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Resident_Hazard
Possessed by Starscream's Ghost

Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:33 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:31 am 
 

darkeningday wrote:
Just a brief note fellows:
Writers invent the story/threads/characters/scenes/events; Directors put those on screen. The actors merely puppet what the script dictates and what the directors want to see on screen.

Actors get into Hollywood because of: 10% Talent 10% Luck and 80% Appearance.

Most actors are fairly homogenous in their abilities; exceptions exist (Keanu Reeves, "The Rock,"), but most are roughly capable of the same performance. That is, a bit actor in Battlestar Galactica could give a similar performance to Denzel Washington if given the role. Daniel-Day Lewis is viewed as such a phenomenal actor not nessesarily because of his acting abilities, but because of the choices he makes for roles.

The actor is emblematic of the film--he is what appears on the celluloid, and it is easiest for the lowest-common-denominator film-going public to hold him as the fixture of the film. But in reality, he has very little to do with it.

Next time you watch another "mind-blowing" performance by Christian Bale--read in the original script his lines, his descriptions, his actions, and see just how much of his "awesomeness" can actually be attributed to him.


In Lloyd Kaufman's book, "Make Your Own Damn Movie," he says that most actors are worthless morons and the secret to making a film is a solid director that can get the moron actor to do what is necessary.

Also, I thought that being a successful Hollywood actor/actress involved these numbers: 5% talent, 15% appearance, 80% oral sex ability.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:48 am 
 

saintinhell wrote:
darkeningday wrote:
Just a brief note fellows:
Writers invent the story/threads/characters/scenes/events; Directors put those on screen. The actors merely puppet what the script dictates and what the directors want to see on screen.

Actors get into Hollywood because of: 10% Talent 10% Luck and 80% Appearance.

Most actors are fairly homogenous in their abilities; exceptions exist (Keanu Reeves, "The Rock,"), but most are roughly capable of the same performance. That is, a bit actor in Battlestar Galactica could give a similar performance to Denzel Washington if given the role. Daniel-Day Lewis is viewed as such a phenomenal actor not nessesarily because of his acting abilities, but because of the choices he makes for roles.

The actor is emblematic of the film--he is what appears on the celluloid, and it is easiest for the lowest-common-denominator film-going public to hold him as the fixture of the film. But in reality, he has very little to do with it.

Next time you watch another "mind-blowing" performance by Christian Bale--read in the original script his lines, his descriptions, his actions, and see just how much of his "awesomeness" can actually be attributed to him.


Ah, but you undermine the importance of casting. It is quite possible that an unknown actor could produce a superlative performance to match a superstar - IF he's well cast. The director - or if the casting is segregated as a distinct function, then the casting crew - must make the casting decision with a lot of care because one actor may be a roar in a particular role while another - possibly more illustrious -may be a whimper. So yes, an actor can build up a considerable reputation by careful script selection but that does not imply complete homogeneity of acting ability. And appearance - not necessarily in the hot/cool/handsome/pretty vein - is of utmost importance because an actor must LOOK the part he is playing.

Exactly, and people like Norton and Bale are great not only because of the fact that they're good actors, but because of their flexibility in roles - and I mean, sure, someone else could have been able to do Bale's role in Batman Begins or The Machinist, but would most actors want to undergo the intense physical changes required for them?

With that said;

The Bucket List - 5/5

If people would have gotten the Juno and 300 junk out of their systems in 2007, they would have seen that this masterpiece was right there in front of them - just because it doesn't have explosions, gunfights and beautiful women doesn't make it any less so. Here we have Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson giving the performances of their lives - or close enough. Funny, charming, insightful and deeply moving, The Bucket List is a surefire winner and a definite candidate for best of '07. Go see it.
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saintinhell
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Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:19 am
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:35 pm 
 

Great to see another Edward Norton fan. I still love the way he owned ol' Richard Gere's arse in just the final scene of Primal Fear. Maybe I was supposed to feel sympathetic for Gere's lawyer but Norton's villain only made me amused at the lawyer's gullibility. :lol:

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Lunar_Strain
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 2:10 pm 
 

Edward Norton is a God.
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twophoton
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Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 12:25 pm
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:37 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:
Exactly, and people like Norton and Bale are great not only because of the fact that they're good actors, but because of their flexibility in roles - and I mean, sure, someone else could have been able to do Bale's role in Batman Begins or The Machinist, but would most actors want to undergo the intense physical changes required for them?



