Movies you've just watched

[Acid King]

Monster Squad rules. Kiss Kiss was pretty good too - without looking at the link, what's the connection?

Predator reboot. Writer of Monster Squad and Night of the Creeps + Director of Kiss Kiss/Writer of Lethal Weapon

[jonny5]

Why all the hate on I am Legend? It was pretty good, and even better with the alternate ending. Certainly not as bad as some people are making out in this thread.

Dude it's fucking awful.

I forgot this was one of the 'share your opinion so Skykid can tell you you're wrong' threads. I read the novel too. The novel and the film were both interesting in their own ways. If you only saw it in theaters, you haven't even seen the better version.

I can't understand how you can say you enjoyed the new Transformers movie, but this was 'fucking awful'. Your scale seems to be somewhat skewed.

[nasty_wolverine]

I forgot this was one of the 'share your opinion so Skykid can tell you you're wrong' threads.

Regardless of his educated criticism, he goes overboard at times.

[jonny5]

I forgot this was one of the 'share your opinion so Skykid can tell you you're wrong' threads.

Regardless of his educated criticism, he goes overboard at times.

Educated? Dude's watched a lot of movies, same as the rest of us, but somehow feels his opinion is above reproach and if you hold a different opinion you are either wrong or an idiot. It's aggravating.

[Skykid]

Regardless of his educated criticism, he goes overboard at times.

My criticism goes precisely as far as required to be accurate, and not a jot more. The rest is just emphasis.

I appreciate you recognising the educated part though.

I forgot this was one of the 'share your opinion so Skykid can tell you you're wrong' threads.

At least I tell you why you're wrong. I could lie to you and tel you you're right, but wouldn't that be disingenuous?

I read the novel too. The novel and the film were both interesting in their own ways. If you only saw it in theaters, you haven't even seen the better version.

The novel is a literary sci-fi classic. The film is a bag of shit - the only thing they have in common is the name!

I can't understand how you can say you enjoyed the new Transformers movie, but this was 'fucking awful'. Your scale seems to be somewhat skewed.

Because the new Transformers movie - also a bag of shit, as I explained in detail - is far more accomplished at what it tries to achieve, which is largely nothing except mindless violence and ridiculous spectacle for three hours. It doesn't make the mistake of ever taking itself seriously, and plays only to its base strengths. For that reason it never achieves the library of facepalms I had to endure in the Will Smith film with the same title as a completely different book.

Don't get me wrong, I know you don't like it when I disagree with people's film opinion (don't go back a page for The Raid 2 - might be another can of worms) but I love film debate and I have to speak my mind. Film is a multi-faceted art form, and although taste definitely accounts for a percentage of appeal, granted, there is still an identifiable scale by which it can be judged in absolute quality terms. A black and white of what's good is good, and what's bad is bad: a factual assessment that taste can never influence.

[jonny5]

.

I forgot this was one of the 'share your opinion so Skykid can tell you you're wrong' threads.

At least I tell you why you're wrong. I could lie to you and tel you you're right, but wouldn't that be disingenuous?

That's just it, you aren't 'telling' people anything, you are sharing your opinion; you just have a habit of conveying them as fact. I have no problem with you sharing your opinion on what makes a movie good or bad, but when somebody else shares reasons why they think it was good or bad, and your response is 'you are wrong or you are an idiot', it gets pretty annoying. Personal tastes and all that jazz...

As for the Raid 2, I would agree, the first does have an edge on it, but it was a great film regardless and an awesome one to see on the big screen in the theater.

[boagman]

Why all the hate on I am Legend? It was pretty good, and even better with the alternate ending. Certainly not as bad as some people are making out in this thread.

I'm sorry, jonny5, but I simply cannot disagree with you on this any more than I do. IAL was complete-and-total gutter trash. I have no problems with Will Smith (aside that he's a bit full of himself and his unable-to-act son), but this movie isn't simply lousy: it makes me honestly wish I could *unwatch* it. It really is that bad. Had I seen it in a theater, I would have *demanded* money back/future pass, and I'm going to say it: though I've only seen IAL, I honestly cannot fathom that "Afterearth" could be any worse than IAL. IAL made me actually *pissed* that I'd spend any portion of my life seeing it.

