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UPDATED! THREE test screening reviews of GLADIATOR!
UPDATE!!! ROBOGEEK here again, with that "beefier" expanded review from Critical Mass which was promised yesterday. Please note that it has _limited_ spoilers, but includes no big surprises -- and nothing about the third act. The opening sequence is described in detail, but the major plot points and most important scenes from the rest of the film are preserved from being spoiled. So, with that, here's Critical Mass with his new and improved review! (The original two reviews posted yesterday follow.)
CRITICAL MASS is here, and MASS is now in session. I am the MINISTER, CINEMA
is my religion, and the MOVIE THEATER is my temple. So, let us all now
rejoice at the power and the glory that is GLADIATOR.
As one of the many "nameless/faceless" moviegoers, I attended a recent test
screening of Ridley Scott's new summer blockbuster epic, "GLADIATOR," and I
must say it positively KICKS ASS! Let me tell you something: All I have to
do to get your mouths salivating about "GLADIATOR" is to utter the following
words: SWORDS, BLOOD, CHARIOTS, TIGERS, WILD CROWDS, BRUTAL COMBAT, THE
MASSIVE ROMAN COLISSEUM, and finally, RUSSELL CROWE. This is the movie
Russell Crowe fans have been dying for, and he finally has the movie that
will make him a serious box office draw.
The film begins in ancient Germania as the Roman Army is poised to battle
Germanic barbarians in a large forest clearing. We see a Roman General
walking amongst his troops, inspecting them, admiring them. It is Maximus
(Russell Crowe), the respected leader of the Roman Army in Germania. The
soldiers stand stoic before Maximus as he passes them, and the respect he
receives from them is powerful. Electric. It's just the kind of loyalty
Maximus needs from his men prior to battle. Without it, the battle would not
continue. Without it, the battle would be lost. Maximus mounts a white steed
and heads off after telling an aid to wait for his signal.
The signal comes in the form of a lone, flaming arrow shot high into the
air. Suddenly, the Romans attack with steely precision while the barbarians
scream in a disorganized attempt to frighten the Roman soldiers. It does not
work. As Roman troops advance, catapults launch their fiery ammunition
toward the Germanic horde. The projectiles explode against the trees and
rain their flaming fuel, like a primitive form of napalm, onto the horde.
The barbarians attack, but Maximus outflanks them from behind and quickly
has the horde surrounded. The Romans cut their Germanic enemies down like
they have with so many others. Swords clank and thrust, arms are hacked off,
lives are ended, and at the battle's conclusion, only the Roman Army stands
in victory with Maximus leading the chorus of Roman cheers.
This opening scene is reminiscent of the Omaha Beach scenes in "SAVING
PRIVATE RYAN." There is a left-to-right panning shot of the Romans hurling a
hailstorm of flaming arrows at the barbarians that gave me an immediate
"Ryan" feeling. The scene is so chaotic, it made the hair on my neck stand
up! The fighting is brutal, but the scenes are not quite as shocking as the
beach scenes in "Ryan." These scenes are more surreal than shocking. At
times, the film goes into slow-motion-mode to show Maximus hacking at a
barbarian, and then we are jarred back into "real time" the next moment.
This back and forth play on film speeds shows the more unsettling aspects of
hand-to-hand combat during the Roman Empire, and it is equally thrilling and
intense.
This victory is meant to show Maximus at his battle-ready best, ferociously
hacking and slashing his enemies with the precision of a battle-hardened war
veteran. This is important because Maximus will soon be betrayed by someone
close to him, and he will need every ounce of his experience to survive what
is about to occur.
Maximus is unfairly arrested for treason by Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), the
newly crowned Emperor of Rome. Maximus is disgraced by Commodus, stripped of
his freedom, and everything he owns or loves is taken away from him. In a
desperate move, Maximus escapes into the forest. He is later found
unconscious by a wandering tribe and is captured as a slave. Riding in a
caravan towards a small desert town, a bitter Maximus awakens and soon
realizes his fate: He must prove himself in gladiator games, or die. Not a
very fitting end for a decorated Roman General, to be sure.
We are introduced to Proximo (Oliver Reed), Maximus' new slave owner.
Proximo expects that many of his new slaves will die swift deaths, but he is
quickly impressed with Maximus' talents. In the small desert arena, Maximus
uses his battle experience and military skills to keep himself alive. After
establishing his reputation as a winner in several battles, Maximus gains
the respect and admiration of the other gladiators as well as from the
crowds that gather to watch. Proximo is so pleased with the progress of his
best gladiators, that he announces his plan to have Maximus and his fellow
fighters battle in the preeminent arena of bloodsport, the Roman Colisseum.
Once in Rome, we see the Colisseum, a structure so huge, we feel dwarfed in
our seats by its immense size. If Maximus' talents weren't adequately tested
in the desert arena, they will definitely be tested here. Only the cream of
the gladiator crop are allowed to fight here. But Maximus and the other
gladiators have their work cut out for them. The crowd expects the slaves to
die. The odds are against Maximus, and his first goal is to survive with the
others. His second goal, however, is to exact a warrior's revenge upon the
man who betrayed him, the cowardly Emperor Commodus. That is, if he survives
the games. Maximus' abilities will be stretched to the limits in the
Colisseum, and his chances of achieving either goal are nearly impossible.
I will leave the rest of it to your imagination for now, but suffice it to
say, there is much to love about this film. The action is intense and
non-stop. As I said in my previous review, you will feel like you are in
every battle. You will feel like you need to dodge the sword thrusts, duck
an oncoming spear, or you may fall victim to the battles yourself. This
feels very interactive, and Ridley Scott pulls out all the visual stops to
bring you a captivating mixture of "SPARTACUS," "BRAVEHEART," and the
chariot scene in "BEN-HUR." The digital renderings of the Roman Colisseum
and Rome's cityscape are breathtaking to watch. Also, despite a current
running time of just over 2 1/2 hours, the action and the dialogue is still
interspersed well enough that I was never bored. I would expect some
cutting, but not too much.
Russell Crowe is phenomenal as Maximus, and I guarantee you that GLADIATOR
will place Crowe on a superstar status he has not yet experienced. He proves
that he can dominate the screen with his presence like the best actors in
the business. He also shares the screen with some incredible talent,
including Joaquin Phoenix, who is great as the weak, but menacing Commodus.
Richard Harris and the late (and great) Oliver Reed both lend an "old
school" flair to the massive production as Marcus Antonius and Proximo,
respectively. Djimon Hounsou (AMISTAD) has a short role as Maximus'
gladiator friend, Juba. And Connie Neilsen (RUSHMORE) is quite elegant as
Commodus' sister, Lucilla. She is torn between Maximus, her former lover,
and the loyalty she has for her brother, the ruler.
