Latest posts for the topic "Everything, and I mean, everything, BUT the Iron Man trailer! It's now about football!"

Everything, and I mean, everything, BUT the Iron Man trailer! It's now about football!

tuan69 — GMT

Bless you Michael Bay. Armageddon is a masterpiece.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Shryke42 — GMT

Not bad. Not bad at all. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's my MOST anticipated film (after Dark Knight), but it is up there. If I were making a list of most anticipated summer movies, it would be: 1. The Dark Knight 2. Narnia: Prince Caspian 3. Wall-E 4. (tie) Indiana Jones IV and Iron Man Of course, Iron Man was able to snag the coveted "first out of the gate" spot, being released on 5/2/08. The question is, will it pull in numbers closer to Fantastic Four or Spidey?

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

JackO — GMT

Awesome! Thanks for that. That's one my must sees.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

transformers2 — GMT

Cant Wait for Iron Man its my 3rd most anticpated film of 2008.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

dranscht — GMT

I'm glad I could see it online and not have to tune away from Monday Night Football to watch it before The Hills.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

tuan69 — GMT

Bless you Michael Bay. Armageddon is a masterpiece.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Shryke42 — GMT

Wow Shryke... do you really love Narnia that much? Is it because of the books or did you actually totally fall in love with that first Narnia film? I mean, it was a good film, but not so great that I'd push an elderly person over to watch before anyone else.

Yes, tuan, I do love Narnia that much, and yes, it is because of the books. Apart from LOTR and the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, there is no series of books that I loved reading more as a kid. As for the film, I think it perfectly captured the essence of the books without going overboard on the Christan allegory. Plus, Georgie Henley was just cute as a button, wasn't she? Andrew Adamson should be commended. I am very glad that Prince Caspian and Dawn Treader are in the near future.

Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

cRAzY — GMT

Too bad my internet sucks. Otherwise I could watch it. Its got robert downey though. This should be good. Soon as I get broadband Ill be seeing this.

Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

StnMan5 — GMT

Yeah. That looks pretty awesome. I wasn't sure about Robert Downey at first, but he looks like the perfect stark. As far as most anticipated of 2008 There's only The Dark Knight. Although, with nothing out early in the year, and Jon Favreau's box office appeal, Iron Man should do very well.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

My take: Meh. Honestly, and I know I'm going to astonish / offend a lot of folks by saying this, but I wasn't looking forward to Iron Man before the teaser, I wasn't all that impressed by the teaser, and I can't even honestly put Iron Man in my Top 20 Most Anticipated Films of 2008. To be absolutely truthful, my present eagerness for Iron Man is only slightly greater than my attitude, at this time last year, toward Ghost Rider... and substantially less than the anticipation I felt in late '02 for Ang Lee's Hulk. (But, then, I wasn't quite as disappointed with that film as most people I know were. I consider it to be a very brave, even profound, nigh-revelatory misfire, one that had the potential to be the greatest comic-book adaptation to date, but ended up being perhaps the genre's greatest disappointment... But, I know, I'm in the minority here, too. You must remember, I think Starship Troopers is a staggeringly textured work of consummate pop-culture pornographic genius, I think Pulp Fiction is desperately overrated -- although Kill Bill: Vol I is practically flawless -- and I think Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Steven Soderbergh's Solaris are practically the only TRUE "science-fiction" films to be made since Dave Bowman flushed himself down the Great Big Onyx Celestial Port-o-Let at the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey.) However, I digress. Consternation! Uproar! I know, admitting to such a shocking lack of comic-geek empathy is a little like advocating picante sauce cooked and bottled in New York City. "Git a rope." But, there it is. And I say all this with the greatest possible affection and respect for: [1] Robert Downey, Jr., perhaps his generation's very best actor (whose work in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang ought to have earned him an Oscar nom; who was shockingly deprived of an Academy Award win for Chaplin -- I mean, come ON! Pacino, fine, but for Scent of a Woman?!?!? [Edited for content.] I can't friggin' believe Los Angelinos rioted for Rodney King, but not for that...; who was note-perfect in Natural Born Killers, Home for the Holidays and Wonder Boys; and who was the very best, nay, the ONLY, good thing, ever, about Ally McBeal, with the exception of course of its eventual, culture-resurrecting cancellation); [2] Jon Favreau, though his Kevin Smith-worship is more than a smidge concerning (his roles in Swingers, Dogtown, Very Bad Things and yes, even Rudy were top-notch); and the source material (though I never followed Iron Man as closely as, say, Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, the X-Men or Cerebus, he was -- apart from the Incredible Hulk and the Silver Surfer -- my favorite Kirby creation). Don't get me wrong: I WANT to see Iron Man succeed, in the same vague, abstract, unemotional, detached sort of way that I want to see Jennifer Hudson, or Castle Wolfenstein, or Paraguay succeed. It's just that I'm not terribly invested in it either way. Heck, I even like what Favreau & co. seem to be doing with Iron Man; it's got a Lord of War-meets-Rocketeer attitude I think is pretty damn nifty, and it seems to me that they're going to have top-flight special effects and production values, even if none of the imagery seems terribly inventive (the flight scenes look straight out of Superman Returns and Transformers, the weaponry from the private collection of Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg, and forgive me but Iron Man himself looks like a cross between Doctor Doom, the ABC robot from Judge Dredd, the Iron Giant [heh] and the NorthAm Robotics Corporation's Andrew model, custom paint job by Ramone's Paint and Body Art in Radiator Springs). I...just...don't...care. I remember when, in early 1987, I was at a Houston Astros game and the center-field display came alive with an early trailer for this spectacular science-fiction film I'd snagged a part as an extra in. All the scenes I was in had been filmed at night, so I didn't realize at first what I was looking at, but eventually I realized that this was "my" movie -- about a future city, and a police officer who becomes this Bionic Man, sort of, and duels it out with street gangs in the urban canyons of Dallas, redone to look like 21st-Century Detroit. Yeah, it was RoboCop, and by the end of the ad I was out of my seat, whooping and yelling and generally making an ass out of myself. And this guy next to me, maybe 25 or 30, just glowers at me until I finally sit down, and then he says, "What's so great about that? Just another dumb-ass piece of [crap]. Explosions and [crap], who cares?" Now, I'm not saying THAT, exactly, about Iron Man, but I understand a little how that guy felt, now. I just can't get excited about it. Keep in mind, though, I thought The Matrix was going to be another Johnny Mnemonic, too, until I saw it; and I was convinced that Event Horizon would be phenomenal. Whups. Oh, my Top 20 Most Anticipated for '08? (Those films that actually have a release date; there are many, many others I'd list, ahead of these, even, but for the fact that I don't know precisely when (or, even, if) they'll be coming out, like Hellraiser, Constantine 2, Dirty Dozen, Hannibal the Conqueror, Atlas Shrugged, Foundation, The Sparrow, The Once and Future King, The Singularity is Near, World War Z, Harrison for America, Shelter, Telepathy, The Gauntlet, Sleeper, Infestation, Flicker, Rockfish, Fire Bay, Defiance, Hereafter, The 28th Amendment , Clark & Lewis, The Rule of Four, Conspiracy, The Mechanic, Circumference, Here, There Be Dragons, Challenger, Pattern Regonition, Silence, The Changeling, or 12th Man. Not to mention, Opus: The Last Christmas.) But, anywho, here ya go... [1] The Dark Knight; [2] Star Trek; [3] Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (despite the fact that Order of the Phoenix disappointed); [4] Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (despite the fact that Lucas MUST have chosen that name); [5] The Parasite, or Cloverfield, or Monstrous, or Overnight, or 01-18-08, or Slusho, or Found, or Mookie Blaylock, or Whatever the Hell It's Called; [6] Get Smart!; [7] The Other Boleyn Girl; [8] Pride & Glory; [9] Vantage Point; [10] 21; [11] The Happening; [12] Babylon A.D.; [13] 10,000 B.C.; [14] James Bond 22; [15] Doomsday; [16] Speed Racer; [17] Wanted; [18] The Day the Earth Stood Still; [19] Wall-E (despite my MASSIVE misgivings...); [20] The Brazilian Job. Right now Iron Man, for me, ranks probably in the mid-30s, somewhere between The Ruins and Madagascar 2: The Crate Escape. Let the screaming for the head of Nicodemus begin! I remain, as always (or, anyway, until I'm decapitated by someone with a scythe yelling incoherently about how I could possibly be looking forward to The Brazilian Job)... Nico.

Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

StnMan5 — GMT

that was awesome.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Shryke42 — GMT

To quote Rowan Atkinson in a particularly funny episode of Blackadder II: "I thank God I wore my corset, because I think my sides have split." Mookie Blaylock? Dude, you should charge admission for that sh*t. Perhaps I should revise my list to include ALL of 2008, as the minute list I provide covered only the summer. So, in order: 1. The Dark Knight 2. Narnia: Prince Caspian 3. Wall-E 4. Harry Potter 6 5. Star Trek (didn't know there was a definite release date, but whatever) 6. Indiana Jones IV 7. Iron Man 8. Vantage Point (awesome, awesome trailer) 9. Babylon A.D. 10. Speed Racer (anxious to see what he&she Wachowski can do with it) 11. Wanted 12. Get Smart 13. Hellboy 2 14. The Mummy 3 15. The Incredible Hulk 16. Jumper 17. Tropic Thunder 18. Bond 22 19. Madagascar 2 20. The Forbidden Kingdom (Jet Li AND Jackie Chan? About effin' time!) Also looking forward to: One Missed Call Mookie Blaylock (that is the sh*t) John Rambo Charlie Bartlett The Eye Fool's Gold The Spiderwick Chronicles 10,000 B.C. Inkheart Nim's Island The Day the Earth Stood Still Kung Fu Panda The Happening Valkyrie (Tom CruiS.S.e? Interesting...) Hancock Death Race City of Ember

