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Mr Thorn from the land down under chimes in about GLADIATOR
Hey folks, Harry here. Dreamworks has been screening GLADIATOR like you wouldn't believe. Not hiding from press or foreign territories. And there is a reason... it kicks ass. Garth (over at Dark Horizons) finally saw it, and he dug it as well. Just a little more than a month to go for this... the first badass film you'll see this summer!
Hey Harry, for some reason we in Sydney Aust got a sneak peak at the finshed epic of Gladiator(the Crowe connection?) Dreamworks/Universal are pretty confident about this movie, and rightly so....
Sword and sandal afficiando's rejoice!! Gladiator is the epic you've been waiting for. It will be the most successsful film Ridley's ever done. And rightly so, this thundering epic recalls the halcyon days of DeMille and the Quo Vadis etc. It makes me remember when big Chuck Heston was at his peak, in the spotlight for his heroic stature, not as NRA head boob. The scope and passion of Gladiator reminds us how few of these films have been made in recent decades, and how welcome a terrific one is.
Ridley Scott jumped aboard this after the Warner Bros fisco 'I Am Legend ' collapsed. Fans justifibly pissed off by that none teaming of Scott and Arnie will more than be satisfied with this. The action scenes are intense and visceral, the human drama actaully works well thanx to a slick script and dynamic performances. Russell Crowe is perfect, his intense demenour is vunerable, tough and heroic. Jaquin Phoenix gives the best performance of his career as the evil, corrupt Emporer and Connie Nielsen is wonderful as his sister. The supporting cast is sensational-Richard Harris gives the elder Ceaser dignity, depth and power. Even Arnie wannabe Ralf Moeller is put to excellent use as one of Crowe's gladiator buddies. Oliver Reed reminds us why he was once the most sought after UK screen actor with a splendidly vivd characterisation. It's also spooky given Reeds sad death whilst making this film, some of the infamous real life party animal's speechs seem very pointed if you know anything about the mans hellraising ways. And given Crowes growing reputation in the roistering arena, it's a bit like the torch is being passed! Added to this Hans Zimmer delivers an all time best score with a rousing fanfare reminiscent of Holst's "The Planets' that perfectly underscores the blistering action and battle scenes. Scott occasinally uses some annoying devices like a shutter effect and post prod. slow-motion, but overall, his handling of this material is right in the money.
It might get a little heavy going here and there, but overall 'Gladiator' delivers in grand style the kind of bloody execution thats been missing for far too long from the big screen. It gets a big 8.5/10 from me- 'Gladiator' rocks!!!
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Gladiator looks like it's gonna rock. May has MI2, Gladiator and Shanghai Noon. Action month.
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Gladiator sounds Cool. Mind you most Gladitorial Combat is cool anyway. The film sounds like an Epic Movie that Cecial B. Demile made in the 50's, they still rock today. A historical film like Gladiator has the advantage that it has a genre that has had fans since that era. The Imperial Roman Empire has inspired Western civilisation to a major degree and so films about it have a pre-set audience. But cimbine it with a good Gladiator story line and your made. Even today Gladitorial combat still attracts Millions of Fans around the World, Although we genrally do not fight to the death. Boxing, Wrestling, Martial Arts and even Robot Wars all apeal to the same instincts in the fans as those who watched Gladiators. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing but I do Knoe that I enjoy it, Well Robot Wars and Wrestling any way. So this film, at least for me, sonds like it will ROCK!
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Does anybody know when Gladiator, my most anticipated movie, featuring 1 of my favorite actors (See Romper Stomper & L.A Con.) comes out in the UK?
When is the premiere? Please!! -
According to whom you believe it's either the 4th or 11th of August. But that could be one of those evil insular London first releases and the rest of the country gets a week later.
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Fuck this lads I'm off to live in the U.S.A. The Roses have split so there's nothing for me here anymore.
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Franzoni's a great writer who's gotten screwed by idiot producers and directors more often than not.This ought to be the big one that frees his name from some evils he's been associated with.
When's he gonna get around to doing the Revelation? Heh, sorry, old humor. -
According to my Empire magazine calendar 2000, the UK release date for Gladiator is August 11th. Patience you must have.
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Until you mentioned it, I had completely forgotten that he was in the Quick and the Dead! I didn't think that Q&D was a very good movie, but I really enjoyed it for some strange reason. As far as LA Confidential goes... WOO HOO! That was truly a great flick, its just too bad that it didn't unhorse Titanic as best picture that year. over and out. -
This film kicks ass!
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Now this must be a first...Sweden has actually got a decent release date on Gladiator (May 19'th)...
