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Ripkens25's Replies
I think QT intentionally portrayed Bruce Lee as a caricature of himself. Movies are usually larger than life--especially QT movies. And that scene was GREAT based on how it was written. (Seriously...did ANYONE not like that scene?). And it was an intentional scene....to establish Cliff as an alpha--a skilled and confident man.
It reminded me of a similar scene in The Natural. Roy Hobbs accepts a challenge from a character portrayed as "The Bopper"....which we are to assume is Babe Ruth. (Mind you, Bruce Lee's name is never mentioned either....it's only implied he is Bruce Lee, based on mannerisms...and Cliff calling him "Kato").
The portrayal of Ruth is exaggerated....a larger than life caricature of the man's myth, designed to show the triumph of the Everyman against the legend, in order to establish the Everyman's own alpha qualities.
In the movies...you have creative license, especially when you don't name someone by name. It was a fun wink by QT....to NOT specifically mention Bruce Lee's name. By doing this....he could take some creative license....in order to further the Cliff character's prouise.
Seriously....did anyone NOT love that scene?? (And that is the point. It was a great scene. Period).
This endeth the lesson.
The Kingsman movies were lackluster and came and went quickly. Bond movies needed a reboot desperately after Die Another Day. I mean....once you have invisible cars.....once you have Bond wind-surfing on a tidal wave using a car door and a parachute (to the tune of a Beach Boys song)....that's it, time to shut it down and reboot. And....the reboot was brilliant. I've yet to find a person who didn't love Casino Royale. Bond returned to Flemming's vision of the character. No longer was he some prissy prettyboy...prancing around in his little tuxedos, worrying about whether or not his little martini was shaken or stirred. Daniel Craig's Bond looked like a guy who could kill you with his bare hands.
The free-running opening scene sold me. The stairwell scene, where he chokes a guy out...goes up to his room to wash the blood off....downs a double scotch...and returns to his poker game, sold me even further. By the time I saw him stab a guy in the neck (in Quantum) and get him in a submission hold to calmly wait as he bleeds out....I was all in on this version of Bond.
Where they go from here....kinda worries me. But the Daniel Craig era of Bond was brilliant. Watch the train fight in Spectre and tell me I'm wrong.
Oh, and who the f--k cares if the tone of the films seems similar to the Bourne movies? Better that, than seeming similar to the Austin Powers movies. I'll give you this......the somewhat silly movies from Moore were great for their time--but they were a product of the 70's (and early 80's). It's awesome to revisit them from time to time. I love them as much as anyone. But to return to that tone now...would be like parody. It would be a huge mistake to return to campiness.
The whole premise of my "complaint" is based on whether or not they replace the character of James Bond (and his signature title of 007) with a completely different gender and race. It's semantics to parse words and say: "Well...they're probably gonna keep the character of James Bond (at least for this last movie)...but his job and title will be going to a woman moving forward."
None of that parsing makes it any better. If his role/job goes to someone else, it would be like suggesting: "Clark Kent will still be a guy who exists, but his suit and cape...and title and job....will be going to a Pakastani, pansexual transgender."
Regarding Craig? That's a separate argument, and I have no interest in going down that rabbit hole. Tastes and opinions vary on Bond men throughout the decades. For me, I didn't care if DC was pretty. In fact...Flemming's Bond had a big scar across his face. It's actually cooler that he is gritty, and looks like someone who could kill you with his bare hands. I'd take that over some prissy Bond...prancing around in tuxedos all the time, worrying about whether his little martini was shaken or stirred.
If you watched Casino Royale and weren't impressed with DC's portrayal, I'll just agree to disagree with you, and leave it at that.
It's one thing to hit or miss (in varying degrees) as to which male lead they settle on for Bond.
People have argued for decades regarding who was best, and for what reasons. Opinions vary. I happen to think DC is the best Bond since Sean Connery. Though I also loved the Roger Moore films.
But to switch race and gender is to completely ignore and disregard cannon, not to mention the spirit and intention of the author and his character. If this rumor is true, it's sacrilege, and it's the end of a franchise.
How about a Punjabi Superman? Let's have an Asian Hulk? Please give us......a Latino Peter Pan?
Or....................maybe..............we just create interesting new characters with more diversity? Why retroactively go back and change a character who was written white, as some kind of PC pandering? It's patronizing and obvious. Don't mess with Santa...and don't FU-K with Shaft. Just create some NEW characters and consider some interesting diversity in the casting of those new concepts.
Five Words: Mel Gibson--In his prime.
He was a Greek statue in his prime years.
[See: Tequila Sunrise]
Enough said.
I think maybe part of what makes his role so good is...he’s not over-exposed, like Tony Stark was. I say this though, with less frame of reference than most. I didn’t see the Dr. Strange stand-alone movie (yet). In fact, my first introduction to his character was in Infinity War. And I remember thinking: This guy is maybe the COOLEST Avenger there is! I’m sure he could carry a movie, but I’m guessing he has more mystique in small doses. Plus, a character with that much power should only be used sparingly. Just my opinion. In any case...perfect casting.
Also, I think deep down he had a sense of righteousness, albeit a warped one. Remember...he also gave that other inmate a beating for attacking Andy in the laundry room.
I guess it just comes down to which kind of Bond films you like most....the silly/fun kind, or the kind more geared toward plot/espionage. The Daniel Craig Bond films follow the Jason Bourne approach. Darker, more serious....and the plots follow an arc, from film to film. I love most every Bond film for different reasons. And even though I think Connery is the best Bond, ironically....it's a couple of his films as Bond that I like least. Those ones in the mid-70's where he was just phoning it in (and the plots were bad)....like Diamonds are Forever, and You Only Live Twice.
