I finished watching The Wrestler and my God, it's a gorgeous film.

 

Heath Ledger deserved his posthumous Oscar. But I see why Mickey Rourke was nominated.

 

This film should have won Best Picture.

 

Mickey Rourke truly put his heart into this movie, and it's almost like a documentary of what professional wrestlers go through.

 

What's beautiful is most of the movie really deals with what happens in part of the film, not with the actual wrestling. It deals with retirement, contentment, connecting with family and friends, health issues, and just saying the hell with it, and I do what I want to do.

 

It also shows what professional wrestlers do to themselves to do their job. It also explains the Chris Benoit suicide murder.

 

This is not a happy movie by any means. But damn, it's just REAL.

 

If you do view it, you'll understand the lyrics of The Boss.

 

Considering that this movie is the first big name summer movie to come out, I'm mixed on going to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Mostly, it's because of Brett Ratner. X3 was horrid, mostly in the fact that it was poorly placed in the series.

 

I'm probably going to see this one, because it's got Gambit, and actually, the movie looks cool. My issue is, I better not be disappointed.

 

The other movie I'm actually looking forward to seeing. I've seen every Star Trek movie in the theater (good and bad), and some reviews I've read say this rivals..dare I say it.. Wrath of Khan.

 

Otherwise, I really don't know what's coming out this summer. My anticipation for The Dark Knight last year raises the bar for my anticipation of movies, because that one was released so late, and what I like in my movies.

 

Guess i need to see what's coming out..:)

The past few days I have heard about this movie starring Mickey Rourke and Marissa Tomei called The Wrestler, which is getting very good early reviews, and already having Rourke as an Oscar nod for Best Actor.

 

As one who had followed the sport since I was around fourteen, and through the years watched WWF and AWA (All-American Wrestling. Here's the kicker folks: AWA was based out of Minneapolis, and was shown nationally on some insignificant and upstart all-sports 24/7 channel called ESPN back in the 1980s), well the premise is for me, for a lack of a better phrase. From what I understand, it may give Rourke a second chance at stardom.

 

All I really know is Rourke's character is a former 80's wrestler who goes from being A-List to probably C-List.  One of those stars who everyone knows who used to be famous, but couldn't keep it going. He's down on his luck, and of course somehow manages to find a way to make himself relevant again. Issues with his kid, trying to live...you know the basic premise.

 

As a kid, I kind of had an idea who Mickey Rourke was, and it seemed he was always in movies that I was disinterested in, or I was too young to understand. Then somehow, he just kind of disappeared off the face of the earth.

 

From what I'm reading about this movie, it's kind of like Rocky Balboa, but in some ways, seedier.  The ending I hear, is not exactly a happy one. Supposedly, it feels almost like a documentary (more on an excellent wrestling documentary in a moment). For someone like me who at one time lived and breathed watching this stuff, knowing some of the behind the scene stuff, the lingo (thanks to the internets in the late 90's), I'm one of the obvious target audiences.

 

However, if it is getting Oscar buzz, that's something. Almost a year and a half ago, one of my favorite wrestlers killed his family and himself. It was really the last time I cared about the sport/entertainment. This could possibly be what Rocky was to the boxing industry, if the buzz is true.

 

I mentioned documentary-like quality, and I'd actually like to address this, because about a dacade ago, a small indie documentary called Beyond The Mat was released. It managed to be in Sioux Falls, and my friends and I went to it on the first night in town. Believe it or not, the theater was packed. Granted, it wasn't one of the theaters that would pack people in to see Star Wars or something on opening day, but I was surprised.

 

Basically, the filmaker followed the lives of several wrestlers. One was an up and comer who never made it due to injury. The rest were household names for the most part. Terry Funk (if you saw Roadhouse. he's the guy who got knocked out by the polar bear), Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and Mick Foley (aka Mandkind).

 

At the time, Terry Funk was considering knee surgery (at age 54), and still wanted to wrestle. What is revealing is when he is confronted by the surgeon, he is told that he has the knees of an 80-year old man.

 

Jake Roberts story is incredibly tragic, and may mirror The Wrestler from what I've read of that film's plot. Jake was a fan favorite in the 80's who used to have a boa constrictor named Damien in which he would drape on his victims after he defeated them.

 

However, the Jake we see in the documentary is one of a drug addicted, bitter man who is estranged with his daughter. At one point, the narrator states that Jake goes to find more heroin before continuing to film. The man is reunited with his father, and for the brief time they are together, they do not utter a word on camera to each other.

 

Mick Foley at the time of the documentary is in the prime of his popularity. He is for the most part, a fan of wrestling who made it in the sport. However, like Funk, his path in the sport was brutal on the extreme side.

 

The pivitol part with Mick, however is when he is shown the footage of a Pay Per View match that shows the reactions of his wife and child to the brutality he is facing at the time of the match. All he could say was, "I'm a poor father."

 

That's what intrigues me with The Wrestler. It's almost like Hollywood might have gotten a clue and that the sport shouldn't be lampooned in movies, but taken seriously.  Perhaps it's because darker, realistic stories are more common these days.

I'm writing this with about three hours worth of sleep, and never in my life has a movie not only live beyond expectations, but it simply raises the bar fof a single genre.

