Post by hitchcockthelegend on Dec 24, 2018 2:31:13 GMT
I may not make an honest buck, but I'm 100% American. I don't work for no two-bit Nazi.
Rocketeer is directed by Joe Johnston and co-written by Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo and William Dear. It is based on Dave Stevens' comic book The Rocketeer. It stars Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton and Paul Sorvino. Music is scored by James Horner and cinematography by Hiro Narita.
It took eight years to get to the screen, with many rewrites, changes in personal, changes in setting and etc, the only thing consistent was Disney's inconsistency. Once out the film received generally positive reviews but posted only a small profit, in the wake of a Tim Burton inspired reinvention of the Super Hero genre, Rocketeer fell away into cultdom, sequels planned were shelved and its reputation remains to this day one of being a misfire. Unfair say I! Rocketeer is a lovingly crafted adventure film, nodding towards the serials of the 1930s, it's awash with period Hollywood delights, Art Deco imagery, has a damsel in distress, square jawed heroics, Nazi villains, wonderful effects and a blunderbuss Zeppelin finale. Backed by beautiful smooth tone photography and an evocative heart stirring music score, it's a family friendly blockbuster that ticks all the requisite boxes. The quality of the action sequences still hold up today, and Johnston, who wanted the job big time, directs with a knowing grasp of the setting, and crucially he never once loses a grip on tone and pacing. There's no self parody here, no deep Fruedian dissection of the main character, just a honest to goodness good against bad axis, with a romantic cause deftly wafted over proceedings.
The role of Cliff Secord (Rocketeer) proved hard to cast, where Vincent D'Onofrio turned it down and "name" actors such as Dennis Quaid, Emilio Estevez, Kurt Russell and Bill Paxton auditioned for the part. Paxton, it's believed, was very close to getting it as well. Disney wanted an A list man, Johnny Depp and Kevin Costner were mooted, but Johnston had a feel for unknown Billy Campbell and managed to convince nervous Disney heads that he was perfect. Much of the scorn that has flown towards Rocketeer has landed at Campbell's door, again, this is unfair. It's hard to tell if one of those A list actors could have made the character work better, for it helps in this instance to not have a familiar face propelling the adventure. There's an innocence, an awkwardness to Campbell's portrayal that just sits right for a guy stumbling upon a rocket pack and finding himself submerged in a chase and harry battle against bad. He also has the looks, a handsome dude who creates a homespun based chemistry with the sensuous Connelly. It's Dalton's movie, though, he's having a devil of a time as the chief villain. Modeled on Errol Flynn and the spurious notion that he was once a Nazi spy, Dalton has the looks, the gusto, the moustache twirling shiftiness and a voice perfect for such material. A roll call of great character actors fill out the support slots, with Terry O'Quinn, Paul Sorvino and Ed Lauter particularly striking the right chords.
A smashing piece of escapism, no pretensions or ideas above its station. The willingness to tap into the basic premise of a comic book actioner and entertain in grand Hollywood terms, to be applauded. And I do, and I do love it so. 8/10
Riddick (2013) - www.imdb.com/title/tt1411250/reference
Maybe you're all scared of the wrong thing.
Unsurprisingly reactions to this, the third outing for Vin Diesel's sci-fi based anti-hero, has been very mixed. In truth it's hardly a great film of the "must see" kind, and it does in fact cleave very close to Pitch Black, the first and most superior of the Riddick trilogy. However, there's a whole bunch of science fiction fun to be had here.
Plot has Riddick left for dead on a inhospitable planet, where he finds himself up against some alien creatures. His only hope of getting off the planet is to bring notice of his whereabouts, which brings two ships to where he is. Both with crews who have differing reasons for wanting to capture the enigmatic convict...
And thus we get a beautifully filmed sci-fier that features beasties of both the human and alien kind. Action and moody histrionics are never far away, and Diesel is wonderfully muscular, macho, course and scary. Some of the CGI is weak, and naturally much of the film's coincidences and contrivances have to be forgiven if one wants a popcorn and beer good time of it. So the requisite here is to chill out and enjoy me thinks! 7/10
Done peeps.
