GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

V for Vendetta review

POSTED BY: PINGJING
UPDATED: Friday, August 12, 2022 12:42
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Friday, March 24, 2006 9:39 PM

PINGJING


Well, this is my review, not someone official...

That said, has anyone seen this movie yet? I just saw it tonight and thought it was amazing. Totally met my expectations. Witty dialogue, loads of action for those who like that, and the strongest, kick-ass female lead I've seen in awhile. Natalie Portman's character really knows how to take care of herself. Also, the tension between Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving is palpable (not romantic so much as moral).

Now, someone go see it so I can start talking about it without spoiling anything!

Julia


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Friday, March 24, 2006 10:13 PM

ORPHEUS


In response, I offer my review. I'm not official at all, but I like to think I am.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=197686&e
ntryid=304910&view=public


Long story short, I loved it.

____________________
"Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?"

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Friday, March 24, 2006 10:39 PM

SASSALICIOUS


I enjoyed it a lot. And kind of want to blow something up.

P.S. I'm drunk now and you have no idea how long it just took me to type this.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 12:36 AM

J6NGO1977


Cool. looking forward to seeing it. I love the graphic novel

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 12:44 AM

JCW


The film was fantastic. As soon as I got home, I downloaded Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Now I just need some explosives...

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 5:43 AM

JUBELLATE


In my opinion, it wasn't a bad movie, but the government was so cruel and singleminded that it wasn't believable to me, it was charactiture.

Select to view spoiler:



Also, what V did to Evey was unforgivable, even though he thought it was necessary. I had a feeling it was a trick, but the lie of it all was counterproductive to the message IMO. I didn't like how Evey forgave him so easily.



To me, the message of the movie was too over the top. Governmental evil like in Serenity is easy to believe because politicians are eager to keep their hands clean and often use despicable methods justified by noble goals. In V, the politicians seemed drunk with power and antagonized anyone they saw fit. Too blunt, too unbelievable.

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. – H.L. Mencken

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 6:04 AM

JUBELLATE


and another thing from reading stuff on IMDB...Parliment being blown up in comparison to the Twin Towers!?! They're not even close to being related. The Twin Towers was a human tragedy, with over a 1000 people being killed, Parliment was a symbolic destruction. I guarantee you if the twin towers had been empty when they fell down, it wouldn't have been 1/1000000th the horribleness it was in real life. Stuff like that really upsets me

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. – H.L. Mencken

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 6:25 AM

BROWNCOAT2006


Overall I like the movie, but I also belive that the government was WAAAAAY to unbeliveable because of the overbearing-ness of their power... I mean the whole

Select to view spoiler:


black bag makes you disappear off the face of the earth

thing was kinda over the top... (plz forgive my spelling, never been a strong suit of mine...

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 6:33 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC


Thanks to all for saying your thoughts, I've been planning on seeing it but have been let down my so many movies recently that I wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 6:38 AM

JUBELLATE


Quote:

Originally posted by christhecynic:
Thanks to all for saying your thoughts, I've been planning on seeing it but have been let down my so many movies recently that I wasn't sure if it was a good idea.



we call this "post-Serenity" syndrome

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. – H.L. Mencken

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 7:00 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC


Quote:

Originally posted by JubelLate:
we call this "post-Serenity" syndrome


No, I don't think so. I think that the movies have really gotten worse. I mean I don't have the highest standards, hell there are some things I like that I will proudly admit are utter crap.

I don't know what's happened, but there just seems to be a lack of good movies, I'm not looking for great, though I'll take it if it comes by.

I'm sure that post-Serenity as I am if I went into something expecting greatness I would be let down, but I think that there is a shortage of stuff for people like me these days.

-

On a different subject I've been out of it for a bit, what's happening on the Serenity front? Is it time for me to admit insanity (though not defeat, never defeat) or is there still a sane hope?

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 7:11 AM

FINN MAC CUMHAL


Quote:

Originally posted by christhecynic:
Thanks to all for saying your thoughts, I've been planning on seeing it but have been let down my so many movies recently that I wasn't sure if it was a good idea.

Don’t waste your money. Read the comic instead. It will cost about 20($/₤) but that’s not really anymore then you’d spend on the movie and it is a much better, more mature and enjoyable story, in my opinion.




Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.

Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.

-- Cicero

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 7:13 AM

JUBELLATE


I'll tell you one thing. Of the movies I've seen since Serenity

Lion, Witch and Wardrobe
The Producers
V for Vendetta
Constant Gardener
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

I didn't like Constant Gardener and absolutely loathed Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, was mildly entertained by the Producers and V, I really only strongly enjoyed Enron, but its probably because of my ties with the industry and Houston. Sometimes I think people in the industry saw that coming moreso than the general public did.

Anyway, I think there are good movies, but winter and spring is rarely the time when they show themselves. The next movie I really want to see though is "Cars", I'm really hoping Pixar did a good job with this.



The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. – H.L. Mencken

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 7:20 AM

FINN MAC CUMHAL


Curious. I think Narnia was the only one worth seeing out of all those.

