I get what you're saying, the movie totally is a product of its time and it's great for that but I always felt the ideas and story behind it are perfect to do a more serious remake with more depth in the characterizations and less comic book in tone. I doubt the remake is that from what I've seen so far but it's what I would have liked and you never know it might surprise me.
Rate the last movie you watched out of 10
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Max Takeshi
Great Teacher
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
Oh God, just where the hell do you start with this one?
A much darker beast compared to the TV series. A prequel to the TV series chronicling the last seven days of Laura Palmer's life (and a 'lighter' linked investigation beforehand), are about as dark as dark can get.
Sadly it's not any good
Problems abound when throughout the TV series we are drip-fed information about Laura and the enigma about her flows throughout. So it's quite sad to see here that she's not very interesting at all. A generic teen in small town America who is being stalked by the evil entity Bob.
The beginning investigation is actually more interesting than our return to the town, bringing with it the oddball humour and a pointless cameo from David Bowie.
The problem isn't that we already know what happened (and to this extent it actually successfully creates other parts to the story), no, it's the middle section. The setup for the characters (and omissions such as Ben Horne, which do make sense as it's not 'their story' this time), while creating a dark foreboding, is good enough. The middle is just dragged down with establishing what has been said before without any ground gained.
The returning 'weird' scenes are as entertaining as ever, and the final twenty minutes are a very dark nightmare indeed. In fact the DVD states that it is a 15 certificate, when, quite frankly, I feel as if it should be an 18. The dark heart here beats very loudly, be it such matters as domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking and more.
Also worthy of note is that there are 3 or 4 'flags' it you will setting up what would have been season 3. Alas not
Fire Walk With Me tells us what we already know - that Laura Palmer was murdered. It also tells us what we shouldn't know, that Miss. Palmer was actually a bit of a bore.
4/10
NOTE: The DVD I saw was from a David Lynch boxset that may or may not have severe production issues. Some have reported sound issues with the sound levels jumping erratically between soft and loud. My DVD was fine, so hopefully it's a fixed batch now.
Oh God, just where the hell do you start with this one?
A much darker beast compared to the TV series. A prequel to the TV series chronicling the last seven days of Laura Palmer's life (and a 'lighter' linked investigation beforehand), are about as dark as dark can get.
Sadly it's not any good
Problems abound when throughout the TV series we are drip-fed information about Laura and the enigma about her flows throughout. So it's quite sad to see here that she's not very interesting at all. A generic teen in small town America who is being stalked by the evil entity Bob.
The beginning investigation is actually more interesting than our return to the town, bringing with it the oddball humour and a pointless cameo from David Bowie.
The problem isn't that we already know what happened (and to this extent it actually successfully creates other parts to the story), no, it's the middle section. The setup for the characters (and omissions such as Ben Horne, which do make sense as it's not 'their story' this time), while creating a dark foreboding, is good enough. The middle is just dragged down with establishing what has been said before without any ground gained.
The returning 'weird' scenes are as entertaining as ever, and the final twenty minutes are a very dark nightmare indeed. In fact the DVD states that it is a 15 certificate, when, quite frankly, I feel as if it should be an 18. The dark heart here beats very loudly, be it such matters as domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking and more.
Also worthy of note is that there are 3 or 4 'flags' it you will setting up what would have been season 3. Alas not
Fire Walk With Me tells us what we already know - that Laura Palmer was murdered. It also tells us what we shouldn't know, that Miss. Palmer was actually a bit of a bore.
4/10
NOTE: The DVD I saw was from a David Lynch boxset that may or may not have severe production issues. Some have reported sound issues with the sound levels jumping erratically between soft and loud. My DVD was fine, so hopefully it's a fixed batch now.
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I liked Fire Walk With Me actually. It was David Lynch gone mad, which is always an interesting thing to witness but at the same time it felt like a decent representation on film of a victim of abuse which I found quite disturbing but at the same time effective. Will I go out of my way to watch it again, no, but do I respect it for what it did, yes.
ayase
State Alchemist
I found Fire Walk With Me a terrible disappointment. The tone just felt completely different to the Twin Peaks series I know and love, which was perhaps to be expected with the different format and the quicker pace required of film, but I felt the whole atmosphere of the TV series that made it so special just wasn't there. It was almost like someone had tried to write a serious parody of the show, if that makes any sense... As though a fundamental part of what made Twin Peaks Twin Peaks was missing, though I'd find it hard to pin down exactly what that was. I could barely sit through it, though not due to the subject matter but because my attention kept wavering, in stark contrast to the series which had me glued to my screen for every second.
