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More Raves for THE PUNISHER
Hey folks, Harry here... Ya know - I seem to remember being accused of being in Avi Arad's pocket... remember that private screening of THE HULK? Remember my BLADE II rave? Oh yes, and my raves for SPIDER-MAN and DAREDEVIL? Hell, David Poland wrote that I basically had PROPERTY OF MARVEL stamped on my ass. Hmmm... What happened? A rotten piece of shit called THE PUNISHER. Now - if you want to believe that this has more in common with the films of Don Siegel, John Boorman and John Frankenheimer, than the films of Michael Bay & Simon West like Moriarty said, well... shit man, get in line, go see the movie... have fun! I love MARVEL comics and most of their recent films... This reminds of that CAPTAIN AMERICA, FANTASTIC FOUR, PUNISHER period of films when Marvel's name was mud and DC ruled the Box Office. By all means, go see this movie! Check it out! I DARE YOU! But don't say I didn't warn you.
First off I just want to say that living in Tampa it was cool getting to have an actual Hollywood movie filmed here, and being a fan of the Punisher it made it all the more "exciting." But this movie is just about the worst movie watching experience of my life.
Back in October and throughout filming they ran the dailies where I work, well being a fan of the comic I could help but take peeks every now and again. After watching hours of Thomas Jane being blown into the water, and Travolta playing golf I decided I didn't stick around to see much else hoping that maybe once through the editing room this film could get better.
So flash-forward to this past Tuesday night when I see the Punisher print that has to be built, well I know I'm going to screen it that night, but damn did I wish after I had been more prepared.
It all begins in some kind of a metal shipping yard where an arms deal is going down, Mr. Bad Ass Frank Castle is going undercover with blond highlights and a bad Russian accent but not speaking Russian, to seal the deal with the Son of Howard Saint and one of Howard's Lackeys that just wont go away during this film, the deals made then goes sour as a gun gets pulled and the bullets fly, in the end it's our Frank Castle and Howard Saint's son dead, to bad for us Castle was only shot with blanks.
After Frank's retirement it's time to return home to young hot wife Samantha Mathis and the whiny son that I couldn't wait to get run over, once he announces to his family he's out for good and it's a desk job in London well of course lets celebrate our family reunion in Puerto Rico.
Well, this is of course where the entire family is gunned down on orders from Howard's wife....As a side note this was just stupid how they reveal the wife never showing her face till at her sons funeral only to lift her vale to tell the gay henchman to kill the family.
As in the preview we see a very hagered schieder give a speech that is just blah blah blah pointless jargon to make us care and realize how close this family is but guess what the audience really won't care. This is also when Frank is given a gift from his son to ward off evil spirits, yes it's the PUNISHER SKULL SHIRT, this one time bad ass logo now has it's origins of coming from a Puerto Rican voodoo guy that sells shirts to kids, come on how scary is that? So everyone gets killed the next day pretty much in a style you would see in a bad Miami Vice episode.
So Frank is just drifting in the water after being shot, beaten, and blown up but still lives to be saved by Voodoo guy.
Time passes and Frank comes back to Tampa to kick some ass...
But instead we see him get a shitty apartment living next to Jean or whoever played by the wife of the Lucky Bastard John Stamo's...and has two other neighbors Bumbo and some guy with piercings all over. Bumbo and Metal face are supposed to be comedy relief and it's just distracting from the point that this is a REVENGE film.
After stealing guns and ammo out of the FBI storage facility that most not be guarded since all he does is walk up to it and take what he wants, Frank gears up and prepairs to kick ass....No wait I mean shoot two guys at Saint's bank and dump a shit load of money out a window saving a briefcase full for himself.
Later we see Will Patten make out with a junkie, an El Mariachi in joke with Howard Hech who later drives in a lime green el comino, and dinner with the annoying neighbors.
Finally there is action when Saint calls in the Russian to Kill CASTLE. This is the only good scene in the movie. A good knock drag down fight, Kevin Nash should play a lowly henchman more often. After being flung through walls and grenades blowing up toilets, it takes having to be thrown through the neighbors front door to get the neighbors attention about what's gone on.
Now skipping past the torture scene that comes off as silly cause you just know the Will Patten character just wanted to make out with the metal face guy. Now we have Frank Castle framing Patten and Saints wife having an affair so Saint kills them both not realizing it can't be true cause obviously Patten is gay.
Suddenly it's the final showdown, with Castle killing henchman in Saints club and blowing it up. As Saint attempts to escape he is shot in the back and told that he killed his own son, wife and best friend. As you pray for this movie to finally end Travolta is tied to the back of a car and is drug into a car lot that explodes making the skull logo for those to see from high above.
With a final word to the audience warning that he is going to begin his Punishment, I ran out of the theater and hid praying that another film like this is never made again. I hated this film, I never cared about Castle if anything I felt bad for Saint. The action had no originality it was just bang bang your dead.
Thankfully this movie opens up against KILL BILL which is sure to kick it's ass, hell one chapter of Kill Bill will stand alone better than the entire Punisher. May the duel of the two vigilante films begin April 16th.Here's another rave...
I have not read the comic book and know nothing about
it. I am judging the movie and the movie alone. I hope
that my comments won't be taken as bashing the comic
book. Not my intention at all.
Anyway, I was looking forward to this. I like Thomas
Jane and Will Patton a lot, and Travolta can be good
when he wants to be. The trailer made me think that it
could be a pretty kick ass, nasty action movie. If
memory serves, Moriarty over at AICN raved about this
a month or so ago. I have to question his sanity now.
OK, it's not that bad. But it certainly isn't good
either. Nothing more than a routine action flick.
While watching, I felt like I had seen this movie
about 1,000 times before.
The opening is hilariously awful. Late at night at an
empty shipping dock in Tampa Bay, a couple of young
morons with a suitcase full of money are waiting for
their business partner to arrive. One of them says, in
awe, that he he speaks six languages and then lists
them off. Then, the man appears. He speaks with a
thick accent and his name is Omar something or other.
But wait, actually it's Frank Castle.
Frank makes a quick trade with the men: cash for guns.
Suddenly, the FBI storms in. Waving his arms around
like a lunatic, armed no less, Frank gets himself
shot. One of the two morons soon does the same.
