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NEWS 187 - 31 Comments
From: Swerb Entered on: April 14, 2004 2:39 PM
I'm also thinking about sneaking into an early screening of The Punisher on Thursday morning. I'm not certain if that movie looks like it's worth paying to see...
From: The Bone Entered on: April 14, 2004 4:53 PM
Man, I bet Kill Bill vol 2 is going to be as shitty as vol 1. I'll see it anyways just because I feel neccessary.
From: Ross Entered on: April 14, 2004 6:21 PM
From the reviews I read (90% on Rotten Tomatoes as I write), this one has a lot more dialogue and less action and is therefore a bit more in line with Tarantino's previous efforts. So stay optimistic, Bone.
From: The Bone Entered on: April 14, 2004 9:13 PM
I saw a preview for it and it looked ok. We'll see.     Swerb - I'm looking forward to a review of Punisher. I used to be a fan when I was a kid and it would be cool to watch a well made movie. Unfortunately I don't think you can have a well made movie about the Punisher. On top of that, John Travolta flat out sucks. He sucked in Swordfish, Battefield Earth, etc. The only movie that he did in the past 12 yrs that was any good was Pulp Fiction. At least this movie has Thomas Jane. He is sweet.
From: Swerb Entered on: April 15, 2004 1:04 AM
Well, KB2 is pretty fucking sweet. I can confirm that yes, indeed, there is less action and more story and dialogue. Thing is, Tarantino is such a master at creating sweet shots, he tends to linger on them a hair longer than he should because he's definitely full of himself... but it's a minor criticism. I won't discuss it any further because I don't want to give anything away, but I pretty much loved it start to finish. And I laughed out loud several times.
From: Swerb Entered on: April 15, 2004 11:51 AM
Just got back from seeing The Punisher, and I can't really recommend it. There are a couple of cool sequences, but for the most part, it's lots of explosions, Travolta is hammier than Easter dinner, and the story is riddled with plot holes. Thomas Jane is all right, but nothing to get excited about, really. Plus, they stray from the comic book needlessly... the bad guys kill Frank Castle's entire family - not just his wife and kid, but they raid a conveniently timed Castle family reunion. Dumb. And it's a pretty sadistic scene, too.
From: The Bone Entered on: April 15, 2004 1:17 PM
I knew it. I'll wait till video.
From: Ross Entered on: April 15, 2004 1:42 PM
Not a shock, I guess. The previews kind of looked like straight-to-video fare anyway. Only the taint of Travolta indicated otherwise.
From: The Bone Entered on: April 15, 2004 4:58 PM
Are you saying Travolta is any good? Or are you saying he is seen as a big ticket star in the eyes of Hollywood and the public - thus elevating the status of The Punisher?
From: Ross Entered on: April 15, 2004 9:48 PM
The latter, of course. In Pulp Fiction, he was perfectly cast (hence one of the primary manifestations of Quentin Tarantino's genius: casting). However, since then, this has somehow in the eyes of the public granted Travolta a status that he does not deserve. He cannot play anything other than a Vincent Vega, near as I can tell. At least not particularly well. What gets me is that in every single movie where he plays an over the top bad guy, it sucks. Yet they continue to cast him: Broken Arrow, Battfield Earth, Swordfish, Face Off...     Actually I take that back, partly: he was good in Get Shorty, but if you think about it, he's basically Vincent Vega +10 IQ points.
From: Ross Entered on: April 16, 2004 1:55 PM
Oh, one more pertinent item: Travolta is a Scientologist, like Tom Cruise. This casts him yet another level down the idiot ladder.
From: John Entered on: April 16, 2004 3:35 PM
I want to see KB2 but can't tonight because I'm gaming. Maybe I'll find time this weekend at some point and check it out. What about you Bone, are you in? It looks pretty sweet to me plus I've heard good things.
From: Ross Entered on: April 16, 2004 3:37 PM
I'm seeing it tonight. Stay tuned for my review, true believers!
From: John Entered on: April 16, 2004 3:49 PM
Looking forward to your take on this flick. Hopefully it will be a positive one.
From: Swerb Entered on: April 18, 2004 12:47 AM
I saw KB2 a second time tonight, and loved it even more. Uma's showdown with Daryl Hannah is sweet, as are her training sequences with the kung-fu master. Bert, what did you think?
From: Ross Entered on: April 16, 2004 11:30 PM
I fucking loved it.     If you didn't like the first volume... well, that shit don't matter, because this isn't all that similar.     There were tons of funny moments, classic Tarantino-style situations, and some legitimate shocker moments akin to when Travolta was about to stick the needle in Uma's chest.     The dialogue was much better, and much more prevalent this time, and this volume really develops and fleshes out the plot in a way that the first film lacked. In fact, I said it when I saw volume one, and I'll say it again: this should never have been split into two movies. I'm glad that volume one was still fresh in my mind from seeing it yesterday.     Yes, there were a couple of minor problems, but overall, I give it a big fat thumbs up. Bigger than volume one for sure. And yes, the Daryl Hannah fight is one of the coolest things I've seen on film in quite some time.
From: The Bone Entered on: April 17, 2004 12:54 AM
Alright assholes, I'm exited now.
From: Ross Entered on: April 17, 2004 8:28 AM
Well, don't go in thinking you're about to see Pulp Fiction Volume 2, because you're aren't. But I'd have to wager that you'll find it more enjoyable than #1 at the very least. Keep in mind that I liked #1, though.     Also Swerb, yeah, I loved the camera work with the kung fu master. Felt like I turned on Kung Fu Theater.
From: Ross Entered on: April 17, 2004 8:50 AM
It appears that the critics all seem to love the name of the movie "The Punisher" so they can make jokes about its name, and how apt it is for the audience to sit through. 26% on the Tomato-Meter. Definitely will not be spending money on that turd.