(Although I didn't see Enron or the Constant Gardener. And now that I think about it, The Producers wasn't all that bad.)





Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.

Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.

-- Cicero

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 7:35 AM

SPIRITWOLF


I recently went and saw Beowilf and Grendal.... I didnt mind the movie but I have to complain about this some where. The acting was good, the story was worth a myth, however I had a hard time getting over the fact that the Norsemen were riding ponies to war. I really had a hard time with that. It just didn't look right. It wasn't cool.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 8:07 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC


Quote:

Originally posted by Finn mac Cumhal:
Don’t waste your money. Read the comic instead. It will cost about 20($/₤) but that’s not really anymore then you’d spend on the movie and it is a much better, more mature and enjoyable story, in my opinion.


The problem here is a common one, and I shall tell a story.

Long ago I saw the movie Starship Troopers and enjoyed it for what it was, it was a great movie for it's genre (which I affectionately call crap-sci-fi.)

After that I was told to read the book, by someone who had no idea I'd seen the movie. Eventually I did and I discovered that the two were nothing alike. I still like the movie but I know now that if I had read the book first I'd have hated the movie.

You can never compare a movie to it's book or a book to its movie unless you want to be let down. Sometimes the book is better (as with Starship Troopers). Sometimes the movie is. Sometimes they are so different neither can be said better.

But no matter what if you compare them you'll be let down, where if you don't you could very well enjoy and cherish both.

I can't speak for this movie in particular but I stand by what I said, never judge one based on the other.

(How many dollars are there to a pound now?)

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 8:17 AM

FINN MAC CUMHAL


Quote:

Originally posted by christhecynic:
I can't speak for this movie in particular but I stand by what I said, never judge one based on the other.

I can respect that. You might like the movie. Obviously many did. I read the book before I saw the movie, so maybe I doomed myself?

(About $1.75=₤1.00)



Nihil est incertius vulgo, nihil obscurius voluntate hominum, nihil fallacius ratione tota comitiorum.

Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.

-- Cicero

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 8:56 AM

KAYNA

I love my captain


Quote:

Originally posted by Spiritwolf:
I recently went and saw Beowilf and Grendal.... I didnt mind the movie but I have to complain about this some where. The acting was good, the story was worth a myth, however I had a hard time getting over the fact that the Norsemen were riding ponies to war. I really had a hard time with that. It just didn't look right. It wasn't cool.



Arggh!! I'm a huge Gerry Butler fan and I really what to see that but it's not released in the US. It's in Canada. I don't live in Canada. F of a

Sorry. I'm a little on edge right at this moment

And CTC, I get what you're saying about comparing movies and books. I read The Queen of the Damned years before the movie came out and when I went to see it all I could do was scream in my head. "NO this wrong, all wrong! What is that?!? What is going on here?!?!". I saw it with several friends who had never read the related books and thought that it was a decent type of Vampire flik. I thought it was horrible. To this day, I can't make any kind of judgement on it without getting upset.

Either way, I still want to see V for Vendetta.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 9:33 AM

SADLITTLEKING


I thought V for Vendetta was good. Not epic or anything, but it doesn't try to be. It is what it is.

I also don't think they overplayed the way the government officials behaved and the things they were willing to do to have things their way. I honestly felt a lot of familiarity in it with an event happening and the government using the media to cover it up. Also, with the way the talk show host kept blabbering on about how his views were right reminds me so much of political shows, both on radio and TV. I thought the whole thing was believable.

Overall, I really liked the movie. Natalie Portman was a strong yet unbelievably cute female lead. And V was the type of hero you just don't know what to think of sometimes. He does what he feels is necessary even if it's not really what someone would view as "nice". He goes as far as he believes he needs to go and doesn't make any apologies for it.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 9:49 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC


Quote:

Originally posted by SadLittleKing:
Natalie Portman was a strong yet unbelievably cute female lead.


Her presence bothers me, I hope when I see it I will think, "This is the girl I remember from The Professional," but that was a long time ago and there has been Star Wars since.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 9:52 AM

CHRISTHECYNIC


Quote:

Originally posted by Kayna:
And CTC, I get what you're saying about comparing movies and books. I read The Queen of the Damned years before the movie came out and when I went to see it all I could do was scream in my head. "NO this wrong, all wrong! What is that?!? What is going on here?!?!". I saw it with several friends who had never read the related books and thought that it was a decent type of Vampire flik. I thought it was horrible. To this day, I can't make any kind of judgement on it without getting upset.



Yeah, like I said I know that had I read Starship Troopers first I would have hated the movie. Even seening the movie first, and liking it, I feel the need to point out, sometimes too loudly, that it was nothing like the book.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 2:58 PM

ZOID


From the 'For What It's Worth' department:

I saw the movie today with my 12- and 16-year-old children. It's rated 'R', but it's hard to see why. One presumes violence (though by no means gratuitous or gory), language (they say, 'bollocks' 2 or 3 times and drop the 'F-bomb' precisely twice), and brief nudity (unclothed dead bodies, no sex scenes).

