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Another Spy Weighs In On Ed Zwick’s DEFIANCE!
Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
The other day I ran a test screening reaction to Ed Zwick’s Christmas movie, DEFIANCE, starring Daniel Craig. As I understand it, they’re just at the start of this process, and zwick’s going to be doing some work on the film, fine-tuning it, for a while still. None of the reviews at the moment should be taken too seriously... it’s more like an initial taking-of-the-temperature, a sort of “what kind of shape is this thing in at the moment?”
Having said that, I am curious about this one. I’m torn on Zwick overall. I like his early movies. GLORY was great, and COURAGE UNDER FIRE was better than people gave it credit for at the time, complete with the performance that first made me notice Matt Damon. I’m just not a fan of his last few films, but that’s more because I dislike movies in which white characters swoop into foreign cultures and save them, and there’s some of that in both BLOOD DIAMOND and THE LAST SAMURAI. That’s a real pet peeve for me, and it’s not really Zwick’s fault.
This one sounds interesting, and I think Daniel Craig is proving to be the only guy in the entire Bond franchise so far who is able to play 007 and still have a viable leading-man career in big and small films alike. Neat trick, that.
Hey Harry,
Suzie here, While on holiday in LA recently I managed to get into a test screening of Ed Zwicks new movie Defiance. After reading the spy review that was posted a few days ago I wonder If this person was one of the two guys who kept talking all the way through the movie and were more interested in getting an autograph at the end than watching the movie.
Here is what I thought of it, Im not sure of the format for this type of thing so here goes –
James Bond and Oscar winning director Ed Zwick take on the Nazis.
Saw a preview screening of DEFIANCE last week in Woodland Hills. Daniel Craig stars as Tuvia Bielski in the true WWII story of three Jewish brothers who hid in the Belorussian forests and built a community of partisan fighters, saving over 1200 Jews by war’s end.
Liev Schreiber (Zus Bielski) and Jamie Bell (Asael Bielski) star alongside Craig as his two younger brothers. Both Craig and Schreiber give great performances as the older brothers competing for leadership, and Jamie Bell, who most recently starred in the abysmal Jumper, gives a surprisingly good performance as well.
Zwick has created one of the most beautiful and thought provoking films of his career and definitely one of the most Oscar worthy movies to hit cinemas in years. War and destruction has never been so captivating and moving. There have been dozens of war movies in recent years but none have left me caring so much or feeling so attached to the characters. My eyeballs wouldn’t break from the screen for the full 120 mins, and by the film’s end, I wasn’t ready to stop watching. I can’t wait for the release (which appears to be some time this winter) in order to see it again.
It’s a superb film with a nice balance of heavy hitting action and intense drama, but if that’s not enough to make you want to see it, just the fact that these on-screen heroes existed in real life definitely make it worth the watch.
This is a WWII movie that doesn’t hide or glamorize war but shows the intense reality of what happens when people band together against overwhelming evil and survive.
Its a great old fashioned war movie and definitely one to see on the big screen.
Thanks, Suzie
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i just saw that Hulk trailer......what a total piece of shit.
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Does the world really need another Holocaust film? There has been a friggin ton of these already. Most of them are not very good. If they want to make a movie about WW2 in Eastern Europe, why the hell dont they make a film about the Russian Front? Seriously! How many of those movies have been made? Only major one I can think of is Enemy At the Gates.
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See what hppens when a girl reviews a movie? Yeah the last time I went on holidat to LA i was invited to test screening for James Camerons Avatar
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"that’s more because I dislike movies in which white characters swoop into foreign cultures and save them" So I guess you hate movies like, oh, "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Temple of Doom", "Schindler's List", and all the Rambo movies to name a few, as its just another white guy saving a foreign culture. You know if anyone made the statement of "{insert minority) guy saving a foreign culture" they would be branded a racist.
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Mar 13, 2008 8:05:56 AM CDT
I SEE YOUR POINT ABOUT WHITE ROLES IN DIAMOND AND SAMAURAI
by bringingsexyback
but if you look at the characters carefully, it is the white characters who are saved, not the other way around.
In Samurai, Cruise is an alcoholic mercenary who is taught honor and enlightened by the villagers. I had problems with the ending (him living and hooking up with the girl) but that was not enough to spoil the movie.
In Blood Diamond, I thought DiCaprio gave the performance of his career. And again, it was he and his soul, if you will, who was saved when he saw how Hounsou was willing to sacrifice his life to save his son. The scene where he defied DiCaprio was a big turning point for a character who we know was a calculated mercenary and arms trader whose actions caused much misery.