20thCenturyBoy
Thousand Master
Take This Waltz
3/10
Uggh, this was just horrible hipster nonsense of the highest order. Every character is just so unlikeable, everything is so unsubtle and heavy handed (at the beginning an adulterer gets punished and then she becomes an adulterer. She's afraid of "being in between" things and then, uh-oh! She's in between two guys!). The dialogue is jsut god awful too, Seth Rogen had about the most logical line when he asked "What...the ****...are you talking about? I'm just cooking chicken." To which the reply was "you're always cooking chicken." Inspired stuff. Michelle Williams just seemed to want to do her Marilyn Monroe voice at random times, just so many of the scenes with her and Rogen felt completely random.
On a much, much better note the trailer for Beasts of the Southern Wild played before this meaning it is almost upon us. I'm anticipating this movie so much, just Oscar season as a whole, digging it even more than when the trailer first came up early this year. I think the film will be great but honestly I have my doubts it'll take Best Picture next year. It seems far too out there for the Academy, similarly "The Surrogate" (or whatever it's been re-named) certainly won't win as it's got to do with sex, a no-no for the Academy. Personally I'll be putting my money on The Master and Lincoln as top contenders. In work (Paddy Power) we've got those 2 at 5/1 and 7/1 I think behind Beasts and Surrogate at 9/2 joints, I need to wait and see what the odds are when everyone else eventually puts them out.
3/10
Uggh, this was just horrible hipster nonsense of the highest order. Every character is just so unlikeable, everything is so unsubtle and heavy handed (at the beginning an adulterer gets punished and then she becomes an adulterer. She's afraid of "being in between" things and then, uh-oh! She's in between two guys!). The dialogue is jsut god awful too, Seth Rogen had about the most logical line when he asked "What...the ****...are you talking about? I'm just cooking chicken." To which the reply was "you're always cooking chicken." Inspired stuff. Michelle Williams just seemed to want to do her Marilyn Monroe voice at random times, just so many of the scenes with her and Rogen felt completely random.
On a much, much better note the trailer for Beasts of the Southern Wild played before this meaning it is almost upon us. I'm anticipating this movie so much, just Oscar season as a whole, digging it even more than when the trailer first came up early this year. I think the film will be great but honestly I have my doubts it'll take Best Picture next year. It seems far too out there for the Academy, similarly "The Surrogate" (or whatever it's been re-named) certainly won't win as it's got to do with sex, a no-no for the Academy. Personally I'll be putting my money on The Master and Lincoln as top contenders. In work (Paddy Power) we've got those 2 at 5/1 and 7/1 I think behind Beasts and Surrogate at 9/2 joints, I need to wait and see what the odds are when everyone else eventually puts them out.
20thCenturyBoy
Thousand Master
The Imposter
7/10
Quite enjoyed this, while i was put off by some of the direction (the dramatisations, score, etc. were unnecessary), which made the film feel a bit more stylised than it needed to be, overall the story came through on its own. In particular when you get to the point of questioning what really happened and you begin to look back on everything that's been said. The use of an "unreliable narrator" is always a good thing.
The Watch
5/10
Distinctly average. Not particularly funny, or even bad, it was just kind of there; languishing on the screen.
7/10
Quite enjoyed this, while i was put off by some of the direction (the dramatisations, score, etc. were unnecessary), which made the film feel a bit more stylised than it needed to be, overall the story came through on its own. In particular when you get to the point of questioning what really happened and you begin to look back on everything that's been said. The use of an "unreliable narrator" is always a good thing.
The Watch
5/10
Distinctly average. Not particularly funny, or even bad, it was just kind of there; languishing on the screen.
20thCenturyBoy
Thousand Master
Shadow Dancer
4/10
All the characters, none of which you can get attached to, act as if a lot is going on plot wise when really there isn't. The romance angle thrown in was absolutely ludicrous. I think it more capable hands this could've been done better as I felt there was potnetial for something decent there, perhaps as a BBC series ala Tinker Tailor.