For those who see only the surface of things:
This is an action-y computer-effects movie, that you will probably enjoy, if the philosophical bits don't bore you too badly.

For those with a deeper ken:
This is a great film. It strives to predict what the world may be like in the next decade or so, and succeeds admirably. But more than that, I believe it is the true successor to "The Matrix". "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" were not, in my opinion; they lacked the essential subtext that infused the original.

That subtext was, in specific, that challenging the appearances of one's life could lead to a profound change within oneself. Sometimes, stepping out of the box of 'approved thought' can leave a person in a vast wilderness. But is the Truth worth the pain, worth the separation from the rest of the 'somnambulant public', worth the separation from the creature comforts of a life lived in societal conformity?

Since "V for Vendetta" resonates with these same questions, these same existential undertones, it is a worthier companion piece to "The Matrix" than its sequels ever were. In "V", the 'black bag' of lies pulled over everyone's eyes is a societal one, rather than one that's AI-generated; but, the parallel is unmistakable. In fact, I believe "V" has given me fresh insights on "The Matrix", which I will be rewatching tonight.

If you are a deep-thinking person -- and especially if you liked "The Matrix" for its subtextual content -- you should do yourself the favor of seeing "V For Vendetta" in a theatre. It is money well-spent. If you are a person who enjoys letting pretty pictures play across your eyeballs, you might still enjoy this film; but, I think there may not be enough explosions or wire-fu to make this a completely compelling film. You may grow sleepy.



Glowingly,

zoid

P.S.
The entire cast does a wonderful job. I most strongly identified with Stephen Rea's police inspector character.

P.P.S.
If you think gay people are defective and don't deserve to live, you will probably find yourself on the wrong side of the moral war in this movie. Ultra-Conservative Christians definitely want to give this one a miss. ...Unless you have an open mind; but then you wouldn't be an 'Ultra-Conservative Christian', would you?

P.P.P.S.
One of my favorite 'tidbit' lines from the movie; non-spoiler, but encapsulated in spoiler tags, for the nit-pickers:

Select to view spoiler:


Stephen Rea, listing the war record of one of V's murder victims (paraphrased): "Served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria -- before and after."


_________________________________________________

"I aim to misbehave." -Capt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity, a.k.a. 'the BDBOF'

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 6:04 PM

CHRISTHECYNIC


Quote:

Originally posted by zoid:
I saw the movie today with my 12- and 16-year-old children. It's rated 'R', but it's hard to see why. One presumes violence (though by no means gratuitous or gory), language (they say, 'bollocks' 2 or 3 times and drop the 'F-bomb' precisely twice), and brief nudity (unclothed dead bodies, no sex scenes).


You know I have a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary from the seventies, and it doesn't contain the word fuck. It's got shit, but no fuck.

I know that the current version has "the most versatile word in the English language" but no amount of research so far has shown me when they saw fit to add it.

People are too uptight, if the word were not proper to use it would not exist. If leaving it out of the dictionaries couldn't stop it then the entire English speaking population has spoken.

(I appolize to any who are offended but I refuse to disrespect four hundred years of my elders who thought fuck was a worthwhile and important word and 1200 who though shit was. I just can't do that I love languages too much. [Yes I have a screwed up way of looking at the world, but it has served me well so far.])

Quote:

If you think gay people are defective and don't deserve to live, you will probably find yourself on the wrong side of the moral war in this movie. Ultra-Conservative Christians definitely want to give this one a miss. ...Unless you have an open mind; but then you wouldn't be an 'Ultra-Conservative Christian', would you?

I so want them to stop calling themselves Christian. Jesus said what the two greatest commandments were in any bible you come across, if it is their holy book why can't they read it? They'd nail him to a cross themselves if they got the chance, and they call themselves Christian.

-

Sorry about this entire post, I said in another thread I needed to go to bed, and I really do.

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Saturday, March 25, 2006 7:01 PM

KAYNA

I love my captain


I like your view on swearing. The way I look at it, words only have the power you give to them. If you don't think of it as a negative thing then it's not. Now if only I could convince the rest of the world of this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 3:40 AM

RELFEXIVE


On the subject of the swearing thing, can anyone say why 'shit' is worse than 'crap'? Means the same thing, but one can be said at 8am on a national radio station and one can not.

Does that seem right to you?



"My God - you're like a trained ape. Without the training."
"Come a day there won't be room for naughty men like us to slip about at all..."
"SUMMER!!"
http://www.theshadowdepository.co.uk/index.htm

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 6:52 AM

PINGJING


Quote:

Originally posted by Orpheus:
In response, I offer my review. I'm not official at all, but I like to think I am.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=197686&e
ntryid=304910&view=public


Long story short, I loved it.



That was a much better review than mine - of course, I didn't want to spoil anyone, so that's my excuse. The only part where I disagree is about Natalie Portman - occasionally, a girl needs a female lead she can identify with and possibly even look up to. Portman was that for me. You're not entirely wrong that she was a pawn in the movie - V made a lot of decisions for her. But she made two very important decisions herself.

