Desperado. My Way

joi 3 decembrie. orele 22.00

Cluj-Napoca. 2009.

3.12.2009. MyWay. Desperado. Cluj. România

7.12.2009. AfterEight. Desperado. Ungaria.

…

Am sunat la Ovidiu Buhăţel, managerul formaţiei Desperado (din Cluj), să îl anunţ de această crasă situaţie de conflict de interese. El mi-a povestit despre Zilele Oraşului Şimleul Silvaniei din 2008, unde a apărut pe afişe scris Desperado. Prieteni de-ai clujenilor au ieşit în Piaţa Mare din oraş să îşi vadă preferaţii pe scenă şi s-au trezit cu trei impostori care făceau PLAYBACK pe ritmuri Dance în limba maghiară.

Formaţia Desperado de la Cluj a încercat să contacteze formaţia Desperado din Ungaria, şi chiar le-a trimis un e-mail prin care explica faptul că Desperado cântă în România de 12 ani şi îi roagă frumos când mai cântă în România să adauge „(HU)” după numele ei pe afişe.

Dovada de câtă lipsă de respect are Desperado HU pentru legislaţia internaţională şi bunăvoinţa clujenilor se vede pe afişul postat de clubul AfterEight.

…

Byte. Suede şi London Suede este aceeaşi formaţie!

Ştiţi de formaţia britanică, Suede, de la începutul anilor 1990?

În Statele Unite şi Canada a fost obligată să îşi promoveze imaginea sub numele London Suede pentru că a existat o formaţie cu acelaşi nume în Canada cu 20 de ani înaintea ei … chiar dacă

- nu mai activa de mai mulţi ani,

- promova alt gen de muzică şi

- generaţiile noi nu ştiau de ea.

…

Am dat câteva clickuri să descopăr ce alte confuzii mai pot intervine la formaţia clujeană de Country-Rock cu numele Desperado.

…

Desperado în Muzică

…

1988. Desperado. US

Desperado este formaţia de Heavy Metal înfiinţată de Dee Snider (după ce Twisted Sister se destramă) în 1988.

Componenţa

• Dee Snider (Twisted Sister, Van Helsing’s Curse, Widowmaker)
• Clive Burr (tobe, ex-Iron Maiden)
• Bernie Torme (chitară, ex-Ozzy Osbourne)
• Marc Russel (chitară bas)

S-a înregistrat un singur album Bloodied But Unbowed, care nu a fost lansat niciodată, dar a devenit foarte vânat în versiune piratată pe CD (bootleg).

…

Desperado Norvegia. Trondheim

Gen: Screamo

MySpace. www.myspace.com/desperado

Monday, March 10, 2008

Desperado is Dead (RIP 2003-2008)

Then it was over. Desperado is dead for good. We ended our journey with two shows in Oslo and Trondheim. The clubs were packed. The audience was dancing, laughing and crying. We were drunk.

156 shows were played, 7488 backstage beers have been consumed, our dear van Betty Ford(RIP) have taken us around for more than 80.000 kilometers, 2 albums, two ep..s and a million good memories that we will keep for all future.

Pleace check out new really cool Norwegian bands, Like rats from a shinking ship, The Hate Colony and Sigh & Explode.

Love and Hate from

Kurt, Eskild, Trommas, Asgeir, Eivind and Thomas.

…

Desperado. SUA. East Ohio, West Pennsylvania

Gen: Country-Rock

Websait. www.newdesperado.com/home.cfm

…

Desperado. Anglia

Gen: Eagles Cover Band

Websait. www.desperadolive.co.uk

…

Desperado. Serbia

Desperado band postoji u ovom sastavu od 2003 godine.

Websait. www.desperadoband.net/kontakt

…

Desperado. Ungaria

Gen: Euro-Dance

Nu am gasit pe MySpace, Last FM …

Probabil se promovează strict în websaituri de limbă maghiară.

Am ascultat ceva piese pe YouTube şi de acolo mi-am dat seama de genul muzical.