All I can say about this is: YIIIIIIIII-HAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! Makes me a happy chappy!
At least I won't have to make any plans for the 19'th:-)
But by all means, wait untill August if if you wish...
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I fucking hate the London-only first-weekers, not because I have to wait one more week on a film that came out 3 months ago in the U.S., but because the press are so London-centric that only the London release weeks are acknowledged - and it doesn't work both ways, when a film like Orphans opens in Scotland first, they still only cover the London release. Dreamworks did it with American Beauty, they might well do it with Gladiator, although it is a blockbuster so actually it'll probably be everywhere. I love Mark Kermode also - a man with energy, enthusiasm and passion, as well as humour. Even if a lot of his reviews are "NO! NO! WRONG! RUBBISH! NO! WRONG!" In a couple of years time, when I'm a super-successful bloated mogul like Harv I'm going to set up my own hobby film-magazine, and I'd employ Kermode, Johnathan Romney, Kim Newman and John Patterson. Patterson's Guardian column in the Friday Review ("L.A. Inconsequential") is something I look forward to every week. I'd probably give Derek Malcolm a column as well (unless he dies first), and I'd let Mark Salisbury apply. Andrew Collins and Stuart Maconie could have my business card as long as they come as 2 for 1 and Adam Smith and Xan Brooks could maybe have renewable unpaid 1 month internships. Alexander Walker, Philip French, most of Empire, Heat, Total Film, The Daily Mail, and all of the Murdoch press can all beat themselves with spiked clubs whilst Nick Fisher looks on, masturbating to death. Uncut is too insignificant to be invited. If I stormed into a press-screening with an Uzi in one hand and a mallet in the other, Johnathan Ross, Barry Norman and Peter Bradshaw would maybe live. I quite like NME's reviews sometimes. Oh yeah reni, hasn't Reni got a new band now. I thought I heard something. Why is it that the only decent film magazine you can get in Britain is the American Premiere? I miss Neon so badly.
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Mar 22, 2000 12:03:06 PM CST
Damn, I didn't know Crowe was in The Quick and the Dead...
by iamjack'suserid
...and I was better off before! What the hell was Raimi smoking with that shitflick?!?
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Hi Mooch, I don't think he's put a name to it, but Reni's got a new band. There's a few demo tapes flying around. Songs titles include Mellow like Lemon Tea. He's playing guitar which is supposed to be as good as Squire on the first Roses album. Supposed to be a mix between Love and The Police. I'm on drums...
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I agree that Crowe is one of the most exciting actors to come around in a long time. I highly recommend checking out PROOF, which also stars Hugo Weaving, the guy who played the head Agent in THE MATRIX. It's about a blind guy (played by Weaving) who likes to take photographs and he strikes up a friendship with Russell Crowe who describes his photos for him. The two of them then have a bizarre love triangle with Weaving's housekeeper, who is obsessed with him. A wonderful & complex film about relationships and trust. I think it was directed by Jocelyn Morehouse.
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Proof was a really good little movie. Hugo Weaving was excellent in it. Anyhoo, I work at a movie theatre in LA as a projectionist, and the Gladiator trailer is attached to several of our movies. I start the shows, adjust the focus and framing, wait for the shitty LA times trailer to end, then run downstairs like a crazy person and sit in the back row to watch the GLADIATOR TRAILER!!! Then it's back up to the booth before my evil boss finds me. God, I love that trailer. I haven't been this stoked about a movie since Titus. I've got a huge aching crush on Russell Crowe, even though he kinda scares me. Are any of those hellraising stories about him true?
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Stop whining about living in the UK! You don't know how lucky you are, living in a land where bands like Radiohead, Pulp and Blur debut at number 1, while over here it's nothing but Matchbox 20, Limp Bizkit (and I do mean LIMP), and Britney Spears. Trust me, it could be worse.
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It used to be Squire the victim, the genius hard done by by an obnoxious Ian Brown, and then The Seahorses came out and everyone called him a selfish egotistical hack and Ian Brown was credited as having all the talent. Then Ian Brown's album wasn't as good as Mani said it was but it was alright and anyway nobody cared about it now Urban Hymns was officially endorsed by Q. Mani joined Primal Scream, who were excellent anyway and are now even more excellent, but he's a bass player and Nicky Wire gives good quotes. With the Roses, its just that sometimes in the long haul of culture things kind of come together for a brief moment or two. Anyway, reni, what's all this "Half The World Away" shit about leaving? Firstly: Britain is America. But anyway, what about Badly Drawn Boy and Doves? Or even the Glasgow bands, Mogwai, Idlewild, Uresai Yatsura, Belle And Sebastian, Arab Strap etc? Its been slow for a couple of years, but its always going to be a boom-bust type deal. Hit the North.