Select to view spoiler:


When she maced the cop at the beginning, and when she pulled the lever at the end.



Another couple of posters have said they were upset by how she was treated, and that she forgave V too easily. I don't think she quite forgave him, actually.

Select to view spoiler:


When she came back to see him, she still seemed to blame him for having changed her so completely that even her former colleagues didn't recognize her anymore.



That's just my $.02, which I think brings me to $.04, so I guess I should scram...

Julia

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 7:01 AM

PINGJING


Quote:

Originally posted by zoid:
From the 'For What It's Worth' department:

I saw the movie today with my 12- and 16-year-old children. It's rated 'R', but it's hard to see why. One presumes violence (though by no means gratuitous or gory), language (they say, 'bollocks' 2 or 3 times and drop the 'F-bomb' precisely twice), and brief nudity (unclothed dead bodies, no sex scenes).

For those who see only the surface of things:
This is an action-y computer-effects movie, that you will probably enjoy, if the philosophical bits don't bore you too badly.

For those with a deeper ken:
This is a great film. It strives to predict what the world may be like in the next decade or so, and succeeds admirably. But more than that, I believe it is the true successor to "The Matrix". "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" were not, in my opinion; they lacked the essential subtext that infused the original.

That subtext was, in specific, that challenging the appearances of one's life could lead to a profound change within oneself. Sometimes, stepping out of the box of 'approved thought' can leave a person in a vast wilderness. But is the Truth worth the pain, worth the separation from the rest of the 'somnambulant public', worth the separation from the creature comforts of a life lived in societal conformity?

Since "V for Vendetta" resonates with these same questions, these same existential undertones, it is a worthier companion piece to "The Matrix" than its sequels ever were. In "V", the 'black bag' of lies pulled over everyone's eyes is a societal one, rather than one that's AI-generated; but, the parallel is unmistakable. In fact, I believe "V" has given me fresh insights on "The Matrix", which I will be rewatching tonight.

If you are a deep-thinking person -- and especially if you liked "The Matrix" for its subtextual content -- you should do yourself the favor of seeing "V For Vendetta" in a theatre. It is money well-spent. If you are a person who enjoys letting pretty pictures play across your eyeballs, you might still enjoy this film; but, I think there may not be enough explosions or wire-fu to make this a completely compelling film. You may grow sleepy.


Glowingly,

zoid

P.S.
The entire cast does a wonderful job. I most strongly identified with Stephen Rea's police inspector character.

P.P.S.
If you think gay people are defective and don't deserve to live, you will probably find yourself on the wrong side of the moral war in this movie. Ultra-Conservative Christians definitely want to give this one a miss. ...Unless you have an open mind; but then you wouldn't be an 'Ultra-Conservative Christian', would you?

P.P.P.S.
One of my favorite 'tidbit' lines from the movie; non-spoiler, but encapsulated in spoiler tags, for the nit-pickers:

Select to view spoiler:


Stephen Rea, listing the war record of one of V's murder victims (paraphrased): "Served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kurdistan, Syria -- before and after."




Well put, Zoid. This film is a bit of a wake-up call for the many Americans who don't think their vote makes a difference. A ruler can only rule when he has a majority of the people behind him, whether out of fear or love. If the ruler commits a crime, the people need to stand up and say so. That said, it's not that easy to do, as we've seen in the past.

Select to view spoiler:


It must have taken a lot of courage for each of those people at the end to put on a mask and start walking. They didn't know whether they would be shot or whether they would become heroes.



As for the R rating on this film, I think it deserved it, not for the swear words, but for the violence. That fight scene at the end was gruesome; both my sister and I closed our eyes, and we're 24. I guess age doesn't really matter, though. I'm sure there are kids far younger than me who are more desensitized to violence than I am.

Julia

p.s. That was one of my favorite lines too. Made me laugh out loud.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 7:13 AM

MANAPEGONEWRONG


I loved the film, the ending without spoiling anything I thought was very powerful. One minor complaint though, Hugo Weaving is an amazing actor not only because of his voice and vocal talents but he can also pull some great faces and if you've seen the matrix this makes him all the more effective. It would have been wrong for him to take his mask off just to say "ha ha this is what i look like" but if he took it off to do one of his great speeches and really used his talents it would have been worth it.

when you get cancelled you find someone to carry you

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 4:19 PM

ZOID


pingjing wrote:
Quote:

...This film is a bit of a wake-up call for the many Americans who don't think their vote makes a difference. A ruler can only rule when he has a majority of the people behind him, whether out of fear or love. If the ruler commits a crime, the people need to stand up and say so. That said, it's not that easy to do, as we've seen in the past.

I had no intent to make a political statement about the movie. The movie itself does, and many see that message as directed at the U.S. of A., and specifically the current Chief Executive. Fair enough. We see what we want to see in the mirror...

But I believe it's a statement against totalitarian governments in general, in whatever part of the world they may take root. The U.S. does not (yet) have a totalitarian government. "Saturday Night Live" comedians do not get 'disappeared' for making spoof of political figures in this country, or for outright calling them racists. Dissident authors do not get sent to gulag, or given a standing death warrant for writing books that are critical of the State's official religion.

