He was incredible as the disoriented lawyer in Primal Fear. He really nailed that sense of being completely lost, constantly stuttering and second-guessing his own moves, yet somehow it all felt totally authentic. I thought he was just as solid in Kingdom of Heaven, too—even behind the mask, you could tell there was a top-tier actor working hard underneath that composed king persona.
casualtinker14 said:He wasn't talking to the girl yesterday; he actually dumped her months ago, then showed up looking for cash. Meanwhile, she's getting caught up with an inspector because she's pregnant and trying to avoid any "scandal." If you piece it together, I guess everything actually makes sense.
And about that genre jumping people are complaining about, I don't really get why a comedy (or a drama, whatever) has to stick to one thing the whole time. I mean, we're just telling a story from our own backyard, and life is both funny and tragic. So, I think the movie is fine; I see a lot of my own life in it.
Compared to what Americans are usually used to watching, this is kind of a breath of fresh air. 👍
I put those pieces together long before I saw this response coming.
At my office, the second I hear someone gossiping about personal business—whether on Slack or with a coworker—I check out. I don't care about other people's private drama; who’s sleeping with whom or why doesn't interest me. Still, eventually, I find out who slept with whom and when the wedding is. It's unavoidable. Information finds its way to me regardless, usually through rumors about colleagues I barely know by name.
... And he doesn't even realize his girlfriend is expecting? Give me a break. His girl is pregnant and he's in the dark? Fine, maybe. It's possible to hide a pregnancy, it happens. But for him not to know that his—get this—his girlfriend, someone he was intimate with and cared for, is getting married? No way, Jose. You can hide a baby, but you can't hide one of the biggest social milestones involving your partner. This is a massive plot hole. Either that, or these missing scenes are being saved for the Director's cut DVD release.
Unlike my colleague who barely lasted fifteen minutes, I sat through the whole thing and didn't walk away disappointed. In my view, the ending is brilliant. The movie works best when it stays focused on the central conflict: whether to sell out or hold the line on your principles. The characters are great, the dialogue hits the mark, and the pacing stays snappy without too much filler.
Where it falls apart for me are the plot holes—they're bigger than Red Lake in the Midwest. For starters, they just walk into Bobby Marotti’s apartment, and you're left wondering how they even know him or his wife. Then there's the issue with Struja; how could he be so clueless about what was happening with his girlfriend or her plans? If she hadn't told him directly, people would have been gossiping about it for months (no spoilers here). It’s just hard to swallow. Also, a few years back, I had to defend myself all over the internet, even on this forum, for not having a cell phone since everyone has one now. In this movie, it seems like nobody owns a mobile, so messages are passed through third parties to justify certain plot points, but in this day and age? It doesn't feel right. It doesn't really feel like the movie is set in the early '90s either.
The film is like Windows XP (or if you prefer, Firefox 1.0)—it's solid, but it's chronically lacking patches.
Thanks for the links and everything else. I haven't stumbled onto exactly what I'm looking for yet, but it's clear that "music video cinematography" is still an underrated field—even when the work feels like a legitimate miniature film. Honestly, I’d much rather watch a music video that feels like a movie than a movie that feels like a music video.
Does anyone know if there’s an IMDb-style site specifically for music videos? I was watching "Janie's Got a Gun" by Aerosmith earlier and started wondering who played the inspector. It made me want to dig into the cast lists for other videos and see who the directors are behind them. For "Janie's Got a Gun," I already know David Seven Fincher directed it, but is there a go-to database for all the other music video credits?
After successfully dodging this show despite the damnably good Jennifer Garner, I finally hit a point where I was too lazy to change the channel, so I sat through an entire episode and a few clips, just to see how much I could stomach.
Which one? You’re probably wondering. Here are my top three:
- A guy shows up at his agency—some tech geek type—only to find the building locked down due to a virus, while Sidney is somehow buried alive somewhere in Cuba. He promised his wife and child he'd make it home for dinner, but he also wants to save the world, specifically Sidney. He flies to Cuba, tracks down her grave using a signal from her cell phone (shout out to those unhinged criminals who are so thorough they forgot to check the perimeter), finds her, and then they head to Berlin to deal with some German big boss, all while our guy Friko Frikić makes it back in time for dinner. Hold on. If he got to work at 7 AM, even with a private jet, flying through Cuba and Berlin means there's travel time and walking involved. There is zero chance they get back the same day, regardless of whatever blank checks they're running on. - Feel free to go wild in a hospital. Use an unsuppressed handgun; nobody is going to hear you anyway. - Need to crack a code for some complex system set by a dangerous villain? It’s easy as pie—it’s probably just the name of a song some loudmouthed thug loves or maybe his kid's name. Forget about passwords involving random strings of letters and numbers. That only happens in boring reality.
American cinema has been decent lately. It’s still not hitting those legendary heights, but it has definitely cleaned itself up and moved past the amateur stage. Every year, you can find at least two or three solid, watchable films, and occasionally a genuine gem.
The only director whose every new release I actually look forward to: Breckinridge.
