Posts by John Peterson3

Laura Palmer25 said:Quote:

John Peterson3 says: SPOILER The ink contains iron, so it reacts to magnets...

🙏 Nice analysis... honestly, it would’ve taken me two full days to figure out what the hell the connection was between the damn ink and the hair.

And yeah, I agree—those teeth Alice saw through the coffin crack were definitely meant to look like the inspector's... they even did a close-up of his molars later on, almost like they were trying to throw us off the scent.

I wasn't suspicious of Inspector Fields, but rather that young officer whom John slits the throat near the church. Looking back, I see my mistake, given that the rookie was already there at the start of the film when the first victims were discovered.🤦

For some reason, Fields just never struck me as the killer.

Joshua Smith5 said:A quick little spoiler for those who've already seen it.

Remember that moment when Alice manages to poke a tiny hole in her makeshift crate? Then this mysterious killer shows up and watches her through it—we even catch a glimpse of his face for a split second. Well, in that exact moment, the killer had a beard identical to Poe's. Exactly the same. Later on, we find out who actually kidnapped Alice, and turns out, he never had a beard like Poe's at all.

To me, it feels like they just pulled the killer out of thin air specifically because of that scene. I wasn't even suspecting the guy they ended up picking in the first place.

🤷

I'm not sure where you saw a beard; I didn't notice one at all🤷. The only things visible were blue eyes and teeth, which is why that young officer was suspicious.

I really need to rewatch this. I have a feeling more pieces will fall into place on a second viewing.

wiredraven82 said:The idea that Americans and most Europeans are so "Americanized" they can't think for themselves—even while complaining about Hollywood, they still flock to the next big US horror flick (whether it's a cheap remake or some new studio garbage)—is just a sociological take on how modern society and media function today.

Subjective objectification. Just because someone enjoys watching American movies, even remakes, regardless of what you call "artistic quality," doesn't mean they are mindless or brainwashed.

Art is art, sure. But some people watch movies to unwind, not to have an intellectual or cultural epiphany.

So, why would anyone choose a poorly made film when they could watch a high-budget production, even if it is just a remake of some overly dramatic, cliché foreign movie? A film is meant to entertain, and it doesn't always need to educate at the same time.

I can’t wrap my head around dubbed movies, so I get why some people struggle with subtitles. As for remakes, it isn't an issue of intelligence—it's just about the money.

Rachel Ortiz33 said:Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen it, look away

I really wanted the killer to have some deeper tie to Poe. I was secretly hoping for that, but having it just be some obsessive superfan? Kinda felt underwhelming to me.

I didn't quite catch how the young detective figured out John was the guy. Something about spilled ink or whatever, but it totally flew over my head. Like, how?

Also, I feel like Cusack goes way too hard in those two scenes where he's just screaming and being super aggressive. It felt a bit forced and didn't really land for me.

And yeah, honestly, the vibe is more Sleepy Hollow than Sherlock Holmes...

I've got him under my spell. 😁

Rachel Ortiz33 said:Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen it, look away

I really wanted the killer to have some deeper tie to Poe. I was secretly hoping for that, but having it just be some obsessive superfan? Kinda felt underwhelming to me.

I didn't quite catch how the young detective figured out John was the guy. Something about spilled ink or whatever, but it totally flew over my head. Like, how?

Also, I feel like Cusack goes way too hard in those two scenes where he's just screaming and being super aggressive. It felt a bit forced and didn't really land for me.

And yeah, honestly, the vibe is more Sleepy Hollow than Sherlock Holmes...

SPOILER
I honestly figured Poe was behind the killings himself—given how much trouble he had getting his work published. Those murders would have been the perfect publicity stunt for his old stories.

That theory pretty much fell apart the moment Alice was caught. I briefly entertained the idea that someone was feeding him info, but once he started chasing the killer through the theater and the sewers, I crossed him off my list.

