Topic: Trap's Movie Thread

[trapeze]

One more film that I am interested in seeing. It probably will not make it to any screen anywhere near me because it's a documentary and they almost never see the light of day anywhere, let alone where I live. But the subject matter is very interesting to me.

It is called "Jodorowsky's Dune" and it opened this month somewhere in the USA. It tells the story of the "Dune" movie that was never made. I'm not sure that it should have been made given the tech available at the time, it was a couple of years before the first "Star Wars" movie came out. But what a story. You can read about it here.

Pavich’s documentary focuses largely on Jodorowsky, now 85, who recounts his courtship of each of the film’s key players. He spins one unlikely story after another. “Whenever you think that he’s embellishing it, you kind of roll your eyes and think, ‘Well, this possibly can’t be true,’ somebody else would back it up,” said Pavich, whose previous feature was N.Y.H.C., a 1999 documentary about New York Hardcore music scene. “These stories really did happen like that. It was a weird time. I think that the circles [Jodorowsky] was travelling in—of course he would be at a weird party in Paris, where Mick Jagger would be.”

Fanboys and girls would have drooled over the visual team. A then-obscure H.R. Giger designed the creepier Harkonnen settings. Dan O’Bannon, known at the time for his work with John Carpenter on the sci-fi film Dark Star, was brought on as the special effects wiz. (Jodorowsky rejected Douglas Trumbull because he found him too full of himself.)  British artist Chris Foss designed the space craft. And Jean Giraud, aka French comic book artist Moebius, brought Jodorowsky’s dreams to life in some 3,000 storyboard drawings that perfectly capture a character or scene with a few quick pencil marks on the page

Guess I will have to wait for it to show up on Netflix or Amazon. But I can wait.

[Libertas]

Orson Wells as the Baron Harkonnen?  Heh, that could have been good.  Pink Floyd, Mick Jagger among soundtrack artists?  Interesting.  An epic film never realized...died of its own mass more than anything...it sounds like it would have been a wild ride.  The few storyboards they show are interesting.

[trapeze]

Okay, so I saw "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" tonight...took my daughter. I wasn't hot to see this movie because I thought it would be "bleh" like the second Thor movie was. But I read a few reviews (the one at Breitbart was especially convincing) that made it look pretty good. And, surprisingly, it was good...much better than I thought possible.

It had three fairly big tie-ins to today's real world: Drone killings, NSA spying on everything and the release of classified info. The overarching theme for these tie-ins is the utopian notion that freedom (liberty) must be exchanged for safety and order. Captain America, of course, stands against this theme..."The price of freedom is high... and it's a price I'm willing to pay." (As a side note: the release of classified data, ala-Snowden, was not done in a way that glorified what Snowden did because the motives and circumstances were entirely different. If Snowden had done what he did in response to the movie circumstances then he would not have been the traitor that he is in reality. That the movie did not glorify what Snowden did (releasing classified data for its own sake and probably to enrich himself and/or make himself famous) was a relief. But the tie-in is unmistakable, though.

I'm told that if you have been a Marvel comics reader that there are very few surprises here as to who the bad guys are and especially the identity of the Winter Soldier. I won't reveal any of that stuff to you because that would be horrible and besides, if you want to know what happens then you can always look up the plot summary at wikipedia. But don't. Go see it instead. This is without a doubt the best of the Marvel movies since the first Iron Man and yes, that includes "The Avengers." This is a dark movie with some dark themes to it. Perhaps "paranoid thriller" would best describe it. Lots of action, decent dialogue, introduction of a new hero, many surprises for the non-Marvel-comics-enthusiast so, highly recommended. I might even have to go see it again.

There are two post-movie clips: one in the middle of the credits and the other at the end so make sure to see them both. The first one is a reveal for next year's Avenger's sequel. And, yeah, it looks like "Guardians of the Galaxy" will be tied in at some point.

[Predator Don]

Saw the movie tonight and it is as advertised. I will encourage anyone to watch, but if you didn't see the first Captain America, I would encourage you to watch it first.

Seems to be a tie in to the television series, too.

[trapeze]

I haven't seen a single episode of the television series but it does make sense that there is a tie in there. After a shaky start to the cinematic Marvel universe (two attempts at the Hulk franchise, neither one working, comes immediately to mind) they seem to have a real game plan now. The upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy" film is yet another tie in with the "infinity stones" (plus Thanos) looking to be a central theme that will connect to The Avengers.

