Watched it today (Spoilers) + Screen caps

[thunder]

...and here's my verdict. Trying not to spoil too much, but...

It's not too bad, thanks to Jason Isaacs and Ed Harris. Considering how dark and sad the story really is, it was surprisingly light. I think I was laughing more than being moved, and the love story didn't affect me at all. Some scenes... I still try to work out why they put them in, like Josiah smearing mud or poop or whatever it was all over one of his disciples. There are a few scenes like that, that doesn't add anything to the story or characters. The movie builds up all right to the climax, but when it comes, it isn't working. Except for Josiah's speech, which was hilarious. I thought the movie worked OK for entertainment, but it's not fantastic.

Jason does a great job with what he had to work with. But they don't really have any scenes that can explain Josiah's madness or his back story, so that's why he comes off as slightly stereotype, but it's not JI's fault. He does this different that his other villains, so don't really understand the reviewers that suggested he was repeating himself. Josiah is very mild and friendly until he kills someone, or rape someone. And he sings too - and there's a mental break-down.

Can't think of anything else...any questions?

[servalan]

Is this a film you would have chosen to watch if Jason were not in it?

I do feel that about some of his choices...

[thunder]

Not sure... if it came on TV late at night, and I was too lazy to go to bed or change the channel, I may have watched it. I wasn't bored watching it, and even had some laughs. But it won't go down in movie history as a classic.

Made some screen caps:

[laurielove]

Thanks for those insightful comments, Thunder, and for the screen caps. Screen caps are always good.

[Chari910]

Great caps for a regular DVD. Thanks thunder, Can't wait

Someone on twitter made a comment that Jason got a nice a**, does that mean they kept that scene in?

[thunder]

Yes, the scene where you can see his a** is in. But they cut the daughter out.

[thunder]

BTW, did you want a screen cap of that?

http://s706.photobucket.com/user/thopic ... 7.jpg.html
Now, behave yourselves.

[LadySekhmet]

Umm...Wow. Totally wasn't expecting that screencap! Was just popping in to say "thanks, thunder," because I looked at this thread earlier but forgot to say thanks, & now it seems I should be saying "THANKS, thunder!" THANKS, thunder!!

[thunder]

It was a pleasure, LadySekhmet

BTW, I edited the post in case someone doesn't want an a** in their face as they scroll down.

[Marie]

BTW, I edited the post in case someone doesn't want an a** in their face as they scroll down.

Well now - that always depends on who's a** we are talking about now doesn't it?

[laurielove]

Just thought I'd mention that I consider it to be a very fine, and very British a***. (Note the three asterisks )

[ln419]

LL: I've been a nurse for a long time, seen many a**ss, some very fine, some not so fine. Pray DO tell what defines a British one, I've never been able to descern just by looking at someone's rear from whence they were born and bred....

thunder: Josiah doesn't have a nervous breakdown, he's just I think confused and upset that maybe the voices aren't coming to him as frequently as they were and he was scouring the Bible trying to find SOMETHING that said it is ok for him to be doing all that he has been (which it obviously doesn't say), but b/c he's this (false) prophet (ok-Jason calls him crazy, watch the "making of") he appears to be having 'issues', but then he pulls it back together in the end. I don't know if I'd call him light and airy, he kinda was making Lucius look like Goofy, he was very soft spoken, like Lucius, (only without that awful fingernails on chalkboard thing), and he was super polite and he was trying to be inviting to others and welcoming them into his fold; THATS kinda what culty people are like, warm and hospitable, but never get on their bad side; back away slowly with a smile then run like hell! Anyone remember David Karesh? He was pretty firey and brimestony, I did have a problem with where he was from. At first, I heard some Irish, then they said Utah, so I was a bit confused, maybe just b/c Jason can do anywhere. I have grown a morbid sense of humor and I laughed really hard at the terrible parts that either people look away at, or laugh really hard at. *This is NOT a movie for an "I will fix this" kind of guy, not even those who think they like westerns or dark humor (at least not in MY neck of the woods!). I loved her love story and was invested in it, and I enjoyed the humor from Jason and Ed, I had a great time! Thanks! LN

*Jase-ya want to give up acting and go into schecta, ya just need a chalif- you looked very promising, esp in that get up!...

[thunder]

thunder: Josiah doesn't have a nervous breakdown, he's just I think confused and upset that maybe the voices aren't coming to him as frequently as they were and he was scouring the Bible trying to find SOMETHING that said it is ok for him to be doing all that he has been (which it obviously doesn't say), but b/c he's this (false) prophet (ok-Jason calls him crazy, watch the "making of") he appears to be having 'issues', but then he pulls it back together in the end.

