I had completely forgotten that Famke Janssen was in this movie, so it's an unexpected addition to my, apparently, ongoing Famke Film Extravaganza (FFE). She neither plays Hansel nor Gretel in this film, and since there are such few other possibilities, you should have already guessed that she's the main witch. She pulls it off well enough.
This movie is exactly what I expected it to be. That is such a loaded statement I realize and I do mean it in the good and bad ways implied. This is not a high concept film, it's an action flick trying to find a niche in the supernatural thriller / action subgenre. Lots of shooting, hit and blowing shit up, but not a lot of character development or complex storylines. That sentence is both the good and the bad. I would have loved to have seen some more character development - this is a short film so they could have another 10 minutes in and nobody would have minded. Or they could have used it more humor. They had some bits that were kind of funny and they could have expanded on those and perhaps thrown in a few more. To be completely honest, I don't really mind that they didn't. This film is comparable to Van Helsing, though Jeremy Renner is a poor man's Hugh Jackman, but Gemma Arterton who is new to me, is easily as good as Kate Beckinsale, maybe even better. Which is kind of funny since the other movies this is comparable to are the Underworld series.
There is one thing that I really dislike about this movie, and that is the use of language by the characters, especially Hansel & Gretel, who do have more lines than anyone else. I don't mean profanities, 'shit' and 'fuck' have been in use for hundreds of years, I mean that modernity with which they speak. The story is set in Victorian times and while I certainly don't expect to be hearing 'doth' and 'thee', I don't want to hear the phrases "shitty little berg" and "fucking hillbillies" Berg and hillbillies would be completely foreign to the English then, and quite possibly still are. They just wouldn't know those phrases.
To counterbalance the language, there is one thing they did which I really like - Gretel. She totally kicked ass and took names, but even more importantly, at least as far as overcoming gender stereotypes, she took a beating, in almost every single instance far worse than Hansel takes. It's not because she's weaker, quite the opposite. Gretel is the dominant of the two and puts herself right int the thick of it. And she manages to do it while looking hot. Related to this is the fact that peolpe in this movie are allowed to get dirty / bloody, and stay that way until they get a chance to clean up. It seems more real, somehow. It certainly fits in with the graphic nature of this film.
This movie ends with a nice hook for potential sequels. It completely ties up all the lose ends, so you needn't worry about that, it just also shows you what might be at some future time. And I for one will gladly watch a sequel.
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters on IMDb
Showing posts with label Famke Janssen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Famke Janssen. Show all posts
Thursday, September 05, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Goldeneye (1995)
I'm not quite sure how I missed this movie. Could it be that the only time I've ever fallen asleep in a movie theater was while watching the opening of Brosnan's 007 in Die Another Day (2002)? I guess that came after this one, but you can understand why I wasn't in a hurry to rent this one. If this wasn't part of my Famke-Film-Extravaganza (FFE) I wouldn't have watched it now. No disrespect meant to Mr. Brosnan whom I actually liked as Bond, but once Daniel Craig came along with Casino Royale, none of teh earlier Bonds did anything for me. To be honest, I don't mind the Brosnan or the Timothy Dalton Bonds now, it is just they are more comic booky than I like in a spy film, which is kind of ironic coming from me. I don't think you could pay me enough money to sit through a Roger Moore Bond film and the only way I would put myself through a Sean Connery Bond flick is if I had the right motivation, like a bunch of martinis and a pretty lady.
Speaking of Sean, Sean Bean is the bad guy in this movie. It's nice to look back and see what he was doing pre-Lord of the Rings, much in the same way it's fun to see what Famke was doing when she wasn't playing Jean Grey. I know I've said this before, but he needs to get his named worked out. It needs to be either pronounced "Shon Bon" (like a bon-bon but more rugged) or as "Seen Bean" as in, "Have you seen my grean bean?" This having it both ways is a little too much to ask.
