tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post6093006368775037780..comments2023-11-05T01:59:43.451-08:00Comments on Windmills of My Mind: DAY 19: Hook (1991)Damian Arlynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07937513879456460221noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-70862735295895910472010-07-07T03:48:51.316-07:002010-07-07T03:48:51.316-07:00Dear Damian,
I contact you by comment because I di...Dear Damian,<br />I contact you by comment because I didn’t find any other way to do it.<br /><br />I would like to introduce to you Mperience (www. mperience.com), a web platform on which you can share in a brand new way movies, tv-series, music, art, and books. It also allows you to blend videos of artistic content with your own words, simply creating short stories called Memes that you can spread to a wide audience by a simple click.<br /><br />As you can see, we have many themes in common with your blog and we would like to publish on Mperience some of your articles.<br />Actually we already inserted your post about Hook on our page dedicated to http://www.mperience.com/view/Hook_(film)<br /><br />And so many others, like, for example:<br /><br />http://www.mperience.com/view/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial<br /><br />We'll appreciate if you'll put on your blog the Mperience’s reference, just copying and pasting a html code that I’ll give you in a second moment…<br /><br />I hope that we could keep in touch and collaborate also in the future. So, if you are interested, please don’t hesitate to contact me for further information, questions or suggestions.<br /><br />Andrea Salvi<br />Communication Manager<br />Mperience<br />andrea.salvi@mperience.comUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16810697786646960703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-35291801176154995762009-10-22T10:34:23.147-07:002009-10-22T10:34:23.147-07:00Hook happens to be my favorite movie of all time.Hook happens to be my favorite movie of all time.Derek Clemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05624714447772220674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-73821388448961259022007-08-24T09:08:00.000-07:002007-08-24T09:08:00.000-07:00Haven't seen it in years, but I agree on its flaws...Haven't seen it in years, but I agree on its flaws. Even when I was 14, I could tell it just didn't work. I also agree that Hoskins and Hoffman make a great team, though. It's weird that Hoffman is so good and totally unrecognizable, since he was so awful in the more recent <I>Perfume</I>. It reminds that he can be a great actor when he wants to be.ARhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15362251036272954989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-44094045796323209092007-08-24T04:46:00.000-07:002007-08-24T04:46:00.000-07:00damian's probably occupied with making sure that h...damian's probably occupied with making sure that he doesn't get hit with a lawsuit.Yunda Eddie Fenghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05421590756397917032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-22638208670299580962007-08-22T11:45:00.000-07:002007-08-22T11:45:00.000-07:00where are the new posts? i'm addicted!where are the new posts? i'm addicted!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05112235776853578901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-39704325442290022002007-08-22T09:35:00.000-07:002007-08-22T09:35:00.000-07:00Damian, I think you've been doing a great job here...Damian, I think you've been doing a great job here with your 31 Days project. I skimmed through the plagiarism accusation thread and wanted to comment, briefly -- many of the pulled quotes were descriptions of particular scenes, and everyone must realize that if you're summarizing dialog or action, the descriptions are all going to sound the same, because you're all describing the same events! I think it's really going too far to accuse you of plagiarism, although in the strictest sense of the word, it may be accurate. I'd reserve such accusations for times when someone has clearly ripped off major passages and/or insights, neither of which can be said of you. It is possible for more than one person to hold the same opinion of something, and at times it may difficult to the point of awkwardness to express that opinion in a completely different and fresh way.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06093453920666892035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-21815877711893668772007-08-22T09:04:00.000-07:002007-08-22T09:04:00.000-07:00I've always been a little bewildered by movielover...I've always been a little bewildered by movielovers' disdain for Hook. Maybe it's because I grew up watching it from time to time. Maybe it's because I think it features Hoffman's best performance (there, I said it).