Rented it on Redbox a week ago and was so impressed I bought it. Makes up for the Stallone mess (Cheesy and fun as it was) but this was like watching Robocop and getting that same rush I did with that in 87. It's violent, brutal and very stylish. Worth the $$$$. I want a sequel.
22 comments:
As long as Deuce Bigalo is still in it I'm there.
No. your outta luck on this one
Nice painting.
I wish I knew how quick it was going to netflix streaming.
Same basic story as The Raid. Fighting your way out of a hostile infested high rise.
Jim, I worry for you.
Why Marty?
Maybe RiffTrax will do a version. I just listened to RiffTrax do The Avengers. Funny stuff. They have fun with all of the characters. I guess I liked the running down of Hawkeye the best.
Jimmy! I worry because these flicks seem so bleak and violent! What ever happened to the rubber-suit fun of Godzilla?
My bro was staying with us last week and, desperate to find some communal activity, I suggested we all go see "The Last Stand" (Arnold's "comeback").
Not a great movie.
Arnold in particular fell far short. There's potential in what he's trying to do in developing this "grizzled oldster" persona. At times it seemed like he was straight-up trying to gank the Clint Eastwood persona we've seen for a while now, (starting maybe circa 1986 (Heartbreak Ridge)-2004(Million Dollar Baby)--I liked Gran Torino but there he seemed truly old). And it could be a great strategy for Arnold--if he could act even a little bit!
Because it is compelling to watch a decaying physical hulk like Clint or Arnold fight the lethargy of old age, (just watch Arnold try to get out of his Sherrif's SUV and cross the street in the opening scene--ouch! He can hardly move).
But here's the thing--it's even more mesmerizing to watch the spectacle of their tortured facial flesh.
Their features are stretched so tight over their juggernaut skulls, it's a strain for them to express anything but a grimace. This isn't the traditional "craggy" appeal of a Bogart, (which is about giving up on vanity and just letting the chips fall where they may)--and it isn't the ham-handed attempt to simply backdate youth thru the plastic surgeon's scalpel (any number of examples--Peter O'Toole in Troy comes to mind--sadly--who knew the Trojans did eye lift?).
With Arnie and Clint it's about a life-long commitment to vanity--a weird mix of aged athleticism, clever and constant cosmetic trimming, and sun damage--and the movie makeup attempting to "normalize" all of it. (In Stallone we have an example of all of this gone too, too terribly far....).
But Schwarzenegger just didn't seem convincing as anything other than a dude with real-world problems trying to read lines in front of a camera. I don't think this was my bias. It was pretty poor on his part.
But my real complaint was how VIOLENT the movie was. I listened to the film review on the radio and they were saying it was much less violent than most fare out there, so I recommended it to Blair and my bro...yikes, if this is less violent, I'm shuddering....
But re: Judge Dreddd: that should definitely be the JMG ComicCon '13 costume!
Nice review of the Arnold movie. I wasn't tempted myself. I was sure it was bad.
Have you seen Zero Dark Thirty? That is great. It builds and builds and the final pay off on Osama's raid couldn't be done better. And the realism of gun shot effects in that vs regular over the top movie gun shot effects had a weird power. Haven't seen that sort of care for what a gun might actually do since Full Metal Jacket.
El, I haven't seen Zero Dark Thrity yet--Carlo and I are trying to go. Tried to go with my bro, but he saw it before and was disgusted. Mainly mad whole thing was basically a police procedural (which I think sounds like a great build). Then he grumbled about "Hollywood B.S...."
He's just back from a year in Afghanistan, so I guess he'd know....
...But I'm still excited to go see it. Remember watching the preview together? And vowing we'd see it together if we were still in the same city on the release date?
Oh, well. The sequel, maybe. Where they get al-Zawahiri...or Mullah Omar (how come we never hear about him anymore???).
It is very much a police procedural. Anyone that likes those would like Zero Dark Thirty.
As a kid who grew up with Judge Dredd (my Nan used to send me 2000 AD every week from the UK), I was appalled by the Rob Schneider movie. The new Dredd movie was pretty damn great (even though I'd just seen Raid Redemption) with some nifty visuals and set design on a really limited budget! I credit screenwriter Alex Garland (frequent Danny Boyle collaborator on films like the Beach, Sunshine, and 28 Days Later) teaming up with original Dredd creators Carlos Ezquerra / John Wagner to keep the spirit of the character and the universe intact. Also big props to Karl Urban for keeping it real with his portrayal of Dredd. To Marty's point, it is a violent (bordering nihilistic at times) movie, but, again, that's true to the comic and the time when it was originally written.
Did you all see Looper? Oh, and I bet you guys will rip me a new one for liking Cloud Atlas.
Yes Dredd was EXTREMELY violent, but in a disturbing stylize way. Just like Robocop was, and that was disturbing back then yet it was so important to the story that you couldn't take your eyes off it. Dredd is the same way but in a more surreal way. This was a REAL Dredd, unlike the satirical one of the comics. I watched the Stallone one afterwards and that movie is more like the comics in visual style and satire of the 2000 AD books. It just had Stallone and that's what killed that. It's Stallone being Dredd for Halloween. Everything else works for the most part. If Paul Verhoven had got to do Dredd like he wanted to back in the 80's, we wouldn't have gotten Robocop due to his inability to get the license to Dredd. This Dredd was Judge, Jury, and Executioner, unwavering, unflinching. The visual surrealism of the film was compelling for a dystopian future. I liked it because the violence fits the theme.
It's too bad about Arnie's comeback. I will probably enjoy the film. But it's a RedBoxer like most films for me now. Dredd bombed at the box office here but has kicked ass on sales and rentals so much that a sequel could be considered by Lionsgate. I hope so.
Zero Dark Thirty has NO interest for me. Too recent history and we all know the outcome. Just like Blackhawk Down....not my bag. I go to the movies to ESCAPE outside, not to being reminded of the shithole outside the theater while I'm in said theater.
I did my first Redbox. 1 dollar . PLUS 38 CENTS! Tax pissed me off. DREDD was good for what it was. Good that it was pure and came out of a united effort to make it true to the comic. Good job all around. I saw all the extras so I have that much more appreciation for the story. Ended very strong and I'm with JG that a sequel is deserved. I notice a bit of Lalo Schifrin Dirty Harry sampling going on in the themes. Good music.
Also made me look up Fleur Van Eeden Worthwhile movie evening. Not as wild about it as JG is but it brings you in and Dredd himself is pure antihero type that we all like.
I meant to mention that I noticed Fleur Van Eeden because her credit was for doubling the Good and the Bad girl.
Most of the stylishness came from the DP who wanted to get a lot of new use out of 3d. Which you obviously miss on DVD. But I can see how the shots would have played in 3d. The super 3d was good. It was a movie with bits of everything in it. John Carpenter's Assault On Precinct 13 was there in story and music. The Dirty Harry's were there. Robocop was there. Oldboy was there. Terminator was in it. It packed in a lot for a small film.
I meant to say super slo mo not super 3d. Some new camera. Great for padding shots.
Hey Weezner. Good to hear from you. I know Dredd was good if Weezner liked it.
I can see giving Cloud Atlas a chance. It better get a hook in me quick. I have the bad taste of multiverse in my mouth from that awful Sucker Punch.
I think I'll Redbox Looper. Everyone that sees it, likes it.
I'm not a huge Dredd fan, so I will let others decide it's quality.
Interesting discussion of masticating manhood by Marty. The only thing I would add to that is have you seen John Travolta lately? Scary.
Weezie! Great to see you here! Feel free to comment anytime!
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