A mirror of the eeesite "A Song of Ice and Fire"

This is a mirror of the now defunct eesite ASOIAF webboard.

The discussions for G.R.R. Martin's awesome series "A Song of Ice and Fire" are now being held at: Current ASoIaF Webboard

You cannot post new messages to this board. Go to the Current ASoIaF Webboard for the most current discussions.

A Song of Ice and Fire / Other Topics / Good Movies III

Back 20 Messages Next 20 Messages Newest Messages

Ami
User ID: 2742064 Apr 29th 4:59 PM
Oh my God, U-571 is soooooooooooo good!!!! You guys and gals have to see it! It's so intense and Matthew McConaheghy (however you spell his @#$%ing name) is so hot! ;) just had to put that in there...

And who's dying to see "Gladiator?"

sparhawk
User ID: 0436494 May 12th 12:05 PM
hey ami, instead of separating us, would you like to join in? and then we could all make up!!! heh heh heh...

Son of Hot Pie!!!
User ID: 0276214 May 12th 1:19 PM
I know that Hollywood has been trying to make
BATTLEFIELD EARTH into a movie for over a decade.
Now, with backing from Travolta, who loved the book, it finally took off.

Hope it's better than THE GLADIATOR.

sparhawk
User ID: 0436494 May 12th 1:49 PM
i saw the gladiator today. it's fucking excellent. the battle scenes kick ass. i could even see myself in the middle of them, scything down visigoths.

Malice
User ID: 1759784 May 12th 10:27 PM
Don't count me in the melee, but sparhawk, have you ever *really* even read one whole Hobb book? <g>

(I've not read the Farseer Trilogy but gather that book 1 is _Assassin's Apprentice_...)

Instead of having your problems with her writing, I was not bored at all. I finished _Mad Ship_ in one day (at home sick). Couldn't put the damn thing down.

LindaElane
User ID: 0276214 May 13th 11:44 PM
I saw Gladiator today. I thought of GRRM the whole way through. I wanted to come and tell the board that I had found the perfect Ned (Crowe) but that has already been done. Let me add to that opinion....He is utterly perfect for Ned! Whenever I read the books now, I will see his face as Ned.

There was a "thumbs up or down" scene....I won't spoil anything...and J. Phoenix was holding out his hand, and I may have distrubed my neighbors....I could not help whispering "Joffrey" because it was so very, very like the death of Ned. But even then, I thought to myself, "The death of Ned will live in my memory, long after this movie has faded".

Later, I decided that Joaquin Phoenix with blonde hair was actually the perfect Jaime. In many ways his performance is a good commentary on the fact that Jaime and Joff were father and son.

The female lead was such a cross of Catelyn and Cersei that I could never make up my mind...

It was those sets, people! (even the computer generated ones) Sure, I know it was set in 180 AD, but so much of it was utterly perfect for the Martin books. I could War camps and cities, I guess there were no castles. My big gratitude to this movie is that I will have much more lush and detailed scenes in mind when reading GRRM again.

Hey, I looked into it a bit. Comodos ruled Rome for 12 years and did indeed "compete" in the coloseum. He was a nut, proclaimed himself a god, renamed Rome as "Comodium" or something, renamed all the months of the year in his honor. .....Incest bred insanity...he was a perfect example of that. GRRM likely based parts of Joff on him, actually, since he knows his history. Well, anyway, if Joff ever declares himself a god, I will not find it at all unrealistic.

I do object to the lack of lighting throughout the picture, but the same thing happened in Braveheart. Its more noticible and irritating here, imho.

I also object to ...umm...certain people surviving a certain incident near the end..never would have happened, very unrealistic. They would have died to a man, not just some of them.

Without giving spoilers, I do have a favorite scene in the movie. It is a scene where Maximus is a gladiator and is in the arena. It is the first gladiator scene in Rome. I can't say why, because I don't want to give spoilers, but it was very well done and enthralling. I think Jon Snow will grow up to be like that. Well, I hope he will.

I did not care for what I saw as very poor film editing in almost everyone of the other battle and gladiator scenes. I know the person who staged the battles is famous for Braveheart, and those are indeed the greatest battles on film, imho. But those dark poorly edited things that lapse into obvious computer animation were not for me.

