Posted on 12/05/2004 12:43:12 PM PST by eleni121
I hated Oceans 11 (new version) despite actually liking the work of most of the actors. I hear that 12 is even more insipid.
Our side is notably weak in this area, I am sorry to say. They keep doing this because they have discovered that there is no downside to attacking. Until some of them suffer personally from it, they will keep doing it.
You're overstating the problem. What you're calling attacking is nothing more than mouthing words that hardly anyone pays attention to, into a microphone. Let celebrities say what they want, it doesn't make a difference at the end of the day. If you get hung up on retribution over nothing, you're just ruining your own day by taking them seriously.
That's a good thing. We're not supposed to be mean. As my 10 year old girl says often, "Mean people suck."
Ever see Snatch? Pitt does everything he can to ugly himself up for the role. Same can be said for Kalifornia. Pitt's actually cursed with being too good looking. He's an exceptional actors who's too often dismissed as a pretty boy.
Damon and Aflek both are better writers than actors, and they're not bad actors by a long shot.
When I first saw Pitt in Interview with a Vampire, I thought he was wonderful and looked forward to watching his career as he progressed through more and more grown-up roles. He may have acting talent, but his baby face is now a liability, and I think, as I said, he's had some work done to keep his face from sagging. A sad mistake IMO. He just looks like an aging baby to me. Not the same thing as being too good looking.
OTOH, Damon was never all that good looking but has the kind of face that gets more interesting with passing years.
Gee, these poor guys have a tough life. LOL
Ebert panned it.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041202/REVIEWS/412020303/1023
Ok, well, here's a link to Roger Ebert's review. Now, you may say "He's a stinking biased leftist" and to some degree I'd probably agree with you.
But, having seen the film, can you tell us where (if anywhere) Ebert's review is off-track? Here's an excerpt:
"I Am David" tells the story of a 12-year-old orphan boy who escapes from a Bulgarian forced labor camp and travels alone through Greece, Italy and Switzerland to his eventual destiny in Denmark. He has awfully good luck: Along the way, he meets mostly nice people who do what they can to help him, and there's an enormous coincidence just when it's most needed. Benji encounters more hazards on his travels than this kid.
I know, I know, I'm supposed to get sentimental about this heart-warming tale. But I couldn't believe a moment of it, and never identified with little David, who is played by young Ben Tibber as if he was lectured to mind his manners. In an era with one effective child performance after another, here is a bad one.
Ok, it brought your family to tears, but unless Ebert is just making it all up - it doesn't sound like much of a movie. Carefully structured to tug at the heartstrings maybe, but "the second best movie of the year"? Really? How many have you seen this year?
I was intrigued enough by this thread to read a number of reviews of the film, and it just doesn't seem worth seeing. Glad you liked it, though (especially after driving all that way); movies are supposed to affect the viewer.
I disagree. Witness how they set out to 'get' who they feel are our spokespersons. Bill Bennet, Rush and his drug issue, now one says 'Hannity is next.'
That isn't simply people espousing opinions nobody listens to, anyway. It's clearly more than that, whether you are unwilling or unable to recognize it. It's evidence of a somewhat coordinated smear campaign, designed to take down our side's advocates.
It's not an overstatement to recognize that these people are impacting the public discourse and hurting careers.
Standing by and patting ourselves on the back for being nice simply isn't going to cut it, as the opposition launches new attacks in the future.
End careers. Ruin businesses. Damage reputations. Bust up marriages. If they set out to harm one of our spokesmen and advocates, we put 2 or 3 of theirs on the shelf, permanently.
I see what you are saying and respect it, it's the noble path.
It really is the wisest choice to combat these tactics, the opinions of a nice 10-year old girl notwithstanding.
It is not a realistic movie. But it is very real.
BUMP
As far as the quote is concerned, I liked his first interpretation best.
This whole episode is confusing. Why would he correct a quotation from Asner at the end of his column in italics? Why not submit to print the quote he preferred?
We know with observations such as this as well as not admitting that his government was larded with communists, he was a failure as president.
Your input is invaluable and I thank you for your reflections on this film.
Your native country as well as the other Eastern European countries that were oppressed for so many years under Communism now have the awesome responsibility to let everyone know about the horrors of a Communist/Socialist ideology. The fact that the survivors like you have this opportunity is significant for all.
My ancestors were in Greece which suffered first under the Germans and the with the outbreaks of hostilities by the Communists. Fortunately for the Greeks, the Greek Civil war ended positively for them unlike the Bulgarians and other eastern Europeans who were coolly handed over to Stalin's tyranny by Roosevelt in 1945.
Stalin was definitely in Hitler's class as a psychotic meglomaniacal killer, and probably scores bonus points with people like Asner since his victims were "multi-culturally diverse". Most just happened to be in the wrong social class at the wrong time. But Mao? He's grand champion of mass murder in the twentieth century. Total tally for world Communism (well documented) is around 100 million souls.
That's truly sick. Especially the part about busting up marriages. Sorry guy, that's not conservatism in any sense, no part of it.
It's nothing they haven't done to our side. Like I said, we need to get mean, and I think the average conservative is only capable of a certain level of meanness.
We need to amp it up a bit.
I'm anti-porn, so any future Matt Damon porn movie will be on my "do not see" list.
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