fuji
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Posts posted by fuji
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"Hickory-dickory-dock...it's Andrew Dice Constantine! OHHHHHH!!!"
Oh my, the "hilarity"...
Andrew Dice Clay? What ever happen to him?
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From the Movie Hole
Keanu Reeves plays the title character in this adaptation of the cult DC/Vertigo comic book called Hellblazer, and while the movie does have its merits, it’s not very faithful to the source material that it came from.
The movie stars Keanu Reeves as a gumshoe whose specialty is in dealing with the occult. He specialty draws the attention of a police detective played by Rachel Weisz, who asks for his help in her investigation of her twin sister’s suicide. A suicide that she thinks that is more than it appears to be. In due time, they both will encounter what lies under the surface of their world which is inhabited by both the angels of heaven and the demons of the underworld who are both fighting their own war for the fate of mankind. The movie is shot beautifully in the way it tries to capture both of the landscapes of good and evil that lives in this film’s setting and the special effects does the film justice in its interpretation of hell that looks like an apocalyptic version of downtown Los Angeles, which is the setting of this film by the way.
Unfortunately, the script is so unfocused that it hurts what this film trying to accomplish and the dialog itself lacks conviction for the material itself. The climax of the film is a major letdown because it just takes all the serious aspects of the film and just tosses them out in favor of a brief Matrix like a gunfight that undercuts the movie’s tone and an incoherent ending that leaves more questions than answers. I’m not as hard as a lot of people are on the acting abilities of Keanu Reeves and he does his role well but his performance lacked something here in this film and it felt more phone in than genuine. Rachel Weisz on the other hand delivers a strong and moving performance that does deliver the goods but you will end up thinking that she is giving more to the film that it deserves because her performance is way too good for this movie. She’s so good in fact that if the people who made this film wanted to make a faithful adaptation of the Hellblazer comic book, they could have cast her in the role of Kitt, Constantine’s one true love.
Now being a casual reader of the comic of whom this film is based on, the character of John Constantine is not well represented in this film and the script makes him look like a shill who wants to redemption which is the polar opposite of who the character is in the comic book who only served himself. The character also had a slick side to him that gave you the impression that he knew more than he let on while the character in the movie is flying by the seat of his pants during the whole film. Plus he relied on his wits to defeat his enemies while the character in the movie has a gadget man who makes him weapons (The brass knuckles scene in the movie is a joke because the John Constantine of the comic book can’t handle himself well in a fight). The cancer subplot in the film only serves as a footnote while in the comic book, it had more of an impact and certain characters who show up in the film are just watered down versions of their comic counterparts. The most offensive of these characters is Chaz, who is John Constantine’s best friend (and is a grown man with kids) but he is reduced to a street kid who is basically a lap dog for Constantine to pick on. The only character in the film that closely resembles the comic book is Papa Midnight, who’s really more of an adversary in the comic than the friend he is in the movie. Judging this movie on it’s own merits, It’s a passable popcorn movie that has a better than deserved performance by Rachel Weisz. Judging the movie as an adaptation of the comic book, it’s a letdown.
WOW
The best review i have read so far about this film. -
He went to a private screening that was held on the studio lot. He also said that some of the executives were badmouthing the movie as well.
I attended this same screening. That is simply NOT true.
One said that Keanu was a bad choice for the roleHmmmmmm....really???? No- quite the opposite. EVERYONE pushed for Keanu.
[QUOTE]and another said that the movie would had been much better off if it just focused on the main female character and just completely cut out the comic book connection to the film, because it would have been cheaper to go with the female lead instead of Keanu and she was a better character than he was.
Cheaper-yes I'm sure by 12 million. However, Keanu was key to bringing this film to fruition after Cage passed it up.
Many agreed that a sixth sense approach to the film with a strong female character (They really liked Rachel Weisz and her character) would had been a much better movie than it was now and some of them were quite angry on how it all turn out.
Only upset about the "R" rating. I'll give you that.
At that time, they also said that the producers had to cut the film themselves because they did not like the directors cut of the film and made the director and some of the cast redo a lot of the scenes in the movie.
