done to save himself and the others.

And I say that as someone who grew up loving The Road Warrior.

Sexy Celebrity

06-10-15, 07:12 PM

OKAY.... Can I just say....

*I* was the one who first talked trash about Mad Max: Fury Road.

Yes.

In that big old Mad Max: Fury Road (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=41120) thread.

You may remember how everyone ganged up on me, like bouncingbrick and others. Because I was the first who DARED to say stuff like this:

You know, I wasn't gonna say anything, but I might as well speak up.

If what I'm hearing about this movie -- that it's basically a feminist movie and the Charlize Theron character is really the real lead instead of Max -- I'm annoyed. And I feel I have every right to be annoyed because if this was a franchise that had always been about a female character, and suddenly a male character took over, you know women everywhere would be complaining about it and nobody would tell them to shut up.

Let me start with the good..... The atmosphere. The visuals. The feeling that it was indeed a Mad Max movie. The freakish characters. Loved most of this. It's very impressive how much it felt like a sequel to Beyond Thunderdome. This wasn't some shoddy job at trying to reboot the Mad Max franchise -- VISUALLY, at least. This was like a time machine to the 1980's.

Unfortunately... the WRONG passengers went in the time machine.

All except for the guy who played Immortan Joe. I liked Immortan Joe. He was played by the guy (don't know his name) who played the villain in the original Mad Max movie. LOVED him. My favorite scenes were those that involved him.

My biggest complaint: Yes. This was a woman's movie. I totally see what people are saying about this film having a feminist agenda. The woman who created The Vagina Monologues worked on this movie -- and it shows. I felt that the male characters were largely treated like second class pigs and that all these ridiculous women characters were the stars -- much more than Tom Hardy's Mad Max. It wasn't just Furiosa who was the problem -- it was also her female backseat drivers and especially those old motorcycle lesbians who showed up near the end. But mainly... Max just didn't seem like much of a star. They could easily forget about his character if they make another one of these movies. It was Furiosa who absolutely felt like the Mad Max character of this film. Max felt more like a distant, observing trainer to her.

And every time you turned around, they shoved a woman's pregnant belly in your face!

But you know what I hated even more than all of that stuff, though?

Max's hallucinations. Especially that obnoxious, curly haired girl who kept appearing. Max's hallucinations were the worst thing to suffer through. I could handle the women to an extent -- but every time Max appeared, he suffered another hallucination! There was hardly anything to him -- even during his own moments, a little obnoxious girl appeared and stole his scenes.

But I knew early on that this movie was going to suck, even before we really got into the meat of the whole thing, with Max joining Furiosa and her gal pals on the road. I really hated that first big scene where they're driving through the desert and Max was strapped to a vehicle, as prisoner. As they went through storm clouds and all that and the guy says, "OH, WHAT A LOVELY DAY!!!!"

I sat through this movie bored out of my skull, dying for it to be over. I wanted to walk out. This could have been a movie I actually walked out on, but I didn't want people here telling me, "You didn't even watch the whole thing!!!" So I stayed. But I thought this was a two hour, ear pounding headache. I thought it was one of the worst movies I had ever seen. Definitely the worst Mad Max movie by far.

It's possible it could have been better with Mel Gibson. I think Mel Gibson MADE those movies. I could see myself tolerating it a lot more if only Mel Gibson was playing Max. Tom Hardy... just seems like Tom Hardy. It's a decent Mad Max impression, but it didn't drive everything home. I kinda wonder if Charlize Theron's Furiosa character was pushed more forwards just in case nobody liked Tom Hardy's Mad Max. Like, I think she might have been a backup, just-in-case, safety kind of thing. That's what went through my mind as I was watching the film.

Anyway, I was hoping to like it, but I just didn't. I'm really kinda utterly shocked at the positive reception it's getting.

This is OUTRAGEOUS.

JayDee and Used Future are being seen as heroes for speaking negatively about Mad Max: Fury Road WHEN I DID IT FIRST!

I SUFFERED.

I suffered worse than that Asian woman who got raped and murdered in Casualties of War. At least she got a little action -- I didn't! They TORE ME APART in there. Miss Vicky ripped one of my arms off and now has it mounted on a wall as a souvenir!

And you guys are just acting like JayDee and Used Future paved the way for the future of bashing popular American movies. (or is it technically an Australian movie? They didn't actually film it in Australia, you know.)

Nobody's even mentioning my sacrifices.

Used Future

06-11-15, 10:17 AM

Anyway, how much of a backstory do we really need? Fury Road spells out what we need to know: Max's family is dead and he feels like he failed them. As a result, he's isolated himself from other people and now his only urge is to survive.

I was referring more to the visual style and narration of the intro rather than the absence of a protracted and unnecessary recap. Miller could have had a gravelly narrator say something a bit more poetic about the rise of Immortan Joe, the increased depravity of the wasteland and Max's further mental decline. Instead the Fury Road prologue comes off like a second rate video game complete with a silhouetted Max treading on a two headed lizard and biting it's head off. Talk about hackneyed. I was half expecting Alice Cooper to pop up in front of camera doing jazz hands.

And I don't see this Max as being dehumanized at all. Hardy's Max is certainly more solemn and his actions and emotions more subtle than the cocky Gibson, but his humanity seeps out all over the place

I don't want to get into semantics here, but I see gradations of dehumanisation in the character over the course of the series. We all know that Max is inherently a good person otherwise we wouldn't care. Gibson's actions as Max are arguably less human in the The Road Warrior - until the Gyro Captain saves his life and he comes to the realisation that the petrol refiners are people he needs to help (arguable in itself seeing as Max really has no choice) - but Gibson acts the part with a subtle hint of swagger that compensates for much of the character's coldness.

With his shotgun in the Gyro Captain's face
Max:The deal was I wouldn't kill you...I think you got a bargain

Miller also directs with a more personal touch, and gives us well drawn support characters to counteract and question Max's emotional detachment. Sometimes through quirky eccentricity leading to comedy, but also more challenging dialogue...

Pappagallo: What is it with you, huh? What are you looking for? C'mon, Max, everybody's looking for something. You're happy out there, are you? Eh? Wandering? One day blurring into another? You're a scavenger, Max. You're a maggot. Did you know that? You're living off the corpse of the old world. Tell me your story, Max. C'mon. Tell me your story. What burned you out, huh? Kill one man too many? See too many people die? Lose some family?

Fury Road has nothing like that. No-one to grab Hardy by the lapels and shake him up. He's got nothing to do. There's no-one to beat Max's face to a pulp (something that would happen in a Clint Eastwood flick as JD alluded to) and get under the skin of the character. Hardy is simply lost in the spectacle. It's all mouth and no trousers because the players are so one dimensional, and the story even more basic than the originals which have far more depth.

No, Hardy's Max isn't completely dehumanised through his actions, but he comes across a lot more distant, and doesn't have the same type of charisma Gibson's does. Whilst his behavior verges on noble (again out of necessity rather than choice) mere facial expressions are not enough to compensate for everything else that's missing - especially when the actor looks dazed and out of his depth. This is why Fury Road lacks the impact of the first two films, because Miller and co are too busy paying fan service with large action sequences. They forgot to give us some emotional investment with a better script, and that for me is the difference between an OK action film, and a great action film. It's certainly a poor way to introduce a new actor to an iconic character.

I was also hugely disappointed by the further loss of the Australian identity (which began with the casting of Tina Turner in Thunderdome). Miller says he never really saw the films as Australian, which feels like a total cop-out to me. Surely Mad Max is quintessentially Australian - it was certainly one of the first Aussie films I saw in my youth. Miller's comments strike me as unbelievable PR because of the new shooting location and larger international cast - who by acting standards should have employed Australian accents. I'm aware many Americans only saw the original Mad Max in the wake of The Road Warrior, and that initial version was re-dubbed with American voice actors for fear people wouldn't understand Australian. YUCK. I really hope US fans don't still watch that version and revert to the Australian audio track instead. I remember buying the Warner VHS and taking it back because of the American voices. Thank god the BBC used to screen the film 'in Australian'.

I know we could all go on and dispute the merits of Fury Road until the end of time with individual opinions unlikely to change. I don't hate the movie which I will watch again, and no doubt purchase on blu ray. I'm genuinely glad it's done well and further installments are on the horizon. I know Hardy can grow into the role, and want him to succeed even though I'm not overjoyed with the direction this new film has taken. No doubt there will be comebacks to this post, and that's fine, but I'm pretty much done on the subject to be honest.

...

JayDee and Used Future are being seen as heroes for speaking negatively about Mad Max: Fury Road WHEN I DID IT FIRST!