GLADIATOR will thrill you, make you cringe, you will cheer, your heart will
sink and then soar, and you may even cry. Yes, the sounds of sniffling were
heard throughout the theater at one point, and I venture to guess that the
tears weren't coming from the various industry reps sitting in the back
seats, which included Ridley Scott himself. I thought I could hear the
sounds of cash registers opening and bags of money rolling in, but that
may've been my imagination.
Most of all, I think AICN fans will love this film. It is not flawless yet,
since it was a test print, but it doesn't look to me like there was much
more than minor tinkering left to be done in the edit room. This movie WILL
NOT disappoint action fans, summer blockbuster nuts, or even female AICNers.
Let's face it: Russell Crowe looks quite handsome, and the ladies will be on
this movie like fan boys to hot-buttered popcorn once they see the
commercials.
GLADIATOR may not beat "MI2" in the B.O. this summer, but it definitely
deserves a place among the top grossers. I cannot wait for the release
print.
For now, this is CRITICAL MASS ending services until next time.
Thanks, C.M.! Now, for those of you who missed the reviews we first posted yesterday, here they are, preserved for posterity (along with my original intro)...
Friends, Romans, Geeks... I, ROBOGEEK, am pleased as punch to bring you the following funky-fresh test screening reviews of GLADIATOR, hot off the presses! Words cannot describe how badly I want to see this film. In fact, I'm sure that if any of my friends were given the chance to see it as early as, say, this month, they would make every effort to bring me along for the experience, rather than incurring my smoldering Robo-resentment. But I digress... ;-)
First off, we have a review from Critical Mass, a spy who has been good enough to promise us a longer, more detailed review soon, sparing us any major spoilers. In the meantime, he has granted us this fleeting vision of Ridley Scott's new film...
Hello, Harry. I just saw a test screening for "Gladiator" and it KICKS MAJOR ASS! This is a near finished print that still needs tweaking, but the version I saw was VERY entertaining.
When the film begins, there is a simple graphic used as the title. I imagine that a more elaborate (and more expensive) title sequence is being finished as we speak. The movie opens in Germania, where Roman General Maximus (Russell Crowe) is leading his Roman army in battle against Germanic barbarians. The battle is about as close to "Saving Private Ryan"'s opening scenes as there have ever been attempted depicting Roman combat. It is quite violent, and the action is furiously paced. It left my adrenaline surging as if I was battling side by side with the soldiers.
Without getting too much more into plot, Maximus is betrayed for treason and eventually winds up as a talented slave gladiator in the Roman Colisseum. Once there, Maximus must battle for his life, win over the Roman crowds, and find a way to exact revenge on the one person who betrayed him.
The computer effects depicting Rome are breathtaking and flawless. You will believe that you are actually viewing ancient Roman landscapes, buildings, and teeming crowds in the Coliseum. If George Lucas can imagine Naboo out of pixels, then Rome is no different. You will be dazzled at the sight of
the Coliseum, which, on the big screen, really makes you feel like you are at the center of the most imposing structure ever built.
Russell Crowe is very charismatic as Maximus, and he is very adept at swordplay. The combat scenes are shot from many different angles to give us a sense of all-around majesty to the battleground, and the fight-choreography is quite elaborate. These fights do not look fake. Crowe really seems to be a talented swordsman, and the quick, rapid-fire edits in the combat scenes add to a tension that cranks up the action quotient. You will also hear the roar of the crowds as if they are directed right at you. There are elements of surrealism and symbolism, which are similar to certain scenes in Ridley Scott's "Legend."
Starring opposite Russell Crowe is Joaquin Phoenix (Clay Pigeons) as Commodus, a weak, but powerful Roman Emperor who is consistently shown up by the impudent Maximus. Commodus is a coward with power, and some of his scenes show a positively evil side. Others in the cast include Djimon Hounsou (Amistad) an African-born gladiator named Juba, who becomes Maximus' friend; The late Oliver Reed as Proximo, Maximus' slave owner; and Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius, Commodus' father.
Imagine the chariot-race scene in "Ben-Hur," the gladiator fights in "Spartacus," and the epic scale of "Braveheart," and you have a taste of what "Gladiator" will offer audiences this summer. This is a film that will thrill you, move you, and ultimately leave you feeling entertained.
I will be lining up this May with much anticipation when "Gladiator" is released. This movie will bring out the inner-soldier in all of us.
Regards,
CRITICAL MASS
Sounds "killer," as Robert Rodriguez would say, huh? Well, let's get another perspective, just to be on the safe side. I mean, it is metaphysically possible for a film to rock this hard? I sure hope so. Here's another review from that same test screening, from our spy Julius Caesar...
Harry,
I had the pleasure last night of attending a screening in (DELETED) of Ridley Scott's new movie Gladiator.
All I can say is: WOW!
I think the golden age of moviemaking is coming back. This film takes elements of 50s classics like Ben-Hur and The Robe and puts them back on screen without the cheesy blue screens sequences and mixes in a little Braveheart for good measure.
Ridley Scott has an absolute masterpiece here.
The opening battle scene was shot superbly. Scott uses two techniques here that really add to the quality of the scene.
On one hand, he uses a lot of quick, blurry shots to show the confusion of the battle. Then, later, he uses a slow motion sequence to display the weariness of the soldiers, in general, and Maximus, in particular.
Absolutely brilliant!
He uses similar camera work during the gladiator sequences. Absolutely fabulous!
As for the acting, Russell Crowe is about to become a household name. He delivers a hell of a performance as Maximus, the greatest general in all of Rome.
Joaquin Phoenix brilliantly portrays Commodus, the new Emperor of Rome. His facial features look how a Roman Emperor is supposed to look. His actions are typical of stuff you've read about in Greek and Roman mythology. Phoenix's character is the guy you love to hate.
Connie Neilsen plays Commodus' sister, a woman who's torn between her sisterly love of her brother, her daughterly love of her father, her motherly love of her son and her past love of Maximus.
Without giving away any of the plot, the only way to is describe this film is: WOW!
Two swords up!
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+ Expand All
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Now if only they hadn't used football stars in the superbowl preview...
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Where's that Anakin stuff I sent you? That's legitimate press, man!
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Sounds awesome, You can always count on Ridley Scott to deliver the goods. As the yeasr go by, the films are just getting cooler and cooler.
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This is on the top of my list and these reviews make it that much more tempting.. Yeah, there's a lot of other big studio excess coming our way this Summer, but this seems to have the most promise. Russel Crowe, Ridley Scott, ancient Rome rebuilt, and oh yeah...gladiators....what more can you ask for?
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Thanks for sending in that Anakin casting tidbit, which will be included in a round-up article of "Star Wars" stuff I'm working on. Judging by how many people sent it and similar item to me (about actors other than Harry's prognostication being tested for Anakin), we figured the story was "out there" enough to hold off on reporting until we had a little more to add. I'm doing some follow-up as we speak, and hopefully will have an update soon.