NONE of the producers personally edited this film. No way Jose. And redo a lot of the scenes- It remains an "R" for a reason. If that were indeed the case, we would be looking at a PG13 right now.
Wow, this is news to me... They took the film from Francis. Hmmm... wonder if he knows that.Yeah exactly Tears!
Why is this review of a review even being considered is beyond me. It comes from Warners, about Warners, so why are we believing it? Oh, because it's negative... right....You expect anyone on this site to question the source............only if its positive Tears.
If you’re going to get that bent out of shape over what someone said, then you have major problems. I hope the movie is better than what I was told and what I’m reading so far but i'm not crying over every bad review like you are. If you don’t like the reviews posted then don’t read them. No one should get that upset over a review.[/QUOTE]I was physically there for that review. The show of hands that went up when asked if they would pay to see this film was 98% positive with a few scatterings of elderly people not interested. So I don't know where this account is coming from. It is definitley not reflective of the reviewing audience that night nor in Lakewood or Pasadena.
Sure you were :rolleyes:
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Thanks. Sad to see the movie getting trashed the way it is. A friend saw the film a few weeks ago in LA and almost said the same thing that most of the reviews were saying. Rachel Weisz stole the movie, Keanu was crap and the movie is not Hellblazer.
The bad thing about that was the fact that he told me that Shia LaBeouf gets killed during the end of the film which does suck because i kind of like him.
Where in LA did he see the movie and how did he get in?
He works for a marketing group out there and got in because they were invited to the screening by some of the people who work for Warner brothers. He does business with them on certain projects.
Did he happen to sit in a theater with a test screening crowd? From the reactions to 4 screenings, the audience response was overwhelmingly positive.
By the way sarcasm is a lost art here. My post above was intended as such. Aw.. who the fuck cares anyway... Just to recap - negative reviews are always correct, positive ones are always plants. And people in the industry who see and critique those films of their competition are always unbiased with no malcontent intended.
He went to a private screening that was held on the studio lot. He also said that some of the executives were badmouthing the movie as well. One said that Keanu was a bad choice for the role and another said that the movie would had been much better off if it just focused on the main female character and just completely cut out the comic book connection to the film, because it would have been cheaper to go with the female lead instead of Keanu and she was a better character than he was. Many agreed that a sixth sense approach to the film with a strong female character (They really liked Rachel Weisz and her character) would had been a much better movie than it was now and some of them were quite angry on how it all turn out. At that time, they also said that the producers had to cut the film themselves because they did not like the directors cut of the film and made the director and some of the cast redo a lot of the scenes in the movie.
Wow, this is news to me... They took the film from Francis. Hmmm... wonder if he knows that. And I wonder which execs these were because I'll lay odds NONE of them were there when this film started development there. Man sounds like when the execs were so angry at that kid Lucas when he turned in those crappy movies American Graffetii and that other stupid sci fi film of his - what was it, Star Wars? "Why doesn't the gold robot's mouth move when he talks?" Execs bad mouthing films they had nothing to do with is something I've never ever heard of. Great job security no matter what happens, Why is this review of a review even being considered is beyond me. It comes from Warners, about Warners, so why are we believing it? Oh, because it's negative... right....
If you’re going to get that bent out of shape over what someone said, then you have major problems. I hope the movie is better than what I was told and what I’m reading so far but i'm not crying over every bad review like you are. If you don’t like the reviews posted then don’t read them. No one should get that upset over a review.
You're new here, you don;t understand my role as the town crier. I take it very seriously, thank you. Now back to your board game. Jump two pieces and crown me.
If it makes you happy, then be my guess.
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Thanks. Sad to see the movie getting trashed the way it is. A friend saw the film a few weeks ago in LA and almost said the same thing that most of the reviews were saying. Rachel Weisz stole the movie, Keanu was crap and the movie is not Hellblazer.
The bad thing about that was the fact that he told me that Shia LaBeouf gets killed during the end of the film which does suck because i kind of like him.
Where in LA did he see the movie and how did he get in?