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

Shrykey: Our lists are actually pretty similar -- yay, someone else is a fan of Vantage Point and Wanted! I'm actually looking forward to my next prostate exam more than John Rambo, which ought to have been titled Last Blood. However, I digress. Star Trek indeed has a Stardate: 12.25.08, which means my daughter will be opening up her gifts from Santa all by herself that morning. [Grin] No, I'm not kidding. I was hugely underwhelmed by the first Narnia movie, and I honestly have no idea why. I love the books, I thought it did a fine job. I just failed to have any emotional connection with it. Perhaps Lord of the Rings, like a cinematic Vlad the Impaler, drained me for all time, although if someone responsible were to bring The Belgariad, or Piers Anthony's World of Tiers, or The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, or Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, or any of Anne McCaffrey's novels, or The DragonLance Chronicles, to the silver screen, I think I might wet myself with uncontrollable glee. Ember also looks promising. And, I admit, Valkyrie intrigues me, I can't believe I failed to list it at all. That "Mookie Blaylock" rip was an homage of sorts to one of my favorite bands, btw. Pearl Jam went under that name for a bit before they settled on their final name. Creativity just means you cover your tracks well enough so no one can figure out who you stole from. [Grin] P.S. Kung Fu Panda? Oh, my heads... I remain, as always... Nico.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

tuan69 — GMT

Bless you Michael Bay. Armageddon is a masterpiece.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

tuan69, here it is: Although I'm certain that Wall-E is going to be one of the most incredibly rich visual experiences in the history of the medium, I don't much care for what I've heard of the story / plot, so far. Love the moxie it takes to make an entire film, in this Century, virtually without language (from what I understand, R2D2-esque beeps, boops, hoots, chirps and whistles, and tonal prompts a la Close Encounters of the Third Kind will be pretty much the only "dialogue" used, at least through the film's first act) and with, essentially, a high-functioning Roomba as its hero / protagonist; there's actually something vaguely...Biblical...in that, for (should we take the Old Testament at its [heh] Word) God, too, has a history of taking those with the most humble professions (shepherds), the most meager qualities (pre-adolescent boys, not even old enough to strap on armor against the Philistines), even the most "dirty" lives and attributes (prostitutes, murderers... see the life of Saul / Paul, for instance), and using them at just the right time, in just the right place, thereby transforming not only themselves, but their worlds for the sake of a greater purpose, a higher calling, a supernatural destiny. Such seems to be the lot [heh] of the titular Wall-E, a future generation's battery-operated Noah, a digital messiah for yet another Eden corrupted by the works of man. However, I digress. All that aside, as I've made little secret of here (this is not, after all, my former column, where I strove to adopt a tone of neutrality, and where I expended great effort to ensure that no one could see my personal political, religious or ideological convictions... this is a public forum, and I'm far more relaxed and, actually, blunt here, for better and worse), it's the timely political message Wall-E seems to be shouting from the rooftops that I've frankly grown tired of. From what I've heard, Pixar might well have called this film The 13th Hour, or The Day the Earth Smelled Still, or Lucifer's Hummer, or Alas, Crapylon...or even The Day After the Day After Tomorrow. It's not that I mind environmentalism, or political commentary in film. Syriana, for example, is one of my very favorite films; I admired An Inconvenient Truth and thought it quite deserving of its Best Documentary Oscar, I enjoyed and recommend The 11th Hour for anyone who, at a minimum, wants to see a bona fide celebrity using his star power for unqualified good, instead of mere self-promotion; I even insisted on seeing Who Killed the Electric Car? on, of all days, my birthday last year. (Yes, I'm a real party animal, I am, woo. Hoo.) I'm looking forward extremely to In the Valley of Elah and, most especially, Grace is Gone, and I've been a member of both the Sierra Club and Ducks Unlimited for better than fifteen years. I even defend Michael Moore. I've just tired of seeing one political Party's platform get squeezed into virtually every manner of children's entertainment out there. (Though, I get that Wall-E is trying to be more than simple "children's entertainment," I really do.) March of the Penguins... Happy Feet... Bee Movie... and, now, it seems, Wall-E might as well have had bumpers in them with Al Gore moribundly intoning, "I approve this message!" (Hey, guys, if you really wanted to make a film about a robot doggedly cleaning up humanity's $#!+ long after the entire race left the friggin' planet to rot, why didn't you cast our former V.P.? However, I digress.) You know what I'm saying here, tuan? If VeggieTales' new movie, say, had this whole thinly veiled, moralistic subplot allegorical to why (for example) abortion is wrong, or why kids should be allowed to pray openly in schools, or why the U.S. was right to invade Iraq, I'd have the same misgivings and begin to be just as critical about those sorts of (imo, inappropriate and, even, subversive) films, with grown-up, political themes being marketed to families as wholesome, nonpartisan entertainments. Now, I get that Jonah: A VeggieTales movie struck some of these notes, too, but (again, my opinion) it's understandable and even defensible because "Jonah" was, after all, its title. It's not like the makers of that film were going to any trouble to hide its specific religious context / message... If a kids' movie were to be called, say, Christ's Sake! or Mohammed, Prophet of the World, or Buddha Time! or even A Norse is a Norse (Of Course, Of Course), well, I'd say, let the buyer / viewer beware, folks. You don't buy a Toyota (or, these days, a Ford, or even a Chrysler) and then cry foul because you thought you were acquiring an American car. However, I digress. Point is -- I wonder how many of these, after all, children's films with a fairly consistent "Man bad, Environment good" theme can be released before they face something like a popular revolt against them. Plenty of people out there -- Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Socialists, Communists, Constitutionalists, Anarchists, Sophists, Pessimists, Optimists and Realists -- think man ought to be a good and thoughtful steward of the planet and all its denizens. Far fewer, believe me, want to see what can be mistaken for campaign-season ads on the Disney Channel, in their Polly Pocket playsets (those that haven't been recalled, that is), on Webkinz.com or in their Happy Meals. All I'm saying is, tuan, if Pixar wanted to make a film about mankind needing help from a B166ER prototype to redeem itself (man) and ensure the survival of the species, cool. That's a movie I want to see, but not necessarily if I'm going to be hit over the head for 110 minutes straight with imperatives to economize, recycle and buy carbon footprint-offsetting credits, to make sure we don't all turn into the descendants of Ignatius J. Reilly and Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. More to the point, that's not a film I'd encourage my kid to see, either, at least until she was mature enough to not simply internalize and regurgitate everything pop-culture throws in her face... say, twelve or thirteen, when she can / should start thinking for herself, and spread her intellectual wings beyond any one perspective's / person's (even, mine) ability to lead her by the nose. And I really, really doubt Pixar (not to mention, Disney) intends with Wall-E that I deny it to my just-turned eight-year-old. It is, after all, ostensibly a "kids' movie." Right? [Sigh] However, again, perhaps I digress. Let me close by saying this: It's not my intention to pound my own particular political or moral drum, here. This isn't the sort of rant I think is appropriate to this forum, or even this site, and I don't want to spoil any possible eventual return to columnar writing by poisoning the water table, so to speak, with my (by definition) narrow and somewhat inflexible political views. This is, after all, an entertainment Website, not to be confused (I would hope) with either moveon.org, for example, much less johnmccain.com. However, tuan69 asked an eminently fair question, and more than deserves an honest answer. In future, however, so as not to degrade the nonpolitical nature of this forum, or disrupt / scandalize it with any of my personal ideological ravings, when asked directly why I might be soft on Bee Movie, or Wall-E, or whatever, I'll just answer: "I have philisophical objections" and leave it at that. Anyone desiring a more complete answer is welcome to E-mail me, but I don't want to risk hijacking the conversations here with non-germane political wankering, even if it happens to be mine. I hope that's fair. Let me also say: I might well be wrong, like, "Dewey Defeats Truman" wrong, about all of it, and I most certainly hope I am, vis-a-vis Wall-E. There is no crystal ball, no magic mirror, no Calculor to determine the accuracy of opinion, after all. There's only perspective, and conversation, and perhaps even discernment, if we're very, very lucky. Hope I answered your question, tuan. [Grin] If not, after all that... well, then, in fact, I've finally become wholly digression, and am now more hypothetical than real. Nevertheless, I remain, as always... Nico. ETA: a "Space Odyssey in animated form" would be... wow. Again, I really, really, really hope you're closer to the truth than I am, tuan.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

transformers2 — GMT

Nico how do you find Pulp Fiction overated that is my all time favorite movie every second every line is mind blowing that movie is mezmerizing i have never seen action dialouge,humor and style mixed that flawlessly before. Anyways my top 20 most anticpated films of 2008 1.Harold and Kumar 2 2.The Dark Knight 3.Iron Man 4.The Brazilian Job 5.The Incredible Hulk 6.Indaina Jones IV 7. Hellboy 2 8.10,000 BC 9.Get Smart 10.Vantage Point 11.The Mummy 3 12.Tropic Thunder 13.John Rambo 14.1-18-08 15.The Forbidden Kingdom 16.Semi-Pro 17.Speed Racer 18.Drillbit Taylor 19.Babolyn A.D 20.Bond 22 Looking forward to a lot more but whatever i dont care to list them

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

transformers: As far as Pulp Fiction goes, the one word I've always used to describe it is the same as that I used for the Iron Man "teaser" (which, seriously, is a misnomer -- or else it must be the longest, most revealing "teaser" ever): to wit, Meh. Maybe it's because I waited too long to see PF. I was still in the military at the time it first came out, and it was months and months before I finally caught it at a discount theater. By that time, I'd been saturated by all the hype and supposed "coolness" of the film, and perhaps my expectations were so out-of-bounds that no entertainment could possibly have satisfied them. Whatever, I went in to Pulp Fiction expecting the Second Coming... but came out feeling like I'd just been forced to read The Book of Malachi, out-of-order no less. And I say this with all affection and respect for QT, though I must admit I think he's seriously and somewhat inexplicably overrated, too; I treasure Reservoir Dogs and consider it the modern resurrection of the entire genre of film noir; and I thought True Romance (which Tarantino cowrote) was Van Sant-brilliant. (Why on earth DOESN'T Christian Slater have a career anymore, by the way? Does anyone else desperately wish he'd be cast as Dr. Leonard McCoy in Star Trek?) In the mid-'90s Sam Jackson was still the very quintessence of cinematic cool, before he wore out his welcome playing every damn mediocre piece of fetid bantha poodu his agent read, from Sphere to Deep Blue Sea to The 51st State to xXx, to even (dare I say it?) the Star Wars prequels. Travolta was a revelation, at the start of a modest four-year (but, again, overrated) career resurgence that culminated in A Civil Action; and this was the third film in a row I'd seen Tim Roth in (after Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead and, of course, Reservoir Dogs) cementing his place in my own personal cinematic pantheon as one of Hollywood's most over-achieving, under-respected, poorly-utilized actors (I still feel that way). Moreover, Pulp Fiction introduced me to the majesty that is Ving Rhames (who I'd barely noticed in Dave); convinced me that the subtle, nuanced, brooding, tragic, underappreciated Bruce Willis I'd seen in Billy Bathgate and The Last Boy Scout was no fluke; and even made Uma Thurman, who I despised at the time, (barely) watchable for a few moments. But -- to me -- Pulp Fiction ended up being far, far less than the sum of its parts. This is a complaint I frequently have of QT, that -- with a couple of truly remarkable exceptions -- he ought to stick to one role on each project, fulfill it to perfection, and let someone else handle the rest. He is, sporadically, a breathtaking cinematographer, a groundbreaking director, an effortlessly phenomenal writer, a superlative assembler of music, and an inspired editor -- even, in the right role, a halfway decent actor. Any action-oriented thriller, crime drama, horror film or even dark comedy should be honored to obtain his services. He just can't do it all at once to the level of achievement he's capable of -- with the notable exceptions of Kill Bill: Vol. I and Reservoir Dogs. I think too many people have mistaken his ambition, his work ethic, his singular stylistic choices, and, for lack of a better term, his cajones, for his actual achievements. He's a visionary, no doubt, and has influenced an entire generation of filmmakers, and has perhaps fundamentally altered the way many modern films are written, shot, cut and scored; but he's more Oliver Stone than Orson Welles, more George Lucas than Steven Spielberg: an occasional phenomenon, a part-time wunderkind, a sometime savant. Pulp Fiction just didn't do it for me; it's watchable, certainly, but not wonderful. Put it another way: The Usual Suspects was my Pulp Fiction. It's jus' my opinion, though. I can't deny the man's talent. But for me, at least, his career zenith (which I cannot dispute the importance or originality of) happened nearly a full decade after Pulp Fiction, with the first Kill Bill. I remain, as always... Nico. ETA: And what this has to do with the Iron Man trailer, even I will be hard-pressed to explain. [Grin] ETA2: Hey, how about that! Another The Brazilian Job fan! "One of us... One of us..." LOL.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Shryke42 — GMT