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FINALLY! If this movie is as great as everyone has made it out to be, we will have a summer blockbuster that will appeal to both heterosexual and homosexual men: Ass-kicking combat for the former, big sweaty glistening muscles for the latter. Put Ricky Martin on the soundtrack for God sake's to drive this one all the way!
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It has an ausie as the lead role. One day you Americans are going to geneticaly enginear the perfect leading action hearo with acting skills. This will be acomplished by combining the DNA of Mel Gibson, Russel Crowe, Erol Flyn and Paul Hogan(to balance Flyn's homosexual tendancies). On that day you will no longer have any use for us and therfore declare war and nuke our peacefull country, who did nothing wrong other than produce some talented actors and make better beer.
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The Previews are good.The Trailer is good.And the movie is gonna be collosal.I hope they dont make the violance cut down or toned down.And hopefully this brings on
CRUSADE.But for now I have high hopes for this one.Just imagine to have a kick ass super DVD of this movie in a year .Makes me feel goooood!! -
I thought the preview was great. I was thrilled that they used the Conan music during it and thought that it matched the theme of the movie. I'm guessing they're gonna have original music for Gladiator, but that Conan stuff would just fine too.
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This is one of the only films I am looking forward to this year, and I cant wait.
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This movie is going to kick major, major ass. The signs are all good. Ridley Scott - well, sure, he did GI Jane, but at least we know he's CAPABLE of an Alien or a Blade Runner (unless some other Ridley Scott made those movies and was replaced by an alien impostor). They chose the Conan music (THE BEST FUCKING SCORE OF ALL TIME BASIL PELDOURIS IS GOD) for the trailer, which shows excellent taste if nothing else. Russell Crowe's in it, and he is mean to the max. (Has anybody else seen Romper Stomper? My god, you don't want to meet that Antipodean hulk on a dark night.) And more to the point (I'm amazed nobody's mentioned this yet) THIS IS OLIVER REED'S FINAL FILM! That lumbering, well-spoken, hard-drinking lunatic was a god amongst actors. How about these reviewers telling us something about his role? I know it's probably a very small one, but still. For those of you who live in a cave and haven't heard, the great Oliver Reed died while shooting this picture. Rest in peace, Oliver. Put one away for me.
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There aren't many movies this year that I'm looking forward to - but this one is the ONE. I'm seeing this fucker opening night. Russell Crowe is God. And Ridley Scott?!?!? The Roman Empire?!?!?! Dude, I am so fucking there...
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...mentions "Ben Hur" and "Spartacus", but the funny thing is that he considers "Braveheart" to be the epic one of the three!!! HAHAHA, that's funny! Compared with "Ben Hur" and "Spartacus", "Braveheart" feels no more epic than a TV-production.
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This sounds uncomfortably like a remake of the 1950's stinker "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," with the exception that the general becomes a gladiator rather than an ally of the Germanic hordes. The romance between Commodus's sister and the general sounds identical to the love story in the earlier film. I hope it actually works, because "Decline & Fall" is one of the most unintentionally funny epics of all time.
Unfortunately, there is one glaring flaw: unsuccessful generals were not sold into slavery. They were offered (and usually took) the opportunity to commit suicide. Sorry if that ruins the plot, but there you go, history getting in the way of the plot again.... -
...I've heard just as much fabulous stuff about this pic to make them just seem like absolutely glowing reviews (I'm just not used to AICN reviewers spelling Aurelius [or anything for that matter] correctly). Should be one of the best pics of the year.
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How about Belgian Waffles?
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...But this movie WILL absolutley ROCK!
Or I'm going to become very sad and force myself to drink only american beer for a week (any longer would be inhumane)...
Oh yeah, if by any chance some kindhearted geek out here would tell me where to find the superbowl trailer (and don't direct me to the official site, it won't work I've tried, believe me, I've tried...) -
Someone said this movie might help Crusade being made. I
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Can any of these reviewers tell me how was the score by Hans Zimmer?
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The first review was well-written, but badly phrased. I'm excited to see "Gladiator", but I don't really want to see it. Russell Crowe is one of my favorite actors, but he seriously cannot act his way out of a paper bag.
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I think Commodus was actually supposed to be this burly-ass ex-gladiator who got to be emperor because he was so popular, but I am sure this movie is not supposed to be too historically accurate. It still looks like the best movie ever..
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Feb 10, 2000 11:06:57 AM CST
I say we sell swords in the lobby, sit back and watch the real a
by uncapie
I told you guys last year this movie was going to kick ass! This will be the action film of the summer! Battling tiger! Fucking tiger! Bye, tiger!
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These reviewers did not talk about the exciting climax to 'Gladiator,' where Cuba Gooding Jr. and James Marshall face each other for the Underground Boxing Championship. Marshall enters the ring to the stirring sound of Warrant's "We will rock you," and gets it on with Gooding in a no-holds-barred slugfest. Evil Brian Dennehy feels that Marshall is holding back, and he actually ends up in the ring with Marshall! Remember: the top of the head is the hardest part of the body...This movie is gonna rock...
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I think you will find that Britsh beer is the best real Ale and Bitter not your cheap old Larger, but real beer.Plus you got your Irish Stout Guiness and Cafferies
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This movie is one I will definately be seeing opening weekend. But could someone fill me in on what "Crusade" is? I've got a pretty good idea, but what exactly is it going to be? Oh, and Ben-Hur and Spartacus are great, but Braveheart is just as good. One could easily argue that it is better, but why bother? Anyway if we're talking about Austrailian actors, don't forget Guy Pierce, he's cool. Oh well....
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It was reported that Ridely Scott was once going to direct WITH WINGS AS EAGLES with Arnold. Too bad, Scott would do great with WWII.
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When you watch film epics like GLADIATOR, it makes you want to see films like CRUSADE and WITH WINGS AS EAGLES come out asap. God, Hollywood can piss me (and fans) of some times. Even a CONAN III would rock this world with how epic it would be. "crush your enemies".
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This sounds like such a great project. Isn't it nice when the people with the power don't do something hare-brained just because they can.
Also, this talk back is probably above average because P*Bert and SSZero haven't posted.
-------------- Be careful not to oversalt. -
Feb 10, 2000 12:40:40 PM CST
From the creators of BATS, 1492, and JUMPIN JACK FLASH comes...
by $_marketingman_$
Dreamworks made this movie for 100 MILLION BUCKS. ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR FUCKING MINDS? There's no possible way this movie will make that money back. First of all, you've got stars with NO CHARISMA and no audience following. Second, You have a director who's clearly on the downward spiral. Ridley Scott's last three films (GI JANE, WHITE SQUALL and 1492) got DECIMATED at the box office. Ridley Scott IS NOT COMMERCIAL. Nor is Russell Crowe. And what about the SCRIPT? The script was written by the guys who wrote BATS and JUMPIN JACK FLASH. Have they demonstrated any crediblity? NO. Has Scott demonstrated he can make a good picture the last 8 years? NO. Has Russell Crowe ever attracted an audience? Of course not. I don't know these guys who wrote these scoops, but they sound like studio PLANTS. I'm not buying it.
