FEBRUARY, 3


METAL GEAR SOLID

Action / Espionaje
Cast: Eric Bana, Alicia Witt, Sean Bean, Cole Hauser, Eva Green, Alessandro Nivola, Brittany Murphy. Cameo by Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones.
Director: John Woo
Screenwriter: Dawson Edwards

Box Office: 26 mill.
Net Losses: 21 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: From time to time, box office surprises with a disaster like this. I have checked out all the production data to see if something was done wrong (and fire the Studio’s executive responsible for it), but nothing did. Everything was designed to turn this one into another blockbuster. But it just didn’t. Audiences are unpredictable some times.

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Action / Horror
Cast: Selma Blair, Gary Sinise, Helena Bonham-Carter, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan
Director: David Cronenberg
Screenwriter: Richard Franzwa

Box Office: 79 mill.
Net Gains: 53 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Very nice box office and superb net gains. Even more than I expected, as this wasn’t meant to be a blockbuster but a product for elite audiences. Personally, I loved this movie. Cronenberg is a ‘hit or miss’ director and this one is definitely a hit.

THE EXPERIENCE

Biography / Musical
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Affleck, Kerry Washington, Chris Tucker, Craig Robinson
Director: Todd Haynes
Screenwriter: Josh Collins


Box Office: 42 mill.
Net Gains: 2 mill.

Stark’s Reaction: Close to my expectations (at least in box office, cause net gains have been too short). Splendid job by Ejiofor that makes by itself a worthy movie to watch. As a 60’s music fan, I have enjoyed the look back at the golden era the Studio has made this Season through ‘Haight-Ashbury’ and ‘The Experience’.


METAL GEAR SOLID

‘This movie would have probably been a smash hit back in the 80’s. The type of dialogues, the extreme effectism in Woo’s direction, the undeveloped personality of the characters, even the soundtrack take us back to 80s action flicks and make the whole production look so out of style. Together with that, the movie is so loyal to the original game that at the end it seems like only the fans of the game were interested in watching it and that wasn’t enough to turn it into the blockbuster it pretended to be. A failed production any way you look at it.’
-Tim Reeve

‘When will Hollywood definitely understand that John Woo is not the master in action movies he has always pretended to be? Terrible movies come to my mind like ‘Face/Off’ or ‘Mission Impossible II’ – two of the worst action shows in decades – to underline the fact that Woo might be good enough for asian action movies but he has never completely worked in American industry. The abuse of needless slow motion, the poor picture of the characters, the excess of noisy set pieces and the absolute unrealism of the situations – all of them traditional Woo’s defects – are back in ‘Metal Gear Solid’. I know worse movies than this get to work in box office. But this time the luxurious package has not deceived moviegoers and audiences have realized there was nothing worthy inside’.
-Susan Stanford

‘I have read somewhere that Dawson Edwards was not happy with my review of ‘The Flash’. And I have never got to understand why, as I considered ‘The Flash’ a nice superhero movie (I quote myself here: ‘It joins the list of CMP’s superheroes movies in a decent position, more than enough to expect some sequel in the future.’). He didn’t consider that enough praise. Well, to avoid any misunderstanding, I’ll say it loud and clear this time: ‘Metal Gear Solid’ is a horrible movie. The confusing screenplay shows some worrying inconsistencies (Eric Bana and Sean Bean presented as TWIN brothers! And who in hell is that Gary Oldman’s character that suddenly appears at the end?), the exhausting directional job of John Woo is unable to improve the story, the characters – both heroes and villains – are as expressive as toy figures and the pretended engrossing action pace soon becomes as exciting as painting my nails.’
-Jackie O’Callaghan

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‘In this world of superheroes we are living in lately in CMP, it is so rewarding to see a movie like this. An adult approach to the vampires world not looking for a nice box office but for making a quality movie. Nobody could have been better to direct this movie than the always daring and disturbing David Cronenberg, a man that has built his career turning his back to box office and being loyal only to himself making stories always apart from Hollywood mainstream. This movie is not a flesh and blood show. It has nothing to do with ‘Blade’, ‘Underworld’ or any other movie involving vampires you may think of. There is violence and sex in it, there is psychological horror too, but most of all there is the story of a woman trapped in a new and completely vision of life that has to deal with both her thirst for revenge and the discovery of a new dimension closer to us than we may think. A great movie.’
-Charlie Kiggs

‘If you have prejudices about vampires movies, forget about them. Here is a movie so worthy to watch. Of course, if you expect a show ala Syndrome or something like that, this is not your movie. Cronenberg uses action, special effects, horror sequences, sex or violence not as an aim themselves but as instruments to tell us the disturbing story of a character facing forces she cannot control. It is so well told the evolution of Sonja Blue from a happy partying girl in New York to a vampiress looking for vengeance while confronting evil supernatural entities. Cronenberg makes believable the unbelievable while keeping you trapped at your seat so hypnotized for what you are watching on screen, feeling uncomfortable but at the same time enjoying it.’
-Vic Carter

