Gabby (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ladyoflorien) wrote2003-12-31 10:17 pm
ladyoflorien) wrote2003-12-31 10:17 pm
*deep breath* Well, I finally saw Seabiscuit.
Where is everybody? It's not like it's, you know, New Year's Eve or anything. =D
So remember the movie Seabiscuit? Yeah, the one I vowed to go see in the theaters but never did because it appears no one in all of New Hampshire shares my opinion on horses and it was in and out of theaters before I could blink? Well I finally saw it.
And wow, talk about adding insult to injury; I only wish I could have seen this in the theaters. Wow, where to begin the praise? The acting was spectacular, the cinematography at times breathtaking, the script wonderful, the music compelling. It was just incredible.
I was scared at the beginning when they were trying to interweave the three main character's stories. Often times switching back and forth between characters can get confusing and annoying, and lose the audience. Thankfully though, the way it was done in this movie was very good. Had they stretched it out a little longer maybe, they would have annoyed me beyond my limits, but they stopped just when it really mattered. Kudos to the director for "seeing his open and going for it." ;)
The emotion was done superbly. Aah, the combination of the actors and their delivery of the script was EXCELLENT. The script was hopelessly romantic, but not sappy. Some might not see the difference between the two words, but for a tomboy the difference is night and day. There were so many romanticized scenes and sentences, so many flowery words and big sweeping moments, but it wasn't overpowering. The emotion was executed very subtly but at the same time very powerfully, and the end result was completely engrossing. Sometimes silence can be more powerful than an orchestra of sounds and words, and this proved true for Seabiscuit. They put the attention on where it really mattered, not over-dramatizing or drawing out scenes that were supplementary to the main plot, and to me that is very important. For instance, I think they applied the proper emotion to Howard's son and his untimely death without showing too much detail. It was masterfully done.
And, I hate to admit it, but even though I knew what the outcome of the match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral would be they had me practically dizzy with suspense when Seabiscuit slowed down on the homestretch so the Admiral could catch up. Oy, now that is good movie-making, yo. I cannot praise that scene enough.
Oh, and another thing. Every freaking time they did a close up of Toby riding I could not get Arwen on Asfaloth out of my head. The whole behind the scenes thing with Liv Tyler where they're talking about how she was actually on the back of a truck, not on a real horse? Yeah, that's all I could think of when I saw Toby. It was slightly distracting, but mostly amusing. Ehehe.
Another thing I ADORED was how they paralleled Red with Seabiscuit. The both of them fighting off three men, shouting (neighing) profanities. The both of them walking with a limp, then standing the same way with their legs slightly raised. The ache they both felt at the same moment in the final race. Beautifully done, bravo! And, YES, probably the highest praise I can give is when they both come out to the track on their grand comeback there was no swell of music, there was no clamoring and shouting, there was no teary-eyed awe at the dedication of the spectators. But I still shuddered, feeling the chill in my bones, when they came from the shadows to the sunny track, the quiet satisfaction on Red's face speaking volumes more than some overdone swell could have accomplished. It was quiet vindication. It was perfect.
And, call me cheesy, but I love it when they repeat lines in a movie. The last 15 minutes was SO predictable, but I didn't once think to myself, "Oh geeze, this is so played out. How boring." I was overcome with glee when George came up by Red's side in the last race, and I just knew it was coming. "There's your open!" And then again at the end, the final narration: "Many people think we found this broken horse and fixed him... but they're wrong. He fixed us." I was practically reciting it along with the movie, but again it wasn't disappointing. It was moving. Excellent dramatic delivery.
Going back to the romantic script, there are far too many quotes and phrases that I found compelling to be able to remember them all. "Better to break a man's leg than his heart." "Just because it's a little beat up is no reason to throw a whole life away." "He's just as much my horse as he is yours." "Though he may be little, he is fierce" (which is, of course, Shakespeare, but STILL!). I loved it. I absolutely loved it.
The emotion was stunning, the music was surprisingly good, and the acting was SUPERB. William H. Macy was a WONDERFUL addition to the cast, and I can't even envision the movie without him now. What a great comedic relief, but it somehow added to the drama at the same time. FAB-U-LOUS. And I don't even think I need to go into Jeff Bridges and Toby McGuire -- their excellency is clearly seen in any one scene. I am stunned at how well I liked Toby in this role. Oh, and:
WARNING! Fan-girl moment approaching! Proceed with extreme caution!