I think the movie well worth seeing, however. Your imagination will work overtime. If you are like me, you will feel you "see" a scene or two in AGOT, and that just adds to it.

Ami
User ID: 2742064 May 18th 11:15 AM
Oooh, sparhawk, you nasty boy, you.

Well, I'm sad to say Battlefield Earth sucked.
**SPOILERS BELOW**
I can't believe that a bunch of stupid, closed-minded savages can be taught to fly 1,000-year old Herrier(sp?) Jets in 5days. They can't even read. I can read and I could not learn to fly a jet in 5days. Not to mention the rubber on the tires would be completely degraded, the metal corroded inside the engine and as well as the hull of the aircraft. Johnnie's girlfriend, just like you're typical no-depth Hollywood film, looked perfect even after the Psychlo dome collapsed. John Travolta was not believeable at all as Terl. My hubby, Shane, pointed out that if they had altered his voice he may have been slightly more convincing. The end battle scene, if one could call it that, was so boring, they kept doing shots of the unprotected Psychlos marching about w/guns in their hands, picking off humans where they could, and some of those scenes looked suspiciously similar.
In the book, as I've been told, the Psychlo did not use the humans as slaves, but rather thought of them as work animals only capable of being of very minimal training so let the run about since they we're not seen as a threat. And I understand there were not near as many humans in the book. It sounds to me that the book may have been better but I don't think I'l be diving into it anytime soon.
Anyone else?

Ami
User ID: 2742064 May 18th 11:20 AM
Oh, LindaElaine, I couldn't stop thinking about ASoIF thru the wholed thing either and trying to see who would fit which charater. I still feel William Hurt would be the perfect Ned, Crowe could probably still pull it off. I couldn't put the lead female role in any characters shoes, but as someone at the beginning of this thread had mentioned, if Phoenix was younger, he'd be Joff for sure.

sparhawk
User ID: 0436494 May 18th 11:20 AM
talk dirty to me some more

Jeff
User ID: 1536664 May 18th 11:52 AM
I actually liked the book. Not great literature, but a fun "pulp" story. Some pretty humorous overtones, as the Psychlos weren't exactly the smartest ruler of the galaxy you could imagine.

The humans in the book generally were viewed as animals. Terl's plot to get the gold is why he needed slaves. The whole story in the book was pretty unbelievable, but that was one of the things that made it fun. Haven't seen the movie, and if I see it at all, it'll be on video.

Son of Hot Pie!!!
User ID: 0276214 May 18th 3:03 PM
The book was pretty good, when I read it back in high school. Oh well . . .

Sphinx
User ID: 8882983 May 21st 4:06 PM
I just found out what U-571 is about - The Americans cracking the Enigma code. Now, call me a hypocrite (having had no problem with William Wallace shagging the Queen of France), but this is too far!

Lodengarl
User ID: 0603144 May 22nd 1:35 PM
Gladiator was ok...Crowe was spectacular, as good as Gabriel Bryne as Uther [Get Excalibur on DVD - amazing!]

Cut out 45 minutes of 1 on 1 with Commodus and his sister and add more of how the Gladiators prepare, sleep, eat and become heroes. No sympathizing with anyone but Crowe and my ass grew tired in my seat as I listened to them talk about the same things over and over. Great acting, but not enough complexity or real grit. Story was a little too hollywood as well.

Braveheart was much better as a blockbuster, and Conan much better conveying the Gladiator feel.

Dirjj
User ID: 6960173 May 22nd 3:02 PM
Good movies? Well, Battlefield Earth wasn't one of them. That movie sucked. Jeff, I highly recommend renting it. After seeing the movie, I'm not sure that I even want to bother reading the book.

ab

KAH
User ID: 0541004 May 26th 11:02 AM
I saw Gladiator a few days ago, and it was...pretty good.
I was not expecting more than a good action movie, and that's pretty much what I got.

The battle in Germania was pretty confused and blurry, but I suppose that was not a coincidence.
The gladiator fights were uber-cool, and Russell Crowe rocks (not surprisingly).

Of course, the end held that typical sentimental touch with which I've been oh-so accustomed with from Hollywood over the years...but not quite to the extent where I was looking for someone stepping up and holding a stirring (or nauseating, depending on your PoV) speech of celebrating the Independence Day...

