The fact that NC wasn’t even nominated for Pig was a powerful predictor of just what a sh*tshow the Oscars would become.
I second the hailing of Brain Candy. I would stop short of declaring it a Holy Grail or Life of Brian level indispensable classic. But it is a completely worthy work.
I’m not surprised it wasn’t a big hit. The Kids were kind of purposefully detached from the mainstream. It’s part of what made them cool.
And I don’t know why more people don’t say this, but they have one of if not THE coolest theme song in TV history. Goosebumps every time I hear it.
Kingdom of Heaven is ok, though it's got some problems, one of which is believing Orlando Bloom physically is a blacksmith and later crusader soldier. They play rather fast and loose with their historical accuracy as most medieval films do. Now The Duelists is a fantastic film, based on the Joseph Conrad short story. The cinematography is beautiful. Most of the budget went into the costumes and locations, with the actors working for low pay. They got Albert Finney cheap because he was dating Diana Quick at the time (Carradine's gf in the film). The sword choreography was by William Hobbs, the best sword master in film history. He was an expert at making sword fights look real as opposed to the Hollywood Swashbuckler style. The saber duel where they both wind up exhausted is fantastic. He also did 3 and 4 Musketeers, Royal Flash, Rob Roby, and an interesting film called Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter where besides doing the choreography he's the vampire who comes to life at the end (he also had a cameo in 3 musketeers as the man who fought Porthos in the Inn).
I didn't get into it, but I think there's a through-line between Lester's 3 and 4 Musketeers movies and this film, not just in the approach to combat but the way the scenes and shots are set up, and they are all living environments, not static or staged. People are moving around in the background, animals are eating, carts being pulled by, and yes, the saber fight with all of the people watching and even getting in the way, is bloody incredible.
It was really hard for me to watch Kingdom of Heaven and not compare it to the Crusades Stories that Robert E. Howard wrote, including "Hawks of Outremer," which features Saladin. I think the violence in the movies is positively Howardian, but I don't think Scott got his point across as well as Howard did; namely, that the Europeans were the barbaric ones, moreso than the supposedly heathen Moslems.
The fact that NC wasn’t even nominated for Pig was a powerful predictor of just what a sh*tshow the Oscars would become.
I second the hailing of Brain Candy. I would stop short of declaring it a Holy Grail or Life of Brian level indispensable classic. But it is a completely worthy work.
I’m not surprised it wasn’t a big hit. The Kids were kind of purposefully detached from the mainstream. It’s part of what made them cool.
And I don’t know why more people don’t say this, but they have one of if not THE coolest theme song in TV history. Goosebumps every time I hear it.
This is a fantastic example of why we're friends, Jack.
For Nicolas Cage movies, I like "NEXT" which is based on a Philip K Dick story.
His quirky, oddly socialized, slightly manic persona works well with that character.
I will give that a look, thanks!
Kingdom of Heaven is ok, though it's got some problems, one of which is believing Orlando Bloom physically is a blacksmith and later crusader soldier. They play rather fast and loose with their historical accuracy as most medieval films do. Now The Duelists is a fantastic film, based on the Joseph Conrad short story. The cinematography is beautiful. Most of the budget went into the costumes and locations, with the actors working for low pay. They got Albert Finney cheap because he was dating Diana Quick at the time (Carradine's gf in the film). The sword choreography was by William Hobbs, the best sword master in film history. He was an expert at making sword fights look real as opposed to the Hollywood Swashbuckler style. The saber duel where they both wind up exhausted is fantastic. He also did 3 and 4 Musketeers, Royal Flash, Rob Roby, and an interesting film called Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter where besides doing the choreography he's the vampire who comes to life at the end (he also had a cameo in 3 musketeers as the man who fought Porthos in the Inn).
I didn't get into it, but I think there's a through-line between Lester's 3 and 4 Musketeers movies and this film, not just in the approach to combat but the way the scenes and shots are set up, and they are all living environments, not static or staged. People are moving around in the background, animals are eating, carts being pulled by, and yes, the saber fight with all of the people watching and even getting in the way, is bloody incredible.
It was really hard for me to watch Kingdom of Heaven and not compare it to the Crusades Stories that Robert E. Howard wrote, including "Hawks of Outremer," which features Saladin. I think the violence in the movies is positively Howardian, but I don't think Scott got his point across as well as Howard did; namely, that the Europeans were the barbaric ones, moreso than the supposedly heathen Moslems.
Severance is soooo good!