Este o trupă foarte comercială ca stil, şi din câte văd aici, face playback şi promovează coveruri după hituri dance din anii 80 în limba maghiară, cum se poate vedea aici:

…

Byte. Desperado. Cuvântul

Castiliana este unul din dialectele din nordul peninsulei Iberice care a influenţat formarea limbii spaniole. Desperado este un cuvânt arhaic (folosit în spaniola veche) pentru a descrie un om disperat. Un Desperado nu poate să aştepte ca ceva să se întâmple (în spaniola modernă, se zice Desesperado). Un Desperado va recurge la metode violente şi riscante pentru a obţine ce îşi doreşte. În secolul 19, un Frontier Desperado locuia la limitele „civilizaţiei” albilor din State, se îmbăta şi-i ataca pe Indienii americani. În secolul 20, Desperado este un termen folosit ca sinonim pentru un om în afara legii.

*15 March 1957 V Lisabonu, Portugalsko

Joaquim de Almeida je světově nejznámější portugalský herec. Almeida studoval v Lisabonu el Curso de Teatro en la Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema, ale studia opustil a vydal se hledat štěstí do USA, kde dostal příležitost v The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Intitute v New Yorku. Divadlo hrál v New York Shakespeare Productions, kde dostal role např. v Bodas de sangre, What Would Jeanne Moreau Do (WPA Theatre) a El conde de Monte Cristo.

Joaquim de Almeida není nejznámějším portugalským hercem náhodou. Může za to jeho pracovitost, natočil více než 60 filmů a je schopný natáčet v šesti jazycích (kromě portugalštiny mluví plyně anglicky, francouzsky, italsky, španělsky a německy). Zahrál si po boku různých slavných jmen filmového světa, potkal se např. s Michaelem Cainem, Richardem Gerem a Bobem Hoskinsem v The Honorary Consul (1983), s Isabelle Huppert v Milan noir (1987), s Ángelou Molina v Sandino (1990), s Harrisonem Fordem v Clear and Present Danger (1994), s Antoniem Banderasem a Salmou Hayek v Desperadovi (1995), s Marcellem Mastroiannim v Sostiene Pereira (1996), s Owen Wilsonem a Genem Hackmanem v Behind Enemy Lines (2001) a s Daryl Hannah v Yo puta (2004).

Ceněné jsou jeho herecké výkony především ve filmech Good morning, Babilonia (1987), od bratrů hermanos Tavianiových, The Soldier (1982) od Jamese Glickenhause. Za Retrato de Família od Luísem Galvão Telles (1991) získal Cenu za nejlepšího herce na filmovém festivalu v Káhiře. Za role v Tentação (1998), Adão e Eva (1995) a O Xangô de Baker Street (2001) získal portugalskou cenu Globo de Ouro v kategorii nejlepší herec.

V televizi si zahrál ve seriálech jako 24 (2003-2004), Miami Vice (1985), Nikita (1998) a The West Wing (2004).
(přeloženo z wikipedie)

 Roll Girl by Desperado

2009 (5 tracks, 19:34)

dance/electronica

Street Photo | fot. Boat And tHE City

Przeglądając ostatnio zawartość dysku w poszukiwaniu jakiegoś ciekawego materiału na bloga natknąłem się na ustrzelonego tego lata na Retkini “Desperado”. Jako, że ciężko było wpasować ten materiał w jakiekolwiek ramy panujące na tej stronie wymyśliłem sobie taką mocno naciąganą teorię… tak więc zaprezentuje wam tym razem krótką serię “Street Photo” w moim wydaniu. Osobiście nie szczególnie przepadam za tym typem fotografii ze względu na kontrowersje dotyczące praw autorskich, ciekaw jestem jakie jest wasze zdanie na ten temat?

Street Photo | fot. Boat And tHE City

Street Photo | fot. Boat And tHE City

Street Photo | fot. Boat And tHE City

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Award-winning publishing house becomes new IDW imprint

San Diego, CA (November 20, 2009) – IDW Publishing and Desperado today announced a publishing agreement, which will bring Desperado’s impressive roster of talented creators and expansive catalog of books to IDW under a new imprint.

Founded in January 2005 by Eisner Award-winning comics veteran Joe Pruett, Desperado quickly established itself as a high-end publisher of art books, graphic novels, and comics. Desperado titles have been nominated for five Eisner Awards and won two since 2007, and repeatedly feature the comic industry’s top creative talent.

“We are very excited to have Desperado join us,” said IDW chief operating officer, Greg Goldstein. “Desperado’s books and roster of creators are both very impressive, and as an IDW imprint, Joe will have the flexibility and support to expand both. It’s really a win-win situation.”

