en-us http://www.intensedebate.com/users/362281 Comments by filmklassik http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291588130 Problem is you can't do a big-budget thriller nowadays and LEAVE OUT all the tedious backstory. The studios simply won't allow it and, more importantly, the stars themselves seem to dig it, too. Alas... Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:26:42 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291588130 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291586753 Hmm. Okay, I am beginning to understand your screen name now. We'll just have to agree to disagree. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:24:29 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291586753 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291585116 Well, one of the definitions of the term "movie star" is someone who is enormously charismatic, but is always (or almost always) playing some variation of themselves. James Stewart, Cary Grant, John Wayne were protean talents but c'mon folks, let's not kid ourselves, they weren't "chameleons" in the sense that, for example, the unbelievably brilliant but somewhat LESS charismatic Alec Guiness was. Nor did we want them to be. We wanted them to be who they were. So saying that a particular actor has a "limited range" does not necessarily signify a lack of talent or charisma or make them any less great, since so many of America's favorite iconic stars (once again, Stewart, Grant, Eastwood, Wayne, McQueen, Bogart, Cagney, Woody Allen) are almost always (they would OCCASIONALLY try to "stretch" by doing a character part) playing variations of themselves. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:22:26 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291585116 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/02/13/something-gays-muslims-need-never-fear-cbs-grammys-mock-catholic-church/#IDComment291568919 Sure it does. High profile media types will as a matter of course single out Catholicism and "right wing Christianity" for rebuke and condemnation. (Michael Moore was doing that very thing three days ago). But do they ever -- and I mean EVER -- single out Islam for IT'S oppressive policies? You should live so long. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:59:03 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/02/13/something-gays-muslims-need-never-fear-cbs-grammys-mock-catholic-church/#IDComment291568919 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291146716 Nope. Sorry. Strongly disagree. That wasn't a "hole in the script." Any hack writer could have contrived a by-the-numbers shoot-out (or the equivalent) where Robert Shaw gets his comeuppance in utterly predictable fashion. But the way they did it was smarter. And cooler. And a helluva lot more unexpected. And it was oddly true to the character. And yeah to me it was every bit as satisfying. Kudos to screenwriter Peter Stone for coming up with it (it wasn't in the book -- neither was the absolutely brilliant "gezzundeit" ending!) Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:39:03 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291146716 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291145517 Disagree. Travolta is enormously talented and boasts star quality to burn (especially in middle age, just watch GET SHORTY again if you don't believe me)... but... The remake of PELHAM 1 2 3 pales in comparison to the original. Love Travolta in BLOW OUT, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, PULP FICTION, GET SHORTY, PRIMARY COLORS, etc. He just has more bad films on his resume than good ones. He needs to pick his roles better. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:36:45 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291145517 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291143023 A nearly perfect movie, and the ending is glorious. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:31:57 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291143023 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291142858 Agreed. Its cool and interesting to see what it looked and felt like ON FILM... not in real life. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:31:37 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291142858 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291142180 Totally agree with your love for this movie (not to mention GUNGA DIN) but don't kid yourself about Walter Matthau. Although he was a tremendous talent -- one of the finest, most distinctive actors of his generation -- he still made his share of clunkers just like anyone. Just watch BUDDY BUDDY or THE SURVIVORS or OUT TO SEA or GRUMPIER OLD MEN or THE ODD COUPLE 2 if you don't believe me. Still, the guy was wonderful and made a ton of great movies, including this one, CHARADE, CHARLEY VARRICK, HOPSCOTCH and so many more. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:30:20 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291142180 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291137279 Agree with everything you just said -- and passionately too -- except your dissing of PERSON OF INTEREST which, at least in the first 6 or 7 episodes (the only onesl I've seen) went out of its way to AVOID many of the traps you mentioned. Indeed in many ways it was a throwback to the "classic" era of TV storytelling, with no boring B and C-stories being dwelled on, but instead just a good, tough, twisty -- occasionally violent -- thriller each week. But maybe POI has changed since October, I just don't know. But yeah, I really miss the days before B, C and D stories and labored "backstory" became the norm. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:20:45 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291137279 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291134487 Yeah, but I do too. Nothing wrong with misdirection if it's done right. Watch THE STING again for example. Or BODY HEAT. Or WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION for some great examples of great misdirection. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:15:49 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291134487 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291133518 The Made-For-TV version is stone-cold BRILLIANT and not to be missed. I'm kidding. I recall tuning in just out of curiosity and thinking it was a low budget, abbreviated (only 89 or 90 minutes without commercials) watered-down version of the sublime original. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:14:00 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291133518 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291131439 Can you remind me what the "reveal" is? It's been a while since I've seen it, and I don't remember anything so egregiously bad about the film. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:10:03 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291131439 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291130579 The remake is far inferior to the sublime original, which bests it in every way. But... -- Denzel was playing a resolutely "unheroic" type -- his character even sports a paunch in this movie! Kind of a brave decision for a leading man who almost only ever plays alpha males. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:08:38 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291130579 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291128532 Not me. I absolutely love the urine-drenched streets of NYC at the movies (as in SERPICO, TAXI DRIVER, PELHAM 1 2 3, DEATH WISH, THE FRENCH CONNECTION, etc) but I am not even a little bit nostalific for it in real life. It's not even a close call: NYC in the mid 70s to early 90s was a filth-infested war zone (north of 1000 homicides a year some years) and it is exponentially safer and lovelier and more habitable now. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:05:13 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/12/big-movie-flashback-the-taking-of-pelham-one-two-three/#IDComment291128532 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/10/denzels-safe-house-hollywood-loves-wikileaks-spilling-security-secrets/#IDComment289555348 Close but wrong Guggenheim. SAFE HOUSE was written not by Davis but by DAVID Guggenheim, whose brother Marc Guggenheim is a big mucky-muck in TV. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:05:27 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/10/denzels-safe-house-hollywood-loves-wikileaks-spilling-security-secrets/#IDComment289555348 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/02/10/michael-moore-goes-on-anti-catholic-twitter-rant-distorts-contraception-debate/#IDComment289549342 Staking a claim to Catholocism gives him LICENSE to trashtalk the church. It's a calculated move on his part. And transparent. And a big load of hogwash. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:54:49 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/02/10/michael-moore-goes-on-anti-catholic-twitter-rant-distorts-contraception-debate/#IDComment289549342 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/hollywoodland/2012/02/10/nbcs-grimm-recycles-vile-anti-semitic-stereotypes/#IDComment289545368 You know what? We're sounding just like those namby pamby nimrods on the Left right now. We are -- we sound like those PC-minded losers from CAIR and GLAAD. Speaking as a Jew who lost more than a few relatives to the Nazis -- this is nothing but Victim Politcs, folks, plain and simple, and we need to not participate in it. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:47:57 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/hollywoodland/2012/02/10/nbcs-grimm-recycles-vile-anti-semitic-stereotypes/#IDComment289545368 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ekaris/2012/02/09/madonna-targeted-for-scorn-for-being-older-and-female/#IDComment287963804 Not sure I agree with you about Hillary Clinton. I do not recall her age being brought up as a factor in the '08 primaries. It was much more of an issue for John McCain, actually. So while the reality of aging seems to affect women more than men in many fields of endeavor (particularly the performing arts)... I am not sure if that is the case in politics. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 14:59:39 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ekaris/2012/02/09/madonna-targeted-for-scorn-for-being-older-and-female/#IDComment287963804 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/08/trailer-talk-renners-bourne-reboot-revisits-shady-spy-games/#IDComment287283118 Hold on. ANOTHER butt-kicking, gov't trained, amnesia victim...??? They're kidding, right? Wed, 8 Feb 2012 19:20:47 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/08/trailer-talk-renners-bourne-reboot-revisits-shady-spy-games/#IDComment287283118