 

The semi-cutesy, semi-dangerous worlds of comic book films, there's a new sherriff in town, and it's called The Dark Knight.

 

Forget that Heath Ledger is dead.  Quite frankly, had he still lived, he would be getting the exact same praise he has been getting after the release of this movie.

 

I'm going to break this review into sections, because there's so much complexity here. I'll try to be careful on spoils, but please be warned: some things DO involve major characters, and I will warn of my near crossing of spoils.

 

Bruce Wayne/Batman: He has a dream to someday hang up the suit for good and that day seems to be coming soon. A daring young DA named Harvey Dent finds a way to clean up Gotham.  But as events unfurl, Batman has to resort to an any means necessary approach, and at many points, moral dilemna and sacrifice. Bruce Wayne is actually in this more than his alter ego, but I think that's a good thing, because there's much more at stake.

 

Alfred and Lucius Fox: Bruce's two closest friends are perfect foils for Bruce to play on.  Both are his conscious, and both Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman utilize their screen presence and brilliant abilities to steer Bruce into the right direction.  There is a great sideplot with Lucius and a young member of Wayne Enterprises who seems to have figured out some things.  The way Morgan handles the situation is brilliant, but eventually it becomes a major plot point.

 

Alfred uses a great story of his military years to help Bruce understand that even though things are bad, the most important thing to remember is to endure. Even when Bruce doesn't want to make a choice that he doesn't want to face, Alfred tells him to stay the course. I'd love to see Michael Caine get an Oscar nod for some of the things he's done in this film.

 

Jim Gordon: I've always loved Gary Oldman. If his take of Dracula was the epitome of evil, his Jim Gordon is the epitome of goodness. The story arc with his character is fabulous. Something happens that shocks you, and sometime down the line, another thing happens, and you jus drop your jaw.  That's all I will say, because I'm straddling spoiler territory.

 

Harvey Dent/Two-Face: Aaron Eckhart has probably the most tragic character, and he's another one I feel could deserve an Oscar nod. He is so brilliant by ending up playing both sides of the law, it's amazing that it's the same actor.

 

Rachel Dawes: She is actually a pivot point for this movie, because she's in a rather wierd love triangle with three men. She's extremely important to the plot.

 

The Underbelly: In general, the criminals of Gotham. This is not a "waste a thug randomly" group of criminals.  Each thug that gets killed die for a specific reason. There's a sweet callback to Batman Begins to the yo-yo of Jim Gordon's old partner...except this time, it's juuust a little more painful.

 

Gotham Police Department: Very well written storyline, and believe it or not, they get a lot of screen time that doesn't just involve random cops dying. Like the underbelly, they are killed for a reason.

 

Joker: Yes, I save this for last, because it's not just for a fan boy reason, nor a "tribute" to Heath Ledger. I know this will sound like a very odd comparison, but if you ever saw Dead Poet's Society, you know how Robin Williams' character's presence is felt, even when he is off-screen.  That's Ledger's Joker. Everything done without the Joker actually on-screen is reactions to what he has done ON screen.

 

This Joker loves to cause pain, even to himself. He has a purpose that seems to both reckless and with a plan. What Ledger does with this character is not to make us really laugh at his jokes (some ARE funny), but he makes us laugh at things that we normally would not laugh at. Even small gestures he does were funny.

 

But damn, is he just plain EVIL. He doesn't care about anybody.  All he cares is to make a simple point.  And damn does he make that point in the last third of the movie. It's a shame I can't jut say what I feel is the coolest thing about this movie, but it'd be a major spoiler.

 

The true best way to describe this movie is it's a torture. I've used the screw analogy with friends who've not seen it.  Slowly the screw turns until it's tight. You loosen the screw to give some freedom, but then turn the screw again, until at the end of the process, all you have left is a stripped screw and a broken head.

 

This is not your father's Batman. This is just brilliance.

It's a total shame that in less than a week, I'll probably see a movie that features a dead and promising actor at his best.

 

This is really hard for me to write, because Batman is perhaps my favorite of all superheroes. Mostly, because he's a man with resources and money that becomes a total shadow.

 

I love Superman (RIP Christopher Reeve), and Mrs. Hackman and Spacey played brilliant Lex Luthors.

 

But to me, Joker is like Hamlet. Batman is just Batman.

 

The whole Batman mythos to me was it was meant to be dark. Robin was added to keep it kid friendly.  I can see a one shot movie sometime down the line with the character, but if Christian Bale's comments are true to keep Robin out of this version, I'll be happy. Maybe if the story (GASP) calls for Batman to teach another..turn it into the Killing Joke/Bane/Azrael story, and done effectively, I'd buy it. I want this Batman series to just keep it to the dark.

 

My love of the franchise is here's a man in Bruce Wayne has to live the ultimate double life. He does his best with his money, but goes out to deal with the people who hurts the city of Gotham.

 

I love Jack Nicholson as Joker, and I hear that Mr. Ledger trumps the Jack.  To me, that says a LOT.

 

That's why I have high expectations.  But in my gut, I know I won't be disappointed.

 

You'll know if I fold next Friday.

 

"Here's my card."

 

 

I didn't have a chance to see Rambo in the theater like I had planned, and so I finally bought a copy of it.  Like I have done in the past, I'll do a live commentary of my reactions to the movie.

