| Author |
Message |
|
| marantzo |
 Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:56 pm |
 |
|
|
Guest
|
| That doesn't spoil anything. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| carrobin |
| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:04 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
|
Don't worry, "Taken" has an extremely high body count--one hardly matters.
I saw a trailer for a Russell Crowe/Ben Affleck/Helen Mirren movie called "State of Play." It seems to be a fairly exciting thriller. So who decided to slap that deadly boring title on it? |
|
|
| Back to top |
 
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2009 11:12 pm |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
I agree with Lissa. That scene deserved a spoiler alert. Part of the beauty of the scene was its sheer unpredictability. It was similar in that way to a scene in Deep Blue Sea, a likewise cheesy but effective thriller. The scene: SPOILER ALERT IN WHITE
Samuel L. Jackson is the voice of reason, and I think he's some kind of a cop or something. Anyway, he's talking about how they're going to get the killer shark. In mid-sentence he is eaten by a shark. Game over. Hilarious. And totally unpredictable. Similar to the truck-bashing in Taken. NEEDS A SPOILER ALERT. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| Ghulam |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 1:11 am |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
|
Laurent Cantet's The Class won the Palm D'Or at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar. It takes place in a school in Paris, and describes some poignant, difficult and frustrating interactions between a committed teacher and his tough multiethnic and multiracial students from a variety of backgrounds. Superbly directed and superbly acted by a real teacher and real students, watching it was a moving and unforgettable experience.
. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 5:51 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
| The Class is on my must-see list, along with Tell No One, which is available from Netflix soon. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| lissa |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:58 am |
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2148
Location: my computer
|
Quote: Part of the beauty of the scene was its sheer unpredictability.
(but not anymore  )
Thanks, billy. To me, a spoiler is required anytime any plot device is revealed that isn't part of a synopsis. Doesn't matter how many people die in a film, it's the events as they unfold that are the right of the viewer to experience unspoiled. |
_________________
Statistically, 6 out of 7 dwarfs aren't happy. |
|
| Back to top |
|
| marantzo |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:41 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
| I whited it out, sorry if I ruined something. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| marantzo |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:47 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
| The Deep Blue Sea scene that Billy described was a hoot. The movie was entertaining and probably could be classed as camp. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:11 am |
|
|
|
Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
|
marantzo wrote: I whited it out, sorry if I ruined something.
Unfortunately, carrobin alluded to it in her followup post.
carrobin--Could you white out your comment, please? |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| carrobin |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:49 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
|
| Okay--it took me a few tries, but it finally worked. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:25 pm |
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
Gary - That scene you mentioned was pretty funny. Intentionally, I'm sure.
I thought the film as a whole was a big, loud, entertaining "So what?". Certainly not a bad experience, but I've come to expect a lot more depth out of a Liam Neeson film. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 8:55 pm |
|
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
Saw The International last night. Big international bank tries to corner the world market for arms sales. It's a conspiracy that reaches from Africa to Asia to the Middle East, brokered by really rich guys in suits, employing really tough guys with guns, and falling upon Clive Owen to stop it, with a hand from the ever-cute Naomi Watts.
Does any of it gel into the sweeping espionage thriller it promises? Not really. Clive's on auto-pilot, more like a James JunkBond, and the story's a classic example of a 'McGuffin', Hitchcock's term for an abstract carrot that gets waved in front of the characters and sets them in motion. There's lots of fightin' and runnin' and shootin', the various cities in which the film is set are awfully nice, and watch out for an intense showdown in New York's own Guggenheim Museum. But for all the action, everyone could just as easily have been pursuing diamonds, or drugs, or classified information, or anything that people covet. "International Business Bank conspiracy" could've been changed to "International Plot Depletion" with zero change to the onscreen antics. In other words, a 'McGuffin'. The International put its foot on the accelerator but had no clue where it was driving. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| carrobin |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:07 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
|
One reason I liked "Taken" was that its motivating factor was the opposite of what "The International"'s seems to be--Neeson's character is rescuing his daughter and destroying the men who grabbed her. (Hope that isn't a spoiler.) Simple, clear, and emotionally compelling. I've read other reviews of "The International" that align with lshap's, and it all sounds like a pretty chilly rationale to string together action sequences.
Another reason I liked "Taken" was that I was sort of in the mood to see a lot of bad guys get blown away. I might have enjoyed it less last week... |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| lshap |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:25 pm |
|
|
|
Site Admin
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 4248
Location: Montreal
|
| Car - Then you'll love The International! Didn't I mention it's about a conspiracy to fire as many talented people as possible, organized by the International Clan of Resume Writers? Clive Owen kicks typographical ass! |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| carrobin |
| Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:38 pm |
|
|
|
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
|
| Except for the International Clan of Resume Writers, that concept sounds all too realistic. Seems like an awful lot of real talent is getting dumped these days (like my ex-supervisor, who once was a writer for The Cosby Show), with drones left to keep the wheels turning. At least at my former company. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
