Jason KingTHE PERFECT STORM (2000)
May 18th 2008 10:35
Category: No Category
THE PERFECT STORM (2000) $14-
In October of 1991 a storm stronger than any in recorded history hit the coast off of Gloucester, Massachusetts. This "Perfect Storm" — so called because it was three storms combined into one — created an almost apocalyptic situation in the Atlantic ocean, where boats encountered waves of 100 feet (30 meters) — the equivalent of a ten-story building. These storms are some of the strongest and most terrifying manifestations of nature's strength. Creating waves ten stories high and winds of 120 miles an hour (193 kph), the storm whipped the sea to inconceivable levels few people on Earth have ever witnessed. Few, except the six-man crew of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat headed towards its hellish center.
This true story was fictionalised (some may say overly as it assumed a lot) by the author Sebastian Junger (who has some awesome books!!!). One of my long lost favourite action films I pulled it off the shelf for another viewing last night as there was SO MUCH SHIT on TV. And tonight on TV is even worse. I massively miss the old Sunday night movies that we used to have with every channel fighting over what cool film to play. But let me tell you - this film, The Perfect Storm is a brilliant action film with great character development and awesome effects.
Billy Tyne is a sword-fishing-boat captain out of Gloucester, highly competitive and stung by a string of poor outings. His crew is hardly back in port when he tells them he's going out again, even though it's October and the weather can turn ugly. Five join him: the young Bobby, newly in love; Murph, a devoted father recently divorced; Sully, a guy Murph despises; Bugsy, who's finally met a woman who likes him; and Alfred, a quiet Jamaican. They catch little, so they sail east, with Tyne ignoring storm warnings behind him. Finally, the fish bite, but the ice machine fails. Should they head home through the storm of the century, or wait it out and lose their catch? Fearful, the women wait. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, who is one of the best water action directors around. He has directed things such as Das Boot (1981) (best submarine movie EVER), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Air Force One (1997), Troy (2004) and Poseidon (2006) - which we will not talk about!! He masters this one and while the majority are studio shots I could feel myself in the storm.
My ex asshole stepdad used to own a game fishing boat and we spent a night anchored in strong behind a reef while a cyclone bashed over us. While nowhere near as bad as this - it was enough to scare the shit out of me - so I imagine know what these people went through. Also, when competitive sailing when younger this storm came out of nowhere and took the hole race unprepared. There were huge waves and lightning hitting the water all around the boat. When the sea turns she turns and she can be one nasty bitch!!!! I find that Wolfgang captured this brilliantly and managed to score one of the best casts for this film anyone could imagine. George Clooney as Capt. Billy Tyne is a master stroke, with that unshaved look and the ocean poetry he spurts, he managed to own this role. Hell, if he was my Capt. I would be up for whatever he wanted (in a fishing sense you evil people!!). Mark Wahlberg as Bobby Shatford is another superb performance, him and Clooney need to do more together, they were brilliant in this and superb in Three Kings. Mark Wahlberg actually stayed in the real Bobby Shatford's room above the Crow's Nest bar and even checked ID's at the door one night.
I found Diane Lane, as Christina 'Chris' Cotter, a little too over the top. She just had so much enthusiasm (maybe it was her desire to jump Mark Wahlberg) that certain scenes appeared overacted but the fact she is 7yrs older than Mark - she is one of the hottest ladies for her age!! And she has improved SO much since this film. I love her - ultimate YUMMY MUMMY!! I have to say it was great to see Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, as Capt. Linda Greenlaw, and honestly I find this lady one of the most underrated actors of her time. She is just amazing and captivated me in films such as Scarface, The Abyss (amazing) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (with good old Kev). She is a "like at first site" actress that you would hug and feel comforted by. And you can believe she is an awesome Captain. And while so subtle there were sparks between her and George!