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Thanks for the review, Mr Thorn. "Gladiator" is sounding better and better the more I hear about it! By the way, I could have sworn that I've seen a promo shot of Sven Ole Thorsen in this movie. Ol' Sven doesn't have a good track record of survival in movies, but he's always entertaining. "I am Swedish quick draw champion." Heh heh.
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I'm not going to sink to your level and insult the americans as I know you did give us a hand in the second world war (JOINT venture mind, we were fighting alone until 1942 and don't forget the Battle of Britain-just because you guys didnt fight in it doesn't mean it didn't happen like you lot seem to think)but there is no need to go around insulting us just because we are cleverer than you are (sorry guys I said I wasnt going to insult you but any country who needs the title The Madness of George the third to be changed to the Madness of King George because you thought it was a sequel to Madness of George 1 and 2 must be severely intellectually challenged.Not all of you, just the cinema going audience and the bigoted racists and the socialists etc)
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this movie is going to kick so much goddamn ass I can't even handle it!
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First of all, it's "more clever", not "cleverer". Second of all, that stupid myth about "The Madness of King George" is just that, a myth. The film, even in Europe, has always been called "The Madness of King George". The original play was "The Madness of King George III", but the film-makers changed EVERYWHERE. Next time, friend, check your sources before you say something stupid.--Saulot--
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Um, it might be true that US troops didn't see combat in the European theater until 1942, but please don't underestimate a little thing called the Lend-Lease Act, which started in March 1941 ... And don't I recall a little thing in Munich when Chamberlain decided that appeasing Hitler was the same thing as -- how did that line go -- "peace in our time?" If you limeys had stomped the Nazis when they grabbed the Sudetenland, you wouldn't have needed us later.
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I like the NRA bashing. I like to do a little myself when I have the time, just because they strike me as no different than those fat old white males who go before Congress and swear UNDER OATH that cigarettes are not addictive. Gun manufacturers and supporters and cigarrette manufacturers and supporters are two (four?) of the worst kinds of people on earth. If you own a gun, and have any doubts as to whether or not your gun is designed for anything other than the taking of human life, then please put it up to your head and test it. By the way, Gladiator is just going to rock (I hate guns, but I love violent movies)! And I still think Britain has a better music scene than America. You people in the UK at least know who Arab Strap and Primal Scream are, and if I'm not mistaken Travis is at the top of your charts right now (or was just recently).
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Continuing the trend of historical accuracy; the Battle of Britain, while a victory for Britain, would not have amounted to much if it were not for American involvement before actually entering the war. Exactly how long do you think Britain would have lasted without American supplies? Through their swift domination of the rest of continental Europe and their u-boat blockade Germany had prevented Britain from obtaining both the materials necessary to continue their resistance and food for the populace. It is unlikely that Britain could have held out the two years between the beginning of the blockade and Americas' entrance into the war as the island simply didn't have the resources or production power to be self sufficient in a time of war. Don't take this too personally, I think Britain is currently one of the most admirable countries in the world and has certainly had many things to be proud of throughout its history; however from a tactical standpoint the Battle of Britain would have done little more than delay the surrender of britain withoput America's help
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From the Onion this week re: Clinton Vs. the NRA "Obviously, the president has never been captured by super-intelligent apes, or he'd feel differently about the importance of guns." I love that site... www.theonion.com , it's sooo damn funny. Oh, and uhm, do we really have to bring up this USA/UK thing again? I mean, don't make us look like Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda", come on let's be friends with the Brits. Now the French, that's a different matter....(just kidding, damn those froggy bastards are touchy).
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Britain was not alone between 1939 and 1942, there was also Poland, France, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgum, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India and all the other nations of the Empire. Americans die fight and die in the Battle of Britain. American sailors died protecting convoys in the Atlantic. Britain cracked ENIGMA, we would have won the U-Boat war in the end, Britain would have Never surrendered we were too pig headed and stupid to do that. America did better out of Lend/Lease than Britain. Hitler started the war with America not vice versa. If Britain had surendered Germany would have developed the A-Bomb first, and America would have been in rabnge of the V2 rockets. There were V2s capable of reaching the Eastern Coast of America but the developers knew that America was going to win the war and it was better they end up there than the U.S.S.R. Could Britain and it's Empire defeat Germany on it's own? Eventualy YES. Could Britain and it's Empire defeat Germany, Austria, Italy, Romania, the Japanese Empire and the rest of the Axis? NO, Not Without American Help. Britain would have survived without America entering the war but the Empire would have been Lost to the Japanese Empire and mainland Europe would have not have been freed, either from Germany or the U.S.S.R.
