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Post by skywalker on Jul 20, 2007 14:10:27 GMT -5
As all members on this forum are well regarded and may I add, highly thought of. I am asking for any film reviews of new movies to be posted in this thread. I don't want generalized reviews or cut and paste efforts off IMDB. I want the members on here to submit their own reviews. Spoilers can be included, but must be stated if present.
Good luck and I'm looking forward to reading some fine reviews.
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Post by harrypalmer on Aug 16, 2007 12:43:40 GMT -5
Do you want the latest film reviews, or any films? I recently watched a late seventies film called Magic with Anthony Hopkins. Anthony Hopkins is a struggling magician who has a terrible cabaret card act which he does in a half-empty nightclub with hardly anyone taking any notice. He comes up with a ventriloquist act which is wildly successful and attracts the attention of agent Burgess Meredith who offers him a lucrative TV deal. Anthony (can't remeber his name in the film - sorry ) starts to lose it and - yes you've guessed it - his dummy seems have a life of his own. He then flees to a quiet, remote bed and breakfast by a lake where he lives in a spartan chalet by a lake and strikes up a relationship with the woman owner of the bed and breakfast, fights his demons and more. Quite a nice take on the old ventriloquists dummy coming to life, and a very atmospeheric film with the grainy old late seventies print.
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Post by skywalker on Aug 16, 2007 16:09:41 GMT -5
Any film reviews. Thanks for the contribution.
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Kadov
Commander
Posts: 171
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Post by Kadov on Aug 20, 2007 22:15:16 GMT -5
Well, my wife and I decided to see a movie last Saturday night and we made the mistake of taking a chance on "The Invasion." I'm fond of the Donald Sutherland version back in the late 70s, and I was curious to see what Hollywood would do with the story again. In short, they mangled it completely. I should've known better, because this film was made about two years ago, then was shelved for a while after receiving lousy results from a test screening, then picked up again and reshot with additional scenes by a different director. I found it predictable and stupid, and the basic premise in this version is laughable. The transformation into zombie-like creatures occurs in two phases: (1) getting vomited by one of the infected and (2) falling asleep. While you doze, the organism replicates you (starting as a larva and continuing to grow). So it's never a good idea to fall asleep, and a lot of characters warn each other about not falling asleep. Of course, the virus spreads and everyone who gets infected has frozen facial features; this is certainly Daniel Craig territory. The movie bombed spectacularly over the weekend, and whoever came up with the idea of putting Nicole Kidman and Craig, both experts in frozen facial expressions, in a sci-fi film about emotionless victims of a space virus was probably fired by early Saturday morning.
Call me cynical...but why didn't the Craig supporters show up for this film? Considering all the accolades he got for CR, and the way he was being worshipped like a golden statue at those other fan-boy forums, it seemd he was the Second Coming, the greatest actor on the planet, the man who was fated to be a super, superstar starting with CR and onwards. Yet "The Invasion" bombed. I love the slight spin from boxofficeguru.com (they had initially predicted this movie to make about $12 million or so):
"Starpower from Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig meant nothing at the box office for their new sci-fi thriller The Invasion which bombed with an opening of just $6M, according to estimates."
Starpower? Nicole Kidman is an actress in decline; she's had a string of flops, most notably Bewitched, The Interpreter, Birth, The Human Stain, Dogville. And Craig isn't exactly a household name, especially in America, and has zero starpower--CR was a box office hit through sheer marketing hype and had nothing to do with his box office clout. In fact, he had no starpower before CR, and "The Invasion" proves he still doesn't. He received top billing with Nicole Kidman (his name and mug were on posters and general advertising), yet that didn't exactly bring people to flood the theaters. This is not meant as a harsh criticism of the guy; he looked like a friendly guy in all the interviews he did for CR last year. But I've seen him in a number of films and haven't seen anything extraordinary in his ability as an actor. He's overrated. He's nothing more than a bland character actor, uncharismatic, and unable to get audiences to be involved in his performance. My impression is that he really has no ambition of becoming a big star, and in "The Invasion" he looks disinterested to be in a mainstream film, the same feeling I got when I saw him in CR and the first Lara Croft movie.