 

The first minute and a half reminds me of the video footage from Live Aid 86, where it sets up the reason why the film was made.  Ironically, a few months ago, the Burmese (Myammar) government beat, killed, and detained Buddhist monks.

 

The start of the movie is gorgeous.  The horn theme that started the first movie, and the long shots until you see Rambo is like how First Blood started. However, instead of a man who wants to reconnect with the world depicted in the first movie, Rambo wants to be disconnected.  His use of "Fuck off" as a first line is telling.  I love it. When he tells Michael the missionary the same, well, it show how much he doesn't care.  He truly wants to be left alone.

 

Cut to the Burmese bad guy taking boys as young as twelve to conscript them into his army, and warning the villagers of informing the Karen Rebels, or any attempts of trying to get their children back...chilling.

 

So far, Sarah, the female lead is pretty good.  She (unlike the male) missionary leader, is trying to connect with John.  John repeatedly tells her to go home, because they can't change anything. She gives a nice response that even if he has lost his faith in people, then he at least has to believe in something (note, John Rambo is a Zen Buddhist).  I like how she uses this.

 

The trip upriver...wow. In the other films (and in David Morrells original novel First Blood), John Rambo was described as an expert at living off the land, learning and knowing customs...and in this one, you can start to see some light of caring.

 

His use of violence to save the others is brutal, and the missionaries' reactions are top notch.  Sarah is an excellant foil on trying to humanize him again.

 

The village sequence..brutal.  it is not for the faint of heart. I imagine this is what the Peace Corps (or any missionary group) who go into places so violent face each and every day.

 

The following sequence is downright gorgeous. Flashbacks to the other three movies (what is strikingly gorgeous is using many lines from the late Richard Crenna (Colonel Trautman) as a dream sequence, untiil John is awakened by the head of the missionary group asking for his help.  The man of peace has managed to get mercenaries to help, but only John knows where they were dropped off..I love his response.

 

"When do we leave?"

 

OH MY GOD...the blacksmith sequence rules. The knife we know from the first three movies (unless he does something different in later scenes) is made, and he basically puts all of his anger into it.  He tells the viewer that all he is is a killing machine....

 

I like how the head merc thinks he's such a bad motherfucker. His crew is motley, and even tries to give John orders.  And Rambo ignores him. Let's see how long that guy lasts. Ten to one, he bites it first for being stupid.

 

Merc: "You can forget the thousand yard stare. I'm not impressed."

*Rambo spits a loogie into the river*

 

Nuff said there.

 

Apperantly, the mercs are not as kick ass as they thought to be.

 

BOW AND ARROW TIME!

 

"This is who we are. Live for something. Or die for nothing."

 

Nice Bridge Over The River Kwai reference. And Apocolypse Now.

 

Ok..this intense.

 

Hoo boy...Mercman thinks he's in charge again.

 

Hello, potential rapist..die potential rapist...

 

Now the fun begins...

 

Yep..merc "I'm king shit" gets blown up..

 

"Fire off a shot! GO! GO!"

 

Trap setting 101:

 

Use scent to plant claymore!  I wouldn't have died if it weren't for that claymore and that stupid dog!

 

"What can we do?"---Sarah

 

"Nothing we can do"--Merc

 

...and the pale horse came, his rider's name was death.

 

 

All I can say.  I love the ending.

 

Like Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallone created a wonderful capstone film with Rambo.

 

Nuff said.

 

 

How do you explain this?

 

Like when Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, this movie brought me back to when I was a kid.

 

It's over the top. And who cares?

 

It makes call backs to the previous movies.

 

It's not as tight as the first movie, but I'll say this:

 

If Harrison Ford was young enough, Hat and Whip would be the type of story/movie that would lead up to the opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

 

 

Next weekend, another one of those movies in a beloved series of that I grew up with adds a chapter to a wonderful world of adventure.

 

Back in 1981, three of the greatest minds of our era collaborated to create one of Hollywood's best films and one of the most memorable characters.  This little known film was called Raiders of the Lost Ark.

 

Like Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, this film left its mark on me because it was fun and campy, and in some ways, alittle dangerous.  I still laugh at the scene where Harrison Ford shoots the swordsman, because you just expect that Indiana Jones would use his whip to disarm the guy. If I recall, Mr. Ford was sick at the time, and improvised the scene. To me, Indy just thought to himself, "Ahh, you're not worth it."

 

As a grown man and a student of history, the movie interests me because of what it tries to convey. it uses the worst time in 20th century history to tell the story. Even though Adolf Hitler isn't in the film, the ideas of Nazism is present. Belloq's character is a great bad guy, because even though he by self-admission an evil man. But yet, he contradicts himself by insisting having a Jewish ceremony to essentialy offend the Nazis.

 

Sallah is Indy's sidekick, but he isn't a sidekick.  The guy knows his stuff, doesn't depend on Indy to bail him out.  I actually feel that Indy is Sallah's sidekick in that respect.  Indy is the hero, but he gets himself into trouble throughout the film, and the loyal friend helps him get out of it.

 

Marion Ravenwood is resourceful, rough, and stubborn. She, like Indy, starts off as someone who is in it for the money. However, once she realizes what they are going for, and eventually forgetting the way she and indiana parted years before, she understands that he really would do anything for her.

