Gladiator (2000)

USA/United Kingdom
directed by: Ridley Scott
written by: David Franzoni, John Logan, William Nicholson
starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed
seen on 19th December, 2018

I did not see the film when it first came out, but I am pretty sure that it has aged very poorly. I didn't really enjoy the first wave of "sword and sandal" films, because the wonder of cinema for me does not equal film-makers trying to build the biggest set yet. Gladiator does not bring any sort of reflection or self awareness to the genre.

The recycled soundtrack is a disgrace (even though I do realize that technically speaking Pirates of the Caribbean came after Gladiator and therefore the Pirates are the ones stealing, hehe, but their music is much more prominent in the face of pop culture - and in my ears since I've listened to it a bajillion times - but the disgrace falls on Zimmer and Badelt nonetheless, they basically used the same score twice for two different movies) and I've also read some other angry comments from other music fans that they also copied at least three other composers: Morricone, Holst and Gorecki. 

The film drags on and on, I can't imagine who got the idea to make an extended cut, because it certainly only hurts the compactness of the whole while adding nothing more but runtime. I'm starting to think that Ridley Scott did not make any film worth praise from me, apart from the first Alien. 

P.S.: Oliver Reed is a god, Tommy Flanagan is cool, Joaquin Phoenix looks and sounds just like Jonathan Rhys Meyers in this role, and why do they always make David Hemming's eyebrows so spiky and bushy?

P.P.S.: Oh, so it turns out that he styled his eyebrows like that as a personal choice all the time and not just for movie roles, that's why he has them like this here, in Equilibrium, and else.

Crash (2004)

USA/Germany
directed by: Paul Haggis
written by: Paul Haggis, Robert Moresco
starring: Don Cheadle, Jennifer Esposito, Michael Peña
seen on 12th December, 2018

I have considered it a great deal and now believe that the main reason why this film sucks so bad (or seems to suck so bad) is the soundtrack. It's bad enought that the story tries to cram so many people in that they each get only about two or three scenes (which is not enough for a proper introduction, let alone for realizing a complete personal story arc) and therefore forces them to make their every word, move and action to directly aim at the ham-fisted message Haggis presents with the subtlety of a monty-pythonian knight in medieval armour punching someone with a rubber chicken. But that music, that wannabe touching, kitsch, one-dimentional music sends it to the gates of hell immediately and without any doubts. It showcases the inability of its creators to show some insight, to hide the meaning under the surface at least a little bit, engage the viewer to think about it or instigate any discussion other that why did it got the Oscar compared to all the other movies made and nominated that year. But if someone held a gun to my head and made me name one good thing about Crash, it would be Michael Peña.

It Happened One Night (1934)

USA
directed by: Frank Capra
written by: Robert Riskin + Samuel Hopkins Adams (story)
starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly
seen on 12th December, 2018

Well, it seems that the golden age of Hollywood still has loads to teach me about the types (and qualities) of its femme fatales. Claudette Colbert really is something else, so superb and natural. And I was really pleasantly surprised how subtly and non-verbaly the film-makers managed to portray their falling in love, and all the more glory to them that they did in in the not-subtlety-friendly genre of comedy. 

Even Clark Gable gradually loses his mask and reveals a rather cute nad vulnerable side of his character's character, which leads me to believe that he was not so arrogant and self-important as some other actors of that time who refused to show any kind of weakness in front of a camera. It's interesting as well that even thought the two alpha males, the father and the newspaper boss, both act like professional tough guys during the film, they also show understanding and love towards their subordinates in the end. I did not expect this kind of sensitivity at all so I am that more grateful for it. And it was fun, too!