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Tamerlin
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Toulouse (South-western France)
Apr 2002
time: 06:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Havak
The English Premiership is actually very strong right now... |
This is exactly what is telling me my stepfather (with whom I am going to the Stadium), the English Championship games are broadcasted on Cable TV and he is watching them. He says that they have nothing to do with the French Championship in terms of speed, skill, efficiency and playing time. 
When I compare the skill and tactics of the Stade Toulousain in 1996 (year of the first European title coupled with another French Championship title), and more generally the level of the French Championship at this time, with what I am seeing now, I can only say that there has been a constant decline of the quality and an impoverishment of the game.
At this time there was something called the French Flair, the "Jeu à la Toulousaine" or the "Jeu à l'Agenaise"... where have all these things gone. To the garbage... 
Obsessed with the athletic performances, the coaches and players worked hard to improve the said athletic performances in order to catch up with the bodybuilders of the Southern Hemisphere... to the detriment of the technical skills of the players. The English never forgot that the technical skills are as important as the athletic performances if not that the second are at the service of the firsts.
What do we see in the French Championship. A stereotyped game a bit like what was played two or three years ago in the Southern Hemisphere (though we still have real forwards, scrums and mauls) but with less skilled players. Our centers are no more able to dodge or avoid a defender, the only thing they know how to do is to bump into the defense. Many athletic players are making a knock on each time they have to catch a ball or handle the ball... they lack the needed technical skills.
If you add over this numerous stupid fools and the poor quality of our referees, who are often "butchering" a promising game, you should have an adequate picture of the current nightmare.
There are a few lightnings though as the Stade Toulousain is sometimes able to show brilliant things... one game out of two.
quote:
That wasn’t quite what I had in mind.  |
I hope so... About the Cohen brothers, though I like The Big Lebowsky I prefer Fargo and O'Brothers.
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I am by the way totally against Brits buying up holiday homes in France if it prevents locals finding affordable places to live. I only waive this principle when a friend has a pad they allow me to crash at when on tour.  |
I understand your point of view...
The problem is the same in the Pays Basque where Spanish are buying holiday homes here. The prices have climbed so high the locals can no more afford themselves to buy a house here. This is the trouble when you have a "Green and Pleasant Land"...
Last edited by Tamerlin on 07-01-2004 at 16:58
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Tamerlin
I have heard about Barton Finks and Raising Arizona but I have not seen them...  |
I don't think they're on DVD. Not a lot of their stuff is, at least not available here anyway. Raising Arizona is certainly on video. Barton Fink should be. I think you'd like Barton Fink. Quite surreal in parts with some wonderful allegorical flashes. It has one of their classic "what does it really mean?" elements running through it. John Goodman is wonderful in it. Goodman was out here a couple of years ago to make a film with which Mrs finbar was involved. I met him. Nice man, if, um, a bit strange.
In my list yesterday, of course, I somehow omitted what I think is their greatest achievement. Millers Crossing. I think I've seen it about fifteen times. Wonderful, wonderful film with Gabriel Byrne and Albert Finney. It's on DVD. See it! Unfortunately for the film, it was originally released at the same time as Scorsese's Goodfellas, another of my all-time favourites. Millers Crossing and Goodfellas are in the same "gangster" genre, although entirely different, and Millers Crossing unfortunately got lost in the fuss over Goodfellas.
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Intolerable Cruelty has been removed from the screens before I had the opportunity to go for it. |
It was nothing to get excited about. It's their take on 1930s "screwball comedy" with George Clooney and Catherine Zeta Jones. Entertaining enough, but with some transparent plot twists.
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I suppose that the big calibers like The Return of the King, Matrix 3 and Nemo has been fatal to the movie. |
It was, theoretically, with Clooney and Zeta Jones in it, potentially their most commercial movie for a while. But, for some reason, it didn't really work commercially. It's certainly better than a lot of the crap that does work commercially. It's interesting that Fargo, their biggest hit by a long way, succeeded via word-of-mouth. People saw it, loved it, and told other people about it. Look at it objectively and you'd never predict it would be a commercial hit. That's what word-of-mouth can do for a film. It's the great unknown quantity in film making.
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It does not bother me as I have renounced to be the owner of my own home a long a time ago...  |
Yes, but I'll also push the rental prices through the roof.
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Tamerlin
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Toulouse (South-western France)
Apr 2002
time: 06:32
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quote:
Originally posted by finbar
I don't think they're on DVD. Not a lot of their stuff is, at least not available here anyway. Raising Arizona is certainly on video. Barton Fink should be. |
I think that one of my friends should own the DVD... it might also be true for Millers Crossing
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Nice man, if, um, a bit strange. |
It does not surprise me...
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Millers Crossing and Goodfellas are in the same "gangster" genre, although entirely different, and Millers Crossing unfortunately got lost in the fuss over Goodfellas. |
The problem is that the French title of Goodfellas could well be very different, perhaps have I seen the movie... I will check.