Very well said, Nico, as always. I had a friend named Larry (who sadly, passed away in 2000 at the age of 42) who was a tremendous fan of Tarantino, of spaghetti westerns, of martial arts flicks, of David Carradine, and of Uma Thurman (though not necessarily in that order). I know that he very much liked Pulp Fiction, though he didn't go gaga over it like some people did... I myself was 25 years old when I saw it for the first time, and I had never experienced a director who probed the dark underbelly of society with such verve and panache before. The one thing that breaks my heart, and will for the rest of my life, was that my friend passed before he had a chance to see the Kill Bill series. (Both of them, but especially Vol 1.) If you had thrown Godzilla into the mix, it would have been his perfect film. (Grin.) Despite QT's trademark out-of-order sequences, the movie worked just as much for me. It never dragged, it never slowed down, and The RZA's score was simply unparalleled. But we were talking about PF, weren't we? I guess I need to do some digressing... What started with Reservoir Dogs, continued with Pulp Fiction and culminated in the Kill Bill series, QT cemented his place as a cutting-edge director on top of his game. He is truly an actor's director, and for a time I thought that he could do no wrong. But then. Much like M. Night Shyamalan, who blew me away with The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable before taking the escalator to the basement with progressively disappointing fare Signs, The Village, and the incomprehensible Lady in the Water, QT got too clever for his own good. Case in point, his half of the Grindhouse feature, Death Proof. It's like he took his tried and true formula (snappy dialogue, vintage action-movie fight scenes and vehicle chases, and a fair amount of pornographic sin) and he puffed it out so far that it diluted the quality to an unforgivable level. The dialogue was boring, the characters were unengaging, and the bad guy? Kurt Russell, while a fine actor who I will always love for his roles in The Thing (to me, still the scariest freakin' movie of all time), Big Trouble in Little China and Executive Decision, hit about a 5.7 on the "menacing" scale, and the fact that he turned into a whining little p*ssy at the end capped off a truly awful cinematic experience for me. That being said, I'm hoping that Inglorious Bastards (or whatever ends up being QT's next directorial project), will redeem himself somewhat in my eyes. (Ditto for The Happening, in M. Night's case.) I remain, as always... Icon. (Oh, damn, that's gonna cost me...) ETA: I'm also looking forward to The Brazilian Job, though I think it would have been better had it come out a year or two ago. Mark Wahlberg's star has risen, Charlize Theron's has fallen (a little), and Jason Statham has ridden his Transporter and Italian Job high right into a freakin' wall, as far as I'm concerned... I mean, Crank sucked, WAR pretty much sucked, and I don't even have to see him in Uwe "End of Civilization As We Know It" Boll's next film to know that it sucked. ETA2: Don't get me started on The Usual Suspects, which, as far as I'm concerned, will never, ever be replaced on my list of the top crime dramas of all time. Tightly edited, brilliantly acted, beautifully scored, and just frickin' cool to boot, it's awesomeness will never wane in my eyes, ever. The fact that Chris McQuarrie is producing AND writing the screenplay for Tom Cruise's SS drama Valkyrie makes me want to see it ten times more. But how about that Iron Man? (See how I seamlessly segued back to the topic at hand? Eh? Eh?)

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

Shrykey: Well said! I agree with pretty much everything you had to say about QT... I think you're pretty much on-target. Again, I'm reminded of the similarities between Tarantino and Oliver Stone (and, for that matter, David Lynch and John Carpenter); they were hailed relatively early on in their careers as cinematic phenoms (Tarantino for Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction; Stone for Platoon and Wall Street; Lynch for Eraserhead, The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet; and Carpenter for Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween, Escape from New York and The Thing); they set early benchmarks for success they've had difficulty living up to consistently (QT's really only had two bona fide hits, Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill: Vol. I; Stone went fifteen years between JFK and World Trade Center, with lots of publicity but, really, only one great film, U-Turn, between -- though I think Natural Born Killers was diabolically brilliant; Lynch stumbled through the '90s for the most part, finally redeeming himself in 2001 with Mulholland Dr.; and Carpenter... well, his last watchable film, the unremittingly syrupy, frying-pan-to-the-side-of-the-head-subtle Starman, was released in Reagan's first term -- he's like cinema's Jerry Garcia, a burnout who was only ever, to be honest, marginally good); they became very well-known, very quickly, for pioneering particular styles of writing, directing and editing they've been famous for their whole careers; and they've all, to some extent, been riding their own coattails for decades, through miles and miles of self-referential, self-cannibalizing, self-important, mediocre crap (I could cite examples, but their aggregate disappointment quotient might very well inspire me to throw myself off a very tall building). However, I digress. As far as M. Night goes, to quote Bill Lumbergh, "Yeeaaaahhhhhh... Ya know, I'm gonnna have t' just disagreeee with you a little, there, mmmkay? Greeeaaaaaattttt, thaaaaannnnkssss..." I friggin' LOVE "The Twist"! I think Sanjaya... erm, I mean, Shyamalan improved with each picture, right up through The Village, and although Lady in the Water was way, way too unconventional, too bizarre, too cerebral, too... SOMETHING... to succeed, I really, really, really admire what it was that he tried to do, there. In his own way, I thought he very nearly created a mythology as original, discomfiting and unquantifiable as Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal... he just failed at it. And, with the exception of its last thirty seconds or so, I think Unbreakable may well be the greatest 'superhero' film ever made. (But, then, you must remember, I thought Hulk was nigh-brilliant.) But, there too, I must admit it's possible Shyamalan belongs in that not-unholy, but not-perfect-either quadrangle (pentagon?) of Tarantino, Stone, Lynch and Carpenter, as a filmmaker who courted massive success and filmic superstardom far too early, and got stuck in the rut of his own initial success. Time will tell. Btw, Signs is still the creepiest damn thing I've seen since 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Hitchcock would have hid under the coffee table and wailed miserably for his mommy. I remain, as always... Nico. ETA: And sorry to hear about your friend. I like to believe, however, that those who precede our own entry to Heaven get to see all the great movies, ever, even those that haven't been released, shot, written or even conceived of yet, on a 100-story IMAX screen with eight billion db's and forty-dimensional Surround Sound. THX can kiss my ass, God's own Regal Cinema is the BEST. THEATRICAL. EXPERIENCE. EVER, you know what I mean? And no dippy Fanta commercials or incredibly underwhelming Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker ads, no lines, no screaming babies, and no cell phones. Oh, no mouthy teenagers, either... They go somewhere else, my friend Bob Diamond tells me. Like Purgatory, or Hell, or the Universe's own Dumpster. The best all-beef frankfurters, ever, ones that make Dodger Dogs look like cocktail weenies and smell like Purina Dog Chow; thick, rich mustard with seeds that stick between your teeth and irritate 'em all day long, in the most mouth-watering way possible; sauteed onions that make your knees buckle; and a double feature, all day, every day, with classic Warner Bros. cartoons and the most kick-ass trailers, ever, separating each film -- like Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, The Return of the King, The Fifth Element, Superman Returns, Batman Begins and Independence Day. Oh, and reclining bucket seats that make the very best Brookstone massage chairs feel like the back seat of a 1974 Dodge Dart. Every seat's on the center line, and The Godfather trilogy plays every Friday night. (Truly, God is merciful, benevolent and wise!) And Close Encounters of the Third Kind is every Sunday's matinee. That's what I hope, pray and, in fact, believe your friend's experiencing. He already knows how Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ends. He's seen Watchmen, with the "Black Freighter" footage, about fifty times, and it gets better each showing. He was there on opening night to view Avatar, and the only reason he doesn't lean across the celestial aisle between his favorite seat and yours and whisper to you what happens, is that he can't wait to see your reaction to it, in your own time. You see, there are no spoilers in Heaven. Oh, and that "Icon" bit? You're forgiven. [Grin] If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right about now, I'm all flatterned out. --Nico. ETA2: Oh, very well. God screens that teaser for Iron Man on occasion, too. Sheesh. [Grin]

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

la_resistance28 — GMT

Nico, I had the misfortune of joining Fantasy Moguls after your departure, and have since heard echoes throughout the message boards and Shryke/Steve's columns about this mysterious former columnist named "Nicodemus". Egads! I must say you more than deserve the hype heaped upon you! I love your analysis, love your style, and only wish I could ever write as well as you do. Question: how long does it take you to write posts like you've done here? I'd imagine it'd take me at least a couple hours of thought to fashion anything remotely resembling what you've written, yet you seem to knock it out so effortlessly... :shock:

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

tuan69 — GMT

Bless you Michael Bay. Armageddon is a masterpiece.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Shryke42 — GMT

la_resistance, welcome to the Nicodemus Mutual Appreciation Club, of which I am the self-appointed President and founder. I am happy to say, there are no dues to pay, no forms to sign, parking is always ample and the vending machines always have your favorite flavor of granola bar. You'll have to provide your own blazer and cuff-links, though. (Grin.) I know that he is a modest rat (hmmm... modest rat... sounds like a good name for a band, dunnit?), so I'll try to keep this brief (though I'll probably fail). I mentioned my friend Larry in my last post, and with the anniversary of his death approaching, I feel I need to tell someone about him, as he had no family of his own, save a brother that he was estranged from. I met him in, of all things, a bowling league, and I was amazed how much we had in common as far as musical, film and television goes, even though he was twelve years my senior. He was an ex-army veteran who had fallen of very hard times, and was living in this tiny little studio apartment with no electricity. But he never let his situation get him down, and he always had something to say about anything at all, and after a time, I asked if he would be my roommate (as I was often strapped for cash myself). And so it went, for nine years... he would move in, move out, move back in again. And we saw hundreds of movies together, on TV and in the theater. He had a mind like a steel trap and a champion-level trivia quotient. Unfortunately, he also smoked like a chimney and didn't take particularly good care of himself, and as I mentioned, he passed away in 2000, one month to the day before he was to serve as best man at my wedding. Even now, seven years later, scarcely a day goes by that I don't think of him, and every time I see a monster flick, or a martial-arts flick, or a raunchy comedy, I think to myself, "I wonder if Larry would have like this film." Force of habit. (For those interested: his all-time favorite films were The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Big Trouble in Little China, Total Recall, Predator, Lawrence of Arabia, every Godzilla flick ever made, and his all-time favorite, Raiders of the Lost Ark. When I "met" Nico, a mere six months ago, all those happy memories that I thought I had lost came back. Never, ever underestimate the power and comfort of intelligent discourse with like-minded colleagues, people, there really is no substitute. I feel my life is more enriched from having gotten to know him, and I mean on a personal level, not just a professional one. The events that prompted his three-month absence, well, I know I may only scratch the surface of his mindset during that period, but I daresay if I had had to go through what he did, the pavement of my psyche would have cracked too. I love reading his columns, his posts, whatever. I have printed them out and read them to friends, they're so awesome. I, like you, la_resistance hope one day to reach a level of acumen that he possesses. (Though I like to think I'm slightly 'bove average.) Of course, that being said, as much as I love nothing more than to pick his brain, I know that if I had to spend ten damn minutes inside his head, I would be driven stark raving mad by all of its labyrinthine recesses, recursive occlusions, and giant stuffed battery-powered cymbal-clanging monkeys, a landscape that even Tim Burton would take one look at and go "Holy sh*t, dude." And tuan? Good luck on that screenplay. Having gotten to know you a little over these last few months, I think you too possess a first-rate creative mind. I remain, as always, Curious Yellow.

Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

cRAzY — GMT

Not to add to Nicos growing Flatterers.(if thats a word.) But I agree with pretty much everything you said about QT. I also find him to be severly overated along with most of his movies. He seems like a really cool guy. He's in my top list of famous dudes I'd like to chill with. Unfortunatley for him I don't like watching my movies in shuffle mode. I wonder if you put one of his movies in shuffle, would it play in a realistic time line. I'll have to try that. Although Pulp Fiction was the same as all his others. I definately enjoyed that one above the rest. Especially kill bill. My opinion. His most overated movie.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

All: Er, wow. I have to say, I'm really, truly, thoroughly humbled by the inspiring, continuing (in fact, I think, increasing), über-positive reception I'm getting from the Fantaverse (most emphatically not one inhabited by Kiki, Lola, Sohpia, and/or Capri -- perhaps I should dub this the Mogulverse, instead, except for the fact that I suspect some folks might insist upon speaking Urdu), welcoming me back to DryLand following my three-month, self-imposed sabbatical. It may seem a mite pretentious -- certainly, it does to yours truly -- to acknowledge such generous comments as those I've been so lucky as to receive here, but I find it difficult to merely continue on my merry way without pausing for a moment to reflect on compliments like those above... When someone says something nice about you, I feel, it's just rude not to at least stop a sec and say, Gosh, guys, thanks. And, I have to say, as much as I appreciate the consistent support of my friends -- people who've come to know me on these boards and on this site since its infancy, before AND during my all-too-brief tenure as a FM columnist -- it's actually even more remarkable to hear, from relative newcomers to this community, that they don't get the impression that it was all just a bunch of overzealous hype. You know what I mean? It's just nice to hear that, for once, something in this world might just have a chance of living up to its billing. (Imagine my surprise that I might not disappoint!) Anyway, I don't mean to make too much of this -- I just wanted to say, I appreciate your kind, generous words and hugely impactful encouragement more than you can know. "Coming back" is only a thought that's seriously crossed this rat's craisin-sized brain in the last few weeks, but I'm giving it more and more consideration, and I think I might even have an idea. (More on that in a minute.) First, though, let me respond to a few of my colleagues... la_resistance28: You're too kind. Thank you, my friend. My writing "style," if it can be termed so optimistically with a straight face, was hugely influenced by George Carlin, Dennis Miller, Art Buchwald, Douglas Adams, and, perhaps most of all, Dave Barry... But also by Terry Gilliam, John Barth, William Goldman (particularly, his The Princess Bride) and, most tragically, John Kennedy Toole. (Though I wasn't inspired by either, I find Dave Eggers' and Neil Peart's voices very, very familiar, also.) My writing is very casual and spontaneous, intimate, even (I hope), while incorporating the occasional hifalutin turn of phrase; I try to strike a balance between informal coffee-house conversation, pseudo-academic verbiage, and flat-out, marginally inspired lunacy, as if (I flatter myself to think) Léon Foucault, Ernest Hemingway and John Cleese were having it out over nine-dollar Venti Café mochas and stale biscottis. It's almost stream-of-(dubious) consciousness, incorporating many of the tangents and detours and intellectual cul-de-sacs actual spoken dialogue tends to comprise, and so it requires a bit more attention from readers and, I suspect, patience than the works of more conventional, straightforward writers. Certainly my editors, all of them, have become alcoholics in the midst of my abuses; all of them, I should say, except for my FM compatriot, who merely went incoherently, irretrievably, barking mad. Or, as my wife frequently chimes in, I'm an acquired tastelessness. [Grin] As far as "wish[ing]" you "could ever write as well," well, my friend, you want to know what 95% of successful writing is? You guessed it... WRITING. Writing for fun, writing for profit, writing love letters, or Dear John letters, or Dear Jane letters, or responses to your OWN Dear John or Dear Jane letters. Writing your autobiography, or the autobiography you'd write if your life was more insteresting and populated by someone 900% cooler than you. Writing screenplays for the movie that's constantly playing in your head (everybody has one; mine's called One Flew Over the Rat's Nest, I think), writing acceptance speeches, eulogies, personals ads, parking tickets. Writing fanfic. Writing scenes left out of your favorite movies, or (even more fun!) your least favorite films. Writing dialogue for your friends, as if they were characters in a sitcom that's just like YOUR life, only, you know, funny. Write a one-act play about your parents. Adapt Winnie the Pooh stories by way of Shakespeare. (Piglet?) Write your own obituary, twice; one from the perspective of your loving family, the other from the point of view of the kid you stuffed in a gym locker in sixth grade. The point is, WRITE. Write for YOURSELF, and figure our what tickles YOU, what makes YOU go, "Ain't [that] cool?" what makes YOU want to read your OWN stuff. Get to the point where you can do that pretty consistently, and you've found YOUR "voice." Then, all you have to do is browbeat some poor schmuck into letting you get published on their Website. (Whups, perhaps that was too much honesty, there.) Oh, to answer your question: Stuff like I post here in the Forum, usually takes me only about as long as it takes to type it out, and I'm a pretty fair typist, or at least I was the last time I got tested. I usually go back a time or three after hitting [Submit] (which, seriously, is a button with fairly massive Orwellian overtones, don'tchathink?) to correct spelning and the like, or add something I intended to say but didn't the first time around. So far, I've been working on this about 12 minutes. Columns, however, are hardly effortless, since they're far more polished and even planned-out than the opinions I post here. Although, in all honesty, preparing for ONE MONTH OUT took the most time; 10 to 12 hours, usually, in research and fact-checking and collating, more when I did (overly) exhaustive number-crunching. I think the "Low 5" Special Report took me, like, thirty hours, because I was analyzing historical trends going back to 1989. Much good it did me; I guaranteed that Spider-Man 3 would top out short of $300M. Nice one, huh? [Grin] Anyway, thanks again. Perhaps you'll get to experience me as a columnist soon... If not, well, in the immortal words of The Mole: You may get stabbed in the head / With a dagger or sword. / You may be burned to death, / Or skinned alive or worse. / But when they torture you, / You will not feel you need to run, / For though you die, La Resistance lives on. tuan69: Again, man, thanks. (Yer still not getting my Bud Light -- whups, sorry, for a moment there I thought I was talking to Shryke42.) [Grin] I actually had a lot of fun typing that up, all the more because I mean(t) it. (Satan may have some kick-ass hot tubs, but his movie theater's that overgrown, dilpidated drive-in from Lone Star, or, worse, Spies Like Us.) As far as Wall-E goes, yeah, I hope you're right. Perhaps it's because I'm the parent of a young child, or because of my personal opinions / biases / pecadillos (Austrian armadillos), or because of this year's events, and, as you say, I'm simply a little more cynical, a shade more brittle. [Shrug] It could well be. Certainly I became much more sensitive to what I consider to be the dishonest packaging of political rhetoric in children's entertainment after being subjected to the closing minutes of Happy Feet. It could also be because, one afternoon this past Spring, my first-grader ebulliently announced that we needed to get rid of our minivan and buy a smaller car, because we were melting the ice and drowning families of polar bears. (I kid you not.) It's fair to say, then, I come to this issue packing some baggage. And it's also fair to say that I wasn't nearly so critical of, say, Over the Hedge, which one could argue was a decidely anti-consumerist film that denigrated, in particular, Americans for their rampant and wasteful spending, eating, building, destroying, and Verminating. Because, you see, I agreed with those sentiments. Given all that, perhaps you should take my opinion on this matter with a grain of salt or two, or, more likely, a whole margarita glass' worth. Still, you asked me what my reservations were, so... [Grin] Oh, and as for "even though the aliens ended up looking like the clay-monsters-brought-to-life from Power Rangers"? Priceless, dude. Though I actually at first thought they were using stock footage of Leona Helmsley. Shryke: Are there REALLY no dues? Damn, man, my DirecTV bill's over $300! [Grumbling] Beware the lawsuit from the attorneys for Modest Mouse, btw. [Grin] ..."intelligent discourse"... [snort] Watch where you step 'round here, la_resistance, it's gettin' deep. Besides, I provide more like "embellishment" discourse... Christ, Shryke's distributing Nico tracts, of all things. He couldn't have picked someone less controversial, like, say, Leon Trotsky, or Ted Kaczynski, or Ann Coulter, could he? Be afraid. Be very, very afraid. [Grin] cRAzY: I disagree with you about Kill Bill, but it's all six of one. I also think QT's a helluva talent, and probably a helluva guy. I'd love to have a beer with him (though, not in any bar tended by Cheech Marin), I'm just not sure I'd like to give him $80M to write / executive produce / direct / score / edit / sweep the floor of a movie. Oh, so, here's my idea. (Shryke, do me a favor and pass this along to The Powers That Be, if you would, please.) What do you think about you guys -- the citizens of this, the Fantaverse -- coming up with the idea for my new column? What sort of writing do YOU want me to do for FM? Previews? Predictions? All-encompassing overviews? Fortune cookies? You tell me (them!) My old "beat" is pretty well covered, I need a new challenge, a new direction. What do YOU want to see coming out of the rat hole? (And, if it's "merciful, prayer-answering silence," well, tell 'em that, too!) If you like the notion, just say so, and I'll ask Shryke to pass it on and initiate some sort of poll or something, assuming the concept passes muster. What do you think? Call it, Choose Nico's Next Column, or something. (Gee, this sounds suspiciously like Big Brother 8, with me as Eric...) Anywho, think about it. Until next time, then, I'm making certain to lay in stores of flaming ink for my enchanted quill... I remain, as always... Nico. ETA: 52 minutes, with revisions. And, yes, "flatterers" is indeed a word: It means, 'People who make pancakes.' [Grin]

Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

cRAzY — GMT

Wow. Now thats a post. In my opinion I wouldn't mind reading your reviews. You seem like more of a people person and not one of those paper writing stuck up critic biggots we always have to hear from. Just me thinking aloud though. P.S. I think I probably should've just used fans huh. P.S.S. I bet your killer with the crossword puzzles.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Chienfantome — GMT