By whom and where? I don't feel much love on these boards.:(

Sexy Celebrity you are indeed the trailblazer of all things seminal. Though I did make the the following post in the Rate the last movie you saw thread around the same time (not sure on the exact dates) that you started world war three in the Fury Road thread - which I deliberately avoided. :D

This is going to be unpopular, but I need to rant...

http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/mad-max-fury-road-trailer.png

Mad Max: Fury Road 2.5

I love Mad Max and enjoyed this as a mindless action spectacle, but it's definitely the most overrated movie of the year so far, and doesn't begin to touch the first two films (which were far from mindless and not gratuitously violent as some have stated elsewhere). The script here is practically non existent. It's like Miller sat there with the suits and they said, Hey George! People love that tanker chase in The Road Warrior so lets make the whole movie like that. Forget about the personal touch the original films had, just throw an endless series of stunts and twisted metal at the screen and people will flock to see it. I find it hard to believe there wasn't major studio tampering with such a big budget on the table. Let's throw in a logic defying faux-twist to ensure the protagonists meet head on again for yet another mind numbing chase sequence. Is this really the best script Miller and co could source after a thirty year hiatus from Max? I doubt it.

There's virtually no character development (save for Nux who has the only thing resembling a redemptive arc) and thus I experienced no sense of excitement or tension because I didn't care about any of said characters. Tom Hardy is so vacant and lacking in charisma as Max; he looks like a startled rabbit caught in the proverbial headlights - what a shame they couldn't take a leap of faith and stick with Mel Gibson who was still only mid fifties when they shot this. Theron is great in a Ripley-esque kind of way and the (hardly original) feminist undertones are fitting considering the origins of the genre, but why the hell is she talking with an American accent? Surely an actress of her caliber could have given it some ocker passion. I know it wasn't shot in Oz, but a huge part of Mad Max for me is the Australian identity and this incarnation seems to toss much of that aside. It just doesn't have that strange, crow cawing atmosphere the first films had and as such merely looks like the world of Max on steroids.

Thankfully those looks are fantastically realised and repetitive as they may be, the action scenes are impeccably staged with a minimum of CGI tampering (save for that horrible dust storm sequence, and understandably Immortan Joe's impressive looking citadel) The costume and vehicle designs hold an admirable level of steam punk detail that would make Terry Gilliam proud, and for brief stretches I almost forgot about the complete lack of soul the movie has. Despite this it's highly watchable on the level of Costner's Waterword (odd to think that very similar Max inspired movie got luke warm notices whilst this has received raves) and perhaps more importantly seems to have successfully rebooted (though it isn't one) the Mad Max franchise. I just hope Miller has the moxy to re-cast Gibbo (or anyone but Hardy) in a more personal and restrained sequel. Wishful thinking perhaps, but I sincerely believe that less is more, George...less is more.

Miss Vicky

06-11-15, 11:30 AM

I was referring more to the visual style and narration of the intro rather than the absence of a protracted and unnecessary recap. Miller could have had a gravelly narrator say something a bit more poetic about the rise of Immortan Joe, the increased depravity of the wasteland and Max's further mental decline.

See, something like that would've just annoyed the crap out of me. I hate lengthy narration. We don't need to know how and why Immortan Joe came to be in power. We need only know that he is in power and that he is a bad man and we are shown this, which is what movies should do. I hate being told stories, I want to watch them unfold.

Gibson acts the part with a subtle hint of swagger that compensates for much of the character's coldness.

Agan, I find that cockiness (what you call "swagger") to be much less believable than what Hardy gave us.

Miller also directs with a more personal touch, and gives us well drawn support characters to counteract and question Max's emotional detachment. Sometimes through quirky eccentricity leading to comedy, but also more challenging dialogue...

Okay... I don't watch Mad Max movies for dialogue. :shrug:

He's got nothing to do.

Except save the day, of course. I can't help but think of the old saying "actions speak louder than words" here.

No, Hardy's Max isn't completely dehumanised through his actions, but he comes across a lot more distant, and doesn't have the same type of charisma Gibson's does. Whilst his behavior verges on noble (again out of necessity rather than choice) mere facial expressions are not enough to compensate for everything else that's missing - especially when the actor looks dazed and out of his depth.

Because one's actions are somehow separate from one's character? :confused:
And, again, I felt that Hardy's performance was fitting to the character and the situation he found himself in. I felt that even more strongly on the second and third viewing than on the first. Cocky swagger may be fun, but I also find it less believable and don't see how much of that could have been pulled off within the confines of the particular story being told.

This is why Fury Road lacks the impact of the first two films, because Miller and co are too busy paying fan service with large action sequences. They forgot to give us some emotional investment with a better script, and that for me is the difference between an OK action film, and a great action film. It's certainly a poor way to introduce a new actor to an iconic character.

I had plenty of emotional investment in it. All three times and it increased with each viewing.

I was also hugely disappointed by the further loss of the Australian identity (which began with the casting of Tina Turner in Thunderdome). Miller says he never really saw the films as Australian, which feels like a total cop-out to me. Surely Mad Max is quintessentially Australian - it was certainly one of the first Aussie films I saw in my youth. Miller's comments strike me as unbelievable PR because of the new shooting location and larger international cast - who by acting standards should have employed Australian accents.

Okay. I really don't care about it's "Australian Identity." I don't and never have thought of the film as Australian anyway (I've never thought of it in terms of a nationality at all) and the story's location isn't really relevant to the plot anyway. In any case, they originally planned to shoot in Australia but had to relocate after their sets were destroyed by flooding.

I'm aware many Americans only saw the original Mad Max in the wake of The Road Warrior, and that initial version was re-dubbed with American voice actors for fear people wouldn't understand Australian. YUCK. I really hope US fans don't still watch that version and revert to the Australian audio track instead. I remember buying the Warner VHS and taking it back because of the American voices. Thank god the BBC used to screen the film 'in Australian'.

The version I watched was "in Australian." Though I only watched it for the first time while preparing for the 70s list. After growing up with the spectacle of its sequels, I found the original rather disappointing, tbh.

But there's really not much point in going round and round, especially in this thread. Although this film seems to be particularly divisive, there are always going to be detractors for every film released, ever. There are plenty of "classics" and "masterpieces" that I find incredibly dull - actually quite a lot of them - and have watched with a certain emotional disconnect, but this isn't one of them and you won't ever convince me that it should be. I can only hope that you'll find more of a connection when you rewatch it, because only the film itself can convince you of its merit.

Used Future

06-11-15, 11:51 AM

I know we could all go on and dispute the merits of Fury Road until the end of time with individual opinions unlikely to change....

...I'm pretty much done on the subject to be honest.

But there's really not much point in going round and round, especially in this thread. Although this film seems to be particularly divisive...

...I can only hope that you'll find more of a connection when you rewatch it

Agreed. ;)

Sexy Celebrity

06-11-15, 01:28 PM

By whom and where? I don't feel much love on these boards.

Sexy Celebrity you are indeed the trailblazer of all things seminal. Though I did make the the following post in the Rate the last movie you saw thread around the same time (not sure on the exact dates) that you started world war three in the Fury Road thread - which I deliberately avoided.

I put my footprints on the moon first!

honeykid

06-11-15, 04:38 PM

Well I said this film would be crap before it was even made, so there. :p

JayDee

06-12-15, 09:23 PM

Holy crap. I disappear for a few days and my thread explodes! We've got arguments over the merits of not just Fury Road but of Bronson, discussions about whether Fury Road is a feminist film or not and a tirade from Sexy Celeb.

I've got a lot to catch up on but until then

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/post-33707-nothing-to-see-here-gif-please-BeZM_zpssb1zvsbn.gif (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/post-33707-nothing-to-see-here-gif-please-BeZM_zpssb1zvsbn.gif.html)

Wolfsbane

06-13-15, 12:08 AM

Oh no, how will I ever survive without the patronage of someone who has never before posted in this thread and never repped any of my reviews? :bawling: Oh wait, I think I'll manage

I don't think anyone else on this site bitches and complains as much as you about not getting enough rep points. Just because you write novels, doesn't mean it's worth a rep point. :rolleyes:

MovieGal

06-13-15, 12:12 AM

Wow JayDee.. you are getting a bit of crap here.. I dont read all your reviews but I respect your taste in films. To each their own... You enjoy what you do and thats all that matters to you...

Keep it up hun, you're doing great!

JayDee

06-13-15, 01:38 PM

Oh Wolfsbane, you're back! Happy days. I was so worried when you said you were done with my reviews that I'd never see you again.

^ May not have been entirely genuine. ;)

I don't think anyone else on this site bitches and complains as much as you about not getting enough rep points. Just because you write novels, doesn't mean it's worth a rep point. :rolleyes:

Um...ok? :shrug: I'm not really sure what that has to do with anything but whatever. And for the substantial majority of the time my 'complaints' about rep are tongue in cheek and just playing up to the personality that people associate with me.

Although I suppose I should be touched that you actually know who I am because I literally have no clue who you are. Until a couple of days ago if someone had asked me if we had a MoFo named Wolfsbane I would have said that I didn't think so. As such I'm not exactly going to be overly concerned with what you have to say. Feel free to make your next hiatus from my thread of essay reviews longer than about 3 days.

Wolfsbane

06-15-15, 10:06 PM

Oh Wolfsbane, you're back! Happy days. I was so worried when you said you were done with my reviews that I'd never see you again.

^ May not have been entirely genuine. ;)

Um...ok? :shrug: I'm not really sure what that has to do with anything but whatever. And for the substantial majority of the time my 'complaints' about rep are tongue in cheek and just playing up to the personality that people associate with me.

