Movies

[Eagle]

It´s sad to hear that the Indiana Jones-Series has reached such a low level. Those producers who try to zombiefy classic movies like these just for the sake of the merchandising and their profits show indeed how poor they are. Poor of inspiration and also show a lack of love for movies.

[Sinister]

Next thing you know o'l Lucas will want to hack up the first three Indy films and add...new and exciting CGI scenes!

 

And of course he will release the Indy trilogy over and over again in the next 10 years or so, and each time he does he will fall that much further from grace.

[DarthTofu]

Lucas: I always felt that it was important that we see that the Nazis almost always shot before Indy in any and all cases. Also, I wanted to make the scene where Indy captured the the truck with the Arc in it back more exotic, so I added in a few digital dancing girls in the back to keep the Nazis happy! But we added too many dancing girls (silly us) so we also added twenty-eight more Nazis for Indy to fight (all in digital form, of course) and extended the fight scene to a full hour. I really feel like this adds a good twenty dollars worth of entertainment to the movie, which is why we're re-selling Raiders of the Lost Arc as the "special" edition for $60 (Plus bastard charges. Shipping not included.)

[Krytos]

Well, I've seen two movies this week - Iron Man and Indie.

 

Iron man was pretty good - I can't say I was swept up into the movie like everyone else, but it was enjoyable. The plot wasn't overly comic book style (so there weren't any super stupid villains or story arcs) and I completely agree Robert Downey Jr. is Stark. The actress who played ... Pepper something was good. I know who she is, but at this moment her name has completely left me. Anyway, she rather suited her character and where I thought she'd be the stick in the mud for the movie I was wrong. In fact, as I think about it, there wasn't a problem with the cast whatsoever, with possible exception of the military Colonel friend of Stark's who seemed a little to cool to me ... I was more expecting a sourer/more snobby character portrayal there - but that's just nitpicking. Back to the story, and I'll start with the bad SPOILERS FOLLOW - HIGHLIGHT AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

There was something about the overall story that didn't feel right in the end. Perhaps it was a bit anti-climatic - such as the final fight scene (which felt a little to Japanime to me) and Iron man's selflessness asking for the reactor to go boom while he was in harms way and never actually feeling like he'd get hurt. Maybe it was also the flow of the story which seemed a little too fast. When captured, he almost automatically thought of rebelling and building a robot suit - surely there should have been some down time where he loses spirit, gives in to there demands a little then realises/wants to rebel. Or, at the very least, some sort of inspiration for the iron man suit rather than him showing some quick drawings and getting onto work as if he's known what to do before getting captured. Again, there was the same rushed feeling once he got back home - I'd have liked there to have been more downtime before the suit was finished. I like, and get, that it was something to pre-occupy him from his ordeal, yet it still felt more like that the director ran out of time and was forced to compact these elements.

The electromagnet around the heart was probably a little too far stretched. Sure the idea was kinda neat, and maybe a little more doctor like explanations would have made it more believable as to why Stark didn't get a doctor in America to try and remove the shrapnel - or if it was a character decision make it more evident with a line from Stark after he said he didn't want to be checked out (something cliché like why people want to keep a scar). Also the bright light, yes I'm sure it looked cool in concept art - and looked cool on iron man. But on human Stark, looked rather stupid.

 

And now the good. Which there is quiet a lot of. The dialogue was well written, I never really squirmed or thought that it was lame (with exception of the electromagnet). The humour was appropriate to the character of Stark - and there wasn't some other stupid character in the movie to make people laugh (looks at modern movies who need to learn this - don't just throw in random stupid characters for quick, kids laughter. comic relief is only good if it flows right). The over all modern feel of the Iron man story felt solid - although I'm no authority on the original ... I use to watch the cartoon ... and I barely remember that.

Again, characters were great. Sure the main villain looked evil the first time we saw him (what is with bald guys and beards being evil?). Sure, most people would have sinking suspicions, but it's not a thriller so the fact that you never truly knew he was evil until the movie intended to tell you was great - something a lot of modern movies miss, being able to hide plot twists. He goes from caring for Stark, to caring for the business, to caring for money, to down right evil - but it all flowed really well.

The Special effects didn't feel over the top either, relatively speaking for the genre. I guess this made the movie seem more believable, particularly more enjoyable. The worst part of visual effects is when they make you loose sight of what's happening in the scene - which I never felt.

And the finale of the movie was rather good: the press conference and aftermath. I like how Stark was struggling to lie about his new identity, how he was proud of what he did and a little arrogant. The real treat was when he ended the movie by announcing who he really was. Overall, good flick and one of the better comic book adaptations.