I thought Roger Moore's films were tremendously fun. And even Pierce Brosnan had a couple decent turns as Bond. However, by the time Die Another Day came around, it was quite clear they needed to reboot the franchise. Where do you go after invisible cars? The villain had diamonds in his face...and then, completely changed ethnicities? And I won't even start in on Bond....windsurfing on a tsunami with a parachute and a car door. The films just got way too....dumb, goofy and ridiculous. So when they rebooted and did Casino Royale, I thought it was brilliant--and one of the best of all the Bond films. And Craig was perfect.
He looked like a man who could kill someone with his bare hands. And he did. When he choked out that assassin in the stairwell in CR, that was brutally cool. Then, he goes up to his room, washes the blood off his face....slugs down a double Scotch, puts on a new shirt...and returns to the poker game. Just....cool. That is Flemming's Bond. How about in Q of S, when he fights hand to hand, close quarters...in that apartment. He stabs the guy in the neck with his own knife....then gets him a submission hold and calmly waits while the guy bleeds out. You never saw that kind of brutal efficiency with guys like Brosnan....prancing around in his tuxedos, worrying about how his martinis were prepared.
When Craig is asked in CS hiow he'd like his martini, he says: "Do I look like I give a damn?" Perfect line. Daniel Craig is definitely the best (most talented) actor to play Bond. And his portrayal (IMO) is awesome. Only Connery is better...and it's close. Moore is great for different reasons. Oh....and the fight scene in Spectre...on the train against Bautista? That alone was worth the price of admission. One of the best fight scenes ever put to film. (The opening scene during Day of the Dead was pretty damn good as well)
I feel the same way about this movie. From the opening credits on....it's just perfect. The style, the tone, the mood....the scenery, music, performances....perfect. And incredibly sexy. (Heck, you even had DAVID SANBORN in the soundtrack). Each actor/actress was in their absolute prime in this film. You just don't see movies like this anymore. It's an underrated, almost HIDDEN gem. The first time I saw it was in the movie theater with a girl I had just started dating, and it became "our movie". She eventually drifted away from me, such is life. But whenever this movie comes on, usually on some obscure cable channel at 11:30 at night, I'll watch it and think of Lori, holding her hand and starting to fall in love with her.
I kind of get what the OP is saying. IMO, it's a very overrated scene (in an underrated move). When I look back on Tarantino movies now, even movies like Pulp Fiction really seem kind of ridiculous. To each their own.
Ahhh, of course. Thank you.
I really liked this season, and applaud Angela Kang's vision. It has kinda become essentially a modern-day western. I like the character development, because honestly...if you simply had zombie attacks, gore and action every episode, it would get tired after one season. TWD is simply a victim of its own early success and uniqueness. It's still a great show and story, but people are no longer as shocked at the boundaries it pushes....because now they're used to a ground-breaking show like this.
Even for the people whose attention spans have wandered, I'm still surprised (and reluctant) to believe....if they've been invested for this long, they're not incredibly intrigued with where all this ends up.....what will ULTIMATELY happen to these people. Who will go the distance? What does the rest of the world look like? What became of Rick? What caused the ZA, and how does it get solved?
It's ultimately a story about the fall of society, and civilization....and how people revert to their basic (savage) instincts. And then....how they find their humanity again. It's about the strength of the human spirit--how much it can withstand, and still allow people to stand back up yet again.
Even the look & feel of this season has been hauntingly beautiful. And the finale? I'd argue, the second to last episode could be considered the finale. The haunting winter storm of the last episode was simply the cherry on the top of Season 9. Bring on Season 10! As long as Norman Reedus is in (and as long as ultimately, we have the promise that this entire story will end the way it began, with RICK)....I'm still way in.
What does "OW" mean?
What does "OW" mean?
I'm willing to accept a flash storm, the same way I'm willing to accept a ZA.
I'm just glad we have new scenery and new, unique challenges (which come with extreme weather...when you don't have the creature comforts of the modern world, like generators, weather forecasts, furnaces, fuel, vehicles, etc...).
Hmmm, I forgot about that one. But I could have sworn there was one even earlier in the series, maybe the first time we ever got a hint of a radio broadcast. I'm pretty sure it was Rick and either Shane or Daryl, driving in a car. But I might just be conflating a couple different scenes in my head.
I think sometimes we just need to forgive some of the inconsistencies. Write them off in whatever fashion you need to. Maybe some of the "weaker", more fragile walkers froze like statues....while others (perhaps insulated in the snow, or for whatever reason are fresher and more robust), were able to avoid freezing solid.
I hope they get around to showing a flashback of Negan’s past life, pre-ZA. Kinda like the one brief scene they did, showing Michone’s home life with family, as a lawyer, pre-ZA. It would be great to find out Negan was something like a school teacher or pediatrician. Can you imagine a scene with Negan up at the chalkboard, calling on a kid to answer a question. She gets the answer right, and he does that trademark move, where he leans back, cocks his head and flashes a grin before saying something. In this case, he'd say something nice to the student about her answer. They REALLY need to address his backstory.
Agreed. If TWD producers and writers just had mindless action and zombie gore, episode after episode...it would have gotten tired after just one season. Like it or not, people...this show is about the characters, and how they interact when faced with a ZA. I loved the finale. As stated elsewhere, it was hauntingly beautiful in how it was shot. And a handful of scenes (like Negan rescuing Judith and Dog) made the whole episode pay off for me. Another (very underrated) scene....was when the group came upon the 3 shadowy figures in the blizzard, and realized they were 3 walkers who froze where they stood, like frozen ghosts. Just how that 3 minute scene was shot....I thought was brilliant. You can't throw a Hail Mary every play. Some plays....you're just running up the middle for a 2 yard gain. But they are important yards, in the grander scheme of things.