Author Topic: Trap's Movie Thread  (Read 229236 times)

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Offline John Florida

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #280 on: August 05, 2012, 10:32:03 PM »
  OH crap,Falling skys is on tonight.

Is that a bad thing?   ::saywhat::   ::pokeineye::

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Offline AmericanPatriot

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #281 on: August 05, 2012, 10:44:01 PM »
I watch 2 hours of TV a week.
Falling Skies is one of them

(The other is a cultural experience-Call of the Wildman.)

Online Libertas

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #282 on: August 06, 2012, 06:36:44 AM »
After last nights episode it looks as though things are about to pick up.
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Online Libertas

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #283 on: August 09, 2012, 06:43:53 AM »
Daniel Day-Lewis transforms into Abraham Lincoln

Looks interesting but being based on Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book makes me a little skittish...
We are now where The Founders were when they faced despotism.

Offline Sectionhand

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #284 on: August 09, 2012, 12:30:46 PM »
Now , if he can get the high twangy voice right , he'll be okay .

Offline trapeze

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #285 on: August 14, 2012, 12:03:22 AM »
This evening I was looking for something for my (nearly teenage) daughter to watch with me and I settled on "Batman Returns" which is the Tim Burton directed sequel to Burton's "Batman."

I had completely forgotten how much I didn't like this movie.

It really sucks.

I have seen the original "Batman" movie several times. I liked it the first time I saw it and I still like it. I guess it's the Joker portrayal by Jack Nicholson. I liked Heath Ledger's portrayal much better but I still enjoy watching Nicholson do the role.

But "Batman Returns" is repugnant beyond any reasonable level of expectation. It embodies everything that I detest about just about any Burton film you care to name (except "Batman" and a few others noted below). The surreal atmosphere of Gotham from "Batman" is stepped up to the point of the cartoonishly grotesque...instead of Gotham being dark it is filthy and begs the question, "Why would anyone want to live there?"

In the sequel Michael Keaton (who always seemed like an odd choice for the role) seems to be thoroughly emasculated, a shadow of his former self in either the Bruce Wayne or Batman persona. The villians are equally disappointing with Christopher Walken playing an evil and greedy industrialist (is there any other kind in leftist Hollywood?) and Danny Devito trying way, way too hard to be a better bad guy than Nicholson and failing miserably. As with the rest of the sets and backdrops, both of the antagonists come off looking more filthy than anything else. This film just oozes dirtiness and you feel dirty after having watched it. And of course, there is Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman to round things out. She was cast to look sexy and desirable as Bruce Wayne/Batman's quasi enemy and romantic interest which is stupidly schizophrenic.

Let me expound upon the whole Catwoman thing. First of all I know that this character is somewhat, if not completely, true to the original comic book concept. That is, a love/hate kinda anti-villian romantic interest for Batman. I find that concept stupid on its face. Comic book heroes and villians are traditionally, if nothing else, very one dimensional. The good guys are good and the bad guys are bad. Catwoman should have been captured or killed on sight by Batman right out of the gate. Batman is extremely unsympathetic to criminals of any kind and the notion that he would cut any slack to one just because she happens to be female and good looking is ridiculous. Batman is pathalogically driven to fight criminals. Period. So that whole thing never made sense to me at all and still doesn't.

Anyway, in this movie Catwoman looks severely slutty instead of sexy. The scene where she is briefly on top of Batman and it looks like she is going to kiss him and instead licks him from chin to nostril is so creepy and disgusting that it nearly defies description. It is not even vaguely romantic. It's sleazy. I see it and I think she needs to be shot with a tranquilizer gun and kept in a cage. And then maybe put to sleep. The character and almost every scene she is in garners no sympathy or empathy or respect. Instead I feel disgust and I am disgusted with Bruce Wayne/Batman for being attracted to her.