Wolfgang Petersen’s vision for the film hinged on creating a cinematic experience on par with the reality of what the story’s true life characters lived through. Unsatisfied with the digital simulation of water that had thus far been seen in movies, Petersen knew that the production would have to cross one of the last frontiers in visual effects in order to bring to life the most powerful and dominating character in the piece — the storm-swept ocean. With the encouragement of the filmmakers, Industrial Light & Magic pooled its resources to make a true cinematic breakthrough. ILM assembled its largest team of technical directors ever devoted to a non-science fiction film. This crew of computer graphics artists used groundbreaking techniques, devised by the company’s cutting-edge software designers, to bring to life the dynamically simulated weather phenomenon at the heart of the story. This stunning innovation, an enormous leap forward in visual effects, is what convinced the filmmakers that The Perfect Storm could be made.
I just love this scene - it's tacky but it romanticises the fishing and their life so get over it!
George Clooney (Captain Billy Tyne): "But you got it, Captian Greenlaw, you do. Believe me, I see them come and go. The day I laid eyes on you I said to myself, "She's gonna be a good one." Can't be good unless you love it. The fog's just lifting. Throw off your bow line, throw off your stern. You head out the South Channel, past Rocky Neck, Ten Pound Island. Past Niles Pond, where I skated as a kid. Blow your airhorn and throw a wave to the lighthouse keeper's kid on Thatcher Island. The birds show up -- black backs, herring gulls, big dumb ducks. The sun hits ya, head North, open up to 12, steamin' now. The guys are busy, you're in charge. Ya know what? You're a goddam swordboat captain! Is there anything better in the world?"
Trivia: 1) Three days of exterior shots were filmed on the edge of Hurricane Floyd for the early portions of the storm. 2) Though the Crow's Nest is a real bar in Gloucester, it is not located on the dock as is depicted in the movie. The exterior was simply a facade erected by the filmmakers. 3) Nicolas Cage was originally named as the lead to play local fisherman Bobby Shatford but was forced to back out because of other commitments. (thank god) 4) The families of certain crew members sued the producers in federal district court in Florida, claiming that their names were used without their permission, and that facts were changed. The district court held that the defendants' First Amendment right to freedom of speech barred the suit. The plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which could not decide how to interpret the Florida law at issue and certified the question to the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2005, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the district court's interpretation of Florida law and remanded the case to the 11th Circuit, which then affirmed the district court's original decision to dismiss the case.
If you haven't seen it - rent it. It's intense and believable. I love it!! $14-
In October of 1991 a storm stronger than any in recorded history hit the coast off of Gloucester, Massachusetts. This "Perfect Storm" — so called because it was three storms combined into one — created an almost apocalyptic situation in the Atlantic ocean, where boats encountered waves of 100 feet (30 meters) — the equivalent of a ten-story building. These storms are some of the strongest and most terrifying manifestations of nature's strength. Creating waves ten stories high and winds of 120 miles an hour (193 kph), the storm whipped the sea to inconceivable levels few people on Earth have ever witnessed. Few, except the six-man crew of the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing boat headed towards its hellish center.
This true story was fictionalised (some may say overly as it assumed a lot) by the author Sebastian Junger (who has some awesome books!!!). One of my long lost favourite action films I pulled it off the shelf for another viewing last night as there was SO MUCH SHIT on TV. And tonight on TV is even worse. I massively miss the old Sunday night movies that we used to have with every channel fighting over what cool film to play. But let me tell you - this film, The Perfect Storm is a brilliant action film with great character development and awesome effects.
Billy Tyne is a sword-fishing-boat captain out of Gloucester, highly competitive and stung by a string of poor outings. His crew is hardly back in port when he tells them he's going out again, even though it's October and the weather can turn ugly. Five join him: the young Bobby, newly in love; Murph, a devoted father recently divorced; Sully, a guy Murph despises; Bugsy, who's finally met a woman who likes him; and Alfred, a quiet Jamaican. They catch little, so they sail east, with Tyne ignoring storm warnings behind him. Finally, the fish bite, but the ice machine fails. Should they head home through the storm of the century, or wait it out and lose their catch? Fearful, the women wait. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, who is one of the best water action directors around. He has directed things such as Das Boot (1981) (best submarine movie EVER), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Air Force One (1997), Troy (2004) and Poseidon (2006) - which we will not talk about!! He masters this one and while the majority are studio shots I could feel myself in the storm.