Gregory Walker15 said:First off, I can't stand people hunting for hidden meanings in lyrics, trying to force their own interpretations on everyone else. 🤮
Look, you put that well, but honestly, I can't wrap my head around that interpretation because the lyric itself is just nonsensical. It’s blatantly contradictory. 😉
Forgive me if all I see is the surface when there's supposedly so much depth underneath. 🙏
I'm not forcing anything. Sorry if it came across that way. This is just my take, backed by my own reasoning, which nobody else is obligated to buy into. I'm not claiming this line is a masterpiece, nor am I saying Rhapsody is the greatest band on earth just because I like them. I listen to plenty of other artists with "deep" lyrics, but mostly because I can actually relate to them. That's the priority.
I totally get where you're coming from with that point.
Austin Phillips3 said:Using the word golden to describe a metal object like a sword is just a descriptive adjective. In other contexts, golden acts as a metaphor for something high-quality or expensive. It doesn't represent strength or pride, though—gold is actually a pretty soft, flimsy metal.
Even if everything you wrote is correct—which it isn't 🤣—the lyrics still prove that Rhapsody is pure kitsch. Only someone living in a complete fantasy bubble would take their logic seriously.
Go play D&D and stop trying to lecture people on this forum. 🤮🤣
I'm not lecturing. I'm giving it away for free. But don't sweat it; your take on gold is nonsense anyway.
And you want me to live in your world? Are you really that lonely?
Fair point. I guess those "Dawn of Victory" lyrics just got under my skin again: The ride of the dead and their practice of pain is pounding in him as a terrific quake. You're closer and closer now follow their smell with your holy armour the steel in your hand. Fly angel of bloody revenge!
Man, what a track. I never took the lyrics literally, which is probably why they hit so hard back then—and why they still do. It’s better than any antidepressant I’ve tried. One listen and I’m floating way past the clouds. 😈
Alright, let's be real here. The tiny issue with calling yourself "The true metalhead" is that I'm not even a metalhead. 👋
It shows. Having an identity crisis after Eurovision?
Austin Phillips3 said:You're talking about a band that uses lyrics like "golden sword of steel." Give me a break. 😂 😂 😂
Wow. How embarrassing. 🙂
Seriously though. It's a decent lyric. Since they used two different metals, you'd think they cancel each other out—like saying "wooden tree"—but they don't. In this context, gold, like in 99% of cases, isn't actually about the metal; it's symbolic. Zlatan Ibrahimović, essentially = great, shining, or even proud. Steel is usually the go-to for strength, though I doubt it's doing much heavy lifting here.
I almost forgot—if they didn't have that specific muse of theirs, I doubt those lyrics would grab me this much. When it comes to Rhapsody, heavier always means better in my book.
So, what’s your "profile," Grissom? I’m genuinely curious how you—since it’s pretty obvious you're The real metalhead—would describe yourself in just one word. Or two, or three if you have to.
Geek or not, I think Rhapsody has some of the best lyrics out there. Like I said before, there's more depth to them than people realize.
I listen to Rhapsody from time to time. At first, their militant lyrics rubbed me the wrong way, but I quickly realized there’s more symbolism at play than meets the eye. They were especially interesting to me while I was reading The Lord of the Rings; the two just sync up perfectly.
Anyway, they're one of my favorite bands, and I can't help but wonder what they sound like live. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to catch one of their shows soon.
2+ The movie is just middle-of-the-road entertainment; nothing particularly special about it.
The plot itself is fine, but the execution is a mess—just poorly told. The characters are decent, and Mark Wahlberg gives one of his better performances here. Action-wise, the direction is solid, mostly thanks to the home invasion sequence. That specific scene felt well-handled and attentive to detail. What’s missing is more humor used to support the narrative. It feels like the director couldn't decide if this was a straight action flick, a social drama, or something else entirely. He seems stuck between being funny or serious, and honestly, he doesn't seem to care which way he goes.
Then there are those little inconsistencies that trip up the story. For instance—The Four Brothers walk into a record store with almost no description of what they're looking for, yet they spot the exact disc instantly. Or how the villain humiliates his henchman by making him sit with the kids. It’s a funny moment, sure, but it serves zero purpose. It adds nothing to the actual plot.
Ultimately, you can check the deleted scenes on the DVD, which actually clear up a few things. It’s a shame they were cut from the theatrical release; they could have easily replaced some of the filler without hurting the pacing. If anything, the movie would have been better for it.
The ending saves it somewhat. Sort of. But you still have ninety minutes of wasted time to get through first.
Some movies lack an ending—a clear sense of closure. Others miss a middle, lacking a coherent plot. This one is missing a beginning. If you already have a PhD in global politics and economics, you might be able to connect the dots, but everyone else would probably need a cheat sheet handed to them at the theater entrance.
The acting is decent, though Clooney isn't even in the same league as Matt Dillon, who's his real competition for this year's Oscar. I actually found Alexander Siddig much more compelling in his role as the liberal heir apparent.
It’s messy, confusing, and worst of all—boring. At the very least, it stays under a reasonable two hours. I'll give it credit for having a message at the end, even if I still can't figure out how that conclusion relates to the rest of the film, especially Clooney's opening sequence. There's some substance there, but overall? It's bad. It could have been a disaster, but this is still pretty lousy.
Drew Adams58 said:Because some idiot is always playing those two songs at every party. Just like they play Dan Fogelberg everywhere.
Brutal, but fair. That’s probably the most overplayed radio track in history. I used to think it was alright, but after hearing it a thousand times, I just couldn't take it anymore—even if the lyrics actually hold up.