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Gladiator is going to rock!! Man I can't wait.
I've been waiting for a good Scott movie since Legend. -
I know a number of people who saw a test screening of a *very* rough print last year, and they absolutely loved it. Besides, if Dreamworks didn't have a winner on their hands, would they be pouring all this money into marketing it a whole four months before the film is set to hit theaters? Highly doubtful. I think GLADIATOR is going to be huge, and will eventually make money for the studio.
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Hey ole painless, no apologies needed for spelling, make typos, spell things wrong, BE FREE, i just got off the forcenet discussion forum where you have to study a frigging manual on etiquette to post without having a bunch of people rip out your throat for any deviation from what they consider a "serious" post. dont joke, dont swear, dont have fun, dont use improper grammar. i like the force.net as a website for info and star wars stuff, its a great website, but in the name of message board freedom ...FUCK YOU TALKBACKERS ON THEFORCE.NET, YOU TIGHT ASS SELF CENTERED BASTARDS. heres my very own spelling of...GAWRANTEEEEEEEEE...as i fling back my head and laugh for all the heavens to hear....Ripreaver comes back down to earth...sorry, had to get that out. I have good feeling about gladiator, i mean, a movie about ancient combat?! awesome. ridley scott?! awesome. you cant flame someone for a couple soso movies, he will deliver. gladiator, good ole sword swinging bloody hacking violence in the ancient colisseum. KICKASS, bring it on. there will be no fucking jar jars in that movie i can tell ya. serious kickass epic shit, HOOORAH AND HOORAH FOR ALL YOU CRAZY OPINIONATED BASTARDS HERE ON AICN. yes,
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anyone offended by my forcenet talkback bashing can rest assured they have it coming as ive read countless lashings of this site's talkback and others, alot of negative things have been said so ill just leave it at that...no offense to tfn, just its pompous talkbackers
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Well, the movie sounds ultra cool, I missed the trailor. I hope that they come up with some original music for it, though. Don't get me wrong the Conan music is awesome (I've got the soundtrack to Conan the Barbarian), but if it starts in this movie I'm probably gonna think recycled Conan music ....much like O Fortana has been in countless movies (not Conan though).... The opening was compared to Saving Private Ryan's opening scene, well I hope there's a little intro to it and it's not there for gratuitous violence. I for one, thought the opening scene of SPR was a little too over the top, it set the mood, but it could have been done with less. As for beers, how can anybody pick just one....Guinness is awesome, Steinlager is really good (they have these hand kegs you can buy in the States...lots to enjoy), Boddingtons, Fosters (better in the old tin can than aluminum but they'll never put it in tin again), Chimey from Belgium made by Monks is very very good, but expensive (corked though), how 'bout Grolsh from Netherlands (Pop top) or St Pauli Girl from Germany.... I can name lots of good beers. Sorry as a general rule American Domestic beers aren't that good and Japanese beers (ack!), but let me say that Americans do have excellent micro brews available that kick ass. Mirror Pond, Alaskan Amber (very good), Black Butte Porter, Sam Adams is good, Pyramid Apricot Ale, Rogue Ales, McMennamins Terminator (McMennamins is a local brew-pub franchise in the Pacific Northwest, if you have a chance try one of their beers), is one of the best stouts in the world though...(I compare to Guinness on this one boyos)....I can list many microbrews that are excellent. But to that end everybody has their own tastes... That's my 2 red cents worth. Red_2 out.
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Ohhhhhhhhh...Gladiators. Big fucking deal. Need I remind you all that in my day I fought Roman gladiators in a televised event, faced off with a mind controlling quasi-Caesar and his dwarf henchman (who gave great head BTW), and even came to blows with a goddamed Greek God!
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Marketing Man, I understand you may be looking at dollars and cents on the movies, but I thought White Squall (I just thought it was a good movie), and GIJane were very good films, good pacing exciting IMHO. My stepfather went through Green Beret training and said that the Seal training he saw in Jane was EXACTLY like that, I heard that after I saw the movie and gained a new respect for the realism portrayed there. I'd like to hear other than the $, what was so terrible about them. I liked Cutthroat Island a lot, too; Gina Davis was very good. Can somebody fill in what they thought sucked about it? That's another 2 red cents worth. Red_2 out.
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For all who care... straight from the Hollywood Reporter's online poll:
"Which film has the inside track in the Oscar's best picture race?"
CIDER HOUSE RULES - 4%
THE HURRICANE - 51%
AMERICAN BEAUTY - 37%
THE INSIDER - 5%
JOHN MALKOVICH - 3%
Total Responses: 4174 -
Sounds good, I have to correct the dude who said G.I.Jane was boxoffice poison, it did ok in its release. I'm not going to get too pumped up about thses reviews i seem to remember close to a year ago on this site reading reviews as enthusiastic about "Blair Witch Project". Remember?
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I've been holding all night vigils earnestly praying to all the major religious icons, Ganesha, Allah, Jesus, Buddha and anyone else who will listen, to let GLADIATOR utterly ROCK! I'll have to see it to believe it, but this is the only movie I'm looking forward to this year. I don't think the MPAA will pose any threat though. America may be puritanically zealous against sex, nudity, and homosexuality, but ironically, much like the Romans, all true Americans love and wallow in violent and cruel entertainment (Hell, America **IS** the new Rome). BRING ON THE MAN-EATING TIGERS!!!
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Kicks ass.
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That was the sound of me coming all over myself in anticipation for this film. Verily, I doth say to thee, it will rock. See, this is part of the reason why I'm getting a DVD player this month (the other reason being, of course, anime): so I can finally get ahold of SPARTICUS and BEN HUR, which so many on this site have raved about but I have never seen. For me it will be an interesting lead-up to GLADIATOR. Oh, and $_Marketing Man_$? I hate to be the one to have to tell you this, but you're a whore. You don't give a damn about the actual *quality* of a film, only about how much money it makes. That's all that's important to you, isn't it? I mean, the ONLY thing, not just one thing. Well, fuck that; give me excellence or give me death! Bring on GLADIATOR! Bring on CRUSADE! Bring on WITH WINGS AS EAGLES! And bring on an anime version of AVATAR! Peace out.
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To answer your question, Dreamworks spent a ton of money to both promote GLADIATOR as summer event film. Period. All summer event films receive a serious push from the studios, whether the film is good or bad. Some films live up to the hype like ARMAGEDDON or ID4 and are considered financial winners. Other are considered financial risks when the studio sees final print and are pushed heavily, (like THE AVENGERS and GODZILLA) so the studio can sucker people into seeing it opening weekend, grab a massive B.O. take, then hope word of mouth doesn't decapitate the film the next week (unfortunately, AVENGERS plumetted 51%) I don't need my buddies to tell me GLADIATOR is good. They may be trying to deflect negative buzz for their friends in Dreamworks, who really knows in Hollywood? But I wouldn't believe them anyway. Every creative talent working on GLADIATOR reeks of piss. And as far as the marketing dollars SPENT on GLADIATOR, I haven't seen much except for its Super Bowl TV spot that used the KID ROCK music that WB used for the ANY GIVEN SUNDAY trailer. Ugh. How unimaginative can you get?