I guess Hollywood didn't have quite the nerve for such an anachronism. ;o)

Green Gerg
User ID: 0081374 May 26th 11:32 AM
Ami:
William Hurt is a fine actor, but he could never ever be Ned. Ned must be a bit gruff. Ned must be manly. Ned must be hard and terse and stolid and, well, "stark."
Hurt is none of these things...he's talky and somewhat brittle and even androgynous. If he's a fit for anyone in the book, it'd be Roose Bolton.
Crowe, or someone like him, is more the quintessential Eddard type.

For what it's worth, I thought "Gladiator" was twice as good as "Braveheart"; could be that the latter just dragged on too long for my taste; the battles were more diverse; or that I find Crowe more compelling as an actor than latter-day Gibson.

Son of Hot Pie!!!
User ID: 0276214 May 26th 11:02 PM
KAH,

Since Ridley Scott directed THE GLADIATOR and he was able to maintain his so called vision and vanity credits, you're not going to see a lot of positive happy speeches in his movies. He prefers the dark side of man much more so than anything else.

If Spielberg or Donner directed . . . it would be a very different movie . . . on that note, what if Howard Hawks or William Wyler directed (for the movie buffs out there)? Act quickly . . . you're being tested!

Remember, THE SEED IS STRONG!!

Son of Hot Pie!!!
User ID: 0276214 May 26th 11:04 PM
Green Gerg,

I agree w/ you. Crowe was more intriguing as an antihero compared to the heroics of Mel Gibson.

Other than that, I can't agree with you. Sorry.
BRAVEHEART was excellent and I had no problem when it received best film from the AA.

Remember, THE SEED IS STRONG!!

Son of Hot Pie!!!!
User ID: 0276214 May 27th 2:53 AM
Oh, I always thought Nigel Terry (I believe that's the name), who played King Arthur in EXCALIBUR reminded me of Ned.

Of course, he may be too old to play it now. :)

Remember, THE SEED IS STRONG!!! Ooooga ooooga . . . yeah, baby . . . :D

Maeglin
User ID: 9279843 May 27th 4:48 AM
U-571-what a joke what next? hows this sound? Waterloo:A movie about Napoleon's last battle where he was defeated by a bunch of brave AMERICAN soldiers. When I heard how they had mangled the storyline so badly I nearly threw up how arrogant are these movie people?

