"Gangs of New York" Flops

[RoutemanDan]

9. I know why 'dead' rabbits but why rabbits? i think i just missed that.

The Dead Rabbits were originally part of the Roach Guards, organized to honor the name of a Five Points liquor seller. But internal dissension developed, and at one of the gang's stormy meetings someone threw a dead rabbit into the center of the room. One of the squabbling factions accepted it as an omen and its members withdrew, forming an independent gang and calling themselves the Dead Rabbits (in the slang of the period a rabbit was a rowdy, and a dead rabbit was a very rowdy, athletic fellow.) Sometimes they were also known as the Black Birds, and achieved great renown for their prowess as thieves and thugs. The Battle uniform of the Roach Guards was a blue stripe on their pantaloons, while the Dead Rabbits adopted a red stripe, and at the head of their sluggers carried a dead rabbit empaled on a pike.
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I liked the movie a lot,thought it was well done.

 

[scooby-the-doo]

In the age of the movie-moguls they would inevitably have at least one film on their slate, per year, that they knew would not make any money, but was there simply as a 'prestige picture'. I see Gangs in this fashion, and while I applaud Miramax for giving Scorsese the chance to make his film, I bemoan the Weinsteins for their incessant meddling that comes hand-in-hand with every project they touch.

 

[Bob O]

I agree that the original ending would have been better, and im sure it will be included in the dvd that will follow. But im glad that disney/miramax took the risk of making this movie(of course it could have been done in a more cost efficient manner) (AI was another excellant movie). While you would like every movie to make big bucks like LOTR sometimes you make a movie that tells a story you are aware that may not interest the entire audience or compel people(like teenagers) to see a movie a dozen times. And while the topic/time period may not have been compelling to a lot of people in this country who are ignorant of most of the history of this country im happy that this time period was focused upon as well as past moives like the patriot and the upcoming Gods and Generals. Its alot easier to make up fanasty movies than actually covering a real topic that took palce!!!
Thedscoop i hope i dont disappoint you or upset you(lol) but i do agree entirely with your last post and also didnt like Moulin Rouge and im looking forward to seeing the movie again as well as purchasing the dvd!!!
Breralex-While i allo loved lotr in you are going to be this anal in looking at a movie every movie will have somethings that make little sense, even in a make believe/fanasty world.

 

[BRERALEX]

you have a great christmas too scoop thanx for answering my lenghty questions!

Breralex-While i allo loved lotr in you are going to be this anal in looking at a movie every movie will have somethings that make little sense, even in a make believe/fanasty world.

i wouldnt say anal..............maybe a little ......ok fine alot. im happy you guys liked the film. I think im upset cause i had such high hopes and hadnt seen a really bad film in a long time and this was for me and my gf and one of my friends godawful.

I like looking at the details. nothing wrong with being anal. I NEED to see a film three times roughly to know if i really like it. Wouldnt you say all the care and love put into the parks is an anal thing. you want perfection. second best isnt going to work. Walt wanting to put the crystal glass blahblahblah in his whatever shop in disneyland instead of regular glass is anal.you see how much care was put in.

I'll take anal to being happy or complacent with mediocrity, but to each his own.

I Loved goodfellas, liked casino, saw raging bull last night also liked it. GONY just blew.

I liked moulin rouge. but only saw it by accident had no intentions of seeing it had lots predeterminations about it and thought it would suck and boy now its one of my top twenty films at least.

THANX RoutemanDan that was great info.

In fact the original ending to the film was a big fight between Amsterdam and Bill the Butcher. People who saw the 2001 edit of the film said it worked very well and gave the film the necessary emotional ending.

If it wasnt going to have it they shouldnt have built it up that way. It's like comming to a screeching halt with the stupid canons.

Taking a weak story and then dumbing it down to pander to an audience is not risk taking – it poor filmmaking.

to quote hulk hogan "Amen brother."

I forgot about the crazy chic who collects ears....what that necessary it was conry how she jumped into the air in the fight scene with the progressive techno music playing in the background. yeah ok.

