jump to navigation

Movie Review: Clash of the Titans (3D) (2010) April 4, 2010

Posted by pacejmiller in Movie Reviews.
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
2 comments

Big action blockbuster and Greek mythology — two of my favourite things.  Put them together, throw in a bit of 3D, and you get Clash of the Titans, the new remake of the 1981 classic.

The story is very loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus, played by Sam Worthington (Avatar), and has numerous and significant differences from the original film.

There’s not much point in giving away the plot, other than to say that the film takes place in a world where humans have full knowledge of the Gods’ existence, and that bizarre creatures and mythical monsters live among them.  And in this world, Perseus, a demigod (ie half-man, half-god), is fated to go up against the Gods and save humanity.

If that sounds silly and cliched, that’s because it is.  Directed by Louis Leterrier (Transporter 2, The Incredible Hulk), there is no serious attempt to make Clash of the Titans even a remotely believable film.  It feels like the makers decided that this was an impossible task, and instead went down the full-blown, technology-driven action route.

The result is a pretty exciting experience, albeit one you cannot really feel fully engaged in because of the campness, the laughable dialogue, and the lack of character development.  To be fair, they did try to inject a bit more like into the central characters, but the effect was so poor that it became humorous, and only wasted valuable time that could have been spent on more action.  Speaking of action, I would have liked to have seen less quick cuts and more wide shots, but for the most part it passed the grade.

The special effects were great, but not exceptional by today’s high standards, and the 3D added a little extra, but to be honest not a whole lot more.  I don’t think I would have regretted it had I watched it in plain old 2D.

Sam Worthington, Hollywood’s next big thing, seemed like he had plenty of fun.  There are no pretensions in his performance because he knows it’s all about the action.  He still lacks the “superstar aura” that Russell Crowe has, but maybe he’ll get there some day.  It was great to see Liam Neeson playing Zeus, and especially Lord Voldemort himself, Ralph Fiennes, playing the King of the Underworld, Hades.  Both inject star power without diverting attention away from the rest of the cast.  They even got Pete Postlethwaite to play Spyros, Perseus’ adopted father!  My only complaint was probably Gemma Aterton’s Io, who was just plain weird.

So Clash of the Titans is unlikely to be remembered as a classic.  There are plenty of things wrong with it.  It’s silly and cheesy and lacks heart.  But for those who like Greek mythology, monsters, sword-wielding action, and don’t need things to be taken too seriously, Clash of the Titans is a fun, exciting popcorn movie for the majority of its 118-minute running time.

3.5 stars out of 5!

[PS: watching Clash of the Titans gave me a new appreciation for films like The Lord of the Rings, films that actually have heart and make you believe in their world while not compromising the thrilling action.]

Hopkins gets revenge against Jones Jr in stinker April 4, 2010

Posted by pacejmiller in Boxing.
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
1 comment so far

Today I went to the same public venue where I watched Manny Pacquiao take on Joshua Clottey last month to see Roy Jones Jr take on Bernard Hopkins in their long-awaited, 17-years-in-the-making rematch.  While the place was packed beyond belief last time, I was stunned to find that this time it was virtually empty.  No one there could care less about a fight that would have been huge 10 years ago, but couldn’t even muster a live crowd of 7,000 now.  Even Danny Green (the man who knocked out Jones in one round last year), who sat behind right behind me, had a stern “that should have been me” angry look plastered across his face the entire time.

Hopkins (45) smashed Jones (41) in a clear unanimous decision, 117-110 (twice) and 118-109, in a foul-filled, boring stinker where both fighters didn’t have much to give.  Especially Jones, who had to resort to multiple foul tactics (hitting behind the head and low blows) just to keep things interesting.  Hopkins actually collapsed in his dressing room from the back-of-the-head blows.  Both men had to be taken to hospital for tests afterwards.

In the lead-up to the fight, many people warned me that it would be an absolute crapfest, but a part of me still wanted to see two old legends settle a score that should have been settled years ago.  Well, I shouldn’t have wasted my time.  It was sad to see what had become of them.

While we all knew that Jones was way past his best, but people were still saying that Hopkins could fight.  Against Jones, he could, but to be honest he wasn’t much better.  I know Hopkins doesn’t fight pretty, but this was ugly.  If Hopkins goes up to Heavyweight to challenge David Haye like he says he would, then good luck to him.  He could get seriously hurt (just like if Haye challenged the Klitschko brothers).

Let’s hope both men retire and not further tarnish their glorious careers.

Vatican Preacher: Accusing Church of Abuse Akin to Anti-Semitism April 4, 2010

Posted by pacejmiller in Religion, Social/Political Commentary.
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
add a comment

Rev Raniero Cantalamessa, who made the comments on Good Friday

I don’t usually like to comment on religious or political things, but this latest Vatican furore has gotten me worked up — and after all, it’s Easter.

At the Good Friday service delivered by Pope Benedict XVI’s personal preacher, Rev Raniero Cantalamessa, read out a letter from a friend which likened the recent persecution of the Catholic Church over clerical sex abuse cover ups to the “more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism.”

What could have possibly possessed Cantalamessa to compare the allegations of feigned ignorance or blatant cover up over child sex abuse by the Catholic Church to the unspeakable horrors stemming from anti-Semitism?  Rather than whine about and give lame excuses over the flack the Church has copped (and justifiably so) over the child abuse and cover up claims, why not actually do something about it?  Or at least make it look like they’re doing something about it?  By all means, make the point that the Church as a whole is being unfairly blamed, and that not all priests are pedophiles.  But do it in an intelligent way that does not unnecessaily stir up the already sensitive public.

And of course, the expected public backlash/overreaction is equally frustrating.  It’s typical of the media to pick one little bit of a sermon by one person of the Church and blow it out of proportion by saying it’s an insult to all the Jews that perished in the Holocaust.  No wonder the Pope (and the Vatican) is trying to distance himself from the comments.

However, at the end of the day, it’s really just another example of the arrogance and naivete of certain members of the Catholic Church in thinking that they can play the “victim” card in the child abuse saga and expect to get away it.  And to use anti-Semitism to draw parallels is just plain stupid.

In particular, I found the comparison interesting given that the Catholic Church has played a prominent role in both the child abuse cover-up scandals and in perpetuating theological anti-Semitism throughout history.