muddysmind.com

You can All guess how I feel about this.

Sorry but it was a love story based on a book! I hate it when Hollywood mutilates a book as it is, much less to be PC.

On top of that, I am a movie buff. I see a movie or 2 every weekend. I don't go to be preached at about something I already know (we had slaves, as the Romans, African tribes, American-Indian tribes, and many other civilizations did, and that's immoral.) I'm converted. So is the majority of the world. You don't need to remind us every time we see a movie.

Heck, I think the only slaves I saw in the whole movie were some who were escaping.

Pick, pick, pick! Geesh! I haven't even *seen* this movie yet and already, I want to see it even MORE now that some are trying to boycott it! All the previews I have seen have shown it to be a movie focused on a LOVE story. If it were a movie focused on slavery then I'm sure the movie would have told the story "properly". I swear, these people just have to have something to pick on. Do these people not have enough to do in their own lives. Maybe they need a hobby. Maybe they can make their OWN film and do it how they want it done.

Go see it! Very good. Very long.

Right now I'm looking forward to Mel Gibson's Passion.

Any movie where Mel Gibson will pay 25 mill of his own cash to make it, almost entirely in Aramaic (a little latin and greek thrown in) and gets an R rating simply for the crucifixion scene. Yeah I wanna see that!

Ah...yes! The Passion! Almost any movie that causes any kind of a stir is gotta be a good one! Though, I really do hope it will have english subtitles as I am only familiar with one other language....and Aramaic is NOT it :-D

It's subtitled. Gibson didn't want it to get subtitled, the studio's made him.

OH-MY-GOD!!!!!
I just got finished watching "Cold Mountain". Yes, I FINALLY got to see it! Very Good...Great film! I even broke down and cried 3 (that's THREE - mind you) times. However, I'm very Pissed! I can't *believe* what they *did* to him at the end!!!!!!!!! Ok! Sure...I had a bad feeling about his fate and I just *knew* that there couldn't be a happy ending (for *him* anyway). BUT, To go through ALL he went through and then......AAHHHHH!!!! I'm so speechless. I'm going to crawl under my covers now....but only *after* I beat my head against the wall first. Muddy, you refused one good movie! UHG!!!!!

I was annoyed throughout the whole thing by the hideous southern accents...especially Jude Law's.

haha....ok? Well, you live more in the thick of southern accents than *we* do but, I must say that I thought Jude Law did just fine with his accent. I mean, considering he's from England and Nicole Kidman's from Australia....I think they pulled of the southern accents very well. The one that cracked me up the most was Renee Zellweger's. It only cracked me up because I've known people (as I'm sure you have and probably still do) who spoke with that *exact* accent of her character's.:-) I thought she did a good job with hers as well. You have to admit, though, that although Renee's accent was thick that at least her character had a good head on her shoulders inspit of her right on target, annoying (yet funny) accent. Ok, maybe you *don't* have to admit that but that's *my* opinion.:-)

I'm still sad over it....I need a comedy now.:-)

Renee Zellweger NAILED the hillbilly accent.

Nicole Kidman's accent was pretty good. She sounded like a southern belle. Jude Law's accent was hideous.

The fact that they are from the UK and Australia is why they should have done better: the southern accent comes directly from the British accent. It's a very close relationship. The farther north in the US that you go, the accents sound more like other European accents.

Honestly though, here in Atlanta you don't see a lot of the southern accent, especially since the Majority of Atlantans were simply not born here, but in the mountains and in south GA you hear it a lot. Most people here would say I have no accent.

"Renee Zellweger NAILED the hillbilly accent."

Yep. The funny thing is that, during the first few seconds when they introduced her character, I didn't think I was going to like her. Once she got going, though, I realized she was just the right spice to the move. I liked her straight forward, no non sence personallity.:-)

"Nicole Kidman's accent was pretty good. She sounded like a southern belle."

Yes, she did. It was very classy.:-)

"Jude Law's accent was hideous."

Jude's character, other than being mostly a man of few words, his accent was pretty subtle, I thought. That's why I don't understand why you think it was hideous. Did you think it just sounded fake or that it wasn't "enough"? I think you're smokin'.:-P Got anymore? haha

"...the southern accent comes directly from the British accent. It's a very close relationship."

yes, this is true. I was thinking about that after my last comment. Especially about Australia. As far as the accent goes, they're like the "south" of the British. Of course, england has it's own "south" in some parts of it's country as well....so you do have a good point.

"Honestly though, here in Atlanta you don't see a lot of the southern accent..."

Yes, it would be hard to *see* a southern accent. What does one *look* like anyway?:-P JK Anyhow, I think there are places all over the south where people don't have much of an (or any) accent as compared to people in other parts. Then again, sometimes people don't notice they have an accent because they live with and around others who are just as subtle....that's not a comment towards *you* btw, I'm just saying....:-)

Trust me....I notice southern accents. Some are stronger than others. I frequently get asked where I'm from originally because people here think I have no accent. When I got up north people know immediately that I'm from the south.