In both movies, I think Zwick acknowledged the West's complicity in the condition of the Japanese villagers and the Africans. You'll notice a central focus of both movies had to do with the West pouring guns into both places. I think Cruise and DiCaprio represented the conscience that can be turned when you throw it into the midst of those cultures. -
... the "white character" in Blood Diamond didn't "swoop" into the foreign culture. He lived in Africa his whole life. Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but white people have lived in Africa for hundreds of years, just like they've lived in America for hundreds of years.
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Hmmmm. You're either a PR underling or a 12-year-old. So I'd scream "Plant!", but I'm afraid of dashing the hopes of an innocent 12-year-old who's obviously failed English. Stupid children need the most encouragement. Good on ya, Suzie!
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Mar 13, 2008 9:15:52 AM CDT
HEY! ELIOT SPITZER'S HOOKER IS IN MY EXTENDED NETWORK
by bringingsexyback
Groovy!
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it's like he still lives in the late 90's where the academy gives shit to oscar bait. no one cares you fuck.
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I like Daniel Craig but he has yet to be leading man outside of Bond yet. Not sure what your criteria is there yet seeing as how most of his non-Bond projects have bombed, including that thing called Compass. And the Invasion just looked awful.
Pierce Brosnan had quite a few small and critically acclaimed roles as well as bonafide blockbusters outside of Bond.
Sean Connnery also had some movies outside of Bond during his tenure though most of his were much later. Timothy Dalton also had some critically accalimed roles and even Roger Moore had Sea Wolves, starred alongside Richard Burton in another and was in two great television series.
I have great hopes for Daniel but too completely diss the other actors is shortsighted and makes me think you are just on a bandwagon with him.
If I remember this very site was not very pro-Daniel Craig when his name was first announced.
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Just seem WAY too boring. Like they look good, but I am like god I couldn't care any less. I think its because he tries to hard to fucking act like their is this deep message in his films, and thats how they are sold. He makes solid movies but like I dred watching them, its like going to history class. Like you know its going to just be boring, but usually his movies are entertaining, just getting the urge to want to see them never happens. With that said, whats the fucking deal with Dainel 007 Jew? Is he jewish? This is jewish role number 2 for him. I notice that Clive i wish I was Dainel Craig or Jason Statham Owen played a jew in the movie Bent. Do the jewish owners of the company making this film not care? I don't understand why is perfectly accebtable for Marc I am going to ruin bond because I make boring movies Forster to take some Afghanistan kids from their home and totally fuck up his life when some kid from Turkey or a more libreal middle eastern country would have been fine, just for authenticity. But yet we can make movies like the one of maybe two bad Spielberg films, Munich, and make a cast out of random nationalities when Jewish actors can be easily found? I just don't get it. I guess comedians don't feel like making dramatic movies about their people.
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Trailer looks good.
Last Samurai was very underrated, I think the reason some people don't like Zwicks films is because they have a hint of intelligence about them.
Daniel Craig is becoming bigger and better with every movie. He hasn’t sold out and gone for the quick buck either, as ”Moriarty” said he still puts in great performances in the small films and the big ones. -
...with the condescending, painstakingly deferent reminders before every "early review" that the movie is always "just at the start of this process", "fine-tuning", won't be done "for a while still", with all of these used above this post alone. Now that Moriarty has relationships and contacts and networks of people who know him as 'Drew McWeeny, Los Angeles' aka 'Just Another Hack for Hire, Trying to Get the Next Job', every unsanctioned review gets the kid gloves slapped on it with the requisite gentle disclaimer from Moriarty, Harry, Quint, etc.
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I like that he makes big films about issues that really matter. I've got my hopes up for DEFIANCE. Not too high, because it might disappoint. But I've mostly liked Zwick's movies. He always gets excellent performances out of his actors, and his films buzz with energy.
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The White Man's Burden and always will be.
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...it would be Ed Zwick.
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Zwick has never made a good movie. they are all really heavy handed morality plays. now he has brought that to nazi germany. thanks but i'll pass.
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This project sounds awesome! And with Zwick directing I have full confidence in the end result.
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Glory, Courage Under Fire and evern About Last Night not good enough for you?
Well the shit do I care about your tastes than! -
Leonardo's character is an African in the movie. The Afrikaaners have been there for 400 years.
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Legends of the Fall was bombastic crap. Blood Diamond was OKAY, mainly because DeCaprio did such a decent job (but what the hell was the point of the female interest?). The Last Samurai was utter bollocks dressed up as lamb.
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