Last night I walked in and out of three movies: Cold Mt., Peter Pan, Last

[KoKo]

Samuri.

I got talked into going to "Cold Mountain" with partner who read the book. I said I'd go if I got a Huge Bucket of popcorn and the Giant Coke. I made it through the first 35 minutes and was grimacing and groaning so I told partner I would "scope" the other movies so I wouldn't be an annoyance.

I then left and hit "Peter Pan" for about 20 minutes. The kid who plays "Peter Pan" was a leering, leachrous ten year old....who had an American accent juxtaposed with the rest of the characters (Wendy and bros. who had British accents). I found the camera shots which seemed to focus "downard" on where Peter's package would be and Wendy's undergarments would be...and the leering and "winking" with Peter to the seemingly "naive" Wendy so offputting it was annoying. I won't even get into the "Tinkerbell" character who reminded me of Nemo's Friend who did whale sounds in "Finding Nemo." Anyway, a young mother with two little girls left behind me when I walked out of that disgusting movie.

Then, I went to the next theater with "Last Samuria" (or, whatever it's called..with Tom Cruise.) The part I walked in on had GORGEOUS SCENERY, and wonderful Japanese Costumes of the period with great "subtitles" lending authenticity to the movie, but for 25 minutes I watched a dirty, bearded Tom Cruise moaning on the ground, and then grunting on the ground, then being dragged into a Japanese house where a lovely young Geisha type subservient female bends over the "moaning, groaning, grunting Cruse to "administer her healing favors."

The flash in my mind with "Samurai" was "OMG! It's SHOGUN Redux! With Cruise playing Richard Chamberlain with not much success for those of us who remember "Shogun." I left that one because Cruise was playing "Cruise" and went back to "Cold Mountain" in time for the "rape scene." The rest of the movie grossed me out, but partner said it seemed "somewhat" true to the book even though the Mountains of NC were shot in Rumania and didn't look anything like the REAL NC Mountains, and the acting was overly dramatized. He thought it was pretty okay for what it was. And, since he read the book and I didn't, I will go with his view.

Sorry.....I know that I didn't spend enough time in each movie to get the true plot and observe the real acting ability of the characters....but Geeze what a disappointment for me....who loves movies to see these overly sentimentalized "dregs" of what's left after the Movie "Bean Counters" took over the scripts. :-(

Yeah, I know, I'm pretty picky.....

[gristy]

1. I don't go to movies anymore

I probably walked out on half of the last half-dozen I've gone to see. They're all terrible. I remember seeing a great double feature when I was a kid - Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (Robert Redford and Paul Newman) and Hello Dolly (Carol Channing or ?). Those were the days.

[nostamj]

19. "Hello Dolly (Carol Channing or ?)" ???

uh, no. Channing did not get the movie. the utterly miscast (but brilliant) Barbra Steisand did...

[ikojo]

2. Are there movies other than LOTR

Return of the King out? Hmm...hadn't noticed.

[Ilsa]

3. I was thinking the same thing.

I've seen LOTR all three years, and one other movie this year, Love Actually. I don't want to have anything to do with Disney or Hollywood. There isn't anything that interests me. It is all garbage, IMO.

[7th_Sephiroth]

13. we actually got

Knocking on heavens door to show here(the cowboy bebop movie) i practically had to knife a fanboy to get a ticket

[Fleshdancer]

4. I'm glad you told me....

I didn't know Cold Mountain had a rape scene in it. I'm glad you mentioned it because now I won't bother wasting my money.

[KoKo]

5. I thought it was pretty violent, but her husband shoots the guy, I don't

want to turn anyone off any of the three movies, but I was really disappointed in what I saw. Samurai might be worth it for the scenery and the costumes, though. If one can get past Tom Cruise.

I just had hoped for much more. And, as I said my partner thought "Cold Mt. was "okay." But, felt that it lacked authenticity because of "Rumanian Mountains?" Why couldn't they film it in NC where the book takes place. :shrug: Could Rumania be so much cheaper than filming here in NC? We are a "right to work state." Probably could have found many folks who could work for less on a film.

[mmm]

10. thank you

I hate rape scenes, lecherous ten-year-olds and Tom Cruise.
I'll take those three off my list.

[BiggJawn]

6. I wouldn't be THAT hard on them.

OK, "Samurai" in less than 10 words? "Dances with Shoguns" See it for the scenery and ignore Tom Cruise.

I don't think I "got" Cold Mountain. The male lead comes through "Fire and Deep Water" to be with his love, they get ONE night together, and BLAM! he gets blown away by some chicken-hawk who was prolly Rimjob's great-granpappy...Wait till I tell my GF (who read the book) that wasn't the Blue Ridge of North Carolina she was getting all warm over...