He mumbles incoherently, screams, rips apart the Bible, then cuts down the cross with an axe. And ends up sobbing on the floor hugging the broken cross. I call that a nervous breakdown, you can call it whatever you like. He come to himself later, that's true. but his behavior changes to more extreme and uncontrolled, didn't you notice?

Just my opinion, though.

[ln419]

ah, I forgot you like to argue these finer points. ok, but for Josiah, ALL of that is just having a 'bit of a fit' (and he's not muttering incoherently, he's reading the Bible really fast trying to find SOMETHING redeeming in what he's done) he didn't do it in front of anyone else (except the camera), he did it alone, at night...he wrestled HIS demons alone, as only a Prophet of G-d would do, because they're only hearing that voice alone and in their head, no one else is hearing the voice (or should I write Voice?), so all that is internal, and the struggle with mental illness is internal too and dark and secret, but in the light, when others are around, it all has to be very 'normal' looking, I think.
So, after what I wrote before, then went for a walk, (with the dog that chews Jason DVDs), I decided that this wasn't a Western because neither Black nor White won, but Purple did...Love conqured all. Bad died, Good died, but love is here to stay. I just appreciate endings with ... potential for another day, a fresh start... ln

[LadySekhmet]

Well. That was...erm...interesting. I just received my copy today. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Jason must have had a blast doing that character (Ed Harris must have enjoyed himself, too). I have to admit that I laughed a lot while watching it, and 1. I'm not sure what that says about me (yikes!) and 2. I don't know if I was supposed to do that (double yikes). I did feel better about laughing when I watched the "making of" and Jason said that it was a mix of humor and horror. (More humor than horror?) It's not my favorite movie ever, but it entertained me. It certainly was not as dark as A Single Shot. I was really disappointed with the end. It just stopped. I guess I was expecting something a little bit more dramatic in a Clint Eastwood kind of way.

I hate to say this, but I couldn't connect with January Jones' character, even though I appreciated some of her...mmm...tactics.

I think that Josiah is Irish but had emigrated to the US and made his way to Santa Fe via Utah.

Himself did the Prophet well, and like thunder says, he was limited by the strength of his script, which could have been stronger and more vibrant. There was the sense of the silver tongued, charisma-filled charmer in there, which is required for prophets who want a following, but his charm seemed to fail for the people that he needed it to work for the most, but you'd think that they would have wanted to demonstrate how he could get his followers (give some true resistance to his charm). And who could resist the pick up line of: "We're made for each other. You killed my wives, I killed your husband"? (Or whatever it was that he said.) What woman could resist those lines? Match made in Heaven. Clearly. *rolls eyes*

Well, all prophets have an essence of madness within them. None of us really know how to separate the false prophets from the real prophets - unless - they demonstrate their connection the divine via public moments/acts (like resurrecting people, curing people, speaking in tongues, other miracles, etc.). Jo-jo is a self-proclaimed prophet (aren't "real" prophets generally proclaimed to be prophets by others?) and, thus, either madness or divinity is present - most likely madness. He does not like other people humiliating him in public, because that is the loss of face and prestige, so, of course, he becomes angry with God. God is supposed to be on his side. He loses it because God has allowed him to be shamed and God is not talking to him anymore. (hmm...God probably was vaguely annoyed with Josiah - because Jo-jo apparently forgot some Commandments: Thou shalt not kill and, even more importantly, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house (and the adultery thing is a sticky wicket, too). Now if he was truly in touch with the divine spirit, he would have turned to the Book of Job.

Now, if I dare to throw some gasoline on the fire, when he has the "fit," he could be having an epileptic seizure. In ancient times, people who had seizures were sometimes considered to be touched by the gods. They could "see" (lights, hallucinations) or "hear" things, and they would be interpreted as the divine talking to them or through them. The skull of a child buried in a temple complex at Tarquinia had indications of a medical conditions that could have caused seizures & he was buried in a honored spot. Caesar was thought to have the "falling sickness," yet was honored. So... was that him staging a fit, having a fit, or "talking" with God? I think that seizure is how he was supposed to have conversed with God.

The two characters I connected with the most were Himself and Ed Harris. Why didn't they just make the movie about those two? It would have been tighter and stronger. I also felt like there were some lost opportunities. Why was there this random antagonism that they simply tried to gloss over with words? It seemed like there was some missing backstory. Obviously, Jo-Jo is just a pervie bigot (a hottie, but still a perv), but is that why he left Utah? Or did he lose his cool in Utah,too? Were there dead bodies in his wake stretching all the way from Salt Lake City to Santa Fe? Inquiring minds want to know!

Well, at least he didn't make anyone drink the Kool-aid.

(Jo-jo? Josie? Seriously, Ed Harris, you had to go there, didn't you? And...I have to admit... the wig totally grew on me. Yeah, I wound up liking the wig.)