Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Viggo Mortensen

Showing posts with label Viggo Mortensen. Show all posts

5/19/2022

Hidalgo (2004) - More respectable than rousing

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Stars, swordplay and horseback riding allures from this sand-colored poster for Joe Johnston's Hidalgo

The true story of a mixed-race American master horseman's participation in a race through the Arabian desert.

Hidalgo is written by John Fusco (Crossroads (1986)) and directed by Joe Johnston (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)).

It is a handsomely produced major picture with skillful production design and good-looking pictures (cinematography by Shelly Johnson (Captain America: The First Avenger (2011))). But alas, no-one stands particularly out from the cast, and neither romance, the horses nor the race are extremely beguiling.

Joe Johnston: 2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

The Wolfman (2010) - Johnston's luxurious, effects-driven remake

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 100 mil. $

Box office: 108 mil. $

= Huge flop (returned 1.08 times its cost)

[Hidalgo premiered 17 February (Texas Film Festival) and runs 136 minutes. Viggo Mortensen (Daylight (1996)) was paid 2 mil. $ for his performance. Shooting took place from August 2002 - ? in Morocco, Montana, South Dakota, Oklahoma and in California. Mortensen bought one of the horses in the film after shooting, and Fusco bought the main stunt horse. The film opened #3, behind holdover hit The Passion of the Christ and fellow new release Starsky & Hutch, to a 18.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent one more weekend in the top 5 (#4) and grossed 67.3 mil. $ (62.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 7.5 mil. $ (6.9 %) and Germany with 4.2 mil. $ (3.9 %). Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. The film's claim to a true story is debated. Johnston returned with The Wolfman (2010). Mortensen returned in A History of Violence (2005). Hidalgo is rotten at 46 % with a 5.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Hidalgo?

4/11/2021

Good (2008) - Mortensen stands out in under-appreciated Nazi drama

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+ Best German Movie of the Year

Viggo Mortensen sports a swastika on his black tie and looks dejectedly downwards on this praise-filled poster for Vicente Amorim's Good

Professor Halder, a literary man in 1930s Germany, learns to adapt himself to the new circumstances, when the Nazis assume power, and despite the protests of his Jewish friend he is appointed as an SS officer.

Good is written by John Wrathall (The Liability (2012)), based on the same-titled 1981 play by C.P. Taylor (And a Nightingale Sang (1977)), and directed by Vicente Amorim (The Middle of the Earth (2003)).

A heavy story comes to life here as an elegant film thanks to distinguished photography (by Andrew Dunn (Precious (2009))) and a characteristically outstanding performance from Viggo Mortensen (The Reflecting Skin (1990)) as Halder. This is a difficult character, whom we would otherwise be prone to reject swiftly as overly naive or as a fictitious construct, but here he stands out as a realistic, painful figure: A good, educated man, who simply doesn't have the imagination to realize what incredible atrocities his countrymen are actually in the midst of carrying out, and who therefore does what we humans are so apt at and simply adapts to the changing circumstances.

Good is a heavy and provocative film, - and it is very well-made.

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

Top 10: Best German movies

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 15 mil. $

Box office: 1.5 mil. $

= Box office disaster (returned 0.1 times its cost)

[Good premiered 8 September (Toronto International Film Festival) and runs 96 minutes. Producer Miriam Segal had wished to adapt Taylor's play since seeing it in 1981. Mortensen had also seen and been impressed by the play in London in 1981. Shooting took place in Budapest, Hungary around May 2007. The film opened #68 to a 9k $ first weekend in 2 theaters in North America, where it peaked the following - and last - weekend at #66 in 8 theaters, grossing 27k $ (1.8 % of the total gross). The film's biggest 3 markets were Spain with 1.1 mil. $ (73.3 %), Brazil with 202k $ (13.5 %) and the UK with 89k $ (5.9 %). Amorim returned with Dirty Hearts (2011). Mortensen returned in The Road (2009); Jason Isaacs (Green Zone (2010)) in 2 TV-series and a short prior to his theatrical return in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009). Good is rotten at 33 % with a 4.90/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Good?

1/26/2021

G.I. Jane (1997) or, The Amazing Seal Woman!

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Razor-shaved sex symbol star Demi Moore is a fierce eye-catcher on this poster for Ridley Scott's G.I. Jane

An ambitious female politician pushes the US military towards full integration of genders and gets the opportunity of putting the first woman to date through the army's toughest education: The Navy Seals.

