Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Hey, I’ll admit it... I want to see this movie. I think it looks like fun. I think Bruckheimer honestly learned from the experience of PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN, and this is one of those films that gestated for a long time until things finally came together. Here’s hoping they were waiting for just the right combination of elements, and that the resulting film is fun. Let’s see what these guys thought...
Hey Harry-
I have the good fortune of being frineds with Jim. You don't know him, but he owns a comic book shop. So not only do I get my 4-color fix on a weekly basis, but from time to time, I get to attend advance screenings at our local Showcase Cinema. Last time this happened, it was for "Starsky & Hutch". This time, we got to see "National Treasure" starring your favorite long-faced thespian and mine, Nic Cage.
Now, I'll admit. I knew very little about this movie up until I saw it. Really, there's little buzz about this anywhere, and I'm here to say, that's unfortunate.
The commercials I've seen for this do the movie little justice. It's being promoted as a big action movie, and while there's action, it's not to the scale the ads would make you believe. If I'm not mistaken, there's only one explosion.
And it's a Bruckeheimer production.
I know!
Anyway, Mr. Cage stars as Benjamin Franklin Gates, the latest in the long line of Gates' entrusted with the secret of this secret treasure hidden by our country's founding fathers. The film opens with young Gates looking in Grandpa Gates' attic for a book. Then Grandpa, played by Christopher Plummer, shows up and we get to hear the legend of this mysterious treasure, which is steeped in the history of the Freemasons. From there, we meet up with the grown-up Ben Franklin Gates, on an Antarctic expedition, looking for, of all things, a Revolutionary War-era ship. From there, we're taken all over the important historical places of America, looking for clues, and puzzles to solve.
You know how in the commercials, it focuses on Cage saying he's going to steal the Declaration of Independence? That's not even the main point of the story. That's done and over with before the 45 minute mark, if that. This movie is a non-stop, beginning to end hunt for that treasure.
After seeing this movie, my aforementioned buddy Jim said, "That was a very non-Disney movie." To which I replied, "And rather non-Bruckeheimer-ish, too."
I'm here to tell you that this movie is a genuine adventure/treasure hunt movie. There's a chain of clues that's easy to follow. There isn't one moment where you think they're stretching for something to make sense.
The best way I can put it is like this: It's a "Goonies" for grown-ups.
The performances, in all, were pretty good. I felt that Cage might have mailed it in a little bit at first, but once things got really going, he got into it.
The guy who plays Nic's sidekick? He's the reliable comic relief, and he pretty much spot on, although a couple jokes DO fall flat.
Then there's the girl. She's cute, she plays well opposite of Cage, and you believe her when she changes from snagged tagalong to willing participant. She does have a vested interest in all of this after all. (Comic geeks may notice her character's name, Abigail Chase, is the same as the main character from Image Comics' Danger Girl. Coincidence? I'm not so sure.)
Then there's Sean Bean. He's not bad. He's Nic's equal/rival and Bean handles this with ease.
Can anyone else tell me what Harvey Keitel was doing in this? Red Sox win the World Series and Keitel's in a Disney movie. Hell may be frozen over after all. Harvey doesn't have much to do here except command subordinate FBI agents and share a few brief scenes with Cage.
Not a perfect movie, but it's quite fun. The marketing really doesn't do it justice, as this really isn't as generic as it seems.
Hope you enjoyed reading. If you post this, call me Alterleo.
And another...
Harry, Moriarty, Quint, etc…
I was at the press screening of the latest Bruckheimer flick National Treasure on Saturday night, and heres what I thought.
Maybe its because we ACTUALLY got in to the screening, or maybe it is because when me and my date decided to ditch the showing due to the shitty seats we were given an unusually helpful man led us to balcony seats just a couple rows in front of Nicholas Cage (this really excited my date who, despite never really seeing him up close, insisted to her sister later that he wears eye shadow), but whatever the reasons, I totally dug National Treasure.
Directed by John (3 Ninjas????) Turtletaub, National Treasure follows Benjamin Franklin Gates, played well enough by sincerely underused (and infamously eye shadowed) acting genius Nicholas Cage, on his hunt for the greatest tresure in the world. I'd like to say this is a good movie but the fact of the matter is that Jerry Bruckheimer doesn't create movies anymore, he gently develops, crafts and sculpts works always with an eye on opening weekend grosses. And whis movie is no exception to that rule he seems to have made something that is entertaining for even non-retarted viewers a-la Pirates of the Carribean. True, he doesn't have Captain Jack Sparrow this time (or Geoffrey Rush for that matter), but this is an entertaining flick.
Cage does what he needs to do with his character but the real interesting stuff in this movie comes in the Indiana Jonesesque scripting from several writers, notably excluding Ted Elliot who was previously credited as a writer. There are some very clever moments in here including one in a gift shop that is as priceless as the product-placement out-line is shameless. Sean Bean is pretty funny as the not-quite-as-smart-as-Gates sidekick though his lines become less hilarious in the middle of the film, while the girl does enough just to have a hot German accent. And judging from the end of this movie I think that Jerry Bruckheimer is trying to hop on the make fun of Jerry Bruckheimer bandwagon with Matt and Trey, curious if anyone else saw this particular moment the way I did.
That's it, Smoking Man.
Okay... sounds like they had a good time. Anyone else seen this one yet?
"Moriarty" out.