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Nick
Lt-Commander
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Post by Nick on Aug 21, 2007 10:49:34 GMT -5
It must have been strange seeing Craig before all the bodybuilding. I agree that the Sony/Eon PR spin dept earnt every penny for CR. They got Craig a best dressed man in the world award despite the fact that no one knew who he was! Yes, for many years now my fashion guru has been that iconic dandy Daniel Craig
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Post by poirot on Aug 21, 2007 11:27:40 GMT -5
everyone who gets infected has frozen facial features; this is certainly Daniel Craig territory. I felt the same way when I saw the ads promoting taglines like, " Don't show any emotion!" You have to give the aliens credit, though. To have a plan where you need people to fall asleep...and to then drop Daniel Craig into the mix...it's sheer genious! ;D Believe it or not, I noticed some people (on the Box Office Mojo forums) predicting that this film would open to more than $20 million! Presumably, they were basing this on the fact that Craig is now a superstar. As you said, Craig seems like a decent guy in interviews, but that's a large part of my problem with him. He's just an average guy that could easily be a co-worker or former schoolmate. Compare this to the previous actors, who still convey the sense of being "James Bond" whenever they walk into a room. I think he's better suited to ensemble casts, where he doesn't have to command the screen the entire time. Even more than Sony's marketing department, his biggest assest in CR was a serious script that was based on a Fleming story. All he really had to do was show up, and keep the puns to a minimum.
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Post by Greg Haugen on Aug 21, 2007 13:29:37 GMT -5
I love the Leonard Nimoy/Donald Sutherland version but that should have been it. How many more times can they remake the same film?
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Post by harrypalmer on Aug 22, 2007 18:18:01 GMT -5
The original Invasion and the Donald Sutherland version - in which he is wonderful - are two great films.
Not sure why someone decided on making a new big screen version.
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Post by jamesstock007 on Aug 28, 2007 3:55:19 GMT -5
I know this film has been remade, how many times i can think of 3 of the top of my head, they are even remaking Enter The Dragon now! maybe there is a role for Daniel Craig in that, roper maybe?
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Post by harrypalmer on Aug 28, 2007 8:28:53 GMT -5
, they are even remaking Enter The Dragon now!/quote] Who is going to be in it, do you know?
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Post by Greg Haugen on Sept 4, 2007 16:54:59 GMT -5
I watched Black Belt Jones recently. One of the funniest films ever made.
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Post by skywalker on Sept 6, 2007 7:20:24 GMT -5
Has anyone seen Snakes on a plane? Watched it the other night and for all it's faults, I found it enjoyable. The plot, acting (SLJ was good) and CGI were painfull, yet the film doesn't pretend to be anything special.
The sum the film up, It's about some snakes on a plane. That pretty much covers what the film is about and to be fair, it's all that is required.
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Post by harrypalmer on Sept 6, 2007 13:08:55 GMT -5
I have not watched Snakes on A Plane yet, but will catch up with it soon - and will like it. I have lot of time for Samuel L. Jackson. I also like Black Belt Jones, which Greg watched. Jim Kelley is wonderful. Skywalker, as you said you loved Live and Let Die, you would like Black Belt Jones as it stars Gloria Hendy and that fat fellow who Roger blew up at the end of LALD (can't remember his name!). It was made in the mid 70's as well. Skywalker: watch Black Belt Jones!
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Post by skywalker on Sept 6, 2007 16:28:39 GMT -5
I have not watched Snakes on A Plane yet, but will catch up with it soon - and will like it. I have lot of time for Samuel L. Jackson. I also like Black Belt Jones, which Greg watched. Jim Kelley is wonderful. Skywalker, as you said you loved Live and Let Die, you would like Black Belt Jones as it stars Gloria Hendy and that fat fellow who Roger blew up at the end of LALD (can't remember his name!). It was made in the mid 70's as well. Skywalker: watch Black Belt Jones! After that glowing reference how can I not.
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alex
Commander
Posts: 344
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Post by alex on Sept 10, 2007 16:20:54 GMT -5
Black Belt Jones is Jim Kelly from Enter The Dragon is he not?
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