And have you seen Rescue Dawn yet? He plays a POW in Laos. He and Steve Zahn (and that nerdy physicist guy Daniel from this season of Lost) are excellent. They also get really thin for the part like in The Machinist.

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HighPlainsDrifter
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:28 pm 
 

I literally just saw Rescue Dawn yesterday. I liked it alot, Bale and (surprisingly) Zahn were great in their roles.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:34 am 
 

Nope, but I'll make note of it.

The Fog (1979) - 4.5/5

Classic, pulpy horror story that doesn't fail to please at all. The special effects are really well done, especially for the time period in which it was made. John Carpenter's genius shines through, and instead of a low budget slasher flick, we're given genius moments like the first kill scene - observe the lack of music making it seem even more cold and distant - and the utilization of the radio host throughout, not to mention the bone-chilling final scene. Jamie Lee Curtis is sexy and mysterious, captivating the eye immediately, and John Houseman and Adrienne Barbeau both put on great performances as well. Sure, at times you can predict what will happen next, but that doesn't tarnish this great movie one bit. Highly recommended.
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EzraWeeden
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:09 pm 
 

American Psycho 2 - Really bad, terrible acting, death scenes were really gay, embarassing sequel to an awesome movie. Though, not as bad as.....

The Wicker Man - Nic Cage is dumb, this was more of a comedy than anything. Couldn't stop laughing when Cage goes "I DON'T NEED FUCKING PERMISSION" or when he knocked 3 chicks out including 1 chick while he was in a bear suit. Terrible remake of an awesome movie. Good for a laugh though.

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HighPlainsDrifter
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:28 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:
The Fog (1979) - 4.5/5
I watched the first 5 minutes of this film on tv the other day, then stopped. I immediately regret this decision. :durr:
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DanFuckingLucas
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Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2003 7:30 am
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:30 pm 
 

They made a sequel to that? American Psycho was a great film, but you should read the book - it's even more disturbing.
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HighPlainsDrifter
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 2:34 pm 
 

DanFuckingLucas wrote:
They made a sequel to that? American Psycho was a great film, but you should read the book - it's even more disturbing.
American Psycho was awesome, I just watched it for the first time in a long while. I love the part at the atm machine when it reads, FEED ME A STRAY CAT. :lol:
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darkeningday
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 3:14 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:

The Bucket List - 5/5

:ugh: ... ... ... :lol: :lol: :lol:

I turned it off after 50 minutes (my minimum... I would have turned it off sooner, but...). What a turgid crapfest of hollywood melodramatic cheese. Rob Reiner has totally lost it. I should have noted the critical panning it recieved before I plunked hard earned cash to rent this garbage but... oh well. To quote Premiere Magazine "This terminally ill, terminally awful dramedy marks a sad cinematic milestone: The Bucket List is the first film in history to feature a truly wretched Nicholson performance -- and we're not talking about the character he plays." Indeed.
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lord_ghengis
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 6:41 pm 
 

Komodo vs Cobra. It was just as bad as you could imagine it to be. Hilarious though, it actually succeeded in making me laugh for the whole duration without getting horribly bored and leaving.

To the guy who mentioned the wickerman, I bring you this http://youtube.com/watch?v=e6i2WRreARo only thing that makes that film's existence worthwhile.

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Star-Gazer
Trust and you'll be trusted

Joined: Fri May 14, 2004 1:21 pm
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:13 pm 
 

darkeningday wrote:
Empyreal wrote:

The Bucket List - 5/5

:ugh: ... ... ... :lol: :lol: :lol:

I turned it off after 50 minutes (my minimum... I would have turned it off sooner, but...). What a turgid crapfest of hollywood melodramatic cheese. Rob Reiner has totally lost it. I should have noted the critical panning it recieved before I plunked hard earned cash to rent this garbage but... oh well. To quote Premiere Magazine "This terminally ill, terminally awful dramedy marks a sad cinematic milestone: The Bucket List is the first film in history to feature a truly wretched Nicholson performance -- and we're not talking about the character he plays." Indeed.
guess Im moving that down on my queue - I moved it to #1 afrer Empyreal's review!

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:13 pm 
 

lord_ghengis wrote:
To the guy who mentioned the wickerman, I bring you this http://youtube.com/watch?v=e6i2WRreARo only thing that makes that film's existence worthwhile.