He works for a marketing group out there and got in because they were invited to the screening by some of the people who work for Warner brothers. He does business with them on certain projects.
Did he happen to sit in a theater with a test screening crowd? From the reactions to 4 screenings, the audience response was overwhelmingly positive.
By the way sarcasm is a lost art here. My post above was intended as such. Aw.. who the fuck cares anyway... Just to recap - negative reviews are always correct, positive ones are always plants. And people in the industry who see and critique those films of their competition are always unbiased with no malcontent intended.
He went to a private screening that was held on the studio lot. He also said that some of the executives were badmouthing the movie as well. One said that Keanu was a bad choice for the role and another said that the movie would had been much better off if it just focused on the main female character and just completely cut out the comic book connection to the film, because it would have been cheaper to go with the female lead instead of Keanu and she was a better character than he was. Many agreed that a sixth sense approach to the film with a strong female character (They really liked Rachel Weisz and her character) would had been a much better movie than it was now and some of them were quite angry on how it all turn out. At that time, they also said that the producers had to cut the film themselves because they did not like the directors cut of the film and made the director and some of the cast redo a lot of the scenes in the movie.
Wow, this is news to me... They took the film from Francis. Hmmm... wonder if he knows that. And I wonder which execs these were because I'll lay odds NONE of them were there when this film started development there. Man sounds like when the execs were so angry at that kid Lucas when he turned in those crappy movies American Graffetii and that other stupid sci fi film of his - what was it, Star Wars? "Why doesn't the gold robot's mouth move when he talks?" Execs bad mouthing films they had nothing to do with is something I've never ever heard of. Great job security no matter what happens, Why is this review of a review even being considered is beyond me. It comes from Warners, about Warners, so why are we believing it? Oh, because it's negative... right....
If you’re going to get that bent out of shape over what someone said, then you have major problems. I hope the movie is better than what I was told and what I’m reading so far but i'm not crying over every bad review like you are. If you don’t like the reviews posted then don’t read them. No one should get that upset over a review.
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Thanks. Sad to see the movie getting trashed the way it is. A friend saw the film a few weeks ago in LA and almost said the same thing that most of the reviews were saying. Rachel Weisz stole the movie, Keanu was crap and the movie is not Hellblazer.
The bad thing about that was the fact that he told me that Shia LaBeouf gets killed during the end of the film which does suck because i kind of like him.
Where in LA did he see the movie and how did he get in?
He works for a marketing group out there and got in because they were invited to the screening by some of the people who work for Warner brothers. He does business with them on certain projects.
Did he happen to sit in a theater with a test screening crowd? From the reactions to 4 screenings, the audience response was overwhelmingly positive.
By the way sarcasm is a lost art here. My post above was intended as such. Aw.. who the fuck cares anyway... Just to recap - negative reviews are always correct, positive ones are always plants. And people in the industry who see and critique those films of their competition are always unbiased with no malcontent intended.
He went to a private screening that was held on the studio lot. He also said that some of the executives were badmouthing the movie as well. One said that Keanu was a bad choice for the role and another said that the movie would had been much better off if it just focused on the main female character and just completely cut out the comic book connection to the film, because it would have been cheaper to go with the female lead instead of Keanu and she was a better character than he was. Many agreed that a sixth sense approach to the film with a strong female character (They really liked Rachel Weisz and her character) would had been a much better movie than it was now and some of them were quite angry on how it all turn out. At that time, they also said that the producers had to cut the film themselves because they did not like the directors cut of the film and made the director and some of the cast redo a lot of the scenes in the movie.
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Thanks. Sad to see the movie getting trashed the way it is. A friend saw the film a few weeks ago in LA and almost said the same thing that most of the reviews were saying. Rachel Weisz stole the movie, Keanu was crap and the movie is not Hellblazer.
The bad thing about that was the fact that he told me that Shia LaBeouf gets killed during the end of the film which does suck because i kind of like him.
Where in LA did he see the movie and how did he get in?
