lapsedgamer Posted July 12, 2010 Report Share Posted July 12, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Watched Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and Clash of the Titans. They're amazingly similar, with the same basic plotline (reluctant hero finally embraces destiny, kills monster, end with ridiculously excessive self-gratification sequence). Alice at least had a decently amusing villainess, while Clash had a cool Medusa, but I'm glad I didn't pay to see either. But why is it all big Hollywood movies these days seem to be scripted by the same not-particularly-gifted 12-year old? cheers, Mark Because Hollywood believes that the mass of the film-going public has the mentality and tastes of a not-particularly-discerning 12-year old. Then again, these movies make a lot of money, so who is to say they are barking up the wrong tree. Because the formula is believed to be what the public wants. Admitting that it isn't would mean admitting that you can't create success on demand, and not many on the business side in Hollywood built careers admitting that. All of which you knew, but I'm bitter. They cannot predict artistic success, or even audience satisfaction, on demand, but they are pretty good at predicting marketing trends and the other factors that limit their risk of economic failure. Which do you think is more important to them? IIRC' date=' Bill Meléndez (known for [i']A Charlie Brown Christmas[/i] and other Peanuts adaptations and a thoroughly underrated animator IMHO) directed that film. I took a survey course in animation last semester, and Mr. Melendez's name came up several times. He is one of the greats of that era, with a history going back to the Golden Age, working for Warner Brothers and then becoming one of the founding members of UPA. Definitely underrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevelon Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Godzilla vs. Hedorah Godzilla vs. Gigan Both of these were closer to what I expect from a Godzilla movie. There was still a little camp and cheese, but for the most part it was giant monsters trashing Japan. The low point was probably Godzilla using his radioactive breath to fly backwards. An interesting note, both these movies were less "atomic bombs are bad, and nature is getting revenge" and more "quit polluting the planet, or the waste is going to come alive and kill you and/or attract space cockroaches" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadmaster Posted July 14, 2010 Report Share Posted July 14, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Watched Despicable Me with the boy. We laughed at most of it, but the rigged carny game scene had to be the best. CES We saw that yesterday, great movie. I loved the eyes in Vector's Piranah gun and Squid launcher. When your own weapon rolls its eyes at your plan, you might want to reconsider. I need to get some minions too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted July 15, 2010 Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Got Not the Messiah (He's a Vary Naughty Boy) from Netflix. Funny stuff for the most part. It's more openly anti-religious than Life of Brian was (particularly Michael Palin's monologue at the opening, a satire of conversion stories throughout history). The Sheep song is quite amusing, with a nasty twist at the end that you would come to expect from Eric Idle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted July 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Despicable Me I enjoyed it a great deal. It's light on the in-your-face humor, and there's a nice lack of current pop-culture jokes (except for the Bank of Evil being labeled as "Formerly Lehman Brothers ." I'm also of the opinion that the three girls will grow up to be either the three greatest heroes or the three most despicable villains you've ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. MID-Nite Posted July 15, 2010 Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Despicable Me- Better than I thought it would be. Mostly fun. The minions were hilarious to me for some reason. Gamera vs. Barugon-New release to DVD. Wonderful cinematography. Very little Gamera in this one though. Mostly about quadraped Barugon...and man is he decked out with weapons. Large..able to leap(though not too well)..long tail....horns...frost breath....and the dreaded rainbow beam. Sheesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted July 15, 2010 Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? x-play and aots [the return of olivia munn] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted July 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Despicable Me- Better than I thought it would be. Mostly fun. The minions were hilarious to me for some reason. They're scene-stealers, is what they are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevelon Posted July 15, 2010 Report Share Posted July 15, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla Terror of Mechagodzilla Double feature of robotic terror! Does Hero vs. Evil robot duplicate ever get old? Nah, didn't think so. Both fun movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost-angel Posted July 16, 2010 Report Share Posted July 16, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - what a great premise. What incredibly BAD writing. Seriously bad. Some of the worst writing I've ever seen. I didn't like who they cast for Sarah Connor (but really, Linda Hamilton's shoes in that role are nearly impossible to fill), but no amount of good acting could save this wreck. Summer, poor Summer. She did so well with trash. But they screwed up her character the most. I think I made it 3 or 4 episodes before I had to go away. How did this make 2 seasons and we can't even get 1 season out of Firefly? This is why TV Execs should all be fired. The Air I Breathe - interesting little movie. Rehashed premise of four separate stories intersecting at various crossroads. By far the best acted was Forest Whitaker's, though his was also the simplest story. The most interesting was Brendan Frasier's cross with Sarah Michelle Gellar. The least developed was Kevin Bacon's. His really needed a few more minutes of development to really drive his character home. In the end I came away from the story feeling both sad and happy - and few movies can evoke both emotions at once when the credits roll. It's definitely worth checking out honestly. It moves quickly, doesn't bog itself down with over-explanations (or in some cases any verbalized explanation at all), and comes sliding into the end nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Cross Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? I'm