Nico, king of the word and of the argumented reflexion, it is nice to see that you're still verbal in the best possible way (I couldn't resist the Usual Suspects reference) I'm boarding this thread a bit late, but a little someone told me it was worth checking it out. Of course that little someone was right and I'm glad I entered this thread that didn't look all that interesting at first (sorry Iron Man fans, but if it wasn't for Downey Jr, Terrence Howard and The Dude, I wouldn't be very much excited...)... As I feel I'm a bit late to catch up your discussions (especially since I would need a dictionnary Nico to understand every word you're saying, excuse the french boy inside of me...) , I'll just allow myslef a few remarks after reading one or two things that made me jump off my seat... First, although The Village and Lady in the Water left me a bit sceptical in Shyamalan's strings of narration, the man with the N. is still one of the best storyteller working in Hollywood today, creating some of the most fascinating and chilling stories for the screen. Second, the aforementionned french boy inside of me cannot let pass such lack of respect towards Mister John Carpenter... It's a tradition in french cinéphilie to consider John Carpenter one of the most underrated contemporary auteur of American cinema. Yes, the man has been remaking Howard Hawks' Rio Bravo for the last 30 years. But I'll be damn if he doesn't do it with panache, style, and a total lack of respect for conventions. Vampires ? Ghosts of Mars ? Succulent B movies if you ask me... Third, David Lynch. Nico, I must say that you left out of the picture the most important film of the man, and that is Lost Highway, a film much less seen that Mulholland Drive, but it is the film that cemented Lynch's art of narration and creepiness that is the mark of Mulholland Drive. The truth is, I strongly believe Lost Highway is darker, crazier, and much more frightening and fascinating than his (yet) excellent follow up. I mean, Robert Blake ? The man is almost terrifying, Freddy Krueger is as creepy as a lamb compared to his Mysterious stranger. I must say though that Lynch's INLAND EMPIRE is probably the worst film I've seen this year, a total mess and caricature of the filmmaker's work. A big boring joke. Too bad. Finally, I will close this little catch up by citing, maybe not THE, but one of the films I'm most eagerly ancipating for 2008, in the english-spoken, already dated, 2008 cuvée. (I think no one mentionned it, that's why I correct this omission) That film is Be Kind Rewind. I have to say I was disappointed with The Science of Sleep, but this one, man this one... It's the coolest pitch of the year, the coolest pairing of the year, and the coolest trailer of the year. Michel Gondry my fellow french man, you are a genius !!!! Thanks for listening to my humble remarks, chers amis...

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

transformers2 — GMT

Chien despite my hatered of Michel Gondry Be Kind Rewind looks great.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

Ahhhh, mon frère, it has been awhile since we've had a petit tête à tête, n'est pas? [Grin] As far as M. Night goes, I'm pretty much in agreement with you, although I don't think his narrative "style" is any more suspect than, say, Martin Scorcese's (I mean, even Jack Nicholson famously said of The Departed: "This is the first film of his that's had a plot." Like Shyamalamadingdong, Marty tends to thread together thinly related vignettes in chronological order and call it a film -- consider Goodfellas, for example, or Casino, or Gangs of New York, or The Aviator, or After Hours, or The King of Comedy, or, even, The Age of Innocence. Now, I think Jack exaggerated a bit... Mean Streets, Raging Bull, The Color of Money, Cape Fear, and, of course, Taxi Driver all were pretty tight, narratively... but there's no question that his latter work is more contemplative, evoking -- in my opinion -- stylistic comparisons to Terrence Malick, John Sayles, Steven Soderbergh, Robert Altman and, oddly enough, Woody Allen.) Speaking of which, it's also a French cinéphilie tradition to consider Mr. Soon-Yi an auteur of Carpenterian proportions, non? ...I rest my case. And, imho, any culture that worships Jerry Lewis the way the French do is clearly hors à déjeuner, if you'll forgive the imprecision of my trans-continental colloquialisms. ...No, really, I'm only breaking your balls a little bit. I live in Texas, you in France. We have to throw down every so often, otherwise everybody else will be disappointed... Although, in all frankness [heh] and honesty -- my adolescent love for Dark Star, The Exorcist, Assault on Precinct 13, The Thing and, of course, Big Trouble in Little China aside -- I must consider Mssr. Charpentier far more cinematic idiot savant, than savior. (Good call on Rio Bravo, btw... And you could also argue that Young Guns II, Open Range, and even 3:10 to Yuma -- both versions -- share a similar thematic pedigree.) However, I digress. And good call on Lost Highway -- funny, I was going to mention that film as well, but didn't get around to it. I haven't seen Inland Empire, though I can't imagine it could be worse than Fire Walk With Me. The Straight Story gave me hope that Lynch could follow Sam Raimi and David Cronenberg into new genres, as they broadened their résumés with, respectively, A Simple Plan and M. Butterfly (as well as 1996's Crash). Time has, frustratingly, so far proved that hope to be in vain. Be Kind Rewind looks very, very interesting, sort of a nouveau psychedelic cross between Powder, Dreamscape, Sphere and Being John Malkovich... As well as, perhaps, the last film to incorporate VCRs without being a "period piece," sort of how High Fidelity was in all likelihood the last contemporary film about record stores, soon to go the way of malt shoppes, apothecaries, glassblowers, coopers and smithies... (Hey, trivia question for y'all: What was the absolute last major-studio title to be released on VHS?) Here's a hint: I've mentioned its director in this post. [Swipe for the answer] A History of Violence. Now, for a pink (Entertainment) pie... What was the VHS format's FIRST film? South Korea's The Young Teacher. No wiki'ing!) However... I digress from my digression. ...And you're welcome, and thank you. Er, what? Keep up the good work on the columns, btw... You FM columnists are gods, I say, GODS!!! Dieux, je dis, DIEUX!!![Grin] As always, mon petit fromage, I remain... Nico. P.S. The greatest trick I ever pulled, apparently, was convincing the world I didn't exist, either. Like, for three whole months, there. P.P.S. Fetché la vache, s'il vous plait. (Quoi?) ETA: This thread now officially has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with Iron Man. ETA2: Michel Gondry... [shrugging of shoulders in approximation of infinite apathy] Meh.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

jameydunne — GMT

Nico, I'm not completely sure of your cinematic depth and range, but if you or someone could occasionally post articles about classic films or films beyond Star Wars and The Godfather (you know, the usual stuff that everyone will write about) so that people who post could expand their cinematic experience beyond the year they were born and forward (comment intended towards me also). I just think it would be cool if there was a way that people could slowly expand their film experience with someone to guide them genre or eras they weren't as comfortable with. As for Quentin T, any conversation you have with him and a beer will probably be a lot about the QT show. I have read and seen enough interviews and I don't think he would be as cool as most people assume. If you want someone cool to hang with, everything I have seen shows that the other half of Grindhouse is the guy to have a beer with- Robert Rodriguez. One Director/ performer I would like to sit down to talk with is Rob Zombie. His knowledge of film, especially horror, is legendary and would be fascinating to tap into.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

jameydunne, that's an intriguing idea. Um, I think I'm probably a little better-versed, cinematically, than the average American, but I'd be lying if I told you that I'd seen more than half of the films I've wanted to see. There are some fairly large gaps in my file, most especially from the era of Hollywood's "golden age"; I'm not big on pre-1960 films, unless they're war films or Westerns, for instance. I've probably seen only a few dozen silent films, ever. I'm shockingly behind-the-times in terms of anime. And I've seen far fewer comedies than dramas. Recently, though, I have been attempting to become knowledgeable about filmed musicals. There are far, far more than I ever could have guessed. I have no idea if QT's a prima donna; you could be right. I will say that several years ago I got the opportunity to sit down for a few minutes and talk with Kiss' Gene Simmons; he was probably the coolest famous person I've ever met, disarmingly down-to-earth, incredibly intelligent, and so supremely self-assured that he didn't need to be a jerk. I hope Rob Zombie's more like Mr. Simmons than, say, Oliver Stone, who looked at my outstretched appendage like it contained a week-old dead fish when I tried to shake hand some years ago. Thanks for the input! I remain, as always... Nico.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

tuan69 — GMT

Bless you Michael Bay. Armageddon is a masterpiece.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Chienfantome — GMT

Tout à fait Nico, it's been a while since our last tête à tête, far too long... [wink] Coming back quickly to Shyamalan, I didn't mean to criticize his "narrative style", but rather express a dubious feeling towards his way of expressing himself to the audience, if you know what I mean. What really strikes me with him is that for all the passion, and the thrill, all the magic he manages to blow into his stories, he seems to lack of self confidence with each new film, resulting in a way of overexplaning what he wants to tell us. It's like he doesn't want us to not get his point. He seems to want to tell us "This is what I meant to show you, what I meant to say, from A to Z, did you get it ?". And that kind of leaves a strange feeling at the end of the film. He tends to do that more and more with each film. I'm hoping, with the big flop that was Lady in the Water, he will reexamine his storytelling tone for The Happening. Jumping to the next subject, yes, it's also une tradition cinéphile française to consider Mr Soon-Yi an auteur of Carpenteresque proportions. I think France will always be the only country in the world where Woody Allen films make as much entries as Batman films [grin], and this is not a joke, it is true. It is especially true since his Match Point revival, and I can't see any reason why Cassandra's Dream, which adds to the name appeal of Allen those of McGregor and Farrell, wouldn't find the same kind of success. As far as Jerry Lewis goes, I have to plead guilty again in the name of my country, even though I am not personally a big fan of the man (but I love his old films with the god of songs Dean Martin [wink]). I appreciate your effort to maintain the infamous French/American (and Texas particularly, yes)uneasy relationship, so I'll contribute to it myself by saying... by saying... (what the hell can I say ?)... by saying that american football is one boring and girly sport (if I don't get booed for saying that...[wink]). One thing though Nico, you have to explain to me what you mean by "hors à déjeuner", because, don't take it bad vieux frère, it doesn't mean anything in French [lol]. So long live John Carpenter, Rio Bravo, Lost Highway, good ol' westerns, Kevin Costner and Terrence Malick, the greatest man that Texas ever brought to the world (now THAT is a God, not us Nico) [wink] Chers amis, bonsoir