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To answer your question, Dreamworks spent a ton of money to both promote GLADIATOR as summer event film. Period. All summer event films receive a serious push from the studios, whether the film is good or bad. Some films live up to the hype like ARMAGEDDON or ID4 and are considered financial winners. Other are considered financial risks when the studio sees final print and are pushed heavily, (like THE AVENGERS and GODZILLA) so the studio can sucker people into seeing it opening weekend, grab a massive B.O. take, then hope word of mouth doesn't decapitate the film the next week (unfortunately, AVENGERS plumetted 51%) I don't need my buddies to tell me GLADIATOR is good. They may be trying to deflect negative buzz for their friends in Dreamworks, who really knows in Hollywood? But I wouldn't believe them anyway. Every creative talent working on GLADIATOR reeks of piss. And as far as the marketing dollars SPENT on GLADIATOR, I haven't seen much except for its Super Bowl TV spot that used the KID ROCK music that WB used for the ANY GIVEN SUNDAY trailer. Ugh. How unimaginative can you get?
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Anybody know or care?
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**This is Marketing Man, just using a different handle because Robogeek is blocking me, that fascist! **To answer your question, Dreamworks spent a ton of money to both promote GLADIATOR as summer event film. Period. All summer event films receive a serious push from the studios, whether the film is good or bad. Some films live up to the hype like ARMAGEDDON or ID4 and are considered financial winners. Other are considered financial risks when the studio sees final print and are pushed heavily, (like THE AVENGERS and GODZILLA) so the studio can sucker people into seeing it opening weekend, grab a massive B.O. take, then hope word of mouth doesn't decapitate the film the next week (unfortunately, AVENGERS plumetted 51%) I don't need my buddies to tell me GLADIATOR is good. They may be trying to deflect negative buzz for their friends in Dreamworks, who really knows in Hollywood? But I wouldn't believe them anyway. Every creative talent working on GLADIATOR reeks of piss. And as far as the marketing dollars SPENT on GLADIATOR, I haven't seen much except for its Super Bowl TV spot that used the KID ROCK music that WB used for the ANY GIVEN SUNDAY trailer. Ugh. How unimaginative can you get?
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Gilmour, you and Red 2 talk about GI JANE and what a great movie it was. Not a lot of people agreed with you. We can talk about the dollars and the cents. Yes, it only proved that it could only recoup its $50 million dollar budget with domestic box office bucks. Yes, it proved that Demi Moore can zerox Linda Hamilton's performance in TERMINATOR 2. But what it didn't prove was that Ridley Scott was any more talented than his brother Tony, the Marlboro-hat wearing Jerry Bruckheimer puppet. Audiences can vouch for what I just said because they listened to the critics, they listened to the word of mouth on the street. It may have been realistic, but nobody showed up in the theater. Since that film left theaters in 1997, Demi Moore has dropped off the map and Ridley Scott has made exactly one thing: crap. zero, zip, nada. And Universal wants him to do HANNIBAL? Oh, my.
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"Every creative talent working on GLADIATOR reeks of piss." They said the same thing in 1990 about GHOST and in 1997 about L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. When a true talent's involved (and that's exactly what Ridley Scott is,) losing streaks have a way of ending. Oh, and WB hyped THE AVENGERS like mad, but once the negative test screening reports started getting posted (around February or March of that year,) they backed off big time. Your hunches don't seem well founded. Have you heard negative buzz? If this is truly a stinker, where are the bad reviews? Burden of proof is on you, pal.
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Russell Crowe is in fact a New Zealander not Australian - Sorry but I had to get that off my chest!
-QBall -
Really, though, who the hell knows, we've seen a few seconds of flashed footage and heard some guys on the net rave about it, but what do any of us know about the movie??? nothing, and thats good,itll be a refrshing surprise i think. and to the guy who says the beginning of Saving P R was over the top, please man, youve got to be kidding. the whole point there was to absolutely blow you away with the intensity of being smack in the middle of thousands of men murdering each other. as crazy as that opening was, it still wouldnt be 1/1,000,000 as intense as the real deal, hats off to speilberg for delivering the shit on that movie. i hope gladiator is vicious because it adds intensity, it adds realism and makes a movie an EXPERIENCE instead of a mildly amusing waste of two hours. imagine star wars delivered with even a braveheart intensity, that would be a movie...gladiator, see the fucking flick before you make a rash judgement that it sucks. im sure itll be alot more then just a guy in the arena, and hell even if it is fuck yeah if done correctly. woah, (ripreaver steps off his podium, the star spangled banner echoing around him)...hehe..peace dudes....oh and uh, i still say, love or hate the movie, the bugs in starship troopers were the best damn special effects of living things interacting with human characters ive ever seen.
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Ug! You know, when an above poster mentioned that Mr. Crowe fights a tiger, I thought "ug, hope it's not CGI" then about 10 posts later someone says "the CGI tiger looked fake." Barf! ("Not in here mister, this is a Mercerdes") Anyway, Spaceballs quotes aside, I have a feeling this movie won't turn out so good. We'll get lots of blood and guts fighting.... but what else? Spatacus, Braveheart, and The Superbly Wonderous Film Ben-Hur have been mentioned quite often here. Now, obviously since everyone around here has their MANHOOD up Kubrick's dead ass, they HAVE to mention Spartacus. It's good, sure, but no Ben-Hur. And Braveheart is good, but, again, no Ben-Hur. But Braveheart DID have a great ending, a theme, blah blah blah. And of COURSE Ben-Hur did. Will Gladiator have a theme? Or will it just be people hacking each other apart? Eye-candy. See, this is why I like videogames better than movies anymore, because movies nowadays are mostly just videogames but you don't get a joystick. Ben-Hur didn't need excessive VIOLENCE to be good. It was good because it had a great THEME. A great SCRIPT (not from the screenwriter of BATS). Great EVERYTHING! A great musical score. What was the last movie where you remember the SCORE? Hm? So far, Gladiator sounds like... the old videogame Gladiator. Russel Crowe IS cool, but, that won't save a bad script. Oh, and MATTE PAINTING beat the living hell outta CGI backgrounds ANYDAY. (see: Ben-Hur)
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THIS IS CRITICAL MASS, THE AUTHOR OF THE FIRST "GLADIATOR" REVIEW.
To all of those who doubt CRITICAL MASS as an honest fan of movies and not an industry PR rep, I weep for you. You must not doubt, my sons and daughters. It is cinematic blasphemy.
