remember waking up after falling asleep during gladiator after sneaking into it after walking out of U-571 after ten mins ten years ago
all these films are shit
― conrad, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 20:27 (thirteen years ago) link
Assume it was the director's cut I saw on TV, had no problem with it making sense but can really do without that horrible thing where u have a historical setting full of peeps behaving like 21st Century guys
so you weren't a fan of the bump-n-grind scene in A Knight's Tale
― Cheese? In MY coffee? (It's more likely than you think!) (HI DERE), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 20:27 (thirteen years ago) link
the movie makes sense in its normal cut it just isn't fleshed out very well, e.g. eva green's son who gets lepresy. xposts
― Gee, Officer (Gukbe), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 20:27 (thirteen years ago) link
haha totally thought about A Knight's Tale when watching RH since both films get going with a similar plot device. then realized they're both Brian Helgeland.
― Gee, Officer (Gukbe), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 20:29 (thirteen years ago) link
a knight's tale good movie
― conrad, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 20:29 (thirteen years ago) link
My feeling is that if [Robin Hood] was alive today, he would be looking at the dissemination of media as the greatest injustice in the world.
It must suck to be trailed by photographers, but Crowe can eat as many bags of dicks as there are stars in the sky for this.
― da croupier, Wednesday, 12 May 2010 20:29 (thirteen years ago) link
can deal with shit like Knight's Tale, just don't think anachronism is awesome in serious business movie
― Coalition (Remix) (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 20:30 (thirteen years ago) link
also, re: RH
SPOILER ALERT
can we please stop having women turn up in armour on a battlefied. maybe i'm only thinking of Miranda Otto in LOTR (I AM NO MAN), but really, we've just got to stop this shit.
― Gee, Officer (Gukbe), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 20:33 (thirteen years ago) link
Tons of historically documented accounts of hot babes turning up to medieval battles in disguise tho
― Coalition (Remix) (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 12 May 2010 20:35 (thirteen years ago) link
also, Otto's character slaying the Witch King was in the book too so nyah
― (latebloomer) (latebloomer), Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:33 (thirteen years ago) link
also "I AM NO MAN" was fucking awesome so why don't u let the womyn fight, dickcheese and go cower in the corner of battlefield while they save your ass!
― (latebloomer) (latebloomer), Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:38 (thirteen years ago) link
also Robin Hood ain't even a real historical person so its not like it matters
also eff this movie it looks like ass
― (latebloomer) (latebloomer), Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:42 (thirteen years ago) link
this was p tite
better than 'american gangster'
kinda eisenstein/griffith ish
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:43 (thirteen years ago) link
does sean connery come in at the end to kiss the bride
― (latebloomer) (latebloomer), Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:46 (thirteen years ago) link
xp you're going to have to come up with something better than "better than american gangster" if you want to make the posters. want to believe this is good, hoping for gladiator w/ bows and arrows basically.
― joe, Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:47 (thirteen years ago) link
what gladiator needed was a crowe/t-rex fight, not medieval weaponry
― (latebloomer) (latebloomer), Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:48 (thirteen years ago) link
i didn't like 'gladiator' but this was better than 'gladiator'
<3 u cate blanchett
i think the sequel will own hard
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:50 (thirteen years ago) link
latebloomer, take it to ANNOUNCEMENT - CALL FOR PITCHES - MAX AND LAMP FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY LLC
― joe, Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:51 (thirteen years ago) link
ok, i will watch this and probably enjoy it.
already am tired of hearing I DECREE HIM AN OUUUUTLLAWWWRRRRRR in commercials again and again and again
― Nhex, Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:54 (thirteen years ago) link
Love the defending of Eowyn from latebloomer, who says chivalry's dead.
― not_goodwin, Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:54 (thirteen years ago) link
clearly wanted to make a movie about political intrigue in medieval england. would have been kind of great without all the robin hood stuff. also f u guys marion and the kids on ponies turning up at the battled was next level stupid. also starting a petition to ban scott from ever attempting humour or levity in his films, coz it's just awkward now.