Famke's character Onatop was, um, interesting. She was pretty much the main bad ass in the film. And if someone is going to kill you, being crushed to death by her thighs would not be the worst way to go. Onatop didn't seem to have the most consistent accent throughout the flick and I'm going to blame that on how much make-up she was wearing. I knew that Fameke was playing Onatop going in, but she was young enough and wearing enough make-up that it was a couple of minutes before I recognized her.
Judi Dench was great as M. I don't think I had realized just how long she had been playing the character. Or, that 20 years ago she looks almost exactly like she does now, perhaps a bit more white where she was grey, but alarmist exactly the same.
This was an okay film. Not a ringing endorsement, I know. But, as far as pre-Craig Bond movies go, it was pretty good. You can actually see that they've taken Bond away from the Mooreian Bond and ahd started the slide towards the Craigsian Bond.
Goldeneye at IMDb
Speaking of Sean, Sean Bean is the bad guy in this movie. It's nice to look back and see what he was doing pre-Lord of the Rings, much in the same way it's fun to see what Famke was doing when she wasn't playing Jean Grey. I know I've said this before, but he needs to get his named worked out. It needs to be either pronounced "Shon Bon" (like a bon-bon but more rugged) or as "Seen Bean" as in, "Have you seen my grean bean?" This having it both ways is a little too much to ask.
Famke's character Onatop was, um, interesting. She was pretty much the main bad ass in the film. And if someone is going to kill you, being crushed to death by her thighs would not be the worst way to go. Onatop didn't seem to have the most consistent accent throughout the flick and I'm going to blame that on how much make-up she was wearing. I knew that Fameke was playing Onatop going in, but she was young enough and wearing enough make-up that it was a couple of minutes before I recognized her.
Judi Dench was great as M. I don't think I had realized just how long she had been playing the character. Or, that 20 years ago she looks almost exactly like she does now, perhaps a bit more white where she was grey, but alarmist exactly the same.
This was an okay film. Not a ringing endorsement, I know. But, as far as pre-Craig Bond movies go, it was pretty good. You can actually see that they've taken Bond away from the Mooreian Bond and ahd started the slide towards the Craigsian Bond.
Goldeneye at IMDb
Monday, August 12, 2013
I-Spy (2002)
I had seen this movie right after it came out and would only watch it again so that I could continue my Famke-Film-Extravaganze (FFE), which is s good enough reason but only barely. I didn't remember the film being as annoying as it was. In my memory the banter between Eddie's and Owen's characters was much more witty. Everything else was pretty much as I recall, though I did notice this time that the song/rap over the closeting credits totally disses Arsenio Hall and in a movie starring Eddie Murphy, there is no way that it was coincidental. The question is whether or not Eddie knew about it and if he cared. That probably happened in post production or whenever they add the credits so maybe Eddie was just as surprised as me when he heard it in the song as the credits rolled.
Owen Wilson did this movie in between the two films with Jackie Chan in the Shanghai series, but essentially it's the same character, which is a slightly less annoying version of the character he plays in all the films he is in with Vince Vaughn. He's the amiable screw-up who accidentally gets the job done in spite of himself. The character is self-questioning and self-loathing one minute until he gets someone to build him up a little bit then he's all cock-of-the-walk. He's not that guy in the Wes Anderson films, so I am still holding out hope that he's a cool guy, though his character in the Woody Allen flick, Midnight in Paris is pretty much this character, but with, if you can imagine it, even more talking. I do think that Owen's character is actually particularly suited for this movie to play opposite of Eddie's character who is egotistical and confident in the extreme. I also think that this character type, being Owen's not Eddie's, grinds at me a little bit more than it should because of my own lack of confidence - seeing someone who can so easily overcome his own is galling, because it's arbitrary and comedic, not earned through hardwork. Or like, you know, whatever.
Let's be honest, the only reason to watch this film is Famke. There, I've said it. She was super hot when this came out when she was 37, and she was super hot in Taken 2 which came out when she was 47 (I know it's not polite to say, but she's 48 now). Granted that I may be crushing a little bit, but I actually thought her acting was really good. Actually, I think this every time I see her and a number of other actors - they're attractive women who are good actors, but are limited by Hollywood to the roles that are concerned with the former and not the latter. My great hope is that as they age, they are afforded the opportunities of the Meryl Streeps, Susan Sarandons and Sally Fields, or almost any British actor.
