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A few thoughts:
- I appreciate how the film uses the subject of basketball to provide insight into the characters. Jamal uses it to fit in among his peers, but his mind is in fact focused on writing. On the other hand, because of Jamal's background, both the school directive and professor Crawford assume in a prejudicious way that he is is only interested in basketball.
- Jamal does show quite a bit of character through the entire film. He keeps his promise of not mentioning Forrester in the face of expulsion, he openly challenges professor Crawford in the classroom for making a fool out of a fellow student, and he probably misses those basketball shots because he isn't willing to stay in the school for the wrong reasons.
- A sad implication of the story, albeit one that, in my opinion, is only briefly explored in the film in an explicit way, is that Forrester's seclusion has not only prevented him from living his life to the fullest, but has also prevented his writings from being read by the world. We should all aspire to make the most out of our talents, and explore and appreciate the fruit of those of others. A wasted life is a tragic thing. This idea is reinforced through the ending of the film.
- Even though the filmic medium and the need to keep the story going impose obvious restrictions, this movie manages to successfully convey plenty of the magic and the fascination of the written word as a means of discovery, expression and reflection about the human condition, also exemplifying how it can be a thing of beauty to bask in.
- Seeing a spirited Forrester --once again in touch with the world, with himself and as he says, finally having been provided with the "gift of friendship"-- riding off in his bike, only to find out in the next scene that he has passed away makes for an unexpected (by me, at least) and touching ending. But seeing that he has finally written another novel, and conceded Jamal the honor of writing its foreword, gives the resolution of the story that touch of bittersweetness, that mixture of happiness and sadness that, if it's not presumptuous of me to say, seems to sum up in a nutshell the experience of living for us all.
- I really miss seeing Sean Connery on the screen. An obvious thing to say probably, but he is a very good actor whose wonderful presence fills the screen.
Wow. Hype.
Rat Pack
The Cell
Anaconda
and
PACIFIC RIM UPRISING
I'm still not sure why they didn't just flat-out adapt the Japanese anime NEON GENESIS EVANGELION but I guess meccha fans will enjoy PACIFIC RIM. I can have fun with these films despite their noise and lack of great story. ;)
I loved the first, but haven t bothered seeing the second.
A fun little movie. I remember having a good time with it when I saw it back in 2015. The cast all around was likable, and good in the roles they've been given. The action was very solid, really like the shrinking/unshrinking fights and the one with Falcon was definitely awesome and lots of fun. Darren Cross was menacing and I thought the Yellowjacket suit looked cool. Only two things bothered me. One, adding HYDRA in this film seemed a little forced. I know it was only for a small part, but I would have bought Cross selling his tech to some shady part of the government or foreign nationals. Second, how did Cross know what Pym's plan was or that Lange was working with him? I feel that it wasn't explained and it sort of came out of the blue. Overall, It was solid movie all around. It was hard to decided whether I liked this movie better than The First Avenger, but I guess it can be tie. Hopefully by the time I get to the last movie, I can look back at those ties and see if I can spread them a bit more or not...
Rankings:
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2. Avengers
3. Iron Man
4. Guardians of the Galaxy
5. Captain America: The First Avenger, Ant-Man
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron
7. The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Iron Man 3
10. Black Panther
11. Iron Man 2
12. Thor: The Dark World
No desire to see the second film. But I will probably rent it knowing me...
I really liked the first one, BTW.
I'm generally not a big fan of war films, but this Alistair Maclean penned and Brian Hutton directed entry caught my interest from the very first time I saw it as a kid. That's probably because it has elements of espionage. It also features great action and stunts, beautiful scenery, and some serious machismo from the likes of two legends: Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. There's also some decent (and quite effective) eye candy in the form of Mary Ure and Ingrid Pitt, and I recognize a lot of the supporting cast from older films as well. The plot appears clear at the outset: 7 Allied Commandos must infiltrate Nazi hideout Schloss Adler (Castle of the Eagles) set deep in the alps (and only accessible by cable car) in order to rescue and escape with a captured American general who may be instrumental in ending the war. Strange occurrences, deaths & twists occur from the very start of their mission however, which suggests all is not as it seems and treachery may be in their midst.