He works for a marketing group out there and got in because they were invited to the screening by some of the people who work for Warner brothers. He does business with them on certain projects.
-
Thanks. Sad to see the movie getting trashed the way it is. A friend saw the film a few weeks ago in LA and almost said the same thing that most of the reviews were saying. Rachel Weisz stole the movie, Keanu was crap and the movie is not Hellblazer.
The bad thing about that was the fact that he told me that Shia LaBeouf gets killed during the end of the film which does suck because i kind of like him.
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http://www.superherohype.com/review.php
Here is a review of Constantine that was just posted at Superhero hype. Unlike Ain't it Cool News, this sounds legit:
Jess
date posted: 24-01-2005 Rating 3/10
Keanu Reeves plays John Constantine, a cross between Same Spade and Repairman Jack from the F. Paul Wilson novels. He deals with all kinds of supernatural occurrences all around Los Angeles. He builds a kind of reputation that is only heard in whispers and rumors and he's quite known for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Enter Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) who needs his help with the mysterious suicide of her twin sister who jump off the roof of the mental hospital she was staying in. She believes that there is more to it than it seems and wants Constantine to help her figure it out. So they both embark on a investigation that includes half breed demons strait out of episodes of Buffy and Angel, angels that look way too asexual for words and the devil himself, who looks like he just got back from gambling trip in Atlantic City. Now if you think that I'm being a tad over the top in my plot summery, think again. I'm actually being way too kind. Now it's very hard to start off with the good parts of the film with out addressing the very bad parts of it first and that's Keanu Reeves himself. I do think that he's a good actor with some promise but he's miscast in this role as a hardboiled and cynical private eye with supernatural connections and his sour face demeanor does not help him out at with his character at all. There is a subplot that involves his heath that adds nothing to the overall story at all and his character borders between self important idiot to whiney bastard that cries to god when he does not get his way. His transformation into his Neo persona during the last act of the film takes away a lot from what the movie was supposed to be all about and just turns it into a sad parody of itself. The screenplay feels like a hack job in some places and some characters don't really serve a purpose at all other than to be killed off or to just be a part of the scenery. Some character don't really need to be in the movie at all like the character of Chaz played by Shia LaBeouf, who really adds nothing to the movie other than to be a really bad side kick to our sour faced hero and the angel Gabriel who is played by Tilda Swinton, who for starters is only in the film for about ten minutes and really adds nothing to it other than to have a really bad scene with John Constantine that will make you sit up and take notice on how bad this film really is and the last act, where her character is a part of one of the most stupid plot revelations in recent movies (it involves the devil, who is dressed like a pool hall gambler from Atlantic City.) I don't hold Tilda Swinton, responsible for this (she is a very good actress) as much as I hold the screenwriters who wrote her role because we don't really know enough about her character to be surprise with the sudden turn around that she does in the last act of the film. The screenplay itself feels like it does not know what it wants to be from time to time, switching it's tone from dark horror drama to dumb down action movie in the last fifteen minutes of the film and some of the dialog is so badly written that you are grinning your teeth to the bone when you hear it. While there are a lot of bad in this film, there are some bright spots that make the film somewhat bearable to sit though. The best of these is the performance of Rachel Weisz, which is literally holding this film together by a thin and dangling thread. She gives this movie something the script should have giving it and that something is called class. Her performance is gripping and soul searching and its what the film really should have been about if you had serious people behind scenes making it. Which is too bad because the movie would have worked much better as a standard supernatural thriller with just her character in it instead of the mind numbing mess that is presented to us here. Djmon Hounsou is great as well but he's not really in the movie much at all and his character is really just there for camp effect, not substance. The special effects are cool for what they are and they do have a visual impact but not even that is strong enough to make you forget how cheesy the film is after it ends.
Don't know if this is legit or not but it does seem like a real review than what Harry had in the board.
Of course it's legit, it's negative. What else could it be?
I have high hopes that the movie will do well but the negative reviews are heartbreaking.
The best review i have read so far about this film.
My Friend and Constantine
in Comics in other media
Posted
Hopefully, Constantine would be as bad as 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'