This fills me with rage.

And to darkeningday, that is all fine and well, I can see where the critics are coming from, but it does not change my rating, nor my review.

einvolk: No offense, but was that some kind of sarcasm?
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DanFuckingLucas
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:03 pm 
 

I don't think so. You made me want to watch it. It seems a film that polarises opinions.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:17 pm 
 

Haha, yeah, I guess so. I went and read the rottentomatoes reviews after reading darkeningday's comment and they ranged from "bad" to "lovable fun." I lean towards the latter camp obviously.

Then again I have never been known for the best taste in movies. :p
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failsafeman
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:19 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:
Then again I have never been known for the best taste in movies. :p

At least you haven't been known for the worst taste in movies, unlike certain other people named darkeninggay.
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DanFuckingLucas
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Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2003 7:30 am
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:45 pm 
 

failsafeman wrote:
Empyreal wrote:
Then again I have never been known for the best taste in movies. :p

At least you haven't been known for the worst taste in movies, unlike certain other people named darkeninggay.


He doesn't like Beaches or Dirty Dancing does he?
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Avaddons_blood
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:53 am 
 

Empyreal wrote:
Nope, but I'll make note of it.

The Fog (1979) - 4.5/5

Classic, pulpy horror story that doesn't fail to please at all. The special effects are really well done, especially for the time period in which it was made. John Carpenter's genius shines through, and instead of a low budget slasher flick, we're given genius moments like the first kill scene - observe the lack of music making it seem even more cold and distant - and the utilization of the radio host throughout, not to mention the bone-chilling final scene. Jamie Lee Curtis is sexy and mysterious, captivating the eye immediately, and John Houseman and Adrienne Barbeau both put on great performances as well. Sure, at times you can predict what will happen next, but that doesn't tarnish this great movie one bit. Highly recommended.


Have you seen the terrible remake?

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 9:48 am 
 

Avaddons_blood wrote:
Empyreal wrote:
Nope, but I'll make note of it.

The Fog (1979) - 4.5/5

Classic, pulpy horror story that doesn't fail to please at all. The special effects are really well done, especially for the time period in which it was made. John Carpenter's genius shines through, and instead of a low budget slasher flick, we're given genius moments like the first kill scene - observe the lack of music making it seem even more cold and distant - and the utilization of the radio host throughout, not to mention the bone-chilling final scene. Jamie Lee Curtis is sexy and mysterious, captivating the eye immediately, and John Houseman and Adrienne Barbeau both put on great performances as well. Sure, at times you can predict what will happen next, but that doesn't tarnish this great movie one bit. Highly recommended.


Have you seen the terrible remake?

No, I would rather avoid going into some sort of cathartic state.
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josephus
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 10:36 am 
 

darkeningday wrote:
Empyreal wrote:
The Bucket List - 5/5
:ugh:
I saw it in the cinema. I wouldn't say it was awful, but not a 5/5, that's for sure. Maybe 3/5, because I giggled at the coffee scene.
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alexanderthegreat
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2003 5:34 pm
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 1:11 pm 
 

darkeningday wrote:
Just a brief note fellows:
Writers invent the story/threads/characters/scenes/events; Directors put those on screen. The actors merely puppet what the script dictates and what the directors want to see on screen.


"Actors are cattle." - Alfred Hitchcock

I'm generally not as dismissive of actors as you: an actor has to have a certain amount of talent to be able to interpret the script & director's actions to be able to give a good performance. Some actors even add to it when the direction/writing is poor by improvising or instilling a bit of their own creativity into the role.

But I agree, the direction and writing is instrumental: hence why Hayden Christensen can give a solid performance in Shattered Glass but a lackluster, useless one in the Star Wars prequels. Same with virtually all the other actors in Star Wars, who pretty much all give the worst performances of their careers because George Lucas doesn't have a clue what he's doing half the time.

I mean, who would hail Obi-Wan Kenobi as Alec Guiness' finest performance? I wouldn't even put it in the top twenty. Harrison Ford's Han Solo may be iconic, but he's done much better acting in other films. Even Mark Hamill, who to most people is known only for Luke Skywalker, has completely eclipsed this role with his seminal voice acting.

