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Post by maarts on Jan 3, 2010 4:33:38 GMT -5
Yeah, trust the Brits to not go overboard and add something to the original.
OK, may well give this one a punt- it starts playing down under from next week!
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Post by Thorngrub on Mar 10, 2010 15:48:11 GMT -5
I'm still thinking about it. How great it was. As an adaptation of the original Lewis Carroll works. A most brilliant and slithy mind, indeed, it took, to seamlessly merge Carroll's two books.
The embellishments added as an after thought, made the tickets worth what they were bought. That Mad Hatter's platters, the rats on the table, the caterpillar, the Cheshire cat, the role-reversal fable.
Johnny Depp brought humanity and a certain dignity to his character. He did a bang up job of it, I must admit. The Haterz & Detractors, on this one, are sooo full of shit. What IS it about this movie y'all don't get?
What The Fuck, Chuck? It must Really Suck, Growing Up. Whatever. This movie's clever. What did you say, Sir? That it's transgressive? I beg to differ; it's subversive. And I found it quite inventive.
How it paralleled the metamorphosis 'tween a teen's post-adolescence & a catterpillar skin's obsolescence, was nothing short of brilliance. I must confess, this film's detractors appear to be a mess. But I digress. The script, the acting, the cinematography, the sets: I have to admit, I was impressed.
The subtleties evoked by the Queen's split aspects. Bayard the Bloodhound stealing the show. And Crispin Glover is the Knave of Hearts--did you know? If the Bandersnatch doesn't steal your breath away, the Jabberwocky should, on this Frabjous Day.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee are something you should really see. (Not to mention the voice of the Jabberwocky is provided by no one less than Christopher Lee.) About all I can think of to wrap all this up, is there's more to this film than will fit in a cup.
Overflowing with wonder and originality, it's curious to me, that some cannot see, what I find to be, most sincerely, an imaginative update of this dearest old story. Most curious, indeed.
From my stance at my unkempt table, you are politely invited to disagree. For what I find to be most sublime about us all, is our very differences, you see. I wouldn't dream of being you (heaven's no); and I would never wish the nightmare of being me, upon anyone I know.
So if you (mistakenly) happen to think that I want you all to agree (with me), then I'm happy to say (heavens to Betsy) that's not why I'm here, today. I just wanted to point out (in case you were wondering) that some folks enjoyed Tim Burton's movie (despite or because of its blundering). I just happen to be (one of those folks) most easily entertained (by inside jokes).
The moral to be found in this review, is that you should never let critics tell you what you should do. (I'm not really that prone to criticize, why waste too much energy on things you despise?) So take it from me, if you're tired of the same old story, yet crave a certain familiarity, then off to the cineplex rabbit-hole you should go, and at once (don't delay, if you don't mind my saying so)!
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Post by Ayinger on Mar 10, 2010 17:43:15 GMT -5
*bravo*
(you make me want to see it now)
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Post by Thorngrub on Apr 20, 2010 12:53:19 GMT -5
I enjoyed the movie KICK ASS, for what should be obvious reasons, assuming it's a given that we all know what this movie is about. It's about the simple fact that, WHEN will they make a movie involving dudes who dress up as "superheroes" and fight crime...for reals? I'm sure most comic-book, action-movie geeks such as myself have long wished for this "realistic" exploration of the pros and cons, the benefits and consequences, of actually going out there and, as McGruff once put it, "taking a bite out of crime". Well, the wait is over: KICK ASS is here.
And yes - it arrives not without its controversy. A friend of mine who normally is "gung ho" about this sort of flick, has expressed zero interest in seeing it - (!!) -on account of the 11-yr old girl who swears up a storm, and oh yeah--kills a lot of people-- I have to admit, the movie is, indeed, quite disturbing, really, in that respect.
The very fact Hollywood dared to go through with this (mostly: in the comic, Hit Girl is 8; in the movie, she's 11) is pretty fuckin' sweet, if you ask me. Not sure what, exactly, making her 3 yrs older achieves - - 11 is still pre-teen, and it's a good thing they stuck with that premise -- of a preteen girl trained to be an assassin by her Dad - -otherwise, the over-arching point the premise is trying to make would've been compromised. So I have to hand it to "Hollywood", or, should I say, to the moviemakers that brought us KICK ASS, for having the balls to keep Hit Girl a preteen, and to stay true to her filthy, corrupted mouth. It's a necessary "slap in the face" which must accompany this movie's "wake up call" about the problem of crime in our society.
That said, I'm afraid the movie falls short of following through with the incredibly complex and mature question of morality vs. violence in modern society. THAT said - - this flaw did not even come close to ruining what turned out to be a flat-out entertaining spin on the superhero comic movie. In short, KICK ASS rules!