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

Chien: Oh, dude, it's sooo good to be back! Regarding Night, yeah, I feel ya. I, too, have detected that Chester the Terrier-esque, "Ya got that? Didja get that, Spike? Huh? Huh? You got that now?" quality to some of his more recent films. I can't actually believe I'm about to say this, but I rather hope this unfortunate regression is more a function of his lack of respect for his audience's intellect, than some lack of confidence in his own filmmaking abilities. He'd be better off throwing away the frying pan, instead of bludgeoning us to death with it, I agree. Let's hope The Happening begins to pivot him in a new direction... He needs a new challenge, anyway, and will grow stale, then comical, and finally, unwatchable, if he fails to advance as an auteur. "France will always be the only country in the world where Woody Allen films make as much entries as Batman films [grin], and this is not a joke, it is true." Fair enough, and, with the exception of Batman Begins, I might even agree with said preference. The Burton films were certainly entertaining, but -- blasphemy alert, here -- vastly overrated, depending far too much on overstylized excess, Prince songs, vacuous eye candy (sorry, Kim, sorry, Michelle, but that's you, my dears), and the rather outsize performances of Jack and his old friend from Neptune Township, New Jersey, Danny, to keep them interesting and appealing... and Schumacher's films, well, were complete pieces of crap. Put it another way: I won't be watching Batman Forever or Batman & Robin (suppressing urge to vomit, here), ever again, and if ever Woody is on against Batman or Batman Returns, I'd certainly pick him... just so long as he's featured alongside Buzz Lightyear of Star Command. [Grin] "[A]merican football is one boring and girly sport..." Them thar's fightin' words, partner. I have just two words for you: TONY ROMO. (No, he's not from The Sopranos... Neither is he a great place for ribs. [Sigh] You're forgiven.) [Grin] Erm, "hors à déjeuner" was supposed to translate to "out to lunch," or something. Remember, I'm a Texan... I's ignrint. Terrence Malick may not be a God in my book, but he certainly is amazing. I even found things to admire about The New World, though I have to say, all in all, that film was profoundly disappointing. I remain, as always... Nico.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

jameydunne — GMT

Two quick thoughts off of the recent and quite inaccurately titled Iron Man thread, although one is at least loosely attached. First, if someone could explain to me what it is about Woody Allen films that make them so great, please help me on thiat one. It's not that I don't like his movies, because the only movies of his that I have even seen was a part of Sleeper by accident (the orgasmotron was funny). Mostly I have never had the desire. Secondly, I mthink that Batman (1989) is an important and extremely valid film (the second had Catwoman, one of the sexiest roles I have ever seen in a move that I feel is half brilliant). The reason I will say this is that it reestblished that comics could be a legitimate source material for movies, not jst some lame afterthought. The Superman series had beat the comic inspired movie into a bloody and unrecognizable mess and Burton delivered a distinct, stylistacally strong, movie that nobody expected. Individually, it is a good movie with great moments. Effect to the movie industry it is bigger than most will admit.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

tuan69 — GMT

Bless you Michael Bay. Armageddon is a masterpiece.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

jameydunne: "Batman (1989) is an important and extremely valid film... [I]t reestblished that comics could be a legitimate source material for movies... The Superman series had beat the comic inspired movie into a bloody and unrecognizable mess and Burton delivered a distinct, stylistacally strong, movie that nobody expected... Effect to the movie industry it is bigger than most will admit." [Nodding] Excellent points, all. You are indeed correct, on all counts (though I maintain that Superman: The Movie is still one of the Top Five comic book films of all time, and that, for all its trend-setting influence you very persuasively catalogued here, Tim Burton's Batman is still overrated. But, that's just my oipinion.) Great stuff, jamey. "[Batman Returns is] a move that I feel is half brilliant..." Oh, I couldn't agree more. In fact, I'd have to say that Batman Returns is my favorite of the two Burton films... Its subversiveness, its darkness, its gleeful chaos makes it a far more interesting film, and -- blasphemy alert, again -- DeVito's portrayal of the flawed, feral, yet unquantifiably sympathetic (human, even) Penguin is just SO much more interesting than Nicholson's one-note, obnoxious, anarchistic Joker. P.S. I'm HUGELY interested to see Nolan's -- and Ledger's -- take on Joker... I remain, as always... Nico.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

jameydunne — GMT

I think the biggest thing that works against Burton's Batman is not even related to the film itself. I think it became the template that all action/comic movies. Because that happened, many of the things that Burton did well became immediately integrated into every other film so much that Batman looks less special that it really is. I think it is an above average film, not a great film (one of my favorites), and it has picked clean of its really good ideas by other filmmakers that it is hard to critique it. It has become part of the language of American cinema, albiet a lesser letter, like 'V'. Other movies I would put in the the same catagory as Burton's Batman (template movies, not necessarily style or genre), would be movies like The Bourne Identity, The Matrix, Smokey and The Bandit (old, old one I know, but try watching it if you get a chance), Jaws, and maybe even Star Wars.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

jameydunne: You've sold me. Nicely done. It's true, Tim Burton's Batman has become so entrenched in the modern American action / adventure film -- so fundamental, so essential, so damnably cliched -- that sometimes old farts like me forget how groundbreaking and inventive and exciting it really was, way back in 1989. Truly, it was at the beginning of a trend, not merely the most obvious inheritor / exemplar of it. Again... good job. That last comment of yours is so interesting, I'm thinking you might want to begin a new thread -- now that this one has about as much to do with the Iron Man trailer, as, say, celestial navigation has to do with the running of bistros (Douglas Adams fans, take note!)... Perhaps, something about Films that Inaugurated, or Resurrected, a Genre; or Titles that Broke the Mould, or Movies that Changed Everything, or something along those lines... Certainly, you've already got the beginnings of a killer list there. Of course, I'll nominate Dances With Wolves for that thread, under Western, Historical Dramas and Hero/Quest Films, as I explained in my column of May 10, found here: http://news.fantasymoguls.com/originalcontent/2007/05/one_month_out_w.html ...Others to consider: Die Hard (Action/Adventure); Body Heat (Modern Film Noir); Poltergeist (Modern Horror); and Back to the Future (Modern Action/Comedy). But it looks like you've got this well in hand without me. [Grin] Carry on. I remain, as always... Nico. P.S. "It has become part of the language of American cinema, albiet a lesser letter, like 'V'." Ooh! OOOH! A digression of Nicodemian proportions, that! [Laughing] "Sesame Street is brought to you by..."

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Chienfantome — GMT

Nico, I'm sorry, but I have to say, Tony Who ??? Honestly, my humble texan friend, I have absolutely no idea who that is, I have never heard of him. In fact I wouldn't be able to name one single football player in the history of American Football. Really. The only thing I know about that sport that looks like rugby only with less panache, is what I've seen from it in the movies, and let's face the truth, films about football aren't the best... As for Terrence Malick, he is a God of mine [grin]. I could even say that he is THE God filmmaker of mine. Malick is unique. The man is a film sculptor of beauty. A philosoph that expresses himself with a camera. An artist reflecting on everything that is, everything that were, and probably everything that ever will be. I remember in 1997 when I first read about his comeback at filmmaking, I was 16 and beginning to read a lot about cinema and going a lot to the movie theaters. And there I read about this guy, about whom every one in the film loving milieu was extatic because he was going to make a film again, and there I was thinking "Who the heck is this Malick who's getting the best actors there is but who hasn't done a film in almost 20 years ???. So a few months later, before The Thin Red Line was released, I found a theater that was playing Badlands and Days of Heaven. And boy, I wasn't prepared for such cinematic beauty. I think the first time I saw them, I didn't understand what I had just seen. A flash of light, of melancoly, of despair, of magnificence. But I wasn't expecting anything like it so I wasn't blown away. And then I saw The Thin Red Line, which is still as of today, in my memory, one of the most intense film experience I've ever lived. And then I saw again Days of Heaven on TV, and was left breathless by such artistic mastery. I understand one may have trouble with The New World, because it definitly lacks perfection. But it was the film I most eagerly awaited of all 2005, I counted the minutes, counted the seconds when queueing in front of the theater. And what I saw once again blew me away, by its poetry of thoughts and images. And it's still the best film I've seen in the past 2 years, along with The Host. Anyway [wink], all this to say (sorry for being so long) that Texas, no matter what I can think of that State, well I will never thank it enough for giving birth to the greatest poet of cinema there is.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Chienfantome — GMT

Oh, and Nico, I just read your last post... Dances with Wolves, you are sooooooo right about this one. I LOVe Martin Scorsese, but I am shocked everytime I read someone complaining that Goodfellas lost the Oscar to Dances With Wolves back in the day, like a cheap little insignificant western stole it from Marty. NO !!! It is a groundbreaking western, a groundbreaking épopée, a groundbreaking tale of human courage, a groundbreaking film. I have seen it again recently on DVD, and I shivered down to my bones during 4 hours before such a piece of art.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

numbersix_99 — GMT

Chien, as much as I adore the poetry that was the Thin Red Line, I really didn't think much of The New World. PErhaps it was Mallick's incessant cutting to shots of trees, which felt more like Mallick was distracted as opposed to saying anything profound about civilisation Vs Nature. Plus the casting was atrocious. John Smith is supposed to be the more raw, attraive bridge between the two cultures, but Bale outacted Farrell so much that the message was mixed. It's a film I definitely won't be seeing again.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Chienfantome — GMT

Can't agree with you on The New World, 6.I think that leaving a mixed feeling concerning the message was definitly the intention of Malick, as he always does in his films. He plays with our expectations of the characters. You can't really predict Malick's characters, you can't really put them in a category, his sense of character development goes way beyond that. As far as tree shots go, yeah, sure, but that's Malick's style, whether you like it or not, he did the same in Thin Red line, and kind of the same with Days of Heaven too. And at the core of The New World are 20 minutes of pure cinematic perfection, when John Smith arrives in Pocahontas' village and stays with them. To me those 20 minutes are the best a director can ever dream of creating.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Shryke42 — GMT

Chien, don't worry about not knowing who Tony Romo is. Fact is (and I am risking a severe throttling of the ears and face by saying this), only diehard football fans OUTSIDE the state of Texas would be able to immediately identify him by name. As for picking him out of a photo lineup? That's even more remote... He is the current "quarterback" for the Dallas Cowboys, who are one of the more renowned teams in the NFL. They got the epithet "America's Team" some three decades ago, when they had legends like Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, President George Bush, Lee Majors, Liberace and Godzilla playing for them. Go figure. Plus, they won of couple of "Super Bowls", a concept woefully foreign to any football fan who has ever lived in Arizona. (Wink.) And about The New World? If I had to describe it one syllable or less, it would be "Zzzzzzz...." Now, I'm no fan of Colin Farrell, but if I was forced at gunpoint to watch a movie he starred in, I would pick almost anything before that one. (Yes, even Alexander, provided I were allowed to thoroughly scrub myself before and afterwards.) There's no doubt that Malick is one of the best at depicting wide, sweeping panoramic stories with landscapes to match, but I find that sometimes the characters in his movies are only bit players, and it's the scenery that's the main character. But that's just me, the uncultured lout that I am. Now, I think I hear Nico whipping up one of those Saw-type gadgets for my head, so I think I'll quietly slip out the back... I remain, as always... Abe Froman (the sausage king of Chicago)

