The love for all things 007 has always left me standing cold. I have never even watched arguably the most famous Bond, Sean Connery in the iconic role. The adventures of cool British secret agent (or whatever he is), doesn't interest me in the slightest. Hang on scrap that, I did watch Daniel Craig in Skyfall and enjoyed it (mostly) but then he could have been playing any secret agent and I would have thought the same.
I wouldn't normally bother comment on who the next 007 should be but this fuss over the author having said that British actor Idris Elba wasn't "sauve enough" to play Bond has me pulling my fingernails out. And its exactly the kind of nonsense I knew would come from trying not to offfend anybody. The compassion of a "new age" has all the ingredients to hurt everyone but I digress slightly and move back to film.
Many moons ago (before political correctness was hip) I suggested to a group of friends that Wesley Snipes would make a cool Bond. Naturally I was shouted down but I still think it a good idea today. Snpes might be a black actor, and he isn't British but it wouldn't bother me if I was a fan of those movies. So you can see that having Elba in the role wouldn't be an issue for me.
Saying that however, I DO see where others are coming from when they say he's not right for the role.
And before someone tries saying it, no this isn't me going down the "im not racist but..." route however much saying that makes it easier for people to cast my opinion aside. Racist louts are easy to dismiss, common sense and stone cold sanity are a little harder.
I am a huge comic fan but would a black actor playing Superman or Batman cut it? I doubt it very much but am I suddenly racist for thinking this? Of course not (at least I hope you wouldn't think it, otherwise we've already turned down the road of no return).
One of my favourite films, which funnily enough stars Wesley Snipes, is "White Men Can't Jump" and what I got from that film was "hey, we're all different but you know, thats okay" and im totally fine with that as its the world I love living in. Things like colour shouldn't be a problem, especially in entertainment and I am convinced that some of those who bang on about equality and fairness, are the people who are really against it.
Just my thoughts.
Oh and for the record, eventhough im not a big movie guy these days, I consider Idris to be one of our finest British actors (and no, that's still not me saying "im not racist but..."
Way back when I was in school I used to carry a notebook everywhere I went to record daily thoughts and observations. So you see, ive been blogging since before it was popular and where better to carry it onward than to give it a digital page of its own? Welcome to the pages of bar fly Hollywood Francis...
Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Action. Show all posts
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Monday, 28 July 2014
Cinderella's Shady Trail
As a gamer now for over three decades...hold on, let me say that again, gamer for over three decades gulp! *reaches for the Botox* It is fair to say that I have played more than my fair share of videogames. Ever since rescuing Xenon princess Roz in Zorgon's Revenge on the Oric 1 inbetween my half hearted attempts at homework, I was addicted (and despite what Daily Mail scribes would have you believe, videogames have never done me any harm).
During that time, I must have spent a gazillion hours shooting zombies, raiding toms and solving bizarre puzzles (cheers Silent Hill). And so its natural that from spending so much time with your pixelated hero/villain, a bond is forged. A bond which makes turning a successful game into an equally successful movie very difficult, and rarely is a director enough of an alchemist to pull it off. Indeed from all the game to film releases, it is only the Resident Evil movies that have held my interest (and even this is because I find them entertaining in their own right and not because they are equal to the cool of the videogames).
So when I heard about The Last of Us movie that is evidently in the works, my little 'ol heart, that heart which has shared many a nervous jump with Joel and Ellie, was not exactly thrilled. And who can blame me? I still shudder when anyone mentions Street Fighter and Kylie Minogue in the same sentence. And less said of Uwe Boll the better.
All the best men know. Even the genius that is Hideo Kojima, who is a major movie fan, will admit deep down to being a tad wary of turning his beloved Metal Gear Solid into a motion picture because he knows like the rest of us know, 9/10 films of games are garbage. Just drop the aforementioned Mr Boll's name into a conversation with Kojima san, you'll get the picture (or not if you happen to be Uwe Boll). Why do you think a MGS movie has not been made yet? Despite being offered multi million deals? Hideo understands man.
Like I said, we gamers forge a special bond with characters over many hours of play, and seeing those "magic moments" reduced to a 2 hour romp ruins it. Take games like Skyrim and Fallout 3 for example. How many hours do we spend in the company of our newly created badass? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say 200+ hours. You go through many different challenges together, notching up a heroes portion of triumph (and deaths), and all personal to you the gamer. Were someone to come along and turn Skyrim into a fantasy film it would fail, and fail hard because none of your private victories would feature. All those little things you see/hear/feel as you clutch your controller and add up to make a unique overall experience is gone, replaced with a directors vision which so often feels like huge disappointment. No more hero than a bit part player relegated to the side lines, and to be blunt, it f**king SUCKS! Its almost like the movie is invading "our" space. (Similar to books but games go even deeper as they put YOU in the action).