I'm thinking that I am going to have to do a binge viewing of the television series at some point in the not too distant future or I will find myself missing out on something that will be referenced on the big screen.

[Predator Don]

I haven't seen a single episode of the television series but it does make sense that there is a tie in there. After a shaky start to the cinematic Marvel universe (two attempts at the Hulk franchise, neither one working, comes immediately to mind) they seem to have a real game plan now. The upcoming "Guardians of the Galaxy" film is yet another tie in with the "infinity stones" (plus Thanos) looking to be a central theme that will connect to The Avengers.

I'm thinking that I am going to have to do a binge viewing of the television series at some point in the not too distant future or I will find myself missing out on something that will be referenced on the big screen.

The first few episodes of the TV series were fairly lame.....But the last ( few) episode(s) tied in the SHIELD issues and even used a couple scenes from the movie. It was good.

[LadyVirginia]

sounds like a movie I'd like to see
thanks for the review, trap

[Weisshaupt]

Space Battleship Yamato (starblazers)  was awesome.

Okay, so I am regressing back into childhood or something... escapism is what escapism is I guess,  but it worked well tonight.
When I was a Kid there was a kinda goofy anime cartoon called StarBlazers -  but like most anime, it tended to be a little more - I don't know - not serious, but perhaps would explore more adult themes - like honor and sacrifice, and just sported a more complicated mutli-episode plot.  I was entranced, but the local network would air it sporadically, and I would see 3-5 episodes, and then it would be gone and I find it and pick it back up  10 episodes later, and I never saw the whole thing.  (hey remember that paper TV guide thing you would pick up and look for when your shows were on? )  Anyway, I remembered the basic plot and no details..

So back to the point.. I discovered they made a Live Action reboot of the series a few years ago and bought the DVD on a flyer.  Boy am I ever pleased.  They did an excellent job of casting IMO, and the acting - well - the acting wasn't good exactly  - it was anime-ish, like the original. And its a pretty good adapation of the story - or at least what I remember of it..  In any case, if you have any interest in Anime or remember the original check it out (link goes to all 77 episodes on Youtube..or Amazon has it on instant play for $22 a season, but now we are talking die hards... )  - just watch the live action film..

It was a wonderful  and entertaining two hours.. and if you are a major geek like me, you will probably enjoy it was well.  No its not Masterpiece theater. It is way better than the trash they are producing in Hollywood.

Someone posted the full length movie to You Tube - its English subtitles--  so deal with it - or buy the DVD- with a 5.1 English mix (my son refused to read, so we watched the dubbed version-- it wasn't too bad.)

Movie Space Battleship Yamato English Subtitles

They have also rebooted it as a new Anime Series Yamato 2199 ( yes its a spaceship made from THAT Yamato- again, its Japanese - deal with it)  and it looks beautiful - but I haven't taken the time to watch it either.. and they want $35 an episode on DVD...  so you will want to you tube that one too..

Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Episode 4

Oh crap, look what I found Now I am gonna need $200.   ( no not really, but yeah, that big kid in me is poking me and telling me to buy that for him for Christmas.. )

[Weisshaupt]

Just Finished Yamato 2199 with the kids.  Pretty Dang awesome.  My son proclaimed it the best TV series he had ever seen.  I told him Firefly was still better,  but I am at a loss to name a second TV series that was better.  The reboot was faithful to the Cheesy 70's versions expect they almost perfectly were able to remove the cheese, fill the plot holes, and in general just tighten up the original story all while introducing new plots, new characters and generally adding an extra dose of awesome. Definitely worth the time... and again your other choices are what? While all of your other shows are off season, check this out.

And While I am touring Nerdom, I also watched Gamers III: The Hands of Fate.   which of course is the sequel to Dorkness Rising  - which is the sequel to The Gamers ( which I would skip..I won't even give you a link. )
If you ever played Dungeons and Dragons or been into gaming,  they are hysterical.  If not, then they are still funny and entertaining, but maybe not as much.  Plus there is a shout out to Firefly in "Hand of Fate" so yeah, that is always going to work to make a movie endearing to me. And if you like them, consider looking them up and sending a donation, or buying a DVD. Because rather than pay the great Satan and fund the homo-networks,  you can pay the people who are entertaining you directly,  with no middle man, just as they used to in the old days, where  AFTER LEGALLY enjoying their production they would pass the hat.  You want more? You put some in.

