Anyone see the Last Samuri? at DVinfo.net

Christopher C. Murphy · December 19th, 2003, 11:30 AM

I want to say it was a good film. The best parts are the battle scenes..they don't cut away to much. Its full contact for a lot of the hitting..I like that instead of lame cutaways.

Also, I saw some of the worst keying ever in the beginning. When Cruise is on a ship heading for Japan...he's looking off the boat and it's horrible. His hair is swaying in the wind and it looks like it was painted in!

I can't believe they let that go. But, its there...if you go see it look for that shot. Also, the weirdest ending.....a CU of Cruise's face. It's like the ultimate "me" moment...that's not including the battle scenes where REAL Samuri get killed off...every last one and Cruise is left standing. Give me a break....not possible.

Richard Alvarez · December 19th, 2003, 06:40 PM

Some beautiful cinematography, some excellent battle sequences, a mediocre story line ("Dances With Wolves meets Japan") and a lame actor.

I give it a B+

Dylan Couper · December 19th, 2003, 10:27 PM

Tom Cruise auditionned for a part in our Lady X: The Ronin (ep. 13) movie this past summer, but Keith and I passed on him in favor of a fresh young actor. I think we went with the right choice.

Ken Tanaka · December 19th, 2003, 11:35 PM

I am eager to see this, if only for the cinematography.

I, too, am not a big Tom Cruise fan. To be sure, he has been very entertaining in several films. But, in my lay opinion, his is a problem shared by the majority of young and youngish actors today; he only seems able to play himself. Regardless of how he is costumed or what lines he's reciting he's always essentially the same character. While it certainly must take more skill than I have to even do that, it's monotonous. But apparently it sells very well around the world (maybe he's better if dubbed in Spanish or Japanese?). He's certainly one of the wealthiest actors of all time.

Christopher C. Murphy · December 20th, 2003, 01:11 AM

Tom Cruise is great in Born on Forth of July and few other movies. But, it seems to have been lost because he's over acting lately.

If he could chill out for a year and relax...maybe he would come back with something decent. He's just to....into what he's doing and it shows. Sometimes he needs to just relax and not draw on the intensity he has...its nice, but not needed all the time.

Richard Alvarez · December 20th, 2003, 09:00 PM

The lead Japanese actor is wonderful by the way... don't remember his name, but he is a real gift.

Christopher C. Murphy · December 21st, 2003, 07:29 AM

Actually, you're right. I thought he gave a throughtful performance. It's Cruise that tried to overact during their duel scenes..

John Hudson · December 27th, 2003, 02:56 PM

I agree on a few parts in this thread in that Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise. But to say he is a lame actor and essentially able to play only himself is absurd.

Has anyone even seen Magnolia?

Let's think of some actors that seem to always play themselves:

DeNiro
Pacino
Stewart
Wayne
Ford

Well I suppose I could go on and on but my point is, is that he has character. Is Tom Cruise Tom Cruise when you see him? Yes.

Are the actors listed above the same as well? Yes. I'm not putting Cruise in the same class as Pacino and DeNiro; NO WAY.

I just saying the guy can act. To say he's a LAME actor shows no real judge of talent.

See

Color of Money, The (1986)
Rain Man (1988)
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Far and Away (1992)
Few Good Men, A (1992)
Magnolia (1999)

Come on... A lame actor? He held his own with Hoffman, Newman and Nicholson (Newman and Hoffman won the Academy Award for their roles. You don't pull that off by playing opposite some Lame Actor.

Bryan Mitchell · January 7th, 2004, 07:14 PM

Magnolia is #3 in my top 10. Very good movie. Everyone should see that one first :-). He and every other person in that movie gave a terrific performance. It contains like 4 of my top 6 actors/actresses too.

J. Clayton Stansberry · January 7th, 2004, 07:40 PM

Hey what about Jerry McQuire? Not just anyone can pull off the "Show me the money" line! And, he made Renee Zelwieger (sp?) look freaking hot, or wait, she is already hot, but that "show me the money" line...talent!?!

Christopher C. Murphy · January 7th, 2004, 08:28 PM

Born on Forth of July is amazing...underrated by so many. I get chills watching that movie because it goes in so many places...just checkout the hospital scene when he's puking and shiting on himself. It's so real...sick, but sad because it is what happened.

Also, the way he was 17 years old on the wrestling team...looked 17! Then he turns around and he's an older bald guy in a wheelchair. I love that movie, so many great scenes...if only we could get a good print on DVD. The transfers stink...very contrasty instead of clean.

