Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review
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always enjoy reading your reviews. Completely agree with Big Eyes. A very well done movie. I liked the fact that they have a recent photo of Keane in the final credits.
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Thanks Ed! I haven't been writing too many reviews, but whenever someone stops by my thread and likes something I done, it lifts my spirit
and makes me want to write another one.
MoFos.....watch Big Eyes
...OK off to write another review.
and makes me want to write another one. MoFos.....watch Big Eyes
...OK off to write another review.
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Troy (2004)
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Cast: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom
Genre: Action Historical Literary Fiction
'An adaptation of Homer's great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.'
Overall Troy is a good telling of the Trojan war. Yes, there are major differences between Homer's Iliad and the movie, but both are fictional retelling of events that happened in the very distant past. So enjoy the film for what it is and without looking for historical inaccuracies.
At 2 hours 42 minutes it's long!..and there was a few superfluous scenes that could have been cut to move the pace along. There's also a director's cut at 3 hours 16 minutes.
Brad Pitt did a fine job as Achilles the Greek hero. He's quiet and subdued, yet strong willed, which works well as Achilles. Brian Cox as the Greek King Agamemnon, was at times over the top and quite silly. He needed to town down his performances. Especially in the all important establishing scene where Agamemnon is introduced on the battlefield, he seems almost a caricature.
The exterior shots at the beginning of the film was overexposed. Maybe the director wanted to impart a sense of heat and sunlight? But as neither was mentioned or shown, the overexposure looked bad as it was washed out.
On a BIG plus side...I was impresses that the point of view, was told mainly from the Trojans who you would expect to be portrayed as the bad guys. Also it was a good call not to make Pitt's character the 'hero'. Sure he's a great fighter, but his character isn't admirable, at least in the beginning of the film. Instead it's his revival, the Prince of Troy, Hector who is shown as the 'good guy'.
I have to say the sets for Troy with there massive walls was impressive! And from what I read they were not CG, but actually constructed sets, very cool indeed. The interior palace of Troy was interesting too, so kudos to the art director for a stylish set.
Sometimes these sword and sandal movies are a hit or a miss. Troy is a hit.
Last edited by Citizen Rules; 10-25-22 at 10:31 PM.
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Interesting, Rules. I've always avoided Troy because... well, for a few reasons. It's run time was one, but it just seemed like a lot of schlock relying on the big boy-toy names of the time. Now I'll have to check it out.
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I either watched Troy or Gladiator, but I don't remember it well enough to know which one I saw. All I remember is that I didn't really care much for it, whichever it was. 
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Interesting, Rules. I've always avoided Troy because... well, for a few reasons. It's run time was one, but it just seemed like a lot of schlock relying on the big boy-toy names of the time. Now I'll have to check it out.
I've always been interested in Troy, just not enough to take on that runtime.
I either watched Troy or Gladiator, but I don't remember it well enough to know which one I saw. All I remember is that I didn't really care much for it, whichever it was.
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Maybe one night I'll watch both Troy and Gladiator if I have the time, and then I might be able to figure out which one I've already seen.
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I liked "Gladiator" when I saw it. But if I remember correctly, Joaquin Phoenix is what made that movie worthwhile for me. It is one that I should really watch again.
As for "Troy", I saw this in the theater with a friend of mine. She only wanted to go because she liked Orlando Bloom.
I really don't remember much about it at all. I should watch that again at some time, too, to see how I would feel about it now.
As for "Troy", I saw this in the theater with a friend of mine. She only wanted to go because she liked Orlando Bloom.
I really don't remember much about it at all. I should watch that again at some time, too, to see how I would feel about it now.
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I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe
I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity - Edgar Allan Poe
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Gladiator is a very good movie. Been a while, need to revisit it.
I was so-so with Troy but only due to Bloom's character.
The rest was very good. Even Bran Cox's rantings. But then I'm a huge fan of his so I'm very very bias.
Though in regards to his similarities to a caricature in the initial battle; it may have been interpreted as a device to sway the audience to Achilles' argument for his outright disdain of him?
I was so-so with Troy but only due to Bloom's character.