I don't mind that it’s about a fan, because once the movie reaches its climax, you have to ask yourself why those clues were uncovered in the first place.spoiler end Quote

Rachel Ortiz33 said:Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen it, look away

I really wanted the killer to have some deeper tie to Poe. I was secretly hoping for that, but having it just be some obsessive superfan? Kinda felt underwhelming to me.

I didn't quite catch how the young detective figured out John was the guy. Something about spilled ink or whatever, but it totally flew over my head. Like, how?

Also, I feel like Cusack goes way too hard in those two scenes where he's just screaming and being super aggressive. It felt a bit forced and didn't really land for me.

And yeah, honestly, the vibe is more Sleepy Hollow than Sherlock Holmes...

SPOILER
Ink contains iron, which makes it magnetic. Since Maddux's printing press is loaded with ink, that’s the key. Even though we don't see exactly which murder Fields finds the hair during, he doesn't immediately realize why the magnet is reacting to it. It’s only after he gets wounded and spills some ink near the magnet—watching it get pulled in—that he connects the dots: the hair was coated in ink. That's how he identifies the killer.

Is there anyone nearby with access to a printing press who knows Poe’s work inside out? After learning that Poe was delirious with the name Reynolds just before he passed, Fields makes the connection. It turns out John Reynolds works at the print shop—he's Poe's assistant and an expert on his writing.

Poe also connected the dots, though he had his doubts about Maddux until he walked into the print shop and found him dead.spoiler end Quote

Yikes. Asks:
I feel like Cusack has two scenes that are just way too over-the-top. He starts screaming and acting aggressive, which didn't really land for me—it felt a bit forced.

Cusack was a legend, and he remains one. He delivered his version of Poe perfectly, so I have zero complaints there. I wasn't expecting an autobiographical take on Poe in a murder mystery movie. It was basically just John Poe Cusack playing himself. I didn't mind it at all.

Rachel Ortiz33 said:Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen it, look away

I really wanted the killer to have some deeper tie to Poe. I was secretly hoping for that, but having it just be some obsessive superfan? Kinda felt underwhelming to me.

I didn't quite catch how the young detective figured out John was the guy. Something about spilled ink or whatever, but it totally flew over my head. Like, how?

Also, I feel like Cusack goes way too hard in those two scenes where he's just screaming and being super aggressive. It felt a bit forced and didn't really land for me.

And yeah, honestly, the vibe is more Sleepy Hollow than Sherlock Holmes...

Signed.

Jeffrey Martinez2 said:It totally eats Sherlock for breakfast... Now THAT is how you do it!!!

I disagree. If Holmes had been made in the style of The Black Crow, he would have just been another generic Sherlock Holmes movie. Ritchie gave him his own unique flavor, which is why it’s actually fun to watch.

What worked for me about The Black Crow was how the film plays with the mysteries surrounding E. A. Poe's death and his final days. The investigation and the "Sherlock" elements are interesting enough on their own, but blending them together is why the movie clicked for me.

Another thing is that I saw the trailer when it first dropped and then almost completely forgot about it until it popped back up. That's the downside of YouTube—you get spoiled by too much info before you even sit down to watch.

Rachel Ortiz33 said:Yeah, it’s got some major vibes from Richie’s Sherlock Holmes. Pretty sure the movie took a page out of his book, except The Black Crow takes itself way too seriously. To me, Sherlock felt a bit more playful and fun, you know?

Looks like it didn't really land with critics or the audience, which is a bummer. It’s actually a pretty solid watch—the atmosphere and style are definitely top-tier.
man, I’m right there with you. For me, the movie is just okay, maybe slightly above average, mostly because the ending was such a letdown. I thought they were building toward something clever, but it felt like they just pulled a random killer out of thin air at the last second. Total waste.

They share a similar time period, a certain atmosphere, and they both center on detailed investigations. Those are the only real similarities. To me, SH and The Black Crow are separate entities—two different films that are both enjoyable in their own ways.

Rachel Ortiz33 said:Yeah, it’s got some major vibes from Richie’s Sherlock Holmes. Pretty sure the movie took a page out of his book, except The Black Crow takes itself way too seriously. To me, Sherlock felt a bit more playful and fun, you know?