There's a brief shootout, which is staged and edited
so poorly one can only laugh out loud. It's straight
out of a really bad B-movie. You start to wonder if
everything that follows will be this bad.
Of course, Frank isn't dead. The bullets that shot him
were blanks. Just doing his job, which was his last.
Unfortunately for him, the dead moron is the son of
Howard Saint (Travolta). Frank heads off to Puerto
Rico for a vacation with his wife, son and extended
family (before moving to London). Howard and his wife
bury their child.
Next there are a couple of painfully corny and hokey
scenes that are supposed to establish how much Frank
loves his family. First he has a little heart to heart
with his wife, then his son. He has to explain why
they move so much to his confused child. Mercifully,
they're short, but pretty weak all the same.
It doesn't take long for Howard to figure out Frank's
real identity and determine that he is responsible for
his son 's death. He sends his goons, led by Quentin
Glass (Will Patton) down to Puerto Rico to kill Frank.
Then, in one of countless heavy-handed and
unintentionally hilarious scenes, the camera cuts to
Howard's wife's black veil, with the music swelling.
She slowly lifts her head up and says, "Kill them
all." Funny stuff.
Seconds later, Quentin, Howard's other son and a bunch
of heavily armed bad guys have surrounded the house in
Puerto Rico where Frank and his family are staying.
There are a lot of people there, including Frank's
parents (Roy Scheider is his dad). The bad guys start
shooting, killing nearly everyone, save for Frank, his
wife and son. His wife and son have escaped in an SUV,
with the bad guys hot on their tail. Frank is
following them on a motorcycle.
Despite his best efforts, Frank can't save his family.
Howard's other son shoots him in the chest and leaves
him for dead. They blow up the dock Frank is bleeding
to death on, but miraculously he gets blown safely
into the water, and survives. Now it's time for some
vengeance.
Using the other moron from the beginning, who now
works as Howard's assistant, Frank begins to plot his
revenge, which he views as punishment. He makes Howard
very mad by doing things like throwing tons of money
out the window of his highrise office building and
killing some of his henchmen.
Meanwhile, Frank has some new neighbors. He makes his
new home a dumpy apartment in a dumpy building. Soon
three people are trying to be his friend. Joan
(Rebecca Romijn Stamos), David (Ben Foster) and some
big guy named Jumbo or Gumbo or something like that.
They are all outcasts in some way. This subplot is
both a massive waste of time and seriously overdone.
It tries to humanize Frank (with cliches) and add
humor. But the humor is forced and out of place. It
doesn't belong in this movie. The three neighbors are
also extremely obnoxious and annoying. Frank would
have been better off shooting all three. They aren't
good for much besides getting on your nerves. Of
course, a love story starts to blossom between Frank
and Joan, which is even more forced and out of place.
Thankfully, not much time is spent on it.
In the end, I didn't really like much about this
movie. There is one very lively and entertaining
action scene between Frank and a huge Russian guy sent
to kill him. The Russian guy beats him to a pulp,
which is strange because Howard wants Frank dead more
than anything in the world. Yet the Russian just toys
with him and wastes many chaces to kill him. Still,
it's a fun scene, one of the only in the movie to show
a little wit and imagination.
The remainder is totally standard crap for the genre.
Normally, I like Jane. But he is trying way too hard
here. In every scene it looks as if he is struggling
to be as stoic and tough as the director wanted. It's
a strained performance. He is not all that compelling
of a character. Just another guy out for revenge.
Nothing new there. You hardly got to know his family
so you don't feel his pain. At the same time, you
don't like him so much that you care about what
happens to him.
Lately, I have been really disappointed with the
villains in action movies. I am thinking of movies
like XXX, Bad Boys 2 and 2 Fast 2 Furious. Villains
used to be the best part of the movie, back when Gary
Oldman and Alan Rickman played them. Now they are just
lame. They aren't menacing or threatening anymore. Add
Howard Saint to the list. He has little screen time
(Travolta doesn't have many scenes until the
conclusion) and never registers. Travolta underplays
him, and while it's good that he didn't ham it up, it
also makes him incredibly boring. He never makes an
impression. Patton is a good actor but he has the
typical second in command role. Nothing special about
it, save for his character being gay.
At this point, I'm not sure who composed it (I just
got back from seeing it), but I also hated the score.
It's terrible. Seemed like it belonged in another
movie.
I wish I had more positive things to say about The
Punisher, but I didn't find much to like. The story,
the action, the writing, the directing, the acting;
all about as routine and predictable as it gets. It
only manages to come to life during a few brief action
sequences. Otherwise, the entire movie has a been
there, done that feeling to it. I have no idea how
faithful it is to the comic, or how people who love
the comic will feel about it. All I know is, I was
pretty damn bored most of the time.
4/10This just in...
Hi Harry,
I saw Punisher during one of the free screenings in MD.
I'll keep it short and simple.
Suck.
The first hour and a half the movie is about some guy named Frank Castle, who seems to have nothing to do with any Marvel character but rather some attempt by a hack screen writer to put his own spin on things.
During this hour and a half yawn fest you see bits and piece of the last 2-3 years of Punisher plots and characters all mashed down into one - further making no real sense or continuity. Character development you say? Maybe, but it wasn't good.
It wasn't until the last 20 minutes of the movie that the real Punisher makes his appearance. He dispatches foes in usual Punisher style - and that was great. Its too bad you have to sit through 1.5 hours of crap to get to something good. The only good note is that the movie ends with you set-up for maybe, possible, a real Punisher movie to come in the future.
Please tell me, Harry, why Hollywood continues to butcher comic book movies. Last time I checked there were already years of character plots, twists, development and continuity. Why do this screenwriters think they can do it better? When will Marvel wake up and give the rest of their movies to Sam? SUS SUS Save Us Sam.
Call me HorseThat's all I have in the ol email box about the film, wow -- seems sterling!