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It's interesting that Fargo, their biggest hit by a long way, succeeded via word-of-mouth. People saw it, loved it, and told other people about it. Look at it objectively and you'd never predict it would be a commercial hit. That's what word-of-mouth can do for a film. It's the great unknown quantity in film making. |
I agree word-of-mouth can do some miracles, and it is a very good thing as IMO the maintsream movies are generally real dogs.
I have watched Takeshi Kitano's Battle Royale this afternoon, a very disturbing and good movie as far as I am concerned.
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Tamerlin
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Toulouse (South-western France)
Apr 2002
time: 06:32
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quote:
Originally posted by finbar
Yep. That's it. Remember the moment of Joe Pesci's death? He thinks he's going to be "made"? Instead, they put a gun to his head and blow his brains out. His only comment is a quiet: "Oh sh*t". And all you see is the blood trickling across the white floor? |
Yes, I remember...
quote:
Did you see Scorsese's "Casino"? Again with DeNiro and Joe Pesci. It came after "Goodfellas", sort of the third of Scorsese's "gangster trilogy" - "Mean Streets", "Goodfellas" and "Casino". I think he's still the great American director working at the moment. Haven't yet seen "Streets of New York". |
I have seen Casino and I was really surprised as, Sharon Stone being the main actress, I was fearing a dog... "Mean Streets" might have once again a very different title so I can't tell you about it... I have not heard anything about "Gangs of New York" but if it is a Scorcese movie I think it is worth looking
quote:
There's a wonderful short TV series - 4 parts - called "My Journey to Italy" (or it might be "My Voyage to Italy"), in which Scorsese talks about and shows excerpts from the Italian films - mostly the "neo-realist" stuff - that influenced him. It did the rounds of the film festival circuit as a 4 hour documentary, then was re-packaged for television. I think it's out now on DVD. Not to be missed. |
Never heard about this neither... I will look for it in my favorite DVD store.
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Edit. We'd better stop talking about Scorsese. Havak might think he's another Italian fly half and get Leicester to sign him. |
It could be worth the money, imagine the pressure under Leicester's kicker, a gun on the temple and a low voice with an italian accent coming from the outer world telling him: "don't screw it, man".
They should score more points...
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Havak
It is certainly of a consistently improving standard here. And Rotherham aside there are no whipping boys anymore (don’t be tempted here Finbar!) |
As you know, I believe ducks in barrels should be left to float, not be blasted to oblivion.
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As terribly arrogant as it may sound (and I hope you can read the deeper point behind it) the SH are not in the driving seat of world rugby right now – we in the NH have a glorious opportunity here to shape the game the way we want it in the next few years I believe. |
You have precisely until J**** retires. Beyond that, I'm not sure what you mean by the NH in this context. Romania? Georgia?
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And now I have to trawl up a Cohen brothers filmography – I always meant to catch Raizing Arizona and Hudsucker but never got around to it. |
Raising Arizona should not be missed, Hudsucker is probably missable, IMHO. Raising Arizona is, I think, a classic example of one the brothers' greatest talents - settling on a tone, style and genre, and sticking to it for the entire film, regardless of how unorthodox it might be. They never deviate from their intention. They never lose their way midstream. Raising Arizona is true to itself from the first frame to the last in all its unorthodoxy. But I still think Millers Crossing is their finest.
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As for Lord of the Rings – I have to tell you I think what Jackson and Walsh managed to do with it is really quite remarkable. I never thought it could be translated so successfully onto the big screen. It’s not totally faithful to the source material but it does make great cinema – |
Never read the books, haven't seen any of the films. Pity. But, certainly, P. Jackson is a very very talented little chap. I wonder if he can kick for goal.
quote:
and it’s a league apart from the rubbish the Wachowski’s have churned out as they tried to recapture the spark they found in 1999. All IMHO of course. |
I've avoided all three films like the plague. SF - if that's what they were about, and I gather it was - in any shape or form makes me puke. All I know is they shut down Sydney for many weekends while shooting.
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Because George is becoming BO poison? He needs to pick a main stream script fairly soon? |
No, I don't think that he's become poison. He's never really been BO gold anyway. The film just didn't appeal to enough people. It did huge business in its opening weeks in the States, but died quickly. It didn't have the magical word of mouth. It's probably too much of an intellectual exercise for pure screwball comedy fans. But that's the Coen Brothers. Their only film to make money was Fargo, and that was a word of mouth success. It touched the right nerves, hit the right buttons, largely because of Frances McDormand's delicious performance, I suspect.
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I just wish we had dug deep and brought Larkham here. |
I noticed your line the other day about some secret deal with Larkham. He's under contract here till the end of '94 and has said he's not interested in overseas. But who knows twelve months down the track? I deleted the Healey reference. Enough said.
quote:
Did you mean ‘Gangs of New York’ by the way? |
Yes, sorry, I was in a hurry. Trying to get Tamerlin's estate agent's phone number to persuade him to jack up Tamerlin's rent.
