Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Ghost Rider (2007)

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Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 02-18-2007, 03:23 PM:

CINEMA: Cinemarkury 20 at Jordan Creek, West Des Moines, IA
AUDITORIUM: 6
PRESENTATION: 35mm/Dolby Digital
PRESENTATION PROBLEMS: Late start, projector crash
RATING: Three stars (out of four)

WARNING: "He may have my soul, but he doesn't have my Spoilers."

12:05pm: We arrive and sit third row center. Wife #1 says "I'm not hungry, but I need a drink." Me: "Well, that happens sometimes." She leaves.

12:10pm: Movie is scheduled to start...and doesn't.

12:12pm: Large chatty family park themselves in the second row, taking all but three seats. They re-arrange themselves several times until they have the tallest person in the group sitting immediately in front of me. They chat loudly in Spanish all the way through the trailers, proving that "blah blah blah" is truly the universal language.

12:14pm: Wife #1 returns with a bottled water, looks at the people in front of us, and says "Guess who *I* was behind in line?" Then she looks at the screen and says "Why haven't the trailers started?"

12:17pm: Rolling stock starts. Yes, we have rolling stock now. I can only guess that some Cinemark fuckhead read my review of a few weeks ago and immediately took action. If only they were as persistent when I point out perpetual presentation problems.

12:21pm: Rolling stock abruptly stops and the house light (there's only one...it's a mercury vapor bulb in the center of the room, which I've always thought was an interestingly efficient design) goes on. People start shouting "REFUND!" Wife #1: "Should've gone to Ames."

12:24pm: Rolling stock resumes.

12:25pm: Trailers start.

12:38pm: Actual movie starts. Row 2 shuts up. Row 4 doesn't. But everything else works through the actual feature.

"Ghost Rider" is a Marvel Comic that apparently only Nicholas Cage ever bothered to read, and that's enough to green light a movie. The movie is cheesy and campy and totally kickass and a blast to watch. The critics hate it. Probably the same critics who like "Batman Begins".

Figures.

Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 02-18-2007, 05:06 PM:

quote: Sam Graham
The critics hate it. Probably the same critics who like "Batman Begins".

Sam, I like this line of thinking. Here's my review:

If you liked BATMAN BEGINS, don't go see GHOST RIDER, because you'll hate it. And if you didn't like BATMAN BEGINS, go see GHOST RIDER, because that's what you get! [Razz]

Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 02-18-2007, 05:11 PM:

The guy's head is flaming! Fire! How much of his surroundings are illuminated as if there were a fire there? Not nearly enough to convince me that the guy's head is actually a ball of fire.

Maybe Nick just walks around stiffly like that, but this character looked more fake-CGI than was warranted. Fire looked good, but the skull looked plastic. Some good shots, but not enough. I guess this wasn't a high-budget enough flick to get the top-notch CG character animation perfect.

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 02-18-2007, 05:53 PM:

I watched the last reel of this movie. I'm glad I didn't have to sit through the previous 5.... I'll take Batman Begins any day.

Posted by Jason Winn (Member # 3568) on 02-18-2007, 08:17 PM:

I liked it. It wasn't as good as Batman Begins, but I still liked it.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-18-2007, 09:45 PM:

This movie is pulling great crowds so I automatically like it, but Nicolas Cage's performance is enough to make me lift my eyes heavenward and thank the Almighty that the Nicolas Cage "Superman" project didn't work out.

Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 02-18-2007, 09:52 PM:

If it was any good, it would have been released 2 months earlier or 2 months later...if you had high expectations, thats your fault.

Posted by Edwin Sheldon (Member # 4001) on 02-19-2007, 01:50 AM:

I detest Nicholas Cage as an actor, but end up liking nearly every movie he's in. Go figure. Maybe this one is worth my time.

Posted by Mike Heenan (Member # 392) on 02-19-2007, 09:28 PM:

I feel the same way about Ben Stiller, he's annoying as hell but for some reason he's in a lot of funny movies. Damn it.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 02-20-2007, 12:09 AM:

Nicolas Cage has been dead to me since the instant he opened his mouth and sounds came out in Con Air.

Posted by Frank Dubrois (Member # 3042) on 02-20-2007, 01:18 AM:

quote: Sam Graham
"Ghost Rider" is a Marvel Comic that apparently only Nicholas Cage ever bothered to read

Actually thats not true. He's an avid comic book fan and loves Ghost Rider. As soon as the project was announced, he was all over it.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 02-20-2007, 12:15 PM:

quote: Frank Dubrois
If it was any good, it would have been released 2 months earlier or 2 months later...if you had high expectations, thats your fault.

Actually I had zero expectations. We weren't expecting to play this, and only did because there was nothing "better" in the pipeline. We didn't really have a chance to promote it ahead of time, but it's still doing great business. We're seeing a lot of people we don't see very often and word of mouth is good, so I'm happy.

The idea that "if it was any good it would have been released 2 months earlier or later" is flawed. If you haven't noticed, the early spring has been a pretty good spot for audience pleasers in the past few years. (Ice Age, anyone?) We need more good movies in the "off season."

Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 02-23-2007, 06:14 AM:

In many of the scenes with Eva Mendes, I wasn't aware she had a face...

I didn't like Batman Begins, but I LOVED this! I'm trying to find a copy of the (Ghost) Riders in the Sky song from this movie. I really thought this was a great show.

5/5