There are other parts of the world where that is most definitely the case. Ask Salman Rushdie...

But, if you'd like a political statement, here it is: The Democratic and Republican Parties of U.S. politics are nothing more than flip sides of the same wooden nickel. The currency of American politics is not worth the paper it's printed on. Although I'm not a supporter of his, the very fact that Ralph Nader was barred from even entering the studio to sit in the audience during the last Presidential debates is not only a disgrace to the ideals of democracy, free speech, and the right to assemble peacefully, it is a clear indicator of how far the reigning two parties are willing to go in order to retain their hegemony.

You say an American's vote is not useless. I say it is, unless you use it to destroy the two-party system. The political machinery of this country needs an enema. Only a healthy third party will accomplish that goal, forcing the other two to pony up some real, proper governance for the first time since Lincoln was elected.

The slide began after he was assassinated and has been accelerating in fits and starts ever since. One bad decision after the next, all abridging the freedoms of the common man, until now our government is an ever-tightening straightjacket of arcane laws and regulations. The same self-righteous pricks who today malign Bush for orchestrating a war, were the ones who used armed assault teams on their own citizenry at Waco. Did those citizens, regardless the severity of the crimes of which they were accused, not deserve the right of due process? Was it not, then, a crime to summarily execute them?

I'm not saying that makes either party better than the other one. I'm saying it makes them both wrong.

"The Matrix" showed us images of humans, raised from birth in cocoons that gave the illusion of freedom, while feeding them on the liquefied remains of the dead 'generators' who have already been used up by the system. Or did y'all not understand that symbolism, my little Coppertops? Do you reckon you are more free than those sleepers? Or is it all a carefully maintained illusion? And who stands to gain by feeding you that illusion? Do the math, and wake up.

Both sides of the American political aisle are nothing but rich crooks -- usually classmates at the law schools of Harvard or Yale -- and I'm tired of getting screwed over by both sides.

There ya' go. Remember, you started it. Want your vote to count? At the next general elections, don your Guy Fawkes mask, go to the polls and vote a straight-ticket Independent ballot. That will accomplish what wanton acts of violence never could, what demonizing the other side of the wooden nickel never will...



Politically (and despising myself for it, thanks very much),

zoid

P.S.
"Serenity" was more violent than "V". I know, because I've seen both and kept my eyes wide open throughout.

P.P.S.
My 'tidbit' line, doubtless imprecisely quoted, was not humorous. Again, since it doesn't have anything to do with the outcome of any of the movie's plot points, it's not a spoiler; but:

Select to view spoiler:


The line is an apocalyptic prediction. The man served in Afghanistan and Iraq, which are currently happening in our 'real world'. The inspector adds Kurdistan, which is a prediction that the war will spread. He finishes by listing "Syria -- before and after", meaning this British officer fought in the Middle East War, which will eventually engulf Syria. Furthermore, he served there both "before and after" a nuclear bombardment, or some other horrific event.


I shouldn't think many would find that 'funny'; but, I guess I've just got an old-fashioned sense of humor.
_________________________________________________

"I aim to misbehave." -Capt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity, a.k.a. 'the BDBOF'

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 6:06 PM

PINGJING


Wow, ok. I don't remember asking for a political statement, much less a political tirade. I posted my response to yours because I thought we agreed on what we saw in the movie. Apparently, I was wrong. Your political views are somewhat more developed than mine, and most definitely more pessimistic. I don't really want to hijack this thread any further, since it actually belongs in the real world forum, so I'll just leave it at that.

Julia


p.s. Yes, Serenity was violent, but it never made me want to close my eyes. Maybe it was the blood flying everywhere? Sure, Wash got impaled, but there was no blood. I guess that makes the difference between a PG-13 and R rating...

p.s. I don't believe that that line is an apocalyptic message from Hollywood, but rather the state of our country followed to its logical conclusion. However, like I said, I'm more optimistic than you, so I don't actually think we're going to go to war with any other countries. Bush doesn't have the time or the money. And that, my friend, is why that "tidbit" line can be funny.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 6:14 PM

DEVIDARKWOLF


God, what a great effin' movie, but I am such a huge fan of the Wachowski brothers. Big Matrix fan, me, and don't anyone dare compare V and Matrix, because that is stupid and pointless.

The character of V was so interesting and new, I loved it.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 6:17 PM

ZAKNRFAMA


Originally posted by Kayna:
Quote:

And CTC, I get what you're saying about comparing movies and books. I read The Queen of the Damned years before the movie came out and when I went to see it all I could do was scream in my head. "NO this wrong, all wrong! What is that?!? What is going on here?!?!". I saw it with several friends who had never read the related books and thought that it was a decent type of Vampire flik. I thought it was horrible. To this day, I can't make any kind of judgement on it without getting upset.



Oh man. I only saw Interview With The Vampire last week, over a year after reading the book. I heard it was a great movie, but /damn/. It was all wrong, and I was yelling at the TV. XD I guess it'll be the same way when I see Queen of the Damned.

