Movies, Movies
Jul. 13th, 2003 04:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caraigI've seen quite a few movies lately. Last week, as I noted, was Terminator 3.
Earlier this week was Pirates of the Carribbean. A very fun film, probably because I really didn't have any expectations of it being anything more than an entertaining film. I was very pleasantly surprised by some of the duelling scenes, and the soundtrack was great. The compositing and editing was pretty well done and there were no major discrepancies. I was most impressed with the 'moonlight' scenes, which I won't spoil; they were really very well done and seamless. It was a fluffy movie, but it was entertaining fluff. I like it and highly recommend a matinee performance.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, unfortunately, cannot be said the same of. Some of this was that I was expecting it to be more than what it was: a movie adaptation of a comic. The pacing for action was great, there were very few slow moments once the movie started going. THe pacing for
Earlier this week was Pirates of the Carribbean. A very fun film, probably because I really didn't have any expectations of it being anything more than an entertaining film. I was very pleasantly surprised by some of the duelling scenes, and the soundtrack was great. The compositing and editing was pretty well done and there were no major discrepancies. I was most impressed with the 'moonlight' scenes, which I won't spoil; they were really very well done and seamless. It was a fluffy movie, but it was entertaining fluff. I like it and highly recommend a matinee performance.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, unfortunately, cannot be said the same of. Some of this was that I was expecting it to be more than what it was: a movie adaptation of a comic. The pacing for action was great, there were very few slow moments once the movie started going. THe pacing for
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I've seen quite a few movies lately. Last week, as I noted, was <EM>Terminator 3.</EM>
Earlier this week was <EM>Pirates of the Carribbean.</EM> A very fun film, probably because I really didn't have any expectations of it being anything more than an entertaining film. I was very pleasantly surprised by some of the duelling scenes, and the soundtrack was great. The compositing and editing was pretty well done and there were no major discrepancies. I was most impressed with the 'moonlight' scenes, which I won't spoil; they were really very well done and seamless. It was a fluffy movie, but it was entertaining fluff. I like it and highly recommend a matinee performance.
<EM>League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,</EM> unfortunately, cannot be said the same of. Some of this was that I was expecting it to be more than what it was: a movie adaptation of a comic. The pacing for action was great, there were very few slow moments once the movie started going. THe pacing for <EM.story</EM> on the other hand, was lacking. Far from being the superheroes of the previous century, the League comes off as people who happen to have some exceptional abilities being thrown into something they can't deal with. I have some serious issues with the last 45 seconds of the film. <lj-cut text="Warning: Spoilers Ahead!">
For starters, that was about 30 seconds more than it needed to be. Second, while Alan Quartermain DID deal with a lot of supernatural things in his adventures, it's actually a bit insulting to that great character suggest that he would get ressurrected or something <EM>for no reason.</EM> Well, I guess there was a reason; look who produced it. Though to be fair to Connery, the studio probably wanted the option to make a sequel, and they wanted the option to have Quartermain be in it.
Sigh. I also expected Mina Harker to get guff because she was a woman in Victorian London. I think Sean Connery played that a bit too much, though. I am given to understand that Mina was, originally, the unofficial leader of the League. Perhaps that didn't sit too well with the producers.
I should probably stop ragging on Connery. He's a good actor, thoroughly enjoyable in Hunt for Red October. But after his really nadir performance in The Avengers, and the somewhat disappointing results of LXG... I guess I've become a bit biased.
I also took issue with the big to-do about Nemo worshipping Kali. 'He worships Kali the goddess of destruction. Nemo worships death. How can we trust him?' BZZZT. Sorry, Ms. Mina 'I am the Mother of the Night' Harker, you should know better. Or maybe not, I guess. Still, Shiva is <EM>so much more</EM> than merely the goddess of death. As one of the trimurti, of Brahman, Shiva, and Kali, she represents one third of the Vedic nature of the universe. She's not merely destruction; she is old making way for the new, she is the evolution of what exists into new forms, she is the continuation of the cycle begun with creation. But nevermind me, I'll quibble about the smallest thing. =)
</lj-cut>
As far as compositing and editing goes, there were some serious issues there that I had. Some scenes just did not come off at all well, and there were some clearly rushed or sub-par compositing moments -- without giving too much away, for example, the <EM>Nautilus</EM> on the open ocean, and the Siberian tiger scenes.