 

Then of course, there's the set pieces. The opening sequence is classic for both it's absurdness, but it's great. The sword scene i mentioned before is classic. The fight with the German soldier with the plane is awesome, but still over the top.  Besides the sword scene, the truck sequence is my favorite scene.  It's the most over the top scene in a movie, but it works.

 

The final scenes are rather sobering, because you really want to see pieces of the stones inside the Ark. But the point is, each mortal sin, each Commandment is conveyed. Indiana Jones realizes before it happens that in order to witness the power of God, you have to believe in faith, and not see the Wrath of God.

 

As a kid, I didn't understand the warehouse scene, but that one scene really sticks out.  What did the government do with it?  Did they place it in safe-keeping?  Or did the "Top Men" befall the very same fate that the Germans did? Did they learn like Indy learned, that the Ark has more powers than we could imagine.  Or did the "Top Men" open it, and saw something more?  After all, the Wrath of God took out the Germans and Belloq because they were evil men. If good men opened it, would they have seen something different?

 

That's why this movie is one of my favorites, and why it's one of my favorite movie series.

Ridley Scott's Gladiator is one of the most complete films I've ever seen.  I didn't see it in the theater in 2000, but I picked it up on DVD when friends at work told me that it would be my kind of movie. It's one of those milestone movies for me in describing to someone how when I saw The Hunt For Red October in the theater, that this is one of those movies that requires you to have to see it on some form of big screen.  The relation is watching something so monumental, and then watch a documentary on how hard working special effects groups work, improvisation, and the sheer seamlessness of the end result...well, it's phenom.

 

I purchased the extended edition DVD of Gladiator a few months back, and I just finished watching a documentary on how they managed to finish up the scenes featuring Oliver Reed (Proximo) who passed during the shooting of the film. He was described like Jack Nicholson, where his presence is just felt. According to his words (there are some incredible interviews with him), he hadn't done a line reading in years, and had that aloofness about him.  One telling statement is he said that when he opened the envelope that contained the script, a note fell out, "This does not gurantee you the part."

 

However, Ridley Scott says in the piece that he had Oliver in mind for the character, and even built a makeshift set for the reading.

 

The original script had Proximo live, and plant his wooden sword in the arena at the end of the film, to depict his own freedom.  However, Mr. Reed passed on three weeks before the ending of production. One of the scriptwriters literally was called back to write alternate takes in light of the events. The special effects team, Ridley Scott, and even Russell Crowe had to find a way to film the scene where Proximo frees Maximus, and produce his redemption in another form.  The theme of the the documentary is this was a tribute to Oliver, as he hated not completing any project he was involved in.

 

It's incredible on what they accomplished, considering the fact that they almost reshot Proximo with a completely new actor (no names mentioned).

 

"We mortals are all but shadows and dust! Shadows and dust."

 

All I can say is:

 

I. Want. This. Movie. NOW.

 

No offence to Smiling Jack, Mark Hamill (who voiced in the Batman cartoons in the 90's), and Cesar Romero (original Batman in the 60's), but the late Heath Ledger...

 

Heath *IS* The Joker, from what little I have seen.

 

I love his opening monologue, where he draws his lines out deliberately, until the last two words.  I so wonder how it ties in with Batman Begins.

 

I love Tim Burton's version of Batman.  It was dark, quirky, had a sense of humor.  Batman Returns was decent, but flawed. It had moments, but the penguin army still annoys me. Danny DeVito was cool as Penguin. Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman...would kill Halle Berry's Catwoman. Batman Forever by Joel Schumacher I liked.  Val Kilmer was pretty cool, and Jim Carrey was awesome as Riddler.  I like Tommy Lee Jones, but his Two-Face was written alittle too wierd.  I feared the introduction of Robin (IMHO, Batman is a loner---no sidekicks allowed!), but I was satisfied on how he was introduced.

 

I've never seen Batman and Robin, nor will I.  George Clooney?  Oy. The Governator as Mr. Freeze? Ugh.  Made sense, but ugh from what I have seen.  Worst offense of all?  To quote Entertainment Weekly: "Nipples on the Batsuit. Nipples. On. The. Bat. Suit."

 

What I loved about Batman Begins is the fact that it's a comic book movie that delves on the horror movie side of life.  It's gritty, dark, and damned scary.

 

This trailer seems to me has upped the ante.

 

I pray that if Christopher Nolan leaves the franchise like Bryan Singer did with X-Men, Warner Brothers, I have a request:

 

FOR GOD'S SAKES, DON'T LET BRETT RATNER ANYWHERE NEAR THIS FRANCHISE!

 

I know that there are probably Robin and Batgirl fans out there, but sorry, I really don't like either of them to appear.  If they do, I want them to get the same treatment that we had with how Bruce Wayne became The Dark Knight. I honestly want this franchise to keep true to its dark nature.

 

Of all the superhero comics out there, I love Batman the most, because it's such a psychological universe.  The villians are flawed because they're messed up in the head.  What makes it interesting is that the hero (or IMHO, anti-hero) is just as messed up.  Unlike Superman and Spiderman, Batman's alter ego is a man of much influence.  He has responsibility with his company and the community.

 

7-18-08 can't come soon enough.  I'll have Indiana Jones to tide me until then.