Jude Law sounded like John Edwards: fake southern accent.

It's one thing to overdo it and sound like a hill billy but it is quite another to just sound completely fake.

"Trust me....I notice southern accents."

I *said* that comment wasn't directed towards you.:-) I just ment, sometimes people don't realize they have as much of an accent as they do. Anyway, beside the point - now if only there *was* one, haha.:-P

Ok, ok...accent aside....we're just going to have to disagree on it anyway (even though *I'm* right.:-D ), they both did a great job wiht their characters. Jude Law is such an incredible actor anyway that I'm just pretty much impressed wiht whatever character he portrays. Interrestingly enough, I think I've only seen him in *one* other film - Enemy at the Gates (which ironically has my other favorate movie love scene in it - Cold mountain's love scene comes in as a *major* tie.:-) ). I would definately love to see him in more. *Movies* that is.:-)

So you've never seen Gattica? You should also see his new one Sky CAptain and the World of Tomorrow. NEver seen Road to Perdition? How about AI (Which was one of the worst movies I have ever seen I might add)?

Gattica? Sounds familiar...but no. Haven't seen it. I haven't seen Sky Captain...yet but I remember seeing senes of it from somewhere and it looked good so I'd like to see it. Never evern heard of the "Road to Perdition". I'll have to look it up later. Muddy saw "AI"....I think. *I* wanted to see it but haven't had the chance.

The last movie I saw in the theater was "The Alamo" because I'm fascinated with history (can never seem to *remember* my history lessons very well ...hahaha...but I'm fascinated with it none the less.).

When we saw "Enemy at the Gates", I remember thinking that Jude Law looked familiar to me but I couldn't place where I saw him from. I just excused it as probably seeing him on the news in the entertainment section from me flipping through the channels or something. He's in that new "I heart Huckabees" which looks...uh, very interresting to say the least.:-) I'd like to see that one as well. So *many* movies, so little babysitters.:-D

Oh, btw...ment to ask you if you *read* the book "cold Moutain" and if it was better than the movie or if the movie really did the book justice. Not that I have the *time* to start another book right now but I was just curious.:-)

Don't see AI. It's horrible. Jude Law's character in it is good though.

I misspelled it though: Gattaca. It's really good. It's about government totalitarianism.

Road to Perdition is GREAT! The cinematography alone makes it worth seeing. Jude LAw plays a hit man in it called the angel of death. Verry kewl. Must see.

Gattaca/Gattica....in either case, I'll have to check it out...though, it does sound a little scary.:-)

"Road to Perdition is GREAT!"

Actually, I just looked it up and I *did* hear of it. Obviously, I spoke (or wrote in this case) too soon. I remember, after just now reading what it's about, that I really *did* want to see that! I'll definately have to check it out.:-)

It's quite a task for us English, Queen's English speakers here in England to get to grips with the topic of the American Civil War, let alone quibbling about slavery, falsified history & accents etc.
The great majority of Brits who saw this brilliant film probably haven't a clue about the massive achievement of bringing the book to the screen, casting, locations, shooting & production, which was largely Minghella's et al.
Again, the average Brit's idea of American SouthernSpeak & dialect is derived directly FROM such films, & presumably the makers take some pains to get fair facsimiles in place.
Renee is Texan, not Carolinan; Nicole, Australian but born in Hawaii; Jude, a Londoner: is anyone really saying that the film fails because none speaks with the precise twang? Purist, indeed- & misguided!
They are ACTORS, not real, live C19 people, for God's sake, & their CHARACTERISATIONS overlie them, not replace them. There is always a double take (eg Renee/Ruby, Nicole/Ada, Jude/Inman), but this rarely spoils a film: if anything's too obviously fake, it ends up on the cutting-room floor.

hey man, I understand but you're misunderstanding the point. It doesn't by any means ruin the film, that was simply one of my few complaints about it.

Sorry, Skywalker, but I got carried away defending the actors & the film!!!
I agree entirely with your first posting about films from books & PC-ness etc. The thrust of the thing, aside from the love story, is anti-war, not so much anti-slavery, & definitely pro-humanity all round.
There's probably slightly but not much more , as you perhaps know, about slaves & slavery in the book. However, think of the incident where Inman saves the pregnant girl from Veasey; his friend is Swimmer the (Native American) Indian,'worse than' & worse off than a slave in 1864 (?); & the general slant of moral outrage against the exploits of Teague & the bushwhackers, for example (who kill slaves or anyone who crosses them).
Slavery was peripheral to the book, & so should be & is to the film story. It's not a C20 Uncle Tom's Cabin, more a version of The Odyssey; universal in themes rather than narrowly political; & hence can include more rather than less social & domestic history, perhaps.