8
Taking a big risk with the film by staying away from delivering any big action scenes for the first 30 minutes,the screenplay by writer/director David Twohy instead builds up a mystical Sci-Fi atmosphere,which despite running the risk of going in an unintentional Comedy direction, (one man and his alien dog!)is saved by Twohy keeping the movie rooted in a gritty Sci-Fi setting,whilst also showing an unexpected sincerity in his building up of Riddick and his dog's (who is brought to life by amazing CGI effects,that keep the character's personality at the centre of the effects) surprisingly touching relationship.
After building a strong Sci-Fi atmosphere,and also keeping references to the past movies to a minimum,so that the movie is assessable for new people to the series,whilst also including a number of sly nods that fans can enjoy,Twohy kicks the film into a nail biting action direction,by putting Riddick into "preditor" mode,where it is Riddick against two groups of bounty hunters,who despite having better weaponry lack Riddick's skills and ingenuity.Covering the film in a rough'n ready yellow desert colour filter,Twohy reveals an excellent unflinching eye for the movie's expertly handled action scenes,thanks to Twohy giving each of the scenes a brutal rawness which allows for every broken nose punch,"animal trap" and beheading to be hit with maximum,deadly force.
Returning to the role after 9 years,(and also having to re-mortgage his house in order to get the movie made!)Vin Diesel shows that he has not lost his skill of getting Richard B.Riddick to light up the pitch black darkness,with Diesel brilliantly making sure,that despite showing a bit more of a human side,that the centre of Riddick remains a man who is a highly intelligent,ruthless murderer.Joining Diesel,Katee Sackhoff, (who also appears naked in the film)gives a vicious performance as bounty hunter Dahl,who may possibly be Riddick's first serious opponent,whilst Dave Bautista and a cameo-ing Karl Urban give the film a good macho punch,as Riddick begins to find out how "pitch black" things can really go.
After catching Rocketeer (1991) (which is one of RLM's Mike Stoklasa's all-time favourite films) I could see why Johnston was chosen to direct Cap America 1,and the style of the flick reminded me of The Iron Giant.
From Sep 2018:
8.
Drawing from the pages of Dave Stevens Comic-Book, director Joe Johnston makes a sketch which he would return to in the 2000's with the first Captain America flick. Closely working with cinematographer Hiro Narita, Johnson puts a dazzling Art-Deco design on the page, reeling in the spirit of Golden Age Hollywood, Johnson stylishly uses Art- Deco whites and blues to colour the high-life society Rocketeer fights in. Inspired by serials of the 30's, Johnson displays a keen eye in setting up little moments,that become patched into the film later, (Jenny's name on the photo, the use of gum) and using the Rocketeer suit sparingly to capture the thrill from the sighting of heroes in the serials.
Put together over 8 years,Danny Bilson/ Paul De Meo & William Dear adaptation impressively shows little sign of the difficulties, with the writers wisely avoiding kitsch to tell a dashing pulp tale that takes in boo-hiss Nazi's and turbo-charged advancements in machinery. Unexpectedly becoming a superhero on all the front pages, the writers uniquely have Cliff's unwillingness to be unmasked to push him towards outwitting Sinclair and all those after the suit, rather than use his fists.
Becoming a rocket man after Joe Johnson held firm from all the "suggestions" from Disney, Billy Campbell gives a brisk performance as Cliff that fittingly gives this superhero a wide-eyed, aw shucks innocence. Returning to the Fantasy genre after a short departure, 20 year old Jennifer Connelly gives a glittering performance as Jenny,who whilst having the image of a damsel, jumps in to join the high-speed fighting. Rolling in with the charm of Errol Flynn, Timothy Dalton gives a dashing performance as Sinclair, whose bubblegum baddie dialogue Dalton delivers with a rich relish, as Sinclair fights the Rocketeer.
