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Post by Shutter Girl on Nov 3, 2004 9:53:32 GMT -5
The other night Joe and I watched the new Dawn of the Dead on video. Believe it or not, I've never seen the original so I can't say which is better but I will say that this new version was very enjoyable. I like a good zombie flick if it's done right. These zombies were well done and scary enough, with their bloated corpses and half decayed bodies. The opening scene is one of the scariest and most intense I've seen in a long time. They did a good job a creating a a sense of apocalypse and desolation with the survivors being trapped in a mall. It had some similarities with 28 Days Later but there was more humor in this film. Some of it was downright funny, although I'm not sure the filmmakers meant it to be. A good gorefest for a quiet Monday evening!
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Post by RepairmanJack on Nov 3, 2004 15:48:52 GMT -5
It has been years since I have seen the original version. I think I only saw it at the movies and it came out in 1978. I was not sure what to expect with the remake, but will say I was very pleasantly surprised. In fact I would give it a better rating than the original
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Post by RepairmanJack on Nov 21, 2004 22:53:19 GMT -5
Tonight we watched "The Day After Tomorrow". Has anyone seen this movie yet? We watched it on dvd. I have to admit I like disaster movies. Ever since I was a kid I have watched them--from Earthquake, Airport, and The Poseidon Adventure I have loved these movies.
As for The Day After Tomorrow--it was ok. As someone with a strong interest in science I will say they were not quite accurate, but it was still an ok movie. I would recommend renting it or better yet get it for free from your local library like we did. I would have been disappointed if I had paid to see it at the movies though.
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Post by stubedoo on Nov 22, 2004 17:32:39 GMT -5
"Not quite accurate?" Buahahahahahaha! From almost the opening scene to the closing credits there were more scientific errors than any movie since "The Core" (which, by the way has the award for worst physics movie ever). See the following link: intuitor.com/moviephysics/The first egregious error was when the star tries to convince everybody of the impending doom and shows a picture of the Atlantic current, which almost everybody knows is the Gulf Stream. The problem is that in his picture the current was moving counterclockwise, while the actual Gulf Stream moves clockwise. It goes rapidly downhill from there. stu
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Post by RepairmanJack on Nov 22, 2004 23:33:32 GMT -5
Ok, I was trying to be nice about the number of errors in the movie. I have never seen the Core, but I have read a number of reviews remarking how scientifically inaccurate it is. Which brings up the whole question of why won't Hollywood portray science correctly? True life science is at least as interesting as what inaccuracies are shown in movies today. In most case even more interesting. Does Hollywood think most people are that stupid? Or worse--are most people that stupid
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Jzero
Elephant Talker
Oh the flower pot that sits so still...
Posts: 149
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Post by Jzero on Nov 26, 2004 16:01:41 GMT -5
I have just finished watching "The day after tomorrow" - I was particularly impressed with the notion of a group of people surviving an ice age by burning books in the New York public library. This is profoundly symbolic of something but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is. Another scene that I found to be rich with symbolism is when three young fellows are attacked by a pack of prowling wolves during an excursion to seek out a vat of penicilin on a Russian freighter ship that has just floated along one of the main streets of down town New York. I can go on with this but I will spare you.... great movie!! J
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Post by Shutter Girl on Nov 26, 2004 22:37:56 GMT -5
It was entertaining, if you can get past of the unlikelihood! I wonder why they picked the library, of all places. The library profession is getting a lot of play in movies latley. There's the safe haven for the Day After Tomorrow and then the main character of a new sort of Indiana Jones flick is called "The Librarian". Guess we're not as nerdy as some people think we are... I dig a good disaster movie! I'm a real sicko at heart.
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Post by RepairmanJack on Nov 26, 2004 22:59:35 GMT -5
I also particularly liked the scenes in the library. When the guy and girl were arguing the virtues of Nietzsche deciding if they should burn his books was priceless. Disaster movies always bring up the idea of how far do we go to survive? It is easy to comment when you are not in the situation--let's hope none of us ever have to decide
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Post by RepairmanJack on Nov 28, 2004 22:50:21 GMT -5
Tonight the wife and I watched Super Size Me. Has anyone seen this yet? If not I highly recommend watching this documentary. Morgan Spurlock takes a look at obesity in America and in particular the effect of fast food on americans. To do this he eats nothing but McDonald's for 30 days. Very enlightening is all I can say. I will have to think twice before ordering any fast food any time soon...
