Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: K-19: The Widowmaker

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Topic: K-19: The Widowmaker

Mike Schindler
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1039
From: Oak Park, IL, USA
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 07-19-2002 04:19 PM

This movie was a big disappointment. I was expecting a lot more out of Kathryn Bigelow after STRANGE DAYS. But this thing just took forever to get where it was going, and once it got there, it really wasn't that great. I really really love Walter Murch, but he sure does like to take his sweet-ass time with things. And, boy, he's like the king of dramatic pauses. It got to be really annoying.

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 07-21-2002 05:29 PM

07/21/2002, 12:10PM, #6, Regal Cinema World 8, Eugene OR. Probably DTS. Attendance only about 10 (yikes!). Presentation was good except once again the surrounds didn't seem to be working.

Certain actors should not do accents. Harrison Ford for example. After seeing the trailers with him doing a Russian accent, I had a bad feeling about this. But Ford and Liam Neeson both kept the accents to a minimum so that wasn't a distraction. Despite it being very melodramatic at times, I actually liked this a lot. Ford and Neeson both give excellent performances. The action sequences aboard the sub are well-done and believeable, not to mention unsettling. But I think they could have trimmed 10 mins. out of this without doing any damage. I liked the way the story remained almost totally focused on the sub and its crew and there was very minimal cutting away to the Kremlin, and none to the Americans. It must have been tempting to show the US perspective of this incident.

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John Daily
Film Handler

Posts: 45
From: Upstate, NY, USA
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 07-24-2002 10:52 PM

I agree; 10-15 minutes cut would have helped this film immensely. We got the point about the drills early on, for example. I enjoyed K-19, but the 3 acts were too defined. You could actually tell where one act ended and the next began.

A good film that just narrowly misses being great.

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Aaron Haney
Master Film Handler

Posts: 265
From: Cupertino, CA, USA
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 07-27-2002 06:32 AM

I saw the trailer so many times I was almost sick of the movie before I got to see it. But it surprised me. Not great, but pretty good. The accents were pretty bad, though. Both Ford and Neeson messed them up several times.

I have to say this movie is exquisitely photographed. It's one of the best looking Super-35 films I've seen. I only wish they hadn't added anamorphic lens flares to the computer effects shots -- they didn't match the rest of the movie!

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 11-08-2002 08:18 AM

Three words...Oh my yawn.

Harrison, what the hell are you doing?

If this is the best role you can get...putting on silly make-up with an even sillier accent...no wonder you've 'made room in your schedule' to make Indiana 4.

Very sad.

------------------
"It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage." Indiana Jones

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Dave Williams
Wet nipple scene

Posts: 1836
From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 12-31-2002 02:15 AM

I saw the title and laughed and laughed... but then realized this film could actually be good.

I liked it quite a bit, regardless of bad accents.

Anyone remember that scottish fellow, I mean russian fellow in hunt for red october? Just suspend disbelief and have a good time. So ford cant do russian, I can and no one cares a damn bit!

Good film, fun for a couple of viewings.

Dave

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