tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post2207909612874185792..comments2024-02-16T18:07:05.844-05:00Comments on ZONE: Recent Screeningscowboyangelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-18299043155428949742007-09-26T08:49:00.000-04:002007-09-26T08:49:00.000-04:00William,Well, maybe that's true. maybe I do like ...William,<BR/><BR/>Well, maybe that's true. maybe I do like him because he's a homeboy. I will concede this, not to be cruel, but he doesn't seem to be aging too gracefully. He's porking out a little bit, I don't know if he's been passing up too many leftovers lately.<BR/><BR/>Very interesting about Astaire and the dance-editing sequences. I was not aware of that.<BR/><BR/>Yes, I did see <I>United 93</I>. Last year I did a review and a 9/11 restrospective <A HREF="http://estamos-vivo.blogspot.com/2006/08/of-planes-plots-and-911-films.html" REL="nofollow">here</A>.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10754406706300818849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-66984070274872490252007-09-25T10:21:00.000-04:002007-09-25T10:21:00.000-04:00>Funny... I like Matt DamonActually, that's not fu...>Funny... I like Matt Damon<BR/><BR/>Actually, that's not funny at all , Jeff. I'd say it's very serious, and you should probably see someone about it.<BR/><BR/>:-)<BR/><BR/>You like Damon because he's your homeboy! You Boston guys . . .<BR/><BR/>He's alright - even pretty good in the right role. But we've already covered this ground. It's going to take more effort on his part to convince me that he's not bland rather than "understated" in too many films. But it can happen. I now respect Leonardo DiCaprio, and I didn't think that would ever be possible. And I like Damon a lot more than I did Leo.<BR/><BR/>The only Ludlum books I've read are the first two Bourne books. I thought he had some good ideas in those, but he's a mediocre writer. His language is terribly dull.<BR/><BR/>Greengrass... I just looked him up on IMDB. I've only seen the Bourne Supremacy. Did you see United 93? I thought that was supposed to be good, and have thought about watching it, but now that I know he's the director... <BR/><BR/>Oh, no - I see he's the director of a film version of Imperial Life in the Emerald City! First of all, I'm shocked they're making a moive of that. Secondly, that was such a great book that doesn't have anything to do with action movies. It's all description and character and tone. Oh man . . . <BR/><BR/>"Action on the cheap." That's a great way to put it, Jeff. I'm going to steal that line for one of my reviews. I agree with you - I don't like the trend at all. It's a huge philosophical difference from letting action develop naturally on the screen. It's related to Fred Astaire - believe or not. Before Fred, dance scenes were totally edited and shot from unnatural angles. He fought for and won creative control, demanding that his dances were shot in one take (of very few) and from a camera point of view that was closer to the way people watch dance in real life. That's one of the reasons his dances have so much integrity and beauty and power. I think it's similar with action. Quick-edits are a part of the trend towards making violence more and more unreal and cartoon-like. So it actually takes away the power and visceral aspect of it. It's dehumanizing, in my foggy-brained opinion. Plus, as with the heavily-edited dance sequences in the late 20s and early 30s, you don't actually have to have much talent as an actor. They do it for you in the editing room.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-82186266018627604412007-09-24T17:39:00.000-04:002007-09-24T17:39:00.000-04:00Funny... I like Matt Damon, and I hate Robert Ludl...Funny... I like Matt Damon, and I hate Robert Ludlum's books.<BR/><BR/>I like the job Damon does as Jason Bourne, although Paul Greengrass isn't my favorite director. He uses too many quick-cut edits, which is a trend in action movies these days which is driving me up the wall. It's action on the cheap. It's cheating. It's no substitute for good choreography, but maybe good choreography and stunt planning just costs too much these days. Another big offender, sad to say, is Ridley Scott. His <I>Gladiator</I>, with all of those sub-second cuts, was almost unwatchable for my old eyes. Give me Spartacus vs. Tiberius with Kirk Douglas anyday.