I-Spy on IMDb
Owen Wilson did this movie in between the two films with Jackie Chan in the Shanghai series, but essentially it's the same character, which is a slightly less annoying version of the character he plays in all the films he is in with Vince Vaughn. He's the amiable screw-up who accidentally gets the job done in spite of himself. The character is self-questioning and self-loathing one minute until he gets someone to build him up a little bit then he's all cock-of-the-walk. He's not that guy in the Wes Anderson films, so I am still holding out hope that he's a cool guy, though his character in the Woody Allen flick, Midnight in Paris is pretty much this character, but with, if you can imagine it, even more talking. I do think that Owen's character is actually particularly suited for this movie to play opposite of Eddie's character who is egotistical and confident in the extreme. I also think that this character type, being Owen's not Eddie's, grinds at me a little bit more than it should because of my own lack of confidence - seeing someone who can so easily overcome his own is galling, because it's arbitrary and comedic, not earned through hardwork. Or like, you know, whatever.
Let's be honest, the only reason to watch this film is Famke. There, I've said it. She was super hot when this came out when she was 37, and she was super hot in Taken 2 which came out when she was 47 (I know it's not polite to say, but she's 48 now). Granted that I may be crushing a little bit, but I actually thought her acting was really good. Actually, I think this every time I see her and a number of other actors - they're attractive women who are good actors, but are limited by Hollywood to the roles that are concerned with the former and not the latter. My great hope is that as they age, they are afforded the opportunities of the Meryl Streeps, Susan Sarandons and Sally Fields, or almost any British actor.
I-Spy on IMDb
Saturday, August 10, 2013
I-Spy (2002)
I had seen this movie right after it came out and would only watch it again so that I could continue my Famke-Film-Extravaganza (FFE), which is s good enough reason but only barely. I didn't remember the film being as annoying as it was. In my memory the banter between Eddie's and Owen's characters was much more witty. Everything else was pretty much as I recall, though I did notice this time that the song/rap over the closting credits totally disses Arsenio Hall and in a movie starring Eddie Murphy, there is no way that it was coincidental. The question is whether or not Eddie knew about it and if he cared. That probably happened in post production or whenever they add the credits so maybe Eddie was just as surprised as me when he heard it in the song as the credits rolled.
Owen Wilson did this movie in between the two films with Jackie Chan in the Shanghai series, but essentially it's the same character, which is a slightly less annoying version of the character he plays in all the films he is in with Vince Vaughn. He's the amiable screw-up who accidentally gets the job done in spite of himself. The character is self-questioning and self-loathing one minute until he gets someone to build him up a little bit then he's all cock-of-the-walk. He's not that guy in the Wes Anderson films, so I am still holding out hope that he's a cool guy, though his character in the Woody Allen flick, Midnight in Paris is pretty much this character, but with, if you can imagine it, even more talking. I do think that Owen's character is actually particularly suited for this movie to play opposite of Eddie's character who is egotistical and confident in the extreme. I also think that this character type, being Owen's not Eddie's, grinds at me a little bit more than it should because of my own lack of confidence - seeing someone who can so easily overcome his own is galling, because it's arbitrary and comedic, not earned through hard work. Or like, you know, whatever.
Let's be honest, the only reason to watch this film is Famke. There, I've said it. She was super hot when this came out when she was 37, and she was super hot in Taken 2 which came out when she was 47 (I know it's not polite to say, but she's 48 now). Granted that I may be crushing a little bit, but I actually thought her acting was really good. Actually, I think this every time I see her and a number of other actors - they're attractive women who are good actors, but are limited by Hollywood to the roles that are concerned with the former and not the latter. My great hope is that as they age, they are afforded the opportunities of the Meryl Streeps, Susan Sarandons and Sally Fields, or almost any British actor.
