Watched this because I thought it was going to be a bad B movie but it turned out to be a pretty competently made and underrated period action flick. Only problem is it’s got the kind of generic plot which you know exactly what’s going to happen in the next scene but the execution saves it from being a Ridley Scott dud like Kingdom of Heaven.
Solomon Kane is a badass, and I mean seriously badass, double sword swinging British captain of his own army who loves killing on the battlefield and taking down fortresses in the Ottoman Empire and stealing their gold. He meets a demon who tells him the Devil has claimed his soul for all his sins so he stops all this shit, gives all his wealth to a monastery and seeks sanctuary there.
The head guy of the monastery tells him he has to leave to seek his destiny or some shit like that so he leaves for home. Now he’s a “man of peace” who won’t fight back when he’s robbed.
He joins a group of heathens… I mean puritans travelling to the US but they’re attacked by followers of an evil sorcerer who’s been fucking shit up and he’s about to find out that being a man of peace really wasn’t his path at all. He’s actually Constantine.
If you’ve watched any movie about the origins of a superhero, you’ll know what happens next. Lots of good fights and some gore with no CGI blood.
I like Mike Flanagan but he’s not the kind of director who can make a Stephen King movie the way someone like Frank Darabont and the guy who made IT can. King’s books are all about characters and storytelling. The plots are secondary and quite ludicrous(seriously, just read the original ending of IT. I have no idea what was going through his head when he wrote that.). This dude is great at creating atmosphere and has a gift for knowing exactly what to show and what not to on the screen and he shines at the psychological drama stuff.
Unfortunately, when you give him a choice, the dude also prefers to sacrifice characters and storytelling for style and atmosphere so his previous movies sucked. He needs ample time to do this while developing his characters, which, IMO, is why Haunting of Hill House worked so well. Think about it. The entire story of Hill House is so simple it could have been told in a 2 hour movie.
I first noticed him when I watched Oculus although I didn’t like the movie and Ouija 2 was dreadful because of the plot but his technical skill was quite evident there. I think the dude should stick to TV now that the standards and budgets of TV dramas are getting higher.
As a disclaimer, I haven’t watched nor read Gerald’s Game. I know the premise is pretty simple with a lot of psychological stuff so it could have been great.
And as a side note, if anyone wants to see the worst Stephen King movie ever made, watch Cell. I thought I was being trolled by the filmmakers throughout the movie.
Hill House was just phenomenal- but yes, I really like your point about the story arc. Bly Manor was not as good, but still a solid season 2 and a decent story.
Watched the 3rd episode of The Stand and it’s still doing relatively well. But, like I said, it’s gonna be rather frustrating for people who haven’t read the book because they keep jumping back and forth in the timeline as if you already know the story so you might want to wait until the series is over and binge watch it.
Also watched The Siege (1998) starring Denzel and Bruce Willis and it was pretty underwhelming given the fact that it’s premise involves terrorist cells in the US, suicide bombings, CIA involvement with terrorists in the Middle East, torture of prisoners and political shit like the US government declaring martial law and rounding up residents of Arab descent and placing them in internment camps like what was done to the Japanese in WW2. How do you make a movie with such a premise BORING?
It should have been so much better. Look at the date it was made. This was years BEFORE 911 and The Patriot Act. Didn’t expect this from Edward Zwick. The guy made The Last Samurai and Legends of the Fall ffs. But it was still better than Defiance. Oh boy that one really sucked. 6.5/10
He’s not too bad. Better than the guy in the old TV series. The dude played Tarzan in the 2016 movie lol. He’s the brother of the guy who played the clown in IT.
Problem is I just can’t picture anyone other than Mathew McConaughey playing the character after watching The Dark Tower even though that movie was crap. He’s like almost the exact embodiment of the character I had pictured in my head while reading the book.
I also preferred the original Nadine from the old TV series. She had big boobs.
Watched episode 4 of The Stand. I really don’t get this series. The plot structure is really a bloody mess. For those who’ve read the book, they’re already at the point where they’re sending scouts to Vegas and they’re STILL showing flashbacks of the main characters’ backstories.
It makes no sense. If I had never read the book, I’d probably have given up on the series by now. And they never bothered to develop Judge Farris’s character, who was imo one of the most memorable ones in the book. They changed the gender of the character, which would make her even MORE compelling. The scene of The Judge watering his/her begonias before beginning the mission probably even inspired one scene in the Japanese Evangelion cartoon.
But for people who have read the book and can sort of “fill in the gaps” before they start resorting to flashbacks, it’s technically pretty well executed.
I don’t know what to make of this. The acting is solid. They’re able to depict darker themes, sexual stuff and show more graphic violence nowadays on TV. The guy who plays Harold deserves an Emmy. There’s a pretty cool scene of Larry soloing the The Star Spangled Banner on the guitar once they get the power back on like Hendrix did at Woodstock which wasn’t in the book. That was fucking cool(but don’t expect anything close to Hendrix).
But it’s all wasted if you aren’t invested in the characters. Like I said, Stephen King’s plots are secondary. His books are always about characters. You can’t get people invested in them if you’re going to do this kind of complex plot structure, which defeats the whole purpose of the adaptation. And Nadine’s boobs are too small.
If you don’t believe me, go check out what happens when he purposefully writes a script for an original movie with an emphasis on plot. You get something stupid like Sleepwalkers. Go watch it. I dare you.
All I can say is you would be better off reading the book(the unabridged version) before watching the series, which is over 1000 pages long lol.
I think the only way they can save this is if they have the balls to depict the shit that happens when The Trashcan Man appears. That would require American Horror Story kind of balls. I doubt they have them.
Cell was completely horrible but then again watching John cusack in anything is horrible anyway. The end made no sense and neither did the premise. I also think they could have done a lot more with Dr Sleep. The hotel scenes did no justice to the Shining.
But, yeah, I don’t understand how the guy got popular.
Yeah, there were some really good parts like the astral travel scene. They should have done more of those. I get the intent behind the hotel scenes(ending the cycle of alcoholism/violence and a throwback to Kubrick’s adaptation and all) but they didn’t fit the overall story.
I suspect it was a studio decision but it’s not like there are many fans Kubrick’s movie other than the small amount of die hard ones.
I thought his delivery was on point, seriously. One of those roles that I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else for. I’m not enamored with him otherwise, but I thought he did well in 1408.
Cusak has been in a handful of good movies, you guys mentioned most of them. I like him based on those movies and how I’ve pretty much grown up with him. The intent says he’s been in 85 movies, and I guess it’s possible that 70+ of them suck and I’ve just never seen them.
Haven’t watched it. I checked out the wiki page and saw the music was done by Joe Strummer from The Clash?!! They’re like one of my top 3 favourite bands of all time lol. Will probably check it out.
I seem to be the only one who hated that movie. Don’t know why. Didn’t read the original short story either.
Cusak is like that guy who played Kyle Reese in the original Terminator to me. I kinda remember some of his movies, but I don’t remember him being in them. Shit, I didn’t even remember Cusak was in 1408. Just like I was surprised when I found out the aforementioned guy was in Tombstone and Aliens. I can’t even remember his name now.
To their credit, though, they’re not nearly as bad as that guy who played Kyle Reese in Terminator Genysis. Oh God that guy is horrible. There’s a slight possibility that I may have been able to enjoy the last Die Hard movie if he wasn’t in it. Only a very slight possibility.
