[DLeeWebb]

Lawrence of Arabia - 10/10

A true epic in every sense of the word. The cinematic realization of the story of Col. T. E. Lawrence's involvement with the Arab Revolt towards the end of WW1 is a feast for the senses. From Freddie Young's spectacular cinematography through to Maurice Jarre's unforgettable score and star turns from Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif, it's a film that demands to be seen on the big screen - I watched the 70mm print, that would surely have stunned audiences in 1962 with its sumptuous technicolor evocation of the harsh but beautiful landscapes of the Arabian deserts.

The first half of the film charts Lawrence's attempts to galvanize disparate Bedouin tribes into insurgency, culminating in the Battle of Aqaba. The second half focuses on the push north to Damascus, and at this point, the tone begins to shift, becoming colder (literally too - the parched desert gives way to snowy peaks) as politics take centre stage. The backdrop of the taking of Damascus is the Sykes-Picot Agreement, which saw Britain and France carve up southwest Asia into spheres of influence and control with the ultimate aim of defeating the Ottoman Empire. This shifting of scope, from the arena of battle to politics, is reflected in O'Toole's nuanced depiction of Lawrence, who begins to seem increasingly conflicted, failing in confidence and conviction as he is sidelined by his superiors, having outlived his usefulness.

It's a film that operates both on a grand scale and a very human scale, with Lawrence's compassion for individual lives and his personal capacity to inspire devotion counterpointed with the colonial remoteness of his puppet masters, General Allenby, Dr. Dryden and Prince Faisal, pulling the strings at a safe distance, far above the bitter reality of insurrection on the ground, and the human cost.

Amen to that review!

 

[Hutnicks]

I ;agree wholeheartedly with Night Flyer. It is my favourite of the "light" King adaptations.

LOA, what can I say. My favourite film of all time and perfectly constructed (or re constructed as the case may be) and executed. Lean set the bar and it has not yet been equaled with that one. As you mention it is one of the few if not the only war film to successfully combine the human element with the political machinations of war and carry it off par excellence.

Also the beginning of my grudge with Speilberg. He was in charge of the restoration and had Lean with him in the studio theatre to go through it on screen and was too dense to record the session for a directors commentary. Thanks Steve, you saved the print but lost an immense piece of film history at the same time.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Just saw the new IT. I think it was a lot better then the original, but to me that still isn't saying much ha. I think the original has poor dialogue let alone poor acting. The length of the original (as one film, not a mini series) is way too long... Mind you if I watched it when it came out I would have enjoyed it more. Anyways...

The new IT was fun, but nothing that I feel like is worth going to the theater to watch. The one kid in it is super funny and was the highlight of the film for me. The changes that they have made to the original though I think are perfect and totally acceptable. I do feel this is the type of film that would be great for people that don't watch a lot of scary movies (like my self). I hate being scared but for some reason the trailer drew me in so much I really wanted to watch it... I would not say I am disappointed by it, I just thought it would be scarier then the original.

Anyways I feel like it makes for a fun film, just don't have high expectations for it. If you are looking for a super scary film (which I wasn't so it worked out ha) then look elsewhere!
6/10

 

[Fox2twenty]

Kings best movies is those that is not horror.

hearts in atlantis, Stand by me, Shawshank redemption. All masterpieces

Shawshank is incredible.

 

[Fox2twenty]

Shawshank is incredible.

Boom.

 

[Amish]

Kidnap 5/10

Wife wanted to see it. I like Halle but so many times during this movie I wanted to smack her. Anyways..it was entertaining to a point.

 

[Zojokkeli]

I feel that Shawshank is highly overrated. A good movie for sure, but I think it doesn't really stand out compared to any halfway decent drama.

 

[Fox2twenty]

I feel that Shawshank is highly overrated. A good movie for sure, but I think it doesn't really stand out compared to any halfway decent drama.

Silly.

 

[tdockweiler]

Kingsman: Golden Circle - 7/10

Nowhere near as good as the first one. This one seems to be mostly style over substance.
The story was pretty much nothing new and similar to the previous film.
The whole movie takes awhile to get very interesting and is very filler-filled.
By the last scene I was already sick of watching the movie.