I-Spy on IMDb
Owen Wilson did this movie in between the two films with Jackie Chan in the Shanghai series, but essentially it's the same character, which is a slightly less annoying version of the character he plays in all the films he is in with Vince Vaughn. He's the amiable screw-up who accidentally gets the job done in spite of himself. The character is self-questioning and self-loathing one minute until he gets someone to build him up a little bit then he's all cock-of-the-walk. He's not that guy in the Wes Anderson films, so I am still holding out hope that he's a cool guy, though his character in the Woody Allen flick, Midnight in Paris is pretty much this character, but with, if you can imagine it, even more talking. I do think that Owen's character is actually particularly suited for this movie to play opposite of Eddie's character who is egotistical and confident in the extreme. I also think that this character type, being Owen's not Eddie's, grinds at me a little bit more than it should because of my own lack of confidence - seeing someone who can so easily overcome his own is galling, because it's arbitrary and comedic, not earned through hard work. Or like, you know, whatever.
Let's be honest, the only reason to watch this film is Famke. There, I've said it. She was super hot when this came out when she was 37, and she was super hot in Taken 2 which came out when she was 47 (I know it's not polite to say, but she's 48 now). Granted that I may be crushing a little bit, but I actually thought her acting was really good. Actually, I think this every time I see her and a number of other actors - they're attractive women who are good actors, but are limited by Hollywood to the roles that are concerned with the former and not the latter. My great hope is that as they age, they are afforded the opportunities of the Meryl Streeps, Susan Sarandons and Sally Fields, or almost any British actor.
I-Spy on IMDb
Friday, August 09, 2013
Taken 2 (2012)
How is it that I always forget about Famke? She acted in a lot of movies I like, playing both hero and villain. Each and every time I make a mental about how attractive she is and how weird it is I always forget her. I don't think she's forgettable. She a good actor and has played one of my favorite characters in her cinematic portrayal. Famke, please forgive me. I'll make amends by watching the X-Men films again soon, or maybe I can track down that one you did with Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy, and then I'll watch that.
Now, I don't forget Liam Neeson. As soon as I heard this movie was out on DVD I asked the librarian if he was in it and she assured me that he was. I didn't know what the plot was but recall thinking that if his daughter gets kidnapped a second time that it was just bad parenting. But, no matter how lame it was I would give it a try because it has Liam in it. And it totally does not suck.
I've often wondered what happened after the action movie is over. All of the so-called bad guys that die have families. Maybe the family doesn't know what their dead son did for a living. Maybe they thought he was just hanging out with his friends when some crazy ass American dude came along and killed them all. Or possibly they knew but were in denial or cared about the now dead son in spite of drawbacks. In some cases the families might condone or even encourage his participation in whatever ended up getting him killed. They are still going to be torn up over the young man's death. I think many times the families would want revenge. Though, if they were rational about it, some man who could on his own take out your son and his whole group of friends is either very lucky or very good. Either way, you would at the very least hedge your bets. You would not do what the baddies do in this film.
Taken 2 at IMDb
Now, I don't forget Liam Neeson. As soon as I heard this movie was out on DVD I asked the librarian if he was in it and she assured me that he was. I didn't know what the plot was but recall thinking that if his daughter gets kidnapped a second time that it was just bad parenting. But, no matter how lame it was I would give it a try because it has Liam in it. And it totally does not suck.
I've often wondered what happened after the action movie is over. All of the so-called bad guys that die have families. Maybe the family doesn't know what their dead son did for a living. Maybe they thought he was just hanging out with his friends when some crazy ass American dude came along and killed them all. Or possibly they knew but were in denial or cared about the now dead son in spite of drawbacks. In some cases the families might condone or even encourage his participation in whatever ended up getting him killed. They are still going to be torn up over the young man's death. I think many times the families would want revenge. Though, if they were rational about it, some man who could on his own take out your son and his whole group of friends is either very lucky or very good. Either way, you would at the very least hedge your bets. You would not do what the baddies do in this film.
Taken 2 at IMDb
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