I simply do not know what to say.

 

We've lost a talent.  I don't have much time to comment on this loss of a breakout star.  I need to process this one.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/09/21/top10.deaths/index.html 

 

I like all of these memorable on-screen deaths, but as the blog states, I'd like to add a couple of my favorites/heartbreakers:

 

1.  John Voight, The Champ, 1979)

 

Ricky Shroder's crying as the film ends, draping his body over the bloody, dying John Voight.  I haven't seen the movie in forever, but the sadness of a little kid telling his dying father he loves him always is a tear jerker.

 

2. (tie) James Caan, The Godfather (1872), Joe Pesci GoodFellas (1990)

 

When hothead Sonny Corleone gets his due, he's riddled in bullets at a toll booth as he goes to murder Talia Shire's husband for beating her.  The turning point in the movie, because it sets up Al Pacino's Michael Corleone's ruthlessness for the other two films.

 

Joe Pesci's character is based on true life events.  Tommy DeVito (according to the commentary featuring Henry Hill, whose story the movie is based on) says Joe Pesci nailed the real Tommy to a T.  He was insane, abrasive, brilliant and stupid.  He insults a "made man": someone who is a full member of the mafia, which leads to his death.  Tommy later in the film was to become "made", only to be assassinated due to his recklessness, and him realizing before he dies, he knows what is going on.

 

3.  Sir Alec Guinness, The Bridge Over The River Kwai (1957)

 

It probably surprises some that I didn't credit his death as Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars as my memorable choice, but bear with me.  The whole story of The Bridge Over The River Kwai is one of my favorite war movies of all time.  But what makes this death so memorable is Sir Alec's Colonel Nichoson is such a proud man.  He spends the first part of the movie suffering for his men, and then finds a way to have the Japanese utilize his men's knowledge to help them build the bridge.  Unfortunately, he becomes so proud of what he has created, he forgets what the bridge was for.  As the bridge is being attacked, and the train approaches, his line, "My God, what have I done" becomes so revealing.  Having him fall on the detonator in death just as the train crosses the bridge is priceless.

 

4.  Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest  (2006)

 

Alot of this one I credit to Keira Knightley, on how she sets up Captain Jack Sparrow.  I love how she uses her eyes.  Tricking him to chain him up to the mast, and then abandoning him is priceless.  Of course, when the Kracken spits out his hat, Jack knows that he is dead...I love how he is filmed slowly going to the beast.

 

5. John Travolta, Pulp Fiction (1994)

 

I admit, as the article states, Marvin's death was memorable, which is why Vincent Vega's death is great.  He's a criminal.  But a very stupid one.  He nearly kills his boss' wife with an overdose while keeping "good company with her while he was out of town".  Pointing the gun at Marvin while discussing on how he, Marvin, and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) from their prediciment while they drive away from the scene, then hitting a bump that blows Marvin's head apart by mistake.  Insulting Harvey Keitel, who helps "handle the Bonney situation" is stupidity.  Insulting Bruce Willis' character, a washed up boxer who was to forget his pride and throw a fight.  Only to be ultimately dumb, leave the weapon he was supposed to use to kill Bruce Willis on a table, as he needed to use the bathroom in Bruce's apartment.  Boils down Vincent screwed up one too many times.

 

6.  Various deaths, Saving Private Ryan (1998)

 

This film is a classic.  I remember being warned about the first half hour of the film.  When some of the main characters begin to die, Vin Diesel's Caparzo wanting a letter to get home, to Giovanni Rbisi's Wade trying to tell the rest of the troops to help him fix him (he was the medic of the group).  The most ironic scenes involved the inexperienced interpreter Timothy Upham (Jeremy Davies) witnessing the German soldier he begged his friends to let go (earilier in the film) kill the Jew in the unit (Adam Goldberg) in cold blood; even as they made the man earlier in the film dig his own grave.  Later, the same German is in a group of prisoners, and the man begs for his life.  Upham shoots him.  Of course, we never know what happens.

 

Tom Hanks dying as the American Army Air Force takes out the tanks is classic.  He fulfilled his mission.

 

7.  Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, Gladiator (2000)

 

This one is tied together, because of how arrogant Joaquin is by having to injure what he obviously knows is a superior opponent.  It's a fierce fight.  When Commodus calls for the guards to finish off Maximus, and they refuse....death smiles upons us all.  Just how Russell Crowe smiles as he kills Joaquin is haunting.  His speech before he drops dead is beyond words.

 

8.   Eric Schweig, Johdi May,  Steven Waddington, Wes Studi, The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

 

This one is totally based on the musical soundtrack of the film, and based on the novel  by Sir Walter Scott.  The movie is about three free-men (Daniel Day-Lewis, Russell Means, Eric Schweig) who simply want to get to the free land of Kentucky during the French-Indian War of the 1750's.  They come across a British soldiers' daughter's party, and get entangled into their lives, and escort two daughters (Madeleine Stowe and Johdi May) to where they need to go.

 

The deaths involved are meaningful to the story.  But what makes me cry is how the soundtrack is used at the end of the film.  Such a great movie, in my opinion.

