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Watched this mainly due to the nostalgia factor. One of the Tarzan movies I saw in the cinema as a little kid. Nazis bring trouble to both the isolationist Tarzan and to Palandria. These old Tarzan movies must be one of the inspirations for Indiana Jones. The end scene is also a clear inspiration for something similar in Bond. The one thing that stands out as brilliant is the score, as in most movies from that period. It has become a more and more lost art.
The voice work is great with Holly and Craig really bringing the characters to life. Action, laughs and a good overall message. As we were leaving the theatre my sons had this conversation:
7 year old "Do you think they will make an Incredibles 3?
13 year old ""well it's Disney. They are making like 7 Star Wars films so I would say it's likely.
Wow they get jaded so young now! LOL!
I watched all the Johnny Weissmuller films as a kid numerous times, some of my favorite childhood movies.
Nice to see some love for the old Tarzan films. I had a Weissmuller collection DVD set that had that one. I always liked the later RKO Tarzans.
I should revisit some of those again, as I haven't seen any of the Lex Barker or Gordon Scott films in ages.
Both to be honest! Hoping they team up again?!
Ransom (1975)
Sean Connery plays Tahlvik, the head of security of "Scandinavia," who is forced to deal with two groups of British terrorists: one holds the British ambassador hostage, demanding the release of their fellow men, who are under arrest. The second group, led by Ian McShane, hijacks a plane under the suspicion the first group will fall into a trap set by the British authorities.
Not great, but a slick and well-made thriller with an emphasis on procedure and a no-nonsense style. Reminds me of The Day of the Jackal in that sense. Connery and McShane are solid. The twist at the end is clever and justified well enough.
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Fearless (1993)
This is a fine, fine film. Maybe my favorite directed by Peter Weir. It tells the story of Max (Jeff Bridges), who survives an airliner crash, and in the process, loses his fear of those things we're all afraid of. He crosses busy highways without a care in the world, walks the edges of tall buildings and eats strawberries, which he is allergic to. He also grows distant from his family. The airline therapist (John Turturro) and Max's wife (Isabella Rossellini) are at a loss as to how to deal with him. Meanwhile, Max finds himself striking a strong personal connection with Carla (Rosie Perez), another survivor.
(Spoilers ahead)
The fact is Max actually appears to be just fine at first. In fact, he comes across as inusually lucid, and we see his physical senses appear to have been sharpened (recall the scene with him touching the dirt). But we see that because in a way, whereas other survivors fell apart after the crash, Max was affected in the opposite direction: he overcompensated for it. He prepared for death, but it never came (which is why he talks of being a 'ghost').
There's something about the subtlety and specificity of Max's problem that feels real. Some of the psychological and mental "misadjustments" we can suffer in life, may at first appear to be minor things that should be easy to fix, when the fact is they're anything but, and are in fact rooted in complex causes. Such is the sneaky nature of the afflictions of the mind.
The film makes clear parallels between Max and Jesus Christ: Max instills a strange sense of peace among the passengers before the crash, and after it, he leads them to safety. Afterwards, he remains a figure of admiration for them, especially a young kid (who Max's own son doesn't know how to feel about). Also, in a more obvious bit of symbolism, Max has a flesh wound near the rib, just like the statue of Christ at the church. But what does this all mean? Well, at the end of the film, Max's wife looks at his drawings and one of them has something written on it which reads as follows: "The soul comes to the end of its long journey, and naked and alone, draws near to the divine." The implication is that Max felt some sort of connection with something of divine nature after the accident and his brush with death. The film analyzes that from a religious point of view, but I don't feel it chains itself to it; it is merely a means of exemplifying that otherworldliness that Max experiences after the crash. The point is that in lacking fear, he becomes superhuman in a way. But that quality isn't compatible with the rest of his life. Living that way will lead him to loneliness and probably death. He isn't really suited to that "divinity." So he gets rid of it when he is "saved" by his wife. Like Carla in the car crash, by tasting the strawberry, Max tests the limits of his mental state and rids himself of his trauma. Carla discovers that she couldn't have saved the baby, and Max rediscovers his mortality ("I'm alive!" he says at the end). (Those occasions in which he eats strawberries, are they merely acts of fearlessness or are they part of a subconscious drive to heal himself?)
Throughout the film, we get glimpses into Max's memories of the crash. Colored by our understanding of the story and of Max, these scenes constitute some of the best, most intriguing and emotional parts of the film, especially the final flashback.
But the film doesn't just show us Max's emotional journey. In fact, another great scene in the movie doesn't even feature the character. In it, months after the crash, the survivors (Max excepted) gather to discuss their individual experiences and overcome their traumas. The whole scene --with the anger, the sadness and the need for closure-- feels so real, spontaneous and immediate, no doubt thanks to the combined contributions of the actors, the director and the script.
The cast is all in top form. Bridges is superb, and very well complemented by Perez, Rossellini and Turturro, as well as Benicio del Toro and Tom Hulce. Hulce provides a healthy counterweight to the drama, playing Max's shrewd lawyer with just the right dose of fun overacting. He reminded me of Arliss Howard's lawyer character in A Map of the World (1999), another drama in which the lawyer provides some levity.
Anyway, Fearless provides an engaging and rich look at what it means to come into close contact with death, and how it can affect our mindset in radical ways. Death is, after all, a big part of life. Watch the film!
@RogueAgent
I watched the film based on your - uh - "recommend". :) I had a pretty good time with it but I share your sentiment. Laughing with and at the film at the same time.
