The dopey/convoluted/ridiculous SF Thread by chrisisall

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The dopey/convoluted/ridiculous SF Thread

POSTED BY: CHRISISALL
UPDATED: Sunday, April 6, 2008 20:18
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Thursday, April 3, 2008 9:12 AM

Okay, Imma lay off Galactica for the moment, and say that I just had an interesting time watching Minority Report last night...what a slick mess. It had no idea where it was going, and ended up floundering in a psuedo-happy Hollywood ending.

Sunshine was garbage too- so we're gonna re-start the Sun with a virtual pin-head of an explosive? While playing 28 Days Later on the ship??

Timeline had all the ingredients for greatness- Donner baby, how did it come out so *yawn* ho-hum??

Okay guys, list n' rant!

The demanding Chrisisall

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Thursday, April 3, 2008 12:41 PM

LWAVES

Well I liked Sunshine, it wasn't perfect by any means, but I liked it.

Timeline: I agree with you. Was there really any point to the movie. I've read that fans of the Crichton novel hated it as well. The reveal of who's in the coffin thingy could be seen from miles away.

Minority Report looked good but didn't move anything in the right direction. They could have made it much darker (or at least Cruise's character) to contrast more with the crime free city.
This is one of two films (the other being Munich) of Spielberg's that I really don't like much.

As for my own picks:

Fifth Element: Watched this when it came out and didn't like it. People kept saying it was a great film so a few years ago I gave it another go. Still didn't like it.
Luc Besson is a great director (Leon is an absolute classic) but I just didn't like the look. Brucey was 'okay' in it. Mila was wooden like in most of her films. And WTF was Chris Tucker doing there. When he appeared it ruined what was left of the movie. And Gary Oldman must have done it for the paycheck, and he's an actor I admire a lot.

Highlander II: The makers should write a book titled 'How To Ruin A Movie In One Step'.

The Matrix sequels: See above comment but with two steps.

Serenity II: Dopey because they haven't made it yet. Convoluted because we keep getting hints and suggestions about it that go nowhere. Ridiculous that they still haven't made it yet.

"I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it it might cheer me up to watch."

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Thursday, April 3, 2008 12:58 PM

DEADLOCKVICTIM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Sunshine was garbage too-

Chris - you can knock BSG all you want - I tried to watch - but found that sorting my sock drawer was waay more entertaining...

and Sunshine was indeed garbage - i waited so long to see that film - the anticipation far outweighed the eventual reality.. (it sucked)...

But, i'm not ranting today... i know, hard to believe, but i was just wondering if you have seen Southland Tales...? It's good/bad/just plain nucking futs... but i like it - i recommend it... let me know what you think...

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Thursday, April 3, 2008 1:12 PM

THESOMNAMBULIST

Sunshine I liked. It was a clever understated sci-fi film much like Supernova, only thing that let it down was Danny Boyles customary 'loon' thrown in for no good reason whatsoever, but otherwise, great.

Alien vs Predator - lousy cartoon rubbish, single handedly rendering two of the cinema's great dreaded beasts to nothing more than a marketing toy!

Event Horizon. Way, way over it's head. Little direction that fell into the cliché killing of one-at-a-time! Dreadful

Lost In Space. Feeble remake that borrowed far too heavily from star trek... The original tv show.

A.I. - I just didn't see the point.

X-men 1 & 2 - ...wha?

Superman Returns. Superman and Lois do Dawson's Creek! Really weary and dreadful! Clark Kent was a great character but in this he's a myopic fool.

's'all for now....

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Thursday, April 3, 2008 1:39 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by deadlockvictim:
i was just wondering if you have seen Southland Tales...? It's good/bad/just plain nucking futs... but i like it - i recommend it... let me know what you think...

I WANT to see it soon, I'll tell ya after I rent it!

Bizarre Chrisisall

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Thursday, April 3, 2008 8:11 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Some of the dopeyest sci-fi has come from Michael Moore and algore, but I heard they get Nobel prizes for that stuff.
Centenial Man and the Fresh Prince of I Robot seemed derivative and dull, dumbed down for the audence they were marketed for.
Jumper had a decent premise, but seemed dumbed down as well.
Total Recall I really liked, but the FX when Ahnold and Rachael jumped out of the mountain and into atmosphereless surface were less than believeable.

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Friday, April 4, 2008 1:47 PM

IMNOTHERE

Quote:
Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Centenial Man and the Fresh Prince of I Robot seemed derivative and dull, dumbed down for the audence they were marketed for.

I thought "Bicentennial Man" pretty much captured the novella - and they didn't cop out in the end. OK, they did cop off instead (but Asimov would probably have put that in the book had it been written a few years later - c.f. "Robots of Dawn").

iRobot goes to that special hell for the way-beyond-the-red-line product placement and making Susan Calvin a love interest

- but did explore Asimov's robot ideas rather better than people gave it credit for. Plus it has a Firefly cast member in it, so gotta love it :-)

I'd put those those two in the "exceeded my expectations: unfortunately I was expecting the worst" catagory.

Quote:

Total Recall I really liked, but the FX when Ahnold and Rachael jumped out of the mountain and into atmosphereless surface were less than believeable.

But then, was it meant to be believable? Remember: "Blue sky on Mars" and all that...

Also (and cover your ears because I am about to blaspheme) in the case of both Minority Report and Total Recall/We can remember it for you wholesale I recently re-read the original PK Dick short stories and - although the premises were brilliant I found the plot of "Minority" rather unconvincing & "...wholesale" has a whacky/jokey denoument. I thought the films had done a better job of building these into (completely different) stories

. There, said it. ...although the film of Paycheck blew, so the clever/dumb balance is restored.

My nominations for the naughty list:

* Supernova (a rescue ship that doesn't have enough hyperspace survival pods to actually rescue anybody).

* Armageddon (do I have to explain?)

* Planet of the Apes & Time Machine remakes (by all means turn flop films or TV shows into good films or TV shows - but leave the classics alone, please!)

* The last act of AI. I liked the rest - then there's this beautiful, bleak ending... then it starts up again and someone dumps a ton of syrup on it.

And a novel (the thread title doesn't say "films only"):
* Cradle by Arthur C Clarke and Gentry Lee (more the latter than the former, I suspect). I wouldn't be so hard on it if it didn't have Clarke's name on it (doffs hat and raises glass in memory) but - basically - if you strip out all the dull sex and rich, beautiful Californians feeling sorry for themselves you'd have the material for a so-so episode of Seaquest DSV (after it got worse).

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Sunday, April 6, 2008 8:18 PM

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Quote:
Originally posted by ImNotHere:
Quote:
Originally posted by jewelstaitefan:
Centenial Man and the Fresh Prince of I Robot seemed derivative and dull, dumbed down for the audence they were marketed for.

Plus it has a Firefly cast member in it, so gotta love it :-)

I say it counts as long as you can see the actor - you lose. :P

Quote:

* Armageddon (do I have to explain?)

Yes, you have to explain. There are 3 categories in the title of the thread - specify which you think qualify and why you think so.

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