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

Some random replies to and repartee for my fine, fidèle French friend, Chien: "...I have to say, Tony Who ??? Honestly... I have absolutely no idea who that is, I have never heard of him." [Sigh] Tony Romo. Again, dude, I know. Hey, don't feel too bad about it. He's only, like, the quarterback for America's Team and all. (Who will probably get pasted Sunday evening against ...DA Bears!) And, anyway, it's not like I'm all that up on Djibril Cissé, either. "In fact I wouldn't be able to name one single football player in the history of American Football. Really." Oh, come on, now, that's just exaggeration. You've heard of O.J. Simpson, I'm sure, who -- before his careers as a Brentwood teppan-yaki chef, "reality TV" celebrity, roving golf-course private eye and occasional sports memorabilia liberator -- was, in fact, a Hall of Fame NFL running back for the Buffalo Bills. "...[R]ugby only with less panache..." Not bad; I'd also argue, less bollocks... (Love the old standy, btw: "Football [soccer] is a gentlemen's game played by hooligans... rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen".) "...[L]et's face the truth, films about football aren't the best..." We-ellll, you know, a lot of that's in the eye of the beholder, I think. I mean, it's not like what we call "soccer" has had all that many exciting spectacles played in cinemas, either -- Gracie was a fine film, sure, and deserved much more attention than it got, but it was much, much more social commentary than sports extravaganza... (Escape to) Victory was more Stalag 17 than soccer film... and Goal! The Dream Begins? Give me a friggin' break. I would argue, however, that there have in fact been some very fine films about American-rules football: Rudy, of course, but also: Knute Rockne, All American; Brian's Song; Everybody's All-American; Jerry Maguire; Remember the Titans and its many, many clones, most especially We Are Marshall; Friday Night Lights (2004); ...even, going waaaay back, now, the Joan Crawford-William Haines drama, West Point. And there have been some decent films, from a technical standpoint, as well, most notably (in my opinion, at least) North Dallas Forty, Any Given Sunday, Varsity Blues, The Junction Boys and They Call Me Sirr (you just had to KNOW I'd find a way to slip my beloved Fightin' Texas Aggies in there, didn't ya? WHOOP!!); The Program, The Replacements, and also Invincible. (Why do I think I'm going to catch a lot of Hell for some of those last titles?) Hell, I even love Lucas. However, it's just possible I'm biased. [Grin] (Hey, at least I had the good sense not to mention Wildcats, right?) "Malick is unique... [A] film sculptor of beauty. A philosoph that expresses himself with a camera. An artist reflecting on everything that is, everything that were, and probably everything that ever will be." Well put. His camerawork, alone, evokes far more emotion, meaning, and substance than all the other elements of the medium -- narrative, plot, dialogue, music, etc. -- used by most other filmmakers, combined. He's still, however -- like any other auteur -- capable of screwing it up in the editing room, which is just what I believe happened to The New World. But, Hell, even Michael Mann craps out once in awhile (Miami Vice); John Sayles had his own near-miss (Eight Men Out); and even Kubrick had his Eyes Wide Shut. It happens. "I remember in 1997 when I first read about his comeback at filmmaking, I was 16 and beginning to read a lot about cinema and going a lot to the movie theaters." Wow, you're a heckuva lot younger than me! I got to sit down with Mr. Malick in, oh, I think it was 1994 or '95, when I went to Austin to visit a friend who was interviewing him. At that time he (Malick) was living in a bucolic second-floor apartment right above a coffee shop / diner, and I remember him talking about how many years he'd spent trying to adapt James Jones's semi-autobiographical book, to be faithful to the spirit of the material, while excising certain of its, shall we say, unpalatable and non-commerically viable elements, to hammer it into a promising screenplay. It was a daunting, unforgiving, lonely task... At that time Malick had been all but retired for twenty years. He had, as far as Hollywood was concerned, dropped off the face of the world. He was a local celebrity, of course, but an entertainment nonentity. A lot of people thought he'd gone a bit mad, sort of like the Hal Weidmann character (played by Christopher Walken) in America's Sweethearts. I thought he was a genius. I remember, afterwards, remarking to my friend: "It's like I just sat down with Spielberg, or Kubrick." To which he replied: "Not Kubrick. Definitely not Spielberg. Welles." I don't think he (Malick) said six words to me over the course of two hours or so, but I remember it vividly, just the same... the sense of being in the presence of an infinitely superior mind, an incredibly rich imagination, an indescribable talent. "...I was thinking 'Who the heck is this Malick who's getting the best actors there is but who hasn't done a film in almost 20 years ???." See, I'd (just) seen Days of Heaven (on VHS), so I had some sense of what I was getting into... But, yeah, I know what you mean. I was still thinking of him as an accidental success, a one-hit wonder, capable of a one-off stroke of brilliance, sure, but probably not able to really repeat his singular success. (Sort of like how I feel about George Lucas, truth be told; and exactly what I fear for Peter Jackson.) I was, to put it mildly, wrong. (I wouldn't see Badlands for another decade... I still haven't seen Lanton Mills.) "...The Thin Red Line, which is still as of today, in my memory, one of the most intense film experience I've ever lived." [Nodding] I completely agree. It very nearly transcends the medium; it's literary in its eloquence. For all that, however, I understand criticisms that it's too vague, too cerebral, too contemplative... It's most definitely not everyone's cup of tea. But, then, there are people in the world who can't understand the lyrical majesty of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, either. Sometimes, when you give the public Michelangelo's David, Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi or Da Vinci's flying machine, they shrug their shoulders in unison and demand Thomas Kinkade coffee mugs, you know what I mean? (And, I mean, sure, I like Kinkade, too... But he's no Monet, you dig?) "The New World... definitly lacks perfection. But it was the film I most eagerly awaited of all 2005..." Again, I completely agree. And I have found much to love in the film; watching it inspires me to imagine what might have been. It's brave, cutting-edge filmmaking, no doubt... I just hope Universal's Clark & Lewis can hit some of the same thematic notes. I had had similar fantasies, lamentably unfulfilled, about The Alamo, back when Ron Howard and Stephen Gaghan (writer of Traffic and Syriana) were adapting Stephen Harrigan's phenomenal Gates of the Alamo. (Another great perspective -- especially, culturally -- on Texas's most famous battle, btw, is William C. Davis' outstanding history, Three Roads to the Alamo. Had the filmmakers attempted seriously to adapt the Davis book, we might just have gotten that even-handed, unbiased, multifocal perspective on war that's been mentioned in The Kingdom thread... However, I digress.) "I am shocked everytime I read someone complaining that Goodfellas lost the Oscar to Dances With Wolves... [as if] a cheap little insignificant western stole it from Marty. NO !!! It is a groundbreaking western... a groundbreaking tale of human courage, a groundbreaking film. I have seen it again recently on DVD, and I shivered down to my bones during 4 hours before such a piece of art." [Nodding] Goodfellas is a fine film, but it's far from the best of Scorcese's career (I could, and do, say the same about The Departed, btw) -- I think Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Color of Money, The Age of Innocence and, perhaps, even Cape Fear are superior titles. [Shaking head] No, that was one year, anyway, that Oscar got it right -- and I actually think Awakenings would have been the best runner-up in 1991, not Goodfellas. ...Scorcese, it seems to me, has had a number of almost-great films -- Casino, Gangs of New York, The Aviator -- but there always seems to be something... indefinable... that just doesn't add up to greatness in the end. Perhaps I'm too nitpicky, tho; they're all really, really, really good. (To quote The Sopranos' Christuhfuh (Michael Imperioli): "Kundun! Kundun! I get it!") He's (Marty, not Imperioli) also a helluvan actor -- if Dame Judi Dench could win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for being onscreen for all of six and a half minutes in 1998's overblown Shakespeare in Love, Scorcese ought to have earned at least a nomination for his portrayal of pharmaceutical coporate executive Martin Rittenhome in 1994's sublime Quiz Show. However, again, it's possible that I digress. I think this thread ought to be re-titled, "Everything, and I mean, everything, BUT the Iron Man trailer," btw... I remain, as always... Nico. ETA: Oh, yeah, Shryke? Piss off. [Grin] Of course Tony Romo is recognizeable -- he escorts Carrie Underwood everywhere! Sheesh... LOL... "He is the current 'quarterback' for the Dallas Cowboys, who are one of the more renowned teams in the NFL. They got the epithet 'America's Team' some three decades ago, when they had legends like Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Ed 'Too Tall' Jones, President George Bush, Lee Majors, Liberace and Godzilla playing for them. Go figure." ROTFLMAO!!! God, that reminds me of Mr. Garrison (Mr. Hat, if you want to get all technical about it) in the first South Park ep, "Cartman Gets An Anal Probe": "That's right, Mr. Garrison. Christopher Columbus discovered America, and was the Indians' best friend. He helped the Indians win their war against Frederick Douglass and freed the Hebrews from Napoleon... and discovered France." Now, THAT's a Terrence Malick film I'd like to see! LOL... "...'Super Bowls', a concept woefully foreign to any football fan who has ever lived in Arizona. (Wink.)" Damn skippy. You couldn't even make the playoffs when you stole Emmitt Smith from us, dude. [Grin] "No, Kitty, that's MY pot pie! Bad Kitty!" [REEOWWWWWR!] "...I'm no fan of Colin Farrell..." Me neither, not since Minority Report, anyway. ...Dude, F%@#!!! Alexander. ["Bad Kitty!"] "...I find that sometimes the characters in his movies are only bit players, and it's the scenery that's the main character. But that's just me, the uncultured lout that I am." No, no, I think you've got it right, there, precisely. (And, let's face it, now... Who really does a better job of acting, whether it be in The New World, or, pretty much any film? ...That ficus over there, or Colin Farrell? You make the call!) "Now, I think I hear Nico whipping up one of those Saw-type gadgets for my head, so I think I'll quietly slip out the back..." Nah, I'll just use that mail-order Predator drone (dude, Sharper Image ROCKS!!!), which drops a payload of narsty little, Phantasm-inspired Sentinel Spheres... And if that doesn't scare you, well, you must live somewhere in that hypothetical void between the seams that amalgamate the rest of the space-time continuum... like, Arizona, maybe, where no daylight is saved, ever. [Grin] (Don't you people have to buy, like, photon offest credits or something?) "Rooney! ARRRRRGH!!! ROONEY!!!" Friggin' HILARIOUS, dude.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Chienfantome — GMT

Dear Nico, don't even try converting me to the vertues of american football, whether in a real stadium or on screen. Sure there are a few watchable movies on the subject, Remember The Titans, Any Given Sunday and a few others... But don't take it personally towards your football, it's just sports movies in general that don't convince me, even (especially in fact !!!!) the ones about soccer [wink] (although you're right, I know OJ Simpson, I forgot he was a football player) Now wait a second there.... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nico !!!!!!!!!!!!!! You actually F%*#ing met Terrence Malick !!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????? I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Putain de bordel de dieu de merde de salope de con d'enfoiré plein de cul !!!!!!! Excuse me for my french, I couldn't resist [grin] Nico, that's extraordinary. Amazing. There is no word for it. You met Malick. Wow. Pfff... I'm so jealous. I just read this afternoon that he was leaving his secret hideaway to appear at the Rome Film Festival next month... I'm sorry, I can't write any longer... I 'm too shocked by your announcement [wink] Oh, I just need to protest one of your opinions Nico... Eyes Wide Shut ? In my humble opinion, it is one of the last masterpieces of the 20th century. A rich and fascinating exploration of the human desires. it's hypnotizing and terrifying. Anyway, I must rest and digest your Malick meeting all those years ago [wink]