‘Selma Blair has directly entered in the list of the most interesting actresses to follow in CMP. One of the best debuts in CMP for a long time. She builds up a so believable Sonja Blue, both vulnerable and strong, perfectly identified with her character. Helena Bonham-Carter also makes a great work, although falling into some acting excesses at some moments. Michael Clarke Duncan proves how well he adapts to any kind of movies and characters, from Dr. Jones’ adventures to this one. Buscemi is a sure bet. And Gary Sinise remembers us all the great actor he is and what a shame it is to have him squandering his talent in a tv show like C.S.I.’
-Amy Ratched

THE EXPERIENCE

‘Biopics of music legends are always moving sands. They can be quality approaches to the legend, like ‘Walk The Line’, or fall into empty clichés around the legend, like ‘Great Balls Of Fire’. Usually, the actor playing the legend gets all the praises and even awards nominations (and that is valid for Chiwetel Ejiofor here) but the movie as a whole remains as a product for fans only (and that is also valid for this one). ‘The Experience’ is a correct picture of a man and his time and it can be applied to it all the best and the worse of this subgenre of music legends biopics.’
-Roy Winslow

‘Let’s begin with the obvious: Chiwetel Ejiofor has made a superb work taking Hendrix back alive. Playing a real life character is always both a risky and a greatful experience for an actor. There are a lot of references to build the character but at the same time you may disappoint to all those fans with a preconceived image of their idol. Ejiofor succeeds making a believable Hendrix. Once said so, Haynes also makes a good directional job, specially recreating Hendrix’s live performances, full of strength, almost rituals, but he is not so efficient when filming the dramatic sequences of his private life. And Casey Affleck deserves his own praises, as he makes his supporting character shine with a great work that even takes him to steal some sequences to the lead role. A worthy movie to watch if you miss the good old days of rock and roll, long before Britney Spears or Jonas Brothers became teens' idols’.
-Alex Stampton

‘Here is a good movie that could have been even better. My only problem with it is the perspective chosen to approach to the character. The story focuses more on the musical career of Hendrix than on the personal aspects of the character. Haynes does not tell us enough about his relationships with other rock legends of his time, his problems with drugs or his multiple love affairs. Some interesting parts of the character’s privacy are not showed enough or at least not with the necessary deepness. And at the end you are not sure if you have completely got to know Hendrix or you just suspect there is more about him than what the movie has told you.’
-Chris Burguess


Hello, movie goers. This week in CMP, we follow Solid Snake(a legend in the video game universe) on an espionage mission in Metal Gear, a heroic vampire huntress Sonja Blue, and we learn about the life of legendary guitar-man Jimmy Hendrix in Collins' second biopic, The Experience.

METAL GEAR SOLID

Eric Bana really has become CMP's action man, like Arnold or Stallone or Diesel (have none of you people seen Munich, he was awesome in that). But the film did just what it wanted to do, set out to entertain with intense action. You don't have to be a fan of the game to see it just don't make fun of Snake's stereotypical action hero name.
ACTING/CAST: 6.5/10
DIRECTING: 6/10
WRITING: 7/10
PLOT/CONCEPT: 5.5/10 when I think of this category, I usually aim for original material. Adaptations are making us critics all grouchy.
RE-WATCH VALUE: 10/10 If I were a major action film fan, I'd buy it. See it many times in the theaters cuz once it gets on your smaller screen the experience won't be the same.
FINAL NOTES: Metal Gear Solid was an entertaining stunt show and a fine adaptation of a great game series.
OVERALL: 6.5/10

THE SONJA BLUE CHRONICLES

Thank you, Franzwa for reviving faith in the vampire stories after Twilight has put it into a cold dark grave. Like MGS, it wanted to entertain with a cool action/horror look. It had an Underworld-esque touch to it but I felt Sonja Blue had a more interesting story. And hey, you can't go wrong with action babes.
ACTING/CAST: 6.5/10
DIRECTING: 6/10
WRITING: 7/10
PLOT/CONCEPT: 5.5/10
RE-WATCH VALUE: 10/10
FINAL NOTES: I think this outta do well in box office, people like vampire movies. It was certainly entertaining to watch without having to think so damn hard about stuff.
OVERALL: 6.5/10

THE EXPERIENCE

Experience the Jimmy Hendrix Experience! Chiwetel Ejiofor does an above average job portraying the innovative guitar playing legend. I found the feature to be a one man show and didn't seem to care all that much about the supporting characters but hey it was a Hendrix biopic. I found myself tapping my foot and doing little dances in my seat that made Mrs. Thumbs cover her face and want to move to the next aisle. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
ACTING/CAST: 7/10 Like I said, I found Chiwetel to be the more exciting of the cast.
DIRECTING: 8/10 I knew Haynes could do a fine job directing this biopic.
WRITING: 7/10
CONCEPT/PLOT: 6.5/10 not the most original piece in the bunch, but an adaptation of the legend's life doesn't deserve too low of a score.
RE-WATCH VALUE: 8/10
FINAL NOTES: Fun to watch, dance and sing with. I would say if Jimmy were alive today he'd be proud. I may have been too hard on the cast, some of them did good to above average work, but it was Chiwetel who proves he's a great actor of today. Not as big or inspirational as Dream of a King, but still worth every dime to see.
OVERALL: 7/10

MR. THUMBS' CERTIFIED PICK OF THE WEEK
The ones with the higher score don't usually mean who gets a certified pick. There's a few things I look for in the picks, stuff even I'm trying to figure out, but I would say the winner of this week is..
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