"Alexander" movie reviews, anyone?
Discussion
To be fair, the Americans are fools. Alexander was a bisexual, as were nearly all Greek men in the archaic/classical period. However, in those days it was not actually seen as "bisexuality". A woman was for procreation and for male ego massage, not very much else! Certainly not for conversation! The Greeks admired the male form and it was not rare for an older man to take a young boy as a lover. The youth being seen as being the perfect unspoiled example of the male form. The Americans just want history re-written to suit them, the bloody plebs. Thank god Stone didn't adjust the film, as Alexander's sexual antics were an intergral part of his personality. Though, many believe he really got his "jollies" going into battle and killing people! To each their own I guess! (End of lecture, you can wake up now!) Nevertheless, I am not sure about the historical accuracy of the film in general. However, one of my tutors at uni was a consultant, so I hope his part is accurate!!
Alexander - The Movie (2004)
Bleached mullett haired tattooed Irish Macedonian Colin Farrell (Alexander) struts his stuff in a film trying so desperately to be Gladiator. At 3 hours it's 179mins too long. Only two battles are shown inlcuding Gaugamela which was one of the computer depicted battles on BBC2's Time Commanders. Lots of dodgey dialogue, even dodgier accents (Angelina Jolie). To sum up - Tedious and dumbed down. Best acting performance goes to Farrell's mullett.
Bleached mullett haired tattooed Irish Macedonian Colin Farrell (Alexander) struts his stuff in a film trying so desperately to be Gladiator. At 3 hours it's 179mins too long. Only two battles are shown inlcuding Gaugamela which was one of the computer depicted battles on BBC2's Time Commanders. Lots of dodgey dialogue, even dodgier accents (Angelina Jolie). To sum up - Tedious and dumbed down. Best acting performance goes to Farrell's mullett.
simpo two said:
I only heard that it bombed in America because it made him bisexual, or something.
It bombed because it was not very interesting, IMHO. The special effects are average to better, backdrops beautiful but Colin Farrell looks embarassed to be wearing some of those wigs!
Such Right-wing, Ultra Conservative papers as the New York Times (Which has'nt liked a Rebublican since Lincoln) called it overblown. Angelina Jolie looked and acted like she was on drugs with a really weird accent.
To quote the NY Times (on Jolie) "... and chastising her absent son in a bewildering accent, part Yiddishe Mama, part Natasha of ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'' fame: ''You don't write, you don't call, why don't you settle down with a nice Macedonian girl?'' or words to that effect. Rarely since Joan Crawford rampaged through the B-movie sunset of her career has a female performer achieved such camp distinction."
No anti-homosexual backlash, just bad movie backlash here in the US.
Dave
>> Edited by just dave on Friday 7th January 22:47
simpo two said:
Iceman82 said:
A little sweeping, no? How did fools get to be the world's only superpower?
Same way Britain did, exploiting those too weak to do anything about it. Nothing wrong in that per se, doesn't make them the richest culture in the world though!
Alexanders on my to watch list. Along with War of the Worlds coming out this summer.
>> Edited by MilnerR on Friday 7th January 23:21
By the Lord Harry, they didn't think of him for Charles I did they? 
los angeles said:
Bloody perfect, Dave! 
"Vee will hif a free Californ- sorry, Cal-AY-DOnia!"
Do you think so? I need a career change!
You know, maybe we should talk. There is this obscure paperback that really changed my life. No, really!!
It starts off.......
Dave
>> Edited by just dave on Friday 7th January 23:23
simpo two said:
A little sweeping, no? How did fools get to be the world's only superpower?
Sorry, I should really have qualified that statement by saying that I think they are foolish should the only reason be that they hate Alexander is because it portrays him as "bisexual", which is actually historical fact.
los angeles said:
FWD: You're right; trying to get quality into production in one unadulterated piece in this sausage factory is a disalluisioning experience. Dave: If I had a dollar every time someone said, "I've just read this book and think it will make a great film," I'd be rich.
>> Edited by los angeles on Friday 7th January 23:36
As you mentioned to me before, hence the dig!
Willing to send a buck anyhoo,
Dave
los angeles said:
Send the buck to Oliver Stone. Can't see him getting another directing gig for a while.
I have given him too many for his current mound of canine excretia as it is, LA!
I assume you have seen his comments re: 'Alexander'?
That it is his most important work, the best thing he has done? 'JFK' was better to me, and I thought it stank also.
Do people in the film biz really think that they are that good (no, really) that everything they do is great? I would be happy in my job to have close-of sale-ratio like US Baseball players: .300
3-for-10. I wouldn't be rich, just doing a better job of taking care of my family than now.
But having to put everything on the line for a film and then wait years to complete the deal I guess would take massive self-confidence and drive.
As an aside, is it true that there are as many pounds of Cocaine consumed as Millions of dollars spent to make a movie?
Dave
los angeles said:
In Aviator DiCaprio plays Howard Hughes like an angry piglet - same gargantuan miscasting. There was a time when both directors would have refused the studio's demand to use the actors in question knowing it would harm everybodys reputation. (Assuming the stars were foisted on the directors.)
>> Edited by los angeles on Saturday 8th January 00:58
Hughes in appearance was just like Clark Gable.
The only person I've seen who could match the look (which lets face it if the actor resembles the person they are meant to be it's immediately more believeable) would be Billy Zane, purely on the look he acheived in Memphis Belle. He would have no problem creating the Texan drawl either.
Billy Zane
Funnily enough one of the Sky channels had a bio of Howard Hughes on this evening I caught the last 45mins of it, from the Beverley Hills crash onwards of the story and his test flights of the XF11 experimental recon aircraft. http://home.t-online.de/home/airbornegrafix/HistoricAircraft/xf11.htm
And this is one place I need to visit - www.sprucegoose.org/ for a pilgrimage.
And this is one place I need to visit - www.sprucegoose.org/ for a pilgrimage.
Getting back to Di Caprio for a moment
I can't understand why he is getting such big movie roles, he looks too young to be classed a man never mind a love interest or someone important. Infact I have been put off seeing Aviator because he is the lead role :shudder: puts me off my cornflakes
. But if you think it is worth watching LA, I'll give it a go I guess.
I can't understand why he is getting such big movie roles, he looks too young to be classed a man never mind a love interest or someone important. Infact I have been put off seeing Aviator because he is the lead role :shudder: puts me off my cornflakes
. But if you think it is worth watching LA, I'll give it a go I guess. What accent should Farrel use?
I mean, they could have done a "Passion of the Christ" and had them speaking in some ancient form of Greek. Or should central characters of English language films only speak in American or English accents?
It's actually an interetsing point as to what roles in life we associate with various English accents. Are the Irish (and maybe other Celtic accents) condemned to play subservient roles. Are American accents reserved for heroes and are English accents reserved for baddies?
Discuss.
(I haven't seen the film - I'm just raising a general point).
I mean, they could have done a "Passion of the Christ" and had them speaking in some ancient form of Greek. Or should central characters of English language films only speak in American or English accents?
It's actually an interetsing point as to what roles in life we associate with various English accents. Are the Irish (and maybe other Celtic accents) condemned to play subservient roles. Are American accents reserved for heroes and are English accents reserved for baddies?
Discuss.
(I haven't seen the film - I'm just raising a general point).
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