Sorry, I just needed to rant on Star Wars: it's great fun and I love it dearly, but some aspects just annoy me.
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Lokar
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:01 pm 
 

Watched Romper Stomper today. Quite a fun, clockworkorangeish film, and Russell Crowe kicked ass as always.
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Star-Gazer
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:26 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:
einvolk: No offense, but was that some kind of sarcasm?
no, not at all! - I moved it to the top of my queue, ahead of "The Grand" (which I have been waiting for, for awhile) - but now I moved it back down because I want to see the grand more - I just liked what you had to say about "The Bucket" that it really piqued my curiosity in the film

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:41 pm 
 

Well go ahead and see it, I don't know if you would like it the same way I did, but it is quite a fun and lighthearted little venture, so hey you might at least find it uplifting or something of the sort.
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EzraWeeden
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:42 pm 
 

DanFuckingLucas wrote:
They made a sequel to that? American Psycho was a great film, but you should read the book - it's even more disturbing.

Yeah, I've read the book twice and it is fucked up. Great and hilarious book though. I wish that some of the more fucked up scenes from the book were actually in the movie. The movie was still awesome.

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EzraWeeden
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:44 pm 
 

lord_ghengis wrote:
Komodo vs Cobra. It was just as bad as you could imagine it to be. Hilarious though, it actually succeeded in making me laugh for the whole duration without getting horribly bored and leaving.

To the guy who mentioned the wickerman, I bring you this http://youtube.com/watch?v=e6i2WRreARo only thing that makes that film's existence worthwhile.

The comedy trailer for the Wicker Man is better than that. The Wicker Man does have some hilariously bad scenes.

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~Guest 126069
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:44 pm 
 

Has anyone seen The Happening? I have to say it looks pretty interesting, but then again, so did The Village.

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Acrobat
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:54 pm 
 

EzraWeeden wrote:
lord_ghengis wrote:
Komodo vs Cobra. It was just as bad as you could imagine it to be. Hilarious though, it actually succeeded in making me laugh for the whole duration without getting horribly bored and leaving.

To the guy who mentioned the wickerman, I bring you this http://youtube.com/watch?v=e6i2WRreARo only thing that makes that film's existence worthwhile.

The comedy trailer for the Wicker Man is better than that. The Wicker Man does have some hilariously bad scenes.


My god, the original wicker man is one of my favourite films ever, I can't even begin to imagine what (other than greed) possessed the yanks to make a remake.

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alexanderthegreat
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 5:27 pm 
 

ThrashingMad wrote:
Has anyone seen The Happening? I have to say it looks pretty interesting, but then again, so did The Village.


I've heard good things about The Signal, which has a similar premise to it without being directed by a conceited infant.

I wish someone would make a film of James Herbert's The Fog, since it does the whole "people start going insane across the country" thing really well, and with a much less stupid premise than The Happening.

I finished watching Pathfinder. I'm very conflicted: on the one hand it had some fantastic costume design for the Vikings and gorgeous cinematography, with a good score and fairly good work from Clancy Brown as the most badass Viking I've ever seen on screen. The premise of Vikings in America is still an interesting one. I particularly liked having the Vikings speak in a Nordic tongue (Old Norse? It sounded like it), though that just made the native's speaking English more jarring. Again, the costumes for the Vikings - awesome.

Unfortunately, the film also has a horrible fixation with slow-motion, quick cuts, and the violence is too pretty and stylised for me: it should be visceral and ugly. I had these complaints with 300 too. I also disliked how easily the Vikings were killed: they looked like the veritable Einjerjar with their horned skull helms and plate armour, they should have cut down the poor indians like swords through butter. It's annoying when they make really cool looking bad guys only to have them killed with ludicrous ease (see Stormtroopers, Uruk-Hai, etc), and it's even more infuriating when they're so cool.

The biggest complaint though, is that the Indians are so lame. Apparently after a few decades of racist depictions of Indians we have to make them peaceful and nice people who only fight back when directly attack. Yet it's PERFECTLY FINE to depict the Norse as violent plunderers, murderers and rapists despite plenty of evidence that the Norse were just as multi-faceted as any number of historical cultures. It seems like a horribly PC "Indians good, Vikings (or more subtextually, European invaders) BAD". If the Indians were as cool looking as the Vikings I wouldn't be complaining, it would've been awesome if they had some braves with scary-looking warpaint and cool weapons.

So what I took from that was, it's a-ok to depict a culture as a bunch of barbaric, monstrous savages as long as they aren't Indians or Africans. Great progress Hollywood.