From: Swerb Entered on: April 18, 2004 12:45 AM
I knew you'd like KB2, Bert. I kind of agree that it should have been one movie, but although Tarantino needlessly pads the two volumes, the needless padding is still entertaining. It's all part of the mythology he builds in his films, and the more goofy characters he can cram in there, the better, far as I'm concerned. In fact, he's one of few people whose self-indulgent tendencies, artistically speaking, I can handle - nay, revel in. And the camera work with the kung fu master is the first time I've ever heard an audience laugh at a camera technique. My fave part during that sequence was the eagle's claw vs. tiger crane thing... the '70s funk music was perfect! A stroke of genius. I had goosebumps, and I was laughing at the same time.     Also, if you haven't seen Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West, you should watch it just to catch a few of the allusions Tarantino makes to it. He references tons of stuff with practically every shot, but most of it goes over my head.     The thing I liked about the Daryl Hannah fight was how fucking violent it was... I mean, I've seen fights in movies, but I was cringing with every bone-cracking punch. Plus, Tarantino must be harboring a secret lust/love for Uma Thurman, because he often makes her look like the most beautiful creature on earth - not that that's a bad thing. Not at all; just another captivating element to this movie.     And finally, yeah, The Punisher really sucks. The more I think about it, the more I realize what a terrible excuse for filmmaking it is. I almost want somebody here to suffer through it, just so we can rip on it... there's a major plot convolution that's so ludicrous as to be comical, but it's too, um, convoluted to explain here.
From: Ross Entered on: April 18, 2004 9:05 AM
I think Tarantino and Uma have been on the Stern show together, and have at least alluded to having some kind of fling. So if he's kissing her ass on the screen, it kind of stands to reason.     I have watched most of OUATITW, though not all of it - it's a bit slow and I always seem to get yanked out of it. Roche actually poops on the movie as being boring beyond belief, and while I think he's being a bit harsh, I do understand where he's coming from. Though I do definitely have an appreciation for the cinematography and sound design more than for the actual storyline. Maybe I'll try to finish it off today, especially since I recently got the Rosstation able to play downloaded movies in full 5.1 surround.
From: Swerb Entered on: April 18, 2004 3:03 PM
Yes, OUATITW takes some patience, but I think it's a masterpiece. Charles Bronson and Henry Fonda are amazing in it... to put it into historical context, it broke a lot of rules of traditional cinema for 1968 (the opening credits sequence especially, which is renowned for lasting, what, 20-odd minutes?), and Fonda was always typecast as the good guy prior to that. And while I expected to get a bit impatient with it like I tend to do with other Leone films, I loved every second of it. Like Kill Bill, it's almost an exercise of style over story, but in the end, I was compelled by both movies' storylines. Plus, Bert, you know how you laughed when people squirmed impatiently because Unbreakable was so slow? That's how I feel about OUATITW.
From: John Entered on: May 2, 2004 1:45 AM
While I can appreciate the cinematography of OUATITW it was just too tedious for me to give a full thumbs up. I did enjoy Fonda as the villian but poop on Bronson who is no Clint as far as I'm concerned. I much prefer A Fistful of Dollars to this lengthy turd fest.
From: The Bone Entered on: August 29, 2004 12:33 PM
Guess what? OUATITW was on yetserday and since I've never seen it, I was eager to check it out in light of the discussions here. Goddamn if I wasn't so fucking bored that I had to change channels. I give credit to Swerb because it did look like a well crafted film that requires a certain amount of discipline coupled with cinematic sophistication to endure and appreciate it. Unfortunately I don't have what it takes.     On a more positive note, I saw GARDEN STATE yesterday as well. It was billed as this years LOST IN TRANSLATION. Well, I could see some parallels but I would say they are two completely different movies. Although, GS relied less on subtlety than LIT it was still very good. It was certainly in the same league as LIT. Natalie Portman does a great job as usual. The main character (the dude from Scrubs) was fairly decent. The supporting actors were superb, especially his weed smoking buddy. I wholeheartedly reccomend it. You'll even have Rotten Tomatoes' permission to view it.
From: Ross Entered on: August 30, 2004 9:53 AM
I'm pretty much with you and Roche on OUATITW - much as I'd want to finish this movie, I've thrice tried and failed. I wish I had Swerb's powers too - but boredom overcame Leone's sweet cinematic techniques.
From: Ross Entered on: March 24, 2009 12:35 PM
This is the closest thread I can find where we discuss the Punisher movie(s).  I tried to watch Punisher War Zone over the weekend, but even all the excessive violence couldn't keep my interest and I turned it off about 2/3 of the way through.  Anyone else see this turd?
From: Jackzilla Entered on: March 24, 2009 1:41 PM
Nope.  Never saw the first one either.  Throw it on the pile with Tank Girl and that direct-to-DVD Man-Thing movie.  Next!
From: NickNick Entered on: March 24, 2009 2:59 PM
I actually liked Tank Girl, as campy as it was.  I think it was the animation portions that I liked.  Now that I think about it, the rest of the movie was full turd, like you've all been saying. Or I just like shitty movies.  Waterworld, check.  Lady in the Water, check. Tank Girl, check.  Nope, I just like shitty movies.
From: Jackzilla Entered on: March 24, 2009 4:22 PM
NickNick - Are you sure you don't just have the "I like everything" disease?  What recent movies didn't you like?
From: Ross Entered on: March 24, 2009 5:17 PM
Whichever ones it's fashionable to like, of course...
From: NickNick Entered on: March 26, 2009 6:56 AM
I can't argue your logic on that Ross.  I do tend to have an anti-establishment bias.