Although I suppose I should be touched that you actually know who I am because I literally have no clue who you are. Until a couple of days ago if someone had asked me if we had a MoFo named Wolfsbane I would have said that I didn't think so. As such I'm not exactly going to be overly concerned with what you have to say. Feel free to make your next hiatus from my thread of essay reviews longer than about 3 days.

I didn't realize you were dense, sorry.

I brought up the rep....because you did. I didn't realize I needed to spell it out for you. You can "claim" it's all tongue in cheek, but that's BS. You think you deserve more because of the amount of time you put into them. Don't hide the fact.

Also, do I care if you know who I am? Not in the slightest. I think I'll be able to move on in the world without the almighty JayDee not knowing who I am. Get off your high horse. basically you're saying people who don't post here a dozen times a day, their opinions are invalid.

Also, sorry again (I seem to be apologizing a lot) that my 'hiatus' was so long, I'll make sure to sit by the computer and eagerly await what you have to say. Making sure not to leave it until I see a response so I can IMMEDIATELY respond with my own opinions. Oh wait, I have a life.

Sexy Celebrity

06-15-15, 10:13 PM

Just because you write novels, doesn't mean it's worth a rep point. :rolleyes:

Oh, please. JayDee's reviews aren't novels -- they're libraries. The whole damn library.

Mr.Sparkle

06-15-15, 10:14 PM

SC has a point.

JayDee

06-16-15, 11:13 AM

I didn't realize you were dense, sorry.

I brought up the rep....because you did. I didn't realize I needed to spell it out for you. You can "claim" it's all tongue in cheek, but that's BS. You think you deserve more because of the amount of time you put into them. Don't hide the fact.

Also, do I care if you know who I am? Not in the slightest. I think I'll be able to move on in the world without the almighty JayDee not knowing who I am. Get off your high horse. basically you're saying people who don't post here a dozen times a day, their opinions are invalid.

Also, sorry again (I seem to be apologizing a lot) that my 'hiatus' was so long, I'll make sure to sit by the computer and eagerly await what you have to say. Making sure not to leave it until I see a response so I can IMMEDIATELY respond with my own opinions. Oh wait, I have a life.

Oh Wolfy I only just realised; you're a massive douche! I'm so sorry, it should have dawned on me sooner. Now that I know however, perhaps I'll be able to communicate with you in a way that will avoid more complications.

Well no I didn't really bring up rep as an issue. I was merely pointing out that as you had never posted in the thread before or repped any of my reviews I had no clue of your existence, particularly in regards to my thread. As such, your big proclamation about being done with my reviews didn't exactly mean a great deal to me. In fact I'd say it pretty much meant the square root of jack *****.

But you know what Wolfy, you're right. How silly of me to think that I know what I mean with my posts more than you do. Quite clearly if anyone knows the intent of my words it would of course be you! :facepalm: I should thank you however. Thanks to you I now understand that old phrase that goes along the lines of 'when you assume something you make an ass out of u”

Nope you're wrong again. Boy you really kind of suck with these assumptions don't you? How little I value your opinion has nothing to do with how many posts you've made. In fact if the amount of posts determined the value of a person's opinion that wouldn't be all that great for me. There are people here who probably post almost as much in a month as I have in my entire time on this forum. The reason I have no respect for your opinion is that the very first post of yours I was ever aware of was you popping in here and straight up insulting me. Around here people tend to be a lot friendlier and a lot more courteous to others, and actually attempt to engage in a discussion rather than just saying “hey you're sh!t” like a little troll.

And another swing and miss. Three assumptions - three strikes. I can assure you that I most certainly was not just sitting here, waiting with baited breath to see what the mighty Wolfsbane had to say. Oh and just to check, you have nothing better to do than hang around an internet forum and insult people? Oh yeah, it sound like you have a very full life.

Oh and as I said you do have three strikes so you're out. But don't worry, we have a lovely parting gift for you

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/Wolf%20finger_zpsmpypubb8.gif (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/Wolf%20finger_zpsmpypubb8.gif.html)

Wolfsbane

06-16-15, 11:19 PM

That's an amazing GIF to send off on.

Bravo.

cricket

06-17-15, 09:53 AM

Doesn't surprise me...you gave Deep Rising, Charlie's Angels, The Expendables 2 all higher ratings than the more impressive, on all levels, Mad Max.

No longer care to read essay reviews from someone with obviously bad taste.

Maybe the most ludicrous post I've ever read on this forum.

MovieMeditation

06-17-15, 10:20 AM

Who does this Wolfdouche think he is? All of his posts in here made me cringe. I've never even heard of him or seen him around here, and then he just jumps in here acting like the most superior human being on earth.

Get the f*ck outta here little whiner and go howl somewhere else. If this is the attitude you bring here you might as well leave this instance. What is the point in coming on a forum and become universally hated right off the bat? Lol seriously...

Gatsby

06-17-15, 10:39 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqEn3BcAfrA

rauldc14

06-17-15, 10:43 AM

Wolfsbane and Mr. Sparkle. 2 alternate accounts of someone that I can't for the life of me figure out who.

Mr.Sparkle

06-17-15, 07:26 PM

Wolfsbane and Mr. Sparkle. 2 alternate accounts of someone that I can't for the life of me figure out who.

Whoa, slow your roll. I agreed with him in the first post, but that's it.

Guys gone nutso.

JayDee

06-21-15, 09:38 PM

I've still got to catch up on everything that went down over the last few pages but until then I've got a little offering for everyone I disappointed with my rating for Fury Road, particularly for my beloved Miss Vicky (can you ever forgive me?)

As I've done a few times before here are a bunch of alternate posters for the film. In fact this time there are so many I'm going to split them over a couple of posts. I actually had these sitting ready to post before I even saw the film. And I've still got a bunch of Age of Ultron posters that I forgot about

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%203_zpsyyejfzlp.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%203_zpsyyejfzlp.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%207_zpslcmwc2om.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%207_zpslcmwc2om.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%205_zpshkqg5r8u.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%205_zpshkqg5r8u.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%206_zpsgmsfzeap.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%206_zpsgmsfzeap.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%202_zpsulv94y5w.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%202_zpsulv94y5w.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%204_zpsrhtxkhsw.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%204_zpsrhtxkhsw.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2011_zpsvm3vhedo.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2011_zpsvm3vhedo.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2013_zpslucclmhd.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2013_zpslucclmhd.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%208_zps0lndarsk.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%208_zps0lndarsk.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2012_zps6p1de8x8.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2012_zps6p1de8x8.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%209_zpsma0y8bol.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%209_zpsma0y8bol.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2015_zpsphhvqwwa.gif (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2015_zpsphhvqwwa.gif.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road_zps1w55ufiq.png (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road_zps1w55ufiq.png.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2010_zps3d4i0pzn.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2010_zps3d4i0pzn.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2014_zpshva5nhlr.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2014_zpshva5nhlr.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2019_zpszsnifgyj.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2019_zpszsnifgyj.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2018_zpsbxhzvyvh.png (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2018_zpsbxhzvyvh.png.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2017_zpsx4yhasth.png (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2017_zpsx4yhasth.png.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2016_zpsetmvkh2u.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2016_zpsetmvkh2u.jpg.html)

Miss Vicky

06-21-15, 10:24 PM

Miss Vicky (can you ever forgive me?)

Maybe. Some day.

JayDee

06-23-15, 09:20 PM

Maybe. Some day.

Oh come on! :( You take digs at films I love all the time and I've no problem with it. I need my darling Victoria back! :D Well here's the 2nd part of my little apology offering to you

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2020_zpssfitvtdj.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2020_zpssfitvtdj.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2021_zps8kkkcsz9.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2021_zps8kkkcsz9.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2022_zpsvon3xccq.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2022_zpsvon3xccq.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2023_zpswljnvuk1.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2023_zpswljnvuk1.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2024_zps1gsuwfyd.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2024_zps1gsuwfyd.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2025_zps2k4kkxtm.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2025_zps2k4kkxtm.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2026_zpsdcvmhife.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2026_zpsdcvmhife.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2027_zpsppcl6iey.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2027_zpsppcl6iey.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2028_zpscuvmjiy8.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2028_zpscuvmjiy8.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2029_zpswe5hbw5s.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2029_zpswe5hbw5s.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2030_zpsbmtiyv2f.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2030_zpsbmtiyv2f.jpg.html) ..... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2031_zpsoiar2dcd.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2031_zpsoiar2dcd.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2033_zpsqcwkgzvs.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2033_zpsqcwkgzvs.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2034_zpszennte6w.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2034_zpszennte6w.jpg.html)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2032_zps5bkhg8nu.jpg (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/MovieForums/Fury%20Road%2032_zps5bkhg8nu.jpg.html)

Gatsby

06-24-15, 02:47 AM

You might want to cheer MV up by buying some of her nude pics. Or it could end of pissing her off more, but now that Wolfsbane is gone you have nothing to lose right? :D

Link to more info: http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=1339283#post1339283

JayDee

06-25-15, 09:22 PM

Aw you got me all excited Gatsby. :( I've been trying to get a naked picture out of that woman for ages now! :lol:

Wolfsbane

06-28-15, 10:23 PM

Cole416

06-28-15, 10:25 PM

Don't worry JayDee, it's 2 v 1 against MV. We can handle her!

christine

07-15-15, 02:13 PM

Great posters JayDee!