The cast is top notch as can be expected. Burton in particular really is the boss in this one, barking orders at every one with inherent authority and confidence while being no slouch himself. Eastwood is his usual lethal 'man of action rather than words' self. Derren Nesbitt is particularly good as a suspicious Gestapo officer. I can see how this film inspired action in many future Bond entries as well as that famous pub scene in Tarantino's Basterds. Great OTT fun.
@j_w_pepper I would say any Spielberg fan would enjoy Ready Player One. You don’t have to get any of the game references to enjoy the film’s engaging story. Everything is laid out very well in an easily understandable fashion, so it won’t feel alien for long. Its references aren’t just limited to games either, but pop-culture in general (especially 80’s pop-culture), so everyone will find a nod here and there that they understand. One of the best things about the references made in the movie is that they don’t spend too much time on any one, and I’m sure hours could be spent searching the background of each scene to find hidden Easter eggs. I wouldn’t describe this as “the video game movie”; it’s a Spielberg movie that takes place in a game and the real world, and it’s absolutely amazing.
What do I say about this under looked gem of the 90's Honestly it's fantastic and far better then some make it out to be Kilmer is cool and interesting Elizabeth Shue is GORGEOUS and the film over all is a strong one with great performances memorable action and while it might not be as deep as other films I have seen its still a great movie.
Films I have seen in 2018
1. The A-team
2. The Final Girls
3. The Saint
4. Taken
5. Stand By Me
6. Before Sunrise
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
8. Goonies
9. Before Midnight
10. Before Sunset
Before series
1. Before Sunrise
2. Before Midnight
3. Before Sunset
Stephen King movies
1. Stand By Me
Corey Feldman movies
1. Stand by me
2. Teenage mutant ninja turtles
3. Goonies
Taken Series
1. Taken
Liam Neeson (sort of) retrospective series
1. The A-team
2. Taken
This is easily my favourite non-Bond Craig film (and that includes Munich). I'm a huge fan of the thriller suspense genre, and this is as good as it gets imho. I enjoyed all the original Swedish films when they came out (The Girl In The Spider's Web is my favourite) and so awaited this English entry with great anticipation after it was announced. It certainly lived up to expectations & in some ways exceeded them. I applaud Sony for taking risks and giving us something dark and unfamily friendly. In particular the graphic rape scene is very disturbing to watch. However, I don't think I can forgive them for chickening out after the film understandably didn't live up to *perhaps inflated* box office expectations, and not following through to complete the trilogy. It's particularly offensive after Rooney Mara gave such an incredible performance as lead Lisbeth Salander. Anyway, despite this monumental disgraceful cock-up, I continue to enjoy this one off entry whenever I view it.
The film has a lush, expensive character, and it's clear that a lot of care went into making it. There's a cold aesthetic here, mirroring the narrative and Swedish locale. David Fincher's direction is excellent, the cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth is outstanding, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's ambient score is suspenseful and moody, and the cast fires on all cylinders. In particular the always outstanding Christopher Plummer and Stellan Skarsgard excel, with the latter being quite frightening at times. Dutch actor Yorick van Wageningen is also a standout as the odious & repugnant Nils Bjurman. I'd love to see him in a Bond film soon. Craig is a joy to watch as well. He still has his casual style and cool in this film. At times I think he's a bit miscast here but he makes the most of it. I wish he at least had made an effort at an accent like the rest of the cast though.
The film foreshadows #MeToo in a way. Lisbeth overcomes her oppressor in a quite convincing manner and her character is quite a strong and independent woman. Perhaps my only negative with the film is that the denouement is a bit rushed, but I'm being picky now. Overall this is superb film making as far as I'm concerned.
Definitely one of my favourite films. Might as well be my favourite war film together with Das Boot and A Bridge Too Far.
Haha! We have something else in common!
Love 'Where Eagles Dare' . Watch it a couple of times a year!
Huge Alistair MacLean fan myself. This film was what got me into his work, and I’ve been holding it as a template for my inspirations ever since. I watch it at least twice a year myself!
Have plenty of Alistair MacLean books lying around, but have never read any of them…
His older books are great, the later not so much.
Most of them are of the «CAP-serien» books, so I guess they are the later ones.
One of the few remakes as good as the original. I was dubious about Rooney Mara but she was terrific in it! And Craig was impressive too!