Back 20 Messages Next 20 Messages Newest Messages

Ami User ID: 2742064	Apr 29th 4:59 PM Oh my God, U-571 is soooooooooooo good!!!! You guys and gals have to see it! It's so intense and Matthew McConaheghy (however you spell his @#$%ing name) is so hot! ;) just had to put that in there... And who's dying to see "Gladiator?"
sparhawk User ID: 0436494	May 12th 12:05 PM hey ami, instead of separating us, would you like to join in? and then we could all make up!!! heh heh heh...
Son of Hot Pie!!! User ID: 0276214	May 12th 1:19 PM I know that Hollywood has been trying to make BATTLEFIELD EARTH into a movie for over a decade. Now, with backing from Travolta, who loved the book, it finally took off. Hope it's better than THE GLADIATOR.
sparhawk User ID: 0436494	May 12th 1:49 PM i saw the gladiator today. it's fucking excellent. the battle scenes kick ass. i could even see myself in the middle of them, scything down visigoths.
Malice User ID: 1759784	May 12th 10:27 PM Don't count me in the melee, but sparhawk, have you ever really even read one whole Hobb book? <g> (I've not read the Farseer Trilogy but gather that book 1 is _Assassin's Apprentice_...) Instead of having your problems with her writing, I was not bored at all. I finished _Mad Ship_ in one day (at home sick). Couldn't put the damn thing down.
LindaElane User ID: 0276214	May 13th 11:44 PM I saw Gladiator today. I thought of GRRM the whole way through. I wanted to come and tell the board that I had found the perfect Ned (Crowe) but that has already been done. Let me add to that opinion....He is utterly perfect for Ned! Whenever I read the books now, I will see his face as Ned. There was a "thumbs up or down" scene....I won't spoil anything...and J. Phoenix was holding out his hand, and I may have distrubed my neighbors....I could not help whispering "Joffrey" because it was so very, very like the death of Ned. But even then, I thought to myself, "The death of Ned will live in my memory, long after this movie has faded". Later, I decided that Joaquin Phoenix with blonde hair was actually the perfect Jaime. In many ways his performance is a good commentary on the fact that Jaime and Joff were father and son. The female lead was such a cross of Catelyn and Cersei that I could never make up my mind... It was those sets, people! (even the computer generated ones) Sure, I know it was set in 180 AD, but so much of it was utterly perfect for the Martin books. I could War camps and cities, I guess there were no castles. My big gratitude to this movie is that I will have much more lush and detailed scenes in mind when reading GRRM again. Hey, I looked into it a bit. Comodos ruled Rome for 12 years and did indeed "compete" in the coloseum. He was a nut, proclaimed himself a god, renamed Rome as "Comodium" or something, renamed all the months of the year in his honor. .....Incest bred insanity...he was a perfect example of that. GRRM likely based parts of Joff on him, actually, since he knows his history. Well, anyway, if Joff ever declares himself a god, I will not find it at all unrealistic. I do object to the lack of lighting throughout the picture, but the same thing happened in Braveheart. Its more noticible and irritating here, imho. I also object to ...umm...certain people surviving a certain incident near the end..never would have happened, very unrealistic. They would have died to a man, not just some of them. Without giving spoilers, I do have a favorite scene in the movie. It is a scene where Maximus is a gladiator and is in the arena. It is the first gladiator scene in Rome. I can't say why, because I don't want to give spoilers, but it was very well done and enthralling. I think Jon Snow will grow up to be like that. Well, I hope he will. I did not care for what I saw as very poor film editing in almost everyone of the other battle and gladiator scenes. I know the person who staged the battles is famous for Braveheart, and those are indeed the greatest battles on film, imho. But those dark poorly edited things that lapse into obvious computer animation were not for me. I think the movie well worth seeing, however. Your imagination will work overtime. If you are like me, you will feel you "see" a scene or two in AGOT, and that just adds to it.
Ami User ID: 2742064	May 18th 11:15 AM Oooh, sparhawk, you nasty boy, you. Well, I'm sad to say Battlefield Earth sucked. SPOILERS BELOW I can't believe that a bunch of stupid, closed-minded savages can be taught to fly 1,000-year old Herrier(sp?) Jets in 5days. They can't even read. I can read and I could not learn to fly a jet in 5days. Not to mention the rubber on the tires would be completely degraded, the metal corroded inside the engine and as well as the hull of the aircraft. Johnnie's girlfriend, just like you're typical no-depth Hollywood film, looked perfect even after the Psychlo dome collapsed. John Travolta was not believeable at all as Terl. My hubby, Shane, pointed out that if they had altered his voice he may have been slightly more convincing. The end battle scene, if one could call it that, was so boring, they kept doing shots of the unprotected Psychlos marching about w/guns in their hands, picking off humans where they could, and some of those scenes looked suspiciously similar. In the book, as I've been told, the Psychlo did not use the humans as slaves, but rather thought of them as work animals only capable of being of very minimal training so let the run about since they we're not seen as a threat. And I understand there were not near as many humans in the book. It sounds to me that the book may have been better but I don't think I'l be diving into it anytime soon. Anyone else?
