TheSpecialist
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Posts posted by TheSpecialist
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i just played through all the half life games recently, so it may just be my transition from PC back to console, but is it a bit slow moving to aim/look around in killzone 2? its taking me ages to line up an accurate shot.
i used kick ass at COD4 and remember that being alot faster and smoother. in saying this, the enmy AI in killzone 2 are great, they really do dodge bullets, not just bob up and down from the same cover like ducks
I had the exact opposite experience. I struggled with the controls of COD4...that game kicked my ass. KZ2 is a lot easier for me to play through...
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Yeah, right now I'm working on improving my rank on the Leaderboards, like I said. Once I get the other three Trophies for that, I'm probably going to continue with the Single Player.
How far are you in single player?
I only did the first mission so far.
hah...it's all good. I'm getting killzowned right now.
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Hannibal is absolute bliss.
I'll have to revisit that one. I just remember being totally disturbed by the Mason Verger character, who I was astonished to find was performed by Gary Oldman years later. No fucking wonder. What a god.
1)Hannibal sucked, you know you're in trouble when Brett Ratner makes a better Lecter movie than you.
2)Gladiator was moving and kicked ass. When you got a character like Maximus the rest doesn't matter.
3)I personally like Miami Vice (movie) but Mann fucked it up. It could've been so much better imo. The look of it was great, but Mann intentionally made it too one note in an attempt to be "realistic." It was a mistake.
We're in agreement on #2 and 3....not sure about #1. Miami Vice was such a waste of a great concept. I went into the movie expecting "Heat" and came out feeling punked. It was like a half baked police procedural inspired by Joe Carnahan's "Narc". Where was the fun? The glamor? the excitement? The first 10 minutes and the boat ride to cuba are pure miami vice. The rest of it is just a dour gritty and ultimately boring snapshot of undercover cops. It's a solid if uninspired effort...I can't imagine what he was thinking setting half the movie in the back alleys of Miami. Apparently South Beach was "played out" according to Mann....and yet the movie is called Miami Vice.
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I liked the speedboat ride in Miami Vice movie.
That was the best part of the movie. Beautifully realized. It perfectly captured the escapist spirit of Miami Vice.
As long as you go in expecting a demented black comedy and not a proper sequel to SOtL (or a respectful rendering of the loathsome and ridiculous novel), Hannibal is absolute bliss.I'll have to rent that one again. I remember thinking "meh" the first time I saw it...which was a better reaction than I had for Ratboy's take on Manhunter.
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I used to be a huge fan of MJ when I was a kid....but he's fallen so far from where he used to be. He was like a demi-god in the 80's. Every kid in school was obsessed with "Bad" and "Dangerous" back in the day....
He has to go back to his roots and do a a soulful album without chasing the latest trends/producer of the moment. But he won't. He'll release an overstuffed album like Invincible, because in his desperate attempt to stay current, he'll bring in unnecessary producer/artist collaborations. MJ needs a back to basics approach....kinda like Axl. Whoever mentioned that "unplugged" idea is right on the money. Imagine how amazing that would be live. Instead we'll get a 50 year old man trying to desperately bring back the glory days. We have bootlegs of MJ during the Bad tour (his prime) and he was untouchable then. Why bother trying to do the same stuff live? Why not do something different and adapt? I know the fans want the same recycled dances and spectacle...but maybe he can surprise us and mix it up a bit. If this is going to be another retread of the "History" tour, I probably won't see him live when/if? he comes to the states...
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As for American Gangster....Ridley hasn't made a solid movie since "Gladiator" imho. He's just coasting on his past accolades at this point.
Gladiator is one of those generic Hollywood period productions that I just can't stand and will never be able to tolerate. On the other hand, I was very pleased and moved by Matchstick Men.
That's a shame you felt that way about Gladiator. I understand the criticism but feel it was made competently enough to transcend the period film cliche. It's certainly head and shoulders above stuff like Troy and Alexander (which isn't saying much I know...but still). To each their own I guess.