BTW, anyone notice how the Mumak riders in Return of the King looked a lot like Maoris, keeping in mind Peter Jackson's a New Zealander? When the actual Haradrim were supposed to be based on African tribesemen. Switching one form of racism for another I guess.

(not that Tolkien was racist, the Haradrim weren't inherently evil or anything, just conquered and enslaved by Sauron, and they already had legit beef with Gondor over Harondor)
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Nahsil
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 5:45 pm 
 

I liked The Village. :(
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:03 pm 
 

The Air I Breathe - 4/5

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's another circular human life drama in the vein of Crash? To be fair, this is a good one, much more inspired and interesting than 11:13, for instance. The acting is generally pretty okay, but it honestly isn't one of this movie's stronger points. The strong point of this movie is, however, the strong, fluidity with which the plot is strung together, and the way it's all tied into that Chinese proverb with which the movie is affiliated. Although the uninitiated probably won't get this - the proverb is never explained in the movie itself - the finished product is, overall, a liberating one.
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:17 pm 
 

alexanderthegreat wrote:
I wish someone would make a film of James Herbert's The Fog, since it does the whole "people start going insane across the country" thing really well, and with a much less stupid premise than The Happening.


Empyreal wrote:
Nope, but I'll make note of it.

The Fog (1979) - 4.5/5

:scratch:

Would these be the same two films?

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:18 pm 
 

iAm wrote:
alexanderthegreat wrote:
I wish someone would make a film of James Herbert's The Fog, since it does the whole "people start going insane across the country" thing really well, and with a much less stupid premise than The Happening.


Empyreal wrote:
Nope, but I'll make note of it.

The Fog (1979) - 4.5/5

:scratch:

Would these be the same two films?

I don't think so; The Fog (movie) is not about people going insane all across the company.
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alexanderthegreat
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:31 pm 
 

iAm wrote:
Would these be the same two films?


Afraid not, The Fog (film) is a 1980 supernatural horror by John Carpenter. Herbert's mid-1970's book is more of a techno-horror, as there aren't any overt supernatural elements but a lot of nasty gore and sexual violence, and full of set-pieces that would be really horrific in a film: private school students sexually assaulting & mutilating their teachers and each other, the population of a seaside town walking out into the sea to drown, an old cat lady being shredded by her pets, massive orgies in the streets of London. And that's just on the blurb on the back of the book.
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DanFuckingLucas
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:28 pm 
 

alexanderthegreat wrote:
iAm wrote:
Would these be the same two films?


Afraid not, The Fog (film) is a 1980 supernatural horror by John Carpenter. Herbert's mid-1970's book is more of a techno-horror, as there aren't any overt supernatural elements but a lot of nasty gore and sexual violence, and full of set-pieces that would be really horrific in a film: private school students sexually assaulting & mutilating their teachers and each other, the population of a seaside town walking out into the sea to drown, an old cat lady being shredded by her pets, massive orgies in the streets of London. And that's just on the blurb on the back of the book.


I'm going to check THAT out.
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Empyreal
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:29 pm 
 

DanFuckingLucas wrote:
alexanderthegreat wrote:
iAm wrote:
Would these be the same two films?


Afraid not, The Fog (film) is a 1980 supernatural horror by John Carpenter. Herbert's mid-1970's book is more of a techno-horror, as there aren't any overt supernatural elements but a lot of nasty gore and sexual violence, and full of set-pieces that would be really horrific in a film: private school students sexually assaulting & mutilating their teachers and each other, the population of a seaside town walking out into the sea to drown, an old cat lady being shredded by her pets, massive orgies in the streets of London. And that's just on the blurb on the back of the book.


I'm going to check THAT out.

That does sound awesome. I'ma put it on my list.
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hey
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:42 pm 
 

I finally managed to see Escape from New York not too long ago, and I thought it was pretty good. Although I thought it seemed a bit short. Also has anyone seen the movie for A Scanner Darkly? I really liked the book and I was wondering how the movie was.

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Nahsil
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:55 pm 
 

hey wrote:
I finally managed to see Escape from New York not too long ago, and I thought it was pretty good. Although I thought it seemed a bit short. Also has anyone seen the movie for A Scanner Darkly? I really liked the book and I was wondering how the movie was.


I enjoyed A Scanner Darkly. The cell-shaded presentation was cool and unique, and it had a good plot/good voice acting.
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Last edited by Nahsil on Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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