My ex asshole stepdad used to own a game fishing boat and we spent a night anchored in strong behind a reef while a cyclone bashed over us. While nowhere near as bad as this - it was enough to scare the shit out of me - so I imagine know what these people went through. Also, when competitive sailing when younger this storm came out of nowhere and took the hole race unprepared. There were huge waves and lightning hitting the water all around the boat. When the sea turns she turns and she can be one nasty bitch!!!! I find that Wolfgang captured this brilliantly and managed to score one of the best casts for this film anyone could imagine. George Clooney as Capt. Billy Tyne is a master stroke, with that unshaved look and the ocean poetry he spurts, he managed to own this role. Hell, if he was my Capt. I would be up for whatever he wanted (in a fishing sense you evil people!!). Mark Wahlberg as Bobby Shatford is another superb performance, him and Clooney need to do more together, they were brilliant in this and superb in Three Kings. Mark Wahlberg actually stayed in the real Bobby Shatford's room above the Crow's Nest bar and even checked ID's at the door one night.
I found Diane Lane, as Christina 'Chris' Cotter, a little too over the top. She just had so much enthusiasm (maybe it was her desire to jump Mark Wahlberg) that certain scenes appeared overacted but the fact she is 7yrs older than Mark - she is one of the hottest ladies for her age!! And she has improved SO much since this film. I love her - ultimate YUMMY MUMMY!! I have to say it was great to see Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, as Capt. Linda Greenlaw, and honestly I find this lady one of the most underrated actors of her time. She is just amazing and captivated me in films such as Scarface, The Abyss (amazing) and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (with good old Kev). She is a "like at first site" actress that you would hug and feel comforted by. And you can believe she is an awesome Captain. And while so subtle there were sparks between her and George!
Wolfgang Petersen’s vision for the film hinged on creating a cinematic experience on par with the reality of what the story’s true life characters lived through. Unsatisfied with the digital simulation of water that had thus far been seen in movies, Petersen knew that the production would have to cross one of the last frontiers in visual effects in order to bring to life the most powerful and dominating character in the piece — the storm-swept ocean. With the encouragement of the filmmakers, Industrial Light & Magic pooled its resources to make a true cinematic breakthrough. ILM assembled its largest team of technical directors ever devoted to a non-science fiction film. This crew of computer graphics artists used groundbreaking techniques, devised by the company’s cutting-edge software designers, to bring to life the dynamically simulated weather phenomenon at the heart of the story. This stunning innovation, an enormous leap forward in visual effects, is what convinced the filmmakers that The Perfect Storm could be made.
I just love this scene - it's tacky but it romanticises the fishing and their life so get over it!
George Clooney (Captain Billy Tyne): "But you got it, Captian Greenlaw, you do. Believe me, I see them come and go. The day I laid eyes on you I said to myself, "She's gonna be a good one." Can't be good unless you love it. The fog's just lifting. Throw off your bow line, throw off your stern. You head out the South Channel, past Rocky Neck, Ten Pound Island. Past Niles Pond, where I skated as a kid. Blow your airhorn and throw a wave to the lighthouse keeper's kid on Thatcher Island. The birds show up -- black backs, herring gulls, big dumb ducks. The sun hits ya, head North, open up to 12, steamin' now. The guys are busy, you're in charge. Ya know what? You're a goddam swordboat captain! Is there anything better in the world?"
Trivia: 1) Three days of exterior shots were filmed on the edge of Hurricane Floyd for the early portions of the storm. 2) Though the Crow's Nest is a real bar in Gloucester, it is not located on the dock as is depicted in the movie. The exterior was simply a facade erected by the filmmakers. 3) Nicolas Cage was originally named as the lead to play local fisherman Bobby Shatford but was forced to back out because of other commitments. (thank god) 4) The families of certain crew members sued the producers in federal district court in Florida, claiming that their names were used without their permission, and that facts were changed. The district court held that the defendants' First Amendment right to freedom of speech barred the suit. The plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which could not decide how to interpret the Florida law at issue and certified the question to the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2005, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the district court's interpretation of Florida law and remanded the case to the 11th Circuit, which then affirmed the district court's original decision to dismiss the case.
If you haven't seen it - rent it. It's intense and believable. I love it!! $14-
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