So forgive my failure to get all hard and excited (ooer!) over another game-to-film cash grab, but history shows we videgame fans are always better off sticking with the game. We have too much time invested to see it be reduced a film extra.
During that time, I must have spent a gazillion hours shooting zombies, raiding toms and solving bizarre puzzles (cheers Silent Hill). And so its natural that from spending so much time with your pixelated hero/villain, a bond is forged. A bond which makes turning a successful game into an equally successful movie very difficult, and rarely is a director enough of an alchemist to pull it off. Indeed from all the game to film releases, it is only the Resident Evil movies that have held my interest (and even this is because I find them entertaining in their own right and not because they are equal to the cool of the videogames).
So when I heard about The Last of Us movie that is evidently in the works, my little 'ol heart, that heart which has shared many a nervous jump with Joel and Ellie, was not exactly thrilled. And who can blame me? I still shudder when anyone mentions Street Fighter and Kylie Minogue in the same sentence. And less said of Uwe Boll the better.
All the best men know. Even the genius that is Hideo Kojima, who is a major movie fan, will admit deep down to being a tad wary of turning his beloved Metal Gear Solid into a motion picture because he knows like the rest of us know, 9/10 films of games are garbage. Just drop the aforementioned Mr Boll's name into a conversation with Kojima san, you'll get the picture (or not if you happen to be Uwe Boll). Why do you think a MGS movie has not been made yet? Despite being offered multi million deals? Hideo understands man.
Like I said, we gamers forge a special bond with characters over many hours of play, and seeing those "magic moments" reduced to a 2 hour romp ruins it. Take games like Skyrim and Fallout 3 for example. How many hours do we spend in the company of our newly created badass? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say 200+ hours. You go through many different challenges together, notching up a heroes portion of triumph (and deaths), and all personal to you the gamer. Were someone to come along and turn Skyrim into a fantasy film it would fail, and fail hard because none of your private victories would feature. All those little things you see/hear/feel as you clutch your controller and add up to make a unique overall experience is gone, replaced with a directors vision which so often feels like huge disappointment. No more hero than a bit part player relegated to the side lines, and to be blunt, it f**king SUCKS! Its almost like the movie is invading "our" space. (Similar to books but games go even deeper as they put YOU in the action).
So forgive my failure to get all hard and excited (ooer!) over another game-to-film cash grab, but history shows we videgame fans are always better off sticking with the game. We have too much time invested to see it be reduced a film extra.
Monday, 21 November 2011
Abseil With Entrails is Epic
Intestinal fun
Machete sure is a creative kinda guy. Being chased and shot at by armed thugs in a hospital? No problem amigo, simply gut one of them with a cranial scalpel and bail out the window whilst clutching the poor sods intestinal tract, using it to abseil to safety! Its the perfect exit if you happen to be a bad ass former Mexican Federale who can crush a mobile phone like it was a paper cup. And I reckon Danny Trejo (who plays said bad ass) could do this in real life too. (Not the entrail abseiling, the crushing phone trick).
Its one of many unforgetable scenes from a movie that is one of THE best action flicks of recent years, and is easily one of my favourite 'drunk films'. (I shall explain what these are in another post).
The 'anchor'
Monday, 27 December 2010
1980 Again
I am just settling down with a forty year old whisky for company, to watch The Expendables, a movie I have been waiting to see for a while. Being a massive fan of the 80's action flicks like Rambo and Missing In Action it should suit me down the ground. (Speaking of Missing In Action where the heck is Chuck in this amazing ensemble?)
And boy it sure does!! From the opening shots of red sighted dots aimed right at the idiot terrorist's bonce to dear old Dolph Lundgren's opening salvo, I was hooked. No, not plain hooked, bold letter type hooked. And I don't hang pirates.
Everyone knows what this is; a gang of mostly 1980's action heroes, all joined up to give the baddies a good hiding. And it bluddy works well too! The stars haven't completely fallen apart and the in~jokes (brilliant to 80's movie fans) are totally awesome. Dude.
And boy it sure does!! From the opening shots of red sighted dots aimed right at the idiot terrorist's bonce to dear old Dolph Lundgren's opening salvo, I was hooked. No, not plain hooked, bold letter type hooked. And I don't hang pirates.
Everyone knows what this is; a gang of mostly 1980's action heroes, all joined up to give the baddies a good hiding. And it bluddy works well too! The stars haven't completely fallen apart and the in~jokes (brilliant to 80's movie fans) are totally awesome. Dude.
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