Stratovarius Community

miditek wrote:Speaking of the late Heath Ledger, I just saw a film that he co-starred in several years ago. It was "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson, which is in all probability the best film that I've ever seen that deals with the American Revolution.

I cannot judge wether the movie is the best one dealing with the American Revolution or not, but personally the only message that I got from this film was revenge, revenge and again revenge. I never understood why Roland Emmerich created such a movie. To me it appeared like he desperately wanted to find a new "hero role" for Mel Gibson, inspired by "Braveheart". Emmerich is - funny fact - very much into creating patriotic films about the U.S. ^^


Yesterday I watched Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, a very authentic movie about the deeds of the 1st and 2nd generation of the terroristic German "Rote Armee Fraktion". Probably one of the best movies made in Germany (I know that most of our movies suck! Most of them are melancholic comedys and/or melodrams that totally miss their aim), besides others like "Das Boot", or latest Oscar Winner "Das Leben Der Anderen".

stratohawk wrote:

miditek wrote:Speaking of the late Heath Ledger, I just saw a film that he co-starred in several years ago. It was "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson, which is in all probability the best film that I've ever seen that deals with the American Revolution.

I cannot judge wether the movie is the best one dealing with the American Revolution or not, but personally the only message that I got from this film was revenge, revenge and again revenge.

Well, you know-- what can you say? Speaking as a parent, and the enemy coldbloodedly killed my 2 sons who I loved with all my heart, damn right I would have done exactly what the Mel Gibson chararacter did. So fucking sue me. Such an action does not bring back the dead, but in a case like that vengeance is understandable. EVERYBODY that I know who saw that movie said they would not have stopped at cutting that mad Brit officer's throat---they would have decapitated him for the sorry scum he was! History has taught well that you cannot deal favorably with slime unless, of course, a person is a masochistic spineless individual who loves being kicked in the ass.

Gibson’s character is a terrorist from one perspective. From another he is very anti war and is caught up in the necessity of self preservation and protecting his own life and that of his loved ones.

icecab21 wrote:Gibson’s character is a terrorist from one perspective.

Explain your reasons why he is not a terrorist in that movie. He slaughters Indian woman and children and mutilates them into pieces and sends them to other Indians in a basket. He uses a militia to break the rules of warfare and shoot generals on sight. He steals property that is not in the rules of warfare to take. He does not control his men and they kill those that have surrendered. He hacks to pieces a low ranked soldier after having his children murder others in a ambush. He was dishonorable with his trades with England by setting up decoys.

stratohawk wrote:Yesterday I watched Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, a very authentic movie about the deeds of the 1st and 2nd generation of the terroristic German "Rote Armee Fraktion". Probably one of the best movies made in Germany (I know that most of our movies suck! Most of them are melancholic comedys and/or melodrams that totally miss their aim), besides others like "Das Boot", or latest Oscar Winner "Das Leben Der Anderen".

Sounds interesting, I have to see if I can find it.

stratohawk wrote:Probably one of the best movies made in Germany (I know that most of our movies suck! Most of them are melancholic comedys and/or melodrams that totally miss their aim), besides others like "Das Boot", or latest Oscar Winner "Das Leben Der Anderen".

Don't forget Der Untergang.
That's exactly what Finland's movie-industry is all about too, so I feel your pain.

Last movie I watched was probably The Incredible Hulk. It wasn't significantly better than Ang Lee's version, Hulk. Nothing more than average, pure and simple. I hope the likes of The Dark Knight and Iron Man have set new standards for the future comic book -movies.

Mormegil wrote:Don't forget Der Untergang.

Or Werner Herzog.

Carcass wrote:

Mormegil wrote:Don't forget Der Untergang.

Or Werner Herzog.

Or Uwe Boll, the worst director of all times.