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+ Expand All
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Apr 14, 2004 4:22:13 AM CDT
Yeah, it probably is a p.o.s., Harry, but you are slamming hard
by smarkjobber
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What the hell is up with Harry bashing this film this much? I do think it has something to do with the lack luster take of Kill Bill one and hoping that this will help Kill Bill 2 open bigger. Although I honestly thought Kill Bill one was the single most disapointing film experience of my entire life. I think most movie reviewers have thier heads so far up QT's ass that thier opinions are very tainted. And if Harry didnt kiss QT's ass and suck his nuts would QT come to the Hugeassathon?
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If you think the apartment neighbors dont belong in the movie then shove it. They were in Grant Morrison's "Welcome back Frank" run in the comics, along with the barely speaking Russian you fucktards. The movie is partially based on that storyline, so blow it out your ass.
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This I gotta see.
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Apr 14, 2004 4:40:28 AM CDT
I have never felt such hate. So how come rollingstone and superh
by el zar
Something doesn't feel right. Don't give in to the dark side, man !
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KB2 is da shit!
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This is great. Being a fan of Marvel and Punisher, I definitely have been waiting for Punisher. I trust Marvel and think they have a great run going here with their movies. Even Daredevil and Hulk, although not great, were not bad (even Daredevil came pretty close). Back to Punisher. So being a fan, I'm naturally souped. But the first trailer and video clips to hit online simply SUCKED! But then Moriarity comes out praising the flick so I'm thinking that it's on again. Now Harry cans the thing! This is great! Now I can't wait to see it this Friday to finally see how this sucker plays out. A word of advice to geeks: $ permitting, just go out and watch BOTH KBv2 and Punisher this weekend! I know I will. I think it's great to have 2 fan flicks coming out the same weekend. Obviously KBv2 will rule but I'm still going to take in Punisher. Worse case scenario, my cousin and I just laugh for 2 hours. Don't playa hate, participate.
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Lighten up guys...I think I'll see KB2 and Punisher on the same day. Where I come from,tickets are relatively cheap... In some theatres, you can even sit through a movie more than once for the price of one mere ticket.
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Hey Knowles, you want some credibility? Here's an idea: stop taking hand outs from the studios and filmakers. The talkbackers have managed to hurt your feelings, So now you're running the "only" reviews in your mailbox. Gee, Knowles you sure opened yourself up to some fake reviews coming in. So now because of all the trashing you've given this film you're not going to be able to tell the real from the fake when it comes to reviews from this point on. Now you know how people visiting this site feel.
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Has he ever heard of such little concepts as syntax and interpunction? Not to mention orthography?
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Who the hell would hire some sub-hack, with nothing but some shitty wopflicks in his credits ("Cuccioli", har, har), to score this?
Then again, it's fitting for the pile of excrement that Punisher 2K4 seems to be.
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NAHHHHH - hey yo
Dolph should have played the Russian he already has in Rocky 4.
Roy should have brought Blue Thunder in.
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Apr 14, 2004 6:51:10 AM CDT
"What the hell is up with Harry bashing this film this much?"
by rapmaster c
Uh...maybe he just didn't like it? Is that so hard to imagine?
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Personally, I accept that no one else on the face of the earth will have the exact taste in films , or music or whatever, that I have. We're all individuals right? I totally disagree with Harry's take on Matrix Revolutions (it was balls) but am right with him on Kill Bill. But in the years I've been visiting this sight Harry has always backed up his like/dislike of a movie with fairly detailed reasons as to why he's taken that particular line. Remember Rollerball? Harry worshipped McTiernan! Didn't stop the big guy from ripping that piece of shit a new one though. Just cos you pre-pubescent fuckers are jealous as all hell that Harry can make a living from running a movie site, and is making inroads into producing , it seems talkbackers have dived into hard core tall poppy syndrome. Punisher looks like a turd, smells like a turd, and in my experience, that usually adds up to the movie being, yup, a turd.
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I'm not crazy about Harry but c'mon guys chill out. If you don't like what the man has to say fine leave but don't bash the guy. You know you'll see the movie regardlesss of what HK (or his readers) have to say. Harry is no sell-out. He has ADD.
=) -
Im gonna check it out, I will support the industry....!!!
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Apr 14, 2004 8:08:11 AM CDT
George lukas should rotoscop a skull on lundrens chest and be do
by the data
i garuntee that would make a better punisher movie.
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Apr 14, 2004 8:12:04 AM CDT
Again I ask - how long must we be subjected to the idiot known a
by vikingkitty
Sure, his political views are childish and stupid. But that's not the worst part. The worst part is, like a lot of liberals, he feels he is so special and enlightened that NO forum is inappropriate for his idiotic views (kind of like Phil Donahue, that NYT's reporter that got booed off the stage when giving a commencement speech last year, etc.). Someone ban this fool!
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I mean really, you know you've been lied to, you KNOW why he went to Iraq, You KNOW they don't know what the hell their doing, and you KNOW that this world is NO safer than it was pre 9/11. Just because Nothing has happened SINCE 9/11 doesnt mean anything, because at any moment if they wanted to, they could bomb any busy or subway system they wanted to,
You can't topple a belief, and no matter how many people they kill in iraq it won't stop it. It's like trying to swat flies . You call them liberals, they are realists . This country should have focussed on diplomacy AND security instead of going to war .
don't matter tho, it's all a prophetic end to this system of things, IT is, like how smith said it,
inevitable. -
Why do you fucking care so much!! Who gives a shit if Harry wants you to see Kill Bill and not Punisher. If you think it's some sort of "sad commentary" or something then please, PLEASE DON'T COME TO THIS SITE EVER AGAIN OR POST YOUR STUPID ASS COMMENTS!!
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His dad told me.