It's absolute hubris on Smith's part, and it *doesn't work* in any capacity.

The only "alternate ending" I would want is one that breaks open the barriers between parallel universes and takes me to one where IAL doesn't exist. That's an ending I can live with.

[Skykid]

That's just it, you aren't 'telling' people anything, you are sharing your opinion; you just have a habit of conveying them as fact

But if I don't believe my opinion is fact how can I justify it? An opinion is a statement of fact: there's nothing else in it.

"I thought it was good" = Statement of fact.

"I thought it stunk." = Statement of fact.

What it comes down to is whether or not you can justify your statement and the proceeding argument.

In science people don't sit around saying this rocket might make it to the moon, but don't listen to me necessarily, it's just an opinion - they validate the claim with some kind of factual evidence. In the end they're either right or wrong. Rocket science, so to speak, is quantifiable, and so is film criticism.

boagman: After Earth is decidedly better than I Am Legend.

[trap15]

All this hate on IAL is making me laugh, when it came out everyone in school was all hype on it Oh high school

For me, I haven't seen it since it came out, but I recall not getting the hype. I think "so bad I wish I could unwatch it" is a bit much, but I wouldn't ever call it good by any means.

[boagman]

I think "so bad I wish I could unwatch it" is a bit much...

Certain things are just bigger deal-breakers to some than others. I can't say that I don't mean every word that I wrote, but I can grasp where the things I find to be coronary-seizure-inducingly bad might simply give someone else a mild stroke.

[Mischief Maker]

Context is everything. 2010 probably would have been an OK sci fi movie if it was just called "Space Quest" or something. The fact that it billed itself as a sequel to 2001, and completely and utterly failed to live up to the previous film's standard of quality, made it a travesty in context.

"I am Legend" is probably one of the greatest vampire stories ever written. Lots of movies have run with its ideas to some degree or another, from Omega Man to Night of the Living Dead. The Will Smith movie was the first one with the gall to actually take the title of the story and THEN...

Spoiler

...fail to include the ending twist that the title refers to!

A committee of MBAs assembled this movie like a Frankenstein's monster in a calculated attempt to construct a golden-egg laying goose, but that doesn't mean we have to pretend the yellow eggs that goose is laying don't reek.

Also weird to think in retrospect that one day Anne Rice would lose her spot as top search engine result for "Gay Vampires."

[jonny5]

"I am Legend" is probably one of the greatest vampire stories ever written. Lots of movies have run with its ideas to some degree or another, from Omega Man to Night of the Living Dead. The Will Smith movie was the first one with the gall to actually take the title of the story and THEN...

Spoiler

...fail to include the ending twist that the title refers to!

Am I the only one who saw the alternate ending version? The ending is much more in line with the book, and tied it all together much nicer than the stupid theatrical ending.

[boagman]

Am I the only one who saw the alternate ending version? The ending is much more in line with the book, and tied it all together much nicer than the stupid theatrical ending.

First of all, I'm going to DQ you for arguing revisionist history. You can't argue on what *wasn't* originally released. Sorry...it doesn't work that way, and you know it, no matter *what* was included on the DVD, be it additional scenes, alternate endings, director's cuts...*whatever*. You're judged based on the released product, end of story. If what was released wasn't any good, that's on the production team. It's not on the audience to try to piece together bits and pieces to make up for the production team's abysmal failure(s).

Second, it doesn't really matter how it ended...a different ending would not have saved this unredeemable pile of trash.

[jonny5]

Am I the only one who saw the alternate ending version? The ending is much more in line with the book, and tied it all together much nicer than the stupid theatrical ending.

First of all, I'm going to DQ you for arguing revisionist history. You can't argue on what *wasn't* originally released. Sorry...it doesn't work that way, and you know it, no matter *what* was included on the DVD, be it additional scenes, alternate endings, director's cuts...*whatever*. You're judged based on the released product, end of story. If what was released wasn't any good, that's on the production team. It's not on the audience to try to piece together bits and pieces to make up for the production team's abysmal failure(s).

Second, it doesn't really matter how it ended...a different ending would not have saved this unredeemable pile of trash.

I only brought up the alternate version ending again as this speaks directly to Mischief Maker's spoiler comment.