Cruise is great in Minority Report too. If we look at it in Hollywood terms...he's probably the best Hollywood actor there is out there. He does big budget and he's great...in my opinion he's the sucessor to Harrison Ford. If you remember, Harrison did some great films...Witness, Mosquito Coast...Raiders etc. I think Cruise is carrying the large budget genre along after Harrison Ford.

By the way, Hollywood Homocide was truly horrible wasn't it? Harrison forgot how to act in that movie..

It must be the director's...cause it's hit or miss.

Murph

John Hudson · January 7th, 2004, 10:27 PM

Well put.

Wow, think about it. I grew up idolizing Harrison Ford. Start Wars, Raiders, Blade Runner. I never thought about Tom Cruise being the successor of Harrison, but you are right; he does BIG BUDGET better than anyone right now.

I don't know if it's his agent or him, but he picks the right films to do. When was the last stinker he did? Days of Thunder? (Eyes Wide Shut doesn't count; that was Kubricks own crap)

I was hugely disapointed in Hollywood Homicide and I dig both of the leads in that and Ron Shelton but that film just missed on all kinds of levels. Too bad. And what was up with Lena Olin being the love interest? What, did she have one more film under contract owed to her?

I think Harrison is in dire need of a quality film. It's not that I disliked his recent work (What Lies Beneath was actually pretty cool) but where is the Harrison we all know and love:

Air Force One
Clear and Present Danger
The Fugitive

Well, INDY 4 is in production and I'm sure he will kick ass as INDY as usual; but I am almost sure of one thing. Spielberg and Lucas will fu**ing ruin it like they did with Part 3.

Remember how cool RAIDERS was? How it almost seemed plausible? By the time they did 3 it was like what just happened? Why is Connery an idiot and Marcus a total imcompetent? The whole cast were a bunch of dumbasses.

Sigh

Yeah, Tom Cruise has really proven to be reliable.

Charles Papert · January 8th, 2004, 02:31 AM

I've always been a fan of Ben Stiller's impressions of Tom Cruise over the years. Probably the best was on" The Ben Stiller Show" that ran on Fox and is now available on DVD (I was and am a huge fan of that show, all 13 episodes). Ben does Tom performing a one-man show on Broadway, "Tom Cruise: Dress Casual" that has to be seen to be believed...

Christopher C. Murphy · January 8th, 2004, 08:37 AM

Hey John Hudson -

We're totally on the same page. I'm guessing you're in your 30's by the we agree??

I know what you mean - Harrison Ford needs something to sink his teeth into. I'm thinking that the 80's could have been his time for a few reasons...his younger age and the time period being open to the 2nd generation of "blockbusters" after the Jaws/Stars Wars phenomenon. They were spending money and using the 1970's indepenent mind-set.

Also, we forgot to mention Vanilla Sky...a very cool film that needs to be watched at least 2 times to understand the depth. There is something about Cruise's choices that really go against the typical Hollywood shlock. He's SO Hollywood in his choices that it's ok with me because he's not making excuses - he's giving the situation the best. It's just like Harrison in Raiders...it's PURE Hollywood popcorn film. We all LOVE it because it didn't attempt to be anything else...a pure fantasy of joy for its audience.

I think Cruise might have a more action-type thing happening right now. But, I have a feeling he's in-the-know about his age...maybe 1-2 more of these and he's going to have to dig deeper. I think Harrison Ford is making a mistake with Indy 4 - and I mean that in a way like HE is making a mistake. Of course, we'll all go and see it! It's Indiana Jones!! But, think about it...he'll be 62 when it premiere's.....unless he's going to be TRUTHFUL about his age in the film and do the right thing..it'll make him look pretty stupid. I truly hope they don't have him running around so much...it better be truthful and circumstantial. Like, I'd rather see him dig into the professor-side of himself...using his smarts more, mystery getting uncovered...that sort of thing. I'd like to see him go in the closet and pull out the whip and jacket...like, dust it off....show it. That'll give me chills...be real Indiana and we'll believe again...

Damn, I wanna write Indy 4's screenplay now! I bet that my idea is better than what they're doing!! lol

Murph

Nick Kerpchar · January 8th, 2004, 09:26 AM

I would love a good Indy-4 with Ford in it, but he's a bit long-in-the-tooth. Do you think he can get beat up, jump onto hard surfaces, or punch the bad guys out at his age and still make it look like he won't be laid up in an intensive care unit for 6 months? Remember how old and tired Sean Connery looked in the last James Bond flick he did? Even the wig didn't fit anymore. Ya gotta know when to fold 'em and when to walk away.