Matchstick Men was a Ridley movie? I forgot all about that one. That was quite good...actually. I probably should revise my statement to say that I haven't liked Ridley's last three films (Body of Lies, Kingdom of Heaven, and American Gangster). He's capable of much better work but seems intent on phoning it in. His new movie with Russell Crowe ,"Nottingham", doesn't sound very promising either. I am a huge fan of Crowe but he's about as wrong for Robin Hood as Kevin Costner was.
This might sound crazy but I actually find his brother Tony Scott's recent work more "interesting"....atleast he seems to be taking some risks with the material he's doing.
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I consider Hannibal and Black Hawk Down to be much stronger films than Gladiator. The only reason it works is because of Russell Crowe. Cast anyone else and it's just a lot of laughable dialogue and annoying editing, IMO.
Oh well excuse me your majesty if the dialogue wasn't upto par for you. Like you said, Russell Crowe makes the movie.
That role works on pure charisma and coupled with Ridley's sumptuous visuals, it's a winner. I will concede that at it's core it's a hollywood fluff piece and the editing was an eye sore....but hey....it was still glorious entertainment. I haven't seen Hannibal and Black Hawk Down since their theatrical run so....maybe you're right? I remember almost nothing from those films except Anthony Hopkins making soufle' out of some guy's brains....
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Yeah, right now I'm working on improving my rank on the Leaderboards, like I said. Once I get the other three Trophies for that, I'm probably going to continue with the Single Player.
How far are you in single player?
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What are your thoughts on YOTD btw? I own that film and am obsessed with it's cinematography; that's probably the only reason I even watch it anymore. Rourke and Lone are engaging but I find the storyline a bit trite and the acting of the lead actress atrocious. Cimino is a great director but I think the dodgy script ultimately lets him down here...
It's a decent picture with a surprising amount of repeat value, despite the obvious flaws. John Lone is great and it's a shame that being a visible minority really kills your chances of having any kind of success in Hollywood. I also like the pace, but the news reporter subplot is garbage, as is the way they handled the undercover cop bit. The nightclub scene looks amazing, but the idea of Stanley White just busting his way in and freely dragging the Triad leader into a bathroom is absolute horseshit. That, and the ending doesn't make any sense at all. I don't know what to make of Mickey's performance, all things considered. He looks and acts really cool with his black hat and longcoat, sporting the most awesome grey hair you'll ever see, but the story feels kind of empty. Cimino said he was going for that whole role reversal thing with the protagonist being the antihero and the antagonist being the handsome charmer, but there wasn't enough character development on either part to really do that idea any justice. I suppose it's just a case of incredible style over incoherent substance.
That scene just took me right out of the movie. Ridiculous. I watched the movie with Cimino's commentary and while I kind of understand some of the decisions he made....it just doesn't gel properly. The ending is like MST3k material....laughable stuff. There are quite a few things I like about the movie though like Mickey Rourke's look (his grey hair is badass!) and some of the oliver stone dialogue is amusing and punchy....but sadly it's a misfire overall. What's even weirder is that Mickey seems to hold this movie in higher regard than his classics like Angel Heart and Diner. I'm guessing it's due to some misplaced loyalty with Cimino...
He once implied that Cimino was a better filmmaker than Scorsese and that he would be content in only making movies with him for the rest of his life. That's quite a bit of praise there, although I'm not sure where it all comes from. To be honest, I prefer YOTD over a lot of other crime epics like American Gangster because of Cimino's unique touch, but you just can't deny the aforementioned flaws.
The funny thing about the whole comeback run was that EVERYBODY overlooked YOTD when talking about Mickey's past works. It seemed like there was a conscious attempt to avoid alluding to that movie, for some reason. Weird.