G.I. Jane is written by David Twohy (Critters 2 (1988)) and Danielle Alexandra (My Two Dads (1987-90)) and directed by British master filmmaker Ridley Scott (The Duellists (1977)), whose 10th feature it is.

Anne Bancroft (Fatso (1980)) is silly and flat as the senator in question, who begins the story, and the same unfortunately goes for the film's star Demi Moore (The Juror (1996)), although she does work like a devil for this movie and certainly gives it her all.

If one is not immediately struck by the injustice of women not being 100 % equal to men in the military, (which I wasn't), then it has to be a more personal story that engages in G.I. Jane, - but it just isn't there. Moore's character remains a cipher, whom we essentially know nothing about; she simply is the woman with something to prove (about women.)

Viggo Mortensen (The Crew (1994)) sleep-walks uninspired through the film. Scott experiments with shaking and zoom camera effects towards the film's ending to highly disrupting effect. G.I. Jane is a thrill-less stinker and among Scott's worst.

Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Robin Hood (2010) - R. Scott's grand film of the English legend

2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2008 in films - according to Film Excess

Body of Lies (2008) - R. Scott's terror actioner is a fatiguing turkey

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess

American Gangster (2007) - Great American - now black - gangster picture
A Good Year (2006) - Ridley Scott likes Provence

Matchstick Men (2003) - Great Cage job highlights entertaining Scott crime dramedy

Hannibal (2001) - Grisly highlights in low-yielding Scott sequel

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Gladiator (2000) - Experience the grandeur of the Roman Empire in Scott's dramatic masterpiece

Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Blade Runner (1982) director's cut - Visual extravaganza, great SF
Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News

Moore guested David Letterman and promoted the film; watch a 7-minute video of the event here

Cost: 50 mil. $

Box office: 48.1 mil. $ (North America alone)

= Uncertain, but likely a big flop (returned 0.96 times its cost domestically)

[G.I. Jane was released 22 August (USA, Lebanon) and runs 124 minutes. The story is entirely fictional. Shooting took place from April - August 1996 in England, California, including Los Angeles, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington DC. The film opened #1 to an 11 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it kept the #1 position for another 2 weekends and spent another 2 in the top 5 (#2-#2), grossing 48.1 mil. $. Regrettably the film's foreign numbers are not reported online. If it ended up with a realistic 75 mil. $ total gross, the film would rank as a big flop. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to 3 notches over this one. The film reportedly earned further 22.1 mil. $ on home video rentals in North America. Scott returned with Gladiator (2000). Moore returned in Deconstructing Harry (1997). G.I. Jane is rotten at 51 % with a 5.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of G.I. Jane?

1/01/2021

2020 in films - according to Film Excess

The Top 6 of the Year

1. Another Round/Druk - Thomas Vinterberg + Best Danish Movie of the Year + Best $ Return of the Year: 2.43 times + Best Dramedy of the Year

2. Shorta - Frederik Louis Hviid, Anders Ølholm + Best Action Movie of the Year + Best Debut Movie of the Year + Best Fight Scene of the Year: The laundry room fight + Best Poster of the Year

3. The Good Traitor/Vores Mand i Amerika - Christina Rosendahl + Best Biopic of the Year + Best Historical Drama of the Year + Best Period Movie of the Year + Worst $ Return of the Year: 0.33 times

4. Riders of Justice/Retfærdighedens Ryttere - Anders Thomas Jensen + Best Action Comedy of the Year + Best Revenge Movie of the Year

5. Falling - Viggo Mortensen + Best Drama of the Year

6. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, VOD - Dave Dobkin + Best Comeback of the Year: Will Ferrell + Best Music Movie of the Year

Other good, recommendable movie of the year:

Klovn the Final - Mikkel Nørgaard

The Bottom 1 of the Year

1. Tenet - Christopher Nolan + Most Overrated Movie of the Year

Other failed, poor and/or mediocre movies of the year (in alphabetical order):

Greenland - Ric Roman Waugh

The Mole: Undercover in North Korea/Muldvarpen - Undercover i Nordkorea, documentary miniseries - Mads Brügger

[10 titles in total]

Notes:

The smallest batch of titles ever to make up an annual best and worst edition comes out of the all-around awful year of 2020, in which the China virus pandemic shut down cinemas across the globe and kept most global releases behind bars, locked away awaiting better times. The depressing facts are also evident from the gross numbers, which have never been lower, with not a single one of the titles here registering any profit yet. The losses and calamities of 2020 furthermore threatens to end cinema culture for good, if cinemas are not helped through the lock-down period, before vaccinations may allow normalization. Another toxic pressure point is the collapse of the theatrical window, as Disney and Warner Bros. have bowed out to VOD for their big 2020 releases, and in the case of Warner Bros. have announced that all of their 2021 slate will go to streaming simultaneously with cinemas.

As uncertain and worrying as the situation and prospects for the future of the theatrical movie landscape appear, some terrific films were released during the year. The year's best is Thomas Vinterberg's full-throttle middle age crisis alcohol dramedy Another Round. Silver goes to debuting Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Ølholm's testosterone cop chase actioner Shorta, and Christina Rosendahl's intimate, thrilling biopic war drama The Good Traitor takes bronze. Rounding off the Top 6 list are Anders Thomas Jensen's hilarious revenge action-comedy Riders of Justice, Viggo Mortensen's personal dementia drama Falling, and Dave Dobkin's fun music family-comedy Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

The Bottom list only has a single title so far, master filmmaker Christopher Nolan's hugely hyped mystery action tentpole Tenet.

Many more - mostly smaller budgeted - titles of 2020 are naturally going to get reviewed and will make it to future editions of the lists, but the year will go down in history books as something of a black hole in terms of theatrical revenue, which it will take substantial effort to overcome in years to come. That means that you as a movie lover have an individual responsibility to head to the theater for as many titles as you can possibly overcome, as soon as it is possible in your area! Help save cinemas: Please use them as much as possible in 2021!

Biggest flops of the year:

[The loss is based solely on the cost and box office earnings for the films. Marketing spends and additional revenue (home video, TV rights and other auxiliary profits) are not taken into account]

1. Tenet - 61.04 mil. $ range

2. Greenland - 14.88 mil. $ range

3. The Good Traitor - 4.88 mil. $ range

4. Riders of Justice - 4.12 mil. $ range

5. Shorta - 1.89 mil. $ range

6. Klovn the Final - 1.78 mil. $ range

7. Another Round - 0.13 mil. $ range

= Combined losses: 88.72 mil. $

2020 titles currently on the watch-list:

Wonder Woman 1984, Bad Boys for Life, Wendy, Onward, Greyhound, Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula, Dream Horse, Unhinged, Crazy, Not Insane, Sputnik, The Duke, Hopper/Welles, The Nest, Nomadland, Love and Monsters, Erna i Krig, The Donut King, Madklubben, Minari

Previous annual lists:

2019 in films - according to Film Excess
2018 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2018 in films - according to Film Excess
2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2017 in films - according to Film Excess
2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2016 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2016 in films - according to Film Excess

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
2001 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

What do you think of the lists?
What 2020 titles would make it to your top and bottom lists?
What worthwhile 2020 movies and TV-series are missing on the watch-list?

Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (6-25)

5/19/2022

Hidalgo (2004) - More respectable than rousing

Related posts:

Joe Johnston: 2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

The Wolfman (2010) - Johnston's luxurious, effects-driven remake

4/11/2021

Good (2008) - Mortensen stands out in under-appreciated Nazi drama

1/26/2021

G.I. Jane (1997) or, The Amazing Seal Woman!

Ridley Scott: The Martian (2015) - Scott and Damon triumph with hopeful sci-fi adventure

Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Robin Hood (2010) - R. Scott's grand film of the English legend

2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2008 in films - according to Film Excess

Body of Lies (2008) - R. Scott's terror actioner is a fatiguing turkey

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2007 in films - according to Film Excess

American Gangster (2007) - Great American - now black - gangster picture
A Good Year (2006) - Ridley Scott likes Provence

Matchstick Men (2003) - Great Cage job highlights entertaining Scott crime dramedy

Hannibal (2001) - Grisly highlights in low-yielding Scott sequel

2000 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Blade Runner (1982) director's cut - Visual extravaganza, great SF
Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News

1/01/2021

2020 in films - according to Film Excess

Eagerly anticipating this month ... (5-25)

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