Friday, May 14, 2010

MOVIES FOR THE WEEKEND

Despite the mixed reviews, I am quite anxious to see Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. Scott is one of my absolute favorite filmmakers, and when he does "epic," well, I think he's the best in the biz when it comes to "epic." And it's been interesting to read some of the reviews, as critics seem to want to complain about what they think the film should have been, rather than what it is. Critics shmitics...

I still have Tetro from Netflix -- it's been a busy week with final preparations for our new house (we close in 2 weeks) so I'll have to catch up with it soon. I also want to check out Edge of Darkness, which just hit Blu Ray.

6 comments:

Joel said...

Sorry, but I hated "Robin Hood." Just hated it. Almost deadly boring, in my opinion. The only thing going for it was John Mathieson's cinematography. Loved Scott's "Gladiator," which is a masterpiece and always has been. But "Robin Hood" was like a third-rate knock-off with basically no heart, soul, or anything to latch onto. And it didn't even suffice as a summer blockbuster. I'm sure you'll love it, but I certainly do not.

Actionman said...

You are right -- I did love it. I am from the camp that really loved Gladiator in the theater, but over time, I am have come to realize that it's slightly overrated. I prefer Kingdom of Heaven to both Gladiator and Robin Hood, but I did think that Robin Hood was extremely well done. Sorry to hear you hated it -- but I have to say -- how/why could you HATE this film? It's essentially a "epic film school 101" for any other filmmaker out there who wants to attempt to make one of these types of films. Scott is second to none as far as I'm concerned.

Joel said...

I felt it's set-up of the "Robin Hood" legend was almost excruciatingly dull in both its execution and in its scripting. The original plan (to have Robin Longstride a supporting character, while moving the truly evil and despicable Sherriff of Nottingham to the front and center, with the film titled "Nottingham") would have been infinitely preferable than a redux of the Robin of the Hood story. And it would have been even better for Ridley Scott to do.

I'm a huge fan of Scott in general, as well as screenwriter Brian Helgeland and actor Russell Crowe (one of my personal favorites), but for me, they had an off-day on "Robin Hood." Taking into account the prestige behind the camera and in front of it, it was one of 2010's worst films.

But this makes me love Scott, Helgeland, and Crowe no less than I do. "Kingdom of Heaven" is one of the finest epics ever made (that last battle scene is something to behold), and I've loved "Gladiator" since day one. But "Robin Hood" was nowhere near up to par with either of those films, not to mention similar ones like Gibson's "Braveheart."

Actionman said...

Did you see King Arthur or Alexander?

Joel said...

I did not see either. No interest, really...

Actionman said...

Hmmm...

I'm a middle-ages nut so King Arthur, Robin Hood, and Kingdom of Heaven all play like a trilogy of sorts. And Alexander is nowhere near the failure that EVERYONE makes it out to be. I loved that film.