IDW’s new imprint will continue to offer the high quality books and feature the talented creators for which Desperado is known. The 2010 line up already includes industry greats, such as Dave Dorman, Tony Harris and George Perez. These books, as well as Desperado’s comics and graphic novels, will be released under the new imprint.

“I was sold from the first conversation,” said Pruett. “If there was one company that I would admit to being envious of, it would be IDW. Watching them transform from a start-up company to the present-day publishing beast has been nothing if not inspiring. Everything about IDW speaks to how much they love this industry and love what they are doing. We at Desperado look forward to a long, prosperous relationship. As the famous quote goes, ‘I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.’”

You really ought to “come to your senses” that “riding fences” will give you long-term groin damage.(edf)

Dear readers, I have a plea… Please help me settle a disagreement that has been going on for over a decade now. If I get enough votes in the poll below, maybe, just MAYBE, the person with whom I have this disagreement will finally quit their stupid and completely wrong insistence as to which of these two options is the most famous Eagles song. Please vote. PLEASE vote. I am not telling you which is the correct answer because it is so painfully obvious as to not even warrant a mention.

Thank you for your time.

Vampires are mesmerizing beings. They’re labeled the undead, since technically they are neither dead nor alive. They mostly have a great sense of style and just are hot. Of course there is the whole ick factor of blood-sucking and all, but overall, they bring charisma, charm, lust and seduction to the screen. Many actors have taken on roles as vampires either in TV shows or movies, but right now this is a movies blog so we are going to go strictly film on this one. Now of course it is impossible to cover them all, so I am going to mention some of the most remarkable ones and if you disagree or think I’ve left some important ones out, well- please share

1) Interview with the Vampire (Based on the novel by Anne Rice)

Tom Cruise as Lestat in Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire

The first Vampire I met on screen was Anne Rice’s Lestat, portrayed by the skilled Tom Cruise:

link for the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGkBMe3j-Sk

Now, the trouble with Tom Cruise’s portrayal of Lestat- probably it has to do with the script, I haven’t read the novel, so I wouldn’t know how Anne Rice meant him to be- he brings humor to the story. Lestat isn’t scary. Oh sure, Brad Pitt’s Louis was rightfully scared when Lestat was sucking the life out of him, but Tom Cruise with blond hair and terribly white skin does not equal something of a cold, Scandinavian or in our case a vampiric beauty. Tom is good with jet black, short or a little longish hair like he has in Mission Impossible 2 or Jerry Maguire. Well, I hadn’t initially found Tom’s look funny, I just thought he wasn’t exactly scary or desirable. But here’s what happens: He picks Brad Pitt as his life partner. I have no objections as in picking a guy like Brad to spend eternity with, let’s face Lestat could do a lot worse. But, need I remind you Lestat is a male undead? Sure, a vampire is a sexual being and he could be as gay or as bi as he damn pleases. But a male vampire (Tom Cruise) siring another guy (Brad Pitt) is not exactly a girl’s fantasy. Well, it is not mine anyway. You haven’t picked up on the vibe? Watch closely. Lestat addsa little girl played by Kirsten Dunst to the group  and she keeps acting like a total brat. So Lestat gets pissed and threatens her with bringing home a sister. Dad Tom, Mommy Brad – and kid Dunst. One small, weird vampire family. Well, it didn’t hurt that the movie also features Antonio Banderas as a Vampire with beautiful long hair. But mind you, Banderas’ Armand is not nearly as destructively gorgeous as his El Mariachi in Desperado. There’s something wrong with the vampires in this movie. They are pretty. But they are not sexy.

Brad Pitt as Louis in Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire

Antonio Banderas as Armand in Interview with the Vampire

Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire: the "happy" family

2) BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA

Gary Oldman as Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula

Now Dracula is the ultimate myth, legend, fantasy. Dracula is the most famous Vampire of all times. Many versions have been written since Bram Stoker’s and many actors have played him. And this one with Gary Oldman is sort of fun. The cast is great. It has Winona Ryder as Dracula’s love/lust interest, Keanu Reeves as her fiancé and Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing. The problem is Dracula seems much too much like a cartoon character. The movie was directed by Francis Ford Coppola ,however it more feels like a Tim Burton movie. And I think I would have liked it more  if it had been a Tim Burton movie and with Johnny Depp as the Dracula. Gary Oldman is a fantastic actor but this movie is listed as a horror romance whereas the way it has been shot and acted out as a parody. Or maybe it just feels that way because it was short in 1992 and the effects aren’t that good. There is also a very superficial on my part that Dracula is very ugly for the most of the time. You saw the picture above, right?