Did he really say that? That's a bold statement....but I wouldn't expect anything less from Mickey. He's loyal to a fault. To be fair, The Deer Hunter is still an amazing film after all these years. I have no doubt when Cimino is firing on all cylinders, he's a master filmmaker...but the guy has been on a losing streak for over 20 years. He hasn't been given many opportunities since he got blacklisted...so I guess he's making the best of a bad situation by specializing in b-movie schlock for the rest of his career.
As for American Gangster....Ridley hasn't made a solid movie since "Gladiator" imho. He's just coasting on his past accolades at this point.
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What are your thoughts on YOTD btw? I own that film and am obsessed with it's cinematography; that's probably the only reason I even watch it anymore. Rourke and Lone are engaging but I find the storyline a bit trite and the acting of the lead actress atrocious. Cimino is a great director but I think the dodgy script ultimately lets him down here...
It's a decent picture with a surprising amount of repeat value, despite the obvious flaws. John Lone is great and it's a shame that being a visible minority really kills your chances of having any kind of success in Hollywood. I also like the pace, but the news reporter subplot is garbage, as is the way they handled the undercover cop bit. The nightclub scene looks amazing, but the idea of Stanley White just busting his way in and freely dragging the Triad leader into a bathroom is absolute horseshit. That, and the ending doesn't make any sense at all. I don't know what to make of Mickey's performance, all things considered. He looks and acts really cool with his black hat and longcoat, sporting the most awesome grey hair you'll ever see, but the story feels kind of empty. Cimino said he was going for that whole role reversal thing with the protagonist being the antihero and the antagonist being the handsome charmer, but there wasn't enough character development on either part to really do that idea any justice. I suppose it's just a case of incredible style over incoherent substance.
That scene just took me right out of the movie. Ridiculous. I watched the movie with Cimino's commentary and while I kind of understand some of the decisions he made....it just doesn't gel properly. The ending is like MST3k material....laughable stuff. There are quite a few things I like about the movie though like Mickey Rourke's look (his grey hair is badass!) and some of the oliver stone dialogue is amusing and punchy....but sadly it's a misfire overall. What's even weirder is that Mickey seems to hold this movie in higher regard than his classics like Angel Heart and Diner. I'm guessing it's due to some misplaced loyalty with Cimino...
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wii: Tenchu
Ps3: killzone 2 and Street Fighter 4
I feel like I'm finally getting my money's worth out of my ps3. Street Fighter is addictive.
Do you have an online ID? If you do, what is it?
Sonny2029. Wot's yours?
O-Z-Z-Y
I'll send you an request later on.
Right now on Killzone, I'm trying to work my way down on the Leaderboards. As of the last time I check, I was in the top 17% in the world. Eventually, if I keep up this rate, I'll be in the top 15%, 10%, etc.
Whoah...that's impressive dude...
I'm still pissing about on the single player campaign. Haven't had much time to play but I just reached "Blood Meridian". So far so good...
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I'm hoping "Public Enemies" is a return to form because like you said, Collateral wasn't up to par with his best and Miami Vice was lousy (with a few memorable sequences).
I'm scared that I'm gonna be disappointed. There are already some bad reviews floating around with complaints about piss-poor quality handheld cams and lousy character development. The trailer started off promising, but about halfway through, I was scratching my head a bit. I guess we'll just have to see in July.
The reviews look 50/50 so far from what I've seen, but I'm keeping my expectations in check. I didn't much care for the trailer either. Bale looks stiff as cardboard and I don't like digital filmmaking (there's something not quite right with it from a visual standpoint. I don't know if I'm biased or not, but I just prefer film). In any case, here's hoping Mann hasn't peaked w/ "The Insider".
What are your thoughts on YOTD btw? I own that film and am obsessed with it's cinematography; that's probably the only reason I even watch it anymore. Rourke and Lone are engaging but I find the storyline a bit trite and the acting of the lead actress atrocious. Cimino is a great director but I think the dodgy script ultimately lets him down here...