 

9.  Gene Hackman, Unforgiven (1992)

 

It took me a second viewing of this movie to make me appreciate it.  I loved it up until the end the first time I saw it in the theater, but it took me the second viewing to understand the ramifications of it.  How Clint Eastwood really was such a bad ass as the writer in the film was writing about, and how, in the end, Hackman's Little Bill was afraid of dying at the end.

 

10.  Two Socks,  Dances With Wolves (1990)

 

This is my Old Yeller/Bambi.  It's how John Dunbar became Dances with Wolves.  When he gets to Fort Sedgewick, no one is there.  He makes it his home, encounters the Sioux.  He communicates with them (Graham Greene is excellent as Kicking Bull), the Sioux see him with nature (Two Socks), feel he isn't a threat, and invite him to their tribe.  John feeds Two Socks some meat (Kevin Costner has reported to say in the commentary, that this was a scary scene...he was dealing with a wolf) before he goes with the tribe.

 

He falls in love with Stands With A Fist (Mary McDonnell), a white woman catured long ago., and they marry.  As the Sioux decide to go to their winter camp, John is captured and interrogated.  A couple of the soldiers toy with Two Socks, and one hits him.  I cried.

 

That's my top ten movie deaths.

 

That's one heck of a list, although Silverado, Pale Rider, and Open Range are missing from the list.

 

Considering you have Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Rosanna Arquette (who I thought was hot in this movie), Brian Dennehy, John Cleese and Linda Hunt, Silverado is a dynamic movie. It never did well in the theater, but I thought it was really good.

 

I love how Kline's character re-acquires his belongings: his horse, his hat, and his guns.

 

Pale Rider is a classic to me.  Like Unforgiven (which when I first saw in the theater, I hated it, but after a second viewing, it's one of my favorites), the title of the film has meaning.  Preacher is a character that has both "The Man With No Name" and William Muny in him.  This film was a bridge film between the Leone films and Unforgiven.  Preacher still had no name, but we learn that he had a past that was very violent.  He turned to God to repent his sins, but his past came back to haunt him.

 

Even though the young girl sees what Preacher is at the end of the film, she still loves him.  The scene at the end where Clint rides away on his pale horse more or less makes a statement.

 

Open Range reminds me of Unforgiven, but with a sense of humor.  It's a dark movie, and the tension builds up as it goes along, but there's enough humor in the movie to kind of cut it down a notch; except when push comes to shove, it makes the final shoot out at the end gripping.  Robert Duvall and Kevin Costner are excellent.  I love the fact that both men have worked together for years, but have the respect for each other enough to not ask each other about their pasts, except when they both want to right a terrible wrong.  Annette Benning and Costner have a lovely dynamic for the romance.  Michael Gambon and James Russo are awesome as the bad guys.

 

My favorite line in the film is when Costner picks a fight with one of Russo's posse.

 

Charley Waite:  "Are you the one who killed my dog?"

 

BUtler:  "Yeah, and I shot the boy, too.  And I enjoyed it."

 

And Costner kills the guy, and begins the gunfight.  Literally in cold blood.

 

That's why I'd add these movies to that list.

 

 

 

Quite honestly, I didn't know what to expect when my friend took me to see Transformers.  The toys and cartoons to him is what Star Wars is to me, and when I was growing up, I always liked the cartoon.

 

First off, it was directed by Michael Bay.  I kinda have a love/hate relationship with his stuff.  But since the second "wise man" Steven Spielberg was on board, I figured it had a chance to be fairly decent.

 

I was pleasantly surprised.  I really liked it.  My friend kinda wished that the Transformers would have revealed themselves alot sooner, but I liked how it was done.  Growing up, I always liked Bumblebee, and man, he goes through a LOT in this movie (although, in the cartoon, he's a VW Beetle.  It's referenced, but in the movie, he's a Camero).

 

What's cool is, the sound effects for the transformation is just like the cartoon.  I didn't find it cheesy.  Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime in the cartoon, reprises his role in this film, which I think is awesome.

 

I was rather surprised on some of the names who were in this film.  John Voight.  Josh Duhamel (Danny from Las Vegas), John Turturro (although, his character I easily saw David Duchovney do.  Think of Fox Mulder on crack), and voicing Megatron.....two hints (and you couldn't tell, really, except in one piece of dialog):

 

"Mr. Anderson."

 

"Bring forth, the ring."

 

If that doesn't give it away, then you have lived under a rock...:)

 

The thing with the special effects for me in this film was...they worked.  Considering that I know what was done in the cartoon, the transformations, when the bots spoke and moved...it seemed natural.  The bots were real characters.  All the voice actors did a superb job on making me forget that their characters were special effects.  They made me BELIEVE that their characters were a part of the world they were in, and not just something pretty to look at.

 

There's a ton of humor in this movie.  The funniest is when Ironhide becomes the relief spot for Shia LaBeouf's dog, and Ironhide asks him if it's ok to kill the dog, and Shia is trying desperately to protect his dog, but to calm down a giant robot that could crush him easily.

 

I really enjoyed the musical score too.  It wasn't overbearing, but it had urgency throughout.  It kind of reminds me of Batman Begins.

 

This is definately a blow stuff up movie, which is what Michael Bay is known for.  Alot of his movies seem over the top for me, but if my friend says it's what he expected.

