Author Topic: Trap's Movie Thread  (Read 229346 times)

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Online IronDioPriest

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #400 on: May 27, 2013, 12:52:16 PM »
I saw Star Trek II last night in 3D, and I was blown away. I'm a sucker for all things Trek though. I loved every moment. And if I've said it once I've said it 1000 times, after years of DVD, Blu-ray, and HD flat-screen TVs eating into theater revenues, 3D technology is making leaps and bounds toward making the theater experience something special again.

Yesterday was a rare two-movie day. I took the little one to see "Epic", also in 3D.

It's the latest computer animated film from the "Ice Age" guys. It's about tiny beings in the forest, locked in the classic war of good vs evil - portrayed as a war between life and decay. A scatterbrained scientist is convinced they exist, and has set up an elaborate technological web in an attempt to capture evidence. His daughter comes to live with him after the death of her mother. She thinks he's wacko - until she gets shrunk down and embroiled with the Leaf-Men in the struggle against decay. Once a skeptical disbeliever in her father's seemingly worthless pursuits, she now must save the forest in the tiny world she denied.

Now, one would think that given the subject matter, this movie would be an automatic check-the-box propaganda film for environmental Leftism. Happily, I can report that this film avoids proselytizing on behalf of environmental Leftism almost entirely. It's really a classic a good v evil story. Of course, it assumes that life in the forest is better than decay - hardly a controversial viewpoint. Even if one were to find issue with that aspect, there are no other cringeworthy environmentalist moments.

One thing that made me think twice was the slogan of the Leaf-Men: "Many leaves - One tree" - the idea being, interconnectedness of beings, and the importance of community. No hat-tip to rugged individualism in that slogan. The hat-tip is clearly in the direction of community. And if they would have beat it to death, it would have taken away from the film for me. But they didn't. They said it, and left it alone. As it is, I cannot find serious fault with the idea that there is a web of life, or that people need community.

Another thing was the assumption of broken family. We arrive in the film with the mother dead, the father and daughter estranged. We assume that the mother left the father because he is eccentric. We assume that the daughter's relationship with the father was basically non-existent until they come together in the film.

The 3D was absolutely spectacular. The story was passable. The voice acting was passable. The little one loved it. I give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5. If you're going to bother seeing it, take a child, and see it in the theater in 3D.
« Last Edit: May 27, 2013, 12:55:29 PM by IronDioPriest »
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

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Offline Alphabet Soup

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #401 on: May 27, 2013, 07:44:33 PM »
Quote
If you're going to bother seeing it, take a child, and see it in the theater in 3D.

I don't know any children but I'm rapidly regressing to one myself. Does that count?

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #402 on: May 27, 2013, 08:01:17 PM »
Quote
If you're going to bother seeing it, take a child, and see it in the theater in 3D.

I don't know any children but I'm rapidly regressing to one myself. Does that count?

But of course!
"Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer." - Mark Twain

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Online IronDioPriest

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #403 on: May 27, 2013, 08:57:59 PM »
I freely admit that when it comes to entertainment - more specifically movies - childlike wonder is among the attributes I value in myself.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline Weisshaupt

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #404 on: May 27, 2013, 11:18:12 PM »

One thing that made me think twice was the slogan of the Leaf-Men: "Many leaves - One tree" -
The problem is that is is true. The libs appropriate it as their own, but simply stated, we do depend on one another. The question remains a to if that is a voluntary or involuntary arrangement. Conservatives want the voluntary, evil the other.
 

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #405 on: May 28, 2013, 12:01:14 AM »

One thing that made me think twice was the slogan of the Leaf-Men: "Many leaves - One tree" -
The problem is that is is true. The libs appropriate it as their own, but simply stated, we do depend on one another. The question remains a to if that is a voluntary or involuntary arrangement. Conservatives want the voluntary, evil the other.
 

I want as little or as much of it as I can stand; people annoy the crap out of me, as a rule, but I require their company.  I need to live in a "community", but of like-minded people.
"Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer." - Mark Twain

"Let us assume for the moment everything you say about me is true. That just makes your problem bigger, doesn't it?"

Online IronDioPriest

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #406 on: May 28, 2013, 06:44:03 AM »

One thing that made me think twice was the slogan of the Leaf-Men: "Many leaves - One tree" -
The problem is that is is true. The libs appropriate it as their own, but simply stated, we do depend on one another. The question remains a to if that is a voluntary or involuntary arrangement. Conservatives want the voluntary, evil the other.
 

Yup, and that was the way it was used in this film. They didn't equate the need for human interdependence with communism. It was refreshing, especially since I expected it to do just that.
« Last Edit: May 28, 2013, 06:51:17 AM by IronDioPriest »
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline trapeze

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #407 on: June 03, 2013, 02:00:27 AM »
Watched "Dark Skies" on PPV this evening. mrs. trapeze was in the mood for a scary movie.