OH. MY. GOD. HE IS SO CUTE AS A RED-HEAD. JUST... I NEARLY MALFUNCTIONED SEVERAL TIMES. WITH THE RED! AND! THE SMILE! AND! Okay, I never really joined the Toby McGuire bandwagon before, but SHORT REDHEAD WITH HORSE = DEAD GABBY. AFJKASD!#@! Ooooh lord. *takes a deep cleansing breath* Mm. That's one fine piece of man, yo.
/end fan-girl episode
Seabiscuit gets 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. Maybe not the best movie of all time, but a damn good one. If you haven't seen it, you should. Whether or not you're a horse fanatic (though it helps). Whether or not you know anything about horse racing (though it helps). You need exposure to this story, because it's not just about a boy and a horse. It's about the fragility of the human spirit, and knowing that though you be small, you are fierce. Miracles do happen.
OH![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ladyelfstone, and anyone else who's read my Dom/Billy fic: Near the beginning when Tom is soothing a horse and displaying his all-mighty gift with horses, Ciro said "That man has a gift with horses!" and my dad replied "Yes, he's a horse whisperer." I. ABOUT. DIED. LAUGHING. And my dad was all like "WTF??" and all I could manage was, "Inside joke." BWAHAHAHAHA, that was so funny.
Now, I'm off to bed. Well, it's 9 till midnight, maybe I'll turn on the telly and see if there's any good fireworks going on anywhere (because New Hampshire, being the butt-crack of the US, apparently doesn't believe in local fireworks).
I don't think I've properly addressed my love for this icon yet. *ahem* Yesss, preciousss. I really can't say it any better than: *proWrrrr...*
So remember the movie Seabiscuit? Yeah, the one I vowed to go see in the theaters but never did because it appears no one in all of New Hampshire shares my opinion on horses and it was in and out of theaters before I could blink? Well I finally saw it.
And wow, talk about adding insult to injury; I only wish I could have seen this in the theaters. Wow, where to begin the praise? The acting was spectacular, the cinematography at times breathtaking, the script wonderful, the music compelling. It was just incredible.
I was scared at the beginning when they were trying to interweave the three main character's stories. Often times switching back and forth between characters can get confusing and annoying, and lose the audience. Thankfully though, the way it was done in this movie was very good. Had they stretched it out a little longer maybe, they would have annoyed me beyond my limits, but they stopped just when it really mattered. Kudos to the director for "seeing his open and going for it." ;)
The emotion was done superbly. Aah, the combination of the actors and their delivery of the script was EXCELLENT. The script was hopelessly romantic, but not sappy. Some might not see the difference between the two words, but for a tomboy the difference is night and day. There were so many romanticized scenes and sentences, so many flowery words and big sweeping moments, but it wasn't overpowering. The emotion was executed very subtly but at the same time very powerfully, and the end result was completely engrossing. Sometimes silence can be more powerful than an orchestra of sounds and words, and this proved true for Seabiscuit. They put the attention on where it really mattered, not over-dramatizing or drawing out scenes that were supplementary to the main plot, and to me that is very important. For instance, I think they applied the proper emotion to Howard's son and his untimely death without showing too much detail. It was masterfully done.
And, I hate to admit it, but even though I knew what the outcome of the match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral would be they had me practically dizzy with suspense when Seabiscuit slowed down on the homestretch so the Admiral could catch up. Oy, now that is good movie-making, yo. I cannot praise that scene enough.
Oh, and another thing. Every freaking time they did a close up of Toby riding I could not get Arwen on Asfaloth out of my head. The whole behind the scenes thing with Liv Tyler where they're talking about how she was actually on the back of a truck, not on a real horse? Yeah, that's all I could think of when I saw Toby. It was slightly distracting, but mostly amusing. Ehehe.
