[Mezla PigDog]

I enjoyed Burn After Reading more than I usually enjoy Coen Bro films. I can take the non-resoltion and slow pace of nothing in their idiot films. It drives me nuts in the films that are actually about something more interesting.

I watched The Escapist at the weekend. A British/Irish Brian Cox prison flick. It was pretty good, if a little stereotypical about life in the clink. It got me wondering how much buggery really does go on, which isn't something I particularly want to be musing over. The story is told in an interesting way of showing the breakout attempt and cutting it with flashbacks of the planning stages. There were a few moments I found irritating but they were all explained away by the neat twist at the end. All-in-all, not a groundbreaking film but perfectly watchable.

[Traveller]

I saw 'Little Miss Sunshine' at the weekend. Funny, and well-directed - i loved the way all the characters were so well established by the end of the opening scene.

Since this is the movie thread, i just want to rant express my overall weariness of prequels. I'm fed up with seeing taglines like 'the beginning' 'how it all began' the origin' and 'the phantom menace.'

What's the obsession? Or is the prequel now just seen as a money-maker in cases where a film and its sequels can't be extended further? My main gripe with them (and this includes t.v prequels like Smallville and the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) is that they just don't believably merge into their later incarnation.

The material itself in certain prequels might be really good, but because the whole scenario of it predating later, known events, is often handled in such a clumsy way, I find it hard to watch. Especially as there is always the need to 'explain' in very clear and obvious manner, the origins of character traits or behaviour.

Examples that stand out - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Over the period of one scene, Indys fear of snakes, use of whip, and choice of hat are all 'explained' in a way that is about as subtle as a rhino horn up the backside. (Which he also nearly gets in the same scene). Ok, it's not supposed to be that serious, fine.

Indy Chronicles - we are supposed to believe that prior to Temple of Doom, Indy had travelled the world, meeting famous people from different interesting events through history, sometimes influencing the outcome. Arse, I say.

Star Wars - I need say no more. (Young Boba Fett? Young Greedo? Vader not-really-being-evil-he-was-just-looking-out-for-his-pregnant-girlfriend whaaaaaat...)

Actually, Star Wars is a good example of completely unecessary prequels. Because, in Star Wars, the hints at epic, distant wars, jedi councils, and THAT fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin - were all FAR better as hints and imagination; rather than having to see it all in its glorious crapnicolour.

There are good films out there which are technically prequels - the Godfather part 2, I think is one. But its a believable early chapter, with a purpose to it.

Smallville... I'm not exactly a superman fan anyway, but as far as I know, Kent grows up, discovers powers, then uses them to help people. He didn't spend years trying to out-do X-files and Buffy before he grew up and started to... lift things.

It just seems like prequels are now a lazy way of getting a bit more guarenteed cash, without having to go to the effort of thinking up something original, whilst in the process removing any intrigue about origins/beginnings. I wouldn't object so much if it was well done, but it rarely is.

Bond and Batman are other examples of the trend to remake to explain origins, but I wouldn't call them prequels. Other churned out crap includes Scorpion King, random pointless Exorcist prequels and.... oh, I ran out for now.

Add your own. Anyone agree, or am I cringing on my own?

(I loved that Simpsons episode with the comic book signing, where Milhouse comes into the shop with a copy of 'Watchmen - Babies.')

[Aptorian]

Traveller, on Apr 27 2009, 12:32 PM, said:

Since this is the movie thread, i just want to rant express my overall weariness of prequels. I'm fed up with seeing tag-lines like 'the beginning' 'how it all began' the origin' and 'the phantom menace.'

I agree prequels can be bad, but they're not exactly that surprising. They're sort of the new "sequels" trend. The movie companies milk their successes for what its worth. They're running a business, you can dislike what they are doing, but you can hardly blame them.

However I don't agree with all your choices.

Traveller, on Apr 27 2009, 12:32 PM, said:

Indy Chronicles - we are supposed to believe that prior to Temple of Doom, Indy had travelled the world, meeting famous people from different interesting events through history, sometimes influencing the outcome. Arse, I say.

I only remember watching a few episodes here and there, but generally I thought they were fun and interesting. I don't know if they are supposed to be canon, but I didn't view them as such. Just a series based on a film.

I think you have to be a die hard Indiana Jones fan to be offended by that.

Traveller, on Apr 27 2009, 12:32 PM, said:

Star Wars - I need say no more. (Young Boba Fett? Young Greedo? Vader not-really-being-evil-he-was-just-looking-out-for-his-pregnant-girlfriend whaaaaaat...)