 

Now for Indie. What to say. Simply put, as a straight up movie it was pretty good and enjoyable. As an Indie, rather disappointing. That's the short version SPOILER - YOU KNOW THE DRILL

From the start. Indie and some large pompous guy getting tossed out of a boot by some Russian's at Area 51...at this point I'm cringing, but still holding out for redemption. Then comes Cate Blenchet and her poor Russian acting and her psychic mind reading crap. The cringing is back. But it goes away, briefly, as they enter the hanger and we see an image we saw at the end of the first Indie - creates and creates filled with mysterious artifacts. I even grinned at this, feeling as if I were let in on a little secret that everyone else knew. My mind instantly jumped to cool plot ideas revolving around the arc and being linked to this lost city. But this was slowly destroyed as Indie agrees to help find a crate with barely a fight. Then the gun powder trick. This came across as lame - the compass would have been a lot better. The Achilles heel bares itself when it turns out to be "the aliens that crashed at Roswell".

Ok, I get the cold war thing and the Russians, and even without knowing much about those kooky Soviets I'd believe in an Indie movie having them looking for some mystic power for an advanced weapon. What I didn't like was aliens. ALIENS. Wrong movie George, keep aliens in Star Wars.

From there, the movie managed to redeem itself somewhat. Ok, after his crappy escape and being obviously betrayed (who's former MI6 - that was a bit dubious). Ok, also after surviving a nuke blast and the following interrogation where Indie gets some new back story of being in the army. So fast forward and we meet Indie's son, have a chase and a fight and some comedy in the library. And off to South America after figuring some important details out extremely quickly. Seriously, Indie sits down to read a note for the first time, written in a language he doesn't know and is able to translate it into a riddle using the related Mi-an language as he's reading it. He couldn't have gone:

"Alright kid, you sit tight while I figure this out." Walks off into a room, the annoying wannabe tough kid replies.

"Well, how long will this take?"

Popping his head out with Indies usual smile brought on by solving puzzles, "A while."

Jump forward a few hours to night and he rushes out with the answer. A minute or two in the movie and more plausible to watch.

 

I get what the script was trying to do during these scenes around the unviersity. The idea of trying to set Indie's character up to be more like his father was (portrayed a lot more later on in the movie with his douche of a son).

 

So as Indie and junior run around investigating, the old Indie feeling is coming back. However, it's not perfect as Indie is figuring out puzzles and the plot too quickly. This felt like an attempt of the fast past elements of The Last Crusade, but that worked because Indie had his dad's journal - here it was pretty flaky. And then the grave robbing scene. Where did this little skull faced, jumping guy come from? More to the point: WHY WAS HE THERE? A random guy is hanging out at a cemetary and attacks random people?

Bah

As they entered the hidden grave site and notice someone's been here before I bgean to wonder if Lucas had started watching the X-Files, because the script had the same mystery, alien feeling (and later the same X-File movie bad ending). They then rush the scene off after some brieft talking to get captured, again. But I'm looking back at this scene and wondering "where were the puzzles? Where were the traps? A hidden switch and rolling floor don't count!

Bah

The following skull scene in the jungle is annoying. Now Indie is about the mysterious ... but this is just stupid. Not 10 seconds ago it's revealed (with a lack of surprise) that the Chrystal skull is actually a skull from an alien ... but it holds some mystical power? Mmmk.

Back to the plot which picks up with the addition of an old flame. Marianne from the first Indie. Things sorta pick up here with the character dynamics between Indie, old flame and the kid . The following mud pit scene is funny, especially the snake part - if not weird using a snake as a rope.

Again there is another escape attempt, at least they play with the skull trading hands and a hoard of massive ants. Now, things here start to lose focus a bit with the realm of reality. First you have the Russians who get in the truck and drive away instead of at Indie to get the skull. They then repel of a cliff for no good reason at that point. Being Indie or someone else I'd be thinking that's weird why not just drive up and steal the skull now. This is followed by Marianne driving off the same cliff in an aquatic car with all goodies aboard into a tree and then gently into a river where she like triumphant as if she planned it. How did she see that tree? How did she know it would hold!

