Posted on 02/07/2015 12:40:09 PM PST by Perdogg
Why do you think beer was invented?
“Shut up Meg!”
I watched “Jupiter Ascending” today.
Positives:
* beautiful visuals
* someone who checks with authentic type characters instead of going in over her head
* character gains power, wants to go home, save her family, improve their lives
* Sean Bean plays a noble character and doesn’t die! And his betrayal is for an honorable reason (minor spoiler), betrays the noble because the really bad guys have his daughter
Negatives:
* they only hint at the plotline of why Earth is valuable, don’t explain it quite well enough
* the power struggle of the siblings is described but not quite good enough
* too many scenes of Mila Kunis scrubbing toilets
* the true evil guy (the oldest sibling) has a horrific monologue. Life is consumption, society is a pyramid, those at top are the most valuable, we offer what everyone wants - more time. That explains why he’s fighting to retain his property and why others would do anything to get the “regenex”. Then he says it is all for the most important thing - profits. I would think immortality and power were the most important things, money being secondary and flowing from those things. But they had to throw in a “business is evil” mantra.
* for a movie decrying excesses, they put a lot of extravagant special effects
* they play homage to the bureaucratic scenes in “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, and it isn’t funny
Devil is currently watchable on Netflix.
It’s about three people trapped in an elevator, and one of them is not who they seem to be.
The movie is almost entirely driven by plot and what occurs inside the elevator.
For me, believing that the Devil and ghost exist, movies that feature that subject matter scare me to death. Much scarier than any monster or anything like that.
Of note, their production budget was $176 million, so unless they are a major blockbuster, likely in excess of a $400 million gross, it is going to be a financial disaster for the studio.
In past, the movie Sahara was an unavoidable disaster because their production budget was $130 million, and while it grossed $119 million worldwide, their net was likely only half their budget or less.
Of all the movies i've really liked of late, one is what I consider a Hollywood Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy...
Most of the stuff I really like now is usually made in Britain or Australia or is a small independent movie.
I just don't care for much of the big budget stuff anymore though the Marvel Movies seem to be OK mostly. But the Hollyweird-everyone-is-Gay-and-everyone-has-sex-with-everybody etc. just wears thin.
I like to see an actual plot and actual acting rather than some retread rom-com formula etc.
One I really liked recently was "About Time". Good movie and well acted...
The only really good movie the Wachowski Brothers have made is “Bound” (1996). It’s a crime drama that gets off to a fast start with Gina Gershon playing the building maintenance person who shows up and gives Jennifer Tilly a hand with her plumbing.
Unngh!
I have not seen Guardians yet.
I am kind of full on Marvel movies.
They just went hog wild on that stuff, though I do understand Guardians is good.
I too find myself enjoying English and Australian movies, lower budget stuff with more focus on storytelling than eye candy.
I really don’t need anymore eye candy. I really have seen it all in movies, I’m starving for well written plots on interesting subject matter.
Who didn’t like Xanadu?
The Postman was a wonderful book by a real scientist, David Brin. The movie...
unnnngh... somehow, I missed that one.
Red Depends. What were they thinking?
“I’ve been enamored with it my entire life beginning when I was purchasing the first run comics of all the super heroes back in the 50’s and early 60’s. and buying all the cheap paperbacks offered in the comics and other sources.”
Me too! I haunt the used book stores looking for the cheap sci-fi books I read in the Fifties. Remember those books that had two stories in them. There were two fronts, no backs, and the stories were printed inverted from each other? Haven’t found any of those. They were so cheap that I think they’ve disintegrated!
I have been thinking of getting rid of my collection. Maybe I should send it to you.
My tastes have changed to non-fiction.
Guardians is one of the most entertaining movies I’ve seen in a while. Great pacing and humor.
Sounds creepy good.
I too believe in the Devil, of course. And this is my theory about the unseen world, either you believe in it, or you don’t, but if you do and based on the fact that it is unseen, how can you be sure of what is or isn’t a part of it?
Did you ever see that old movie Bedazzled? (there’s a remake but I never saw the new one). In it the devil, played by Peter Cooke “bedazzles” Dudley Moore a hapless fellow as I’m sure you can imagine.
At one point later in the movie Moore tells a woman (she might even be a nun, I don’t remember) whose faith in God is wavering that he can assure her God exists. She asks him how he knows this and he tells her: because I’ve met the Devil.
Let me know what you have! I might be very interested!
My sons and I laughed at the previews of this we saw recently in a theater.
Hmmm I am not sure that I have seen Bedazzled, but it does ring a bell.
I do love Dudley Moore though. Might have to look this one up.
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