In case anyone is thinking of seeing Alexander-- give it a miss. Saw it last nite rather than sit in the very front row of the incredibles. Alexander is way too long and pompus, walked out when the movie got stuck in the monsoons of India. If Alexander had turned North and invaded China might have been more interesting…
Yeah, imagine that: I think the pompous bit describes Oliver Stone to a T. Way overrated as a movie guy, imho.
Alexander is a brave, ambitious film and ahead of its time especially for a Hollywood effort. I notice most of the naysayers are Yanks, well I’m not surprised. Anything other than simplistic, formulaic escapism seems to trouble the poor dears.
You keep watching the ‘Incredibles’ and I’ll keep watching America dig it’s own cultural grave.
And what center of culture puked you out? The Staines ghetto?
Let’s have a look at Mr Stone’s other efforts:
People vs Larry Flynt - a light hearted frolic?
Nixon - hard hitting historical drama?
Platoon - docudrama?
JFK - realism?
Born on the 4th July - an understated historical document?
When I heard that Mr Stone was turning his artistic bowie knife to Ancient History I knew it would be a howler. Angelina Jolie as Mr Farrel’s mother? Alexander liberating downtrodden masses? A 3 hour numb bum fest.
Give me Charlton Heston in a skirt anyday!
alexander made a big editing goof. they shouldn’t have done the flashback to 8 years before. they should have put it in chronological order. it would have been better. also it is well known the A was gay, but they dwelled on it too much for me. maybe touching on the topic in passing, but i could have done without all the boy love scenes.by the way, i used to live in the arts/gay district of houston- pretty interesting place,actually the best apartment i ever had. but seeing two guys together depresses me.
Oh no! you’ve outed me, the thin facade of my online alter ego lies in ruins, my real life identity so cleverly and ruthlessly exposed for all to see. (Moderators, I’m sure this behaviour calls for a severe reprimand as I have been reliably informed that the practice of ‘outing’ is prohibited according to forum regulations).
Yes, I am the respected author of both my forumosa signature and several highly acclaimed (Guardian, Telegraph, Time Out) works of modern literature. I had considered recommending further reading for you as it would appear, given that you support George Bush, that you may not have read many books. On reflection however I do not wish to cause you any further distress or confusion and feel it would be better for all concerned if you just stick to reading the Bible and watching Americas Most Wanted.
You must not be too familiar with how Hollywood produces its movies if you truly believe what you wrote here.
The problem with the movie was that there was nothing holding it together. It was unclear what the director wanted to do with this story. There was a lot of dead filler in the movie that didn’t do anything to enhance the story nor make it flow better.
So why did you like it?
Actually, I should say first thing that I haven’t seen Alexander yet (Stone’s direction is a big reason why, too).
Why do you say it’s ‘ahead of its time’?
Uh, we’re still digging that damn thing? 
I thought we’d already got to bedrock there, years ago even.
Thing is, Hollywood should never be mistaken for any kind of American fine-arts culture, imo. Hollywood is always, always, always about ticket sales. Always has been. Only rarely, imo, do both popular (read: Hollywood) fare and art intersect.
Without having seen the picture (I admit, this could be a mistake and is definitely judgmental on my part) but based on Stone’s previous work, dissing Alexander more closely resembles throwing dirt back into America’s cultural ditch, imo.
So you really saw part of the film.
So your opinion is flawed.
To me that is the same as saying you’ve read a book but threw it away before finishing it.
Get over yourself.
Aren’t like, four other directors filming Alexander movies to come out soon?
I remember hearing that there were two in the works at the same time, this one and another, and then later that the other one got canned.
I sat thru it all… but it’s a dis-jointed film.
Not really worth watching, the fight scenes were blurry and crap… and the storyline somehow managed to get lost, along with the plot.
Colin Farrel as Alexander the Great, wrong actor, he doesn’t look the part.
Braveheart and Gladiator were ten times better.
First of all a disclaimer - I haven’t seen it. But the casting looks terrible - Alexander looks more like a Swede than a Macedonian.
As for the alleged ‘bi-sexuality’ or even ‘homosexuality’ of Alexander, I’m afraid that’s merely pandering to current political agendas.
Of the more than a dozen biographies of Alexander written during and immediately after his life, none have survived. The homosexual activities of Alexander may be
The Greeks can claim that Alexander wasn’t gay, but then he was Macedonian, not Greek.
I’m not sure that ANY Greeks are claiming Alexander wasn’t a homosexual. I am sure that several Greek scholars have insisted that no historical evidence exists to indicate that Alexander ever had a homosexual encounter.
Perhaps a more appropriate comment would be “A British writer* can claim that Alexander had homosexual relationships, but then he, Alexander, was Macedonian, not British.”
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- Who Is Robin Lane Fox?: Robin Lane Fox is a Classics and ancient history teacher at Oxford University’s New College. He also teaches early Islamic history. In another aspect of his life, he is the weekly gardening correspondent for the Financial Times and in still another, he is an accomplished horse rider.
Fox’s Claim to Fame:
Robin Lane Fox was hired by Oliver Stone to act as historical consultant to his 2004 Alexander the Great movie. In exchange, Fox, “specified [his] non-negotiable reward for this advice: a place on horseback in the front ten of every major cavalry charge by Alexander’s cavalrymen to be filmed by Oliver [Stone] on location.” [Source: Archaeology]
OOC
Awww, how touching. Don’t worry, someone new will come along sooner or later. 
I saw the movie, and yes I did sit through all it. Although to be fair I should say that this 3 hour movie didn’t seem like a minute over 9 hours.
The problem with Alexander is as YellowCartman stated, everything in it seemed to be there strictly as filler. The problem with portraying Alexander’s homosexual tendencies isn’t that it was done, but that it was constantly in your face while adding nothing to the story. How many scenes can one sit through with Colin Farell making cow eyes at some pretty boy?
The old Richard Burton film Alexander The Great was far superior to Stone’s film; not because it was a more exact or comprehensive portrayal of Alexander’s life, but because it skillfully portrayed a particular theme: The stormy relationship between Alexander, Philip, and Olympias.