Nick

December 19th, 2003, 11:30 AM	#1
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	Anyone see the Last Samuri? I want to say it was a good film. The best parts are the battle scenes..they don't cut away to much. Its full contact for a lot of the hitting..I like that instead of lame cutaways. Also, I saw some of the worst keying ever in the beginning. When Cruise is on a ship heading for Japan...he's looking off the boat and it's horrible. His hair is swaying in the wind and it looks like it was painted in! I can't believe they let that go. But, its there...if you go see it look for that shot. Also, the weirdest ending.....a CU of Cruise's face. It's like the ultimate "me" moment...that's not including the battle scenes where REAL Samuri get killed off...every last one and Cruise is left standing. Give me a break....not possible. __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

December 19th, 2003, 11:35 PM	#4
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	I am eager to see this, if only for the cinematography. I, too, am not a big Tom Cruise fan. To be sure, he has been very entertaining in several films. But, in my lay opinion, his is a problem shared by the majority of young and youngish actors today; he only seems able to play himself. Regardless of how he is costumed or what lines he's reciting he's always essentially the same character. While it certainly must take more skill than I have to even do that, it's monotonous. But apparently it sells very well around the world (maybe he's better if dubbed in Spanish or Japanese?). He's certainly one of the wealthiest actors of all time. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

December 20th, 2003, 01:11 AM	#5
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	Tom Cruise is great in Born on Forth of July and few other movies. But, it seems to have been lost because he's over acting lately. If he could chill out for a year and relax...maybe he would come back with something decent. He's just to....into what he's doing and it shows. Sometimes he needs to just relax and not draw on the intensity he has...its nice, but not needed all the time. __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

December 21st, 2003, 07:29 AM	#7
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	Actually, you're right. I thought he gave a throughtful performance. It's Cruise that tried to overact during their duel scenes.. __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

January 7th, 2004, 07:40 PM	#10
J. Clayton Stansberry Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 316	Hey what about Jerry McQuire? Not just anyone can pull off the "Show me the money" line! And, he made Renee Zelwieger (sp?) look freaking hot, or wait, she is already hot, but that "show me the money" line...talent!?! __________________ I understand everything about nothing.

December 19th, 2003, 06:40 PM	#2
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Some beautiful cinematography, some excellent battle sequences, a mediocre story line ("Dances With Wolves meets Japan") and a lame actor. I give it a B+

December 19th, 2003, 10:27 PM	#3
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	Tom Cruise auditionned for a part in our Lady X: The Ronin (ep. 13) movie this past summer, but Keith and I passed on him in favor of a fresh young actor. I think we went with the right choice. __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

December 20th, 2003, 09:00 PM	#6
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	The lead Japanese actor is wonderful by the way... don't remember his name, but he is a real gift.

December 27th, 2003, 02:56 PM	#8
John Hudson Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: 32° 44' N 117° 10' W Posts: 820	I agree on a few parts in this thread in that Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise. But to say he is a lame actor and essentially able to play only himself is absurd. Has anyone even seen Magnolia? Let's think of some actors that seem to always play themselves: DeNiro Pacino Stewart Wayne Ford Well I suppose I could go on and on but my point is, is that he has character. Is Tom Cruise Tom Cruise when you see him? Yes. Are the actors listed above the same as well? Yes. I'm not putting Cruise in the same class as Pacino and DeNiro; NO WAY. I just saying the guy can act. To say he's a LAME actor shows no real judge of talent. See Color of Money, The (1986) Rain Man (1988) Born on the Fourth of July (1989) Far and Away (1992) Few Good Men, A (1992) Magnolia (1999) Come on... A lame actor? He held his own with Hoffman, Newman and Nicholson (Newman and Hoffman won the Academy Award for their roles. You don't pull that off by playing opposite some Lame Actor.

January 7th, 2004, 07:14 PM	#9
Bryan Mitchell Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 316	Magnolia is #3 in my top 10. Very good movie. Everyone should see that one first :-). He and every other person in that movie gave a terrific performance. It contains like 4 of my top 6 actors/actresses too.

