I'm a huge fan of both.Usivius wrote:"Rob Roy" is also a great movie of this type. (Much better than Braveheart...)
Greatest Historical Epic. (swords, spears and muskets)
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Fist and Faith
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Alynna Lis Eachann
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I agree. I think Tom Hanks killed it for me. If Captain Miller had been played by anyone else, I would have enjoyed it a great deal more.Vector wrote:However, though the openeing scenes were mind blowing, for some reason "Saving Private Ryan" never really did it for me - even though it is based on a true story, somehow it feels contrived to me, though I can't back that up with exactly why...
Tom Hanks is a great actor, no argument there, but there is a distinctive look about him that I can never disassociate from the name 'Tom Hanks.' When I watch one of his movies, I don't see Jim Lovell (Apollo 13), Allen Bauer (Splash) or Scott Turner (Turner & Hooch)... I see the actor Tom Hanks. I think the only movie where I was able to ignore this was The Terminal, and that was probably because of the accent.
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"Now if you remember all great paintings have an element of tragedy to them. Uh, for instance if you remember from last week, the unicorn was stuck on the aircraft carrier and couldn't get off. That was very sad. " - Kids in the Hall
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Warmark Jay
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Because, IMHO, it WAS contrived. It's based on the story told in the film "The Fighting Sullivans" (which, I believe, is alluded to in SPR's dialogue) - the mission is to prevent the same thing from happening to all of the Ryans (thus avoiding bad press and poor morale).However, though the openeing scenes were mind blowing, for some reason "Saving Private Ryan" never really did it for me - even though it is based on a true story, somehow it feels contrived to me, though I can't back that up with exactly why...
SPR's realism was fantastic; the problem was that there is no "there", "there", as they say. Spielberg wanted to play war, and forgot to come up with a decent story and characters. "The Big Red One: Special Edition" is out on DVD, and is a much better movie. "Band of Brothers" remains the best WWII film; I've seen it a few times, and it's better each time. The final episode is simply beautiful.
"That must be the King."
"How do you know?"
"He hasn't got sh*t all over him."
"How do you know?"
"He hasn't got sh*t all over him."
Since we are on the topic of intense war movies. What are your thoughts on Ridley Scott's "Blackhawk Down" ? I found this movie very intense, and really identified with the soldiers who were caught up in Mogadishu. I found it very realistic and really gave a gutrenching sense of the horror of urban combat.
And yet, I find it hard to recommend to due to the nonstop violence and action.
And yet, I find it hard to recommend to due to the nonstop violence and action.
"When you look into the abyss, the abyss looks back into you" - Nietzsche
I like Blackhawk Down, but I find it a very "busy" movie - it's difficult for me to understand all of the dialogue (which is more like screaming) and I can't keep up with who's who. The main reason I like the movie is the accurate portrayal of the sacrifice made by Gary Gordon and Randall Shughart - the two snipers who guarded the downed helicopter and protected the wounded pilot until they themselves were fatally wounded. They were the only recipients of the Medal of Honor from Somalia.
Last edited by dlbpharmd on Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Warmark Jay
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I liked "Blackhawk Down"; highly recommend the book, as the movie compresses about half the actual events (the night battles).And yet, I find it hard to recommend to due to the nonstop violence and action
I think the trend towards ultra-realistic violence in war films (of any era) is a mixed bag. "Private Ryan"'s weak story and characters (Tom Hanks, a Ranger? Please.) were overlooked because of the film's technical achievements. You don't need to watch a guy picking up his blown-off arm and putting it in his pocket to be taught about the horrors of war - Marlon Brando's monologue on horror in "Apocalypse Now", the looks on the faces of the Aussies as they're about to go over the top of their trench for the last time in "Gallipoli", even a hand reaching for a butterfly in the original B&W "All Quiet on The Western Front" make as powerful an impact, IMHO.
"That must be the King."
"How do you know?"
"He hasn't got sh*t all over him."
"How do you know?"
"He hasn't got sh*t all over him."
I really enjoyed "Blackhawk Down", but the book is much, much better.
Gallipoli is a masterpiece.
Gallipoli is a masterpiece.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
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safetyjedi
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drew
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I just saw one of my favorite historical movies and had to restart this thread.
Last of the Mohicans
I'd say with the plethura of movies about Native American life in the 1700's that one was probebly the best. (yup it's better than Dances with wolves AND Little big Man)
That last ten minutes where there is NO talking, just that errie celtic sounding music and half the charactors are killed...it's just great!
Last of the Mohicans
I'd say with the plethura of movies about Native American life in the 1700's that one was probebly the best. (yup it's better than Dances with wolves AND Little big Man)
That last ten minutes where there is NO talking, just that errie celtic sounding music and half the charactors are killed...it's just great!