The story of the movie is thin and doesn't hold my attention. Or if it does at all it is in the form of wishing that it would end so that my misery can end with it. Unfortunately, my daughter is caught up in it (because, hey, shiny object) so I can't just turn this drivel off after I remember why I hated it the first time I saw it. Instead of a quality story with good characters I get nothing but wretched Tim Burton themed scenery which is horrid beyond belief.

One of the things that I can't understand is how Tim Burton continues to get good projects to visit his one-trick talent on. Don't get me wrong...I don't hate everything that Burton has ever done. In addition to the aforementioned "Batman" I very much like "Beetlejuice" which also stars Michael Keeton and makes excellent use of Geena Davis and the usually insufferable Alec Baldwin. I also enjoyed Burton's tribute to Ed Wood who must have been an artistic soulmate of sorts even though Wood never made anything but horrid crap. His animated films have been okay...not great but okay. Just about everything else that Burton has touched has been pure garbage and "Batman Returns" is sort of a gleaming (or perhaps steaming) example of how awful he can be.

It's like he got the huge movie budget to work with (because you know he did) and decided to see how little quality stuff he could get for the most money. The end result is a cheapo looking production that seems designed to insult and offend the audience with its very atrociousness. About the only thing missing was Johnny Depp and I'm sure it wasn't for lack of trying on Burton's part...he was probably busy or wasn't convinced that it would be horrible enough to warrant his presence.

The sheer awfulness of this movie is enormous. It's a black hole of art and talent that should have sucked the careers of anyone and everyone involved into movie making oblivion. Somehow, it didn't and that is a tragedy. There should be a price to be paid for shoveling less than well crafted garbage like this on an unsuspecting public. If there was any justice in this world (but there isn't much, witness President Obama and Vice President Biden) all of those involved would be sentenced to a life sentence in New Jersey dinner theater.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2012, 02:15:08 AM by trapeze »
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline trapeze

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #286 on: August 14, 2012, 12:29:51 AM »
And while I'm bitching about Batman movies let me get one more thing off my chest that is also more that a little irritating.

Why do the people that produce these things (i.e., comic book hero movies) feel compelled to supply them with more than one villain?

This isn't just a Batman phenomenon. You see it all over the place. In the above mentioned abortion, Batman had three separate villains to deal with. Most of the time the hero has two bad guys to face. Why? Is it because the good guy is so incredibly mighty and stuff that one just isn't a fair fight? I mean, if that's the case then why not just make the bad guy several orders of magnitude more evil, more strong, more ingeniously smart, etc.?

About the closest we have come to experiencing this is "The Dark Knight" where Heath Ledger was almost the only villain until the very end of the movie where Two Face put in an appearance that was almost gratuitous in its brevity. I didn't understand the point of throwing that villain into the movie at all...it was like a script afterthought...an almost useless inclusion that served as more of a distraction than a character. I guess the first Spiderman movie had the Green Goblin as the sole villain so there's another one.

But most of the time it's like a bad guy buddy movie. You get introduced to one bad guy and then before you know it there's another one who inexplicably teams up with the first one like some kind of a perverse extra from Villains Local #35 (Hey, we gotta union!).

You just don't see this in other movie genres. At least not as an almost rule like we see in comic book superhero type movies. Can you imagine, for instance, John McClane facing down Hans Gruber in the Nakatomi Tower and all of a sudden some other bad guy shows up to work with Hans as his unexpected bad guy buddy? No? Me neither. But in superhero movies it happens all the time.

It's stupid and we deserve a bad guy who is bad enough to challenge the hero all by his or her self without the need of a super evil buddy.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2012, 12:49:09 AM by trapeze »
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #287 on: August 14, 2012, 01:50:30 AM »
....About the closest we have come to experiencing this is "The Dark Knight" where Heath Ledger was almost the only villain until the very end of the movie where Two Face put in an appearance that was almost gratuitous in its brevity. I didn't understand the point of throwing that villain into the movie at all...it was like a script afterthought...an almost useless inclusion that served as more of a distraction than a character....