It's about a family living in the suburbs who begin to experience an escalating series of unusual events. Seems that they are being visited by some malevolent aliens...probably bent on abducting one of their two kids. The family makes all of the usual horror movie mistakes including my two favorites: 1)walking around the house at night and for some reason not turning on the lights...every-single-time...and 2) splitting up when it's obvious to anyone and everyone that it makes more sense to stay together.

The movie is reminiscent of "Signs" except that you are never really sure of what is real and what is being imagined by the family members. There are several scenes in which the characters "wake up" and you realize that what you have been looking at for the last minute or so is a hallucination. Or not. It's hard to tell sometimes. It's enough to drive you nuts as you watch this film wondering if what you are seeing is real or imagined or whatever.

So here are a few things that irritated the heck out of me: 1) The first incident is where the mother wakes up, wanders downstairs (in the dark) and finds that a whole bunch of stuff from the refrigerator has been arranged into some kind of precarious sculpture on the table...and the sliding glass door is open. Cause for alarm? It would be for me. Not these people. They assume it's one of their two kids. Who were demonstrably asleep at the time. 2) Yet another break in and this time every single picture frame in the house has been emptied of photos. Their reaction? Pay the alarm company bill so that they can turn the alarm system on. Me? I'm gonna be camping out downstairs with a shotgun and all of the lights turned on, indoors and out. Not them, though. They don't have a gun. Instead they spend a small fortune installing CCV cameras all over the house so that they can "catch" the bad guys in the act. And guess what? It doesn't work. Every time the aliens show up the cameras mysteriously get all freaked out. 3) A whole sh*tload of birds inexplicably ram into the house. They show a bunch of guys in bunny suits picking up the dead birds as if they are radioactive or something...they say they are worried about "bird flu." Yeah, sure. The bird experts seem totally uninterested and unimpressed that this happened. Meanwhile the parents start to interrogate their kids as if they somehow made all those birds commit suicide. Ridiculous. 4) Somewhere toward the end of the film after countless inexplicable things have happened (every single family member loses consciousness at one point or another...usually in broad daylight in front of witnesses...and sleepwalk, bleed uncontrollably from random body orifices, self mutilate themselves and other such nonsense and NO ONE seems to think that maybe there is a problem. 5) They go and see the local fruitcake UFOlogist and his sage advice is, "You're f**ked. The aliens are gonna screw you, take one of your kids and there isn't a damned thing you can do about it. And BTW, they have already put mind control sh*t in your head...look here's mine." So that was a big help. 6) They get this ferocious ass German Shepherd dog and it barks its ass off when the aliens show up for the big finish and then that's it. It's like the dog then got bored with the whole thing and either went to sleep or maybe outside to take a dump. The dog turns out to be absolutely useless. Maybe the aliens ate the dog. Who knows? 7) Dad waits downstairs (after telling everyone to split up) and shoots into blinding white light when the boarded up front door gets knocked in. As soon as the door hits the floor he starts blasting away (with the shotgun he just bought and has no idea how to operate...the Joe Biden school of firearms) at the light and...gasp...that's it. We have zero idea as to whether or not he has hit anything or anyone. The aliens somehow completely evade dumbass dad and manage to get upstairs to terrorize mom and the kids.

The movie is absolutely chock full of stupid stuff like this. It goes on and on and on. Side note: After a while you get tired of the "story" and start noticing (thanks to hi-def) that mom (Keri Russell) has several unattractive bumps on her face, one right in the middle of her upper lip. Yikes. That's actually more creepy than the movie, itself.

There were one or two "startling" moments in the film but the increase in tension and/or suspense that you know the director is desperately trying to achieve comes off as contrived rather than natural. The director/writer (same person) has very obviously borrowed from a lot of other (better) material...."Signs" is perhaps the most obvious source material but so is "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and just about any other alien abduction movie that you can think of.

The ending is disappointing but not unexpected after you witness the unconvincing build up to the big finale. You get to the end and you are thinking, "That's it?...that's what I suffered through for an hour and a half?" So, you get to sit through a bunch of crap, have your intelligence insulted numerous times and there is zero payoff.

On balance, I liked "Signs" better, one of M. Night Shyamalan's less horrid films. In fact, "Signs" got a 75% at the Rotten Tomatoes site whereas "Dark Skies" got a paltry 38%. But I guess I could say that I probably find just about any alien abduction movie better than this one.                                                                                                                                                                                              
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Online Libertas

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #408 on: June 03, 2013, 06:41:38 AM »
"So, you get to sit through a bunch of crap, have your intelligence insulted numerous times and there is zero payoff."

Welcome to America 2013!

We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline trapeze

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #409 on: June 03, 2013, 08:38:20 AM »
Hey, I'm just taking the arrows for the team on this one. Forewarned is better than renting this thing blind.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #410 on: June 03, 2013, 09:07:43 AM »
Just a general smart-assed comment on my part Trap, we appreciate your warning!   ::thumbsup::
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Weisshaupt

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #411 on: June 03, 2013, 12:47:22 PM »

One thing that made me think twice was the slogan of the Leaf-Men: "Many leaves - One tree" -
The problem is that is is true. The libs appropriate it as their own, but simply stated, we do depend on one another. The question remains a to if that is a voluntary or involuntary arrangement. Conservatives want the voluntary, evil the other.
 