Ask Robogeek if you don't believe me. He knows where I live AND work. As for my message sounding well-written (albeit "weak, yet powerful" was a mistake, I admit ,) that is because I am also a writer. I check my facts, I use the web to get the characters' spelling correct, and I use proper phraseology as much as possible to make my point.
In short, I write a potent review. And the fact is, "Gladiator" DID kick ass, as I said! If you read my review and you DON'T want to see "Gladiator" TODAY, check your pulse, man, because there ain't no life in those veins left. (Yes, I know that that was a double-negative. )
I have a more detailed review on the way, so stay tuned, geeks n' freaks.
CRITICAL MASS . . . OUT! -
Feb 10, 2000 7:56:36 PM CST
Marketing Man talks about Gladiator's self-fullfilling prophecy
by $_studiohoncho_$
mrbeaks, you don't make a 3 hour long, "R" rated feature that's caters EXCLUSIVELY to males that costs $100 million bucks, no stars and director with a slipshod track record. That's a hollywood FUCKING ABSOLUTE. The bottom line here is that Dreamworks MUST GET REPEAT VIEWINGS in order to make this picture a success, if it doesn't, there's no way it'll recoup its budget. Being an action pic, you know it'll do well overseas, but since it didn't perform well here in the states, it'll be viewed with the same dissapointment GODZILLA ran into in '98. And you're wrong about THE AVENGERS. WB pushed that thing super-hard all the way to its August release date. I remember seeing ads all the time before it came out. But once it tanked after 1st weekend, WB pulled the plug on the entire campaign. Maybe that's what you're thinking of.
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Rip, don't get me wrong, that battle scene was absolutely necessary to set up the movie. All I'm saying is that I got the point after 3 minutes worth and felt like it was all gratuitous violence after that while we waited for all the credits to roll by. The realism was totally there, I agree, I just didn't need to see 15 minutes of it (or how long it was). Marketing Man, honestly, is the most important thing about a movie the amount of money it makes? Have you ever seen a movie that did poorly at the box office, but hit a cord when you watched it and wondered why it didn't do better? When I'm watching a movie, I'm looking for entertainment value, I could care less how much money it makes or even what critics think, because in my opinion most of the time they are too critical and seem too jaded to know an entertaining flick. IMHO, I think movies should be graded on a couple of levels: 1) sheer entertainment value 2) originality / artistic value / awards value or whatever you'd want to call it. I have to disagree with the Xeroxed performance by Demi in that role, yes she seemed pretty buff in GIJane and so was Hamilton in T2, but that's pretty much it. Demi actually had character development in the movie showing her progress throughout the film. Hamilton on the other hand was all of the sudden a buff ass kicking bitch, a vast difference from the 1st movie, and how do you keep a buff body only doin a few pull ups, smoking cigarettes and hanging out in an institional cell for several years? By the way, where the hell is Hamilton, now? What has she done lately? I've seen nada. I'm sure others will point out what she's been in. There's yet another 2 red cents worth.
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For some reason Gladiator doesn't scream "summer event" movie to me. If the studios wanted it to be a summer event movie, they would have contracted Scott to deliver somethin PG-13 so they could have a blockbuster on their hands. It sounds so far like Scott has gotten something really good. And just because a creative force has an occasional lap, that doesn't make him "reek of piss". This is they guy that gave us Bladerunner for crying out loud!
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You know it's the second time somebody called me today to tell me of a death. How strange it seems to have a bright colorful rainbow outside my window at this precise moment. Anyway, rest in peace Jim Varney, I look forward to your voice work on Disney's "ATLANTIS" and will miss your Ernest slapstick.
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I aggree with Red 2. Cutthroat Island was a great movie. So was The Avengers. I also thought Lost in Space, Speed 2, Batman and Robin, The Postman, Godzilla, GI Jane, LAst Action Hero, The Lost World, Legend, Red Sonja, Yor the hunter from the Future, Waterworld, The Haunting, Volcano, Supernova, Hudson Hawk and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery were all great movies. Can someone name one thing wrong with any of these movies?
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First, every guy in the audience will identify with Russel Crowe's character, "Maximus". He is the hard working, busts-his-ass-off-everyday, regular kind-of-guy that does his job well and wants to succeed with his life to enjoy the fruits of his labor. "Commodus", is the son-of-a-bitch boss or goody-two-shoes-ass-kissing, political correct, rat-fink, snipe employee in a power of position that tells you what to do. If its wrong, you do it anyway and you
take the blame. "Maximus" is the one that won't take any shit off anybody, but he has to eat a little until he extracts his
revenge on "Commodus". Just like in real-life, folks. Why do you
think we cheer for guys like him: "The Lone Wolf Warrior?" Because he is the individual that everyone wants to be, but can't for their own personal reasons. This movie will do great! Here enduth the lesson. Chief Uncapie hath spoken.
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Feb 10, 2000 11:02:53 PM CST
The fact that Americans and pretty much anyone from the U.K thin
by mckenziefrenzy
Thats all i had to say.
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Demi is just taking time off right now and she did produce the boxoffice smash Austin Powers 2: The Spy who Shagged Me. G.I.Jane was her best performance ever (i know, I know thats not saying much!) Give her credit, even though she's a grown woman her breasts have magically continued to grow each year to the point they each have their own zip code.
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Feb 11, 2000 12:27:55 AM CST
"See I told you! Harmless little Gladiator film, but nooooooo! B
by uncapie
Next time you'll listen!
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You haven't seen SPARTACUS or BEN-HUR? So you're the one! Pleased to meet you and prepare to be amazed 'cause those two are (insert choice of gratuitously positive compliment). Wish I could be there to see your reaction.
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Sure he has put on a bit of bulk for this movie but he is not the beefcake football star you all think he is. This impression that he is a big bugger is probably based on that shot in the Gladiator trailer where you get a low angle of him with rose petals floating down around him. On the contrary he is an average sized guy. I saw an episode of a crap Aussie show called police rescue the other day that had him in it and he looked postivley anorexic comprerad to his buffo Gladiator look.
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Sounds like the movie was being screened to test its "Idiot Factor". That is, how many movie fans of borderline intellect will proclaim "The Gladiator" as the greatest film since "The Matrix." Sounds like we have one confirmed ticket sale already in Critical Mass. That piece of bad high school writing above, masquerading as a film review should serve as proof that most kids today should spend more time reading books and less time at the movies.
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I live in Hollywood, and work in the biz: As far as the Conan music for the trailer goes, this is how it works.
A trailer house (A special editing company that makes previews, commercials, posters, et al) will be sent a partially edited version of a film, often without a musical score.
An Editor will excerpt scenes and shots to try and tell the story without giving too much away. Because they do not have the score for the film yet, they have to use previously published music.
