You know they were starving those tigers prior to filming?

One of them, however, managed to get hold of a stand-in actress.

Later, he said that he was 'glad he ate her.'

Sorry!

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2000

Answers

You don't come on here as often as you used to, but by god when you do, every posting is well worth waiting for.

Everyone a gem and a classic(not)

Which coat was your Lad.....ah yes, I remember, the blue and yellow anorak with the hood, now was this book with train numbers yours as well.

Only joking Gibbo, which you patently weren't!

:0)

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2000

What's wrang wuh bein a trainspotter, like ?

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

This film isn't out over here in Heidi land for another two weeks yet!! I'll have to try and catch it when I'm back in the UK this coming weekend....

Is it getting the thumbs up or down?

No plot details please....

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

Gav,

".....No plot details please..........."

You have seen it then????

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

Ho ho! Gus, you had 3 Weetabix this morning then?

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

You should see it Gav, and we`ll discuss it afterwards. (:o)

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

Gonna take me a week to see it unfortunately :(

You could at least tell me whether you thought it was good or not?!?!

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

If I thought it would have been a waste of your time and money to go and see it, I would have warned you! I loved it! (:o)

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

Hmmm....now that I hear another woman saying she enjoyed it, I might go see it. I was a bit put off by the review saying it had a lot of blood and gore. Though it does looks like something that just has to be seen on the big screen. There's also Russell Crowe on the big screen... ;-)

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

OH NO.......................THe Gavster is coming back into the country....lock up your daughters....head for the hills.

-- Anonymous, May 15, 2000

Ciara - Russell Crowe - never heard of him before this film, but I won`t forget him now either! Get yerself off to see it girl! (:o)

-- Anonymous, May 16, 2000

ITK,

I'm out with Sting on saturday night so LOCK UP YER GRANDMA'S as well!!!!

-- Anonymous, May 16, 2000

.....and DOGS

-- Anonymous, May 16, 2000

You aren't Dougie Hall in disguise are ya?

How you can get away with calling young women dogs I'll never know!!

P.S. No need to worry Galaxy...your dogs are safe from me......

-- Anonymous, May 16, 2000

Seen it now. Right up my street. A simple story beautifully told. Quite moved by it and very impressed by Russell Crowe; hugely charismatic.

The recreation of the Colisseum was impressive - a bit like SJP only smaller and quieter, and the gladiators were a bit passive compared to Big Dunc. Freddie Shepherd was drafted in as master of ceremonies with Nicos Dabizas playing the Empereor Commodus.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2000

Pleased you enjoyed it Softie - it`s my kind of film! Though Russell Crowe was quite magnificent! One of the best performances I`ve seen from Oliver Reed too, and Joachim Phoenix was excellent! Now I want to go and see it again - I like to see films more than once, sometimes you see bits that you missed first time round. Thought the beginning - the battle scene was great! Some outstanding scenic shots too - Ridley Scott is a master at framing panoramic shots - some of them were quite breathtaking. (:o)

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2000

He's an amazing director, isn't he? The odd thing is that his love of light, eye for detail and fondness for an epic soundtrack often prevents him from developing characters. This means that he can show socially dislocated characters to great effect: his touch in Alien was so cold and impersonal that you found yourself almost watching from the perspective of an alien yourself - detached but with amazing clarity - brought the whole 'In space noone can hear you scream' banner chillingly to life.

Again, in Bladerunner (will anyone ever top that?) his incredible visual detail and haunting Vangelis soundtrack fitted perfectly with the inability of the replicants (deckard and Rachael included) to effectively communicate until the emotions and their accompanying death kicked in. Even the studios insistence on including a voiceover to add a human touch somewhere doesn't detract from almost the entire story being told without words. The most poignant moment is the terrible sense of desolation and waste when Roy Batty sits down to die in the rain: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gates. All these moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." [cue blubbering from overly-sentimental movie buffs everywhere. sniffle. choke.] The most human touch is provided by a 'machine' trying to survive and asks more questions about what constitutes life than all the feel- good schmalz ever committed to celluloid.

In 1492 Conquest of Paradise it was down to Depardieu to throw as much physical presence into his scenes as possible to make up for the lack of lines. Again, we were treated to an epic Vangelis score with the most memorable scenes being the ships plowing through the ocean with a camera soaring across the wavecrests like a gull with the Greek maestro filling the sky with noise...but no human warmth at all. That extraordinary sequence after the typhoon with the ants and the dripping water and his ubiquitous rays of sunshine through shutters was more memorable than a single line of dialogue in the film.

In Gladiator he again dazzles us with imagery and largely insists that actors will tell the story by facial expression and gestures, although with Richard Harris and Joachuin Phoenix trying to decide the issue of the Imperial succession, I believe he gave us his longest ever sequence of unbroken dialogue. Crowe was playing a taciturn man who says more by his actions than by words and carries it off magnificently. I can only thank Mel Gibson for turning down the role as he would never have been half as convincing (plus which, he already played this role in Mad Max: quiet, loyal, has a wife and kid he adores and feels he is protecting by doing his duty, when they are killed he goes on a rampage of merciless slaughter to gain his vengeance and put things right).

That battle was superb and that haunting sequence of Maximus running his fingers through the barley and the gate in the wall was what the big screen was invented for. The scene which will linger with me for always, though, was when Commudus and Maximus ascend towards the Arena on the lift. Typical Ridley Scott in that you watch from below as THEY rise towards the light and with Phoenix's face and white armour dazzlingly bright and yet pale and ethereal next to the brooding figure of Vengeance. A lesser director would have gone for the rostrum shot from above and broken the spell by giving you a view you could never have had in reality. This increased the sense in which the two protagonists were fighting a battle at some higher level and left you with the perspective of the slaves watching the two men rise up to settle your own fate. Extraordinary.

Sorry, just realised that I'm rambling away here in a world of my own. I shall stop before I bore you to tears. :-/

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2000

Wow Softie - every think you`ve missed your vocation? What DO you do for a living, `cos if it`s not something in literature you are selling yourself short!

He happens to be my favourite director, and I totally agree with everything you said. (:o)

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2000

>>>>>>He happens to be my favourite director<<<<<<

and its not just because he happens to be a Geordie. Most of his films are superb and I am looking forward to seeing this one, hoepfully next weekend.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2000