Another thing I ADORED was how they paralleled Red with Seabiscuit. The both of them fighting off three men, shouting (neighing) profanities. The both of them walking with a limp, then standing the same way with their legs slightly raised. The ache they both felt at the same moment in the final race. Beautifully done, bravo! And, YES, probably the highest praise I can give is when they both come out to the track on their grand comeback there was no swell of music, there was no clamoring and shouting, there was no teary-eyed awe at the dedication of the spectators. But I still shuddered, feeling the chill in my bones, when they came from the shadows to the sunny track, the quiet satisfaction on Red's face speaking volumes more than some overdone swell could have accomplished. It was quiet vindication. It was perfect.
And, call me cheesy, but I love it when they repeat lines in a movie. The last 15 minutes was SO predictable, but I didn't once think to myself, "Oh geeze, this is so played out. How boring." I was overcome with glee when George came up by Red's side in the last race, and I just knew it was coming. "There's your open!" And then again at the end, the final narration: "Many people think we found this broken horse and fixed him... but they're wrong. He fixed us." I was practically reciting it along with the movie, but again it wasn't disappointing. It was moving. Excellent dramatic delivery.
Going back to the romantic script, there are far too many quotes and phrases that I found compelling to be able to remember them all. "Better to break a man's leg than his heart." "Just because it's a little beat up is no reason to throw a whole life away." "He's just as much my horse as he is yours." "Though he may be little, he is fierce" (which is, of course, Shakespeare, but STILL!). I loved it. I absolutely loved it.
The emotion was stunning, the music was surprisingly good, and the acting was SUPERB. William H. Macy was a WONDERFUL addition to the cast, and I can't even envision the movie without him now. What a great comedic relief, but it somehow added to the drama at the same time. FAB-U-LOUS. And I don't even think I need to go into Jeff Bridges and Toby McGuire -- their excellency is clearly seen in any one scene. I am stunned at how well I liked Toby in this role. Oh, and:
WARNING! Fan-girl moment approaching! Proceed with extreme caution!
OH. MY. GOD. HE IS SO CUTE AS A RED-HEAD. JUST... I NEARLY MALFUNCTIONED SEVERAL TIMES. WITH THE RED! AND! THE SMILE! AND! Okay, I never really joined the Toby McGuire bandwagon before, but SHORT REDHEAD WITH HORSE = DEAD GABBY. AFJKASD!#@! Ooooh lord. *takes a deep cleansing breath* Mm. That's one fine piece of man, yo.
/end fan-girl episode
Seabiscuit gets 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. Maybe not the best movie of all time, but a damn good one. If you haven't seen it, you should. Whether or not you're a horse fanatic (though it helps). Whether or not you know anything about horse racing (though it helps). You need exposure to this story, because it's not just about a boy and a horse. It's about the fragility of the human spirit, and knowing that though you be small, you are fierce. Miracles do happen.
OH
ladyelfstone, and anyone else who's read my Dom/Billy fic: Near the beginning when Tom is soothing a horse and displaying his all-mighty gift with horses, Ciro said "That man has a gift with horses!" and my dad replied "Yes, he's a horse whisperer." I. ABOUT. DIED. LAUGHING. And my dad was all like "WTF??" and all I could manage was, "Inside joke." BWAHAHAHAHA, that was so funny.Now, I'm off to bed. Well, it's 9 till midnight, maybe I'll turn on the telly and see if there's any good fireworks going on anywhere (because New Hampshire, being the butt-crack of the US, apparently doesn't believe in local fireworks).
I don't think I've properly addressed my love for this icon yet. *ahem* Yesss, preciousss. I really can't say it any better than: *proWrrrr...*
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... and maybe a few horses too. :D
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I swear to god, if Dom is ever in a movie where he's all lovey with a horse, I shall die (and I meant that in a strictly NON-perverted way, THANK YOU!). Because Orlando I can take (think PotC, behind the scenes LOTR), but Dom? I'd die. 'Cause he's too sincere. And just... yes. Okay. Rambling whoooo.
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But Dom is a bundle of sweetheart. Him and horses. And forest path. And wow I can see the daydreams already! EEEE.
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*faints* Okay I'm good.
IF YOU HAD A THING FOR RED HAIR TOO, YOU MIGHT JUST UNDERSTAND! AFJSKAD!!!