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wii: Tenchu
Ps3: killzone 2 and Street Fighter 4
I feel like I'm finally getting my money's worth out of my ps3. Street Fighter is addictive.
Do you have an online ID? If you do, what is it?
Sonny2029. Wot's yours?
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I wouldnt mind getting resistance 2 some day, Killzone 2 should be enough for now, dont want too many FPS.
The only FPS you need for the PS3 are KZ2 and COD4.
Killzone 2 > Any CoD GameTotally. I'm not even really a fan of FPS and this game just blows away stuff like Gears of War and Halo 3.
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i can't for the life of me get into michael mann. he's great at what he does. for some reason, i've yet to be moved on a personal level by any of his films. they just seem like really stylish, slickly produced hollywood pageants.
wait... except collateral. i forgot about that one. i remember liking that one way more than i expected.
Mann has a bit of a cold antiseptic touch and his characters I think reflect that mentality. I'd agree with you that more often than not you won't see much warmth or emotion radiated in his films....which is actually why I am such a huge fan of his. I found portions of "Last of the Mohicans" and "Collateral" to be quite moving, particularly the end of "Collateral". I think Mann and Cruise really capture the loneliness of that character perfectly.
I think it's more a case of Mann not feeling the need to dramatize his stuff. There are emotional scenes in his films; some deeply moving ones, although not exactly in the tradition of most Hollywood fare.
Collateral was nice enough, but it really wasn't on par with his best stuff.
Talking about lonely characters, I think Deniro's Neil McCauley was more of a tragic character than Cruise's Vincent could ever hope to be. Really, I feel it's one of Bob's last great performances. I mean, that scene in the restaurant where he looks around at all of his comrades with their wives and girlfriends, and he realizes how alone he is... I dunno, just something about the way his expression changes there really does it for me.
Agreed. He definitely seems to be a fan of the minimalist school of thought (Miami Vice seems to take this to an extreme degree with it's superficially drawn characters).
I'm hoping "Public Enemies" is a return to form because like you said, Collateral wasn't up to par with his best and Miami Vice was lousy (with a few memorable sequences).
The Neil McCauley performance is a great one. My favorite sequence in "Heat" is the nighttime meeting between Neil and Edie at his apartment. The way that scene is filmed with the city lights reflecting in the night....it feels almost surreal. Beautiful stuff. Dante Spinotti is a hell of a cinematographer. His work in this movie seems almost inspired by the cinematography in "Year of the Dragon".
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"Axl Pose Dressing Room Requirements"
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i can't for the life of me get into michael mann. he's great at what he does. for some reason, i've yet to be moved on a personal level by any of his films. they just seem like really stylish, slickly produced hollywood pageants.
wait... except collateral. i forgot about that one. i remember liking that one way more than i expected.
Mann has a bit of a cold antiseptic touch and his characters I think reflect that mentality. I'd agree with you that more often than not you won't see much warmth or emotion radiated in his films....which is actually why I am such a huge fan of his. I found portions of "Last of the Mohicans" and "Collateral" to be quite moving, particularly the end of "Collateral". I think Mann and Cruise really capture the loneliness of that character perfectly.
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wii: Tenchu
Ps3: killzone 2 and Street Fighter 4
I feel like I'm finally getting my money's worth out of my ps3. Street Fighter is addictive.
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I had a Michael Mann marathon:
Miami Vice Pilot Episode - 9/10
Thief - 8.5/10
Manhunter - 8.5/10
Last of the Mohicans - 9/10
Heat - 9.5/10
The Insider - 9/10
Collateral - 9/10
Miami Vice - 6.5/10
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He might be a joke now....but there was a time when he was magic. There will never be another music artist on his level. I'm pulling for him to comeback with a great album.
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The Specialist is funnier than most comedies. Sure it's retarded, but in a loveable way.
I can't decide who was funnier, Eric Roberts, James Woods, or Rod Steiger. In any case those three made the movie. I love that wildly inappropriate Gloria Estefan song also.