And editor or an assistant will pick music from a film that has a similar theme (like Conan for Gladiators). Most of the time they use music that is NOT identified with a particular film. Usually, music thats sets an immediate tone like "I Feel Good" by James Brown is used. In later versions of the trailer, they may substitute original music from the score. The trailer editor has nothing to do with the editing of the actual film, which is why we so often see shots or scenes in a preview that do not appear in the final version of the film. Just thought you might like to know. -
I gotta agree partly with Marketing Man: A picture like Gladiator with a $100million budget is going to have a hard time recouping the cash. Then again, if they market it properly there's no reason why it shouldn't perform globally. I've never quite understood the reasoning behind established filmmakers who couldn't give a shit about who goes and sees their movie. Why spend a year of your life making a movie IF NO-ONE'S GONNA SEE IT???
Anyway, for what it's worth GLADIATOR looks fuckin' A. I love Ridley Scott's movies (although I didn't see G.I. JANE 'cos it looked shite) - I thought WHITE SQUALL was watchable (dispite the DEAD POETS SOCIETY ending) and 1492 was cool. Can't wait for HANNIBAL either.
British bitter is the best beer - gimme Boddingtons, Marston Pedigree, Worthington, etc over American 'beer' any day. Riviera out... -
Anyone who doubts it can go watch LA Confidential.
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Come on! You say that this film has no 'marketability' . Err.... So? Are you a film buff or what? Do any of us really care about how much money the film takes? Yes and no.YES because without big budget successes, the studios take less risks and we see more crap films that make money and were made solely for that reason. NO because Studios spend so much time worrying about making 500% profit, that creativity is stifled.
We all do it. I know I'd rather go and see Alien Resurrection in the cinema, rather than L.A. Confidential. L.A. Confidential can be appreciated many times on DVD and VHS, but as for A4? Well... i'll leave that up to you to decide......
Good films are generally unprofitable... of course the exception doesn't always prove the rule.
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Marketing Man says...mrbeaks, you must've been in grade school when GHOST came out. I don't know WHERE you were when LA CONFIDENTIAL came out, but I can assure you, neither the Hollywood community nor the press nor the public thought the creative talents behind these two films reeked of piss. When GHOST came out in summer 1990, all of the principal cast was on fire...SWAYZE had a male following with ROADHOUSE & a fucking HUGE fanbase with DIRTY DANCING. DEMI MOORE had her following from her brat-packer days and WHOOPI GOLDBERG came in as her usual utterly-fucking-worthless self. The fact that she got the Oscar for best supporting actress only shows how much she pimped her friends in the campaign for votes for that trophy. LA CONFIDENTIAL was Kevin Spacey's movie from jump street. He was THE man, but ended up being over-promoted and underused in the film. CHRIS PULA, of Warner Bros. Marketing buried that film by cutting its advertising budget. HE ALONE thought it reeked of piss and refused to sell it properly. GHOST ultimately worked not because of SWAYZE, but because of great word of mouth. LA CONFIDENTIAL, given its lackluster support by PULA and WB, shouldn't have made as much money as it did. But you have to credit word of mouth on that pic, too. With GLADIATOR, who gives a SHIT about word of mouth? Only guys are gonna go see it. Excuse me, only ADULT MALES. Cut out the TEEN male audience, who embodies the vast majority of ticket buyers nowadays and will be SHUT OUT due to the film's "R" rating...well, that doesn't look too good for the prospects of this film. I don't care how many chicks you pimp this film to...they'll never wanna see it. NRG rules.
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Red 2, thats cool dude, didnt mean to jump down your throat, i was just pretty blown away by that opening scene (SPR) when i saw it in the theater, it did its intended job to me twofold. I have faith in this gladiator movie, i shouldnt i guess with the state of cheese movie making in the nineties, but i have faith, i think our man maximus will be huge in presence, you dont have to be 6 ft 5, the dude has presence and im sure he'll seem pretty big physically and presence wise. on the mention of good movies, id state what i dont like about lost in space and batman and robin but i dont have enough time today to list all of it. i have lost in space as just about the cheesiest piece of crap i think ive EVER seen. where to begin, sorry threetreys, but i like a couple you have there,i dont know, a friend keeps telling me dude it wasnt that bad, see it again, maybe....if this movie was geared to the matrix audience then yeah it wont come off but man, we're talking about ridley scott here! his style for this subject matter, man, i REALLY think theres hope. this movie will not be a 90's one-liner filled shot at getting 15 yr old girls to come see it. RIDLEY SCOTT, alot of people are saying that his recent movies havent been amazing, i disagree and hell look at the subject matter, maybe thats what people havent liked. when the guy deals with aliens, space, adventurous things, he does a hell of a job, i think this movie (gladiator) is akin to that feel, i think itll deliver man. and yeah, i hate to admit, but i saw gi jane a couple months ago and hell, it was a good movie. im not a big demi moore fan at all but i wasnt paying attention to the fact that it was her, i just watched the flick and it was pretty decent. these days, i appreciate a movie that at least attempts to take you seriously and not be a fucking mtv movie (whatever the hell that means) armacheesin, independence cheese, etc etc., ill sgut up now
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Prior to GHOST's release in the summer of 1990, Swayze was coming off one box office underperformer (NEXT OF KIN, $15.9 mil,) and one critically reviled, barely respectable hit (ROADHOUSE, $30 mil.) There's also the matter of TIGER WARSAW, but, even though it was released in 1988, I think it was made before DIRTY DANCING. As for the Demi-Goddess, she was hot off of Paramount's cash cow, WE'RE NO ANGELS and a minor success with THE SEVENTH SIGN. You're correct in saying Whoopie was, commercially speaking, worthless, but *how* worthless was she? The last two films she'd starred in (HOMER & EDDIE, and THE TELEPHONE) had gone directly to video. At the time, none of these people were A-list, and there was no reason to expect that it would be such a smash. Oh, and THE AVENGERS did receive decent television ad support right before the time of its release, but there was little being done before that (except for those brilliant "Ms. Peel, We're Needed" one-sheets that had most Americans, who were completely ignorant of THE AVENGERS, scratching their collective noggins.)
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Hey, after readin' your post, I went over to that sight(never been before). What a bunch of dicks! They are the worst kind of geeks- serious geeks. At least all us geeks here have a good time. Fuck those pussies.
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Yeah, its funny, i saw your subject line and i was thinking, oh man, someone probably came here to bash me! haha, yeah, look , im a serious star wars fan, despite my disappointment with certain parts of the phantom menace, (i still kinda enjoyed it though) but man, I HATE BINKS, but who cares, thats me. so i do not want to talk badly about that site at all, its a damn good site if youre a sw geek like me, good info, updated every couple hours it seems, but man, i got on that post board and these guys were nuts, and if you think people bitch about annoying things here, holy crap, at least here we are free to yell and rant and rave and its all rather funny. theres like a heirarchy of posters on that site suffering from what i call "Mcdonalds Manager Syndrome", whereby the afflicted seizes any measure of power or opportunity to influence his/her world as much as possible. i basically bashed jar jar on a thread, no big deal, who fucking cares, i got people angrily demanding my head for it, i got dudes saying i have a hate complex and am a shallow person, i got a guy who broke down my posts to every single line, twisted the meanings and made sure to deliver his "comebacks" on every level, and suggested im a hateful person who didnt get it with jar jar. it was insane. i did have fun though cause for every twenty people that would log on and say they loved jar jar, i would just post a message that said...JAR JAR SUCKED ASS...HAHAHAHA....well,anyway, who cares, no big deal, it was just pitiful though whats going on there, spell checkers, grammar is expected, your posts must be relevant to the topic or else deleted...give me a fucking break, all this shit is for stupid silly fun with the chance of maybe having intelligent feedback about a movie etc., man i ramble and need to stop typing...thanks shaithis77 for confirming im not the only one who thinks those people are fucking out of hand with geekness.
