Baal_T'shuvah
Aug 21 2008, 10:59 PM
I don't figure there will be much activity in this thread, but
Roger Ebert's 1/2 star review is a hoot.
QUOTE
And the warden of the prison is Hennessey, played by Joan Allen. Yes, that ethereal beauty, that sublime actress, that limitless talent, reduced to standing in an observation post and ordering her underlings to “activate weapons.” She has a line of dialogue that employs both the f-word and the s-word, and describes a possible activity that utterly baffles me. It is a threat, shall we say, that has never been uttered before and will never be uttered again. She plays her scenes with an icy venom, which I imagine she is rehearsing to use in a chat with her agent.
stef
Aug 23 2008, 09:58 AM
Has there been a case before when a film title has also been it's exact and entire plot and narrative arc?
Love it, love it, love it.
Jason Panella
Aug 23 2008, 10:01 AM
I think the satire of Deathrace 2000 — the '70s campfest this is based upon — is what makes it a great watch. This just looks like a slog. Can Jason Statham actually do interesting movies? I'm still waiting for one.
stef
Aug 23 2008, 11:20 AM
There is something in me -- I know Paul always talked about that "thorn in his flesh," and that he didn't understand why he did the things he didn't want to do, etc etc -- so it's probably my dark side, my fallen nature, Mr. Hyde, whatever.... And I know I don't have much a voice here because I'm barely in cyber space at all anymore, so I'm nothing more than a glorified troll, sure, whatever, but, but -- there's this thing in me, this bad, baaaad thing, that really wants to beat this little girlie-of-a-movie up, like seriously, just take it outside the bar and clock it like three or four good times in the head, for the prissy little wimp we all know it really is.
Sorry, wow, that was fun though... just had to get that out of my system.
Back to our regularly scheduled program...
Peter T Chattaway
Aug 23 2008, 08:38 PM
Jason Panella wrote:
: Can Jason Statham actually do interesting movies?
My wife's a fan. This was our most recent date-night movie.
That line Ebert alludes to -- the one with the f-word and the s-word -- is certainly pretty weird. And what's even weirder is that the filmmakers seem to think it is a particularly cool line. At least, I assume that is why they re-play it over the soundtrack at the end of the closing credits.
At the beginning of the film, Jason Statham is framed for the murder of his wife. I kept thinking I recognized his wife, but I couldn't figure out why. Then the end credits came on, and I saw the name Janaya Stephens, and I realized: Aha, she played Brad Johnson's daughter and Kirk Cameron's lover in the Left Behind movies!
I love making these little connections.
Anders
Aug 24 2008, 09:35 AM
QUOTE (Jason Panella @ Aug 23 2008, 09:01 AM)
I think the satire of Deathrace 2000 — the '70s campfest this is based upon — is what makes it a great watch. This just looks like a slog. Can Jason Statham actually do interesting movies? I'm still waiting for one.
Well, I quite enjoyed
The Bank Job, which is still on my short list of favourite films thus far this year.
Jason Panella
Aug 24 2008, 11:53 AM
QUOTE (Anders @ Aug 24 2008, 10:35 AM)
Well, I quite enjoyed The Bank Job, which is still on my short list of favourite films thus far this year.
Ah! Forgot about that. And I really did like him in
Snatch. I read an interview with him, though, in which he said his only desire is to be the most badass action star on the planet. Maybe that's why he's involved in movies like this more often than not?