<BR/><BR/>And while John Williams' score may be good, he totally ripped himself off when it was time to compose the Harry Potter theme. Listen to Hook, then listen to Potter. It's blatant and unfortunate.J.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07815005929352267468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-26563849949953781482007-08-22T09:03:00.000-07:002007-08-22T09:03:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.J.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07815005929352267468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-11457081910162622002007-08-21T22:27:00.000-07:002007-08-21T22:27:00.000-07:00yikes...that's some hook-disdain much like i've re...yikes...that's some hook-disdain much like i've received on my own blog with my Steven-top 10 when hook made the cut.<BR/><BR/>my love for hook largely stems from a fun and enjoyable viewing experience i'm sure.<BR/><BR/>but i also love it's over the topness, casting, and music.<BR/><BR/>i just think it's pure fun.RChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11340006144797496514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-25196790398836131452007-08-21T17:44:00.000-07:002007-08-21T17:44:00.000-07:00Anonymous:I did not know about the plagiarism accu...Anonymous:<BR/><BR/>I did not know about the plagiarism accusation on spielbergfilm.scom. I shall adress that as soon as possible. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.Damian Arlynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07937513879456460221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-46248488726654605942007-08-21T15:22:00.000-07:002007-08-21T15:22:00.000-07:00I was seven when Hook was released, and had you as...I was seven when <I>Hook</I> was released, and had you asked me to list my favorite movies, it would have been high up there - it was the first movie I saw in theatres twice. However, by the time I was eight, I had completely outgrown it, which I think says something about Spielberg's target audience here. <BR/><BR/>Aside from the great performances you mentioned, <I>Hook</I> is pretty much indefensible. But I think it's a movie Spielberg needed to get out of his system. For any complaints about his tendency to go for the happy ending, his movies were decidedly more adult from this point on - even a big-budget B-picture like <I>The Lost World</I> possesses a far greater sense of irony than it would had Spielberg made it ten years earlier. Your comparison to theme park rides is astute; this is, after all, a man who had arcade games in his office like Tom Hanks in <I>Big</I> (Hanks, incidentally, would have been far better as Peter Pan). So <I>Hook</I> is a sort of exorcism of his childlike love of garish, disposable junk culture (hence the skateboarding and such). For what it's worth, it seems to have worked.Andrew Bemishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06097037829531087694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-86247244161134925392007-08-21T12:33:00.000-07:002007-08-21T12:33:00.000-07:00Hook is as bad as everyone's saying here and as go...<EM>Hook</EM> is as bad as everyone's saying here and as good as everyone's saying here. <BR/><BR/>I agree that the first twenty or so minutes are good, Hoffman & Hoskins are well cast, and that John Williams' score is pretty damn excellent. <BR/><BR/>Julia Roberts may have been one of the most wretched casting decisions of all time and absolutely nothing about the way Neverland is conceived works. <BR/><BR/>When I worked at Blockbuster, I remember little kids loved this when it was first released on VHS, so at least <EM>Hook</EM> plays well to its target demographic. The same cannot be said of <EM>1941</EM> or <EM>Always</EM>.<BR/><BR/>It's interesting that this was Speilberg's first film of the '90s. <EM>Hook</EM> would have been the appropriate place for him tire the same way that many filmmakers of his contemporaries began to. Instead, he still had his best work ahead of him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-1131266926615450592007-08-21T12:07:00.000-07:002007-08-21T12:07:00.000-07:00Damian - are you aware that you are being accused ...Damian - are you aware that you are being accused of plagiarism, on the spielbergfilms.com website?<BR/><BR/>http://www.spielbergfilms.