here’s the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw2-ZMhxTUs

Gary Oldman in Bram Stoker's Dracula

3) DRACULA 2000

Gerard Butler as Dracula in Dracula 2000

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oprkYnHObk

Now, this Dracula is fun. It is not scary or that much exciting, but it is fun. After all, we have young women being trapped,seduced, fed on by Dracula. And Dracula is Gerard Butler. Now, we shouldn’t have any lack of masculinity or charisma issues, right? But there’s something off about this particular vampire. He is supposed to be the perfect seducer. And fine, sure he looks a lot better than most of the people you would meet in a bar- but I am not sure I would have recognized Gerard Butler, had I not known he was in it. This clean- shaven face makes him look too young- and he is kinda young himself- and too innocent. However I was checking out stuff with Dracula 2000 and I came upon his audition, where he looks utterly different. He has long hair, a beard and he looks like he could be the perfect Pirate of the Carribean- minus Jack Sparrow’s a little eccentric behavior. I am posting the link, but I will put an image just to give you the picture. Gerard Butler appears in this video very similar to his image in Attila. And below is how he was in Attila.

Gerard Butler as Attila in Attila. But of course he is not playing a historical hero in the audition- he is darker,much darker- And I think this look could serve him better as a vampire.

link for Gerard’s Dracula Audition on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk3syqGaPN8&feature=PlayList&p=8981B582471B3361&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=31

4) QUEEN OF THE DAMNED

Stuart Townsend as Lestat in Queen of the Damned

video from the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz1HcYmlBq4&feature=related

I think Stuart Townsend makes the perfect Lestat. Of course I’m biased, not because I’m a great fan of Stuart – I became fan after this movie, but because this movie captures the goth and rock spirit that comes with the vampire territory. Here when Lestat wakes up, he also sort of takes a hard rock band under his wing and becomes their singer. The whole world falls in love with this vampire and his music. Rockstars have tons of groupies and many front men are considered as sex symbols. They have added the dark side and the allure of the vampiric quality and bingo! You have a vampire movie with a really cool soundtrack and a vampire that can really seduce. It is not highly rated but I believe this movie to be very underrated. If you like Vampires and hard rock, you will enjoy this movie.

P.S: I’m not including Twilight because I have already done a number of posts on Twilight and Edward Cullen.

DON’T ASK WHY.
Why?
I JUST SAID: DON’T ASK ME THAT.
Buttt why?
CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT.
But satisfaction brought it back.
WHAT THE (…) FINE.

Okayyyyy, that was my crazy convo between me and my mind. Italics for mind as usual. UGH. OKAY, don’t look at me in that way -____- And nooo, I’m not talking to my readers sorry .__.

Okay, get all the above out of your head, yeah? Ignore it basically. I shall try to start again.

FINE. Just answer this question and I’ll love you for life. NO, seriously HAHA.

Tell me something: Am I crazy or just…!? I’ve just written some lyrics out of the blue. It’s been so long since I’ve done that :O Inspiration really hits when you least expect it. That’s life too ♥

Yeah. That’s the question. I haven’t written anything in like light years?

And that’s the truth. The last lyrics/ poem I wrote was 2 Febuary this year. And yes, I’m sure. -.-

Okayyyyyy, just classify this as ranting. I’m not sure whether I’m gotta post the lyrics. No one reads this RIGHT? No one comments anyway *sobs* anyway yeahhh, if you want it to be posted, just comment.

I sound like an advertiser -_____- HAHA desperado

Hmm. Shall get out of here, before
1) I risk sounding crazy.
2) I risk sounding like a desperado
3) and before I type out anything more crazy ugh!

oh and btw, the title of that lyrics is the title of the post, “Just listen to me”. -.-
ciaooooooooo~

Pentru că dimineaţă m-am trezit fără nici un chef de lucru (aproape in fiecare dimineaţă este la fel), m-am gandit la nişte melodii care parcă au fost scrise exact pentru mine.