And since it s not out of the way I will mention the Guild and Dr Horrible's Sing Along Blog - though I have probably mentioned them before. But you didn't watch them. Why not? Do as I say.

[trapeze]

Well, gosh, I finally got around to seeing the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movie, "The World's End." It was worth the wait. So...what is this movie about? First, some background...

This is the third movie directed by Edgar Wright and written by Simon Pegg and Wright. The first was "Sean of the Dead" and the second was "Hot Fuzz." The first movie used zombies as a plot device and the second was a conspiracy theory themed tale. "The World's End" is about an alien takeover and it happens during a second attempt at an epic pub crawl of twelve beer establishments.

On to the plot summary:

Gary King is determined to reunite his friends from his youth in an attempt to recreate an epic pub crawl from 20 years ago. Their target: "The Golden Mile" in their town of Lechtworth, New Haven. Their plan: five friends, twelve pubs, twelve pints, a few random shots, maybe some action with the ladies. Their first attempt failed miserably as they failed to make it to The World's End with the entire crew intact. This time around, they're older, wiser, and ready to get drunk - that is except for Gary's friend Andrew, who has gone sober. Starting with the The First Post, they realize the town may have changed, and they as individuals have changed, but there's something fishy about the town - the main factor is that the residents don't seem to quite recall the events of that epic night. As they hit the next bars on their list - The Old Familiar, The Famous Cock, The Trusty Servant, The King's Head, and so on, they discover that there's something really unusual about the citizens that now inhabit the town, and as they hit each pub, another piece of the conspiracy unravels. However, Gary is determined to make it to the Worlds' End if it winds up killing his whole group, and most of humanity in the process. But does the fate of mankind rest in his hands?

Enjoyable and outrageous to be sure but not as good as the preceding "Hot Fuzz." Worth a look, though, especially to see how the aliens are finally defeated.

[trapeze]

Just a warning to anyone with children/grandchildren who would be in the market for some harmless summer film entertainment:

The upcoming sequel to the animated "How To Train Your Dragon" has a little surprise for the kiddies. It seems that one of the lesser characters from the original movie is going to be announcing that he is a homo in this film. Just thought you might like a heads up on that one.

Dean DeBlois, the openly gay writer and director of the movie, told Eonline that when Ferguson was recording his lines, he ad-libbed the second reason and said, “Yup, Gobber is coming out of the closet.” DeBlois thinks it’s a, “really fun (and) daring move to put in. I love the idea that Gobber is Berk’s resident gay.”

This should also settle any debate about how superior Craig Ferguson would have been to anyone else selected to host the CBS Late Show.

Thread subtitle: Why Dreamworks will always be second banana to Disney/Pixar.

[IronDioPriest]

We watched "Prisoners" with Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhall. My Lord, what a powerful, disturbing, well-written, well-acted movie. Not exactly entertaining, but a fine piece of film art for the raw emotion it evokes.

Without giving too much away, the premise is that the families of Jackman and his business partner are having dinner at the partner's home, when their two young daughters disappear while walking to Jackman's home to retrieve something.

The heartache and chaos that unfold among the families and community is almost too realistic to watch. Gyllenhall enters as the detective assigned to the case. As the plot thickens and splinters toward conclusion, the film explores how everyone touched by the tragedy reacts to it, and the real point of the film is how each character is in some fashion, imprisoned by themselves, the past, parents, drugs, responsibility, emotional weakness, ineptitude, pride, guilt, etc.

The unfolding of the plot moves from a long and deliberate setup of face-value events and reactions, into an incrementally weirder and weirder chaotic spiral and web of connections that is really brilliant to watch. The climax is completely unexpected.

After seeing Les Miserables, Jackman came onto my radar as more than just "Wolverine". He is a fine actor, and this movie deepens his resume considerably.

Gyllenhall too - excellent. Compare his performance in this film to Jodie Foster's "Clarice Starling", and you won't be far off the mark. Not the character, but the performance.

[AlanS]

Heaven Is For Real. Saw it last night with my wife and mother-in-law. I say it's a "must see" movie because it's good, but mostly because it's true.