JayDee

07-15-15, 09:06 PM

Thanks Christine. I made them all myself. :p

JayDee

02-13-16, 02:52 PM

How about I get this bad boy back up and running? Would anyone be interested in that? :)

For several reasons, my ongoing health issues being the predominant one, this thread has lain dormant for some seven months! And even prior to that it had been nowhere near as active in the preceeding year as it had been up until that point. While the actual output has been rather idle over the last year or two I have still been writing on occasion when possible. And even before I stopped regularly uploading the reviews I still had a bit of a backlog to work through. So there's quite a bit of material to reveal, as well as a host of reviews that will see the light of day at some point but which currently reside in a vault. :D

I've been scouring my computer as I have write-ups scattered across several different documents as well as on a USB stick I believe. A number of them however aren't completely ready; they're missing the plot, trivia or conclusion or were just left unfinished. So I'm going to look around, see what I can come up with and post them when possible. Get the old stuff out of the way, going back to early-mid 2014!!! :eek:, and then start fresh of a sort.

One thing I should point out though is that over the last year or two my ratings have become a bit more strict, and perhaps now reside somewhere close to Mark F. It wasn't a conscious decision I made, it just sort of happened. Although given my fanboy admiration for Mark perhaps it was a subconcscious decision to be more like him! :p A number of the reviews in the archives here would now be rated lower, usually at least half a popcorn bucket lower, sometimes more going back to the early stuff. So some of the really old reviews I'll be posting perhaps aren't on the same rating scale as stuff I've already posted but which is newer (keeping up? :D) such as Birdman, Imitation Game and Fury Road. If a film now gets a score above a rating_4 then it may come into contention for a place on my top 100 films, certainly a top 150/200. To highlight this, of all the films I've seen that were released since the 1st of January 2014 only a very small handful have received a rating of or above a rating_4. Remove my beloved Marvel films from that list and it's down to just about one I think - Nightcrawler.

Anyway that's enough waffle. I'll be off and see what I can scrape up. Although I do also have another little project I'm considering. ;)

The Rodent

02-13-16, 03:02 PM

JayDee is just after a prize in the top reviews countdown. It means so much he actually got out of bed for it.

The Gunslinger45

02-13-16, 03:04 PM

About time you got back! Glad to see you boot up the thread again. I sense incoming rep and a return of Bill and Ted!

JayDee

02-13-16, 03:22 PM

Let's start slowly. First up a little selection of micro musings from way, way back.

mirror mirror

Year of release
2006

Directed by
Mark Palansky

Starring
Christina Ricci
James McAvoy
Catherine O'Hara
Richard E. Grant
Peter Dinklage
Reese Witherspoon

Penelope

rating_3 +

Irresistibly sweet. While there may not be anything particularly special or noteworthy about it, I think that only the coldest of hearts could not be taken in by the warmth of Penelope. Behind the film's narrative is the message of being comfortable in your own skin and how to be happy the only person you need to love you is yourself. The film's message, though one we've seen many a time before, is appealing and one that would be lovely for all of humanity to embrace. Instead of watching the latest episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, if more young girls watched this perhaps less of them would grow up to have self-esteem issues. And the eponymous character of Penelope makes for an admirably strong heroine of great pluck. The film certainly has a few wobbles in its narrative, most glaringly in the romance between Ricci and James McAvoy which never really convinces as this epic love story that it seems to think it is. And the introduction of Reese Witherspoon to proceedings doesn't really go anywhere. In terms of its setting there's something rather reminiscent of Amelie about it. Just like that French delight the world inhabited here is a quaint, whimsical, verging on the magical one that lies in a sort of limbo between being real and full-blown fantasy. The film's also got a series of nice and charming performances from the likes of James McAvoy and Peter Dinklage. However it is definitely the lovely Christina Ricci who leads the way with a delightful and sweet performance. The film's only problem for me was that even with her pig nose I thought she was just adorable, so I struggled to understand why anyone wouldn't want her! :D

mirror mirror
Year of release
2013

Directed by
Kim Ji-woon

Starring
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Forest Whitaker
Johnny Knoxville
Jaimie Alexander
Luis Guzman
Peter Stormare

The Last Stand

rating_3 +

Schwarzenegger is back and he can still kick some ass! He may be a bit older, he may be a bit slower, his one-liner delivery may be a little rusty and his grasp on the English language somehow seems to have gotten worse which I don't really understand; but he's still Arnie! And while it has perhaps faded a little there's still more than a trace of that considerable screen presence that he has always had. And while it may not take its place amongst his best-loved classics I found The Last Stand to still be a good deal of fun. And as long as you go in with the right expectations I imagine that a lot other people will as well. And any fears of it being a watered-down, family friendly action film are quickly dispelled. Following on from the likes of Stallone's Bullet to the Head, this is another pleasingly old-school actioner that spills buckets of blood, and occasionally in quite grisly fashion. Though the film does actually take its time getting going, so much so that I was becoming a little bewildered - “wait, you're trying to set the scene and build characters in a Schwarzenegger film?!!! :confused: Bring on the blood!”

Thankfully when the action does arrive it generally delivers in fine style. The last half hour in particular delivers a feverish cacophony of gunplay, vehicular carnage and smash-mouth hand-to-hand combat that results in some memorably trashy deaths. In addition to Arnie the film picked up some bonus points for a couple of its other cast members. The first was Johnny Knoxville. Now perhaps it's because I grew up watching him on Jackass but I've always enjoyed his work as an actor. He may always play a version of himself (Walking Tall, Grand Theft Parsons) but I like him. The other casting bonus is the chance to ogle the sexy as all hell Jaimie Alexander, known to most people as Lady Sif in the Thor films. No one's going to mistake this for high art but I think it was a great amount of fun.

mirror mirror

Year of release
2012

Directed by
James McTeigue

Starring
John Cusack
Alice Eve
Luke Evans
Brendan Gleeson
Oliver Jackson-Cohen

The Raven

rating_2

Disappointingly drab and lifeless I felt. When I saw the trailers for this a couple of years back I thought it held some promise but just didn't really happen for me. There were a couple of directions the film could have gone in that would have resulted in an entertaining experience, but sadly didn't hit either in my eyes. I certainly didn't think it was good enough to just be enjoyed straight; but at the same time it wasn't rubbish or cheesy enough to move into the territory of camp. It ended up occupying an unsatisfactory middle ground, often taking itself a little too serious for its own good I felt. There was some good stuff here though. The gothic atmosphere I thought was quite well realised in a Tim Burton kind of way although at times I thought it was a bit too murky for its own good, making it tough to comprehend everything that was actually happening. And John Cusasck was able to make for quite a compelling lead in the role of Edgar Alan Poe, giving him quite tragic, haunted quality. No one else amongst the cast was really able to make much of an impact for me though with Alice Eve and Luke Evans both very bland and unengaging. The story struggled to ever really captivate me and the fake CGI blood was really shoddy and took me out of the film. It's just a shame that so much of this film is poor as it wastes a strong performance from Cusack at its heart.

The Gunslinger45

02-13-16, 03:32 PM

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/w541/juanLopez85/Dude_zpsbd8dd56d.jpg

Glad your reviews are back!

Miss Vicky

02-13-16, 03:46 PM

+rep for posting, but...

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/JoaqGifs/joaqdisapproves.gif

for your ratings of Penelope and The Raven. I hated the former and loved the latter.

MovieMeditation

02-13-16, 04:15 PM

Yaay, best and worst news ever!

Anyways, welcome back to the game bruh. Let's see if you still go it. ;)

Captain Spaulding

02-13-16, 04:54 PM

I've seen all three of those and pretty much share the same opinion. I saw Penelope several years ago and don't remember much about it now, but I recall enjoying its charms. And pig nose or not, I'd still pork Christina Ricci. I agree that The Last Stand was great fun, especially for fans of old-school action films. I think it's the most enjoyable film Schwarzenegger's starred in since returning to the big screen. I also agree with you that The Raven took itself too seriously. Very forgettable film, despite the premise.

It's great to see you posting again in this thread, JD. Say hello to your colon for me. ;)

JayDee

02-13-16, 09:23 PM

Oh dear sweet glorious rep, I had forgotten just how much I loved you! :p

JayDee is just after a prize in the top reviews countdown. It means so much he actually got out of bed for it.

:lol: Well in a roundabout way you're right. I've been meaning to try and start it back up for a long while, especially since the start of the year. However it was Vicky asking me yesterday whether I was going to resurrect this at some point. The reason being the reviews countdown where she didn't want to vote for any inactive threads. Up until then I'd never actually heard of it, and still haven't looked at it actually. So if you want to blame anyone/something blame Vicky! Speaking of which...

+rep for posting, but...