It has far too much going for it to bankrupt it's overall charm and small achievements. Namely, you've got a really likeable protagonist in the actor who portrays KICK ASS. I don't know this young star's name, but he is a natural at capturing your typical brainy, grade-A student that most gum-chewing chicks would overlook in their high school halls, despite not being a bad-looking guy, really. HIm and his two chums provided an entertaining and more-realistic-than-not crew of normal, bright high schoolers. I always enjoy movies that depict high school in a certain light, and KICK ASS is no exception. There are some rich rewards to be had insofar as entertainment is concerned, in the various high school relationships depicted. And when our soon-to-be hero actually orders his dorky costume and heads out into the street for some real action, the tension is palpable and you can feel the excitement, as if you were really there. This movie also features some real twists and turns which play with audience expectations, in a very satisfying manner. (To say more would be to venture into "spoiler" territory; so don't worry - -I won't got there.)
But the movie really picks up, when it becomes evident that there is a "superhero" Duo that has actually been actively killing mobsters long before KICK ASS decided to don the suit. And this is where the real heart of the story forms itself: Everyone's worst nightmare, Nicholas Cage, portrays Big Daddy - -the true crime-fighter of the city, who has committed himself to having trained his pre-adolescent daughter Mindy into becoming a stone-cold killer and martial arts/weapons expert: Hit Girl. Hit Girl is the very soul of this movie; hence, if the idea of a little girl swearing like a sailor and viciously murdering thugs by the dozen turns you off - - well, you are going to have a real problem with this movie. Because, like I said, Hit Girl is the soul of KICK ASS.
If she's the movie's soul, then the high school dude who becomes the street-hero KICK ASS, is its heart; and, naturally, the Nic Cage character Big Daddy - is the brains.
Because what you have here, is nothing less than a pretty wry commentary on society's tolerance, and presupposed intolerance of, crime and violence. *mild spoilers to follow, nothing to ruin it for you though*: It quite cleverly sets up Big Daddy as an ex-cop with a vendetta against a local NYC mobster (played with chilling realism by the actor who played the bad guy in Sherlock Holmes recently). His yearning for the vengeance of his slain wife (Hit Girl's Mom) is so passionate that he has extended it, obviously, into his own young daughter, and forged of the shattered remains of their once-happy nuclear unit, a cold-blooded killing machine, a "superhero duo" whose lives are dedicated to taking out this one mobster, by starting at the fringes of his mob, and gunning down and/or stabbing to death all his men, virtually carving their way towards his door, to ultimately take him down for the murder of their matriarch. i.e, I say "cleverly" because, obviously, it takes the pretense of waging violence against such criminal scum, seriously: if one's dedication to such a premise as that is strong enough to withstand the indoctrination of their own daughter, then you know they mean business.
Whether its "right" or "wrong", is left up to the audience to decide. It's certainly presented as a thorny problem with no clear black or white, in this movie. Except to say . . . well, to actually say what happens, would be to really SPOIL it for you; I won't do that, here. All I can do is suggest that the movie KICK ASS "follows through" with its premise, and even if it does so predictably, one cannot deny that it is one helluva entertaining ride, from start to finish. It's at once campy AND realistic; hilarious and tragic; incisive and clumsy. The acting is very good from the entire cast, with the possible exception of Nic Cage - he should really give it up with his "mannered speech" which tries (and fails) to pass for "acting"; but I personally didn't let his acting flaws ruin what otherwise was a spectacular and fun time at the movies. Besides - -I happen to have a soft spot for Nic Cage, based on his old days as an acceptable, cool movie star (see: Wild At Heart, etc).
As a clear and well-thought out statement about VIGILANTISM, the movie KICK ASS is mandatory viewing. It escalates the premises set formerly by such movies (THE DARK KNIGHT, DEATH WISH, etc) and, in combining the controversy of vigilantism with comic book superhero conventions, KICK ASS offers a delightful escapism that collides against a reinforced, brick wall of confrontation with the reality of organized crime. As such, I consider this movie to be among the most important installments in exploring this territory, regardless of its (very few) flaws.
In fact, this is easily one of the best movies I've seen in a while, because it's humorous, shocking, actually disturbing--and wildly entertaining. The fact it is (obviously) being "down-played" even now while I type this out and it continues its (sure to be limited) run in theaters, lends me the confidence to suggest that it certainly outdoes WATCHMEN insofar as driving home its point.
Whereas WATCHMEN (the movie) failed largely due to a "by numbers" approach at grandiosity, KICK ASS hits the bull's-eye by cutting through such pretensious bullshit, and presenting likeable and believable characters in a realistic setting that provides many LOL moments and a general sense of excitement while we identify with most of the characters and situations.