4/10
All the characters, none of which you can get attached to, act as if a lot is going on plot wise when really there isn't. The romance angle thrown in was absolutely ludicrous. I think it more capable hands this could've been done better as I felt there was potnetial for something decent there, perhaps as a BBC series ala Tinker Tailor.
ayase
State Alchemist
If there's one difference of opinion I have with most critics, it's that I'll not only tolerate but actively enjoy most pointless meandering as long as I like spending time with the characters, they remain well realised and the general atmosphere of the series isn't spoiled. My attitude to several long-running anime series has been the same.
20thCenturyBoy
Thousand Master
vashdaman said:It's good someone else started posting in this thread. Poor 20thcentury was having to run it all by himself
I was worrying I'd somehow managed to scare everyone out of the thread :lol:
20thCenturyBoy
Thousand Master
Total Recall (2012)
4/10
You know what the original film lacked that would've made it a whole lot better? Lens flares. Lots and lots of ******* lens flares. Eat your heart out JJ Abrams because Len Wiseman has got you ******* beat on this ****. Putting aside the numerous problems with the script, this film on a purely simple, visual level is absolutely unwatchable. Wiseman is a total retard and I really wish that the **** director and ****/hot actress wife combos like him/Beckinsale and Paul Anderson/Mila Jovavich would just stop. The only reason any of these people are getting jobs is because of each other.
To touch briefly upon the script, there's honestly not a thing in this movie that changed form the original that I thought was for the better, or at the very least interesting. In fact interest is something this film really fails to hold, it's absurdly dull from start to finish. Stuff is going on but you don't really care. It's like so many modern action films; they are soulless, especially when compared to those of the golden age. I think the biggest problem this film has is that it never manages, or even makes much of an attempt, to convince you that everything that is going on could be anything other than real. Troughout the original, and particularly its ending, you're wondering what is to be believed, if it's really happening or not. Here? There's no question. The fact is they don't want the audience to think, they want an easy happy ending. Though, I for one am anything but :evil:
4/10
You know what the original film lacked that would've made it a whole lot better? Lens flares. Lots and lots of ******* lens flares. Eat your heart out JJ Abrams because Len Wiseman has got you ******* beat on this ****. Putting aside the numerous problems with the script, this film on a purely simple, visual level is absolutely unwatchable. Wiseman is a total retard and I really wish that the **** director and ****/hot actress wife combos like him/Beckinsale and Paul Anderson/Mila Jovavich would just stop. The only reason any of these people are getting jobs is because of each other.
To touch briefly upon the script, there's honestly not a thing in this movie that changed form the original that I thought was for the better, or at the very least interesting. In fact interest is something this film really fails to hold, it's absurdly dull from start to finish. Stuff is going on but you don't really care. It's like so many modern action films; they are soulless, especially when compared to those of the golden age. I think the biggest problem this film has is that it never manages, or even makes much of an attempt, to convince you that everything that is going on could be anything other than real. Troughout the original, and particularly its ending, you're wondering what is to be believed, if it's really happening or not. Here? There's no question. The fact is they don't want the audience to think, they want an easy happy ending. Though, I for one am anything but :evil:
20thCenturyBoy said:
I'd like to express my sincere disappointment that the film Shadow Dancer is not about a ninja and his dog fighting to disarm time bombs.
20thCenturyBoy
Thousand Master
I would so watch that. Make it so, Hollywood!
20thCenturyBoy
Thousand Master
A Few Best Men
1/10
It's been a long time since I've seriously considered walking out on a film, still haven't but this one pushed me (well, I kinda did with this leaving about 2 minutes before the credits). It's a complete amatuerish attempt at a British Hangover. There's nothing worse than bad (or in this case, non-existant) comedy.
Olivia Newton John is still sexy though.
1/10
It's been a long time since I've seriously considered walking out on a film, still haven't but this one pushed me (well, I kinda did with this leaving about 2 minutes before the credits). It's a complete amatuerish attempt at a British Hangover. There's nothing worse than bad (or in this case, non-existant) comedy.
Olivia Newton John is still sexy though.
Berberian Sound Studio (2012)
The '70s-set story of a repressed English sound engineer who somehow ends up working on a lurid Italian horror film, this is sure to frustrate anyone seeking a conventional narrative, but it's a technical marvel that really crawls under the skin and manages to be every bit as unsettling as the (never seen) Giallo shocker its protagonist is forced to repeatedly sit through.
The '70s-set story of a repressed English sound engineer who somehow ends up working on a lurid Italian horror film, this is sure to frustrate anyone seeking a conventional narrative, but it's a technical marvel that really crawls under the skin and manages to be every bit as unsettling as the (never seen) Giallo shocker its protagonist is forced to repeatedly sit through.