I actually found the Harvey Dent/Two-Face character's inclusion quite brilliant at the time - and even more so after seeing the 3rd film. Like you, I was pleased by the brevity of the Two-Face character's presence. But the way I saw it, Dent's transformation into Two-Face was only there to serve and move the storyline, not to offer another villain to dilute the plot. The character for the sake of the film was Dent. His transformation at the end was critical to the trilogy plot - tying films together, and giving justifications for what was to come.

I saw the Harvey Dent/Two-Face character as the perfect way to include another lesser-known Batman villain while setting up the story for the 3rd movie. Without Dent's transformation from squeaky-clean justice-seeker into the vengeful, insane, and disillusioned Two-Face, and the subsequent actions of Wayne taking the blame for his death in order to protect Dent's legacy and the justice it wrought, the entire plot for the 3rd movie would've needed a completely different justification.

But in principle, I agree with your point 100%. The latter Batman movies (with George Clooney and sadly, Val Kilmer - everything after the first Michael Keaton one for that matter) were pathetic, and the multi-villain platform was jumping multi-sharks in every one of them.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2012, 01:54:26 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 #288 on: August 14, 2012, 02:03:56 AM »
To clarify, I thoroughly enjoyed the reboot of Batman (haven't seen the third one yet...I'm hoping to see it with my son who should be home from Kandahar for a couple of weeks any day now). I agree about the use of Dent/Two Face and how it was necessary...it just seemed kind of tacked on rather than fully fleshed out as a villain in that film. It in no way compares to the "buddy" villain concept that I was complaining about in other super hero films.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #289 on: August 14, 2012, 02:10:10 AM »
To clarify, I thoroughly enjoyed the reboot of Batman (haven't seen the third one yet...I'm hoping to see it with my son who should be home from Kandahar for a couple of weeks any day now). I agree about the use of Dent/Two Face and how it was necessary...it just seemed kind of tacked on rather than fully fleshed out as a villain in that film. It in no way compares to the "buddy" villain concept that I was complaining about in other super hero films.

Ah, I hope I didn't spoil anything. Suffice it to say that when you see DKR, you will understand why Dent/Two-Face in TDK was absolutely critical to the setup for #3. I would even recommend watching TDK beforehand if it is not fresh in your mind. The plight of Gotham and the rise of Bane depends entirely on what Batman/Wayne and Gordon did in response to Dent's transformation and death.
"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 #290 on: August 21, 2012, 10:41:05 PM »
Cross-posting my review (opinion, really) of "The Dark Knight Rises" here.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #291 on: August 27, 2012, 07:29:53 AM »
Let Me In



Caught this one on "Starz", and really liked it a lot. Apparently it's a remake of a Swedish film that received critical acclaim.

Owen (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee - child Spock in JJ Abram's Star Trek reboot) is a timid, bullied, 12 year old boy whose parents are recently divorced, and whose mother drinks. You're immediately in the position of feeling extreme sympathy for the plight of this kid. His spirit is broken, and McPhee pulls it off well.

Owen meets 12 year old "Abby" (played by Chloe Grace Moretz) outside his apartment building. She also appears to be a rejected child; shoeless in the cold, eyes downcast. They strike up a friendship. We watch as each child is nurtured by the friendship of the other. Abby gives Owen strength and confidence, and Owen gives Abby comfort and companionship.

As the story progresses, we learn that Abby is more than she appears to be (clue in the title). As revelations about Abby unfold, viewers learn everything just before Owen does. All the while, we watch what appears to be the sweet innocence of prepubescent romance with all its tentative charm unfold between the two.

Is it the most poignant look at preteen romance ever made? Or is it a story of pure predation? The film is so expertly made that the question lingers even now.

On a side note, I think we'll be hearing a lot more from Chloe Moretz. She was an absolute acting powerhouse in this film, and she was only 12 when it was made. In my opinion her performance in "Let Me In" was Oscar-worthy as lead actress.