Looks like it didn't really land with critics or the audience, which is a bummer. It’s actually a pretty solid watch—the atmosphere and style are definitely top-tier.
man, I’m right there with you. For me, the movie is just okay, maybe slightly above average, mostly because the ending was such a letdown. I thought they were building toward something clever, but it felt like they just pulled a random killer out of thin air at the last second. Total waste.

SPILER
I had my eye on that young cop whom John took out with that sudden, over-the-top move. I suspected John for a few seconds, mainly because of his hands, but once he showed support for Poe, I ruled him out. At least, until that newspaper message arrived.
SPOILER END

Maybe the twist was a bit predictable, but honestly, hardly anyone saw him coming. Even if it was a major plot point, it didn't bother me much, largely because I find the whole fiction regarding Poe's final days so fascinating.

Great movie.

It’ll be fine; the cast is top-tier.

Andrew Ross4 said:Honestly, all this complaining about the movie... what exactly were you people expecting from a movie based on a comic book? Clearly, absolutely nothing. But seriously, not one single person here has actually read a Captain America comic. If you had, you’d realize that out of everything, Captain America is probably the most faithful adaptation ever brought to the big screen.

That tells us plenty about the source material. The movie itself feels bloated and sluggish—fun at times, sure, but mostly just tedious.

If they had integrated the whole Hydra myth more realistically into actual WWII history, or made the core conflict about preventing the misuse of that blue energy (whatever that was) rather than just the rapid development of a weapon powered by it (which happened suspiciously fast from discovery to field deployment, if I might add), and if the CGI were more convincing, it would have been better.

As it stands, it’s just full of clunky elements monkey wrench from start to finish.

Thor, which I found much more enjoyable, also had flaws—that city sequence felt a bit too much like the Liberators—but it works because of Thor himself. His journey from an arrogant instigator to someone who actually stands for something manages to carry the rest, even if those themes could have been handled with more depth. It still holds up.

Meanwhile, Skipper Yankee remains the exact same person throughout, just starting out scrawny and ending up on steroids. There is no character arc, no meaningful struggle, and zero growth beyond running around and throwing a shield.

The biggest misstep in this movie was casting Tyler Perry as Alex Cross. Of all the actors available, him?! 🤦

The movie is great right up until they discover the tunnel. After that, it just loses its momentum.

Quote : Donna Williams4

Jonas Cantrell: Give us the breakdown. Was Clyde Shelton actually a spy? Bray : look, spies are everywhere. I’m a spy. Clyde is the brains—more like a one-man think tank. His whole thing was low-impact kinetic operations. Nick Rice: That's a pretty elaborate way of saying he's a killer. Bray : look, we take lives. This guy found a way to do it without ever stepping foot in the same room as his target. It was his specialty, and honestly, he was peerless. I remember one mission where we were dealing with a particularly slippery target. We went all out—using cruise missiles, Predator drones, even leveled his entire estate with a B-2 Bomber and JDAMs. We burned through millions in munitions and still couldn't touch him. So, we called Clyde Shelton. He engineered this high-tech ratchet made of carbon fiber and Kevlar thread, then tucked it right into a necktie. Two Days later , mrs bad Guy comes home , finds mr. bad Guy dead on the bathroom floor, strangled. My point is this: assume he can see and hear every single move you make. Nick Rice: Not a chance. He’s behind bars in a maximum-security prison now. Bray : look — He’s sitting in a cell because that’s exactly where he wants to be. The guy is a natural strategist. Nothing he does is accidental. You really think killing that cellmate was just some random outburst? Not a chance. It was just clearing a pawn off the board. If I were in your shoes, I’d be watching for his next move. Anybody Who Had anything to do with that case should probably start looking over their shoulder. Nick Rice: So what's the verdict? Are you telling me he's unstoppable? Bray : look. You walk right into his cell and put a bullet in his head. Other than that? There isn’t much you can do to stop him. If Clyde wants you dead, you’re dead.

That dialogue perfectly captures Clyde Shelton. If they had just changed the ending so he actually followed through on everything he said...