@BEG: I don't say I wouldn't have acted like Gibson's character if someone had killed my children (though I hope I would have not...). All I say is that this movie has absolutely no message. It's just about revenge. I mean the "badass" of this film, the British officer, is such a one-dimensional character, simply evil and masochistic, that he serves only one goal, and that's being cause and aim of Gibson's hate.
If it's a good "abridgment" about the Civil War, that's a point I cannot judge.

Btw, I wouldn't call him a "terrorist" in this movie, though icecab is right in some points, he is more a guerilla fighter.

icecab21 wrote:Explain your reasons why he is not a terrorist in that movie.

Simple, he was on the right side. The saying has already become a cliché: One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

Carcass wrote:

stratohawk wrote:Yesterday I watched Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, a very authentic movie about the deeds of the 1st and 2nd generation of the terroristic German "Rote Armee Fraktion". Probably one of the best movies made in Germany (I know that most of our movies suck! Most of them are melancholic comedys and/or melodrams that totally miss their aim), besides others like "Das Boot", or latest Oscar Winner "Das Leben Der Anderen".

Sounds interesting, I have to see if I can find it.

It just started this week in Germany. So probably you'll have to wait a little bit for it. But I guess it will get some international attention.

Here are two trailers. The first one (Teaser) shows how much attention the director payed to make this movie as authentic as possible (the actors have astonishing similarity to the real terrorists).
http://filmstarts.de/kritiken/71673-Der ... /1349.html
http://filmstarts.de/kritiken/71673-Der ... /1853.html

The movie is at least as intense as the trailers promise. You don't have to understand German to get what it's about.

Guerilla fighting is terrorism unless the word terror can only apply to attacks on civilians. The least it can be called is that he was a war criminal. Even with that definition he did attack civilians with his actions towards the Indian tribe. It does not matter what side someone is on, action is action. I even said that it was from one perspective. The character is haunted by the fact that he has mutilated woman and children, call that what you will. To me he is right to be ashamed of that period of his life and that action of killing babies to cause terror to the rest of the group. The way Gibson was being a ghost and ignoring the rules of warfare is what causes the British guy to be released to commit more of his own terrorism.

There are so many relationships in that movie that I would find it hard to see the movie as just one about violence. There are many social points and political points to that movie when I watch it. The relationship of the black man in the group is one of the stories that I found interesting. Parts of the group went from thinking him as lower than them to having a great respect and companionship. Another relationship would be that of Gibson and his youngest daughter. The way she was so scared that she would not touch him and then finally broke down from the heartbreak. There are plenty of values in that movie shown by the positive and negative results of the characters actions.

Burn After Reading

stratohawk wrote:Burn After Reading

That's the movie I'm going to see next. Good to know you liked it. Last one I went to see was:

Tropic Thunder
For fans of Platoon and Apocalypse Now eyewateringly hilarious war-movie within a war-movie directed and starred by Ben Stiller. I honestly can't recall laughing this much in years.
Best bit: Every word, look and gesture by "5-time Academy Award winner" Kirk Lazarus, played by Robert Downey Jr.

Mormegil wrote:

stratohawk wrote:Burn After Reading

That's the movie I'm going to see next. Good to know you liked it. Last one I went to see was:

Tropic Thunder
For fans of Platoon and Apocalypse Now eyewateringly hilarious war-movie within a war-movie directed and starred by Ben Stiller. I honestly can't recall laughing this much in years.
Best bit: Every word, look and gesture by "5-time Academy Award winner" Kirk Lazarus, played by Robert Downey Jr.

Yeah, I'm gonna watch that one, too! And yes, "Burn After Reading" is really really hilarious, a brilliant movie (though I've seen not everybody who was sitting in cinema with me liked it - especially not the girls.... when you watched it you'll know why! ). That movie is so senseless and profound in one, it's not possible to describe! And the actors seem to play the roles of their lives!

Wall Street
Finally I managed myself to watch this...when I got such an inspiration nowadays

LEGEND OF THE SEEKER

Not a movie, but a new syndicated weekly series based on Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series of books.
LOTS is a sword&scorcery series, sort of a blend of King Arthur, the Gospels, and lots of running&fighting&martial arts. The show is created by the producers of Xena, and Hercule and also many of the characters who acted in X&H were in LOTS, too.
LOTS was filmed in New Zealand, so the scenery is breathtaking!