20thCenturyBoy
Thousand Master
I was having a quiet Sunday afternoon and thought 'I'll watch a DVD, but what?' Ended up going with...
Big Trouble In Little China
8.5/10
I love this movie. I used to watch it all the time when I was young on a tape I'd recorded it on and it is still a perfect fun film. It doesn't take itself seriously, it's silly and ridiculous, but not to the point where the action or anything becomes diluted by it. Probably the biggest attraction of this film is the character of Jack Burton. You know him, you love him. He's just such an ordinary guy thrust into a situation he doesn't understand, and he never really does as things go on. Just a wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. And he's not some all conquering hero, he's an idiot who does/says stupid things, has a poor sense of timing, but is still somehow able to be incredibly arrogant about himself/his abilities. He's the embodiment of the film itself, silly and ridiculous but still capable of being serious when needed. I also adore James Hong's performance as David Lo-Pan, his delivery of the word "indeed" just cracks me up and that's just one word from him!
Big Trouble In Little China
8.5/10
I love this movie. I used to watch it all the time when I was young on a tape I'd recorded it on and it is still a perfect fun film. It doesn't take itself seriously, it's silly and ridiculous, but not to the point where the action or anything becomes diluted by it. Probably the biggest attraction of this film is the character of Jack Burton. You know him, you love him. He's just such an ordinary guy thrust into a situation he doesn't understand, and he never really does as things go on. Just a wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time. And he's not some all conquering hero, he's an idiot who does/says stupid things, has a poor sense of timing, but is still somehow able to be incredibly arrogant about himself/his abilities. He's the embodiment of the film itself, silly and ridiculous but still capable of being serious when needed. I also adore James Hong's performance as David Lo-Pan, his delivery of the word "indeed" just cracks me up and that's just one word from him!
Might as well recite the last couple of months of cinema I saw:
I saw Ted a couple of weeks ago.
After such a good year of cinema, with films like Avengers Assembled, The Dark Knight Rises and Brave, it's good to know that there is still some absolute s*** out there. How the hell does Seth MacFarlane keep on getting work?
0/10
Also, I saw Brave. It was an absolutely amazing film - the story was cliché, but with a such a strong fairy tale feel, that was okay. The characterisation really redeemed it (especially Princess Merida). It's my favourite Pixar film, after only the Toy Story trilogy. The animation was also some of the best I have seen in western cinema.
9/10
The Dark Knight Rises
To be honest, I preferred this film to The Dark Knight. Bane was a much better villain in my eyes than The Joker. I think Catwoman and her role as a romantic interest really did drag down the film though. I felt Talia's character was so undeveloped that I honestly didn't give a damn when her true identity was revealed. I think if they had scrapped Catwoman and made Talia the main love interest, it would have been a much better film.
The ending was crap in my opinion I felt it would have fit the tone of the rest of the trilogy if Bruce had actually died, or at least had another bittersweet ending. Alfred and Commissioner Gordon really stole the show for me though; in fact, I think if Michael Caine doesn't get an award for this movie, I'll be genuinely surprised.
8/10
I saw Ted a couple of weeks ago.
After such a good year of cinema, with films like Avengers Assembled, The Dark Knight Rises and Brave, it's good to know that there is still some absolute s*** out there. How the hell does Seth MacFarlane keep on getting work?
0/10
Also, I saw Brave. It was an absolutely amazing film - the story was cliché, but with a such a strong fairy tale feel, that was okay. The characterisation really redeemed it (especially Princess Merida). It's my favourite Pixar film, after only the Toy Story trilogy. The animation was also some of the best I have seen in western cinema.
9/10
The Dark Knight Rises
To be honest, I preferred this film to The Dark Knight. Bane was a much better villain in my eyes than The Joker. I think Catwoman and her role as a romantic interest really did drag down the film though. I felt Talia's character was so undeveloped that I honestly didn't give a damn when her true identity was revealed. I think if they had scrapped Catwoman and made Talia the main love interest, it would have been a much better film.
The ending was crap in my opinion I felt it would have fit the tone of the rest of the trilogy if Bruce had actually died, or at least had another bittersweet ending. Alfred and Commissioner Gordon really stole the show for me though; in fact, I think if Michael Caine doesn't get an award for this movie, I'll be genuinely surprised.
8/10
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