currently half-way through Season 8 of Smallville. So far, I enjoyed Legion the best. Written by Geoff Johns,it was a great introduction to the Legion of Superheroes, and speaking as a long-time Legion fan, I was glad to see them again, and i hope the make more guest appearance in further Smallville series. Long live the Legion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsedgamer Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? I'm currently half-way through Season 8 of Smallville. So far' date=' I enjoyed Legion the best. Written by Geoff Johns,it was a great introduction to the Legion of Superheroes, and speaking as a long-time Legion fan, I was glad to see them again, and i hope the make more guest appearance in further Smallville series. Long live the Legion![/quote'] THEY DESERVE THEIR OWN SERIES. Call it 90210 meets Star Trek with superpowers. I would be all over that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Main Man Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla Terror of Mechagodzilla Double feature of robotic terror! Does Hero vs. Evil robot duplicate ever get old? Nah, didn't think so. Both fun movies. I love GvM but think that ToM was pretty subpar. I think that King Caesar and Titanosaurus were unnecessary characters too. I think that there are elements of GvM and ToM that could have been stripped to make one superior movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Main Man Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? I saw Inception last night, absolutely loved it, think that it presents neat gaming ideas, and that Chris Nolan deserves a blank check for making his next Batman film. Or really any film he does next. Oh, and also I think that Cobb (DiCaprio) was not dreaming at the end, hence Mol's top stopped spinning just before the cut to black. Others seem to think that he's still dreaming. Did they miss that part? It was a quick cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Just finished through season 6 of Smallville. I would really love to see a Superman movie following Smallville with Welling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsedgamer Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Just finished through season 6 of Smallville. I would really love to see a Superman movie following Smallville with Welling. Have they been able to convince him to wear the uniform? He had previously sworn that he wouldn't, IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? No idea. I'm still 3 seasons behind in the show. 10 seasons, I really think they need to put him in the suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? I'm currently half-way through Season 8 of Smallville. So far' date=' I enjoyed Legion the best. Written by Geoff Johns,it was a great introduction to the Legion of Superheroes, and speaking as a long-time Legion fan, I was glad to see them again, and i hope the make more guest appearance in further Smallville series. Long live the Legion![/quote'] There is a "sequel" next season--Geoff Johns writes the JSA. There is a thread here about it, but can't remember its title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted July 17, 2010 Report Share Posted July 17, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? Went to see Sorceror's Apprentice with the boy. The magic duels make this movie. jay baruchuel gets a lot of the best lines, stealing the show. The dragon in Chinatown was telegraphed from a mile away. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted July 18, 2010 Report Share Posted July 18, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? galtar and the golden lance galtar and the princess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted July 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? The Forbidden Kingdom Y'know, if you think about, the story of Jason's character would make for an interesting super hero backstory. I mean, trained by a Taoist immortal and a clone of the Monkey King? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolgroth Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? The Forbidden Kingdom Y'know, if you think about, the story of Jason's character would make for an interesting super hero backstory. I mean, trained by a Taoist immortal and a clone of the Monkey King? This was one of those pleasant surprise movies for me. I was really expecting it to suck, but I had a fun time watching it. I really bought the transition from bumbling nerd to master of kung-fu. I often ask myself why I go into a movie expecting it to suck, but this movie and Sorcerer's Apprentice both demonstrate that my preconceptions may well be wrong about a movie. I came out of both movies glad that I took the chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? The Forbidden Kingdom Y'know, if you think about, the story of Jason's character would make for an interesting super hero backstory. I mean, trained by a Taoist immortal and a clone of the Monkey King? I was kind of disapointed by the film, but I agree that the boy's back story is classic White Kung Fu Master stuff. The whole movie just felt a little timid to me, too clean and safe. Enemies who weren't menacing by Hong Kong standards, action sequences that didn't really push what the actors or stuntmen could do, and Jackie Chan in his Hollywood family friendly mode. It just lacked the spark I've seen in real HK productions that cover the same general ground. I'm not saying it was a bad movie; there was plenty to like. It just didn't make me want to see it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kahuna's bro Posted July 19, 2010 Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? hellboy sword of storms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted July 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2010 Re: What Have You Watched Recently? I was kind of disapointed by the film, but I agree that the boy's back story is classic White Kung Fu Master stuff. The whole movie just felt a little timid to me, too clean and safe. Enemies who weren't menacing by Hong Kong standards, action sequences that didn't really push what the actors or stuntmen could do, and Jackie Chan in his Hollywood family friendly mode. It just lacked the spark I've seen in real HK productions that cover the same general ground. I'm not saying it was a bad movie; there was plenty to like. It just didn't make me want to see it again. I think the issue was making it PG-13. Also, it was a Hollywood production, so I think the over-the-top violence we might expect from something out of HK just wasn't there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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