I'd like to go see V for Vendetta, but I'll probably wait until it comes out on DVD. Either way, it sounds like a fun movie.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 8:32 PM

KAYNA

I love my captain


Actually, I thought Interview with a Vampire was alright. Queen of the damed just pisses me off. I'll give you an example of why

Select to view spoiler:


Lestat's love interest is a woman and Louis is missing entirely.

Aside from that, there are half a dozen important characters that are either MIA, little more than extras, or so wildly different from the book that they may as well be different characters entirely. Also, it's actually an attempt to squeeze two books into one Movie, Queen of the Damned and the preceding book, The Vampire Lestat. That's always a bad idea. Fiting one book into a single film is hard enough, fitting two is usually a disaster.

I should prbably stop now. This is the V for Vendetta thread and I seem to have gotten a bit off topic.

I still want to see V by the way. I'm just broke and busy. I'll get there eventually.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006 10:14 PM

RAY53208


i LOVED v for vendetta. its as if someone took a little piece of my heart and then gave it back to me as a beautifully crafted gift.

i loved it that much.

moore as a standard practice always divorces himself from the movie versions of what he has written. league of underwhelming gentleposuers made that a neccessary act.

after reading the graphic novel i feel that the movie is faithful to it. to me it represents an evolution and a refinment of the idea to a new medium.

ray


“With the first link the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, changes us all irrevokably. The first time any man’s freedom is trodden on, we are all damaged."

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Monday, March 27, 2006 1:01 AM

ZOID


pingjing, et al:

Like I said, you asked for it. I loathe politics in general, and I despise what the parties have done to our freedoms. How did you 'ask for it'? By making a thinly veiled reference to your party's current propaganda campaign.

But, as I have said, it's all a case of the pot callng the kettle 'tarnished'. 'Optomistic'? Go for it. So am I, but only to the extent that we still have the right to vote and voice. A choice between a turd in a red tie and a steaming cowpie in a blue tie is no choice at all. That's how they've stolen our dream.

As for "V": I think it has a message, and that the message is an important one for everyone, everywhere, and at any time in human history. Despotism and totalitarianism must be resisted by the people who give governments their power. There are governments in the world today who rule their people with an iron fist of mortal fear. But the U.S. is not Nazi Germany, nor are we akin to any of its ilk in existence around the world today. If you truly believe we are, then it's only proof how thoroughly 'black bagged', how hoodwinked, you have been by your party's propaganda.

Quote:

Well put, Zoid. This film is a bit of a wake-up call for the many Americans who don't think their vote makes a difference. A ruler can only rule when he has a majority of the people behind him, whether out of fear or love. If the ruler commits a crime, the people need to stand up and say so. That said, it's not that easy to do, as we've seen in the past.



Respectfully,

zoid

P.S.
I appreciate that you tried to be vague in your own little political speech; but you didn't quite succeed.

P.P.S.
pingjing (Julia): When I say, "you have been hoodwinked" or "you must use your vote to change the political system, not just its current figurehead", please understand that I mean anyone who happens to be reading my words, not "you" alone. As my dear, departed Dad used to say, "If the shoe fits, wear it." And if it does not, do not. I have nothing against you personally, and you seem like a gentleperson.
_________________________________________________

"That's exactly my point. Exactly. Because you have to wonder: how do the machines know what Tasty Wheat tasted like? Maybe they got it wrong. Maybe what I think Tasty Wheat tasted like actually tasted like oatmeal, or tuna fish. That makes you wonder about a lot of things. You take chicken, for example: maybe they couldn't figure out what to make chicken taste like, which is why chicken tastes like everything." -Mouse, The Matrix

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Monday, March 27, 2006 8:38 AM

PINGJING


Zoid,
I realize that not your entire post was directed at me, and I'll try to treat it as such. I do want to clarify, though, that I agree with you - V for Vendetta is a warning against dictatorships, and I don't think the US is a dictatorship. However, I do believe that citizens have a duty to their country, whether that country is led by a dictator or not. And that's what I meant to say with my "political speech," not that US citizens should vote for my party, but that they should make their voices heard. And for the record, I vote libertarian. Unless that's another side of your wooden nickel, you might want to rethink your references to my "party's current propaganda campaign." The only "thinly veiled reference" I was making was to the excessive power invested in the executive branch, regardless of which party holds that seat.

Phew, got that off my chest. Thank you, Zoid, for the kind comment in your postscript. I can genuinely return it - I generally enjoy reading your posts. They are pithy, insightful, often ironic, and always intelligent. I'm sorry if my original vagueness led us to misunderstand each other - that was really just laziness on my part.

Julia

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Monday, March 27, 2006 9:05 AM

PINGJING


Quote:

Originally posted by ray53208:
i LOVED v for vendetta. its as if someone took a little piece of my heart and then gave it back to me as a beautifully crafted gift.

i loved it that much.

moore as a standard practice always divorces himself from the movie versions of what he has written. league of underwhelming gentleposuers made that a neccessary act.

after reading the graphic novel i feel that the movie is faithful to it. to me it represents an evolution and a refinment of the idea to a new medium.

ray


“With the first link the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, changes us all irrevokably. The first time any man’s freedom is trodden on, we are all damaged."



