It is an example of Chris Nolan at his best, where his visual device, as powerful as it is, it does not overwhelm the narrative. If you take a look at ‘The Dark Knight,’ as powerful as the visual of the film was, the most memorable scene in the movie, at least for me, was the talking scene between Batman and Joker. Two guys talking in an action film is the most compelling part of an action film. That’s Chris Nolan at his best.
—Stephen Tobolowsky in an interview with the A.V. Club
Don’t ever write a check with your mouth you can’t cash with your ass.
— Wise Man (played by Scott Glenn) in Sucker Punch
I don’t want no volunteers, I don’t want no mates. There’s too many captains on this island…
—Quint (Jaws, the quintessential summer movie)
Things I Learned From Re-Watching the LOTR Trilogy This Weekend:
(Spoilers Ahoy)
- Pippin is a piece of shit. He ruins EVERYTHING. First he starts the fire on Weathertop that attracts the Nazgul and gets Frodo stabbed. Then he disturbs the waters in front of the mines of Moria which upsets the Octopus thing that forces them inside. Then, while in Moria, he knocks a skeleton down a well and attracts the forces of Mordor. Idiot…
- Peter Jackson doesn’t know how to end a movie. He does a full fade to black at a fine ending point… while there’s still 30 minutes left. Then five minutes later, at another perfectly acceptable stopping point, he does ANOTHER fade to black. Then, he does a full fade to white at the ideal ending place… but there’s still ten minutes left! Never fade to black or white unless it’s all over. Rule number one. Would it kill him to try a cross dissolve?
- The conclusion of the Battle at Minas Tirith still bugs the hell out of me and leaves a bad taste in my mouth regarding the entire saga. All films considered, this is a 9.5 hour story being told. And with only two hours left we are introduced to a troop of ghost pirates that owe Gondor a favor.
The entire series has led to this battle, and what happens? It is the cheapest victory in history. They sweep over the battlefield like a green mist, striking their enemies… but not being able to be struck down.
Let me reiterate that point, because it’s the one aspect that really bothers me: they’re INVINCIBLE.
If Aragorn asked them to fulfill their oath and then they transformed back to their former selves and became an extra set of soldiers that helped even the fight and eventually they overcame the forces of Mordor: I approve.
But instead, everybody that fought and died up to this point have done so in vain. And everything leading up to this moment (all 7.5 hours of storytelling mind you) seems silly and trivial because, no worries, we have a force of invincible ghost pirates who will take care of this whole ‘Army of Mordor’ thing for us in 30 seconds flat. It’s such bullshit. I am infuriated right now just typing this.
And if you’ve read the books (which I have not) please don’t immediately get up in arms because they lay the groundwork for this conclusion more so in the novels.
I don’t care.
A movie must be judged as its own, stand-alone product. And even if that’s how it happens in the book, that doesn’t excuse it. That doesn’t make it any less lazy or cheap. Whether I saw it happen on a screen or read it happen in a book, my feelings remain the same.
Regardless of the intellectual property, I hate when people shrug off faults by saying, “well, that’s how it was in the book.” Ooooh, really? Okay, then I guess that makes everything peachy. Wrong! Stupid is stupid, regardless of the medium.
/Rant
We looked at all possible candidates. You have an immaculate record. Some people don’t trust a guy with an immaculate record. I do. I have an immaculate record.
—Captain Ellerby (as portrayed by Alec Baldwin in The Departed)
This is the latest post on my film review site. I felt it deserved a little more attention because honestly, this has to be the best movie I’ve seen so far this year. I’m simply in love with it and, like with all things I love, I have a compulsion to share it with the world. Go see it!
The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and goodwill shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
—What I like to imagine a member of SEAL Team Six said before ending Osama bin Laden
I reviewed Zack Snyder’s latest two hours of crazy on Should I Go See It? but I wanted to elaborate for a minute.
I’ve been waiting for this movie with giddy anticipation for a while now and I’ve been publicly discussing how excited I have been for it. So I figured it’d only be right to explain myself a little more than the one sentence review format that SIGSI allows.
Did it end up being my favorite movie of all time? No. Did I still enjoy the hell out of it as I wanted to? Yes.
The movie is so thoroughly soaked and dripping with style that you can’t help but be absorbed by it. The narrative is meh, but it’s a means to an end. That ‘end’ being some ridiculous action sequences. If I had the opportunity to re-edit the film, I’d honestly just stitch those set pieces together and pretend the entire movie is a collection of adventures with a rag-tag, time/space-traveling task force of hotties.
But alas, Snyder decide to weave a story in there about trapped and abused young girls. I didn’t really find myself relating to it enough to make a strong emotional connection, which, if that connection was present, would have elevated the film in my mental rankings.
Regardless, it’s a ridiculous movie that has to be seen to be believed. So I suggest you check it out. Even if it’s something you may not be into, you’ll definitely walk away with a strong opinion and something to talk about. I promise you that.
DANA: What’s Gozer?
VENKMAN: Gozer was very big in Sumeria. Big guy.
DANA: Well, what’s he doing in my ice box?!
VENKMAN: … I’m working on that.
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Ghostbusters (also known as the funniest movie ever made)
This remains my favorite movie poster of all time. Anyone else have a favorite they wanna share?
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