The Last Samurai WOW!!!!

[GrendelZ]

Saw this last night and I am impressed.Im no huge Tom Cruise fan but what a fantastic job,The guy who plays Katsumoto is also great.I cannot recommend it any higher,I know I posted Pirates of the Carribean as my favorite of this year but this blows it out of the water(pun intended).Return of the King may take the crown but I dont suppose it can be much better.

[GrendelZ]

Ok I said ROTK couldnt be much better,I stand corrected.

[Worf101]

if they'd have chosen some other lead than Tom (yeah I call's it acting) Cruise in the lead. Sigh... why do they have to ruin what anyone would consider an absolutely compelling story by playing down to American audiences. I'm sure the producers meeting went something like this.

"Great story JB but nobody will pay to see a story about Japanese guys in pajama's gettin machine gunned".

"You're right kid. Story needs punchin up."

"I got it boss, let's add some American guy to the story to tie it too our primary audience and have him fall in love with some geisha girl or sumpthin."

"Now you're thinkin' kid, who do you think they'll buy".

"Oh gotta be a heartthrob to attract the soccer mom's, I got it, how bout Tom (the jaw twitcher) Cruise????"

"Brilliant kid, brilliant, get me his agent on the phone."

Sigh.... The guy just can't friggin act as far as I'm concerned. He lacks the ability to immerse himself in a character ala Paul Muni, Johnny Depp or others. He's the same friggin guy over and over again... man, I hate this guy but I still liked the movie.

Da Worfster

[Kam]

i've slowly been coming around on the cruise acting bandwagon. which i never saw before but the more i learn, the more i appreciate his roles.

however, regardless of that, i loved the movie and i thought ken watanabe made it. he was phenomenal in his role. the scenes he had with the emperor were heartbreaking without a word being said. when he offered his sword up and waited for the emperor's response, only to be greeted by silence.... i thought that ONE look he had is up there with denzel's "look" in glory. not surprisingly by the same director, Zwick. i did enjoy how the story did not take the attitude of the foreignor showing the "barbarians" how uncivil they are compared to the west, but did take the viewpoint of the westerner learning about the new culture, NOT preaching about the superiority of his own.

[Troy]

New Yeards Eve my wife and I slipped out to the movies. She wanted to see the "Last Samurai". So we went to the nicest theater in our area, the one with the stadium seats that are actually comfortable. Gigantic screen too.

The Last Samurai was just really obvious. I find Zwick's movies to be a terrible bore. The movie is over art-directed, which makes his heavy handed direction feel labored and pious. The whole movie seems to have been shot during the magic hour which gives it this picture postcard artificiality. As I recall, the credits showed 13+ hair stylists, and yes, the hair looked marvelous, every strand perfect, or just out of place perfectly. The movie lacked any realism or grit. All sizzle and no steak. It's just a puff piece to showcase Cruise emoting and swordfighting.

Does anybody remember the movie "The Big Picture" directed and written by Christopher Guest? You know, the one where Kevin Bacon is the film student. At the beginning it shows him winning a student film competition and there was one obnoxious student that had made an over-ripe civil war epic. Zwick's movies remind me of that. The guy thinks he's David Lean, but he can't carry Lean's lens cap.

[Crunchyriff]

BIG FREAKING 10-4 on Tom Cruise. I can't STAND THAT GUY's "WORK". Honestly.
Nothing personal- I don't know this guy from adam. Just can't stand him. Knowing he's in the film is an INSTANT disqualifier for me.

Bill Paxton
Nicholas Cage
Tom Cruise
Keven Costner
George Clooney

These five STINK!!! Well, Clooney is not quite as bad as the other three. Almost, though. Cage did a decent job as a certifiable loon in "Face-Off", but everything else he does seems like it's off a cue-card.

I'm not a Depp fan, but he does immerse himself in his characters to a degree that these four just can't seem to muster. A few of these don't even appear to try. Like it's not important.

When I see someone 'act', I want to see them BE that character. Transform into THAT persona.

Not be "so-and so playing the part of...."

Yeeccchh!!!

Watanabe is in a class WAY above these others.

[Worf101]

BIG FREAKING 10-4 on Tom Cruise. I can't STAND THAT GUY's "WORK". Honestly.
Nothing personal- I don't know this guy from adam. Just can't stand him. Knowing he's in the film is an INSTANT disqualifier for me.

Bill Paxton
Nicholas Cage
Tom Cruise
Keven Costner
George Clooney

These five STINK!!! Well, Clooney is not quite as bad as the other three. Almost, though. Cage did a decent job as a certifiable loon in "Face-Off", but everything else he does seems like it's off a cue-card.

I'm not a Depp fan, but he does immerse himself in his characters to a degree that these four just can't seem to muster. A few of these don't even appear to try. Like it's not important.

When I see someone 'act', I want to see them BE that character. Transform into THAT persona.

Not be "so-and so playing the part of...."

Yeeccchh!!!

Watanabe is in a class WAY above these others.

I think you're spot on (not just because you agree with me either... although it does help). I don't mind Clooney too bad. "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?" redeemed him for me. Also Nick Cages recent work has been outstanding... But Tom Cruise just annoys me to no end. Well, stay warm...

Da Worfster

[andrus]

Add wesley snipes to that list. He can't act worth a damn.

[Worf101]

Add wesley snipes to that list. He can't act worth a damn.

Ouch!!!! While Wesley doesn't "annoy" me as much as these other's... Olivier he ain't. We'll make a spot fer him.

Da Worfster :D

[r3Wind]

The only movie I really liked Tom Cruise in was Magnolia, it's pretty much the only movie I've seen him in where I actually saw the character he was playing instead of just thinking, "Oh, it's Tom Cruise..." Then again, I'm pretty sure that has more to do with P.T. Anderson than anything else, that guy has a way of getting great performances out of people that I'm normally not that crazy about (Mark Walburg & Burt Reynolds in Boogie Nights, Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love, and Tom Cruise in Magnolia).

[Troy]

The only movie I really liked Tom Cruise in was Magnolia, it's pretty much the only movie I've seen him in where I actually saw the character he was playing instead of just thinking, "Oh, it's Tom Cruise..." Then again, I'm pretty sure that has more to do with P.T. Anderson than anything else, that guy has a way of getting great performances out of people that I'm normally not that crazy about (Mark Walburg & Burt Reynolds in Boogie Nights, Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love, and Tom Cruise in Magnolia).

I'm right there with you on the PT Anderson thing. The guy makes great, quirky movies. See his first film "Hard 8" as well.

[yamdsp-a1]

I guess I should state I am in the "I don't mind Tom Cruise" camp although SPOILER ALERT it would have been a better movie if he had died with the rest of them. The guy is bullet proof? Better yet, he could have done the honourable thing and taken his own life. How can he be the last Samurai if he is defeated and doesn't kill himself?

However, I liked the film. The ninja scene was worth the cost of the DVD right there.

The cinetography, I thought, was stunning and the battle scenes were truly amazing. Great sound, great picture and on my new TV, it looked SWEET!

Yam

[eisforelectronic]

Katsumoto was the "Last Samurai" not cruise. Anyway, I liked it.