Bah

This is followed by falling over several massive waterfalls and laughs and finding the temple - of which the Russians know the location of because of 'ol Mac - who was a good guy, then bad guy, then good guy and now bad guy. Not keeping up? It's ok, Neither was George as he wrote the script. Sure he's leaving big, bright flashing tracking devices that no-one notices, but at this stage that's alright, because enter a new threat - natives that have been hiding in sealed walls until intruders might stumble across a temple hidden for hundreds of years. Now, at this point in time there's been a fast flow of action that doesn't give you time to actually think about why were there people still in this hidden temple alive and what was with the guy in the cemetery earlier? Surely its obvious and not hard to have a cult protecting the temple rather than randoms who appear for the sake of appearance - even if a dead ringer for The Last Crusade. These characters were pointless, and really didn't add to the temple. A series of traps would have been far more enjoyable.

Now Indie is faced with his first real puzzle, they're at the top of that pyramid/temple, how do they get in? But no, Indie doesn't figure it out the tag along out of his mind character had figured it out while being held in a mental asylum for being crazy. At least this is followed by a trap - even if said trap makes no sense to have as an entrance. Now I'm not sure if anyone noticed that none of the Russians carried rope, and got to the bottom of the spike pit, or that when the goodies return to the entrance there aren't any ropes waiting

Ok, so now the grand climax. Entering the Temple's main room here there are 13 other alien crystal skeletons and one missing a head (made me wonder why only one head was taken and not all or at least 7). Up until now, I didn't mind the movie too much, and could even tolerate it as a bad Indie flick (much as I do for Temple of Doom), but this scene was utter crap. Skull flies onto body, evil chick asks for knowledge, room swirls, everyone runs, Mac guy thinks even though things are going bad I might as well steal stuff. Russians get sucked up and die. Goodies run off minus a Mac who got sucked into the ... sucking thing. Evil Russian can't take the overload of knowledge and the Alien skeletons have made itself into a living, breathing fully skinned alien that looks nothing like the aliens shown in the paintings on the wall. Alien looks evilly at Russian chick (almost looked like after being dead for so long he was trying to go to the toilet and "it" was stuck) and she catches of fire. Goodies get to the surface by a torrent of water (what? Where'd that come from and how?) to see another pyramid get broken apart by a vortex in what must be said was one of the BEST looking special effects usage in a movie to date to reveal an alien spaceship that disappears to another dimension.

Now, after all this only the kid looks shaken up - and not too shaken either. But, then again, I was hardly on the endge of the seat myself.

Bah.

Wedding time. I get Indie rekindling and flame, but marriage? Maybe. I guess after the last 10 minutes of the movie this felt more normal. So, as an Indie - poor poor effort. As a movie, it wasn't bad.

 

If you noticed this "review" was disjointed, cliché and more of a recount than an opinion - it was just in homage to the movie

 

And to think that along the way for Indie 4, that other scripts were rejected. HOW BAD MUST THEY HAVE BEEN!?!

[Sinister]

Last night I bought Apocalypse Now: The Complete Dossier on DVD. I contains both the original and the Redux versions of the movie. And what a treat it is.

 

For those who are unfamiliar with is, the movie is set in the Vietnam era and is about a U.S. solider (Martin Sheen) who is sent on a mission that "does not exist". The mission is to "Terminate" the command of an U.S. Army Colonel (Marlon Brando) who has gone insane and is still operating in the field. This movie really shows how ugly war can be. Look for an appearance in the beginning made by a young Harrison Ford.

[Mad78]

I've heard alot about Apocalypse Now. Sadly I have never got round to seeing it. Hopefully it will pass on TV some time.

[DarthTex]

I've heard alot about Apocalypse Now. Sadly I have never got round to seeing it. Hopefully it will pass on TV some time.

If it ever comes on TV it will be completely butchered by the censors Go rent it, and see it in its original glory!

 

[humming Flight of the Valkyries] ... kill da wabbit, kill da wabbit ... da da da dum [/humming off]

[Eagle]

The Redux-Version is shown here at least once a year. Of course I also know the original version. As far as I know nothing has been cut out, which isn´t that common over here.

[Sinister]

Personally, I don't like the Redux version. I feel the original flows better. There's a lot of stuff in Redux that makes the movie drag.

[DarthTofu]

I watched an old movie the other day- From Dusk Till Dawn. Quite possibly the dumbest movie that I've ever seen. It makes me want to watch The Evil Dead, now. Edited June 5, 2008 by DarthTofu

[SOCL]

Well, I finally saw the original Dawn of the Dead and must say I was actually very pleased. Granted, the film shows its age, and not just in the last 70's fashion and style, but just the direction and production itself, I still believe it stands the test of time and is well-worth the watch. What makes it superior to most of the zombie flicks, and especially those recent ones, is that it deals first with the "enemy within" (the human condition, especially in the mist of crisis) and then the zombies, resulting in zombies being something closer to a backdrop and stimulus for the crisis of the human struggle.