 

Personally, I think it's a wonderful film.  I think my reaction is based on the fact that yes, I used to watch the cartoons as a kid, I know enough of the universe that I could easily see plot holes/continuity errors.  Knowing going in that it was a "blow stuff up movie", I knew the special effects were going to be there.  I think my biggest reservation was, "Is there a story to go along with the blowing stuff up, and not just for the sake of blowing stuff up?"

 

There was a story, and honestly, I don't have any complaints about this movie.  I think that's what's cool about going into a movie with no real expectations.  With At World's End, there was a LOT of expectations for me, since I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.  I judged this puppy for what it was, and I'd see it again.  I didn't need to be blown away.  I wanted to be entertained, and Transformers did its job.

 

 

 

 

 --Admiral James Tiberius Kirk

As a kid, my brother got me into Star Trek.  Before I knew Star Wars.

 

Sadly, Gene Roddenberry died in 1991.

 

Sadly, in the last few years, we lost DeForest "Bones" Kelley, and James "Scottty" Doohan.

 

This movie, to me was, the ULTIMATE STAR TREK episode.

 

It had action.  A damned good villain (at the time of viewing this movie, Ricardo Montalban was the kind Mr. Rourke on Fantasy Island.  I never connected the his face as the main bad guy untill I saw this film; nor how ruthless Khan really was).

 

It has one the best shocks of all time (except when Darth Vader told Luke he was his father).

 

Spock died.  When this was filmed, I think Shatner and Nimoy did their best work, because they had to be in it, and at the time, neither one knew if there was a third film.  It was emotional as hell.  I still cry.

 

I just cry when I watch this movie.

 

But it's a dammned good one.

All I can say is...wow.

 

Adrian Balboa is in this movie, and much of this movie has the feel of the original Rocky.  I saw Rocky VI with Dulph Lundgren in the theater in 1985.  By that time the frachise took a turn.

 

I never saw the fifth movie, but Sylvester Stallone has said that this movie is the capstone of the Rocky movies.  He wrote and directed the first Rocky, and with Rocky Balboa, he went right back to the roots of the first movie.  He went back to what made him, and he succeeded in writing a fitting end to the franchise he made.

 

Does Rocky die in the end?

 

Does Rocky WIN??!

 

I won't say, except I was surprised with the ending....and it's a satisfying one.

 

What a way to celebrate the 4th of July...:)

Well, it's been a long day for me, but I returned from a fun day in Sioux Falls a few hours ago.  So, I'll cut to the chase.

 

I have heard people having mixed reviews for Pirates of the Carribean:  At World's End, but personally, I loved it.  It's sort of wierd tho, because there are alot of call-back references to other movies.  Heck, last year when I saw Dead Man's Chest, I compared it to The Empire Strikes Back.  You know, the first film was like A New Hope, where it was really fun, an occasional darkness to it.  This one, in many ways, resembles BOTH Return of the Jedi and Revenge of the Sith.  The first half is dark, because the pirates of the world are literally being killed merclessly.  The opening scene sets this up beautifully.  There's a song that is sung in a rather melancholy way that reminds me of Merry singing that sad song in Return of the King as Denethor gorges himself in his own misery as the battle rages at Osgilioth.

 

You can tell that Davey Jones is not exactly a happy camper, because even though he is a free man, he is a slave.  There is significance to the chest and his heart.  He resembles Anakin Skywalker in many ways, because he's consumed by betrayal and hatred...but yet he loves.  It's also the heart of the film, and possibly the trilogy.

 

Barbossa is interesting.  He's the Barbossa of the first film, but he also realizes in order to save his kind and their way of life, he has to work with those who helped "kill him" (it's definately explained on why he was able to be brought back to life by Tia Dalma, and why Jack Sparrow cannot through her means.)

 

Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann's interaction together is definately a twist.  Elizabeth's dreams of becoming a pirate are fullfilled.  William, in turn has an interesting fate.  I'll leave it at that.

 

Then there's Captain Jack Sparrow.

 

I'll put it this way:  when we first see him on screen, I can tell that Johnny Depp had incredible fun....kinda like Hugo Weaving did in Matrix Reloaded.  It also makes me wonder if these scenes with Jack were things we never saw in the first two films.  It makes you wonder if Jack is all there, and further, if he isn't, was he born that way, or what?

 

Keith Richards is in for a very short time, but his character is important, and he also holds the key (much more better than a drawring of a key, but a KEY!), and it opens up the possiblity of a fourth film.  He's also a total badass.

 

The last half hour of the movie is intense to say the least.  The scene shown in the previews with Davey Jones and Jack fighting on top of a mast is incredibly cool.

 

The easter egg at the end of the credits make you wonder some things as well.

 

I honestly hope that Disney will continue this franchise.  I've read that Johnny Depp has more or less told them that if they crank out good scripts, he will seriously do this franchise till the day he dies.  That's coming from perhaps the most eclectic and eccentric actor today.

 

Even though this one is more intense, and has some themes that are adult oriented in places, it's like Star Wars to me.  It's relatively clean family fun.  But it has things adults can relate to as well.

 

 

 

Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the colors high.

Heave ho,
thieves and beggars,
never shall we  die.

The king and his men
stole the queen from her bed
and bound her in her Bones.
The seas be ours
and by the powers
where we will we'll roam

 

It's been a whille since I've posted on my blog, but i wanted to comment about this particular movie.