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/JoaqGifs/joaqdisapproves.gif

for your ratings of Penelope and The Raven. I hated the former and loved the latter.

:facepalm: Just back and already it's started. So you've written a few reviews Vicky and all of a sudden you think you can start throwing your weight about do you? :D

And pig nose or not, I'd still pork Christina Ricci.

:facepalm: That's basically what I was trying to say but you just have such a way with words Cap.

cricket

02-13-16, 09:39 PM

I think I gave The Last Stand the same rating you did. However, I thought the last half hour was the weak part.

edarsenal

02-14-16, 01:32 PM

ANNNNNNND he's BACK!!!! YAYYYY
http://stuffpoint.com/spongebob-square-pants/image/172208-spongebob-square-pants-yay-gif.gif

Totally agree with Penelope. Very charming film and yes she was STILL very attractive with the pig nose.

I couldn't wait for the final shoot out in Last Stand and turned it off a little over half way through, it dragged so bad.

Raven I thought was great. A little stiff at some parts, but still very good. Due to largely, Cusack's performance as Poe and visually, it was great to watch.

honeykid

02-15-16, 07:34 AM

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jewelsofjudaism.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F10%2Freturn-of-the-king.jpg&f=1

Nice to have you back, sir. :)

Did you watch The Last Stand again?

I agree entirely with you about Penelope, but I liked The Raven. CGI blood is annoying but, other than that, I liked it and I especially liked the aesthetic of it.

The Sci-Fi Slob

02-15-16, 07:44 AM

Good to see a new review. I agree with you on The Last Stand. I haven't seen the other two.The Raven looks interesting (added to watchlist).

JayDee

02-15-16, 09:36 PM

I think I gave The Last Stand the same rating you did. However, I thought the last half hour was the weak part.

I'd like to vehemently disagree with you but I truthfully can't remember the film well enough to argue! It's been so long since I actually saw it. :D

https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jewelsofjudaism.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F10%2Freturn-of-the-king.jpg&f=1

Nice to have you back, sir. :)

Did you watch The Last Stand again?

:lol: Very nice. Although you could also have gone with

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJuvLndCMfc

:D

And no I didn't watch The Last Stand again. That's from away back when we did the commentary! That's how old the stuff I'm finding is from

Beatle

02-16-16, 02:58 PM

mirror mirror

Year of release
1988

Directed by
Graham Baker

Written by
Rockne S. O'Bannon

Starring
James Caan
Mandy Patinkin
Terrence Stamp
Leslie Bevis
Kevyn Major Howard

Alien Nation

rating_3_5 +

Plot - 1991. Three years ago a massive flying saucer landed on Earth carrying 300,000 enslaved aliens, who would come to be known as Newcomers. Following a period of quarantine the aliens start to become integrated into human society, but face a great deal of discrimination. When Newcomer police officer, Sam Francisco (Patinkin), becomes the first alien to make the rank of detective he is assigned a new partner in the form of Matthew Sykes (Caan). Sykes is an admitted bigot and alien-hater, and the only reason he volunteers to take Francisco on as his partner is because his previous partner was just killed by a Newcomer, and Sykes wants to exploit Francisco's knowledge and experience. Together they investigate the seedy underworld of the Newcomer community, all the way up to successful Newcomer businessman, William Harcourt (Stamp)

The plot of Alien Nation is certainly a story that we've seen before, just given an extraterrestrial twist to it. Just as Neill Blomkamp would do a couple of decades later with District 9, Alien Nation tells a story which addresses racism but places an alien face on it. In the film, the aliens, or Newcomers, are just another ethnic minority here on Earth. And in particular they act as an outer space equivalent of African Americans, with a heavy does of social commentary thrown in. It's not a particularly subtle allegory but it works. The Newcomers have apparently been 'accepted' into society and even though a lot of people talk a good game about relations between our peoples, they are treated with disrespect, disgust and pure hatred by most. They are frequently addressed by the derogatory term of 'slag' and are spoken down to in a demeaning manner; it's only a surprise they aren't referred to as 'boy' at any instance. There's a really nice bit of dialogue that Patinkin utters on this phenomenon - "You humans are very curious to us. You invite us to live among you in an atmosphere of equality that we've never known before. You give us ownership of our own lives for the first time, and you ask no more of us than you do of yourselves. I hope you understand how special your world is. I hope you understand how unique a people you humans are. Which is why it is all the more painful and confusing to us that so few of you seem capable of living up to the ideals you set for yourselves."

The large majority of the aliens are resigned to ghetto-like neighbourhoods which humans refer to as 'slagtowns.' Any Newcomer that manages to ascend to a respectable and important position is met with a great degree of resentment. While on this front there is also a question of affirmative action; when Mandy Patinkin's Sam Francisco makes it to the rank of detective after just three years on the force it breeds a real sense of hostility amongst his fellow officers about how quickly he has managed to achieve the rank, with most human officers taking seven years to achieve the same level of success. While the film also plays into the drugs problem that plagues run-down inner cities and its residents, except that in the place of drugs like heroin, cocaine and crack, the aliens have Jabroka; a drug from their past that was used to pacify and enslave them before they found their way to Earth. It's a drug that Francisco describes as a nightmare, which will destroy the lives of countless Newcomers. The plot itself is something I could easily imagine could have featured in more than one blaxploitation flick over the decades. You've got powerful businessmen orchestrating the flow of drugs into the problem area, hoping to control the populous. In fact it's not a million miles away from the plot of blaxploitation spoof, Black Dynamite.

Viewers may be slightly disappointed at the minimal amount of design and make-up work that went into creating the Newcomers. However I think it serves a purpose, again playing into the racial subtext of the film. The only thing that differentiates the aliens from their human counterparts is the top of their head, larger than a human head and covered in coloured markings. That's it! Just as the only difference between an African American individual and a Caucasian is the colour of their skin. All other features are exactly the same, and yet just because of one small difference we can't get along, or in the film's case the humans and aliens can't get along. And just as is the stereotypical case with all other races, whether it be black or Asian or whatever, to the bigoted humans the Newcomers all look the same, they can't tell them apart. And despite the minimal amount of work perhaps required, the make-up provided by the Stan Winston company is still impressive, maintaining a natural look for the Newcomers.

After we've been introduced to the idea of alien beings and gotten over the initial adjustment period, the film then settles very quickly into a pretty classic buddy cop routine. If you've seen at least one buddy cop flick in your life then you can probably plot the film out itself, with Alien Nation featuring many of the clichéd scenes you commonly find in the genre. Though while it may not hold many surprises in store it remains entertaining all the same. Having started on very fractious terms and divided by their respective races, we know that by film's end Sykes and Francisco are going to end up putting aside those differences and personal problems, and form a friendship built on a foundation of respect. This will come about as a result of them winding up on a case which will require them to combine the unique talents and experiences they each possess if they are to solve it. Oh and at least one of them will save the life of the other. It's just how this thing is done. We saw it in the previous year's Lethal Weapon, perhaps the definitive buddy movie. And to tie it more into the race aspect of the film we saw a similar dynamic in 48 Hrs. and in the classic In the Heat of the Night. And it's also clear right from the first moment that we meet Terrence Stamp's Newcomer business mogul, William Harcourt, that he is going to be the villain. How do I know this? Because his introduction comes at a large ceremony where he is accepting an award for his humanitarian work. As has been proven in numerous other films, that's as sure a sign of a man's nefarious ways as you're ever likely to see.

Fulfilling that 'seen it all before' buddy cop relationship are the film's two stars, James Caan and Mandy Patinkin, who play it out in fine fashion. James Caan may have appeared in many better films than this, and given many better performances, but that doesn't stop him from turning in a solid, entertaining showing here. He does a very nice job in the classic mould of a cop obsessed with his job to the detriment of his family, who unsurprisingly is quite the hothead and a bit of a slob at home. In the role of Newcomer Sam Francisco, Mandy Patinkin is also very impressive, ironically giving quite a down-to-earth nature to his performance. He just makes Francisco an immensely likeable figure, showing a great strength and resolve in the face of adversity. He's even able to add in some nice nuances and mannerisms despite the make-up and costuming that he is hidden under. The amusing and charming interplay and chemistry they share goes a long way to carrying the film through some of its more stolid moments. They have a lot of little scenes together which while not bringing huge laughs, brought a smile to my face. Moments such as Caan's attempts at explaining Earth humour and getting Francisco to understand the concept of a joke.

Alien Nation may be a bit cheap and cheesy quite often but I just found it a lot of fun. It's got some nice cinematography and I enjoyed a lot of the little touches and character quirks the film gives to the Newcomers. Instead of alcohol what they get drunk on is sour milk, leading to a scene where Francisco drinks a disgustingly lumpy glass of the stuff and ends up with the mother of all hangovers because he is “so milked over.” Another fun little addition is the human names given to the aliens when they arrived on Earth. Those responsible clearly decided to have a bit of a p*ss-take with the aliens, doling out such names as Rudyard Kipling, Harley Davidson, Humphrey Bogart and of course Patinkin's Samuel 'Sam' Francisco. Though there is a nice little spin put on that because the Newcomers likewise find Caan's Sykes to have a highly amusing name, sounding as it does like two words from their language; ss'ai and k'ss, which when translated mean excrement and cranium respectively. Or s*ithead if you will! :D

Conclusion – As long as you don't go into this one expecting anything especially creative or innovative then I think you could find a lot to like here. Essentially Alien Nation really is one of those classic action comedies that were so prevalent throughout the 80s and early 90s, just given the little twist that one of the characters is an alien. And while it may not explore the possibilities that it opens up to its fullest, it's an enjoyable flick with a couple of engaging performances.