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=3<BR/><BR/>The post discusses Duel, Columbo, and Eyes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-64977814508907378172007-08-21T11:34:00.000-07:002007-08-21T11:34:00.000-07:00Artificiality shouldn't be a problem (think Olivie...Artificiality shouldn't be a problem (think Olivier's Henry V, or much of Coppola's Dracula (I'm talking look of the film; that film has other serious problems)), and, come to think of it, Hollywood Boulevard (it is Hollywood Boulevard isn't it?) in Spielberg's own 1941. Artificial and the artificiality is exuberantly presented, no attempt or even wish to be real. This is simply ugly.Noel Verahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05904212081036547668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-37316191518741115702007-08-21T11:00:00.000-07:002007-08-21T11:00:00.000-07:00Another great essay. I didn't know Kevin Kline was...Another great essay. I didn't know Kevin Kline was originally cast-- he would've been great, and there would've been fun intertextual ties to his performance in Pirates of Penzance. The odd thing about Williams is that he gave another performance that same season in a different fantasy film-- The Fisher King-- and was brilliant, finding all the right notes (in a movie that's also about figuring out how to come to adulthood without losing your innocence) and modulating his performance beautifully. I agree we're in the dog years of Spielberg here, but that just makes your essays even more interesting and valuable for their insights.Brian Doanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17903729233401672600noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-19111172210233703552007-08-21T10:50:00.000-07:002007-08-21T10:50:00.000-07:00I concur with everything said here, especially on ...I concur with everything said here, especially on Williams' score, which is wonderful removed from the movie.<BR/><BR/>And also, especially, with props for the 2003 Peter Pan. An absolutely wonderful movie about the anxiety of growing up that just got lost in the marketplace. I think if Spielberg had tapped in to some of that anxiety (that he himself must have felt in this period) about growing up, this film would have worked better.Toddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10538651542043518746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-21825442741104849972007-08-21T10:26:00.000-07:002007-08-21T10:26:00.000-07:00I'm glad you mentioned that, the rest of the movie...I'm glad you mentioned that, the rest of the movie aside, John Williams's score is really good.Jeff McMahonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17455194268519396055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-53664055008135205242007-08-21T09:38:00.000-07:002007-08-21T09:38:00.000-07:00Whoops - forgot about the also-pointless cameos of...Whoops - forgot about the also-pointless cameos of David Crosby (then in the current news for his liver transplant), Phil Collins, Carrie Fisher, and George Lucas.<BR/><BR/>Steven's li'l Cameopalooza!! How cute!!<BR/><BR/>Yuck.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-12168587413345026752007-08-21T08:35:00.000-07:002007-08-21T08:35:00.000-07:00I grew up liking Hook (how can an eight-year-old n...I grew up liking <I>Hook</I> (how can an eight-year-old not like this movie?) and have since lost interest in it, but not completely. As you mention, Damian, the first 20 minutes of the movie are really magical, particularly that brief scene you mention as Peter enters the nursery. <BR/><BR/>Maybe it was intentional, but the movie really does look so artificial, so movie-set-like that it's distracting. You can see the "ocean" (blue painted on a white wall) behind the pirate ship during the climatic battle at the end. Thet pirate town and the the lost boys tree feel so shriekingly false that you can practically detect every bit of fake leaves and squareness to the artificial trees and buildings.<BR/><BR/>The one good thing about the movie, however, is John Williams' masterful score, which marks Williams' finest stand-alone score inasmuch that one can imagine her or his own movie with that music without the poor movie it actually accompanies. I always got chills when watching the "You are the Pan" scene (and still do when I listen to the score). <BR/><BR/>And nice point about the recent <I>Peter Pan</I>, rar. That movie was extraordinarily imaginative: atmospheric, thematically consistent (and moving), and just plain magical, even for being such a simple and light movie.Ted Pigeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04789041055263853568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-53717786342691737962007-08-21T08:34:00.000-07:002007-08-21T08:34:00.000-07:00Hi Damian, i am a huge Spielberg fan too, and actu...Hi Damian, i am a huge Spielberg fan too, and actually i am doing an essay about Spielberg themes and his mis en scene. i found many interesting things about his style. I am trying to make a sort of classification for each theme or style. I am starting to read some your fantastic analysis of this great but underevaluated artist and fortunately i am finding some conections in you text with mine. i do not know if you found this, but one of the most impressive things i found in Spielberg's work,that i think its unique, was:<BR/><BR/>1 - Reflection and refraction<BR/><BR/>2 - Character's gestures and mimics<BR/><BR/>3 - progressive quantity (hard to explain now)<BR/><BR/>i am looking forward to discuss this with you...