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Edge44
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
3:10 TO YUMA (James Mangold, 2007)
**WARNING - SPOILERS**
Although I have several reservations concerning some of the logic in the storytelling, I really liked this film, if only to see Christian Bale flexing his acting muscles. I was glad that I'd not seen the original and therefore had nothing to measure it against.
Concerning those flaws in the story logic: why would Wade (Crowe) concede to Dan's (Bale) goal of getting him on the prison train and voluntarily climb on the train? Although their friendship builds throughout the story, I didn't witness any exceptional story events that would force this change of mind in a vicious killer such as Wade. Friendship alone is not enough, in my opinion. And why would Dan, once he'd successfully negotiated the million or so bullets fired by Wade's gang and got Wade on the prison train, would he stop returning fire and turn his back on the gang to celebrate his success when they're still shooting at him!!?
It's these and other flaws that kill the suspension of disbelief and pull you out of what is otherwise a good film. The storytelling just seemed a little forced, as though the writers were forcing the characters to perform illogical actions in order to fulfill certain functions of the theme, or at least that's what it seemed like to me.
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"Everything's relative..."
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5/4/2008, 9:41 pm
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
Yes, it's a flawed but interesting film.
Wade's sense of loss and empathy with Dan's sedentary lifestyle is so underplayed in this remake that the final scene seems to have very little foundation in what has gone before it. That aspect of the narrative is handled far better in the original film. The scene in which Wade and Dan have dinner together at Dan's house is the most pivotal moment in the narrative, but Mangold handled that scene in such a ham-fisted way that the subtext of the scene (i.e. Wade's feelings about Dan's family and the family that Wade will most likely never have) is forgotten. For how it should have been handled, check out the original film. (I have to say that I think this is partly down to the casting of Crowe; Crowe can be a very good actor, but Glenn Ford was much better at handling those tough/misogynistic/tender/pitiable roles.)
--- 'Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy'.
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5/4/2008, 9:58 pm
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Edge44
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
IRON MAN (Jon Favreau, 2008)
Much anticipated (for me) and it does exactly what it says on the tin, yet I found it dissapointing. The film is buoyed by Downey's performance, but really that's all it has going for it.
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5/21/2008, 1:24 pm
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Fitzgerald Fortune
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
quote:
Edge44 wrote:
IRON MAN (Jon Favreau, 2008)
Much anticipated (for me) and it does exactly what it says on the tin, yet I found it dissapointing. The film is buoyed by Downey's performance, but really that's all it has going for it.
Still haven't seen it. Too busy with marking and other paperwork. However, I'm torn between going to see this and going to see THE OUTPOST tomorrow or early next week. The Nazi zombies will probably win.
Definitely off to see Indy, though 
--- 'Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy'.
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5/21/2008, 6:16 pm
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Edge44
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
Yeah, I fancy OUTPOST, and I wouldn't miss Indy for the world! 
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5/22/2008, 7:17 am
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Edge44
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (Steven Spielberg, 2008).
This latest Indy installment is a million miles away from the sheer class of RAIDERS and LAST CRUSADE. Spielberg's lost the gritty edge that those two movies had, and this one is just laughable, not to mention boring - far too many characters stood talking exposition for far too long and far too regularly.
On top of all that, as much as I admire Harrison Ford's work, the years have taken away his ability to play Indy with his old relish.
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6/15/2008, 2:27 pm
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Edge44
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
RESCUE DAWN (Werner Herzog, 2006)
Without doubt one of the best films I've seen this year. I'm surprised, actually, that Herzog got studio finance for it; the amount of dialogue is brilliantly minimal, and the single camera sequences are against Studio Policy, aren't they?  Brilliant stuff!
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7/9/2008, 11:29 am
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Edge44
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
HANLock (Peter Berg, 2008)
Does exactly what it says on the poster...
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7/10/2008, 7:26 am
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Edge44
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
THE MIST (Frank Darabont, 2008)
A good adaptation of King's short story that dosen't descend too much into horror cliche. It's worth a watch simply for the ending alone, which is superb. Apparently the story/rumour (call it what you will), according to Mark Kermode, is that the studio offered Darabont double his fee if he would rewrite the ending - Darabont, good man that he is, refused.
THE LIVES OF OTHERS (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006).
Quite easily the best film I've seen this year so far. The characters are brilliantly realised, it's almost structurally perfect, and it's filled with beautifully filmed depressing hopelessness which itslef, contradictably, contains poignant optimism. This film stirred my emotions like no other film I've seen this year, especially at the end. Brilliant.
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7/13/2008, 2:22 pm
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algy
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Re: Track Your Film Viewing, 2008
Just seen THE LIVES OF OTHERS. As you say, brilliant.
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This is why we come
So we know their names
When those Spurs are done
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7/21/2008, 9:53 pm
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