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Apr 14, 2004 8:52:53 AM CDT
I might as well wait for this t.v. movie to BE a t.v. movie.
by jdanielp
I've even lost interest in just getting it (eventually) on dvd. -- Where are the cool visuals??? Why wasn't this shot in someplace like Detroit or New York or Chicago??? Where's director David Fincher when you need him??? I would absolutely LOVE to see a David Fincher PUNISHER movie, ... as long as the screenplay would be worthy of his work. (Keep in mind I'm not a fan of ALL his work. But "SE7EN" was a masterpiece, ranking as one of my favorites of ALL TIME, ... up there with the "TOY STORY" movies, etc...) Where is the cool use of shadows??? Where is the silloutte while the skull still shows, on his chest??? Why can't HOLLYWOOD do this right??? -- AND LET ME SAY that the "HULK" was VERY CLOSE to being a masterpiece, despite what many "talkbackers" say here. If you take out the ending (with the father) and expand the scenes where HULK fights the military, ... and maybe add some humor through character (while retaining the tragic depth) ... it begins looking like the great film it could have been. ...And if you remember, Ang Lee wanted the realism of the Hulk actually ripping out of ALL his clothing (since, in the film, he got larger the more angry he got) ... but comic book fans (including fans here) argued the point (for several reasons) ... and it was determined that AMERICAN audiences were not ready for that. (C'mon. No jokes.) The simple answer, ... the EASY answer, ... is that you stay true to his comic book roots and not make him quite THAT large, ... and make it seem (at least, almost) believable that he still has pants. But the down side of this is, ... if you bring down his size, ... the military scenes may not make as much of an impact. (Remember the scale of the Hulk compared to the U.S. Army tank.) In order to STILL make that impact, ... the camera would have to be zoomed in a bit more, ... so that there would still seem to be some element of SIZE as well as his strength. And as for the "comic book" style editing, ... I probably would have preferred the cuts to be more subtle, ... realistic while cut in more of a "Star Wars" way, retaining comic book panel-shapes. Anyway, ... these may seem like "geek-points" I'm trying to make, ... but Ang Lee and the "HULK", I believe, deserve more credit. Sorry to get off track from the PUNISHER movie, ... but because "tallbackers" continue to discuss it, I felt compelled to express my feelings on the subject (as a wanna-be filmmaker).
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You mean these talk backs are here so fucking morons like you can post their stupid little comments?!?!! Read your fucking post again you fucking 8th grader. I'm not the one who's fucking crying like a little whiney bitch about Harry having a biased review!! Who the fuck cares!? Punisher will suck anyway regardless of who reviews it.
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Apr 14, 2004 9:28:10 AM CDT
So when do we get a review from someone who has read the Garth E
by spyguy
Okay, I get the distinct impression that THE PUNISHER is probably just a mediocre been there/seen that action movie. And I get that most of the moviegoing public has no clue about THE PUNISHER comics. But what I'm curious about is, how does THE PUNISHER rate as a comic-to-film adaptation? And I'm sorry, this certainly feels like a deliberate campaign to take down THE PUNISHER by creating negative buzz, just like the campaign to create positive buzz for HELLBOY (another mediocre movie). Me, I'm going to see KILL BILL VOL. 2 Friday night and THE PUNISHER during a Saturday matinee. I really don't see the reason why you shouldn't check out both films...
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Apr 14, 2004 9:36:34 AM CDT
Anyone else find it strange that Shannon Elizabeth`s tits are di
by manwiththedogs
And Harry, The Punisher is bad, but not nearly as bad as Capt. America, FF, ect...you must agree that it is an improvement over the Dolph clunker, anyway.
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I agree to a certain extent, I think that everyone went into the Hulk expecting a kick ass action flick with a little soul.. sadly what they got what a CGI arthose flick with little to no soul. I thought the CGI hulk was TITS! it was very very well done, many will argue the gollum point, but the difference between gollum and HULK is HULK had absolutely no frame of reference save for a mirrored ball on a stick so actors could look into where the CG eyes would end up. I quite enjoyed the Hulk, but then again I also enjoyed Daredevil and Revolutions (you heard) so my opinion here probably counts for dick and is likely to be shat upon by those who don't know how hard and complex a process it is to make a film with layered and or total CGI effects. I didn't think much of the Punisher, I tought it was badly cast (in all roles except Jane's to be honest.. he wasn't bad.. he suffers from the BATMAN/CLOONEY style in that he worked with what he had to work with) the script was underdone, the score was pretty bad to the point of making it uncomfortable to watch, I think the last movie to do that to me was Bulletproof Monk, it just didn't fit, and the setting was all wrong.. but comic fans take thier comic book media very seriously and I can sort of understand thier passionate distaste for this movie.. it was worth maybe 4 dollars for admission and no more, DVD rentals will go through the roof like they did with LXG because I can't see that after the critical reaction, if many will see it at the movies, but everyone who is wary but still curious will wait for DVD. *BAMF*
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harry is doing this shit ONLY because of KillBill coming out, well, fuck you HARRY.
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So why would you possibly think that the actual movie would be any better?
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Harry didn't like the Punisher. He likes Kill Bill better. So he's a big fan of Tarantino - so what? If you don't like his opinion, then fine, go see the Punisher any way. Its not like one man's opinion is going to make someone decide whether to go to a movie or not. But you're being incredibly childish by going on the talkback simply to bash Harry. He's entitled to his opinion, whether its biased or not. If you don't agree with it, thats okay. But why bother posting links to some other site, as if to "convert" the rest of us from seeing through Harry's evil ways? People can think for themselves. If you hate this site so much, then what are you doing here? Funny, none of the "We hate Harry" squad ever answer that question.....
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I've read some of "Tom Jane's" comments on Harry an AICN. Its hard to believe that it is really Thomas Jane. As a Hollywood actor, he shouldn't be coming off with such comments. I'm doubtful, but if that is him, he needs to grow up. Was Punisher ever going to beat Kill Bill Vol 2? I don't think so, and I doubt even the most obsessive Marvel fan would disagree.
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always defending himself
can't u just let the movie play out instead of it always being about u?
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He gave the movie such a bad review that it makes kill bill vol 2 the only thing worth seeing thus making it #1 in the box office.
You can have reviews and not like a movie, but he makes the punisher feel like Dumb and Dumberer.
When that happens you HAVE to question the intentions, -
I'm still seeing the Punisher. There have been enough excellent reviews from reviewers that I trust and whose opinions I usually agree with. I don't know these three dipshits from a big steaming pile in my horse pasture, so I could give a rat's ass what they think. And sorry Harry, I'm just not with you on this one, doesn't matter how much you slam The Punisher. Plus, Moriarty gave it a good review; he can't be that far off.