I thought you were a ripe grape
a cabernet sauvignon
a bottle in the cellar
the kind you keep for a really long time
a cabernet sauvignon
a bottle in the cellar
the kind you keep for a really long time
What a strange coincidence! My cable television just went out so I put Last of the Mohicans in the DVD player to watch. I then openend my laptop and jumped on the Watch only to see this old thread talking about....Last of the Mohicans.
And I agree with you Drew. 100%!
And I agree with you Drew. 100%!
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. John Stuart Mill
I watched it last week aswell, realy good.
Also, i saw The Last Samuria with Tom Cruise last night, good, if not great film.
But if you're all about the destination, then take a fucking flight.
We're going nowhere slowly, but we're seeing all the sights.
And we're definitely going to hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell.
Full of the heavens and time.
We're going nowhere slowly, but we're seeing all the sights.
And we're definitely going to hell, but we'll have all the best stories to tell.
Full of the heavens and time.
The Longest Day. Saw it again recently and am in awe of the type of storytelling they tried. It is really good.
I haven't seen a good "sword & Sorcery" movie in a looooong time. In fact I don't think there actually has been a good one.
Ok, as I wrote that I thought of the first Conan movie and of course LotR trilogy...
my mistake.
I haven't seen a good "sword & Sorcery" movie in a looooong time. In fact I don't think there actually has been a good one.
Ok, as I wrote that I thought of the first Conan movie and of course LotR trilogy...
my mistake.
~...with a floating smile and a light blue sponge...~
Hated the LotR films.
Only seen Last of the... once when it came out, and hated that as well. I'm willing to give it another shot since it's Michael Mann.
Loved Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, Ben Hur, Highlander, Excalibur, Rob Roy, Braveheart, and Gods & Generals.
Only seen Last of the... once when it came out, and hated that as well. I'm willing to give it another shot since it's Michael Mann.
Loved Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, Ben Hur, Highlander, Excalibur, Rob Roy, Braveheart, and Gods & Generals.
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
_____________
"Men and women range themselves into three classes or orders of intelligence; you can tell the lowest class by their habit of always talking about persons; the next by the fact that their habit is always to converse about things; the highest by their preference for the discussion of ideas." - Charles Stewart
_____________
"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
_____________
there's this old B movie called The Sword and the Sorcerer. it's got Lee Horsley in it. i loved it years ago when i saw it at a midnight movie. i bought it last year when i found it on dvd. not many folks i know have seen it and even fewer actually liked it but i really liked it. great effects, script very funny in spots, and fun action. the sorcery aspect is really well done...the demon is cool. anyway...look for it. you might be in my small club of those who like it.Usivius wrote: I haven't seen a good "sword & Sorcery" movie in a looooong time. In fact I don't think there actually has been a good one.
Ok, as I wrote that I thought of the first Conan movie and of course LotR trilogy...
my mistake.
ps...loved Excalibur too!!
you're more advanced than a cockroach,
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
have you ever tried explaining yourself
to one of them?
~ alan bates, the mothman prophecies
i've had this with actors before, on the set,
where they get upset about the [size of my]
trailer, and i'm always like...take my trailer,
cause... i'm from Kentucky
and that's not what we brag about.
~ george clooney, inside the actor's studio
a straight edge for legends at
the fold - searching for our
lost cities of gold. burnt tar,
gravel pits. sixteen gears switch.
Haphazard Lucy strolls by.
~ dennis r wood ~
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A Gunslinger
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(Excalibur kicks!)
Personally, I didn't like "Brotherhood of the Wolf", if it is the one I'm thinking about (the Beast of Gevaudan?). I found the plot rather weird and several of the things they put inside made little sense to me.
Now, Excalibur is a classic for this kind of movies - I think it didn't just have Patrick Stewart, it also had other actors - it had Gabriel Byrne as Uther, Liam Neeson as Gawain... and it was one of the first movies of this kind I ever saw
I think I'm also one of the few people who liked "Krull", although the book is clearer on some parts, including the whole "fire ritual" thing Corwin and the princess go through as part of their marriage ceremony. But despite this, the movie did manage (at least as far as I'm concerned) to give the "feeling" of another world, much more than some other movies I've seen.
Now, Excalibur is a classic for this kind of movies - I think it didn't just have Patrick Stewart, it also had other actors - it had Gabriel Byrne as Uther, Liam Neeson as Gawain... and it was one of the first movies of this kind I ever saw
I think I'm also one of the few people who liked "Krull", although the book is clearer on some parts, including the whole "fire ritual" thing Corwin and the princess go through as part of their marriage ceremony. But despite this, the movie did manage (at least as far as I'm concerned) to give the "feeling" of another world, much more than some other movies I've seen.
