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[van]

Nothing especially amazing looking about this movie, but I do love Foxx and Piven, so I'm not against seeing them together haha. Jason Bateman's in it too, though you only see about .5 seconds of him in the third trailer haha.


http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/thekingdom/

[TheEnd?]

Chris Cooper is in it
Chris Cooper is awesome
Therefore this movie will be awesome


Fun Fact: Cooper attended Stephens College and the University of Missouri–Columbia, where he dual majored in the school of agriculture and the school of drama
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Only fools are enslaved by time and space.

[LincM]

I don't know much about it, but I have heard the cast and that pleases me. Foxx, Piven, Couper, Bateman. We just need Charlize Theron and the movie would be awesome on a stick.

[matt!]

we had free passes to a sneak preview a couple weeks ago, but we waited in line for superbad (and didn't get in) instead. bullshit.

[Brandon J. Carr]

A friend of mine was the PA on this flick, so I'm interested in seeing it just in the context of the stories I heard about it. I saw a trailer MONTHS ago, but I don't really remember it (I think it blended with the Transformers trailer at some point).

b
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Brandon J. Carr is a cartoonist

[joerules]

The movie has been pushed back a bit but it seems interesting enough. I love the poster in theatewrs now for it.

[joerules]

So I caught the nation wide preview for this over the weekend and I loved it. Walking out I was debating giving it a 10 out of 10 and where it ranks among the year’s best. Top 5? Top 3? To hard to say right now but it’s a really well put together film.

I think director Peter Berg has finally hit his stride. After years of making fun but flawed films like Very Bad Things, The Rundown</b> and Friday Night Lights, Berg defines the learning curve by delivering his most well rounded and impressive film to date. He’s proven that an escalating budget, scale, and talent pool only bring out the best in him as his eye behind the camera and ability for storytelling shine brighter than ever. With The Kingdom, Berg makes sure that everyone knows he’s a director and producer worth keeping your eye on.

The movie is somewhat uneven with its action, I mean, if you're looking for a balls out action movie, just show up an hour late. But by no means is it ever boring. In fact the political maze that acts as an intro to the action is just as tense and compelling, just in a very different way. As an FBI squad in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the four Americans act as a war scale CSI team investigating a renegade bombing. But when they get there, the team is held at arms length, given a babysitter, and only allowed to observe as the Saudi's conduct their own investigation. The core of the movie focuses on their struggle to navigate the royal politics of the Kingdom and solve the mystery of the attack.

Watching them solve the mystery from the outskirts of the investigation is very entertaining, but I admit, in retrospect, it was heightened by my anticipation for the big conflict. The inevitable moment when rocket launchers reared their ugly heads and these detectives got their shoot on.

I think the larger message of how we're all the same shines pretty brightly, but just beneath the glaring social observation are less than flattering ones. Looking back at The Kingdom, a posture is taken that the Saudi's are incompetent and unable to solve their own mysteries, and God bless America for taking the time to come on over and save their asses. I love America, but this is naïve at best. Iraq anyone? To be fair, the squad's babysitter, wonderfully played by Ashraf Barhoum, does his part in leading them through the traps and tricks of the system. He is as competent as the great Americans there to save him, but what does the movie say about a country who's most capable citizen is put on guard duty. He's basically Chris Tucker in Rush hour 1. And no one respects that.

This is my initiaql crack at what will be in the review, but you can expect more. it's really a well put together film though. Definetly worth checking out.

[van]

That's good. Even going by Joe's shitty taste in movies, this should get at least a 7 or 8 on my scale.




I kid, Joe, I kid!
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[joerules]

[Col]

I'm right there with what Tom said about this movie on The Triple Feature: When I see the title of this movie, I think of "Kingdom of Heaven," and when I see the trailer with the rocket launchers hitting the SUVs, I think "Clear & Present Danger."

[joerules]

The title sequence goes through a lot to make you not think of Kingdom of heaven. It's like three mintutes establishing a connection of the phrase "The Kingdom" to Sudia Arabia as they explain their connection to America. I think a lot of people see the title and think that, and I think the filmmakers were aware of it. As for the rocket launcher in C&PD... is it followed up by a granade?

[van]

I've actually been thinking "Syriana" the whole time. Different concept I know, but the vibe and air of the trailer feels similar.
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[Col]