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"I like the NRA bashing. I like to do a little myself when I have the time, just because they strike me as no different than those fat old white males who go before Congress and swear UNDER OATH that cigarettes are not addictive. Gun manufacturers and supporters and cigarrette manufacturers and supporters are two (four?) of the worst kinds of people on earth."
No, you are the worst kind of person on earth. You just don't know it.
One other thing:
"fat old white males"
If you are white or a male or both, you deserve to see the business end of one of those guns you wet yourself screaming about. -
It's those tiny metal bits that do the job. a hint to one of the posters above. you should know better than to go into a public forum and discuss guns, you're liable to get shot at. that being said, ain't nothing wrong with dissing "fat old white males". them white devils been fucking up the soup for a while now.
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Holy crap, I cannot believe that a British vs. American debate arises in every single talkback I visit. This time, however, I shall take the moral high road and avoid it. I will agree, however, that the Brits pretty much kick our ass on the music scene. The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd--I mean, that right there destroys the whole last fifty years of American pop music. Regarding WWII, come on, people--it was a group effort, right down to those people in the resistances of France, Norway, Poland and the partisans of Italy, Spain...okay, I guess I DID get involved in this debate after all. Oh, yeah--I sure hope Gladiator rocks, because I've been waiting for Ridley to make a good film ever since he did Blade Runner, which is a work of utter genius. And Russel Crowe is possibly the greatest up and coming actors we've had in a long time...he sounds really badass in his New Zealand accent too, I hope he uses it in a flick sometime soon.
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And if you don't like it, you can move to Australia or the UK where the fools have given up their rights. I carry a .454 in the warm months, for good reason. It might not matter, and I hope I'll never have to use it. But I'd rather have it than not if I wander past a moose kill or between a sow and her cubs. I have a .45 ACP for use on the two-legged predators (who are far, far more dangerous than bears BTW). If you don't want or need a firearm, that's fine. But you can take mine when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers!
Seward, Esq.
Anchorage, AK
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RIP Neon. The one and only. EMAP bastards must die.
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Mooch - I'm not leaving the country, I'm staying to fight the war with your good self. Darth Vegas - Arab Strap, Mogwai, Gorkies, Super Furry Animals, Badly Drawn Boy and Belle and Sebastian are the ones you should check out... Travis are the Devil...
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Sorry for starting wars on the talkbacks - music's music and films are only films. They'll never be another Roses and there's only one Knowlesy. Blimey I'm having a shit day.
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Honestly if I told you what I really listened to you'd fucking lynch me...(dare I say Black Crowes, Bobby Whitlock... I can't help it)
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If you remember Harry's sneak preview showing of Gladiator then
you'll remember how glowing the reviews were. I was lucky enough to score some tickets and I'll shout it from the roof tops that Gladiator is the BEST movie to come out this year by a country mile. ( country kilometer if your a Euro-AICN'er) If you have to drive a few hundred miles to see it early, than DO IT !!! Too bad you if have to wait but dem's da breaks. BTW...nobody gives a shit about "national pride" when it comes to WW 1, WW 2...or WWW.com.WW3. The wars over if you didn't already know or the news is slow in your area. --Syd.
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I became a huge fan of Russell when I first saw him in The Crossroad back in the early 90s. He's a been a well known star in the Southern hemishphere for many years. I'm so glad that he didn't sell out to the Hollywood machine completely when he crossed the ocean. After the trailer for Gladiator I was totally pumped up for my next hot Russell injection!!
P.S. My mother is American and my father is English and I have lived in both countries. All I have to say is that the country that can take Mr. Blobby and "Polka dot bikini" to number one is just as completely ridiculous as the country who invented Twinkies and the Super Gulp. That's why I'm moving to Australia. -
I admit that at the right time and in the right place having a gun can be invaluable (as in the case of the woman and her ex-husband mentioned above), but what about the THOUSANDS of cases in which case the presence of a gun is anything BUT beneficial? And yes, I would like to move to Canada, Australia or the UK, where the number of gun related deaths each year is in double digits, as opposed to the US where the number is in the quadruple digits. Do the math, genius. And to all the UK music lovers out there, you're complaining about bands that for whatever faults they may have are still at least HEARD OF! The only music that anybody knows about in this fucking rathole of a country (musically speaking) is top 40 pop, watered down R&B with recycled beats, or angry frat boys who think anyone cares about them getting molested or dumped by their girlfriends.
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