I felt the same way about the movie the night I saw it. I was afraid my expectations were too high, but there wasn't any point in the movie where I felt disappointed. I've since come down from that high - or the movie has come down slightly from the pedestal I put it on - but I still love it.

I read an article about Moore in the New York Times, which made it sound like he distances himself from the movies just to be contrary. I don't know that that's true. But I understand the inclination to not want his name connected to them. Adaptations are really a different animal. I would never judge an adaptation based on its accuracy, but on how well it interprets the meaning behind the book. I'll have to hold off judgement on that until I read Moore's novels...but one thing does strike me as off, just from reading about the graphic novels in Wikipedia:

Select to view spoiler:


At the end, when everyone is taking off their masks and proudly watching Big Ben burst into flame, it comes off as a victory for V, and for the people. I'm not so sure it is, seeing as how the country no longer has a leader and could very well plunge into anarchy. Not to mention, blowing things up isn't necessarily a good solution. That ambiguity is conveyed much better in the graphic novels, from what I've read about them.



For those that are interested, here's the link to the entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V_for_Vendetta

Julia

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Monday, March 27, 2006 10:02 AM

TOPGUN


I too loved the movie

You Can't take the sky from me

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Monday, March 27, 2006 10:46 AM

ZEEK


I liked the movie. Didn't love it.

Some of the things were just too unbelievable.

Select to view spoiler:


First and foremost being that the council people were never fired or killed. V was running around causing problems for a year and you're telling me not one head began to roll?

The whole fake imprisonment didn't work for me either. You're telling me she never realized only one guy was there the whole time?

Then there was the government that couldn't stop V. Seriously they have cameras everywhere and they can't just follow V home with them?

There's just no way one man could do all of that.



The message was good though.

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Monday, March 27, 2006 11:51 AM

ZOID


pingjing wrote:
Quote:

Zoid,
I realize that not your entire post was directed at me, and I'll try to treat it as such. I do want to clarify, though, that I agree with you - V for Vendetta is a warning against dictatorships, and I don't think the US is a dictatorship. However, I do believe that citizens have a duty to their country, whether that country is led by a dictator or not. And that's what I meant to say with my "political speech," not that US citizens should vote for my party, but that they should make their voices heard. And for the record, I vote libertarian. Unless that's another side of your wooden nickel, you might want to rethink your references to my "party's current propaganda campaign." The only "thinly veiled reference" I was making was to the excessive power invested in the executive branch, regardless of which party holds that seat.

Phew, got that off my chest. Thank you, Zoid, for the kind comment in your postscript. I can genuinely return it - I generally enjoy reading your posts. They are pithy, insightful, often ironic, and always intelligent. I'm sorry if my original vagueness led us to misunderstand each other - that was really just laziness on my part.

Julia


Groovy.

Send me a link to the Libertarian website you most often habituate. You may get a convert.



v/r,
-zed

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Monday, March 27, 2006 12:37 PM

AZTECHROME


I think that this movie is unoriginal and beats you over the head with cloying mores.
Go see Natalie Portman if you think she's hot. (with shaved head). There's no other reason to see this movie.

And YES, the movies are getting worse. In fact, the movie exhibitors are trying to lobby congress to force Hollywood to stop making such terrible movies, because nobody's been paying ticket prices for this crap. As a historian, I can tell you it's just a power play; this won't even get a sub-committee hearing. The point is made though, the exhibitors are pissed at the quality of the movies they have to show.

Seriously. This movie is so generically boring, that i don't know what happened, really. More importantly, I don't care. I've got better things to do, like post unimportant responses on obscure message boards.

and don't think i don't *get*. Dictatorships, yeah, yeah. America. great. power corrupts. nice. victims have a human face. yep. Are there any other truisms in this film?
I'm practically a libertarian myself. I vote for the candidate, not the party. Where is 1984? Catch 22? Brazil? Clockwork Orange? Dr. Strangelove?

I don't think this movie is going to galvanize anyone to do anything besides buy more jujubees.

In short V is for ---->

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Monday, March 27, 2006 1:18 PM

CYBERSNARK


I liked V (and loved his playfully alliterative introduction --I wonder how many takes that was). Beautifully done, I felt, and it gave me far more of a "this is a graphic novel on film" feel than Sin City did.

That said, I'm not quite sure I like V's methods (I agree with his motives, I'm just not a fan of explosions in a city --too sloppy and artless). This kinda parallels my problem with The Matrix --the big flashy gun-battle where skilled dodging and surgical precision would have been more technically impressive. The Wachowskis (and, perhaps, Guy Fawkes ) seem to have a real problem smoothly balancing action and drama. Their action sequences never live up to the promise of the story, I find.

Personally, I would have preferred a more subtle approach: more pirate broadcasts, more recruiting random citizens. Perhaps a round of suitably theatrical assassinations, leaving the revolution in the people's hands.