BTW it was a lot less gory/graphic IMO compared to the first.
Worth a rental. I don't regret spending $10 on it, but i'd say it's not much better than seeing something in the "Fast and Furious" series.

Also..towards the end I felt like I was watching a Transformers movie.

PS just finished The Walking Dead Seasons 1 to 6! Took weeks and I've now finished each season about 4 times now. It actually gets better and better. Season 4 is easily the worst, Season 1 is 2nd worst. My favorite characters are probably Glenn and Dale.

I may force myself to watch Season 7 and skip episode 1 which really bothered me.
A few deaths in the series bother me, but that one scene gave me temporary PTSD or something.
I always fast forward the scene when Rick's wife dies.
Sorry, off topic, but The Walking Dead feels more like a movie to me.
I don't think i've loved a movie as much as this series.

 

[Fox2twenty]

Kingsman: Golden Circle - 7/10

Nowhere near as good as the first one. This one seems to be mostly style over substance.
The story was pretty much nothing new and similar to the previous film.
The whole movie takes awhile to get very interesting and is very filler-filled.
By the last scene I was already sick of watching the movie.


BTW it was a lot less gory/graphic IMO compared to the first.
Worth a rental. I don't regret spending $10 on it, but i'd say it's not much better than seeing something in the "Fast and Furious" series.

Also..towards the end I felt like I was watching a Transformers movie.

PS just finished The Walking Dead Seasons 1 to 6! Took weeks and I've now finished each season about 4 times now. It actually gets better and better. Season 4 is easily the worst, Season 1 is 2nd worst. My favorite characters are probably Glenn and Dale.

I may force myself to watch Season 7 and skip episode 1 which really bothered me.
A few deaths in the series bother me, but that one scene gave me temporary PTSD or something.
I always fast forward the scene when Rick's wife dies.
Sorry, off topic, but The Walking Dead feels more like a movie to me.
I don't think i've loved a movie as much as this series.

The first one is good?

 

[WraithApe]

I feel that Shawshank is highly overrated. A good movie for sure, but I think it doesn't really stand out compared to any halfway decent drama.

Absolutely right. It's a well constructed drama but it seems to have become lauded as some kind of cinematic touchstone since its release. Overrated, as you say.

 

[WraithApe]

Boom.

What does that prove? It's just a measure of popularity, not necessarily quality. I'll take IMDb ratings over the bipolarity of Rotten Tomatoes any day, but they still need to be taken with a pinch of salt. For one thing, the rating system privileges new films over old. If you look at the top 250 as a whole, there are a disproportionate amount of films from the 90s and later, including quite a few from only the last few years! This may be down to short memories, but I suspect it's more likely there are generally more people under 30 voting than over, which means its demographically skewed. I would also say The Shawshank Redemption is an easy go-to great for your casual cinema-goer because superficially, it ticks a lot of boxes.

 

[Fox2twenty]

What does that prove? It's just a measure of popularity, not necessarily quality. I'll take IMDb ratings over the bipolarity of Rotten Tomatoes any day, but they still need to be taken with a pinch of salt. For one thing, the rating system privileges new films over old. If you look at the top 250 as a whole, there are a disproportionate amount of films from the 90s and later, including quite a few from only the last few years! This may be down to short memories, but I suspect it's more likely there are generally more people under 30 voting than over, which means its demographically skewed. I would also say The Shawshank Redemption is an easy go-to great for your casual cinema-goer because superficially, it ticks a lot of boxes.

Hey man, I also appreciate Gone With the Wind.

Doesn't mean that Shawshank isn't a great film.

 

[Fox2twenty]

Hey man, I also appreciate Gone With the Wind.

Doesn't mean that Shawshank isn't a great film.

Maybe I'll cross reference the AFI list.

 

[WraithApe]

Hey man, I also appreciate Gone With the Wind.

Doesn't mean that Shawshank isn't a great film.

To you maybe. It'd get about 7/10 from me - it's a solid drama, but nothing mind-blowing. I think one of its biggest faults is that it's overly sentimental. TBH, it wouldn't even trouble my top 5 King adaptations!