Assorted thoughts and whines
Jul. 26th, 2003 11:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ealgyldenThere's a trailer up at the not-yet-homepage for Master and Commander: The Thirteen-Gun Nutmeg of the Ionian Surgeon's Mate (hey, they started it), but I have no way of knowing if it's new or if it's the one ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
castalianspring pointed out a couple weeks ago and people are just now talking about it (I think it probably is), since, naturally, I can't watch it. I clicked it and Gozer began its "I'll crash! Don't think I won't!" shtick, so that was the end of that. I still think Russell is too glowery to be Jack, but they didn't ask me (alas). I mean, Jack's something of the anti-Hornblower, personality-wise. It would have been nice if they'd cast a guy who hadn't forgotten how to smile.
Also, I was looking at these early production pics from the Keira Knightley/Ioan Gruffudd/Clive Owen King Arthur flick (vaguely spoilery, midway down the page), and Who are the blue guys? The ones down in the last two pics, with Ioan (who looks rather scruffy. Interesting). This is obviously going to be a "historical" Arthur story rather than a "chivalric myth" one (hence the Roman fella), so are these your standard movie!Picts? Filmmakers just cannot resist having blue people in every vaguely Celtic movie.
Nice to see Ray Winstone, looking as much like a thug as ever. Which works, I guess- I know if I saw him coming at me with a sword, I'd run like heck. I'm also glad to see Stellan Skarsgaard and Sean Gilder in the cast- it's an odd mix, really, but it's mostly actors I like so I'm not complaining. No pictures of Keira as Xenavere, I notice. Too bad, I really want to see what they're going to do with her, aside from making her fierce. I also want to tell Ioan to stand up straight and look at the camera, the better to be ogled, but it's probably really tiring to run around in armor and mail all day (even leather armor).
Antoine Fuqua seems like a really strange choice for a director. Somehow, that makes me nervous. He's "modern action movie with lots of guns" guy. He used to direct music videos. He's certainly not someone I would immediately think of as an epic filmmaker. So this should be... interesting.
And where, oh where, is my PotC CD? I wonder if the mailman has run off with it, like he always does with the good issues of Entertainment Weekly (if it's a preview issue or something similar, I mysteriously get it several days late. After he's read it, is my guess). And now I have to wait until Monday. whine Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go see it one more time tomorrow instead. Cunning plan, eh?
castalianspring pointed out a couple weeks ago and people are just now talking about it (I think it probably is), since, naturally, I can't watch it. I clicked it and Gozer began its "I'll crash! Don't think I won't!" shtick, so that was the end of that. I still think Russell is too glowery to be Jack, but they didn't ask me (alas). I mean, Jack's something of the anti-Hornblower, personality-wise. It would have been nice if they'd cast a guy who hadn't forgotten how to smile. Also, I was looking at these early production pics from the Keira Knightley/Ioan Gruffudd/Clive Owen King Arthur flick (vaguely spoilery, midway down the page), and Who are the blue guys? The ones down in the last two pics, with Ioan (who looks rather scruffy. Interesting). This is obviously going to be a "historical" Arthur story rather than a "chivalric myth" one (hence the Roman fella), so are these your standard movie!Picts? Filmmakers just cannot resist having blue people in every vaguely Celtic movie.
Nice to see Ray Winstone, looking as much like a thug as ever. Which works, I guess- I know if I saw him coming at me with a sword, I'd run like heck. I'm also glad to see Stellan Skarsgaard and Sean Gilder in the cast- it's an odd mix, really, but it's mostly actors I like so I'm not complaining. No pictures of Keira as Xenavere, I notice. Too bad, I really want to see what they're going to do with her, aside from making her fierce. I also want to tell Ioan to stand up straight and look at the camera, the better to be ogled, but it's probably really tiring to run around in armor and mail all day (even leather armor).
Antoine Fuqua seems like a really strange choice for a director. Somehow, that makes me nervous. He's "modern action movie with lots of guns" guy. He used to direct music videos. He's certainly not someone I would immediately think of as an epic filmmaker. So this should be... interesting.
And where, oh where, is my PotC CD? I wonder if the mailman has run off with it, like he always does with the good issues of Entertainment Weekly (if it's a preview issue or something similar, I mysteriously get it several days late. After he's read it, is my guess). And now I have to wait until Monday. whine Oh well, I guess I'll just have to go see it one more time tomorrow instead. Cunning plan, eh?
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(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-26 06:14 pm (UTC)Entertainment Tonight showed a trailer for Master & Commander on Friday evening and WOW! He smiles, a lot. He almost glows! I was surprised, I'll confess. And the ship stuff looked wonderful.
I'm one of the odd ducks that adore the Hornblower books and movies, but while I gave it a try, never got into the O'Brien's. Thought someone should smack Jack upside the head so he'd stop bitching so much. It's likely just me given the number of friends whom I respect who love the books.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-26 08:54 pm (UTC)That's wonderful news. Very reassuring. I really wish I'd seen it. Once upon a time, he did movies that had lighter moments, like The Sum of Us, and he had such a sweet smile, but these days he's all Serious Actor and Tough Guy, and spends his time scowling and being difficult. Which is fine, I guess, if he's having fun, but it sort of inhibits my ability to picture him as Jack Aubrey.
I'm one of the odd ducks that adore the Hornblower books and movies, but while I gave it a try, never got into the O'Brien's.
I like O'Brian a lot, but I do prefer Hornblower. Part of it is that I was a lot younger and more susceptible when I read the Hornblower books, but part of it is that Horatio is just such a melancholy, repressed, quiet mess (while being a good, brave, capable captain, of course), and I can't help but love him, poor thing. I want to feed him soup and make sure he knows he's good at things. Jack Aubrey is pretty whiny, though I do like him. But I much prefer Stephen.