January 7th, 2004, 08:28 PM	#11
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	Born on Forth of July is amazing...underrated by so many. I get chills watching that movie because it goes in so many places...just checkout the hospital scene when he's puking and shiting on himself. It's so real...sick, but sad because it is what happened. Also, the way he was 17 years old on the wrestling team...looked 17! Then he turns around and he's an older bald guy in a wheelchair. I love that movie, so many great scenes...if only we could get a good print on DVD. The transfers stink...very contrasty instead of clean. Cruise is great in Minority Report too. If we look at it in Hollywood terms...he's probably the best Hollywood actor there is out there. He does big budget and he's great...in my opinion he's the sucessor to Harrison Ford. If you remember, Harrison did some great films...Witness, Mosquito Coast...Raiders etc. I think Cruise is carrying the large budget genre along after Harrison Ford. By the way, Hollywood Homocide was truly horrible wasn't it? Harrison forgot how to act in that movie.. It must be the director's...cause it's hit or miss. Murph __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

January 7th, 2004, 10:27 PM	#12
John Hudson Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: 32° 44' N 117° 10' W Posts: 820	Well put. Wow, think about it. I grew up idolizing Harrison Ford. Start Wars, Raiders, Blade Runner. I never thought about Tom Cruise being the successor of Harrison, but you are right; he does BIG BUDGET better than anyone right now. I don't know if it's his agent or him, but he picks the right films to do. When was the last stinker he did? Days of Thunder? (Eyes Wide Shut doesn't count; that was Kubricks own crap) I was hugely disapointed in Hollywood Homicide and I dig both of the leads in that and Ron Shelton but that film just missed on all kinds of levels. Too bad. And what was up with Lena Olin being the love interest? What, did she have one more film under contract owed to her? I think Harrison is in dire need of a quality film. It's not that I disliked his recent work (What Lies Beneath was actually pretty cool) but where is the Harrison we all know and love: Air Force One Clear and Present Danger The Fugitive Well, INDY 4 is in production and I'm sure he will kick ass as INDY as usual; but I am almost sure of one thing. Spielberg and Lucas will fu**ing ruin it like they did with Part 3. Remember how cool RAIDERS was? How it almost seemed plausible? By the time they did 3 it was like what just happened? Why is Connery an idiot and Marcus a total imcompetent? The whole cast were a bunch of dumbasses. Sigh Yeah, Tom Cruise has really proven to be reliable.

January 8th, 2004, 02:31 AM	#13
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	I've always been a fan of Ben Stiller's impressions of Tom Cruise over the years. Probably the best was on" The Ben Stiller Show" that ran on Fox and is now available on DVD (I was and am a huge fan of that show, all 13 episodes). Ben does Tom performing a one-man show on Broadway, "Tom Cruise: Dress Casual" that has to be seen to be believed... __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com

January 8th, 2004, 08:37 AM	#14
Christopher C. Murphy Trustee Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 1,707	Hey John Hudson - We're totally on the same page. I'm guessing you're in your 30's by the we agree?? I know what you mean - Harrison Ford needs something to sink his teeth into. I'm thinking that the 80's could have been his time for a few reasons...his younger age and the time period being open to the 2nd generation of "blockbusters" after the Jaws/Stars Wars phenomenon. They were spending money and using the 1970's indepenent mind-set. Also, we forgot to mention Vanilla Sky...a very cool film that needs to be watched at least 2 times to understand the depth. There is something about Cruise's choices that really go against the typical Hollywood shlock. He's SO Hollywood in his choices that it's ok with me because he's not making excuses - he's giving the situation the best. It's just like Harrison in Raiders...it's PURE Hollywood popcorn film. We all LOVE it because it didn't attempt to be anything else...a pure fantasy of joy for its audience. I think Cruise might have a more action-type thing happening right now. But, I have a feeling he's in-the-know about his age...maybe 1-2 more of these and he's going to have to dig deeper. I think Harrison Ford is making a mistake with Indy 4 - and I mean that in a way like HE is making a mistake. Of course, we'll all go and see it! It's Indiana Jones!! But, think about it...he'll be 62 when it premiere's.....unless he's going to be TRUTHFUL about his age in the film and do the right thing..it'll make him look pretty stupid. I truly hope they don't have him running around so much...it better be truthful and circumstantial. Like, I'd rather see him dig into the professor-side of himself...using his smarts more, mystery getting uncovered...that sort of thing. I'd like to see him go in the closet and pull out the whip and jacket...like, dust it off....show it. That'll give me chills...be real Indiana and we'll believe again... Damn, I wanna write Indy 4's screenplay now! I bet that my idea is better than what they're doing!! lol Murph __________________ Christopher C. Murphy Director, Producer, Writer

January 8th, 2004, 09:26 AM	#15
Nick Kerpchar Major Player Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 211	I would love a good Indy-4 with Ford in it, but he's a bit long-in-the-tooth. Do you think he can get beat up, jump onto hard surfaces, or punch the bad guys out at his age and still make it look like he won't be laid up in an intensive care unit for 6 months? Remember how old and tired Sean Connery looked in the last James Bond flick he did? Even the wig didn't fit anymore. Ya gotta know when to fold 'em and when to walk away. Nick