Now, all that being said, if I look at LXG as just entertaining fluff, then it was pretty dan good entertaining fluff! I admit I liked it, and even all said and done I would recommend it for a matinee, especially if you like Victorian-era stuff. And Nemo <EM>rocked.</EM> It's almost worth seeing just to see their depiction of Captain Nemo and the <EM>Nautilus.</EM> It's quite unique, a far cry from Jules Verne's vision but still very enjoyable.
Today is housekeeping day, laundry and paperwork and bills. And somewhere in there I need to fill out the form telling Winter Park Village that I'm going bye-bye by August 15th. And I got up late because I was exhausted. So, I am off to do all that! I go! *bamf!*
Earlier this week was <EM>Pirates of the Carribbean.</EM> A very fun film, probably because I really didn't have any expectations of it being anything more than an entertaining film. I was very pleasantly surprised by some of the duelling scenes, and the soundtrack was great. The compositing and editing was pretty well done and there were no major discrepancies. I was most impressed with the 'moonlight' scenes, which I won't spoil; they were really very well done and seamless. It was a fluffy movie, but it was entertaining fluff. I like it and highly recommend a matinee performance.
<EM>League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,</EM> unfortunately, cannot be said the same of. Some of this was that I was expecting it to be more than what it was: a movie adaptation of a comic. The pacing for action was great, there were very few slow moments once the movie started going. THe pacing for <EM.story</EM> on the other hand, was lacking. Far from being the superheroes of the previous century, the League comes off as people who happen to have some exceptional abilities being thrown into something they can't deal with. I have some serious issues with the last 45 seconds of the film. <lj-cut text="Warning: Spoilers Ahead!">
For starters, that was about 30 seconds more than it needed to be. Second, while Alan Quartermain DID deal with a lot of supernatural things in his adventures, it's actually a bit insulting to that great character suggest that he would get ressurrected or something <EM>for no reason.</EM> Well, I guess there was a reason; look who produced it. Though to be fair to Connery, the studio probably wanted the option to make a sequel, and they wanted the option to have Quartermain be in it.
Sigh. I also expected Mina Harker to get guff because she was a woman in Victorian London. I think Sean Connery played that a bit too much, though. I am given to understand that Mina was, originally, the unofficial leader of the League. Perhaps that didn't sit too well with the producers.
I should probably stop ragging on Connery. He's a good actor, thoroughly enjoyable in Hunt for Red October. But after his really nadir performance in The Avengers, and the somewhat disappointing results of LXG... I guess I've become a bit biased.
I also took issue with the big to-do about Nemo worshipping Kali. 'He worships Kali the goddess of destruction. Nemo worships death. How can we trust him?' BZZZT. Sorry, Ms. Mina 'I am the Mother of the Night' Harker, you should know better. Or maybe not, I guess. Still, Shiva is <EM>so much more</EM> than merely the goddess of death. As one of the trimurti, of Brahman, Shiva, and Kali, she represents one third of the Vedic nature of the universe. She's not merely destruction; she is old making way for the new, she is the evolution of what exists into new forms, she is the continuation of the cycle begun with creation. But nevermind me, I'll quibble about the smallest thing. =)
</lj-cut>
As far as compositing and editing goes, there were some serious issues there that I had. Some scenes just did not come off at all well, and there were some clearly rushed or sub-par compositing moments -- without giving too much away, for example, the <EM>Nautilus</EM> on the open ocean, and the Siberian tiger scenes.
Now, all that being said, if I look at LXG as just entertaining fluff, then it was pretty dan good entertaining fluff! I admit I liked it, and even all said and done I would recommend it for a matinee, especially if you like Victorian-era stuff. And Nemo <EM>rocked.</EM> It's almost worth seeing just to see their depiction of Captain Nemo and the <EM>Nautilus.</EM> It's quite unique, a far cry from Jules Verne's vision but still very enjoyable.
Today is housekeeping day, laundry and paperwork and bills. And somewhere in there I need to fill out the form telling Winter Park Village that I'm going bye-bye by August 15th. And I got up late because I was exhausted. So, I am off to do all that! I go! *bamf!*