It also sort of hurt my opinion of Jack that I "met" him second, and he seems very much set up as the anti-Horatio in the early books- he's musical where Horatio is tone-deaf, a womanizer to Horatio's shy repression, lucky with prizes where Horatio is practically cursed, cheerful and vocal (and whiny) where Horatio is morose and silent... even blond to Horatio's darker complexion. Those would all be pluses if I didn't like Horatio, but I do.
I love Stephen though. He makes the books for me.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-26 10:25 pm (UTC)I read somewhere -- online, I'm sure, but I don't remember where -- that Hornblower is a very modern version of a naval captain durign the Napoleonic Wars: much more introspective, self-doubting, intrigued by psychology than would have been realistic for a naval or military man of that time. Jack's bluff, brash cheerfulness might yet be something Crowe can pull off (though around here, the name of the actor is always pronounced 'bloody Russell bloody Crowe').
And Paul Bettany ....! Have just ranted elsewhere about Paul Bettany as Maturin. Suffice to say: wrongwrongwrong
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-26 11:47 pm (UTC)Jack's bluff, brash cheerfulness might yet be something Crowe can pull off
Once I never would have been worried about it. He used to be great at that sort of thing, and hey, Australian. He's a natural, right (kidding)? But he's been so dour in recent roles (and real life) that I'm a little worried. I really wish I'd seen the preview
And Paul Bettany ....! Have just ranted elsewhere about Paul Bettany as Maturin. Suffice to say: wrongwrongwrong
Hee! Yeah, I have a conflict with that casting too. I really like Paul Bettany and I think he's talented, but he looks absolutely nothing like my Stephen. I'm hopeful(ish) because he is talented, and because he's good friends with Russell, so with luck some of their affection and ease with each other will show up on-screen. But yeah, he's certainly not who I've been picturing all these years. I wonder if he can do the accent?
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-28 04:26 am (UTC)Heh. This amused me beyond all reason.
Not sure whether or not the trailer is a new one - the thing takes forever to load, so I left the computer to do other things while it did. Foolish, this was. My sister switched over to her screen name, thus nixing the loading process. Feh. I did see the first few seconds of it early in the loading, and I think it's the same one they've had on that site for...well, it's been a while. Several months, at least. Brings to mind my old lament - why, oh why, are they taking so long to get this movie into theatres?
Anyway, if it *is* the same one, you're not missing much. Well, I take it back, there are some lovely shots of the ship (do we even know which ship it will be? The Sophie? The Surprise? Any of the myriad ships after those?) during storms and sea battles, which is good. However, the focus is definitely on Jack (read: Russell Crowe). I didn't see Stephen at all. There's a brief bit where they show Billy as Bonden, but you have to pause it, due to the rapid succession of frames.
I agree, Crowe had better be a bit more jovial in this movie. He can glower all he wants during an action, but the rest of the time I want some good humor. I'm still reserving judgement on Bettany, as I've never seen any of his movies. I hope he'll do well. I would have a hell of a time casting someone for Stephen, as I find him difficult to imagine physically.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-28 10:30 pm (UTC)Well, I take it back, there are some lovely shots of the ship (do we even know which ship it will be? The Sophie? The Surprise? Any of the myriad ships after those?) during storms and sea battles, which is good.
Well that'd be nice anyway. Oh well. Darn my computer anyway. I'm pretty sure it's the Surprise (I remember reading that somewhere), but the very vague, not very useful plot-blurb on the site mentions something about a fight with a vastly superior enemy ship, which sounds a bit like the Sophie/Cacafuego battle in Master and Commander (though Jack's always doing that sort of thing, the reckless twit, so it could be one of several other fights too). I read in someone's LJ (I forget whose) that the whole thing seemed like a fanfic rather than an adaptation of the books, and that's starting to sound about right to me. As long as it's good fic, though, I probably won't complain. Too much, anyway. :)
However, the focus is definitely on Jack (read: Russell Crowe). I didn't see Stephen at all.
Grr. I was sort of expecting it to end up being "The Adventures of Jack Aubrey (and some other guy)," I have to admit. Poor Stephen. Hopefully this wee glimpse isn't a true reflection of the whole movie- the ships would be nice, of course, but all Jack, all the time would just be wrong. They're a set, you can't break them up!
I would have a hell of a time casting someone for Stephen, as I find him difficult to imagine physically.
Yeah, me too. I have a better idea of how I picture him not looking than of how he looks. Bettany is sort of on the side of not looking right to me, but acting-wise I have faith. Hopefully it'll be borne out.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-29 05:24 am (UTC)Oh, the Sophie/Cacafuego battle would be great to see on screen! Even if it does turn out to be fanfic-ish, I'll like it if they're true to the source. And if they get the characters and the music right :)
Grr. I was sort of expecting it to end up being "The Adventures of Jack Aubrey (and some other guy)," I have to admit. Poor Stephen. Hopefully this wee glimpse isn't a true reflection of the whole movie- the ships would be nice, of course, but all Jack, all the time would just be wrong. They're a set, you can't break them up!
A resounding "amen" to that entire paragraph. Jack doesn't work without Stephen. They complement each other so well, keeping each other alive and out of trouble.
Stephen is just so odd. It doesn't help that O'Brian describes him as being...well, not very attractive at all. It makes casting difficult, I'll admit, but then, I'm shallow like that ;) I wonder how Bettany will look in a bad wig.