 

Superman II  is one of my all-time favorite movies.  I heard that there was a version that Richard Donner was filming at the same time that Superman: The Movie.

I bought Superman II:  The Donner Cut today.

 

It is totally different from the theatrical version of the film.  It's better except one thing:

 

I like the main battle over Metropolis in the theatrical version.  To me, that was the showcase of the film.  However, it fits for a classic comic frame by frame feel that the whole film, this version is trying to convey.

 

I loved the development of Zod, Ursla, and Non in this version.  Their deeds were more implied. 

 

I also feel that the whole Clark/Lois storyline...so natural...not forced.  Lois was more deductive, and shw finally learns the truth...

 

Basically, this movie has the feel of Spiderman 2 in many ways.  It's extremely dark.  The theatrical version is campy, but what I like about this version is...it's NOT campy.  Heck, it's well known that Mr. Hackman's first  extended on-screen comedic role was as Lex Luthor.  But yet..he's dark in this version, even though he's comic relief, he is extremely sinister.

 

After seeing this version of the film..it makes me wonder where Mr. Spacey learned to become Lex in Superman Returns.

 

I've never cared for many directors cuts, etc..but this one (with the exception of the abbreviated fight scene), I really wish Mr. Donner could have given us this version...

 

RIP  Chris Reeve, and Jor'El.

I am a huge Johnny Depp fan.  Have been since 1994 or so.  He's very selective in his roles, and has probably worked with some of the most well-known talent in Hollywood. Most people don't know Donny Brasco.  Most people know he did Edward Scissorhands, which was one of Sir Vincent Pryce's last films.  Some of the things that Johnny and Mr. Pryce shared I hear were totally touching.

 

Another Tim Burton film that I think is incredible is Ed Wood.  It's black and white.  Johnny as Ed Wood, and Martin Landeau as Bela Lugosi.

 

Hell, Platoon from Oliver Stone has him in it.  I have the first two seasons of 21 Jump Street on DVD, and has one of my personal Depp performances.Sleepy Hollow is extremely fun too.  I recommend Finding Neverland just because it's an extremely gentle film about Sir James Barrie, the man who wrote Peter Pan.

 

 

But....

 

Captain Jack Sparrow.

 

The reason why I mention, Captain Jack Sparrow, is this.

 

In a way, it kinda became a cute joke with me wooing my current lass.  She laughed her ass off when I asked her if she could picture me as Jack Sparrow.  I have a VERY cool desktop pic of Jack.  She giggled.  Given the fact (that she didn't know of at the time), I have this knack of imitating characters from movies (I haven't gone into my Aragorn...nor my general Harrison Ford sarcasm mode yet..or even my cartoon characters....but....) she liked the thought of me (at the time via correspondance) I pictured myself as "Jack" parting ways to save her from an annoyance....she pictured it in her mind.

 

I have a friend who is actually making me a Jack Sparrow costume.  Even though I know this is for fun, I'm working on getting into character.  The Curse of the Black Pearl has been in my DVD player for two days now.  I'm trying to learn his mannerisms.  Facial ticks.  Timbre.  How *JACK* thinks.  Not how Johnny Depp thinks.  Even little tips to help my friend.

 

But how Captain Jack Sparrow thinks.

 

Savvy?

 

 

 

Ok, I avoided this movie for reasons stated below, but..

 

I like this movie...but *THIS* is why I am pissed about it.

 

I makes a damned good movie on ending a series.  Story is damned deep, and good with the times we're facing.  It has alot of moral issue stuff going on that we, as humans, need to face in reality, not on a fictional sense.  This is why I love comics....however...

 

What pisses me off is: X-Men should have been like Bond movies.  They go on.  Sure, we prolly would have had some bad X-Men movies, but Good Governor (blame that on my new female friend, folx), it could have gone on for another 3-4 movies.  I would have been satisfied.

 

It's like, they are compressing just TOO much of the universe into a two hour movie.  I mean, how X2 ended, the whole Phoenix story tease just blew me away.  And since I am a die-hard fan of 24, I understand the idea of killing off beloved characters.  But good governor, this just ticks me off.

 

This is why I hate you Ratner.

 

You are quite simply a shitty filmaker, because, you had a gem dropped into your hands (btw, Bryan Singer, THANK you for Superman Returns.  I would loathed on what Ratner did with that universe (ok, I am doing more () than I should, but dammit, if I were Ratner, I would have milked it just enough with the story, THEN use this as a climax.)))

 

I'm not rabid on being uber strict to source (I am an artist), but at LEAST treat the source with some love.  I never saw Batman and Robin, but that killed that franchise...like the last two Superman movies (with the late and great Christopher Reeve, and the ingenious Gene Hackman), but I think those two franchises' rebirth in Batman Begins and Superman Returns could spark some good flicks.

 

Brett Ratner...you are just an idiot to kill this franchise.  I like your movie, but it should have come out when the franchise was dying, NOT when it was off the embers of one of the best sequels ever made.

 

I am at least glad that the Spiderman franchise is in good hands.

 

Yes, kiddies, I am pissed off.  Sad thing is, it's a good film...just made at the WRONG time for the series, IMHO.