Posted on 08/09/2014 12:34:57 PM PDT by EveningStar
ping for later
I was thinking...this may have been the first film Connery did after he got away from the 007 thing... Everyone was surprised that he had some real acting talent... He was (by far) the best 007 of the bunch...but I do like D. Craig in that character...
Outland was outstanding...
Sorry I'm late to this thread, but I wanted to respond to your comment.
Beauty finally arrives near the end of the third installment of The Matrix. The first and second installments are indeed quite ugly (except for the presence of Monica Bellucci), but I believe there is a reason for this.
At the time Larry (now Lana) Wachowski was going through a so-called "gender reassignment" process. Although The Matrix can be understood on a few different levels (if only as a glorified shoot-em-up with a bit of sophomoric philosophy thrown in) I think one level was a direct reference to what Wachowski was going through, i.e a woman stuck in what "she" believes to be a false matrix of maleness.
In the end when the humans, machines, and programs agree to a detente then the blackened skies part and there is a burst of beautiful color unlike the green-tinged landscape of "the Matrix" or the dingy browns of the sewage system beneath it.
Despite a bit too many car chases and philosophical inconsistencies, I found it entertaining, surprising in its use of special effects, and a bit more substantial in its storyline than most SF fare.
But I agree that Solaris beats it hands down as a serious and beautiful movie. The last scene in Solaris is my favorite of all last scenes. How movingly and poetically tragic to see it raining inside his father's house. Such a simple incongruity that reveals so much about the otherwise baffling yet beautiful scenes that preceded it.
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