WARNING: "just irks me" spoilers below
A petty child who Bana's character should have kicked out the gate to fight Achilles and die instead of taking it upon himself. A reminder of how, far too many times, the more noble bear the weight of the actions of the petty, and when they fall and die we are left with naught but the petty. A sad, aggravating scenario
The rest was very good. Even Bran Cox's rantings. But then I'm a huge fan of his so I'm very very bias
. Though in regards to his similarities to a caricature in the initial battle; it may have been interpreted as a device to sway the audience to Achilles' argument for his outright disdain of him?
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Thanks Ed! whenever someone stops by my thread and likes something I done, it lifts my spirit .
.thank you and so many others here for posting them
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A Midwinter's Tale (1995)
Producer/Director/Writer: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Michael Maloney, Richard Briers, Hetta Charnley, Joan Collins
Genre: Intelligent Witty Comedy
Synopsis (no spoilers): After Joe looses an acting job he decides to help his sister save an old abandoned church in the British countryside by putting on a small theater play of Hamlet in the church. The play is done on a shoe string budget and funded soley by him. He assembles a cast of talented but quirky, non working actors. They bring their own charm and problems to the 'profit sharing' play. The problem is that not many in the small village of Hope are expected to come to their Christmas day play, so the down and out actors might really be down and out for Christmas.
Review: I want to give an accurate impression of this film, so:
First you should know it's not a Christmas film even though it's set at Christmas time. There's no Christmas themes or message or even decorations.
It's genre is comedy but it's not a silly farce or a screwball comedy. That's why I called it an 'intelligent witty comedy'. The film isn't about laughs. It's more of an insightful look at the back stage production of a tiny community play done in a small community.
It's black & white, but this isn't an old film. Oh sure it has Joan Collins, but it's not from the 1950s, it was made in 1995. I loved the choice of black & white as it puts the emphasis on the characters.
This film is mainly about getting to know the group of stage actors and following theme through their journeys. Their quite the colorful lot too!
Producer/Director/Writer: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Michael Maloney, Richard Briers, Hetta Charnley, Joan Collins
Genre: Intelligent Witty Comedy
Synopsis (no spoilers): After Joe looses an acting job he decides to help his sister save an old abandoned church in the British countryside by putting on a small theater play of Hamlet in the church. The play is done on a shoe string budget and funded soley by him. He assembles a cast of talented but quirky, non working actors. They bring their own charm and problems to the 'profit sharing' play. The problem is that not many in the small village of Hope are expected to come to their Christmas day play, so the down and out actors might really be down and out for Christmas.
Review: I want to give an accurate impression of this film, so:
First you should know it's not a Christmas film even though it's set at Christmas time. There's no Christmas themes or message or even decorations.
It's genre is comedy but it's not a silly farce or a screwball comedy. That's why I called it an 'intelligent witty comedy'. The film isn't about laughs. It's more of an insightful look at the back stage production of a tiny community play done in a small community.
It's black & white, but this isn't an old film. Oh sure it has Joan Collins, but it's not from the 1950s, it was made in 1995. I loved the choice of black & white as it puts the emphasis on the characters.
This film is mainly about getting to know the group of stage actors and following theme through their journeys. Their quite the colorful lot too!
Last Supper
In an ironic twist, the actors look in at themselves doing Hamlet.Kenneth Branagh produced, directed and wrote A Midwinter's Tale. Like Joe the actor who pays for the production of Hamlet and then profit shares any of the money it makes with the actors...Kenneth Branagh did the same thing...with his money from his movie Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) he funded and profit shared with the cast of A Midwinter's Tale. Which makes this film, a film within itself.
Did I like it? Yes! I had never heard of this film and just grabbed it off the library selves, I'm glad I did! This is a really neat, little film that's well worth spending 99 minutes to watch.
Last edited by Citizen Rules; 08-09-20 at 01:10 PM.
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Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
Director: Max Ophüls
Cast: Joan Fontaine, Louis Jourdan, Mady Christians
Genre: Drama, Romance
Length: 86 minutes
Synopsis (spoiler free) Era 1900 Vienna Austria...A well-to-do concert pianist (Louis Jourdan) is about to flee from a deadly duel of honor, when he receives a letter from a mysterious woman from his past (Joan Fontaine). He cannot remember who she was, but she has been obsessed with him since she was a young girl. As he looks back at his life, we see how the lives of these two have been interwoven through out the years...and yet he was unaware of her existence.