She's 15 now. Photos have been released of her covered in blood for the "Stephen King's Carrie" reboot. Alas, another reboot.
"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 #292 on: August 27, 2012, 10:18:02 AM »
I know that I've mentioned it before but I'll say it again...I am absolutely stuck in a certain vampire movie type and it has to do with a childhood experience I had hearing one of those late night stories told around a campfire. This is where the vampires are all evil all of the time, they multiply exponentially, they have to be destroyed via wooden stake, etc.

The closest movie (and book) that I have seen re-create that experience was Stephen King's "Salem's Lot." Quentin Tarantino's "From Dusk Til Dawn" also more or less follows those rules. The Bram Stoker story also follows those rules although it seems to take a while for a bitten person to transform into a vampire. There were several old school movies, those with Christopher Lee usually, that tended to follow those rules although they were always cheesy Hammer productions.

All other versions of the vampire myth (romantic and benevolent vampires being the worst) just don't do it for me. As I have said earlier, I like the bad guys to be bad/evil who must be defeated/killed/destroyed. Post modern notions of sympathetic bad guys (with few exceptions) just annoy me to no end.

I don't seem to care much about zombie conventions, though. Fast moving or slow moving zombies have made equally entertaining films. Of course that is because no one (outside of comedies) wants to get romantic with a zombie...they are pretty much all evil. I guess it's that whole "uncontrollable urge to eat your face" that probably steers young impressionable girls away from getting cuddly with zombies. That said, I am certain that Stephenie Meyer will find a way to make it happen sometime soon now that she has thoroughly trashed the vampire genre and is probably wondering what to screw up next.
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.

Offline Predator Don

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #293 on: August 27, 2012, 01:06:50 PM »
I'm not much of a Tarantino fan....But I did like The Dusk to Dawn movies. There was one other...Girl loses her leg and she sticks a shotgun on the stub...rides a bike.
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Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #294 on: August 27, 2012, 01:25:57 PM »
Found this trailer... It's not sparkly vampires...

Let Me In - Official Trailer [HD]
"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 IronDioPriest

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #295 on: August 27, 2012, 01:30:29 PM »
...another cool thing about this movie... for no apparent reason, it is set in the 80's. No 80's shtick. Just a feel. Reagan on the TV in the background... puffy down jackets... hair & clothing styles... cars...

Just a cool touch.
"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 Alphabet Soup

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #296 on: August 27, 2012, 03:50:35 PM »
I'm not much of a Tarantino fan....But I did like The Dusk to Dawn movies. There was one other...Girl loses her leg and she sticks a shotgun on the stub...rides a bike.

Grindhouse

Offline Predator Don

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #297 on: August 27, 2012, 04:36:49 PM »
I'm not much of a Tarantino fan....But I did like The Dusk to Dawn movies. There was one other...Girl loses her leg and she sticks a shotgun on the stub...rides a bike.

Grindhouse

yeah....LOL. I'm gonna need to watch it again.
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Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Trap's Movie Thread
« Reply #298 on: August 27, 2012, 09:25:18 PM »
"From Dusk Til Dawn" was on IFC this evening. Caught a few moments of it, but "Stars Earn Stripes" started at 8, so we flipped to that.
"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 #299 on: September 03, 2012, 12:24:14 AM »
Watching "Iron Man" and it just occurred to me that it is one of those very rare films which has arab terrorists as bad guys. The best scenes involve Tony Stark beating the crap out of the islamofascists and there are two of them. One where he builds the original suit and uses it to effect his escape and the second one where he returns to the same locale and uses the new and improved suit to destroy a whole pack of militant (is there any other kind?) muslims.

Really, the movie just isn't quite as good after that where the villain shifts to Jeff Bridges. It's good but it could have been stellar with Iron Man wiping out a few more sharia warriors.

So...

...there are other movies besides "True Lies" that feature contemporary arab bad guys. Are there others I'm forgetting?

Bonus:


Kills muslims and is damn proud of it.
« Last Edit: September 03, 2012, 01:06:34 AM by trapeze »
In a doomsday scenario, hippies will be among the first casualties. So not everything about doomsday will be bad.