Actually, Star Wars is a good example of completely unnecessary prequels. Because, in Star Wars, the hints at epic, distant wars, jedi councils, and THAT fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin - were all FAR better as hints and imagination; rather than having to see it all in its glorious crapnicolour.

Lucas has explained that he originally envisioned 9 films in all. That may just be his excuse for milking the genre, but that's the official explanation anyway. The fans wanted those films, they want a series and they want 3 films after the series ended. I think you can only blame the fans for the series being constantly expanded because they're clamouring for more and Lucas Arts are more than willing to supply the nerds in exchange for cold hard cash.

Personally, after re-watching the old trilogy I think the new episodes are much, much better. Old Star Wars was only good because everyone watched it as a kid and heavy nostalgia is attached to them. But in reality the plot is halfass'ed, the acting is atrocious, the effects are horribly outdated, the sword fights are laughable, etc. etc. New Star Wars does everything better. It just gets so much crap because it doesn't have the heart of the old ones. That and the manuscript really did suck in some place... "IT'S OVER ANAKIN, I HAVE THE HIGHGROUND!" *rolls eyes*

Traveller, on Apr 27 2009, 12:32 PM, said:

Smallville... I'm not exactly a superman fan anyway, but as far as I know, Kent grows up, discovers powers, then uses them to help people. He didn't spend years trying to out-do X-files and Buffy before he grew up and started to... lift things.

Well, what did you think he got up to in between working on the farm as a kid and he became a news reporter? The Superboy comics and television series had the same stories, just done nowhere nearly as well as Smallville does it.

Smallville was goooood! It has an amazing budget, pretty special effects and semi-good acting.

Of course, then they got to around season 4-5 and the series just turned to shit. The series was just going in cirkles with people constantly dying and coming back, Superman's identity being discovered and then people get mind wiped, etc. etc. They should have moved him out of smallville into Metropolis, going to the Uni, fighting some business exec from Luthor Corp instead of Lex himself, using some kind of Kryptonian Masking device to conceal his identity, or better yet, made jump and showing Clark coming back from some 5 year sabbatical in the Fortress of Solitude fully ready to be Superman. But they didn't and now the series is crap.

Traveller, on Apr 27 2009, 12:32 PM, said:

Bond and Batman are other examples of the trend to remake to explain origins, but I wouldn't call them prequels.

Just so we are agreed Casino Royal and Batman Begins are AWESOME films.

Traveller, on Apr 27 2009, 12:32 PM, said:

Scorpion King

Whoah... whooooaah... Scorpion King was great! It was a good adventure film with lots of action, comedy and cinema cheese. I wish they'd made a sequel with the Rock in it.

[MTS]

Just finished watching the Rocker, with Rainn Wilson and Christina Applegate...not a fan of this one. The plot was a little boring, and there were very few funny bits in it. 5/10

[Traveller]

Aptorian, on Apr 27 2009, 12:20 PM, said:

Just so we are agreed Casino Royal and Batman Begins are AWESOME films.

Yep!

Aptorian, on Apr 27 2009, 12:20 PM, said:

Whoah... whooooaah... Scorpion King was great! It was a good adventure film with lots of action, comedy and cinema cheese. I wish they'd made a sequel with the Rock in it.

Ok, retracted - it was passable, I just added it as another example of a prequel for the sake-of-a-few-more-dollars.

Good point about the sequels, too. A few years back it became almost certain that any film with high box-office takings would get a '2' slapped on the title for another shot, even if the original cast didn't have anything to do with it. Now, the prequel is being used in the same casual way.

By the way, I'm not a die-hard Indy fan; but as I said, the material can be good (I watched some of the chronicles, they weren't bad) but they are just not convincing as a development of that character. They just use the name in the title to get people to watch it; but then go off on any old unrelated tangent. Like smallville

(Clarke running fast wins 't.v's worst special effect' ever imo. In superman2/3, he picks up a frozen lake - from one edge. Even though he could lift it, the thing still would have broken in half under its own weight. And Clarke, even though running superfast, has no momentum when he stops...)

Hang on, I just remembered the world turning backwards bit in the 1st one - I think I need to go now.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 28 April 2009 - 06:53 PM

[Sir Thursday]

Aptorian, on Apr 27 2009, 12:20 PM, said:

Traveller, on Apr 27 2009, 12:32 PM, said:

Smallville... I'm not exactly a superman fan anyway, but as far as I know, Kent grows up, discovers powers, then uses them to help people. He didn't spend years trying to out-do X-files and Buffy before he grew up and started to... lift things.