As for revisionist history, I never once claimed the theatrical release was great. From my very first post I was referring to the alternate ending version. As for judging based on what was originally released, I'm not sure what your point is? The alternate ending is better, it would be the version I would recommend seeing. If we were talking about Bladerunner would you insist on watching the original theatrical release over the vastly better directors cut simply because it came out first? Would you judge the Directors cut based on how much the original cut sucked?

I understand you dislike the movie, but you're losing me with this round of argument.

[system11]

I enjoyed I Am Legend. There.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

I liked 2010.

[Some-Mist]

endings can affect the overall feel/tone/interpretation of the full movie though and a better ending can definitely improve an entire film.
just an example - the US and international endings for the film "The Descent".

In the US version

Spoiler

Sarah wrecks the shit outa Juno and leaves her alone in the cave. Sarah escapes up the long pathway, and she turns around as she hears the screeches of the creatures as they supposedly wreck Juno (camera pans away). Sarah breaks through into the light, runs to her car, finds the keys, puts the key in the ignition, drives away for quite a bit, pulls onto the side of the road to break down, and then sees a hallucination of Juno sitting dead next to her in the car. the movie ends

you're led to believe she has some sort of PTSD from the event which will forever haunt her in the future

In the International version

Spoiler

all of the above happened, but then she then wakes back up in the cave in a mangled position, maintaining a similar stance of one of the "bat" monsters that have been hunting their group their entire time. She pulls herself out of her twisted position and then sees a hallucination of her daughter with a birthday cake. She sits there with a deranged look on her face smiling as the camera pans away. Then you start to hear the screeching again once the daughter is no longer in the frame.

Was Sarah psychotic the entire movie? Is she the one who killed off all of her friends? The american version made it seem as if the "evolved bats" were truly a real species. The ambiguous international ending leads the audience to believe that Sarah was psychotic through out the entire movie and she's the one that harassed and killed her friends. Nowhere else in the film was it implied that the bats weren't real.

Supposedly the ending was changed because the writers felt like the international ending was "too dark" for US audiences

completely different ending leading to two completely different interpretations of the entire film.

[rapoon]

They'll probably remake Predator or Bladerunner next.

http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/entry/view/id/374262

wow.....

supposedly there was discussion of a "Bullitt" remake but it was scrapped.

completely different ending leading to two completely different interpretations of the entire film.

had no idea there are two different endings. need to check out the international version.

[Some-Mist]

completely different ending leading to two completely different interpretations of the entire film.

had no idea there are two different endings. need to check out the international version.

don't get me wrong - it's worth rewatching, but if you remember everything that happened you can just youtube the international ending which is only about 2-3 minutes of added content.

[boagman]

As for judging based on what was originally released, I'm not sure what your point is? The alternate ending is better, it would be the version I would recommend seeing. If we were talking about Bladerunner would you insist on watching the original theatrical release over the vastly better directors cut simply because it came out first?

Actually, yes, I would, were I being asked what my opinion of "Blade Runner" is. Start at the beginning. It's a fair rule for everyone.

[boagman]

I enjoyed I Am Legend. There.

And you're welcome to it. Heck, you can have my ticket should it ever be re-released, somewhere during the Apocalypse.

I'm sure I really enjoy some crappy movies, too. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, either. That being said, I wouldn't necessarily defend my enjoyment of them based on anything more than my mood at the time, or my penchant for liking certain factors or not liking certain factors. I definitely don't defend obviously poorly-made movies as better than they are, though.

And, for the record, I'm not saying that you've done this. You've simply stated that you liked IAL, which is your right. I'm happy for you. You're also not trying to paint IAL in some kind of grandiose movie-making terms, which I also greatly appreciate.

[jonny5]

endings can affect the overall feel/tone/interpretation of the full movie though and a better ending can definitely improve an entire film.
just an example - the US and international endings for the film "The Descent".

In the US version

Spoiler

Sarah wrecks the shit outa Juno and leaves her alone in the cave. Sarah escapes up the long pathway, and she turns around as she hears the screeches of the creatures as they supposedly wreck Juno (camera pans away). Sarah breaks through into the light, runs to her car, finds the keys, puts the key in the ignition, drives away for quite a bit, pulls onto the side of the road to break down, and then sees a hallucination of Juno sitting dead next to her in the car. the movie ends

you're led to believe she has some sort of PTSD from the event which will forever haunt her in the future

In the International version

Spoiler

all of the above happened, but then she then wakes back up in the cave in a mangled position, maintaining a similar stance of one of the "bat" monsters that have been hunting their group their entire time. She pulls herself out of her twisted position and then sees a hallucination of her daughter with a birthday cake. She sits there with a deranged look on her face smiling as the camera pans away. Then you start to hear the screeching again once the daughter is no longer in the frame.