Si pentru că am o viaţă complicată  (mă intreb cum mai rezist )

Er zijn mij nog een paar ‘schaduwhits’ te binnen geschoten. Eerder noemde ik ‘Never Marry a Railroad Man’ als een prachtig lied van Shocking Blue dat geheel overshaduwd wordt door de megahit ‘Venus’. Door zo’n schaduwhit op het juiste moment ter sprake te brengen geeft u te kennen dat er met u qua muziekkennis niet te spotten valt. (Haal vooral ook uw neus op voor de megahit.)

Uw mag van mij gratis & voor niks ook de volgende voorbeelden gebruiken.

1)     ‘Homburg’, van Procol Harum: tien keer beter dan ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’. Spreek uw minachting uit voor ‘A Whiter Shade’, ‘want dat deuntje heeft Gary Brooker van Bach gejat.’ Of was het een andere pruikenkop?

(Merkt uw gesprekspartner op dat ‘Homburg’ óók van Bach gejat is, begin dan een college over de begrippen imitatio en aemulatio.)

2)     ‘Take time to know her’ van Percy Sledge: honderd keer mooier dan ‘When a man loves a woman’. ‘When a man’ is sentimentele rommel; ‘Take time’ is daarentegen een door merg & been gaand relaas van bedrog, niet naar je moeder willen luisteren, en daar later spijt van krijgen. Heerlijk!

Er zijn er ongetwijfeld meer te bedenken, maar pas op, het luistert nauw. Om te beginnen moet de uitvoerende artiest nog wel over een minimum aan ‘street credibility’ beschikken, en de megahit die alles overschaduwt moet eigenlijk gewoon goed zijn. Het heeft natuurlijk geen enkele zin uw muzikale kennis en uw superieure smaak te etaleren aan de hand van pulp.

Stel, iemand steekt de loftrompet over ‘Hotel California’. U kunt dan wel tegenwerpen dat ‘Desperado’ veel beter is, of iets dergelijks, maar daar wint u echt niks mee. Beter kunt u meewarig uw hoofd schudden en iets mompelen als: de Eagles, tsssss.

Of een nog duidelijker voorbeeld van verspilde moeite: toen ik een jaar of 10 was en mij al serieus voor popmuziek interesseerde (ik hield van zowel de Beatles als de Stones want ik was toen al een ruimdenkend mens), had ik voor het eerst en het laatst een conversatie met mijn oom, die mij toevertrouwde de Cats wel aardig te vinden. Nooit meer een woord gewisseld met de beste man.

Enfin, u moet natuurlijk lekker luisteren naar de muziek die u mooi vindt, en zich niets aantrekken van betweters die denken dat ze de goede smaak hebben uitgevonden.

Can I have another movie? Another movie where Banderas teams with Neeson? Because this can’t be it. It shouldn’t be. Liam Neeson is a marvelous actor. I have tremendous respect for his work. No matter what the genre, he shines through his role. Take a look at Nell, Schindler’s List, Michael Collins, Love Actually, Kinsey…The list goes on. And last but not least I have seen him in Taken- a breath-taking action drama, where he proves to be an impressive action hero – at the age of 56, which is downright cool. And in the same year as Taken, I saw him in The Other Man, where he plays the husband, as opposed to the other man portrayed by Antonio Banderas. And Antonio Banderas is a good actor. Sure he has to play roles that greet his Hispanic roots (he has never mastered the American accent, as you might have noticed) and this of course blocks his diversity to some level but other than that, he is almost always fun to watch. And under normal circumstances, he would be perfect to play the lover. He has made a name for himself for being hot – and rightfully so. Remember Desperado? Femme Fatale? Original Sin? Never Talk to Strangers? Even if he played guys that fall for the lead females deceptive ways (apart from Desperado), he is perfect as the sexy man. Hell, the first two Spanish guys  were blonde, boyish and not nearly half as masculine.

So normally, it is a good idea to cast Neeson as the devoted husband who gets crushed to find out his wife had an affair. And it would make perfect sense that a woman could fall for an exotic looking stranger. But then there is the movie plot where I didn’t get or sympathize with any of the characters.