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Harry, if the review on The Punisher is your opinion why does it matter if people agree with it or not? How come you're bringing in all these reviews from other people? Do you really need to validate your review? Being so defensive about it just makes it seem more and more like you really did sell out when writing this review.
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Oh dear, you called me "rapemaster". How juvenile of you. No, I didn't read the links you posted, so thanks for the summary. I read the supposed comments by Tom Jane elsewhere. You and others have gone beyond merely disagreeing with Harry's opinion and reviews, and now simply insult him on a regular basis. Not only is this incredibly childish, but also an incredible waste of time, given the fact that he never seems to care. But still, why bother going to such lengths to insult the man? His review will not cause Kill Bill to go to No.1 at the box office: (1) The movie was already going to do that, given the success of vol 1 and (2)its just one review, which has already caused many here to say "I'm going to see Punisher regardless of what he says!". Yeah, you and others can have all the opinions you like, but you cross the line when you begin to go out of your way to insult the guy.
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Boy I get amazed by this site day after day..
Walking tall gets a crappy review right before it goest toe to toe with the freacking boring as HELLboy..
Punisher was getting excelent reviews on this same site, till Kill Bill's date changed to the same date as the Punisher.. Isnt that special??
Harry didnt get a check from Lions Gate this month?? This site is as tainted as it comes.. Bashing other movies just because it opens against your favorite ones.. tsc tsc tsc.. Sad to see how low this is going..
Thank GOD the number of people that reads reviews from this site is about 0.0000000000000000000000000000,000001% and doesnt really matter what Mr Jaba has to say.. Learn somehthing about the Punisher first, who he is, READ THE MATERIAL the movie is based on, do you ressearch.. Dont believe in these morons, tell Kill BIll to go F himself and go watch the one movie that'll Blow your socks off.. Then come back here and tell Harry to get his biased review and shove it straight up that fat ass.. -
Apr 14, 2004 1:37:48 PM CDT
Before Harry reviewed this movie, there were positive reviews...
by nomad202
These revieiws are all mixed.
"Travolta didn't ham it up which was good because it needs to be centered around Frank Castle."
"Travolta didn't ham it up well enough for a kick ass villain which makes him lame."
What the hell???? I guess this flick will be a mixed bag for everyone. I'm still seeing it, its the fuckin Punisher. I'm not comparing it to any other revenge movie because I'm enjoying it for what its worth, a comic book movie brought to the big screen. People can nit-pick all they want. -
i just saw the punisher last night and i have to be honest and say that i know nothing of the punisher except from what i've seen on the spiderman cartoons they gave on fox and that he acts outside the law cause he is supposed to be dead sort like The Crow. Thats why this movie although not a terribly bad movie isn't good either. My main problem with the movie was the scene where Frank Castle went up to middle of a press conference and announced that he was still alive! that to me ruined the whole film.
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I mean, lookit her.
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If you replace the oil industry with the film industry. You have two characters who's motives are sketchy. Both lacking complete credibility. Who could be catering to they're own best interest within the industries that support them. Hey they're both from Texas. Well I wouldn't want to assume that Harry is a bought and paid for hack based on these allegations alone. That would be pretentious and egotistical of me. The height of hubris. I would be just plain wrong, even though I may be right.
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If you guys are so worried about whether Harry is riding QT's jock then fucking boycott Kill Bill Vol 2 and go see Punisher this weekend-- THEN comeback to this site and tell us all how Harry was wrong you loved the fucking movie!! Either way it doesn't matter if Harry's review was biased or not. If your letting him dictate what movies your seeing then you can't think for yourself.
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What is this, like 6 slams of Punisher now? Three articles...one with two, one with three, plus Harry's...he seems to be trying awfully hard. I'm sure the Punisher will be fun...it does seem odd that every other magazine and movie site that has reviewed it has done so positively...some outright loving it. I can't say it enough...you all DO know how infinitely better CHUD is, right? RIGHT? Go compare ANY of their reviews to this site's...the actually review a movie. Harry's are either "This movie rocks so hard " or "This movie is sheer ass!" I still want to see Punisher. And Kill Bill. It's possible to see two movies before they're out of theatres, right? I mean, they usually stay for, what? 2 or 3 weeks, if their bad, 7 if they're good? I'm going to go check out CHUD...
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The Punisher, regardless of quality, or lack thereof, will open bigger than Kill Bill Volume 2 because of the sheer size of it's advertising campaign. I will be seeing Kill Bill on Friday night with a group of fellow Bride worshipers, and will likely see the Punisher Saturday at a matinee....or maybe I'll just see Volume 2 again. I need to have my faith in the art form restored; Walking Tall and The Alamo were the last two movies I've seen, and I haven't stopped bleeding out of my ass since.
Oh yeah, and all those gripes about unanswered questions and incomplete character development with regard to Vol 1 hold no water considering that it's only the first half of a movie that was not originally intended to be cut in half in the first place. I have a feeling Vol 2 may answer some of those questions (no shit). -
Harry didn't like Punisher, so Harry must be sucking QT's dick, course if Harry did like Punisher, then he'd be sucking Arad's dick.
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I knew the movie was going to be bad, but each review makes it sound worse than I ever could have imagined. From the sounds of it, people will be walking out saying, "I wish we stayed home and watched those last two Matrix movies instead." If not for Spiderman 2 and the inevitable X-Men 3, this movie would likely singlehandedly kill Marvel's comic movie reign. Course, good as Spiderman 2 looks, I have a feeling Batman Begins is going to top it. I mean, look at the fucking casting! And that script review? And they even have a top notch director on the job. If they keep that team together, we could see a serious battle for supremacy between Batman and X-Men films. (We all know Superman is going to chow ass, so it's not even a contender.)
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"Villians used to be fun back when Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman were playing them." True, which is why I don't understand the fanboy ambivilance about Harry Potter 3. I mean, yeah, it's kids' shit but at least a handful of the people on screen will bother with actually acting. Plus Cuaron.
Oh, but back to "The Punisher" and other recent crappy action films: the reason the villians suck is (and this old news, but then, everything on this site is) because for some reason the powers that be are afraid to give them even an ounce of characterization beyond Mwahaha Evil or the audience (90% of whom must obviously have D-'Drome) might get confused. -
Apr 14, 2004 4:32:53 PM CDT
Frank Castle Will Fuck The Bride In The Ass, Splash Cumshots Al
by super cucaracha
and deliver the head to Tarantino in person. I guess the bitch will never Kill Bill. He He He!