Review: I thought Letter from an Unknown Woman was an unusually sincere and profound look at unrequited love and the determinedly effects it can have. The relationship between the two doesn't feel quit right and in many ways the actions that Lisa (Joan Fontaine) takes are one of an obsessive-compulsive person, this is what gives the film it's strength.
For 1948 this is a very refreshing look at human behavior. You just don't get many films like this in the 1940s. I appreciate the emotions that it explores and it does it very well
Both Joan Fontaine and Louis Jourdan shine in their roles. Their characters are compelling and yet still retain human flaws that make them so real.
Joan Fontine plays a very convincing school girl at the beginning of the film.
The carnival ride train scene where the two wayward souls were able to spend some time together was a highlight. In the trains window we see the scenery change as they travel across 'Europe'.
Letter from an Unknown Woman is one of the treasures from the 1940s, in many ways it was ahead of it's time. It's a very personal film by the renown director Max Ophüls. One of my all time favorites.
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Last edited by Citizen Rules; 12-14-15 at 02:53 PM.
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That was another great film from an Hof. I had seen it before and thought highly of it. I believe the director mainly did films in France, perhaps that's why this film doesn't feel like the typical 40s Hollywood film.
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Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
Director/Writer/Producer: John Hughes
Cast: Steve Martin, John Candy
Genre: Comedy
Mini Synopsis: Steve Martin is Neal Page, an uptight business man whos marketing job has him in New York City away from his family. All he wants to do is to catch a plane to Chicago in time to spend Thanksgiving weekend with his wife and kids...John Candy is Del Griffith, a likeable loudmouth and traveling shower curtain ring salesman. When snow cancels the plane flight, Del's offers to help seems to do Neal more harm than good.
Review: Director-writer-producer John Hughes has created some of the most beloved comedies of the 1980s. His directing career only includes eight movies, all of them comedies and most were big hits. One of those films is Planes, Trains & Automobiles a film that's different than his other teen focus films.
John Hughes usually has his films POV shown from the point of view of a social outcast...someone who's likeable & intelligent and yet marches to a different beat, and doesn't quite fit in. Here it would seem he broke that mold by telling the story from Neal (Steve Martin's) viewpoint. Neal is conventional, a man who has a good job, a nice family and seems to fit into society. But there's a second POV from John Candy's character, Del.
Del is an outsider, an eccentric goof with a kind heart, but he's not mainstream, not at all. Del is John Hughes in this movie and that's why the key to this film is in Del. It's through Del that we learn about humanity, friendship and enjoying the moment.
Loved the shower rings for earrings scene, with the teen girls going crazy to buy them. Just one of the clever tidbits in this richly written film.
Steve Martin who's often played the wild man, is brilliant playing the straight man this time around. He balances the movie and keeps it grounded. Without him the film could have been just a zany over the top laugh fest.
John Candy does what he does best, playing likable oafs. We learn to care about him and he gives the film heart. This is John Candy's favorite film of the movies that he made.
Hughes took the effort to make some of the cameo roles very memorable. It's the characters that are encountered that entertain.
Steve Martin and John Candy are a brilliant comedy pairing with Steve playing the straight man and John playing the lovable goof.
And this was another hilarious moment made funnier by the talented actresses Edie McClurg.
This is one of those movies that really needs to be watched over and over again. There were so many cleverly written and down right funny scenes, that one viewing is not enough.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of the classic John Hughes' comedies. It has wit, it has laughs, it has heart and it understands people. At the end of this movie we feel good and there's nothing wrong with that.
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Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of the classic John Hughes' comedies. It has wit, it has laughs, it has heart and it understands people. At the end of this movie we feel good and there's nothing wrong with that.
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Last edited by Citizen Rules; 08-12-20 at 12:01 PM.
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Oops! I should have posted this here...
I think we should try to get gbgoodies to watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles as her first official John Candy movie!
I think we should try to get gbgoodies to watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles as her first official John Candy movie!
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