This really looks like a professional review. :) Is this your occupation? If I could do this I'd probably have a job, even in this god forsaken country. Or anywhere. Even as an alien! :lol:

Anyway, I saw it long ago and don't remember much, but I liked it. I like the actors anyway. The only scene that for some reason grabs me is when Mandy goes berzerk at some guy or whatever. But I still remember enough to agree with you. It is cliche with the alien component and that had massive potentials, but it's a comfortable film, it's just nicely balanced. Those two balance each other out. They simply work good together. I don't even get it why they make movies if they don't get along. It was just pleasant and relaxing to watch, with, as i recall, a dark yet soothing context.

JayDee

02-16-16, 09:16 PM

This really looks like a professional review. :) Is this your occupation? If I could do this I'd probably have a job, even in this god forsaken country. Or anywhere. Even as an alien! :lol:

Anyway, I saw it long ago and don't remember much, but I liked it. I like the actors anyway. The only scene that for some reason grabs me is when Mandy goes berzerk at some guy or whatever. But I still remember enough to agree with you. It is cliche with the alien component and that had massive potentials, but it's a comfortable film, it's just nicely balanced. Those two balance each other out. They simply work good together. I don't even get it why they make movies if they don't get along. It was just pleasant and relaxing to watch, with, as i recall, a dark yet soothing context.

Wow, my Alien Nation review is a bit of a blast from the past. Why of all my reviews did you bring that one up?

And thank you very much for commenting on its professional appearance. But no it is not my profession. I'm purely just an amateur.

Beatle

02-16-16, 09:50 PM

Wow, my Alien Nation review is a bit of a blast from the past. Why of all my reviews did you bring that one up?

And thank you very much for commenting on its professional appearance. But no it is not my profession. I'm purely just an amateur.

Because when you first go to the thread, it gives links to reviews. The first one I haven't seen, so it was this. I was just going in order, simple as that. Why not? :D

You're welcome. Thanks. I'll be sure to visit again and again. If that's not a problem? I'd like to get mixed up in all this mayhem.

Swan

02-16-16, 10:17 PM

The Raven sucks massively, I agree JayDee.

JayDee

02-17-16, 10:38 PM

Had a look around and scraped together this scattered selection box of mini write-ups, the majority of which I had completely forgotten about

mirrormirror

Year of release
2013

Directed by
Baltasar Kormakur

Starring
Denzel Washington
Mark Wahlberg
Paula Patton
Bill Paxton
James Marsden
Edward James Olmos

2 Guns

rating_3 +

This action-comedy is a bit of a throwback to old school buddy actioners of the 80s such as 48 Hrs. and Tango and Cash. And as such there really isn't all that much here that is original or creative; it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre. However I still found it to be quite an entertaining enterprise, one that surpasses its material thanks to its casting which actually comes close to being quite inspired. Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are quite disparate individuals in terms of their acting style and just general vibe; Wahlberg coming off as rather fiery and a ball of energy with Washington a much more cool, calm and composed guy. And together they make for a pretty great double act. Although kind of stealing the film out from under them whenever he appears on screen is Bill Paxton as a devious, twisted CIA agent. The film's plot; that a pair of criminals are both undercover law enforcers with neither aware of the other's true profession, might be a pretty daft and convoluted premise but it's actually quite a fun and creative one, even if it perhaps doesn't quite mine it for its full potential.

mirror mirror

Year of release
2006

Directed by
Barry Levinson

Starring
Robin Williams
Laura Linney
Christopher Walken
Lewis Black
Jeff Goldblum

Man of the Year

rating_3 -

A fairly entertaining if exceptionally uneven film which starts off well enough but becomes ever more muddled as it moves along, predominantly thanks to its decision to jump wildly between genres. For its first half Man of the Year is a fairly straightforward satire. It may not make any particularly revolutionary or biting points, satisfying itself with racking up points on easy targets, but it's enjoyable to see Robin Williams just unleashed in a similar fashion to Good Morning Vietnam; he's able to basically just do his stand-up routine a lot of the time. For a brief spell the film then becomes a romance, before becoming a preposterous full blown 1970s conspiracy thriller for its third act. It really is quite an odd collision of genres, taking the film in directions I certainly wouldn't have predicted. And by that point it has become so ridiculous and far fetched that any genuine attempts at satire have been left long behind. So it certainly does become a bit of a mess, but quite an intriguing and entertaining mess at that, largely thanks to the impressive cast. Given the talent involved however I just wish it was better. With Robin Williams, Christopher Walken, Laura Linney and Jeff Goldblum that's a intriguing and talented cast that has been assembled, and I just don't feel they are utilised anywhere near to their full potential.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/JayDee87/Poster%20gif_zpszmsbdbqx.gif (http://s5.photobucket.com/user/JayDee87/media/Poster%20gif_zpszmsbdbqx.gif.html)

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997, d. David Mirkin) - Really, really stupid film. But one that I found to have a rather endearing quality to it. This was largely down to the performances of Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino and the dim-witted characters they created. Sort of felt like Wayne's World but with two girls instead of guys. rating_3

About Time (2013, d. Richard Curtis) - Utterly charming. This was a funny, sweet and touching little film that on occasion is achingly British. It also wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, taking things into a bit of a more serious direction on occasion and finishing on quite a moving note. The film is a love story but not quite the one I was expecting, it becomes a story about the love between a father and son. Domhnall Gleeson was very likeable in the lead role and I found Rachel McAdams to be just absolutely adorable. Though stealing the show for me was Bill Nighy who was predictably great. rating_3_5

Bernie (2011, d. Richard Linklater) - Quite a fun, quirky little film but I felt that it suffered from being unable to choose a tone and direction to stick with; did it want to be a dark comedy, a farce, a p*ss-take of small town America, a satire of the judicial system? I'm not really sure, and it didn't seem like the film was all that sure either. What the film does have however is a trio of strong and entertaining performances from Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey. Black in particular is quite excellent, giving a much subtler and more melancholic turn than I've ever seen from him. rating_3

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013, d. Thor Freudenthal) - First of all, an admission; I have a real soft spot for silly, fluffy and frequently pretty poor fantasy films. Films like Percy Jackson, Sorceror's Apprentice, Stardust, Inkheart, Night at the Museum etc. So while this was never going to be bothering any awards shows, I enjoyed it. It's a very breezy, fast paced film which does actually have a couple of very impressive set-pieces, with an attack by a huge mechanical, steampunk bull being the highlight. The young actors are all quite appealing while there are a few treats in the adult department with the likes of Stanley Tucci and Anthony Stewart Head. There's also a hugely fun cameo from Nathan Fillion as the god Hermes, a cameo that even includes a neat Firefly reference. rating_3

Larry Crowne (2011, d. Tom Hanks) - While he is generally associated with more dramatic fare these days, Tom Hanks has made his fare share of great comedies; romantic comedies included. This isn't one of them. As far as it being a comedy there were very few if any laughs to be found. However I did still find it to be just a really sweet, feel-good film. A little film that just leaves you with a smile on your face and a nice warm feeling. As my favourite actor I could watch and enjoy Tom Hanks in just about anything, and together he and Julia Roberts share a really nice, easy-going chemistry. rating_3 +

Bachelor Party (1984, d. Neal Israel) - If you need your comedies to have a degree of subtlety and wit then this likely is not the film for you. On occasion however I found this early Tom Hanks effort to be pretty damn hilarious with a few stand-out sequences including a really fun sequence at a cinema showing a 3D film. The humour is certainly of the puerile, low-brow and at times vulgar nature. However I felt that Tom Hank's charming presence somerwhat took the edge off meaning that I never really found it offensive. Just very funny. rating_3_5 -

JayDee

02-18-16, 08:54 PM

Because when you first go to the thread, it gives links to reviews. The first one I haven't seen, so it was this. I was just going in order, simple as that. Why not? :D

You're welcome. Thanks. I'll be sure to visit again and again. If that's not a problem? I'd like to get mixed up in all this mayhem.

Oh right yeah, I wasn't taking into account the alphabetical nature of the index. And yeah you're more than welcome to visit again and again. Although if you're going to work through the whole thread it could take you a while

The Raven sucks massively, I agree JayDee.

Thanks for the support. I had beginning to doubt myself and was ready to give the film another chance but you've just assuaged all my doubts! :D

honeykid

02-19-16, 10:14 AM

Pfft. Swan. What does he know? ;)

The Gunslinger45

02-19-16, 09:19 PM

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/w541/juanLopez85/Dude_zpsbd8dd56d.jpg

Will we get a big review soon?