Was Sarah psychotic the entire movie? Is she the one who killed off all of her friends? The american version made it seem as if the "evolved bats" were truly a real species. The ambiguous international ending leads the audience to believe that Sarah was psychotic through out the entire movie and she's the one that harassed and killed her friends. Nowhere else in the film was it implied that the bats weren't real.

Supposedly the ending was changed because the writers felt like the international ending was "too dark" for US audiences

completely different ending leading to two completely different interpretations of the entire film.

Perfect example!!

[rapoon]

Context is everything. 2010 probably would have been an OK sci fi movie if it was just called "Space Quest" or something. The fact that it billed itself as a sequel to 2001, and completely and utterly failed to live up to the previous film's standard of quality, made it a travesty in context.

i agree, it should have been billed under an entirely different name.

excluding every other aspect, the visual/technical achievements of 2001 are nothing short of a marvel. what an amazing film....

[Skykid]

Context is everything. 2010 probably would have been an OK sci fi movie if it was just called "Space Quest" or something. The fact that it billed itself as a sequel to 2001, and completely and utterly failed to live up to the previous film's standard of quality, made it a travesty in context.

i agree, it should have been billed under an entirely different name.

You guys do realise 2010 is based on Arthur C. Clarke's book, 2010? It happens to be quite faithful to the novel too - infinitely moreso than I Am Legend for example - so I don't get how changing the name would make much sense?

It has weaknesses, but I quite enjoyed elements of it. Comparing just about anything to 2001 is going to be an insurmountable struggle. 2010 was never really attempting to imitate its artistry, it's just a straight sci-fi novel adaptation.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

^This.

[Xyga]

2010 is good. Not great, but good enough for my average sci-fi fix.
(Plus it's got Roy Scheider playing Roy Scheider)

Many of the more recent/modern sci-fi blockbusters (lol) could steal a thing or two from that movie, as they could from many of the 70's and 80's productions.

[Moniker]

2010 is good. Not great, but good enough for my average sci-fi fix.
(Plus it's got Roy Scheider playing Roy Scheider)

Bleh. I love Roy Scheider (even though all I love him in is Jaws, but Jaws is enough), but that movie's direction was plain terrible. Like a first term film student trying to imitate Kubrick. The first scene is enough to rub it in: the Russian and the American talking through a wrought iron staircase, blocking the dialogue. I get what he/she/it was going for, but it was just a terrible rookie mistake. Admittedly, WWIII on the ground was interesting. But then the encounter with Bowman's pre-Star Child transformations.. barf-worthy. Never read the novel, but isn't it a pretty horrific problem for Earth to have two suns? Maybe in the novel, the proper sun was dying? Still falls really short of uber-Bowman's promise of 'something wonderful.' And they added insane reverb to Scheider's VO. Bleh bleh bleh. Not even a decent B film, IMO.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Never read the novel, but isn't it a pretty horrific problem for Earth to have two suns?

I dunno. Is it? That's the point of these movies.

[Moniker]

^Fair enough, but a problematic lack of sunlight is never expressed in either film. An oversight?

[rapoon]

You guys do realise 2010 is based on Arthur C. Clarke's book, 2010? It happens to be quite faithful to the novel too - infinitely moreso than I Am Legend for example - so I don't get how changing the name would make much sense?

It has weaknesses, but I quite enjoyed elements of it. Comparing just about anything to 2001 is going to be an insurmountable struggle. 2010 was never really attempting to imitate its artistry, it's just a straight sci-fi novel adaptation.

of course I realize that. you've already explained exactly why I believe it should have been billed under a different title...

Comparing just about anything to 2001 is going to be an insurmountable struggle.

a different title could have potentially given the film a better opportunity to be judged on its own merits. I agree, it's not a bad film and we may not compare it to 2001 but it's exactly what *most* people will do.