Quote : Donna Williams4

Clyde Shelton: I’m going to tear the whole thing down. I’m going to bring this entire diseased, corrupt institution crashing down on your heads. It’s going to be biblical.

The movie would have been fantastic. As it stands, it’s decent enough until you hit that ending. What a shame. Honestly, I think I would have been satisfied even if it had just ended without an explanation of how they took everyone out.

A quick summary...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSEYX...eature=related

How do you like those? ☕

Not everyone gets the privilege of being raised in a trailer park by a bow-legged woman whose only claim to motherhood is catching some passing trucker's DNA.

Generation Kill is in a league of its own when it comes to insults.

cosmiclynx57 said:I am 100% watching this just because the gorgeous, absolutely stunning, and totally sexy Maggie Gyllenhaal is in it 😉

Right? 🤷

silentcanyon58 said:You have a point there. You don't need a ton of cuts to make a fight sequence compelling. Take *Old Boy*, for example—it's a perfect case in point. 🙂

I haven't gotten around to watching Old Boy yet because of all the hype surrounding it. Even Battle Royale kept me at arm's length for a while, though I eventually watched it out of pure boredom and ended up being impressed. I guess I'm just not sure what to expect from Old Boy.

If you want a decent example of a well-shot fight scene, look at the moment that blond guy crashes through the window in The Bourne Identity. It relies too heavily on quick cuts in the older stuff, but once the action moves into the room, it hits major league status. There's a simple reason for that.

What makes this fight so dynamic is how Joseph Morgan keeps the camera circling the characters. They stay centered in the frame while the background constantly shifts around them. The quick cuts add energy, but that continuous movement is what really makes the scene fantastic.

The only thing missing is a bit less dancing and a lot more clinching. It’s been a while since I’ve actually grappled outside of sparring, but if my memory serves, most fights boil down to forcing your way inside before the strikes even start flying.

Regardless, that fight serves as my blueprint for how to execute a dynamic action scene.

Comparing this scene to anything in Haywire makes the difference painfully obvious.

silentcanyon58 said:It’s actually pretty sad because the fights look realistic... I guess that’s how they should look when you don't have a cut every two seconds and frantic editing... then again, that's not really what I look for in an action flick like this. 🙂

The issue isn't just the rapid cutting; it's the total lack of energy during the fights. Even the cuts aren't the main problem—it's the camera work. Static shots from a few different angles feel dead. It doesn't even feel like a fight is happening, and the soundtrack certainly isn't helping.

This movie doesn't need Greengrass's quick cuts, shaky cam, or that specific Bourne score, but a little handheld movement here and there would have helped the pacing. As it stands, it lacks any momentum.

Soderbergh's attempt at creating a female Jason Bourne is a total disaster—it’s poorly written, unnecessarily convoluted, and visually dull. While Paul Greengrass tended to overdo the shaky cam during action sequences, he knew how to steady it during the slower beats to find a decent middle ground; Soderbergh, however, just keeps the camera static and lifeless from start to finish. Not a single scene actually feels tense. To make matters worse, the soundtrack is a complete miss, failing to grab your attention and doing the exact opposite of what it should.

The IMDb rating is spot on.

It’s a solid, entertaining watch with moments of genuine tension, even if it doesn't reinvent the wheel. There are a few decent twists. The ending had the potential to be legendary, but some executive clearly made a different call. As for why the movie stays tense? It's Kate Beckinsale. Honestly, I don't think there's a man alive who wouldn't take Ribisi's head off if he laid a finger on her.

Wahlberg is wooden, as per usual. Beckinsale is great playing a mother caught in a mess. Ribisi nails the villain, but Foster steals every single scene he's in. It's wild how much untapped talent that guy actually has.

Overall, a good flick.

Talk about trashing your own history. It’s basically Honest Abe turning into Buffy with a beard. I honestly wonder who had to bend over and kiss ass just to get this movie greenlit.

Gillian Anderson is like fine wine—she just gets better with age. And that British accent... man, talk about a cold shower.