Clash of the Titans

Scott Hardie: Between Taken, Clash of the Titans, and The A-Team, Liam Neeson has been starring in so much high-profile crap lately that his name on the poster is becoming an instant sign that the movie is bad, like John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. What was his last good movie, Batman Begins five years ago? − April 20, 2010 • more by Scott

Steve West: I knew his career would crash and burn eventually. Although I take no joy in saying that. He's just such an unimpressive actor to me. − April 20, 2010 • more by Steve

Scott Hardie: Somebody said the same thing about Leonardo DiCaprio recently. He showed huge promise as a breakout young actor in films like Marvin's Room and What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Now he's 35 and the same skills that helped him stand out as a teenager aren't cutting it any more. He has this sort of blank stare that he uses a lot, an attempt at intensity that looks more like he just doesn't have a thought in his head. Shutter Island and The Departed are pretty good movies, but not at all because of his performances. I would even say that Revolutionary Road took advantage of the fact that he comes across as a boy trying to act like a man by casting him as exactly that, a child stuck in a grown-up marriage and trying to pretend like he can handle it. − April 20, 2010 • more by Scott

Scott Hardie: Also about Clash of the Titans: I went through the whole movie thinking that the villain Hades was played by F. Murray Abraham, and was surprised to see Ralph Fiennes in the credits instead. Take a look and tell me I'm not crazy. − April 20, 2010 • more by Scott

Steve West: From a still photo I can see the similarity but do they really sound that much alike? I haven't seen it and probably won't. − April 20, 2010 • more by Steve

Steve West: I see Costner, too (which is fitting). − April 20, 2010 • more by Steve

Jackie Mason: I don't know, I kind of feel like DiCaprio evolved over the years and I admire him more. No no, not simply because I'm a woman and I find him attractive! − April 21, 2010 • more by Jackie

Erik Bates: I'm sure that doesn't hurt though, eh, Jackie? :-) − April 22, 2010 • more by Erik

Amy Austin: I don't understand which is responsible for the recent spate of eighties remakes -- a serious lack of creativity in Hollywood, or the mid-life nostalgia crisis of Gen X -- but I, for one, am thinking "too soon!" with regard to most of it.

The original Clash of the Titans, due to its seemingly non-stop run on Spotlight, has likely earned the distinction of being *the* most-watched movie in my life (no, I don't know how many times... but I wouldn't be surprised if it were somewhere between 50 and 100) -- it apparently left quite an impression on me as a kid. Which, presumably, is why the people who took on the remake wanted to do it. Already having a sick gut feeling that a modernization wouldn't do justice, though, and not even knowing who the heck this new Perseus is... they lost me at making Pegasus black. Wtf? It's not Johnny Cash... it's Pegasus. Everyone knows that Pegasus is white. Don't they??!??

In defense of Neeson & Fiennes and hammy acting, though, you have to admit that even the great Sir Laurence Olivier's Zeus was "dramatic" to say the least! There was definitely a ham factor to the original. As for Neeson... though I did see Dead Pool (not Clint Eastwood's finest, either), Darkman was probably the first movie I actually remember seeing him in, and if that didn't set the bar for "cheesy", I don't know what would! Even in Schindler's List, I felt like he overacted just a touch. Still... I hardly think that his presence equals "bad movie". And c'mon... cut the guy some slack for throwing himself into a lot of "high-profile crap" lately... it's barely over a year since he became a widower, you know.

And Hades? Seriously??? Please tell me, in my 50+ viewings of it, where the hades was Hades? There was Calibos... no Hades. Now we're talking major deviations from the original!!!

But on ...I went through the whole movie thinking that the villain Hades was played by F. Murray Abraham...:

That's pretty funny, in light of this...

In sum... would I see it? Probably... but not if I have to pay for it or let someone I like pay for it. − May 10, 2010 • more by Amy

Scott Hardie: I have increasingly come to realize that not having seen the original makes me unqualified to judge the remake. I wouldn't think that would matter for this kind of brainless CGI action flick, but apparently it does. I've questioned the merit of numerous elements of the movie, only to be told that they're from the original, and that's justification enough for including them. So apparently the audience for this movie is 1) people who have seen the original and 2) people who don't care if a movie makes sense.

If this movie was made by TriStar Pictures, it would had a white pegasus. − May 13, 2010 • more by Scott