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Post by RepairmanJack on Dec 5, 2004 23:16:42 GMT -5
Shuttergirl and I watched "The Life and Times of Peter Sellers" tonight. It was an HBO movie. I am not sure how much I liked it. I thought Geoffrey Rush did an excellent job playing Peter Sellers, but I did not like how he made his character appear. I have always been a Sellers fan so seeing him in an unfavorable light was disturbing for me. This is the problem with all biographies though.
Which actually brings up the question of does the real life of a person matter to their art? For example can and should you like a person's movies if they are an asshole in real life? Does it matter? Or do we like a composers music if he is an avowed racist? Can we separate out a person's beliefs and actions from their art? Should we?
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Post by Shutter Girl on Dec 7, 2004 9:17:04 GMT -5
Which actually brings up the question of does the real life of a person matter to their art? For example can and should you like a person's movies if they are an asshole in real life? Does it matter? Or do we like a composers music if he is an avowed racist? Can we separate out a person's beliefs and actions from their art? Should we? Good question! I like to think of myself as a liberal thinker and that an artist or musician's personality wouldn't have any influence on me as to whether or not I like their art. I've been fortunate enough to almost all of my favorite musicians and most of them are really nice. Some are aloof. Did that fact change the way I feel about their music? No, not at all. I like King Crimson a lot but have no desire to meet Fripp at all. Now to a meatier matter: What if the said artist/musician was a murderer, child molester, Nazi or other person who committed crimes against humanity? I guess I can't honestly say whether or not it would influence how I felt about their art. What does that say about me?
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Post by RepairmanJack on Dec 9, 2004 23:59:32 GMT -5
The other night I finally got to see Spider-Man 2 on dvd. I liked it, but I have to admit I think I liked the first one more. It was a good movie and I do recommend it if there is anyone out there who has not seen it yet. I just had trouble with the premise of Peter Parker questioning if he wants to be a super hero or not. What--you can't date a hot chick and still have a job? Get over it and be who you are!
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Post by Shutter Girl on Dec 24, 2004 0:04:31 GMT -5
Repairman and I were snowed in today and watched two really good films.
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing is a great documentary about the importance of the editor in conveying the artistic aspects of a film. As important as a writer or a director, the editor makes decisions that can add to the feel of the film, the pace and the portrayal by actors. They have the ability to splice and dice frame into an innovative work of art. It's a tedious and meticulous task while at the same time one of the most fascinating aspects of film making.
I love a good Chinese film and Yimou Zhang is perhaps the best of the contemporary film directors out of China. His films, such as Raise the Red Lantern, are stylistically portrayed and gorgeous. Hero is certainly no exception, with its saturated colors, scenic vistas, special effects, martial arts and haunting portrayals. The storytelling is supberb and Zhang uses color to convey emotion and tension. Whether it be the red of a calligraphy school or the gorgeous greens of a palace fight scene, the colors themselves take on a personality of their own and in Zhang's deft hands are as important as the storyline itself. Martial art icons Jet Li and Donnie Yen head a cast of accomplished (and I dare say, flexible) Chinese actors. In the documentary on the dvd Zhang states that he set out to make the viewing audience remember his film. This touching, stunning piece of art will stay with you for a long time to come.
Can't wait to see Zhang's next film House of Flying Daggers.
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Post by MaxQuad on Dec 24, 2004 8:32:25 GMT -5
Yimou Zhang is perhaps the best of the contemporary film directors out of China. His films, such as Raise the Red Lantern, are stylistically portrayed and gorgeous. Hero is certainly no exception, with its saturated colors, scenic vistas, special effects, martial arts and haunting portrayals. The storytelling is supberb and Zhang uses color to convey emotion and tension. [/b][/quote] Hero is a stunning movie. Now why didn't I put that on my Kwanza list? MQ
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Post by RepairmanJack on Dec 24, 2004 12:42:37 GMT -5
It is even more impressive considering it was Zhang's first action movie. I really look forward to seeing House of Flying Daggers
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