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first and foremost Rome NEVER conquered the Germanic tribes!
In 9AD, Rome lost 3 legions in a battle vs. Germanic tribes, which marks one of their greatest defeats in history AND their pursuit of further northern expansion past the Danube. For Pete's sake, the Germans were the ones that ended up conquering Rome in 453 AD!!!! Didn't Ridley do his homework? or are our advanced screeners mistaken?
jimbo -
Finally, a film that will show people how much ass Russell Crowe can kick. He even made Mystery, Alaska worth seeing. Gladiator has become my most anticipated release of the year.
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about the germanic tribes and rome, i wonder if this movie is going to show us historical battles and such (well we know at least yes a little) or is the whole focus on the colisseum battles? it would be cool to travel through a decade or two of actual history, and in light of what the guy above me a couple there said, i hope we get historically accurate stuff, id surprised if we didnt. we spoiled people are getting really picky about our special effects, cgi tigers or not who cares, the shit has looked damn well good enough lately. remember clash of the titans and tron and such, yeah you can look at it and bash it to pieces by todays standards or you can look at it as something that helps your imagination envision cool stuff. lately, ive gotten a kick out of watching older stuff, the jason and the argonauts and that stuff, its great. my critical geekness can say, oh look at the puppets and cheese, my heart can say, woah, imagine being attacked by skeleton warriors, cool. special effects help the shit. imagine seeing jurassic park or starship troopers or any of the nineties movies special effects in like 85 even? youd shit your pants they look so good. i guess we're not to far from seeing "perfect" special effects....in totally being a hypocrite hehe, did anyone notice special effects in TPM that looked, well, less then ILMish? like the queens ship taking off from naboo, right out of the hangar, i was like, hey, there goes a nice model! i really need to take a valume and a break from message boards this weekend...hehehe...peace
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...and I do mean boys. All this noise about "Gladiator" seems more like a pissing contest than commentary. 'MarketingMan' aka 'StudioHoncho', you may know what you are talking about regarding dollars, but reviews, fans, etc., don't give a damn about dollars. What really matters is whether you like it or not. I don't care if the movie makes money or not, so pipe down! As for repeat business, there'll be a few, 'cuz the important repeat dollar comes from the WOMEN, not the men, in the movie-going world. That's what made "Titanic" such a big hit. Yes, I know, women do go to movies, but most of Hollywood ignores the female side, and woos the male side. When movies make BIG dollars, it's because WOMEN have been wooed.
So there...
Oh, and lastly, I saw the same screening, too, and I have to say, in a demure and very lady-like way "Mr. Scott, this is your Oscar". -
If so, which oscars do you predict it will win? Also, write a mini-review for us (or at least me) please!
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As far I as could tell, no one has discussed how this film sizes up to The Fall of the Roman Empire... it sounds like just another remake -- allbeit with a bit more action -- from the descriptions. I'm not at all convinced -- I don't see how Richard Harris could be better than Alec Guinness... at anything.
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Check out the painting at the url below to see what inspired Ridley. I read in an interview that he was looking through art books, which he often does, and came across this painting. That's when he decided to do Gladiator.
http://www.fortunecity.com/westwood/galliano/293/gerome/gerom69.jpg?popup=1 -
CRITICAL MASS HERE. The Movie Reverend is sad to read posts from bitter people, like Brock Linehan, who are jealous of those of us who have access to test screenings when he does not. Jealous enough, in fact, to assail the Movie Reverend for his cutting-edge writing style. It saddens CRITICAL MASS to read such jealousy raging on these boards that I will make a special CRITICAL MASS prayer for him: Dear MOVIE GODS, please make Brock Linehan's next movie experience a pleasant one. Make sure he understand the words, do not give him subtitles because they confuse him, and keep the jokes at a 3rd Grade level. Give him simple-minded plots and a kindergarten-like score. He loves those the best. Do not have any swear words, because those offend his delicate ears, and omit any nudity because he's not old enough to watch adult movie fare. Oh, MOVIE GODS, please give Brock Linehan the kind of entertainment he wants: Wimpy flicks about relationships, non-stop on-screen crying, and the typical bickering and whining of movies about women without husbands. I know that this is Brock's favorite kind of film, therefore, I pray that you honor him by granting my request. I thank you, oh, MOVIE GODS. I am fortunate that you remember me with tickets to advance screenings. I praise you, and I look forward to my next screening. Amen.
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Alas, darling Canman11, I wish that I could provide a mini-review, but this will have to suffice. I leave the reviews to such worthy personages as Roger Ebert and Critical Mass.
Yes, I believe this movie has enough oomph to make it up there with the likes of Braveheart, Saving Private Ryan, and Titanic (not that Titanic was anything special, but it did GRAB EVERYONE by the throat, hence the Oscar). No guarantees, especially since it is so VERY early in the year, and the movie hasn't even come out yet. I'm not sure that I can honestly say that anyone stands out in the picture on their own, but here is my assessment (at the very least, it should get nominations):
Best Picture: The cinematography alone makes this one impressive picture, along with the set design and costuming, and the Academy loves pretty backgrounds, huge sets, and complex costumes (Lawrence of Arabia, Out of Africa, Shakespeare in Love, Saving Private Ryan, Titanic, Braveheart...)
Best Director: When someone pulls together all of the above, they are a shoe-in for this one. The surreal images interposed with action footage, or intense emotion, pack a lot of punch.
Best Actor: Russell Crowe. Obviously. The guy can act. He looks great. The women will swoon and all the little "boys" will will now want to be gladiators and give up their day jobs as accountants.
Best Supporting Actor: Joaquin Phoenix. Amazing that such a whiny, creepy, wormy character can have such presence on the screen. Must be the acting.
Best Cinematography, Best Set Design, Best Costuming, etc.
Best Musical Score: This score is PHENOMENAL. It's passionate, emotional, exciting, agressive, ...whew...blew me away.
And as for it being a remake of ANYTHING, I've seen almost all the movies anyone's mentioned here (with the exception of "The Fall of the Roman Empire) and it's not a remake. The story somewhat resembles Braveheart, but only in the specific layout of the plot. It diverges enough to be its own story.
Hope this suffices, CanMan.
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