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Apr 14, 2004 5:34:07 PM CDT
REBECCA ROMIJN-STAMOS AND JOHN STAMOS SPLIT UP THIS WEEK!!!
by hardcorerocker
Fanboys, rejoice!
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I don't really doubt that Harry didn't care for the movie, but the level of sheer hatred he's spewing seems a little outsized. Real critics like Peter Travers are giving it good reviews (3 stars), and Mori really liked it, so I think his beef is that another revenge flick is opening opposite his pals movie, than it being any worse than mediocre movies like Armegeddon and Blade 2, which he raved over. Don't worry Harry, Quentins going to get all our money, he'll still be rich and will probably fly you out to more of his movie shoots, and he would have done it without the heavy handed pummeling of a movie that dared open the same day as his.
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Everyone should be united in screaming in rage over the possible casting of Paul Walker as Johnny Storm/Human Torch. Granted that it may only be a rumor, but it is a vicious, cruel, hateful one and the bastard that released it should be put in the stocks. Paul Walker should never be allowed to come within ten miles of a marvel comic film, or any other film for that matter. The only film he is tolerable in is Pleasantville (no, sorry folks, The Fast and the Furious is not a good movie) for the reason that his acting was supposed to look forced and awkward. The day Walker is cast as Human Torch, is the day that marks the effective end of the comic book movie renaissance.
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walker should be ravaged by tape worms
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I'm more concerned with Tim Robbins being up for Dr Doom, he should be Mr Fantastic, he's already kind of rubbery looking, and he has that scientist look down, but Dr Doom should be sort of a European actor, like Alan Rickman. Gwynith Paltrow should be Sue Storm.
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Apr 14, 2004 6:35:29 PM CDT
Mori - "THE PATRIOT is better than BRAVEHEART" - arity strikes a
by thewanker
Take heed! Protect thine eight coins! Spend them on KILL BILL instead!
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...........has cute feet.
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...he's just pregnant with Quentin Tarantino's anal love-child. Congratulations to the happy couple. Seriously, though, I'm a bit suspicious when Peter Travers and a few other critics have really positive things to say about this and Harry makes it sound like a total crapfest. If Harry just thought the movie sucked and said as much, I could accept that he just didn't like it and maybe he had a point. However, this is coming off like a smear campaign.
Of course, this is coming from a guy that liked Armageddon, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, and The Passion -- all three of which stunk to high heaven (that's right, I'm looking at you, Gibson). Mel should make a sequel called The Passion of the Knowles. It would be two hours of Harry being force-fed buckets of Crisco a la Se7en. Instead of being resurrected in the end, he'd emerge from the john demanding more. -
And some of you people actually trust his (clearly biased and buyable) opinion? The man who told us of the cinematic greatness of Godzilla and Cabin Fever and DareDevil and many more besides. My advice, make up your own damn minds, that's what I'll be doing. Plus which, call me crazy but I put a little more stock in the positive reviews from filmjerk, rolling stone and superherohype, than I do in Harry's mad rantings. Especially when this seems to be his biggest immature hack job drubbing since whenever the last time he mentioned Paul "the bastard wouldn't let me on the Soldier set and I'm still bitter about it" Anderson on the site was. Oh, and Harry, a 'rave' is a positive review, not a negative one you stupid fucktard. And you actually run a film site? Scary, aint it?
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I think that's Abdul Al-hazrad or something like that.
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Holy crap - I finally agree with you. Bush sucks...hard. The guy makes Forest Gump look like a rocket scientist. One point though - this world is infinitely more dangerous post 9/11. You think Bush's illegal war hasn't created 1,000 new Osama Bin Laden's? Imagine that your family (civilians) was bombed and killed? You wouldn't want revenge? Bush has gotten a free ride from the media who've been sleeping on his watch. Unfortunately so many people fail to think for themselves in the United States. Can you grasp the fact that 70% of Americans (this makes me ashamed to call myself one) believed that Iraq was behind 9/11 after Bush started linking Osama and Saddam in his speeches? Pure insanity. Watch this link in which Donald Rumsfeld has his own lies shoved in his face. It's pure poetry: http://www.moveon.org/censure/caughtonvideo/
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Totally unrelated to this talkback: what is up with Jerry "fucktard" Bruckheimer's King Arthur? Why the hell do you call it the TRUE story of King Arthur when they're including characters such as Lancelot, who was made up by a 12th century Romanticist? Fucking asshole!
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Rebecca was on Letterman last night, looking pretty fine for someone about to divorce. Her boobs were literally ready to pop out from the low-cut, extremely tight number she was wearing. I turned her off eventually because she was boring as hell to listen to. Her assets are visual not verbal.
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Apr 14, 2004 9:50:32 PM CDT
THE PUNISHER A- (Film Blather): A well written probing review.
by youridol
Review by someone who (#1) paid attention and (#2) wrote it AFTER seeing the film...
"Go with God."
"God's gonna sit this one out."
Comic books and action movies often ask us to accept their heroes as righteous enforcers, flying, crawling, swinging or driving through the Mean Streets and acting as judge, jury and executioner. They've been wronged in one way or another, and so they take the law into their own hands, usually with the explicit intention of helping innocents, avenging victims, punishing wrongdoers, or some combination of the three. These stories can be fun, but if they go on for long enough someone will inevitably ask the Big Question: isn't it somewhat of a problem that this guy is acting as a one-man police force?
Films like Walking Tall and Daredevil are complicit in their notions of moral rectitude, slavishly accepting their heroes' claims of being virtuous dealers of justice. Jonathan Hensleigh's The Punisher isn't quite so comfortable with that idea. Based on a popular serial about a government agent who methodically hunts down his family's killers and doesn't stop there, the cleverly self-reflexive movie constantly prods and provokes, hitting certain emotional notes and then asking why we reacted the way we did. It is one of the most thoughtful comic book adaptations I have ever seen.