There are several websites about LOTS:
http://www.legendoftheseeker.org
http://www.legendoftheseeker.net
http://www.legendoftheseeker.com
http://legend.ausxip.com/news.php/2008/ ... egend.html
http://www.legendoftheseeker-plus.com

Also, Terry Goodkind's website and fansites are chock full of info about LOTS.
So, if you like medieval-based, weird, action-filled sword&sorcery stuff, you might like LOTS.

HSM 3

SAW 5 .... I like!

James Bond - A Quantum Of Solace


Really again a very good Bond with Daniel Craig. I like his performance very much! Hard, a bit more realistic than the Brosnan Bonds, more emotions, ..... Really cool.

Saw In Bruges the other day, one of the best films I've seen in a long time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780536/

Babylon wrote:SAW 5 .... I like!

You're joking, aren't you?

EDIT: I just realised how elitistic these last two posts make me appear... meh

Carcass wrote:

Babylon wrote:SAW 5 .... I like!

You're joking, aren't you?

EDIT: I just realised how elitistic these last two posts make me appear... meh

No, I'm not...

Lets not let this thread die.

I thought Saw V was step up from IV but still boring movie with boring characters, you don't really care about. The complete mess of an editing didn't help either.

Mormegil wrote:Tropic Thunder
For fans of Platoon and Apocalypse Now eyewateringly hilarious war-movie within a war-movie directed and starred by Ben Stiller. I honestly can't recall laughing this much in years.
Best bit: Every word, look and gesture by "5-time Academy Award winner" Kirk Lazarus, played by Robert Downey Jr.

Fokken lol'd, Robert Downey Jr. got best supporting actor Oscar-nomination for that role. I'm not sure if I want Heath Ledger to win it anymore.

Charlie Wilson's War
As a movie nothing spectacular, but as a portrait of the last years of Cold War really fascinating. Starring Tom Hanks as congressman Charlie Wilson on a quest to provide Afghans with weaponry to defend themselves against Soviet troops.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Cult Movie of all cult movies. I won't even begin to describe the fucked-up plot, but I loved the soundtrack and Tim Curry as the transvestite-scientist Dr. Frank-n-Furter.

Carcass wrote:Saw In Bruges the other day, one of the best films I've seen in a long time.

Yes, IMO the best film of 2008! Some kind of an insider tip; it's not very famous.


Recently seen:

W

I'd rate it 6/10.

I saw the "Dark Knight". It was dark all right- when I closed my eyes and dozed off halfway through that travesty they call a film.

And why does Batman's voice change to "death metal mode" every time he's interacting with one of the villains?

Its sad..I can't tolerate any movies anymore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2yv8aT0UFc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjBOTT0t ... re=channel

AAAAAAAAAA wrote:I saw the "Dark Knight". It was dark all right- when I closed my eyes and dozed off halfway through that travesty they call a film.

And why does Batman's voice change to "death metal mode" every time he's interacting with one of the villains?

Its sad..I can't tolerate any movies anymore.

Uuuuh, what? And what about Heath Ledger's terrific performance?

AAAAAAAAAA wrote:And why does Batman's voice change to "death metal mode" every time he's interacting with one of the villains?

He altered his voice everytime he spoke to anyone as Batman. Obvious reason would be that no one would notice how Batman and Bruce Wayne have the same voice. Sounds stupid at first for sure, but you'll get used to it after ~10 views.

Travesty? Funny, I would call it a masterpiece and one of my top 5-movies of the decade without a doubt.
I'm a little surprised it didn't get Oscar-nomination for best picture, but I guess the Academy couldn't get over the fact that The Dark Knight is "only" a comic book -movie.

It was good okay, but not that special. Heath Ledger's performance is a little overhyped IMO.

I'm more into Burton's vision of Batman.