Well, what did you think he got up to in between working on the farm as a kid and he became a news reporter? The Superboy comics and television series had the same stories, just done nowhere nearly as well as Smallville does it.

Smallville was goooood! It has an amazing budget, pretty special effects and semi-good acting.

Of course, then they got to around season 4-5 and the series just turned to shit. The series was just going in cirkles with people constantly dying and coming back, Superman's identity being discovered and then people get mind wiped, etc. etc. They should have moved him out of smallville into Metropolis, going to the Uni, fighting some business exec from Luthor Corp instead of Lex himself, using some kind of Kryptonian Masking device to conceal his identity, or better yet, made jump and showing Clark coming back from some 5 year sabbatical in the Fortress of Solitude fully ready to be Superman. But they didn't and now the series is crap.

I wouldn't go so far as to call Smallville 'goooood', but it was reasonably entertaining for the first 6 seasons, season 4 excepted. And to be fair, the first half of Season 8 was OK.

/threadjack

[masan's saddle]

This looks ridiculously awesome.

http://www.pajiba.co...danny-trejo.php

Anybody know anything about the Predator movie thats mentioned ?

[Aptorian]

This deserves a thread of its own. MACHETE - HE GETS THE GIRLS!

[Zanth13]

X-men Origins looks good as far as the previews, i imagine it will be better then X-3...

The first Daniel Craig Bond movie was awesome...

Whats even funnier is when you go to a movie rental place and see the low budget films which almost copies the name of a new release big time movie but not quite...ie Transmorphers ect ect... I always seem them at Blockbuster, waiting for some sad unknowledgable Mom to pick up for a soon to be disappointed kid...

[Illuyankas]

Isn't Machete a fake trailer from Grindhouse?

[MTS]

Indeed it is. But they've decided to flesh it out and make a movie of it.

This post has been edited by Mappo's Travelling Sack: 29 April 2009 - 12:36 PM

[Abyss]

AS THEY SHOULD.

Loved that trailer.


Saw 'EARTH'. It was very pretty to watch but they could have taken any of Attenborough's documentaries from the last few years and stuck them up there and it would have been just as impressive. And Disney, being Disney, won't show bloodshed, so some truly awesome chase scenes were cut off just about a minute too soon. Still, worth seeing.


- Abyss, looks awesome from orbit.

[Slow Ben]

I will watch anything with Danny Trejo in it. That man is a badass among badasses. Awesome in Heat, awesome in Desperado and everything else since.

Watched Spinal Tap again last night, never get tired of that one.

"None...none more black."

[MTS]

HAHA that movie goes to 11.

[Tiste Simeon]

WOLVERINE!!!!

[Slow Ben]

OK, so I watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last night and i must say, i really, really enjoyed this movie. Its 3 1/2 hours long, which for a slow paced movie is usually a killer, but the plot was just so interesting it never got boring. Also had a little of a Forrest Gump vibe to it as far as the storytelling, which is nice.

Also, a couple months back i blasted the Oscars for giving this movie the nod over Hellboy 2 and something else in makeup. I still dont 100% agree, but i can now at least see that this movie definitely deserved it.

Oh, and Cate Blanchett looked greaaat.

[Slum]

Slow Ben, on May 9 2009, 08:58 PM, said:

OK, so I watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" last night and i must say, i really, really enjoyed this movie. Its 3 1/2 hours long, which for a slow paced movie is usually a killer, but the plot was just so interesting it never got boring. Also had a little of a Forrest Gump vibe to it as far as the storytelling, which is nice.

Also, a couple months back i blasted the Oscars for giving this movie the nod over Hellboy 2 and something else in makeup. I still dont 100% agree, but i can now at least see that this movie definitely deserved it.

Oh, and Cate Blanchett looked greaaat.

Really? I guess everyone's entitled to an opinion.... I thought that movie movie was a bloated piece of poo.

[dktorode]

Watched BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS yesterday
pretty hectic ending...

[drinksinbars]

watched star trek, it was pretty awesome

[Anomander]

dktorode, on May 18 2009, 06:27 AM, said:

Watched BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS yesterday
pretty hectic ending...

Goddamn what a depressing ending... couldn't believe they actually did it.

Spoiler

How was it no one noticed a child that still had hair?