Terminator: Salvation Junkyard
Thursday, June 4, 2009


The original Terminator film frightened me. It was scary. It gave me goosebumps, all because it was a low-key horror movie.

The sequels do not frighten, because they never pause to take a breath. The films rush through everything. There's nary a moment allowing the characters to contemplate how numbing, and terrifying, it would be to have an unstoppable, calculating and scheming killing machine pursuing them.

These follow-up movies are mildly engaging, generically amusing, and kinda boring overall. It's all about explosions, gun fire, devastating and earth shattering wreckage, and blowing up buildings.

Yawn. I think they should leave a lot of these pyrotechnics for the video games. Yeah, people pay for the bombs. I get it.

All of the producers of the franchise films seem unaware of what made the first film so riveting (although it was not an absolute commercial success).

Here's a clue: Arnold Schwarzenegger's character was an unrelenting, unemotional, and unsentimental robot. He had only one task to perform.

That movie was as chilling and creepy as watching Psycho.

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I couldn't resist throwing the word 'junkyard' in the post heading. The desolate themes throughout the movie, reminded me of Road Warrior (I must rent that, haven't seen that crazy classic in a long time!), and Resident Evil: Extinction. The robots, especially the giant one that harvested humans reminded me of War of the Worlds and Star Wars: The Rotten Prequels.

Plot pivots: was it a Superman or Jesus Christ thingy going on? Oh, right. It was a hint at our possible immortality. So, that made Marcus Wright (I'm sure there's a meaning in that name, but I'm a bit dull right now in sorting it out) akin to a demi-god for this flick.

Marcus could have chosen to be immortal, as a cyborg, but what made him human was his heart.

It's scary how fast the future (prosthetic body parts, rapidly healing, etc., etc.) is coming at us.

Did I mention that Sam Worthington, who plays Marcus Wright is hawt? Like really smoking hot? This picture does his handsome mug no justice. Delicious. Slurp.

Interesting how the best looking actors are coming out of New Zealand and Australia these days. Must be something in the air, food or water.

I must visit soon!

Oh right, about the movie. I had to run out a few times, but the first hour is all about Marcus (Sam), so that's the best thing I can say about the flick. Christian Bale (John Connor) barks throughout the film. He's too damn stoic. The cuties in this film were: Jadagrace and Anton Yelchin (lucky kid, he was in Star Trek too).

Boy, is McG a lazy director or what? Did he not notice these guys slipping back into their regional accents on occasion? I wont mention the enormous amount of inconsistencies in the film sequences. For example: in one scene Connor's shoe has been tossed far and wide, yet in the very next one, it's on again.

Worth seeing again? When it's on DVD, sure, but a repeat at the theater? Nope.

However, the special effects were awesome. The CGI was so realistic that I couldn't tell what was fake, and usually I could tell.

Overall, not bad, but not great either.

Labels: Anton Yelchin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Christian Bale, Jadagrace, Sam Worthington, Star Wars, Terminator, Terminator: Salvation

posted by GoldenAh
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Is the Hardass, Tough, Blond Man Making a Comeback?
Thursday, May 31, 2007











My opinion is based on watching "24", with Keifer Sutherland in the lead role as an evolving super agent fighting terrorism. Usually a role such as his goes to a brown or blue eyed, dark haired man.

I also base this modest theory on the producers of Bond films picking a rugged looking - fine ass body - blond, Daniel Craig, for the first time evah! It was such a big deal!



Going back in my mind the badass blonds of the past were:

• Clint Eastwood, boy, was he pretty back then!

• Steve McQueen was the man! Every guy in every film since, has tried to be him. He was tough, blue eyed, blond, and ruggedly handsome. And a true badass.



It was shocking to watch the "Getaway" and how he just up and smacked Ali McGraw's character across the face several times . It must have worked, because in real life she left her husband for McQueen.

Don't get it twisted!! I'm not into anyone smacking anyone (unless it's consensual). I realize that was exaggerated macho for a film of that period. It's simply the tough guy persona that is the attraction.

Here are other blonds I could think of:

• Paul Newman, not a bad guy, more nuanced and layered. See "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof": I was sympathetic to Elizabeth Taylor's character. I wanted Paul to scratch my itch too!

• Kurt Russell, sometimes he was blond, sometimes he was not.

• Kevin Costner he has his moments; loved him in "Bodyguard", "Tin Cup", etc.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger was always more of a comedic butt kicker than an angry, rough man. Although he did scare the crap out of me with "Terminator."

I'm sorta iffy with the following:






• Matt Damon with the Bourne series are getting really good. His other stuff, I just don't bother to watch. I'm not into his "The Talented Mr. Ripley" lemme-win-an-Oscar-with-this-performance kind of films.

I'm ignoring the blond pretty boys. I don't like films where the men aren't hardcore and gritty.

So, let's hear it for the hardass, rough and tough guys with blonde hair! Yeah.

I'll make updates if and when I remember other fair haired chaps.

Labels: actors, Arnold Schwarzenegger, blond men, blonds, Daniel Craig, Keifer Sutherland, Kevin Costner, Matt Damon, Paul Newman, Steve Mcqueen, tough guys

posted by GoldenAh
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