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finbar
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Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy
Jan 1970
time: 06:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Tamerlin
I have seen Casino and I was really surprised as, Sharon Stone being the main actress, I was fearing a dog... |
Yes, I was surprised by her. I finished up seeing the film twice in three days for a couple of reasons.
quote:
"Mean Streets" might have once again a very different title so I can't tell you about it... |
DeNiro and Harvey Keitel playing young-ish punks on the streets of Little Italy in New York. Great film, wonderful energy and performances. It preceded "Taxi Driver" by three or four years, I think.
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I have not heard anything about "Gangs of New York" but if it is a Scorcese movie I think it is worth looking |
Released last year.
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Never heard about this neither... I will look for it in my favorite DVD store. |
Well worth a look if you can find it, even if only for the many wonderful excerpts from the great Italian neo-realism films of the late 40s and early 50s.
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It could be worth the money, imagine the pressure under Leicester's kicker, a gun on the temple and a low voice with an italian accent coming from the outer world telling him: "don't screw it, man". |
With the tension undermined only by Havak's voice calling out: "Okay, whose shout?".
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Tamerlin
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Toulouse (South-western France)
Apr 2002
time: 06:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Havak
It is certainly of a consistently improving standard here. And Rotherham aside there are no whipping boys anymore (don’t be tempted here Finbar!) |
Don't worry Havak, if things get bad they will find new whipping boys, believe me.
quote:
I find it hard to believe the French Championship can be quite so bad as you fear – after all the European final last year was an all French affair. |
I agree but the problem is the French teams are not consistent. The Stade Toulousain won the European Cup, which was its main objective of the season, just to loose the final of the French Championship the week after. The Stade Toulousain produced a poor game against a Stade Français that was playing its whole season on this game as they had been eliminated from the European Cup before the final phases.
I think the Stade Toulousain will not reach the final phases of the H-Cup this year, but I am really worried by the overall quality of the game played... very poor and one dimensional. The Stade Toulousain is certainly one of the only teams able to produce from times to times something other than the crap I can see every week. Very worrying...
quote:
But then the only French side I have watched play a full game this year was Stade Francais and I have frankly always found them very one dimensional – they are still all about simply driving play into areas where Dominguez can kick their points. |
Strip them of Dominguez and they will become a very ordinary team...
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It’s perhaps a little unfair to the SH. Whilst they were Professional earlier it was only in the late nineties that certain teams started to hugely ignore the basic skills in favour of spectacle. |
This is exactly the era I am speaking of, the late nineties...
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They will be snapped back from that now. As terribly arrogant as it may sound (and I hope you can read the deeper point behind it) the SH are not in the driving seat of world rugby right now – we in the NH have a glorious opportunity here to shape the game the way we want it in the next few years I believe. |
This is why I told you before the RWC that it was of the utmost importance for a European team to win that world cup...
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And personally – having suffered through My Maybank helming the Gloucester game – my first request to the IRB would be to either get rid of the offside laws altogether so there is no doubt or gets officials to apply the damn laws |
The IRB should recall every nation that there are laws and that laws are made to be applied... 
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Bitter? Me? Well yes please – if it’s from Suffolk. |
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Incidentally I may not rate Graham Henry as a tactician but I do not believe he shares the Forwards philosophy that the ABs have employed in recent years – expect considerable progress from the AB forwards over the next year and do not expect to see all pack members from the RWC survive – I suspect that young hooker who likes to float about in the back line is under huge threat? |
The young hooker in question only have to be told that his job is not to run around on the field but to do the real and hard work of the hooker: scrums, mauls, rucks, perforation, support...
I would be the first to be very happy should the AB start again to play Rugby and stop this curious glamourous game designed to attract investors...
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Very true. Also true if you have a cess pool of course – just look at prices in London. |
Though London's prices are famous, you should check those of Paris... ridiculously high.
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As for Lord of the Rings – I have to tell you I think what Jackson and Walsh managed to do with it is really quite remarkable. I never thought it could be translated so successfully onto the big screen. It’s not totally faithful to the source material but it does make great cinema – and it’s a league apart from the rubbish the Wachowski’s have churned out as they tried to recapture the spark they found in 1999. All IMHO of course. |
Are the Wachowski brothers those that have made Matrix. If this is the case, I can only say that "Reloaded" is certainly the worst movie I have seen these years... a real dog and the last I have seen in the serie. I won't spend a Cent of a € for the last one. Spit!
About Lord of the Rings I must admit Peter Jackson made an excellent job though there are a few things that have really pissed me off. These are not the discrepancies with the books as I don't have a clear memory of them, I read them something like 20 years ago.
Here are the few things that have bothered me a lot:
- Sentences like "not my beard"
- Gimli used as a comical character all along the second episode, this character is not funny in the books and deserves more than the role of entertaining the kids
- Legolas surfing on a shield during Helm's Deep siege
- Legolas again surfing on the trump of a mumakil*...
* This one is a cardinal sin as Legolas' action is coming just after a particularly spectacular scene involving another mumakil
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Caligastia
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quote:
Originally posted by finbar
Bummer. What about from home? |
When I get the chance, which isn't often unfortunately. I have a lot less to do at work than I do at home. Hopefully I'll get another job soon.
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07-01-2004 02:23
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