― Gee, Officer (Gukbe), Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:54 (thirteen years ago) link
i agree the final battle was kind of suck
did they really have normandy-type landing craft in 1199? i don't think that kind of boat was even around in 1915
and the music was really meh. should have just used prokoviev or whatever.
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Thursday, 13 May 2010 23:57 (thirteen years ago) link
though all these bitches complaining about the accents... what did 12th century brits sound like? iirc the nobs all spoke french anyway.
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Friday, 14 May 2010 00:09 (thirteen years ago) link
complaining about accents in this is dumb. i was desperate to like it because of the general historical accuracy (not robin, obv). the look and the feel were great. it was just the plot kept getting in the way. btw i don't think there will be a sequel. i can't see this performing well at the box office.
― Gee, Officer (Gukbe), Friday, 14 May 2010 00:13 (thirteen years ago) link
opening weekend aside, of course, and i don't even have much faith in that.
yeah i can't entirely see this being huge -- or huge enough. apparently it cost $230m or something crazy. but i don't understand what other people like.
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Friday, 14 May 2010 00:16 (thirteen years ago) link
or don't like. a lot of 'em liked "avatar". fewer liked "public enemies".
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Friday, 14 May 2010 00:17 (thirteen years ago) link
complicated story + general lack of fun = box office failure imo
― Gee, Officer (Gukbe), Friday, 14 May 2010 00:19 (thirteen years ago) link
did you guys know that "robin hood ballads" were one of the main species of british ballads for centuries? in fact they were the major way the story was spread and retained for much of that time.
i advise looking up some of these ballad texts, since this phenomenon is likely to be 100,000x as interesting as this film. which i might see, against my better judgement, this weekend.
― by another name (amateurist), Friday, 14 May 2010 04:50 (thirteen years ago) link
also ALL people in historical movies act like 20th and 21st century folks to some extent. how could it be otherwise? and there are some pretty great films (sansho dayu anyone?) that effectively rewrite the ideology of past eras to suit the present (in a politically-correct fashion). but some do it in intelligent ways, and some are just dumb. i though kingdom of heaven was somewhere in-between.
― by another name (amateurist), Friday, 14 May 2010 04:51 (thirteen years ago) link
Not seen this but it seems like yet another attempt to "reimagine" a traditional hero so he's "darker" and "more complex". I'm assuming he waterboards Guy of Gisbon.
― I see what this is (Local Garda), Friday, 14 May 2010 07:56 (thirteen years ago) link
no, no, not at all
it is kinda gruff, but not in that way
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Friday, 14 May 2010 07:57 (thirteen years ago) link
Really? The whole trailer/posters hint at that Dark Knight thing to me.
Also does the traditional "British creepy gay" appear as villain?
― I see what this is (Local Garda), Friday, 14 May 2010 08:01 (thirteen years ago) link
does this have the mumble mumble LOUD MUSIC mumble mumble that ruined gladiator? dude needs to enunciate.
― tomofthenest, Friday, 14 May 2010 08:04 (thirteen years ago) link
it's totally not a "dark knight" thing. robin in this is uncomplicatedly heroic, and the dastardly french are uncomplicatedly evil.
there are multiple villains, but none of them read as gay, i don't think. the main one is kinda french. but then this is only 130 years after the norman conquest so.
there is a bit too much mumbling, yes (though not of course from cate), and the music is underwhelming.
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Friday, 14 May 2010 08:31 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah, not 'Dark Knight' in the character sense. it is an attempt to graft the myth onto actual historical events, however, and the two do not sit together very well.