Steiger's accent is gold! Upon reflection though, I think you've forgotten a contender for the funniest element - awkward, bizarre and overly choreographed sex scenes involving movie stars who share absolutely NO chemistry...is there really anything more amusing?
Worst cuban accent EVER. Steiger sounds like he just made it up on the fly.
That sex scene though....is an oddity. Rather than being erotic...it just felt awkward. Sly and Sharon were literally posing like greek statues throughout the entire scene.
Oh well...the greatest scene in that movie is Rod Steiger opening up the locket, realizing he's screwed and shaking his fist in the air before getting blown up.
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The Specialist is funnier than most comedies. Sure it's retarded, but in a loveable way.
I can't decide who was funnier, Eric Roberts, James Woods, or Rod Steiger. In any case those three made the movie. I love that wildly inappropriate Gloria Estefan song also.
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^
Im sorry, off topic, The Specialist?
Decent movie, nice tittie shots of pre-milf Sharon Stone
It's a guilty pleasure. Don't judge me.
Anyone who can take down a plane full of convicts, with John Malkovich being one of the convicts, is a god in my book.Lets not forget he also punches down women while dressed as a bear and steals their bikes!
Bitch deserved it.
Cage was so bad ass in Con Air though.
So was Malkovich.
In all honesty, Con Air is probably one of my favorite action movies EVER.
Cyrus the Virus was BADASS.
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Don't be mouthing off to me about Nic Cage, sparky!
Why he didn't get an Oscar for Peggy Sue Got Married is highway robbery !
His performance in that is maniacally brilliant. Aside from Adaptation., he doesn't seem to give a shit about the work he does anymore. As a hardcore aficianado of classic roles, it breaks my heart.
You know what? I'm actually okay with it because he's now king of a whole new genre. The unintentional parodies. Everything he touches is b-movie heaven. Think of the endless mystery science theater sessions you can have on the weekends with his movies.
I will say he's long overdue for a good movie though I wouldn't hold my breath for one. I think of Cage now as the new Leslie Nielsen rather than as a serious actor....
I do still see everything he does, and I'm always a fan of unintentional hilarity. I think he could try and balance it out a little, though. Did you ever get around to Vampire's Kiss? That's still my most cherished performance of his.
It's been on my netflix list for 6 months. I really have to get around to watching it....just like how you have to get around to watching Carnivale.
I just saw the most replusive gif ever and I'm trying to figure out which movie it's from...Anyone who knows a lot of Horror and doesn't have a weak stomach let me know and I'll PM it to you.
Well the movie is High Tension.
Thank you Dann.
High tension was a good movie. I saw it in a triple billing of Hard Candy, High Tension and The Descent. I felt unpleasant afterwards needless to say.
I'm actually a bit jealous of you!
Seen them all.
But seeing them all for the first time at a movie theatre . . . . priceless.
Dude...it was EPIC. Most horror movies are usually godawful but "The Descent" was a thrill ride from beginning to end. I will think twice before visiting a cave.
Michael Jackson Comeback?
in MY WORLD
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It's not that he lost his talent, he just doesn't have the same ambition anymore which is understandable. His new work is very much about staying current, he recruits all the latest and most popular singers and producers to work with on his album. In 2001 it was darkchild to produce his album, a guest spot for santana....his new album has collaborations with akon and will.i.am. I mean when does it end? He needs to just make a simple album without all the fancy pro tool effects and high profile collaborations with other artists. That won't happen though.
What's wrong in singing unplugged? Nirvana did an amazing job with it. Stage shows are cheesy man...especially at his age. MJ has a great voice, why not hear him singing his songs properly rather than having him lip synch everything (the history tour) or sing it badly out of breath. You'd want that just to see him do the moonwalk and robot dance moves again? He's been doing those moves for 20 years.
Anyway it looks like you'll get your wish. He needs to really change his game up if he wants to make a big comeback though.