JayDee

02-20-16, 01:56 PM

Will we get a big review soon?

You ungrateful b*stard! :mad: Now I remember why I got out of the reviews game in the first place, having to deal with all this crap!

:p Anyway yes I will be posting big reviews at some point, just getting the smaller bits and pieces out of the way first. If you're feeling impatient however you might want to check out my movie diary which has reviews approaching my old standard though without all the trimmings of trivia and the like -

JayDee's Movie Diary (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=44533)

Tugg

02-20-16, 11:30 PM

I prefer short concentrated reviews without spoilers of movies I haven't seen. If I have seen a movie, there is still a limit to how much I'd be willing to read about it.

JayDee

02-27-16, 04:50 PM

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Year of release
1979

Directed by
Steven Spielberg

Written by
Robert Zemeckis
Bob Gale

Starring
Dan Aykroyd
Ned Beatty
John Belushi
Bobby Di Cicco
Treat Williams
Nancy Allen

1941

rating_2 +

Steven Spielberg is one of the most critically lauded and commercially successful directors ever to step behind a camera. He has made a total of 28 theatrical films across his 40-year career (not including Duel). And out of all of them few, if any, have the stink of failure that is associated with this effort. Having now finally seen this film in full I can see why. While I might not match Mark in terms of my Spielberg fanboyness I am a big fan of many of his films (in fact where I to post my top 100 list today he may well have the most films on that list). Sadly this isn't one of them. It does have some classic Spielberg touches of genius but for me they just got smothered by the big, unwieldy mess that the film is. For what basically amounts to a slapstick comedy the scale of 1941 is quite exceptional. It introduces dozens and dozens of characters and spreads them out across various locations, predictably creating a lack of focus. Indeed as opposed to a film it feels more like a collection of sketch show skits and characters in desperate search of a story. Now that can be fine if the film is actually funny, but I just didn't find that to be the case here. In fact more often than not I found the attempts at humour more irritating than humorous; John Belushi's contribution being particularly guilty.

Despite its bloated nature sabotaging proceedings, the epic scale is also where the film's greatest strength is to be found, featuring as it does several set-pieces that are quite incredible in terms of their size and construction; scenes such as the massive and wonderfully zany dance contest/brawl at the dance hall, or the fantastic image of a runaway ferris wheel crashing into the ocean. As impressive as those sequences are they just cannot breathe in amongst the chaotic assault of sight and sound that comprises just about every second of the film. In fact the poster I've posted above (on the right) quite accurately sums the movie up; overbearing, hectic, chaotic, overblown and with too damn much thrown in for its own good. Oh and another thing I did enjoy though was the endless parade of recognisable faces popping up throughout. In addition to those listed above there are also appearances by the likes of Toshiro Mifune, John Candy, Christopher Lee, Mickey Rourke, John Landis etc.

Now I know for some people this has become a bit of a cult favourite, and I'm sure there are one or two of those people on this board, but for me it just didn't happen. What I will say though is that I have some sort of admiration for how the film went down in flames. If you're going to churn out a failure better to do it with great ambition as opposed to just delivering something completely devoid of passion or imagination. In the words of Kurt Cobain, “It's better to burn out than fade away.” And boy did this burn out in a real blaze of glory. Well glory is probably the wrong word.

mirror mirror

Year of release
1989

Directed by
Steven Spielberg

Written by
Jerry Belson
Diane Thomas

Starring
Richard Dreyfuss
Holly Hunter
John Goodman
Brad Johnson
Audrey Hepburn

Always

rating_3 +

Of the 28 films Steven Spielberg has made I don't think I've seen one that is less talked about than this supernatural romance from 1989. As a result I don't really have any idea how it is generally perceived or thought of. I'm guessing it may not be overly positive but I've got to say that I liked it, finding it to be a sweet and touching effort. It feels like a very old-fashioned film, so it was no great surprise to find that it was actually a remake of a 1943 film, A Guy Named Joe, that both Spielberg and Richard Dreyfuss were big fans of. I can certainly envisage it not getting a great deal of love on here, with the film hitting on many of the elements that non-Spielberg fans criticise him for. So yes it is cheesy, overly sentimental and melodramatic. And unashamedly so on all counts. But for this type of film I think it works. It doesn't feel like he's trying to force these emotions into a situation where they don't belong as he perhaps has a tendency to.

Helping the film to rise above the cheese and for me the strongest weapon in its arsenal is its cast. Richard Dreyfuss makes for a charming and engaging lead while John Goodman is about as reliable an actor as you're ever going to come across; I don't believe I've ever seen him be anything less than eminently watchable. The star turn for me however definitely comes from Holly Hunter, just immensely and irresistibly cute as the object of Dreyfuss' affections. Hunter just had this great quality to be able to play both vulnerable and strong at the same time. The only one letting the team down is Brad Johnson who delivers an exceptionally bland performance that hurts the film quite a bit. The romance that we are supposed to buy into between him and Hunter falls completely flat, not capturing anything close to the chemistry and spark that Dreyfuss and Hunter shared together in the early parts of the film. As a result the opening 40-45 minutes, with Hunter and Dreyfuss going at it in the fashion of an old screwball comedy, was actually my favourite part of the film. I'd say the film also has some pacing issues, with many scenes going on longer than felt necessary.

In addition to the strong performances the other stand-out feature of Always is certainly its realisation of the flying sequences that populate the film. Spielberg has always seemed to hold a great fascination with the skies (admittedly it's usually aliens) and he is able to continue that here. They are thrilling and soaring set-pieces that are wonderfully choreographed, and that are captured by some beautiful cinematography from Mikael Salomon. The film is also notable for featuring the last ever screen appearance of the legendary Audrey Hepburn who is radiant as the angel, Hap.

honeykid

02-27-16, 05:14 PM

I did like Always, but I was pleased to see it end as I had almost suffocated in schmaltz by that time. I don't think I've seen it since the early 90's and I don't know how I'd feel about it now.

gbgoodies

02-28-16, 02:19 AM

I love Always. (It's in my top ten favorites and on my profile banner.) I agree that Brad Johnson was the weak link in the movie, but the chemistry between Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter more than make up for his weaknesses. I practically fall apart watching Pete suffer while watching her date with Ted, and I absolutely love the scene when Pete and Dorinda dance together after she ends her date with Ted.

JayDee

03-02-16, 09:30 PM

mirror mirror

Year of release
1990

Directed by
John Patrick Shanley

Written by
John Patrick Shanley

Starring
Tom Hanks
Meg Ryan
Lloyd Bridges
Robert Stack
Dan Hedaya
Abe Vigoda

Joe Versus the Volcano

rating_3_5 -

It's obviously been a really long time since I saw this film as I had forgotten just how incredibly weird it was. It really is quite a bonkers, out-there film that is just a world away from the other two efforts that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan collaborated on. Now admittedly not everything that the film tries works. But I give it great credit for trying because how often do you come across a film that is genuinely original? A film that doesn't feel like just a rehash of stuff we've seen countless times before. A film where you're really not sure where it's going from one moment to the next. Joe Versus the Volcano must have felt quite unique back in the day and remains so even now in 2014. After all, how many films are comprised of these ingredients; romantic comedy, surrealist fantasy and existentialism? Through combining those disparate elements the film comes up with some brilliant scenes and visuals. The film's opening for example is an oppressive, nightmarish sequence that makes it feel like Joe is walking into the mouth of Hell itself as opposed to just going to work.

Some of the art direction in terms of the sets is also fantastic; for example the colour palette, lighting and set design of Joe's office that creates a miserable existence. I had only spent 5 minutes in his life and already felt that if I were him I'd have killed myself long ago. Another little touch I enjoyed spotting (and I probably missed a couple) was the recurring motif of a zig-zag symbol throughout the entire film; Joe's path to work, the factory's logo, the cracks on a pavement and the walls of Joe's apartment, the lightning bolt that strikes the boat, the trail leading up to the volcano etc. I could be wrong but it certainly feels like it represents the crooked road that Joe has chosen to walk all his life. Instead of just walking the straight path he has allowed his fears to dictate and divert him from where he would really like to be in life. Oh and some of the dialogue to be found in John Patrick Stanley's script is great; really creative and original.

Tom Hanks gives a typically great showing as the eponymous Joe, very endearing as he mixes the slapstick goofiness of his 80s comedies with a darker edge. One of the reasons his performance works so well is that for much of the time he actually underplays the sheer lunacy and bizarre nature of everything that is going on around him. In an odd move Meg Ryan actually plays three separate characters across the film's running time, with each of them sort of reflecting Joe's character at that point in his life and acting as the person that he needs in his life at that point. There are also a couple of great supporting performances in the film. Dan Hedaya is absolutely brilliant as Joe's boss, as is Abe Vigoda as the tribal leader, deadpanning as only Vigoda can.