In a move that thousands will call "tonal inconsistency" (which is correct, but misses the point spectacularly), The Punisher brilliantly juxtaposes the vicious murder of the title character's family with the stylized, over-the-top, often hilarious mayhem that our hero later unleashes. Just-retired government agent Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) sees his life crash and burn before his eyes when banker and international criminal Howard Saint (John Travolta) sends men with guns to the Castle family reunion in retribution for the death of his own son in a high-profile bust. Wearing a shirt embossed with a scary white skull -- a gift from his now-dead young son -- Castle, who narrowly escaped his own demise, methodically plans his vengeance on the killers.
That vengeance, far more ruthless and cruel than Saint's, yet executed with precisely the same motivation, bears little aesthetic resemblance to the unexpected invasion of Castle's family party. The death of Castle's loved ones is haunting and deadly serious, filmed with nary a hint of a traditional comic book mentality and in a way that threatens to bring tears to your eyes even though you always knew it was coming. The images are drained of color; the camera stumbles and shakes.
Most of Castle's revenge, by contrast, is every bit the comic book movie, overblown, cartoonish, cheerful, and usually played for laughs. "Call the Russian!" snaps an irritated Travolta, and our hero is attacked by a bleached-blond 6'10" assassin while his oblivious sidekicks perform an impromptu waltz across the courtyard. A character drops a woman off a bridge... and then she gets run over by a train. People walk across the screen and leer at the camera. Thomas Jane triumphantly ascends from the ground on a mechanical trap door with his shirt torn to shreds and hanging at his sides. The violence factor doesn't let up an inch, but the absurdity level skyrockets, and suddenly instead of being horrified, the audience is in hysterics.
The idea here is how easily we are manipulated into taking certain attitudes toward violence. I thought of that joke in Futurama wherein a depressing newsreel had Three Stooges sound effects "added to lessen tragedy." The Punisher makes the viewer go from having tears in his eyes to cheering, laughing and hooting in a matter of minutes. Because the maiming and killing is now being perpetrated by the title character, who is set up as a hero, authority figure and family man, we accept it without question despite the fact that his actions aren't an iota more justifiable than the villain's, and that the movie makes no effort to refute this.
For a while, the film's stance is unclear. Is Hensleigh, who is making his directing debut after a long career as an action screenwriter, commenting on these things or hoping that we won't notice them? The ever-increasing and clearly intentional level of absurdity made me suspect the former, but the finale made me certain of it. Our hero unloads such a terrible barrage of violence and stark cruelty that his assertion that it is "punishment, not revenge" becomes impossible to accept. There is one moment of such stunning brutality that all of the hooting and hollering we did over the past ninety minutes rushes back through us in a wave of horror and shame. The quintessential final image, which might otherwise have evoked a big cheer, can only be greeted with utter, breathtaking dread. The Punisher turns what was rollicking R-rated entertainment into a punch in the face.
There will no doubt still be those who find it hilarious through and through. This is unsurprising and even forgivable, as the film is very funny, very violent, and very courageous in its willingness to be misunderstood. But peel away a layer, and you'll find that The Punisher is asking you a question: Why are you laughing? A-
Eugene Novikov -
well pyul & harry, thanks for deleting my posts of this talk back. what? were my links to REAL for AICN crowd?
and pyul thanks for your post at superherohype, now more ppl can read about it & not have to worry about AICN nazi censorship.
And you've just been served again. by me? no.. by someone else just pointing out how fucking BLIND you are when your head is stuck up harrys ass.
So you think harry's never been unfair towards Paul W(harry always calls him a hack, even tho harry has never made a fucking movie of his own)S anderson? you've read all harrys articles towards the man and you found nothing malicious or unfair about them? Man, you must be BLIND and DUMB.
here everyone read this post directed towards Pyal Mactackle:
http://www.superherohype.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=3054543#post3054543
Posted by jmubarajajaki or whatever, it shows how much a hate mongering liar harry really is and how little he checks the "news" he puts up on his site. And in the end it shows how much BULLSHIT this site puts up that never gets acknowlegded as being False or just plain slander. Whats that pyul? got nothing to say? thought so. -
He's the only real Punisher!
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Harry doesnt mind at all I am sure, he gets paid the same either way. The TB's where there is a reason to bash harry are busier so he probably gets more from the advertisers. I am sure he isnt very concerned.
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the title of this TB meantions "raves" for punisher,yet all it's composed of is "rants"....hmmmm...funny
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I read harry's reviews and so far i think he's abetter film crtique than ROGER EBERT. I think for myself and most of the time, I agree with HARRY. Except for KILL BILL wich sucked big time! its cool for people who havent seen the movies tarintino stole from!
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I read harry's reviews and so far i think he's abetter film crtique than ROGER EBERT. I think for myself and most of the time, I agree with HARRY. Except for KILL BILL wich sucked big time! its cool for people who havent seen the movies tarintino stole from!
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That wasn't very nice. I didn't use foul language and I even said it was ignorant to attack Harry. I just made a point of the fact that you shouldn't trust this site for movie reviews. the critics don't have the balls to use their real names and harry is showered with trips and gifts from the Studios. I guess all of those damning links about Harry being biased I had in my last post doomed me, but you people should know this stuff! Go to a legitimate source for movie reviews. come to this site for news about Shaun of the Dead.
here's the link that will get you banned too.
http://www.filmthreat.com/Features.asp?File=FeaturesOne.inc&Id=159
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But we won't get banned for reading it, right? Anyway, I read the article yesterday (and enjoyed it, thank you very much for the link Moistre Man) so I guess I'll find out whether I've been banned or not any minute now.
But whatever happened to the announced third and final part of the article? -
Apr 15, 2004 3:53:31 PM CDT
DANG!! -- After all this "talkbacker" mud-slinging, ... I thin
by jdanielp
BOYS!! BOYS!! BOYS!! -- How about we meet up at a bar somewhere in the middle of the country .... and have ourselves an old-fashioned fist-fight?!! (heh,heh) Look out for flying chairs!! And by gawd, SOMEBODY is goin' out da winder be4 we done!!!