5. He knew all along.

i think he remembered with that halfbooty flashback he had.

LOTR TTT should have had allllllll the orcs come to helms deep and then.....no fighting we cut to aragon legolas and gandalf AFTER the victory cheering in joy...

ignorant or not about a time period a sucky movie is a sucky movie. Dont know many people old or young too up on their mid 1800's New york five points history cause it wasnt like it was alllll new york it was the 'five points'. And to be that pompous to think EVERYONE IS up on their five points mid 1800 history is naive. I'll take the Patriot to teach me about AMERICA something GONY was touting and selling in its advertisements AMERICA. Ill take Braveheart a topic i was beyond ignorant on anytime over this crappy display of new york. Im happy you guys enjoyed it honestly. I enjoyed AI but not many agreed with me and i cant get friends to watch moulin rouge no matter how much i tell them i liked it.

 

[Bob O]

Actual if you watch the History Channel they have had several different shows on Five points in NY and it impact from Gangs of NY to the mob wars in later years which spawned people like Al Capone etc.
And while the gangs aspect was interesting so was the aspect of people refusing to being drafted and if the movie is correct taking up arms in defiance of the country and having the military respond and shoot our own citizens!!!(lhollywood always takes license with historical stories).
And regarding ignorance of history all test studies have shown the american public as a whole is inept in their knowledge of American History, not even counting world history. In a recent geography test among citizens of different countries we were second last to Mexico and if you cant even find countries on the globe it will be hard to put any world situation in thre proper context.
As for details i think the movie included the details that were neccessary to tell a very compelling stories of people who were fighting each other and the general corruption that inlfuenced that area at that time in our nation's history!!
Of course every movie will draw different reactions considering what one's like and dislike's are.
(AI was great while moulin rouge was awful so i have too agree with your smart friends).

 

[BRERALEX]

(AI was great while moulin rouge was awful so i have too agree with your smart friends).

lolol come on give it one more chance. to me its soooo funny and pure and has one of the actors from GONY!!!!!!

AI was good for me cause i felt he took it to another level, it was more then routine it was way over the top and i respected that.

Moulin rouge is somewhat the same..........

either way we must agree this dismal opening for gangs is no good for disney. hopefully some other movies comming out will pick up the ball

 

[Bob O]

When it comes to moulin rouge i have seen the whole movie once in the threater and have seen parts of it often as it is on hbo/cinemax all the time. Now if they had more of Nicole not properly dressed i could enjoy the movie alot more!!!
And i loved AI and also Minority Report(also Contact) but relaize that these movies are more for diehard sci-fi fans than movies like Star Wars/Independance Day.
And i will agree that the news on Gangs isnt good at all for disney as you would hope to at least break even which isnt going to happen unless dvd/vhs sales/rentals takes off which isnt likely. As for other movies taking up the slack for gangs/treasure planet i dont know what other moives are in the pipeline.

 

[pheneix]

Well, this HAS to be embarrassing...

"Catch Me If You Can" brought in an estimated $10,000,000 on Christmas day, outgrossing Gangs of New York's entire first weekend.

1. The Two Towers; $12,500,000

2. Catch Me If You Can: $10,000,000

3. Two Weeks Notice; $3,737,107 [Not an estimate]

4. Gangs of New York; $3,100,000

http://www.boxofficemojo.com

 

[Bob O]

I wouldnt call it embarrasing at all, but would say the box office is disappointing!!!
A fluff film like Catch us if you can has alot better chance to get big box office than a historical type picture like Gangs, escpecially with Hanks/Speilberg being invovled!!!

 

[RustManFan]

Miramax was offered LOTR before New Line Cinema and turned it down........BIG mistake for studio but maybe New Line did a better job with the trilogy than Miramax would have anyway!

 

[Bob O]

I agree, if disney had made LOTR the quality would have been as good as it is now!! Maybe they would have tryed to build on their syngergy by somehow putting hidden mickeys in the movie(lol).