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

numbersix_99 — GMT

Nico, Scorsese's films lacking something indefinable? Let me clarify Casino: lacks originality Gangs of New York: lacks anything worthwhile besides Day Lewis The Aviator: Lacks a theme

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

transformers2 — GMT

numbersix_99 wrote:

Nico, Scorsese's films lacking something indefinable? Let me clarify Casino: lacks originality Gangs of New York: lacks anything worthwhile besides Day Lewis The Aviator: Lacks a theme

Got To Agree and disagree there number_six. I hated The Aviator i thought it complete crap and had no theme no structure no nothing. Meanwhile i think Casino had orginatnality and was just a great film

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

[Laughing] Chien... "You actually F%*#ing met Terrence Malick !!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????? I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Well, what's the big deal, anyway????????!!!!!!!!!???????? All us Texans know one another!!!!!!!!!oh damn, I broke my exclamation point key... hmmmm... ||||||||///////++++++++::::::::&&&&&&&&~~~~~~~~ LOL... "Putain de bordel de dieu de merde de salope de con d'enfoiré plein de cul !!!!!!! Excuse me for my french, I couldn't resist [grin]..." Er, that's okay, pal, the fish in my eye read that as: "Oh freddled gruntbuggly, thy micturations are to me as plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee; groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes and hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles, or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon, see if I don't!" Sounds fine to me... I rather enjoyed it, actually. NNNRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH???? (Again, I broke my exclamation point, or I would've used that, instead, there...) It's really, really not that big a deal. He probably doesn't remember the interview, let alone me. I was sitting for the most part at another table, reading Too Much Coffee Man and, erm, drinking copious amounts of hot caffeinated beverage, pretending not to eavesdrop. Now, when I got to talk to Roger Staubach, now, THOSE were memorable days... oh, the Hell with it. Yeah, I don't really appreciate Eyes Wide Shut, but it could just be my unfamiliarity breeding ignorance, or something like that. I've only seen it once, and if I remember correctly, I didn't think all that much of Barry Lyndon the first time I saw that one, either... And I have grown to truly love that film, in the fullness of time. Yeah, sure, get some rest, Chien, it's getting on for evening for you, anyway... Or, well, it was when you wrote it... [Grin] Number Six and transformers: See, there are things I friggin' love about each of those films, I just can't consider them "great." Casino, sure, on one level is a knockoff (no pun intended) of Goodfellas, but it's also an incredibly detailed, visceral glimpse into the history of Las Vegas, before it became Three Bars Great Adventure. It's like a Ken Burns documentary, but with poor English and shiny suits. The "mechanics" of casino gambling, and "the skim," and of the Mafia's relations with its Nevada hosts, are presented beautifully. The big problem is: I don't give a damn. There's really only one character that earns any measure of empathy, and that's Ace; Nicky's a sociopath (even if he does cook his kid flapjacks every morning before school), Ginger is a hard, conniving, cokehead whore... and no one else matters. It's hard to really care about what happens in a film, unless you can come to care about who it happens to. I have the same issue with Goodfellas -- Henry Hill is such a repulsive primary character, that I almost think the film might have been better off being told from Paul Cicero's (Paul Sorvino) point of view, or even Spider's. Karen's great to look at, but ultimately just as vain, predatory, and self-obsessed as her husband... Jimmy Conway's charming, sure, but, well, so was Ted Bundy. And Tommy... Gangs of New York is another one. For all Amsterdam's suffering and misguided bravado, you never really get inside his head... He is, in his own way, as much a cypher as The Butcher, and in fact I came to care about Bill Poole (not least, because of Daniel Day-Lewis' Oscar-worthy portrayal of him), a noble if bloodthirsty crime lord, far, far more than Priest Vallon's reckless progeny. Again, no one else matters. As a member of the audience, I never cared enough about Amsterdam to move beyond a disinterested party; I never became invested in the outcome, either way, so -- like Casino, and even Goodfellas -- what I was watching became nothing so much as a lavish, extraordinarily well-appointed History Channel presentation, albeit by way of Showtime. The Aviator is my favorite of the three, actually, but -- again -- it comes across as too cold, too impersonal, too lifeless, for me to really LOVE. The performances are all excellent -- DiCaprio, for me, was a revelation in this film, his first genuinely "grown-up" performance -- and, again, the production design, costuming, sets, cinematography, etc., are all what we've come to expect, or actually demand, from a Marty Scorcese pic. Cate Blanchett so totally captures the spirit and mannerisms of Kate Hepburn that I almost feel I'm behind-the-scenes of The African Queen at times. But, again, this film, that so intimately explores the terrain of Howard Hughes' life, offers no insight whatsoever into this brilliant, paranoid, groundbreaking, captive mind. We see him scrubbing his hands until they bleed, and clapping a stopper over his near-epileptic verbal emissions, and squinting with his flinty eyes at things that aren't there... But we never see the clockwork mechanism of barely restrained madness behind that tight, uncomfortable smile, that hard, fearful expression. So he recites Q-U-A-R-A-N-T-I-N-E, ad nauseum, when the imposition, the invasion even, of other human beings into his elaborately constructed, private world becomes too odious, too onerous, too frightening. WHY?!?!? WHO IS THIS MAN?!?!? (Whups, I shoulda told you... my exclamation points (!) are working again. Viagra really IS a wonder drug! !!!!!!) However... I digress. And yet... although I know I've managed to describe / diagnose PART of the problem, here, there's something I'm missing, something I've never been able to quite put into words, something inexplicably... lacking from Scorcese's craft, from his work. I could call it "closure," perhaps, or "completeness," or je ne sais quoi, or, Hell, I don't know what, but that would be a cop-out. It's the same sort of vague dissatisfaction I get from Oliver Stone sometimes, or Ron Howard, or Mel Gibson... They know all the tricks, all the camera angles, all the proper lighting arrangements... all the tools of editing, the quick cuts and the zoom-outs and the wide-angle perspectives. And maybe that's the problem. EVERYTHING'S TOO... PERFECT. Too choreographed, too clinical, too effortless, too specific, too, too, too much. And, you see, the worlds they're trying to create, the characters they're trying to present... aren't. There's no spontaneity, no recklessness, no chance, no life to any of it... What we see onscreen is too idealized, in stark contrast to the lives and episodes and decisions and repercussions their films are TRYING, unsuccessfully, to get us to accept as "reality." I'm not saying it can be solved with handheld cameras, or less-capable personnel, or fewer table readings... It's just that the whole, the end product, is simply too... OVERPRODUCED. Put it another way, Def Leppard was a fine rock band until they started thinking that EVERY SINGLE NOTE needed to be JUST RIGHT. The life went out of it, and they went from killer singles like "Bringin' on the Heartbreak, which you couldn't stop yourself (or, even, your tone-deaf girlfriend) from singing out loud, to total synthetic bollocks like "Let's Get Rocked." Sometimes, you just want to sing along, even if there are a few notes off here and there... matter of fact, not to get all philosophical or existential or whatever, but I'd argue that it is, in fact, the occasional quirks and pops and cracks, that MAKES you want to "sing along," in films as well as songs, and, by extension, life. There's this really memorable, quietly moving scene in one of my favorite films, Master and Commander: The Dark Side of the World, where the awkward, underachieving career midshipman, Hollom, tries to participate in the other, lesser deckhands' revelry. They're laughing and singing and carrying on, mates, all, and Hollom, desperate to fit in and be liked, adds his sterling, perfect voice to one of their slightly bawdy songs. The moment his melodious issuances hit the clear night air, everyone else stops... Because, you see, his voice is far, far superior to theirs, and their comparative vocal poverty strikes them, literally, dumb. He carries on with it to the end of the verse, oblivious, not realizing that by giving voice to his own flawless talent, he's gone and shown them the errors in theirs. Hollom finishes, finally realizing his gross misjudgment, and, eventually, the lads strike up another tune. But the damage has been done. Bloody show-off, they're thinking, or something very like it. Bleedin' scrub. Take away our fun, will ya? Piss off. Sometimes, if you want the audience to sing along, you have to be willing to be less than perfect. Millions of people turn out every weekend to recite the lyrics to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and imagine themselves Susan Sarandon or Tim Curry; far fewer, I think, ever confused themselves with Pavarotti, and joined in with the note-perfect tenor. However... perhaps I digress. I remain, as always... Nico.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Shryke42 — GMT

"Oh freddled gruntbuggly, thy micturations are to me as plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee; groop, I implore thee, my foonting turlingdromes and hooptiously drangle me with crinkly bindlewurdles, or I will rend thee in the gobberwarts with my blurglecruncheon, see if I don't!"

Vogon poetry? Oh, my ears... "Vogon poetry is of course, the third worst in the universe. The second worst is that of the Azgoths of Kria. During a recitation by their poet master Grunthos the Flatulent of his poem "Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in My Armpit One Midsummer Morning" four of his audience died of internal haemorrhaging and the president of the Mid-Galactic Arts Nobbling Council survived by gnawing one of his own legs off. Grunthos was reported to have been "disappointed" by the poem's reception, and was about to embark on a reading of his 12-book epic entitled "My Favourite Bathtime Gurgles" when his own major intestine, in a desperate attempt to save humanity, leapt straight up through his neck and throttled his brain. The very worst poetry of all perished along with its creator, Paul Neil Milne Johnstone of Redbridge, in the destruction of the planet Earth. Vogon poetry is mild by comparison." Now THAT'S comedy, the eccentricity of which will be marvelled over and repeated to quizzical looks at cocktail parties (the ones where the hostess's undergarments incredibly and spontaneously jump three feet to the left) for all time.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Nicodemus — GMT

Ahhh, you must have gotten hold of an original edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Most later (and American English) versions replace Paul Neil Milne Johnstone's name -- Johnstone was a childhood friend of Adams's -- and address, with that of "Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings, of Wasp Villas, Greenbridge, Essex." Your unprovoked undergarment-zapping brought back memories of Eccentrica Gallumbits, btw. "Share and Enjoy" is HER motto, too, especially after being plied with copious amounts of that Ol' Janx Spirit (the aggregate effect of which, btw, is comparable to that of having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round three large gold breasts). However... oh, Hell, you know. I remain, as always... Nico.

Re:Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

Otter — GMT

"Ironman" teaser might give us something sorly lacking in the FF4 films.That being a lead actor with personality that Robert Downey Jr. can bring to the role.What's the over/under in running time before Stan Lee apears in this film?I've posted in the past I think his been in every Marvel based film so far,and does he have SAG card yet? Late Thank You Nico it's going to be blast checking your words of wisdom.

Iron Man Trailer - The wait is over!

la_resistance28 — GMT

I've always loved "Master and Commander", but the way you describe that particular scene, Nico, makes me want to watch it all over again!