The movie overall has a very dark, gloomy and tedious atmosphere. Instead of mystery and curiousity, boredom is much more likely to happen. I couldn’t understand for the life of me why Laura Linney’s Lisa would fall for Antonio’s Ralph. He doesn’t have anything going for him (not even looks- you should see the haircut and the white socks). He is an average guy who doesn’t even have an ounce of mystery around him (well- that’s what you think a woman cheating on a devoted,stable and predictable husband would go for). So Lisa cheats and we can’t see why. I can’t see what it is about Lisa that made those two men love her that much…

Did I not go into the plot? Well, when Peter (Neeson) finds out, he finds out who and where he is and sets out to…well to kill him. The cat and mouse thing gives the movie a little thrill, but then it is slow again and the twists we get do more harm than good.

If it hadn’t been a movie with Neeson and Banderas – and I really like Laura Linney’s work too  (especially The Life of David Gale with Kevin Spacey) – I would have just said that it was a slow movie and not exactly my thing. But I know how much excitement the actors can bring to the right parts and how capable they are of picking good scripts. So the result is disappointment and well, hopes for a reunion – fingerscrossed, with a different director and a screenwriter. 

You might think this is a slightly odd entry.  And lets be honest they have not been the sanest selection in the world so far I have gone over the edge after a mild outbreak of what I suspect is Sarrs (Does anyone remember Sarrs? I  think I am the only who remembers the potentially devastating but completely useless super virus).  Anyway, tonight due to the sudden epidemic in FilmWipe HQ we are going to do a rundown of the scores so far.  This is so that you good people who hang on my every word can see where we’re at and see which film is where.  It will be a rocky road but you can see how far we have come in such a short period of time.

In reverse order:

Dorian Gray: 1/10 – Only avoiding a zero due to my desire not to give it infamy.

Good: 1/10

The Invention of Lying: 1/10 – Suicidal

The Aryan Couple: 2/10 – No Comment

Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars: 2/10 – Poor

Artificial Intelligence: 2/10 Weak

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: 4/10

Bleeder: 4/10 – No Comment

12:08 East of Bucharest : 4/10 Un-revolutionary

Blood: The last vampire: 5/10 –  No Comment

I Love You Man: 6/10 – an 8 when Segel is on screen

Away We Go: 6/10 – Pleasant

The Damned United: 7/10 – No Comment

Broken Embraces: 7/10 – Delightful

Walk the Line: 7/10 – No Comment

Defiance: 7/10 Interesting

JCVD: 7/10 Slick

Slumdog Millionaire: 8/10 – Spellbinding

Forces of Nature: 8/10 – Terrible yet brilliant

Science of Sleep: 8/10

Up: 8/10 – Spellbinding

Strawberry and Chocolate: 8/10

Let The Right One In: 9/10 – Best film of the year

Allegro: 9/10 – Enchanting

District 9: 9/10 –  No Comment

OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies: 9/10 – No Comment

Infernal Affairs: 9/10 – No Comment

Desperado: Score off the scale

Fish Tank: Score Not Included

As you can see from our extensive list the worst film so far has been the Ben Barnes classic Dorian Gray. While the best films so far have been Desperado, Fish Tank and Infernal Affairs. What a first month it has been for FilmWipe.  Hopefully we will be roasting more celebrities and terrible films over the hot coals.

Oh, they are the best! They depict emotions in a raw, powerful form. And by revenge, I’m not talking about an underpaid, overworked guy sticking it up to boss’s ass. Nope. I am talking about when a loved one is murdered and the one who left behind takes justice into his own hands. The latest promising avenger movie is Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (2009)

Butler’s character is the avenger. But the wonderful think about the film is he won’t be just taking care of the murderers that took his family’s life. He will also come after the prosecutor who cut a deal with them, the judge who let him and basically the whole system. Don’t worry, I didn’t give away any spoilers. It is all in the thriller. You can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMoP35u8oN0.

I for one can’t wait till it comes to a theater near me. Until it does, I decided to pay a visit to some of the revenge movies I love.

BRAVEHEART (1995)

It is a revenge movie. Yes, it is epic,and glorious and tells us how the real life Scottish folk hero led his people to freedom by fighting the English. But the urge to take revenge starts all that. Wallace was just an ordinary boy when his father was killed. But he was taken and raised by his uncle, who taught him to be an intelligent, world-savvy person. He came back to his town and he had no desire to fight. But then the English kill his wife- a woman he loved deeply and loved more than anything and everyone else. So, this drove him to edge. It is possibly one of the most noble acts of revenge, since he did not give up after finishing off his wife’s murderers and continued to fight for his and his countrymen’s freedom. All of the scenes are priceless. The movie has 5 Academy Awards, including Best Film and Best Director; both won by the film’s lead actor/director/producer Mel Gibson. If you haven’t seen it yet, and you are not against the concept of historical epic movies, you really shouldn’t miss this.