One thing I didn't realize by the previews, but should have known by being a parent. The kid is 4 yrs old. He's not going to hold a complete conversation about what he saw in Heaven. When he sees something that prompts his memory, he'll explain what he saw. Then goes back to being a 4 yr old and doing 4 yr old things.

[trapeze]

I saw "Monsters" tonight on the Roku box. Nowhere near as exciting as I thought it might be, the movie chronicles the story of a couple who attempt to traverse northern Mexico which has been fenced off due to the presence of horribly violent alien life forms. There are some very obvious and heavy handed allusions to the illegal alien pathway to the USA via the eyes of these two American travelers. The special effects are mostly restrained which is certainly okay...when used correctly, what you don't see can be quite effective. The end of the movie is especially unsatisfactory. One of these days I will see "Cloverfield" which is supposed to be much better than this.

[Libertas]

It will be interesting to see what you think of Cloverfield, I'll reserve comment until then.

[Predator Don]

It will be interesting to see what you think of Cloverfield, I'll reserve comment until then.

me too....

[trapeze]

This evening I saw "3 Days to Kill" which I guess is the latest Kevin Costner vehicle. Now...as some of you probably know I cannot stand Kevin Costner. I find him to be pretty much one dimensional and an almost talentless actor. Almost every single one of his movies is a variation on "Dances With Wolves." In other words, Costner sleepwalks through almost every one of his roles, playing the exact same character over and over again. Not that that is particularly bad in and of itself...Nicolas Cage does almost the same thing but, unlike Costner, Cage is likable and funny. To me, anyway. Costner is largely a bore. Not unlike William Hurt...an even bigger huge crashing bore who plays the same character in just about every movie he has ever been in.

HOWEVER...

"3 Days to Kill" is different. Which is notable. Wow, a different Kevin Costner film. Please note that I said, "different" rather than good. Or great. Which is not to say that this is a bad film but it most certainly isn't a great film But it is a notable film because Costner is not playing the same character that he always plays. Which seems to be himself. In this film he plays a rather "by the book" CIA wetwork specialist. It is similar to the role that John Cusack played in "Grosse Pointe Blank," a film that I rather enjoyed. In "3 Days to Kill" Costner plays a cleaner, a killer, who is under contract by the CIA to pretty much do whatever needs to be done. But here's where it parts from what you might expect: Like Cusack in "Gross Pointe Blank," Costner's character is trying to redeem himself. In this movie, though, he is trying to win the heart of his daughter rather than his love/sex interest. He is dying. He has just a few months/weeks to live and he wants to make things right, set his affairs in order...while at the same time he has the CIA pressuring him to deal with some nasty bad guys. He spends his remaining time juggling his personal life (his daughter) with his ridiculously complicated and dangerous professional life.

The emphasis here is on the interpersonal relationships rather than the traditional shoot-em-up type of action thriller thingy. Costner actually acts in this movie rather than playing the same character (himself?) that he always plays. The story is interesting and engaging. It isn't a great movie but it is an okay movie and worth seeing (but perhaps not worth paying for) if for no other reason than to see Costner not be a crappy actor for a change. It's notable. It's remarkable.

Not that this changes my opinion of Costner. He is still and will probably always remain an incredibly over-rated and minimally talented actor. But...in this he is okay. I have to imagine that the writing (Luc Besson has a hand in it) and directing (someone I've never heard of) forces him to not be bland.

So...there it is: a Costner movie that I don't just outright hate. I never would have imagined it could happen.

Unrelated: I decided to cut back on my DirecTV subscription. I cancelled out my Encore/Starz/Showtime package...probably saved myself about $60 or $70 a month. I am going to try and get my movie fix via Netflix/Amazon Prime internet route. Should be interesting.

[Predator Don]

I was reluctant to watch this because of Costner. His movies suck. Scenes from waterworld still haunt me. This movie wasn't a total suck. I liked the storyline and Costner actually seemed to have a sliver of personality.

I thought the same about tom cruise. A one trick pony but I actually thought he did a good job acting in Edge Of Tomorrow.

[IronDioPriest]

I finally watched "Ender's Game" last night. Pretty good. Not blowaway awesome, or even very good. But good, and entertaining. I never read the book, so I can't comment on the film's representation of the book. But I liked it.

[AmericanPatriot]

HBO and Cinemax are free for me this weekend on Direct and Enders Game is on so I'll record it