I heard that they were going to "explore" the relationship betwixt Peter and Wendy in this remake of "Peter Pan", guess I can save my money....

[K8-EEE]

8. The Best Movie I've Seen All Year...

Is "A Mighty Wind."

Everything SUCKS!!! This is the worst year for movies that I can remember. My husband is a voting Academy member so we get them sent to the house, but there are hardly any that I'm excited to get.

I also liked the Bill Murray movie, Lost In The Translation I think was the title?

[Lorien]

11. Hey, are they sending the films out this year?

I have a friend who is also a voting Academy member who lives outside of the LA area, and I usually borrow all his films at the end of the year. I heard they may not send them out this year though (too much piracy) :-(.

heard good things about "Lost in translation" from those that saw it too. Much of the rest has been really disappointing.I'm glad to know that I shouldn't take my mom to see "Peter Pan" (she's a fundie, and I don't think she would care for lecherous ten-year-olds either)!

[supernova]

26. No they're not

And it is because of the piracy problem. I got this from a reliable source over at (the best, IMO) the Johnny Depp fansite I use. This person works in the industry and was whining about how s/he will not be allowed to get them either as in past years.

The problem apparently is Acedemy members have loaned them out or left them lying around where pirates can copy them. I don't know if that's true or not, but that's the operating theory.

[smirkymonkey]

7. Culture in America is Dead...

an ancillary effect of the freeperization of America.
Don't expect Hollywood to lead us into the light.

It's up to the indies and foreign films to feed the starving.

The last movie I saw was "In America" (Jim Sheridan) which I didn't think would be my cup of tea, but I must say it was quite good and very original.

[KoKo]

29. Agree, we have a big "culture" problem. Maybe we can't all decide

on what we really think American Culture "should be" anymore. We are all so diverse, traveling down our different roads to different places.

Perhaps the "Movies" today reflect that. Even a badly written or produced movie can find an audience because it will appeal. Maybe that's not a bad thing, in that...everyone has something they can get enjoyment out of. :shrug:

[Sacajawea]

9. I thought "Master and Commander" was terrific.....

....but I went into it expecting it to be. Ever since reading paragraph one of page one of book #1 of Patrick O'Brian's series (there are 20 in all), I have been in love with Capt. Jack Aubrey, et. al., and I was very curious to see how well the books would be transferred to the screen. I thought Peter Weir (the director) did a very, very, very good job of it, and of course, Russell Crowe is VERY easy on the eyes. (Not only have I read all 20 books in the series, but I've been through the entire series AT LEAST three times completely through.)

As for "Cold Mountain", I had read the book (actually, I had listened to the unabridged audio tape read - somewhat atypically - by the author. As the author himself has a southern accent, he did quite an excellent job of it). I thought it was a superb book, though its incredibly graphic parts were difficult for me to stomach. I made the conscious decision NOT to see the movie, because I just couldn't imagine them making it BETTER than the book was.

[101 Proof]

12. Sounds like

I would have walked out of them movies too.

I don't go to the theater anymore because I don't like to give my money to the overpaid actors. I prefer to see them on DVD when they come out, and only if someone else bought it.

[BuelahWitch]

14. I didn't find Peter Pan "disgusting"

I thought this film played rather true to the book (or at least the 1924 silent, which I've seen recently; the book was read so long ago). In all the versions I've seen there has always been some hint of romance with Wendy and Peter. This was just a little less one-sided than the others.

I was rather pleasantly surprised to see Wendy as a tomboyish young girl in the form of Jo Marsh of Little Women rather than the Little Victorian Mother that Disney portrays. Hook's horror at seeing Pan and Wendy's "dance" was a little creepy, I'll have to admit, but Hook is a twisted villain; had Wendy enticed Peter to leave Neverland and grow up, what would the pirate have left?

I too was a little put out by American Peter in the midst of all those lovely Brit accents, but then again, the Disney film was the same when they cast Bobby Driscoll to voice Peter. I thought this Peter STILL looked too much like a girl, but perhaps old habits die hard.

All in all I enjoyed it and will probably buy the DVD when it comes out..


On edit: I had incorrectly put "Bobby Briscoll" The last name of Disney's Pan was "Driscoll"

[Maddy McCall]

22. I found very little wrong with Peter Pan...thought it was actually good

I took my almost-10 year old to see it. I didn't notice anything objectionable between Wendy and Peter, and certainly no shots focusing on his "package."

The intimations of romantic feelings between wendy and peter were in line with those in every other Peter Pan I have ever seen. If Koko01 only saw 20 minutes of the two-hour movie--well that is hardly long enough to pronounce the movie horrible.