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10754406706300818849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-86655622688343379152007-09-24T14:01:00.000-04:002007-09-24T14:01:00.000-04:00Yes, in the books, Bourne wasn't quite as nice as ...Yes, in the books, Bourne wasn't quite as nice as in the Daimon movie. The TV movie was closer to the book. How about the movie I, Robot ..... aside from the fact that there were robots, it was really different from the book.crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05681674503952991492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-456777866358475532007-09-24T11:26:00.000-04:002007-09-24T11:26:00.000-04:00I'm not a big Damon fan, but I thought he did okay...I'm not a big Damon fan, but I thought he did okay in the first Bourne movie. Still, "underimpressed" is a good way to put it.<BR/><BR/>What I find so amusing about the Bourne books and movies is that they have nothing whatsoever to do with each other, besides the titles and the name of the main character. I don't remember ever seeing such a huge discrepancy between a movie and the book it was based on.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-86251179581284492382007-09-24T01:47:00.000-04:002007-09-24T01:47:00.000-04:00I read all the Bourne books by Ludlum and liked t...I read all the Bourne books by Ludlum and liked them a lot. I've seen the first two movies but not the third yet. I'm underimpressed by Matt Damon. There was an old made for tv movie of the first Bourne book that starred Richard Chamberlain .... kind of campy but still a nice travelogue.crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05681674503952991492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-69097703850487813602007-09-23T23:49:00.000-04:002007-09-23T23:49:00.000-04:00Jeff,Thanks for the comment. Yeah, Ava was someth...Jeff,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the comment. Yeah, Ava was something else. Sad life, though. I just finished her biography, and after a while her life just seemed so empty. She and Dominguin, who was the greatest matador of his generation, were lovers, but it was another matador, Mario Cabre - the first matador she dated - who drove Frank crazy jealous. Then again, he was crazy jealous about anyone when it came to Ava. She really got to him. He wound up slitting his wrists at one point. They definitely had a fiery relationship - though they stayed close even after their divorce.<BR/><BR/>So you liked Bourne Ultimatum? We've been hesitant to see it. We liked the first one very much, but the second one just seemed like excessive action without any real story or characters, and I see #3 is the same director as #2. We'll probably catch it on video. Let me know what you think of Blood Diamond if you see it.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-64974037300136705712007-09-23T23:33:00.000-04:002007-09-23T23:33:00.000-04:00Crystal, Interesting that you found it boring. I ...Crystal, <BR/><BR/>Interesting that you found it boring. I don't remember the beginning that well now, but I don't remember it being so slow. These things happen.cowboyangelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13452987299073540171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-2636026685946094052007-09-23T18:14:00.000-04:002007-09-23T18:14:00.000-04:00Hi William,Another fine set of reviews, I haven't ...Hi William,<BR/><BR/>Another fine set of reviews, I haven't seen any of them yet, although the plot of <I>Alvarez Kelly</I> sounds very familiar. I might have seen that one on TV when I was a kid.<BR/><BR/>Ava Gardner was really something, wasn't she, although I understand she was a bit out of control. Not quite in the Vivien Leigh category, but maybe in the same league with Liz Taylor. Who was the bullfighter she used to run with, the one that made Frank Sinatra so crazy jealous? Domiguin?<BR/><BR/><I>Blood Diamond</I> is absolutely on my list to see. I haven't seen many movies lately, but I did make it out to see <I>The Bourne Ultimatum</I> recently. It was pretty good. Faster paced than the first movie (didn't see the second). Very entertaining.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10754406706300818849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27601672.post-86576732274806613052007-09-19T19:25:00.000-04:002007-09-19T19:25:00.000-04:00I've only see one, or part of one, of these movies...I've only see one, or part of one, of these movies, so it was good to find out about the others. I saw about 1/3 of Blood Diamond before I lost interest. Didn't even get to the part with Leonardo. I read a novel once about Cecil Rhodes and diamond mines ... pretty interesting.crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05681674503952991492noreply@blogger.com