Fun movie.
Good choice. One of the better comedies to come out lately.
There are of course the now obligatory visible minority heroes and subtle (and not so subtle) political point scoring ("nasty woman" probably went over most folk's heads). An African American here, a Mexican there. Check, check. We're done.
The whole thing rests on Chris Pratt's undeniable charisma and star power which eclipses the Jurassic creatures.
I don't think Michael Chricton would be too happy about what they've done here.
Fantastic sequel. I enjoyed every moment of it.
Stargate (1994) As much as I try, I could never fully finish this movie.
An amazing cast, but the true star is the chaotic nightmare visuals that ram the allegorical tale down the viewers collective throats. Aronofsky was unrelenting in his story-telling.
It's cliche to say they don't make films like this anymore, but in this case, it's the truth. Aronofsky was very brave to tell his story in this way (and took a battering from critics and audiences alike).
Best to see during the early hours of the Midsummer day or Juhannus as we call it here.
We call it St. Hans.
The marketing for the film sold it as a Rosemary’s Baby-type psych-drama. This did it no favours.
Saying that, it’s such a unique film I’m really not quite sure how it should have been marketed.
Fascinating film, which can be interpreted multiple ways. I recall pondering it for a while after my first and only viewing, and feel I must get to it again soon.
All excellent points that I completely agree with @bondjames.
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Die Hard (1988) - 4K
I was finally able to pick up a reasonably priced 4K copy of this undisputed classic, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. It was like watching the film for the first time in this format. The restoration certainly enhances the experience tremendously (although it's still not as clear as a brand new film, with some visible grain during key scenes). There's not much that can be said about this film that hasn't been said already. Sheer perfection, anchored by fantastic performances by Bruce Willis & Alan Rickman. Willis in his prime is the epitome of cool, rugged, masculinity, as we would expect. However, underneath all that bravado he is vulnerable too, and it is that vulnerability which makes him such a compelling everyman hero in this film. That's a valuable and relatable quality that disappeared over time with the sequels (although to be a fair a bit of it returned for DH3). Rickman is as good here as some of the best Bond villains. Foreign, well dressed, well educated, cultured, cultivated, arrogant, and extremely ruthless. It's a brilliant performance from him. Bonnie Bedelia is quite excellent too as smart, brave and feisty Holly 'Gennaro'. Let's not forget Reginald VelJohnson's Al Powell, who might just be the most entertaining rotund cop since JW. Pepper.
I love this film. It's as good today as it ever was. Actually no - in fact, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, it's even better. Dwayne Johnson has his work cut out for him in the upcoming Skyscraper (similarly based in a high rise). I hope they get the remaining entries (or at the very least the next three) out in this format soon.
I really don't want to spend any money on this, but my friend who is crazy about dinosaurs wants me to go see it with him. How can I just tell him the movie is not worth it? Everything I've heard about this movie...
Then again I've only seen The Lost World in the cinema.
I know I will never, ever waste what time I have on this earth on this film. My 16 year old saw it and even he crapped on it.
1993 was a long time ago.
I don’t know why any sensible adult would pay the admission.
Save your money and see Sicario: day of the soldano
Honestly, unless u have kids, why would you see this?? Why? Pratt’s good, but not good enough to pay $15/ticket for a Happy-Meal-of-a-“movie”... single adults in their 40s who paid for this just became shills...
I don’t really worry about wasting money on crappy films now days since I have the MoviePass. I’ve seen 5 films so far this month and it theoretically only cost me $9.95.
But as you mentioned, I did waste my time on this film. I felt bored and was just waiting for it to end.
Revenge of the nerds: sigh as a "nerd" I guess myself this movie is not funny but I am trying to grasp some things that are remotely interesting... first I like how the nerds all have different personalities I love the 80's music and the montages are ok but seriously this is just blah maybe because the humor hits too close I don't know but the movie is not working for me but it's better then Grease and Before Sunset and yes music and T and A was what knocked it up a few paces
Batman Begins: Amanda never saw a solo batman film and I thought this would be perfect to start with as it's one of my favorite films I honestly have a tough time with how to rank The A-team Batman Begins and Casino Royale but I honestly think this year I am going to put Batman begins a bit higher because while all 3 are amazing Batman Begins actually inspires me to go to a gym and start working out it's a poor reason but I can't rank all 3 films at number 1 but honestly I will put batman at number one for now
Ferris Bueller's day off
and we end our trilogy with John Hughes classic. its a great film and honestly one of my favorites
Films I have seen in 2018 (I don't think I am splitting up bond and non bond this year as I don't know how many I am actually gonna see)
1. Batman Begins
2. Casino Royale
3. The A-team
4. The Final Girls
5. The Saint
6. Taken 2
7. The Shadow
8. Taken
9. Ferris buller's day off
10. Nonstop
11. Unknown
12. Stand By Me
13. Before Sunrise
14. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
15. Goonies
16. Before Midnight
17. Revenge of the nerds
18. Grease
19. Before Sunset
Before series
1. Before Sunrise
2. Before Midnight
3. Before Sunset
Stephen King movies
1. Stand By Me
Corey Feldman movies
1. Stand by me
2. Teenage mutant ninja turtles
3. Goonies
Taken Series
1. Taken 2
2. Taken
Liam Neeson (sort of) retrospective series
1. Batman Begins
2. The A-team
3. Taken 2
4. Taken
5. Non Stop
6. Unknown
Batman/Dc films ( as I can guarantee I will see more then just Batman Begins this year)
1. Batman Begins