― Gee, Officer (Gukbe), Friday, 14 May 2010 12:08 (thirteen years ago) link
" Cinematographer John Mathieson, using a palette of dank mud greens and grays, seems to be going for kitchen-sink medievalism, and in the process gives us the ugliest England imaginable, a country hardly worth saving. "
stephanie zacharek is an idiot with no aesthetic sense
if anything england looks too pretty
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Friday, 14 May 2010 14:28 (thirteen years ago) link
not with cate blanchett front and centre it doesn't
― May be half naked, but knows a good headline when he sees it (darraghmac), Friday, 14 May 2010 14:29 (thirteen years ago) link
cate blanchett is gd hott
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Friday, 14 May 2010 14:31 (thirteen years ago) link
is she maid marian then? in a joan of arc-y kind of getup?
― taylory dayne (goole), Friday, 14 May 2010 14:32 (thirteen years ago) link
meh-d marian
― May be half naked, but knows a good headline when he sees it (darraghmac), Friday, 14 May 2010 14:35 (thirteen years ago) link
^madness. Cate rules.
― Whirlwind Bromance (Tom D.), Friday, 14 May 2010 14:57 (thirteen years ago) link
Cate is great, but the movie's a snore.
― Simon H., Friday, 14 May 2010 16:05 (thirteen years ago) link
they should have cut the backstory, made it a bit less braveheart-y, and done a different ending... the first battle seemed pretty "realistic", but the beach invasion not so much.
still dug it tho. streets ahead of most big-budget action cinema.
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Friday, 14 May 2010 16:19 (thirteen years ago) link
Does she play the Morgan Freeman character from Prince of Thieves?
― cool and remote like dancing girls (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 14 May 2010 16:20 (thirteen years ago) link
no. brian blessed's.
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Friday, 14 May 2010 16:22 (thirteen years ago) link
What a virtuoso!
― cool and remote like dancing girls (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 14 May 2010 16:27 (thirteen years ago) link
people are really embarrassing themselves with this "tea party" meme.
ayo scott: "This Robin is no socialist bandit practicing freelance wealth redistribution, but rather a manly libertarian rebel striking out against high taxes and a big government scheme to trample the ancient liberties of property owners and provincial nobles. Don’t tread on him!"
now, "ancient liberties"? how long does he thing the barons of 12th century england had been running things, exactly? i get that he's being funny, but other people are being very serious about it indeed and kinda showing their ignorance.
― all i wanna do is poll poll poll poll and zing and discuss mia (history mayne), Saturday, 15 May 2010 09:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Richard I is widely considered one of the worst kings of all time btw
― Consensus Working Overtime (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 15 May 2010 10:39 (thirteen years ago) link
it's because he wasted the half of his rule not spent in the crusades by interrupting other people's weddings and insisting on kissing the bride
― (latebloomer) (latebloomer), Saturday, 15 May 2010 15:44 (thirteen years ago) link
okay this was way more rousing than it should have been. I think Matchstick Men was the only thing i've moderately liked in the last 18 years or so. This one had more of a classical feel than i was expecting, and only 2 scenes with those stupid blue filters, which he weirdly abandoned for most nighttime scenes. Also his bonecrunching 30fps close-up battle scenes, usually about the worst part of his films, were for the most part pretty short, or even montages, as if he wasn't even really interested in that. Brian Helgeland made the political intrigue relatively intriguing and a whole bunch of decisions (SPOILER - the king leading the battle charge, Kate and the kids showing up w/o fanfare) kept winning me over.
Didn't know the whole thing was an origin story, thought it would be like Batman Begins with like half origin story, half in-character, so i started getting pissed for a little while that they were just fucking around with the title like Alice in Wonderland, also King John's transformation at the very end was pretty rushed and really sold his arc short. Otherwise i think i'm actually psyched for a sequel?
― Cosmo Vitelli, Sunday, 16 May 2010 20:34 (thirteen years ago) link
bonecrunching 30fps close-up battle scenes
yeah nobody has used those interestingly, even hurt locker (which i think was more like 3,000fps) used them in a way that felt clichéd to me.