[Lord_La_forge]

Now I might sound old but, I have seen some Woody Allen movies lately and they are still hilarious!

 

As for recent stuff. Just saw Sex And The City. I must recommend it. I never saw so much merchandising in a single movie before. The whole movie is about selling and buying stuff, and a celebration of western civilization and culture (in an utterly wrong way)! Shocking, it is... you guys should see that too

[Darth_Rob]

The misses tried to drag me to see Sex and the City. I protested, and luckily I won. I thank the all-powerful FSM for saving me from that absolute evil!

[DarthTofu]

Sooooooo... you're saying that it's so bad we should see it? I'm confused by your rating, forge.

[Mad78]

I have seen several movies recently. To avoid having to write a full review for each i will keep it short

 

Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children: A complicated plot but amazing Graphics and brilliant fights. Well worth a watch!

 

The Crow: Very good! I liked the kind of Gothic feel to the movie.

 

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: I enjoyed the Tim Burton version but i must say i do prefer the older version with Gene Wilder.

[DarthTofu]

You liked The Crow? I guess it was alright, but the main character looked like a reject from Kiss with the makeup, and I didn't get what the deal was with his random guitar solo. It was a cool idea, sure, but Brandon Lee would have looked way cooler without the makeup.

 

Also, I was a bit confused by the deal with the crow itself being shot- it didn't die, but it made Eric mortal again? What?

[Lord_La_forge]

Sooooooo... you're saying that it's so bad we should see it? I'm confused by your rating, forge.

 

To be exact, it's not bad, it's "wrong"! That is such a difference

[Eagle]

"Sex and the City"??? No way I´m gonna watch this!! Would do it like Rob did. BTW what means FSM?

 

Posted a short clip of "Airplane" a couple of days ago in the randomness thread. Luckily a Mod came back after a while and had nothing better to do than lock it. For what reason ever. Well anyway, I was looking if that movie was somewhere up on the net, but couldn´t find it up till now. But I found its sequel. Man, just watched some scenes of that movie again and had to laugh that hard.

 

"Airplane 2 - Part 1"

 

"Airplane 2 - Part 2"

 

BTW it has Shatner in it!

 

Enjoy!

[Darth_Rob]

"Sex and the City"??? No way I´m gonna watch this!! Would do it like Rob did. BTW what means FSM?

 

The Almighty FSM

 

Im pretty sure Tofu posted the link many moons ago in the randomness thread, but since Eagle asked, he shalt receive.

[DarthTofu]

Ah, curses! The reply button wasn't working when I tried to beat Rob to the punch! Yes, he has presented the FSM to you. In short, the FSM is a parody diety. Bobby Henderson, an American, came up with the idea and created the Pastafarians. The whole idea is ridiculous, and includes its own theory of Intelligent Design that cannot be disproven, but is completely ridiculous.

 

Henderson sent it to the Kansas State Board of Education, which had decided to include Intelligent Design in their educational curriculum, demanding that his version of ID be taught in the schools. Two members endoursed it, hoping to drive the rest of the group from their course on ID. It's since become a rallying parody religion for atheists, agnostics, and the nonreligious... and stupid people who actually believe in an almighty Flying Spaghetti Monster.

[Sinister]

The original Dawn of the Dead is one of my all-time favorite movies. It set the standard for zombie films.

 

The Crow is a good movie too. Too bad its sequels are lacking.

[DarthTofu]

Picked up and watched Team America: World Police today. Great, hilarious movie. Slightly dated, but it's still fantastic. I laughed my butt off at the movie itself and the special features.

[Mad78]

Posted a short clip of "Airplane" a couple of days ago in the randomness thread. Luckily a Mod came back after a while and had nothing better to do than lock it. For what reason ever. Well anyway, I was looking if that movie was somewhere up on the net, but couldn´t find it up till now. But I found its sequel. Man, just watched some scenes of that movie again and had to laugh that hard.

I have that movie! It very good but not as good as the first one.

[Krytos]

I believe that that movie is called Flying High here, with the sequel being Flying High 2 (which I've still got on VHS somewhere)

@Sinsiter: There's Crow sequels

[Krytos]

I believe that that movie is called Flying High here, with the sequel being Flying High 2 (which I've still got on VHS somewhere)

@Sinsiter: There's Crow sequels