Quote:

Originally posted by Kayna:
Quote:

Originally posted by Spiritwolf:
I recently went and saw Beowilf and Grendal....



Arggh!! I'm a huge Gerry Butler fan and I really what to see that but it's not released in the US. It's in Canada.

Not all of Canada it ain't.

Ruttin' cultural backwater of small-town Ontario.

<--right there with you.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Monday, March 27, 2006 1:28 PM

PINGJING


Quote:

Originally posted by Cybersnark:
I liked V (and loved his playfully alliterative introduction --I wonder how many takes that was).



Yes, can we get that as a sound file. I want it for my cell phone. ;)

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Monday, March 27, 2006 2:06 PM

PINGJING


Quote:

Originally posted by zoid:
Groovy.

Send me a link to the Libertarian website you most often habituate. You may get a convert.


v/r,
-zed



I don't frequent any political websites, actually. Too many freaks out there for me to wade through. The only possibly helpful place I can direct you to is the World's Smallest Political Quiz. If you're familiar with political websites, or just like to take quizes, you have probably already heard of it. If not, here it is: http://www.self-gov.org/quiz.html
(I think it's a fair quiz, though I should warn you, it's written by libertarians.)

Julia

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Monday, March 27, 2006 3:34 PM

FIRSTTIMETOO


I don't know. The German Nazi government
springs to mind.

I suspect it was over the top in order to drive
a point home about fascism which is a real
thread in america and the world today. a lot
of what was shown and discussed referenced
recent events, for example the hoods on the
prisoners etc

firsttimetoo

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Monday, March 27, 2006 3:38 PM

FIRSTTIMETOO


being bored is usually a sign of a lack
of attention

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Monday, March 27, 2006 4:59 PM

GOJIRO


Quote:

Originally posted by JubelLate:
In my opinion, it wasn't a bad movie, but the government was so cruel and singleminded that it wasn't believable to me, it was charactiture.

Select to view spoiler:



Also, what V did to Evey was unforgivable, even though he thought it was necessary. I had a feeling it was a trick, but the lie of it all was counterproductive to the message IMO. I didn't like how Evey forgave him so easily.



To me, the message of the movie was too over the top. Governmental evil like in Serenity is easy to believe because politicians are eager to keep their hands clean and often use despicable methods justified by noble goals. In V, the politicians seemed drunk with power and antagonized anyone they saw fit. Too blunt, too unbelievable.

The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule. – H.L. Mencken



I found it totally believable -- especially since that's almost exactly what Hitler did in the 30s. Which is why Chancellor Sutler looked so much like Hitler, I'd wager.

All it takes is dire economic circumstances mixed with some good ol' bigotry, and it could happen again.

-------
Are you an Ohio Browncoat? If so, join our Yahoo group for news and events: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/firefly-ohio/

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Monday, March 27, 2006 5:51 PM

ZOID


pingjing:

Thanks for the link. I took the quiz, and apparently I'm a Libertarian! And yet for some reason, I'm not at all surprised by that turn of events. I mean, what are the chances that I would take a political quiz at a Libertarian website and then it turn out that I'm a Libertarian myself?

Going to the 'Celebrities' page tho'... I have always admired Russell Means (he was among those American Indians who held Wounded Knee against a siege by U.S. government forces for three months in 1973), and Clint Eastwood. Some of the other folks as well... I guess I can forgive y'all for Howard Stern and Tommy Chong (are those guys related?). You can't pick your followers, I suppose.

I'll be straight with you: I'm about ready to vote for a Looney Toons character, as long as they represent a genuine change. Anything to break up the 'GOB' network in D.C.

So, I guess that makes AztecHrome's analysis moot...



Respectfully,

zoid
_________________________________________________

"Let me be a free man, free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to talk, think and act for myself --and I will obey every law or submit to the penalty." -Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce

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Tuesday, March 28, 2006 2:50 AM

PINGJING


Quote:

Originally posted by gojiro:
I found it totally believable -- especially since that's almost exactly what Hitler did in the 30s. Which is why Chancellor Sutler looked so much like Hitler, I'd wager.



Am I the only one who thought he looked a helluva lot like Saddam Hussein?

I don't think caricature is an unfair way to describe this movie. It was, after all, a graphic novel, and as I understand, aren't graphic novels based on a four-color universe? (ie. not black-and-white, but not all the colors of the rainbow either.) Think of all the stereotypes you see in them, not to mention visual shorthands that quickly communicate a personality or a concept to the viewer. I don't think that's a bad thing, though - for the most part, I think V for Vendetta uses that to its advantage.

Julia

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Tuesday, March 28, 2006 5:47 AM

CYBERSNARK


Quote:

Originally posted by zoid:
I'll be straight with you: I'm about ready to vote for a Looney Toons character, as long as they represent a genuine change. Anything to break up the 'GOB' network in D.C.

I saw a T-shirt in a mall once that said:

Vote Kermit!
Let's see what a real puppet government can do!

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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