Simon Quinlank wrote:There's nothing particularly "great" about that review. It's just some guy slagging off other people's reviews, which he thinks are completely wrong just because they share a different opinion.
He'd be better off telling us why he likes it and reviewing the film properly, rather than trying to be blinkered.
Yeah, I think it's more aimed at trying to analyse the negative comments that have been made towards the film.
Still a good read though.
shitjet wrote:Well, I'd have to watch it again to write a more elaborate critique here, but the main thing is the down-time between dialogues. It reminded me a lot of what Reloaded suffered: Intense action sequences sandwiched between deep, inctricate, thought-provoking dialogues that didn't give you the time to let it all sink in. Soon after you were immersed in a fucking fantastic action scene. It seemed as if the movie had two modes that weren't very compatible one with the other.
Maybe the issue is more about pacing...
Yes, I certainly relate to the "two modes" assessment of the film. Personally, I think it actually works out rather well since Reloaded is supposed to play out like a "controlled game" anyway (i.e. "go here", "do this", "collect this", etc). I think that was sort of the nature of the film.
Revolutions felt a little more organic in that sense. And I think that also reflects the nature of the film (i.e. no-one really know what the hell to do, so they're winging it as they go along). Revolutions' sense of uncertainty and nihilistic darkness is certainly a part of the film's fabric.
The beauty of the matrix movies was the "layers", as Cornel West put it, in an interview in the Special Features. Some people walk away with 2 or 3. Others with a lot more.
Others walk away with none.
Indeed.
yeah, the second hour of Revolutions really knocked my socks off. In a visual and emotional way, mainly.
the second half of the second act (i.e. the beginning of rev) was dispensable, imo. Either that, or it should've been developed more. I mean, why was the Merovingian so interested in the "eyes of the Oracle"? What the hell ended up happening to him? He was such an interesting character and to be disposed of in the way he was sucked. Also, Belucci's 2 min performance in Rev was more than laughable.
Yes, the screentime of the Merovingian and Persephone was fairly short. But again, if you imagine you're writing a four hour script and you treat it as a single movie, you probably wouldn't think "oh, Merv and Persephone only appear once more after the chateau". Since it's a continuous story, it probably feels more organic when seen from that perspective as the characters appear only as necessary. In a sense, you could say that the Merovingian is the main antagonist during the four hour film's second act.
I personally thought the first half of Revolutions did a lot to add to the depth and emotion of the story. Neo meeting the program family just adds a whole extra moral dynamic...when Neo is standing atop Machine City, he could destroy the Machines with a wave of his hand. But he doesn't do it. When he says "do what you want, and I won't try and stop you", it's because he can stop them. And I like to think that it's the image of Sati that keeps him from doing it, because meeting with the program family was a crucial turning point in Neo's character arc. He begins to understand that "life" is not exclusive to humans.
Sorry, I went on a bit...

Peven wrote:the title of this thread clearly states it is the "Speed Racer" thread, not the "W brothers" thread.
don't like personal moments with dialogue sandwiched in with intense action? guess you didn't care for the LOTR trilogy either.........
You're right. Though I think the topic's natural progression from Speed Racer to previous directorial efforts is a fairly natural comparison.
But yes, we should try and keep it more about Speed Racer.
Simon Quinlank wrote:It's not too much to ask for a film with in-depth philosophical discussions between two enemies at the same time as smashing each other over the head with vases.
- Code: Select all
INT. MEROVINGIAN'S CHATEAU - DAY
One of the Merovingian's HENCHMEN picks up a SWORD and swings it at NEO.
Neo raises his hand, blocking the blade with his bare flesh.
The henchman STARES in disbelief...
NEO
Haven't you heard?
THWACK!! Neo kicks him through three rooms.
The henchman lies unconscious in a pile of rubble.
NEO
There is no sword, bitch.
