Kingdom of Heaven....*squee!*
Many thanks to jasmineskie for bringing up the fact that KOH prolly wasn't going to be sticking around the theaters all that long. I checked it out and it was already gone in the local moviehouses...I frantically looked up the big AMC 30 that's about 30 minutes away and voila! KOH, two showings only.
Hubby's got work training so I went myself. And slobbered on myself. Have I mentioned to anyone lately how much I LOVE Orlando? *gibbers* He SO owned this role; it just makes me writhe all over that damn theater seat. To see little Elfling Orli-boy strutting around with those fabulous pecs and dark dark hair and dirty, bloody skin and *gulp* full-body chain mail...
*lies prone on ground*
My favorite of all is the confidence Balian has with just that little bit of sneering arrogance that peeks through occasionally, mostly when dealing with people worthy of contempt. *climbs him*
I think I might need to go again. Orlando kickin' ass on the big screen is a wondrous thing. *melts*
I think I said this in my initial review of this film, that I just like it, and that's all there is to it. I'm sitting there and I'm smiling at all the main characters, loving every moment they're on screen. Everyone chuckles over the testicle line from Godfrey...hee...and there's this incredible feeling of adoration for David Thewliss' Hospitaler. Each time I see this movie I want more of him. Hell, I want more of everyone.
I think this movie may have suffered with audiences just because there was a run of big epics and it kind of took the novelty off of the battle sequences. But I think this movie surpasses a lot of what I've seen before--both in the cleverness of Balian's defenses, the way he leads, and good grief, the cinematography is just extraordinary. It obviously wasn't just a whim that Ridley wanted Orlando for this. He wanted someone who could stand up to these kind of close shots, who could make each frame look breathtaking. And that's not just Orlando's looks, it's his grace. I was thinking about the slow-motion action shots and how fabulous Orlando is in those, looking powerful and earnest and agile and mazing and that is not easy to do under such difficult and chaotic circumstances.
One of the things I really liked, too, is something that probably would be considered something to criticize by others...heh. But I loved that Balian was SO much in the front of these battles. He wasn't sitting on some horse in the background ordering people around. He was right *there*. And when the enemy climbed the walls and put up their own flag, he did everything to get there and topple them. He set up a strategy for the battle and he ran from place to place, making sure it was executed properly. I suppose some people might consider that unrealistic, but it wasn't like he could just ring them on their cellphones. Your orders only went as far as your voice would carry, or through the voices of your other men. I can see the practicality of just moving along and doing a lot of that shit yourself. Never mind the fact of how good it is for morale to see your leader actually *next* to you, you know?
It's fun watching the movie over again because you start to notice little things and you start to know some of the lesser characters that *are* actually shown in many scenes of the battle if your eye is quick enough.
And I laughed at the end because I hadn't thought of it, when Balian says "I am the blacksmith" and Richard says "And I am the King of England"...I didn't think about the joke of that, you know, "Oh yeah, if you're an Olympic swimmer, then I'm the King of England." Except in this case, he really *was*...lol...but he knew Balian wasn't just a blacksmith.
Well, just some ramblings from me. And just another piccy of Orlando, 'cause he's so gorgeous. And I love his legs so much. *pervs*