The Crow (1994)

Such a dark,gothic,powerful cult classic. A rock musician’s ( Eric Draven played by Brandon Lee) fiancée is raped and murdered. Moreover, he is murdered. The great thing about this movie is that the avenger is also dead, and yet he comes back to avenge his and his fiancée’s murders. It is also fascinating to watch as the bad guys go nuts trying to kill him because he just can’t be killed. After all, he is already dead. It would have been lovely to follow Brandon Lee’s projects after this one, but unfortunately he died during the making of this film, which adds to its dark atmosphere. Director Alex Proyas created a cult status for himself. Although Dark City was brilliant, he disappointed quite a few times with his other work. But hey, it is hard to measure up to a film like this.

Death Sentence (2007)

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLT-sNZH7CQ&feature=related

Although it is not as highly rated and regarded as the two movies above, it is a solid example of the genre. Kevin Bacon plays a dad whose son is murdered and the guilty will not receive a slightly deserving punishment. He loses it. He kills the guy who did it. But where the other revenge flicks would normally end, this one actually starts. Now the gang the bad boy belonged to goes after the dad and the remaining of his family, which might end up in dad having to take revenge once again, more brutally and absolutely. I think revenge flicks should not be judged the originality of the script. Not that I find this one refreshing in some parts, I do. But this kind of drama takes its power from the actors and how the director handles the shots. And this movie was beautifully done. Bacon is apt at playing any character, good and bad. But I am guessing the fact that he is a father in real life and really big on his family, and his own fears helped him bring out such a powerful performance. Watch it. It is exciting, disturbing and emotional. I am not exactly a fan of Saw movies. Haven’t even seen the first one. But now that I found out that the director of the first movie,James Wan, directed Death Sentence, I have this newly found respect for the guy. May he make more movies like this…

Desperado (1995) :

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZdZv3kT9xk

Oh yeah. The movie that will make me love its director Robert Rodriguez regardless of how I feel about his other projects. This is a glorious,well-funded sequel to the more modest El Mariachi,which as good as it might have been, lacked one very important element: Antonio Banderas. In the first movie his girlfriend was murdered so now he seeks to avenge her death. Oh, and he has guitar case stuffed with the good guns and he will get rid of you if you try to get in his way.

The revenge movie’s lead is so undeniably significant. He needs to be likable. Yeah, sure it is
easy to identify with a guy whose loved one has been murdered- who loved that person so strongly that they risked their own lives in the name of taking justice in their own hands. He needs to look like a lover and a killer. Brandon Lee was charismatic in spite of his make-up-which added wonders to the cult image. Mel Gibson was tough,strong and masculine, and yet vulnerable, despite the traditional kilt. Antonio Banderas makes a wonderful action hero. He is hot,dark,well-built and passionate. What he lacks in height is more than made up to by his charisma and extreme good looks. Oh, he also sings, plays the guitar, uses his guitar as a weapon and meanwhile he does seduce and is seduced by the gorgeous Salma Hayek. Desperado is pure action, 0 drama and kick-ass entertainment. It doesn’t get deep.It just gets even. Kevin Bacon comes from the theater. He started in H0llywood as nice guy roles but he made a name for himself playing the bad guys. So he has no problem at all portraying a guy who is driven to the edge. In fact, he looks like he is made for it.
These movies are all different from each other but they have the core in common: You root for the good guy, you love the blood shed from the bad guys and the action sequences are brilliant. With the exception of Death Sentence, I have seen the rest many times.Which reminds me, I definitely should add the Kevin Bacon film to my collection. It sure as hell deserves a second viewing. I think for an actor, the action role doesn’t get better than a good revenge movie.

ADRIEN BRODY

PREDATOR

Want more? Check out a review of a working script HERE but heads up – MAJOR spoilers are revealed. They don’t give away the ending or who survives etc. – but they do touch on a some details that you might prefer to be suprised by while watching when the movie opens on July, 7th 2010.

——-
——-