It was actually pretty good.

[DerekG]

15. How old are you, KoKo?

Jeebus, you couldn't sit through any one of three critically acclaimed films of 2003? Even when mommy bought you popcorn and a large soda?

[put out]

20. More strongly put than I might, but I get the point.

What about the patrons of those films, who had presumably sought them out, paid for them, and were enjoying them? Making one's disdain for those peoples' choice apparent (grimacing and groaning) is not nice.

Entering other showing rooms after the film has begun, then leaving after a few minutes (especially after you have actually taken a seat, and particularly if you have brought in food and beverage), can be very distracting and annoying to those who are trying to be absorbed in their own movie experience. Were those other patrons also made aware of the poster's dissatisfaction with the patrons' choice?

I hope I am just having my own rant, and your behavior was nothing like this. I just have seen it, and it puts a real damper on other peoples movie going, mine included.

[KoKo]

25. Just so you know, I sat it the back seat and left the popcorn & coke with

my partner so he could enjoy them. I was very discreet.... Also, there were only about may 20 people in "Peter Pan" and that was 8:00 on Sat. night, and Sumarai was only about half filled. Cold Mountain was almost filled (seemed the most popular). Maybe folks weren't so thrilled about Peter Pan and Samurai or they all went to the matinee. :shrug:

[put out]

27. Then, I owe an apology to you.

Movie-going is a treat for me and I really didn't mean to be disrespectful to you. You owe me no explanation at all. I think maybe you are getting good suggestions for films you might find pleasing.

But, it still feels better to get the rant off my chest. Ah-h-h-h.

[KoKo]

28. It's okay....people who "slurp & crunch" and "whisper" annoy me too!

That's why I left and checked out the other movies. :-)'s to you.

[KoKo]

24. ROFL! Actually, I enjoyed Pirates and Captains and Commander...

;-) But, critical acclaim for the three I reviewed? Well, they needed somebody to stand up for them!

[KoKo]

32. Sorry....."Master and Commander." It's a great movie but the tittle! Oy

Vey! Too hard to put in my brain!

[7th_Sephiroth]

16. actually

cruise plays a good alchoholic for some reason

[BigMcLargehuge]

17. in defense of the Last Samurai

Then, I went to the next theater with "Last Samuria" (or, whatever it's called..with Tom Cruise.) The part I walked in on had GORGEOUS SCENERY, and wonderful Japanese Costumes of the period with great "subtitles" lending authenticity to the movie, but for 25 minutes I watched a dirty, bearded Tom Cruise moaning on the ground, and then grunting on the ground, then being dragged into a Japanese house where a lovely young Geisha type subservient female bends over the "moaning, groaning, grunting Cruse to "administer her healing favors."

The woman in question was the wife of the man Cruise killed on the battlefield, and also was the sister of the Samurai leading the rebellion against the emperor's trend towards modern government and military. She took care of the Cruise character because she was asked. And later she asks that he be taken out of her house, but the brother refuses because he trusts her.

Complain if you must, but she was neither a geisha nor someone with "healing favors". She simply takes care of him, begrudgingly, as she would her husband, because she was asked to do so.

What you didn't see were the scenes later when Cruise behaves very much like a non-Japanese and assists with the upkeep of her home.

[radwriter0555]

18. Well THANKS! Now I won't be wasting my $$ on any of those, though

Shogun/Samarai never made it TO the list.

We'd been thinking about PP and MAYBE cold mountain.

Scratch em off the list... thanks for helping me NOT waste my money!

[Maddy McCall]

23. By all means, if you have older children, take them to see Pan...

I actually liked it--my son did too--and we saw the whole movie.

The mother who walked out with two little girls probably left because there were some gory parts to the movie...gunshot wounds, stabbings, etc.

It was too much for small children, but 10 or older children should enjoy it.

[dawn]

21. There's been lots of great indie movies this year.

My last favorite was "Shattered Glass." I also liked "Lost in Translation," "Stoked," and a few others.

I'm sure I'd like the latest LOTR but I haven't seen it yet.

And I enjoyed Pirates as well.

I wasn't planning on seeing any of the three movies you mentioned. Unless I rented them. :)

[supernova]

30. Koko01, have you seen the Madstone over in Cary?

I've been wanting to take a little field trip over there. They're showing 21 Grams currently.

http://www.madstonetheatres.com/main_schedule_page.jsp;jsessionid=210C43F3355FCB09A7CC274B667EFB87?cityid=3

[KoKo]

31. supernova, saw "Fortunate Son" Documentary over there, but I don't get

to Cary that often.... I use The Colony and the Rialto for Art films. The movie you are talking about sounded "depressing" do you have some more info? Is it good?