In short, here is the bottom line:
KICK ASS kicks ass.
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Post by Thorngrub on Apr 20, 2010 12:57:47 GMT -5
*bravo* (you make me want to see it now) Thanks, Ayinger! ;D I think it's quite the enjoyable movie, and adaptation. Seen it yet? Let us know what you thought of it, once you do. |
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Post by Ayinger on Apr 20, 2010 19:13:21 GMT -5
Thorn dude -- you're UNreal !!! I popped in here today just to leave you a msg on this board to see if you'd taken in Kick Ass yet as I was interested in what your opinion would be....and HERE IT IS !!! fuckin' sweet man!
Haven't seen it yet myself....it's rare that I drag myself out to the cinemas any more but when I heard an interview over the weekend with the actors and got some background on the movie,,,,*yeah* -- was def. sounding like something I'd want to go catch on the big screen rather than wait so see it at home.
Thanks again man.....might have to get my own ass out to this one on the weekend!
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Post by RocDoc on Apr 20, 2010 21:13:37 GMT -5
*bravo* (you make me want to see it now) Thanks, Ayinger! ;D I think it's quite the enjoyable movie, and adaptation. Seen it yet? Let us know what you thought of it, once you do. we saw it sunday afternoon and i LOVED it! i worried about the heads floating in the red queen's moat would give my son some nightmares as miniature alice jumped from floating head to floating head...the consequence to bonham-carter's 'OFF with his head!!'....cooler than shit all the way down the line, made even BETTER by the 3D presentation we attended (and for only 5 bucks! 2nd run theaters ROCK!)....it HAS to be seen on a big screen, minimum. the disney version is great imo but this leaves it in the dust.... |
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Post by Thorngrub on May 17, 2010 15:46:01 GMT -5
I didn't like Iron Man 2 nearly as much as I did 1.
That is all.
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Post by Ayinger on May 17, 2010 19:28:58 GMT -5
That's about as to what I expected of it. I'll save cash to see it on OnDemand (as well as it turns out KICKASS).
ROBIN HOOD looks like a dud too.....fucking History Channel had a 2hr special on the "real" Robin Hood that was pretty much just a promo to the movie. That sucked too. Wanted to get some REAL info which turned out to be pretty short....legend in my family was that we were related to him through my mother's side. Don't know where all that started but that was the deal ever since I was a kid. 'Course now the facts are hazier as to it really have been one particular person....but still interesting to me.
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Post by Meursault on Jun 3, 2010 17:39:26 GMT -5
I liked Shutter Island. DIdn't much care for Iron Man.
Has anyone seen the new Freddy movie?
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Post by Ayinger on Jun 3, 2010 18:32:09 GMT -5
I liked Shutter Island. DIdn't much care for Iron Man. Has anyone seen the new Freddy movie? Yeah....clips I saw seemed to hardly differ from the original --- what's the point? oh,,,, $ $$ ....as with Halloween, Texas Chain Saw Massacre, etc. |
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Post by RocDoc on Sept 9, 2010 21:15:36 GMT -5
kinda liked 'the time traveler's wife' (night before last), tho there's a LOT to forgive if you're some sort of literalist. or get totally creeped out over the general idea that here's some guy stalking (in a way where he has no choice)a girl from the time she's 10, after knowing he's going to love her anyway.
if you buy that it HAS to exist on another plane, you'll prob like it. a lot.
i did.
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Post by Thorngrub on Nov 9, 2010 12:39:20 GMT -5
Has anyone seen the new Freddy movie? There's another FREDDY GOT FINGERED?!  |
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Post by RocDoc on Nov 9, 2010 23:55:43 GMT -5
honestly i hate those fucking movies...no offense intended but there's NO pleasure at all in them for me.
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JACkory
Struggling Artist
Posts: 167
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Post by JACkory on Dec 25, 2010 23:30:19 GMT -5
Personally I didn't like Kick Ass. The characters were totally unlikeable. I couldn't get past the little whippersnapper's language. I had to rewind a couple of times to ensure that, yes, I actually had heard her use the word "cunt". Nope. Sorry. The bad taste that left in my mouth ensured that no matter how much the movie may have improved in it's remaining run time I would never be able to get over that, as it seemed so obviously calculated not only to offend but to generate controversy as well, a gimmick that would overshadow the weaknesses in the character development, acting, plot and basically everything else about it.
"Shutter Island" was great, even if it was not too difficult to figure out the "twist" long before it came around. I loved it.
Best movie I've seen in a long time: "The Social Network". Of course the subject matter is interesting enough, but there is so much more to the film, I would go so far as to suggest that it is Oscar quality material.
Can't wait to see "True Grit".
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