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I love how ever since Harry's BAD review of Punisher, this site suddenly only puts up BAD reviews for the movie. Where the hell are all the GOOD ones? Every other movie site is loaded with positive reviews for Punisher, or at the very least, mediocre ones! But not Harry's site, nope... Harry didn't like the movie, got totally flamed in the talkbacks for being the f*cking moron that he is, and now he will only post reviews that agree with his opinion of the film! Good job being unbiased you fat peice of sh*t! I know you only want to kill Punisher cuz its up against your precious Kill Bill Vol2... God, every day I hate this site just a little more... the only reason I still even come here is to see what Herc has to say about my favorite TV shows and maybe read Moriarty's reviews. Go ahead and keep trying to kill Punisher with your bad reviews Harry, cuz its not like anyone takes your pompous ass (and what a large ass it is) seriously! Your a fuckin joke! I love Tarantino and his films, but in this instance, I hope to God that Punisher leaves Kill Bill dead and bloody in an ally somewhere with its nuts cut off, just to piss you off! Why don't you do us all a favor: go look for your dick (this should take you a few months to do, seeing as it is so small and you have all the blubber hiding it somewhere), dust that little f*cker off, go get yourself a woman (or more likely, you'd prefer a man), and bust that big ol' cherry of yours... hopefully, it'll calm your ass down, and maybe you'll be too damn busy to post anymore reviews or to drag this site any deeper into the gutter. The End... P.S. I really really Hate you, Harry... just so you know. Supermonkey Out!
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I was watching the new TCM with my friends and it came to the part where Harry's shit-eating head was on the plate. This the dialogue that followed between my friend and I.
Friend: "What's that shit?"
Me: "That's Harry Knowles."
Friend: "Who?"
Me: "Exactly."
The moral of the story, don't listen to Harry and his cronies. See a movie for yourself and make your own judgement. -
Apr 15, 2004 6:39:06 PM CDT
Which film is the Graumann's Chinese playing this weekend? The P
by watashiwadare
Guess I'll be up for a routine action flic The Punisher since the negative harry campaign to promote his fav carradine porn flic is so insistent.
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Reading all these Punisher Talkbacks crack me up. I think when the Punisher trailer came out, everyone said it looked like shit. Well, yeah, it did. Still looks like shit to me. But now that Harry says he thinks it's shit, Talkbackers now want to see it because Harry is just pimping Tarantinos flick. So basically, people who hate Harry Knowles are forced to come to the site. Ok a bit strange, but c'mon, why else would they be here? Someone must have a gun to their heads, right? Probably also forcing them to click on those pesky amazon links they hate so much. Oh the horror to come across an Amazon link! And now they must all go see The Punisher, because Harry hates it and thinks Kill Bill is superior! Just like most of the other reviewers out there (take a look at Rottentomatoes.com. If you can point out Rolling Stone and Superhero Hype, I can point out everyone elso.) So yeah, go make the Punisher millions. We need a sequel to that. Bunch of crybaby pussies.
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Why are you reading these Punisher Talkbacks you hate so much? Somebody have a gun to your head? Grow up.
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Apr 17, 2004 1:17:50 AM CDT
These Reviews are Inaccurate and Lame, Especially the last one w
by wesleywillis
Who wrote these? Where are their names? Why are no-name, poorly written reviews being given prime space by Harry, except to bury The Punisher. I saw it. Its not the greatest movie, nor a particularly good one, but it is fun and any action / comic book fan will enjoy it. The score does blow however, so that was a valid point. It really, really sucks, and drains the seriousness and anger out of the film, often making it feel goofy. But T Jane and Travolta have nothing to do with that, and do some great acting in my opinion. But mainly this is a fun and relatively good adaptation of Frank Castle, aside from what I think to be a poorly thought out origin change with the FBI undercover crap instead of War Vet and victim of random violence. But here's the key thing that is clear: PUNISHER 2 WILL KICK THE CRAP OUT OF PUNISHER 1, BUT IF YOU WANT IT TO GET MADE YOU HAVE TO GO SEE THIS ONE. After seeing this "setup" movie, I now want to see the REAL Punisher film, which can very easily be #2 if made. Jane rules as the Punisher and can cut loose more and hopefully take out more and better villains in #2. KILL BILL 2 will rake it in anyway...go see THe Punisher so that we can see the complete ass kicking movie that #2 will surely be.
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Watched the punisher yesterday and took about 15 co workers with me.. Being a comic book reader for my entire life and avid fan of the Punisher, unlike mr. Harry-the-Hut, I've read "welcome back Frank" and all of Garth Ennis vision of the Punisher was there, the spring-blade was there, the ass kicking action was there, the dispatching of criminals as brutally as possible was there... A REAL DREAM MOVIE FOR ALL PUNISHER FANS OUT THERE!! Please dont let the insane babble of that giant Turd ruin the movie for you.. Harry probably ran out of twinkies and was in a bad mood.. Just some of the coolest parts of the movie:
Frank makes Travolta's character Kill his own wife and best friend of 20 years by framing him and make Travolta think they were having an affair.. Then right before The Punisher kills him off, he throws the evidence on top of Saint and goes:
"Made you kill your best friend"
"Made you kill your wife"
***
I really dont want to spoil for you guys, Bt im going to watch it again tonight, and all the fans looking for a gritty, kick ass, Death Wish style, Action movie, the Punisher is the way to go..
And harry.. Im very disapointed at you and at this site for the biased pro-Tarantino, review and bashing.. Maybe it got to the point where the fat is getting in your brain.. lay off the pie..
Puisher was a much better revenge movie then Kill Bill will ever be, and Harry knew that when he watched it.. Overrated as everything else Tarantino does..
F**k the bride,
Punisher rules.. -
Harry what the hell? You're posting reviews by people that email crap to you? That's your plan to backup the bullshit you're spewing?
I just saw the Punisher and it kicked ass...yeah there were dumb parts, but the same goes for pretty much all movies nowadays. Overall it was a B...I'm not sure where "Turd" sits on the ranking scale, though.
And what's in the egg you're crapping out? The money Amazon's shoving your way? Prick. -
I saw Punisher and by reading the reviews on the site you would think it is the worst peice of shit movie in the world...I thought T Jane was pretty cool and yeah, it could have been better but it still was not bad...I kinda enjoyed it
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