Ami User ID: 2742064	May 18th 11:20 AM Oh, LindaElaine, I couldn't stop thinking about ASoIF thru the wholed thing either and trying to see who would fit which charater. I still feel William Hurt would be the perfect Ned, Crowe could probably still pull it off. I couldn't put the lead female role in any characters shoes, but as someone at the beginning of this thread had mentioned, if Phoenix was younger, he'd be Joff for sure.
sparhawk User ID: 0436494	May 18th 11:20 AM talk dirty to me some more
Jeff User ID: 1536664	May 18th 11:52 AM I actually liked the book. Not great literature, but a fun "pulp" story. Some pretty humorous overtones, as the Psychlos weren't exactly the smartest ruler of the galaxy you could imagine. The humans in the book generally were viewed as animals. Terl's plot to get the gold is why he needed slaves. The whole story in the book was pretty unbelievable, but that was one of the things that made it fun. Haven't seen the movie, and if I see it at all, it'll be on video.
Son of Hot Pie!!! User ID: 0276214	May 18th 3:03 PM The book was pretty good, when I read it back in high school. Oh well . . .
Sphinx User ID: 8882983	May 21st 4:06 PM I just found out what U-571 is about - The Americans cracking the Enigma code. Now, call me a hypocrite (having had no problem with William Wallace shagging the Queen of France), but this is too far!
Lodengarl User ID: 0603144	May 22nd 1:35 PM Gladiator was ok...Crowe was spectacular, as good as Gabriel Bryne as Uther [Get Excalibur on DVD - amazing!] Cut out 45 minutes of 1 on 1 with Commodus and his sister and add more of how the Gladiators prepare, sleep, eat and become heroes. No sympathizing with anyone but Crowe and my ass grew tired in my seat as I listened to them talk about the same things over and over. Great acting, but not enough complexity or real grit. Story was a little too hollywood as well. Braveheart was much better as a blockbuster, and Conan much better conveying the Gladiator feel.
Dirjj User ID: 6960173	May 22nd 3:02 PM Good movies? Well, Battlefield Earth wasn't one of them. That movie sucked. Jeff, I highly recommend renting it. After seeing the movie, I'm not sure that I even want to bother reading the book. ab
KAH User ID: 0541004	May 26th 11:02 AM I saw Gladiator a few days ago, and it was...pretty good. I was not expecting more than a good action movie, and that's pretty much what I got. The battle in Germania was pretty confused and blurry, but I suppose that was not a coincidence. The gladiator fights were uber-cool, and Russell Crowe rocks (not surprisingly). Of course, the end held that typical sentimental touch with which I've been oh-so accustomed with from Hollywood over the years...but not quite to the extent where I was looking for someone stepping up and holding a stirring (or nauseating, depending on your PoV) speech of celebrating the Independence Day... I guess Hollywood didn't have quite the nerve for such an anachronism. ;o)
Green Gerg User ID: 0081374	May 26th 11:32 AM Ami: William Hurt is a fine actor, but he could never ever be Ned. Ned must be a bit gruff. Ned must be manly. Ned must be hard and terse and stolid and, well, "stark." Hurt is none of these things...he's talky and somewhat brittle and even androgynous. If he's a fit for anyone in the book, it'd be Roose Bolton. Crowe, or someone like him, is more the quintessential Eddard type. For what it's worth, I thought "Gladiator" was twice as good as "Braveheart"; could be that the latter just dragged on too long for my taste; the battles were more diverse; or that I find Crowe more compelling as an actor than latter-day Gibson.
Son of Hot Pie!!! User ID: 0276214	May 26th 11:02 PM KAH, Since Ridley Scott directed THE GLADIATOR and he was able to maintain his so called vision and vanity credits, you're not going to see a lot of positive happy speeches in his movies. He prefers the dark side of man much more so than anything else. If Spielberg or Donner directed . . . it would be a very different movie . . . on that note, what if Howard Hawks or William Wyler directed (for the movie buffs out there)? Act quickly . . . you're being tested! Remember, THE SEED IS STRONG!!
Son of Hot Pie!!! User ID: 0276214	May 26th 11:04 PM Green Gerg, I agree w/ you. Crowe was more intriguing as an antihero compared to the heroics of Mel Gibson. Other than that, I can't agree with you. Sorry. BRAVEHEART was excellent and I had no problem when it received best film from the AA. Remember, THE SEED IS STRONG!!
Son of Hot Pie!!!! User ID: 0276214	May 27th 2:53 AM Oh, I always thought Nigel Terry (I believe that's the name), who played King Arthur in EXCALIBUR reminded me of Ned. Of course, he may be too old to play it now. :) Remember, THE SEED IS STRONG!!! Ooooga ooooga . . . yeah, baby . . . :D
Maeglin User ID: 9279843	May 27th 4:48 AM U-571-what a joke what next? hows this sound? Waterloo:A movie about Napoleon's last battle where he was defeated by a bunch of brave AMERICAN soldiers. When I heard how they had mangled the storyline so badly I nearly threw up how arrogant are these movie people?