It's an insane, whimsical, corny, exciting, funny ride.

mirror mirror

Year of release
2012

Directed by
Stephen Saint Leger
James Mather

Written by
Stephen Saint Leger
James Mather

Starring
Guy Pearce
Maggie Grace
Vincent Regan
Joseph Gilgun
Peter Stormare

Lockout

rating_2

What a massive disappointment. When I first started to hear word about this film a few years back I was greatly interested. The buzz about it seemed to place it firmly up my street; a throwback/homage to the cheesy action films of the 80s and early 90s? Described alternately as 'Die Hard on a spaceship' and 'Escape from New York in space'? Sign me up! I was so ready for this to become a cult classic. Sadly however the film did not deliver on any of that lurid promise in my eyes. I found it to be an extremely flat experience completely lacking in any creativity or sense of pulpy fun. A film such as this should have countless memorable elements. It should have a series of colourful characters, some preposterous action sequences and an unforgettably trashy death scene or two. And yet Lockout has pretty much none of those. It just doesn't bring anything new to the table whatsoever. I don't think there's a single facet of the film that didn't just evaporate from my mind as soon as the credits began rolling. I imagine that in a week's time I'll be lucky to remember a single thing about it.

It just should have been so much more fun than this but none of the action sequences ever really ignite and the CGI is just atrocious, truly some of the worst I've seen for many years. The opening motorcycle chase is especially woeful, delivering a level of graphics I don't think I've seen since a late 90s video game; just a complete eyesore. Films of this nature you want to start off with a real bang to instantly draw you into the mayhem that's about to unfold. That however was about the sourest note possible on which to build. The film's main redeeming factor is definitely to be found in Guy Pearce's performance as the film's anti-hero, Marian Snow (he wisely chooses to keep his first name a secret until the closing moments). He does his absolutely best to drag the film along, displaying no shortage of charisma and swagger in the role and managing to actually get some laughs out of the weak script. He even has some decent chemistry in his frictious relationship with Maggie Grace. However the actual character he is lumped with is severely lacking in any interest. Reduced to nothing but a tough guy with a proclivity for quips and one-liners he comes off as nothing but a shallow clone of countless other action heroes who have gone before him; Snake Plissken, John McClane, John Nada, Martin Riggs, Axel Foley, John Matrix etc. It really is a shame because Pearce's dynamic turn deserved so much more than to be stuck in this entirely forgettable venture.

cricket

03-03-16, 07:33 PM

1941 was one of my favorite movies as a kid, but of course I was only 8 when I first saw it at the movies. It doesn't hurt that Belushi is my favorite movie star.

Sexy Celebrity

03-03-16, 07:36 PM

I tried watching 1941 not long ago. I thought it was mostly dreadfully dull and not funny.

JayDee

03-08-16, 09:39 PM

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Year of release
2009

Directed by
F. Gary Gray

Written by
Kurt Wimmer

Starring
Gerard Butler
Jamie Foxx
Colm Meaney
Bruce McGill
Leslie Bibb

Law Abiding Citizen

rating_4 -

To say that Law Abiding Citizen is a little far-fetched would probably be the understatement of the year, and perhaps of all time. It is one of the most preposterous films I've seen in quite some time, perhaps ever. It really is just one ludicrous twist after another; absolutely farcical stuff. And yet I had an absolute blast watching it. I'm not proud of that fact, but it's just the way it is. :D For me personally I kind of felt that it had a bit of a 90s vibe to it; a decade that was a bit of a golden period for thrillers and action films that tended to be high-concept and low-logic. And that would definitely be an apt description here. But the fact that it's so absurd means that it's tough to predict just where the story is going to go. By throwing logic out of the window it means that the film has no limitations as to where it can take things.

Some of the developments are just laughable but in a rather brilliant way. I strangely admire a film that just says f*ck the logic! :D Even I had a problem with the logic of the film's conclusion however, and in addition to making no sense whatsoever it was also rather underwhelming. In terms of performances it's not exactly a true acting clinic with Foxx coming off as rather flat I felt. However, and even though I'm not a fan, I have to give some credit to Butler for quite a compulsive, volatile performance as the psychotic man on a rampage of vengeance.

In amongst all of the trash on show the film does actually have some serious issues at its heart that it touches on periodically, that of the ethics of the law and how quite often it seems that the lawyers and D.A.'s act more in a self-serving manner than for the good of the people. It highlights the lack of justice that is all too common in the legal system. Though in general the film takes these possibly serious issues and treats them at their most lurid, creating a sort of hi-tech Death Wish. If you want an idea of what this film is really like then you can probably get it with one look at the film's page on rottentomatoes. When it comes to the critics a mere 25% gave it a positive review, with an average rating of 4.3/10. As regards the audience however, 75% of those who voted liked the film with it holding an average rating of 4/5. That quite accurately sums up its vast problems which the critics can't get past, but the fun that the audience were able to find with it.

Though I'll admit that I have great doubts how well it will hold up on a repeat viewing. A vast amount of the fun was had just waiting to find out what the next ridiculous path the film would take would be. Without that you're kind of just left with all the flaws.

seanc

03-08-16, 09:52 PM

Might be the first positive review I have ever seen for Law Abiding Citizen. In fact, I read so many bad ones I ended up skipping it.

mark f

03-08-16, 09:53 PM

Holy Guacamole! I'll take 1941, thanks. :cool:

JayDee

03-08-16, 10:02 PM

Might be the first positive review I have ever seen for Law Abiding Citizen. In fact, I read so many bad ones I ended up skipping it.

Well it's positive in the sense of how much I enjoyed it, but I certainly don't think I would call it a good film by any stretch of the imagination. It's truly preposterous and downright stupid. It's just that on occasion that can be exactly what I want.

I said there that I had my doubts about how it would hold up to a repeat viewing. I've still not risked it yet. Also this is definitely an example of a film that would have a lower score these days

Holy Guacamole! I'll take 1941, thanks. :cool:

Fair enough. I actually wanted to ask you what you think of 1941 by the way. Like myself you're a big Spielberg fan and that's the one that seems to get the most grief. Well back in the day at least. Their seems to be quite a backlash against him these days which means a lot of his films are now trashed by people

TheUsualSuspect

03-08-16, 10:37 PM

Hey look,

It's the #1 Mofo reviewer, JayDee!!!!

Sexy Celebrity

03-08-16, 10:39 PM

Don't forget about moi. Jackass Number Two!

The Gunslinger45

03-09-16, 12:45 AM

A little late but...

http://i1329.photobucket.com/albums/w541/juanLopez85/Dude_zpsbd8dd56d.jpg

Gideon58

03-09-16, 11:15 AM

I always have to remind myself that Spielberg directed Always.

JayDee

03-14-16, 10:04 PM

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Year of release
1992

Directed by
Phil Alden Robinson

Written by
Phil Alden Robinson
Lawrence Lasker
Walter F. Parkes

Starring
Robert Redford
Sidney Poitier
Ben Kingsley
David Strathairn
Dan Aykroyd
River Phoenix

Sneakers

rating_3_5

While it occasionally hints that it may be heading into a darker, more paranoia-fuelled world, Sneakers is a film that remains firmly in low-key, light-hearted territory. It's light on action sequences and quite sedately paced on occasion; yet it remains a fun, clever and suspenseful diversion. Much of that is thanks to its witty and playful script that packs a scheming, twisty narrative, an assembly of quirky characters and some sharp-witted dialogue. It has a series of enjoyable interactions and dialogue exchanges between its characters, with the relationship between Sidney Poitier's ex-CIA officer and Dan Aykroyd's conspiracy-spouting nut being the stand-out.

What really lifts the material however is its cast. I mean really, look at that cast. To start with you've got three absolute heavyweights in the form of Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and Ben Kingsley. Between them they have 7 Oscar nominations and two honorary oscars (Kingsley the only one missing from completing the set); these guys are acting legends. And then beyond that you have the not inconsiderable talents of River Phoenix, Dan Aykroyd and Mary McDonnell (with two Oscar nominations of her own), and some brief appearances from the likes of James Earl Jones and Stephen Tobolowsky. It's certainly a star-studded cast. Although on more than one occasion it's actually David Strathairn's blind soundman, Irwin 'Whistler' Emery, who threatens to steal the film out from under all those big names. However in general everyone brings the goods. With such a large cast to cater for, screentime really is at a premium. However just about everyone is given at least something to do and their own little character traits and quirks that allow them to stand out.

With Redford leading the cast, the film feels like a continuation of the conspiracy-led thrillers that he made his name with back in the 70s, now given a contemporary twist (well back in 1992 anyway). As such it comes off like Three Days of the Condor by the way of Hackers. In fact there are even a couple of Condor references thrown in for good measure. One thing that I liked about the film is that unlike most caper films it's doesn't strive to be overly slick or stylish, instead focusing more on the characters and dialogue. Oh and I really loved Sneakers' sign-off scene at its conclusion. It sees the group negotiating with James Earl Jones' NSA agent over the 'black box' (the film's MacGuffin), with the requests becoming ever more ridiculous and Jones becoming ever more incredulous.

I don't see Sneakers ever threatening my list of favourite films, or many people's lists for that matter. It's perhaps a little too lightweight and unsubstantial for that. However it's such an easy watch I'd imagine it's the kind of film I could watch a number of times on wet afternoons or on lazy Sundays, so much so that it could win a bit of a place in my heart.