― by another name (amateurist), Monday, 17 May 2010 00:02 (thirteen years ago) link
Just saw this tonight and I was impressed. Story was engaging, action was tight and brutal without going for gore-porn, loved the decision to make it an origin story...and there were no corny notes to it. Nothing felt hamfisted, or overblown. Would see it again for sure. Loved Cate as Marion, loved the chemistry with her & Rusty. Wouldve liked more abt the lost boys...and yeah, Johns arc was a bit too swift at the end there.
― VegemiteGrrrl, Tuesday, 18 May 2010 04:38 (thirteen years ago) link
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/05/robin_hood_script_russell_crow.html
this is good reporting
not sure t-stoppz earned his dough tbqh
― long time listener, first time balla (history mayne), Wednesday, 19 May 2010 09:33 (thirteen years ago) link
The first version sounds interesting.
― Ned Trifle II, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 09:47 (thirteen years ago) link
that role reversal thing is a well-worn idea surely? not that i can think of any examples right now.
Scott told a reporter that the original premise was “fucking ridiculous” and that “you’d end up spending 80% of the publicity budget explaining why it was Nottingham and not just Robin Hood.”
what a disaster for the publicity budget.
― I don't want to go into my newt details (ledge), Wednesday, 19 May 2010 09:49 (thirteen years ago) link
Here's an idea - a modern day 'Nottingham' with Robin Hood based on this fellow (when he gets out of prison).
― Ned Trifle II, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 10:06 (thirteen years ago) link
Wasn't into it at all. Blanchett was good, the French castle siege was great, the production design and cinematography were obviously great, other than that it felt padded, talky and slow. Crowe didn't engage me in the slightest, and what the hell was his accent supposed to be? It switched between RP, Irish and, mysteriously, Scouse. And, fucking hell, it's a Robin Hood film, I want him to fire more than three arrows!
― rhythm fixated member (chap), Sunday, 23 May 2010 23:37 (thirteen years ago) link
well to be fair 2 of those 3 arrows were in the last couple minutes of the film where he actually becomes Robin Hood. And this was still miles better than American Gangster or the Ornaldo Bloomps Crusades movie.
― Cosmo Vitelli, Sunday, 23 May 2010 23:44 (thirteen years ago) link
Wouldn't bother me if Russel stuck to one accent! Randomly flipping between approximations of various regional accents and then throwing in a Father to a Murdered Son growl every now and then is just distracting.
― rhythm fixated member (chap), Monday, 24 May 2010 00:16 (thirteen years ago) link
this was by no means as bad as i was fearing. mix of completely ridic melodramatic plotting with quite variegated style (typical lightly-psuedo-documentary/slow-mo/zoom-heavy craziness for action scenes, wide framings and crane shots for "lyrical"/emotional interludes, etc.) that makes it totally middle-of-the-road but in an intelligent-enough way.
i only noticed crowe's fluctuating accents two or three times.
also where i have i seen the french would-be queen before? she looked familiar.
― by another name (amateurist), Monday, 24 May 2010 00:31 (thirteen years ago) link
by the way i think once you accept the melodramatic contrivances (e.g. you'd think britain had like 20 people in it the way people keep running into each other/knowing each other's fathers/etc.) it's plenty enjoyable. i think some of the critics were distracted by the film's really pathetic attempts to make this thing gritty and/or "meaningful" and thus judged it by a standard that doesn't fairly apply. scott and crowe are partly to blame for that. they both sound like assholes based on all the press btw.
― by another name (amateurist), Monday, 24 May 2010 00:32 (thirteen years ago) link
in other words, three solid stars.
― by another name (amateurist), Monday, 24 May 2010 00:33 (thirteen years ago) link
French queen = Lea Seydoux. I just imdb'd her, she was one of the cute LaPadite sisters in the Inglourious Basterds opening.
― VegemiteGrrrl, Monday, 24 May 2010 00:54 (thirteen years ago) link
aha! i KNEW it.
― by another name (amateurist), Monday, 24 May 2010 00:59 (thirteen years ago) link