I want as little or as much of it as I can stand; people annoy the crap out of me, as a rule, but I require their company.  I need to live in a "community", but of like-minded people.

Hot Airs review with a claim of Agenda Free.
Sadly this is how I pick which films my Kids see.

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #412 on: June 03, 2013, 12:57:36 PM »
I read that review yesterday, Weisshaupt.  It pretty much confirms IDP's review.

And not for nothing, but I really like "Signs" and "Lady in the Water".
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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #413 on: June 03, 2013, 02:42:55 PM »
I read that review yesterday, Weisshaupt.  It pretty much confirms IDP's review.

And not for nothing, but I really like "Signs" and "Lady in the Water".

Confirmed it so closely in some regards, I wondered to myself if he read my review.

I liked Signs and LitW also. Especially Signs.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline trapeze

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #414 on: July 08, 2013, 10:58:21 PM »
I haven't seen this. But I will probably watch it soon. I hadn't even heard of it before it got a mention in the AoS ONT.


So what is it?

1) It's a movie made by George Romero.

2) It's a movie about guys who joust (for real) on motorcycles.

3) It's supposed to be the most awesome movie ever. Or so some people say.

4) It has the ever obnoxious Stephen King (and his obnoxious wife) in a cameo.

5) It got a 75% on Rottentomatoes.com so go figure.

So, I guess I gotta see it now.

Here is the wikipedia entry.

And the plot summary from rottentomatoes.com:

Quote
Knightriders may well be the only cycle flick ever to be played out in suits of armor. A hardcase motorcycle gang led by Ed Harris has found itself a neat money-making gimmick. Dressed as the knights of the round table, the cyclists pick up a few bucks at local "renaissance" fairs, selling handicrafts made by the more talented members of the gang. Harris' great rival is Tom Savini, who has his own band of "black knights." Keep an eye out for a chucklesome unbilled bit by novelist Stephen King. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
« Last Edit: July 08, 2013, 11:14:36 PM by trapeze »
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #415 on: July 09, 2013, 01:32:06 AM »
I saw Knightriders several times, many years ago. It was a "cult" film in my circle of friends a few years outa high school. We thought it was so cool because George Romero directed it and Tom Savini was in it. We were "Living Dead" freaks.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #416 on: July 09, 2013, 01:35:34 AM »
MAMA

If you're into creep-fest, check this out. Guillermo del Toro does a good job with an interesting plot, and tons of creep factor.

Feral children are found after five years and brought back to live with their uncle and his girlfriend. How did they survive by themselves? Watch the movie and find out.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline Predator Don

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #417 on: July 09, 2013, 12:50:39 PM »
MAMA

If you're into creep-fest, check this out. Guillermo del Toro does a good job with an interesting plot, and tons of creep factor.

Feral children are found after five years and brought back to live with their uncle and his girlfriend. How did they survive by themselves? Watch the movie and find out.


Feral children? Hell, they lived off foodstamps and public housing. watch the movie to find out what happens when brought into the real world.
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Offline trapeze

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #418 on: July 13, 2013, 01:32:44 AM »
Best movie ever made or crap? I guess the good news is that it can be either one when the movie in question is "Sharknado."

From a checklist point of view this movie does have nearly everything you could possibly ask for: CGI sharks, chainsaws, improvised explosives, shotguns, horrible writing and acting, high body count, guy with Australian accent, guys being swallowed by sharks, guys with chainsaws cutting themselves out of shark's stomachs, helicopters attacking tornados with bombs...absolutely amazing in its godawfulness and yet, kinda impossible to look away from once you start watching. Sort of like a cinematic car crash of epic proportions.

After this John Heard will be in permanent dinner theater mode. But he doesn't last very long before he gets eaten. And after a while, though, you start hoping that other characters get eaten next.

You have to wait quite a bit for the actual tornado full of sharks...about three quarters of the way in. But while you are waiting you get to see one ridiculous shark attack after another. I could describe in excruciating detail the many outrageously stupid things in this movie but I really think you just need to see it for yourself. And if you didn't see it last night (I DVR'd it) it is going to be broadcast again on July 18th (I think...pretty sure).

It would also make a heck of a drinking game where you have to toss one back after each dead shark. Or dead human. Or horrible dialogue exchange. Take your pick...they all work.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #419 on: July 13, 2013, 09:06:10 AM »
Sounds like a plan, I'll mark my calendar.

ETA - Caught this cinematic masterpiece last night.  All I gotta say is that it is sooo bad that it would be a lock for the MST3K treatment...now that would have been a hoot.

Oh, one more thing....whinny useless people whose sole purpose in life is to annoy and ask stupid questions...yeah, they wouldn't last with me...fed to the next shark they would be.
« Last Edit: July 19, 2013, 01:59:55 PM by Libertas »
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.