<BR/><BR/>byeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-56712617114479359872007-08-21T08:21:00.000-07:002007-08-21T08:21:00.000-07:00Completely agree. This is the true beginning of Sp...Completely agree. This is the true beginning of Spielberg's "I don't know when to end the movie" syndrome. Though it is a mess and a true disappointment, this movie has little delights for me. <BR/><BR/>I've always been a huge fan of Barrie's original story and I like the interesting continuations they did to the source material: Wendy's continued love for Peter, Hook's bizarre suicidal tendencies and that cruel moment where Hook tells the kids how much happier their parents would be without them.<BR/><BR/>One of the great what ifs for me has been what if Spielberg's original Peter Pan project have been made. Would it be anything like the 2003 version? I think the new version is brilliant at times; the staging has Spielberg's trademark of multiple layers of complex visual information (helped by Michael Kahn's editing). And James Newton Howard's music does some very Williams styled riffs at times.RARhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10172571566505715485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-41252196109611381382007-08-21T08:11:00.000-07:002007-08-21T08:11:00.000-07:00Two glaring issues that always pull me out of the ...Two glaring issues that always pull me out of the movie:<BR/><BR/>- The inexplicable Glenn Close cameo (and how many times have those three words been typed consecutively?) I mean, it was ham-fistedly executed, and had no point at all;<BR/><BR/>- that awful, mugging, smarmy perf by that 'comically-overweight' African-American kid. It was a cringe-inducing role, with his eyes "buggin' out" in surprise and/or awe in all (and there were sooooo many) of the patented Spielberg "off-screen-awe-inducer" reverse-shots. It set back black performances three steps back from any 'advancement' Steven may have made in "Purple". Which was such a shame.<BR/><BR/>(I also have to add my thanks for doing such an excellent job on thjis series, Damian!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-61444549717879035822007-08-21T07:01:00.000-07:002007-08-21T07:01:00.000-07:00"Tinkerhell".....Ha ha ha. Great. Never heard th..."Tinkerhell".....Ha ha ha. Great. Never heard that one, but it fits.<BR/><BR/>Having worked on Mona Lisa Smiles as a crew member, I will personally testify that every story you've heard about Julia Roberts is true. (and they say Emma Roberts is almost as bad.)<BR/><BR/>She was, in fact, probably the most difficult actress I've ever had to deal with on a set UNTIL I found myself getting yelled at by Kyra Sedgewick a few years later, who was Julia's equal in many ways, although, all things considered, not QUITE as dreadful; Kyra was actually nice once in a rare while, whereas Julia was a human chainsaw every single time.<BR/><BR/>Kyra and Julia, they were the worst. And there was some movie where they were both in and played sisters. Dear God, I cringe at what THAT set must have been like. That show must have been absolute, pure hell. <BR/><BR/>Oh, and to get away from the gossip for a moment and back to Spielberg: sir, I salute you. You have legatimitly managed to find something good to say about Hook. Looking back to my unhappy memories of seeing it when I was 13, I totally agree, the first half-hour is the most interesting part and fairly enjoyable. But, man, that's it. I remember my father, who likes practically anything, upon leaving the theater could'nt find anything good to say but, "Well, the special effects were neat..."<BR/><BR/>Always, Last Crusade, Hook...We're really in the pits here. It's the lowest point of Speilberg's career, and it makes the third-stage hot streak he's been on since roughly Jurassic Park / Schindler's all the more remarkable. After slogging through some of a great filmmaker's most dissapointing works, I can't wait to revel in the glory of all the amazing films we've got coming up in the next few essays.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332525178317601464.post-14390382318363861312007-08-21T06:17:00.000-07:002007-08-21T06:17:00.000-07:00I'm really enjoying reading your essays, so thanks...I'm really enjoying reading your essays, so thanks for doing them. I assume you're not slaving away on each one every day, but have them pre-written! If not, it's even more remarkable!<BR/><BR/>Great stuff and a regular read at the moment. I hope other directors get the same treatment once you recover... ;)Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05821524840819117719noreply@blogger.com