Movies! Movies! Movies! (Non-Japanese)

Like I said, different people will have different opinions. :victory: I'm not a big fan of The Voyage Home either. :sweat: But only because it seemed it's whole purpose was to preach "Save the Whales!" and all that hippie junk. I actually like The Undiscovered Country. A Shakespeare quoting Klingon vs. Kirk, both who can't give up their hate for each other. Gotta love it when Kirk was told an entire civilization will die, and he answered "Let them die." :woot: Of course he pussied out in the end.

Watched Terminator Salvation, the other movie I was anticipating. Not bad. Better than Star Trek IMO. However, two big things held it back for me.

Spoiler — click to reveal

The story should have been about John Connor, and not emo-robot man. The whole plot was really about him when it didn't need to be. I felt this really held it back when they could have had a great story in John Connor becoming the leader of the resistance. And the whole plot relied on Skynet knowing about John Connor, Kyle Reese, and the time travel incidents. I can't recall that in any of the previous movies. In fact, at this point in the war, it wouldn't have even known about John Connor, much less the rest or even know what Kyle Reese looks like. I guess it could be argued that it sent the info back in time to itself, but that's just fanboy stupid.

I also didn't think it had the right atmosphere. James Cameron's flashbacks showed the humans' situation as desperate and bleak, near hopeless. The atmosphere here was just one of them fighting a more powerful enemy.

I recently saw the film Red Cliff by John Woo. It's a a visual sumptuous epic detailing the events in the Records of the Three Kingdoms. If you're into films showcasing classical Chinese warfare you'll really enjoy this film which focuses on the Battle of Red Cliff. The acting is solid too.

As an added bonus for some jdorama fans, half-Taiwanese, half-Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro is excellent as the supporting male actor. It's a really long movie though at 2.5 hours. John Woo struts his stuff directing this flick.

I just saw precious it was really really good but a tearjerker!

Taira-Panku wrote:I just saw precious it was really really good but a tearjerker!

I bet! I'll be watching it on Friday. :woot:

Radical new design for lightsuits for next year's Tron Legacy film. I must say the fit is incredible.

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Wow, Jeff Bridges really let himself go. :rofl:

Or is that Bruce Boxleitner?

bmwracer wrote:Wow, Jeff Bridges really let himself go. :rofl:

Or is that Bruce Boxleitner?

:rofl: Makes you wonder what the legacy actually is? Ho Ho's

Anyone planning on seeing Avatar?

I'm not particularly interested or motivated to see it... :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:Anyone planning on seeing Avatar?

I'm not particularly interested or motivated to see it... :sweat:

I want to watch it as a popcorn flick...but I ain't get all worked up about it...and I sure as hell ain't going to battle the throngs of ppl writhing to see the tall blue smurfs.

Tu_triky wrote:
I enjoyed that movie...Jude Law and Robert Downey, Jr. worked well together.

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Everybody knows there's only ONE Sherlock Holmes. :applaud:

Jeremy Brett?

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Itazura ichiban wrote:Jeremy Brett?

I thought he was Doctor Who. :headscratch:

gaijinmark wrote:[image]

Everybody knows there's only ONE Sherlock Holmes. :applaud:

Yup. :victory:

And ONE Dr. Watson. :)
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Just saw the trailer for Edge of Darkness... Looks pretty intense. :victory:

Looks like I'll be taking a vacation day to check it out. :mrgreen:

bmwracer wrote:Anyone planning on seeing Avatar?

I'm not particularly interested or motivated to see it... :sweat:

I finally did today. I put it off long enough, but I'm glad I went and watched it anyway. (My first 3-D experience, too. Yay.) It's one exhilarating piece of entertainment all right (bravo Jim Cameron, you vainglorious, egomaniacal slave driver you, lol), and the movie still works beautifully despite the plot cliches and (at times) heavy-handed approach to its anti-colonialism/imperialism, anti-war, and pro-environment themes. (The "shock and awe," "war on terror" sections of dialogue were "soooo Rumsfeldian," according to my sister. And the "we want the Unobtainium from Pandora! therefore we will plunder their planet, because we are eeevil white colonizing goons who don't practice sustainable development!" exposition was just as ham-fisted. :shakehead:)

What saved the movie was the sheer awesomeness of the world that Cameron both envisioned and brought to life. (Richard Taylor and WETA = :metaldevil: Those dudes never let me down, lol.) And the main characters were complex enough make you care for their journey and inner transformation. (Sam Worthington = ZOMG I want one! lol Where've you been all my life? Paraplegic with a buzz cut, or big blue alien -- baby baby baby, I'll take you either way, hahahahahaha :naughty:)

I guess the Great White Messiah and Noble Savage archetypes will always get tackled in literature and film (that'sss why they're called archetypesss lol), so they didn't really bother me while I was watching Avatar. I just wish they hadn't been re-worked as frequently in the last two decades. Some scenes were just too familiar sometimes. I was half-expecting Zoe Saldana's character to ask Sam Worthington's if he had heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon or something. Bloody Pocahontas OST kept playing in a loop in my head the whole time... "savages, savages, barely even human!" "should I marry Kocoum..." "just around the river beeeend!" "you think you own whatever land you land on" gaaaaah the lyrics are still in my brain. :ohcrap: And don't even get me started on the Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest analogies... :beaten:

Ender's Girl wrote:Jim Cameron, you vainglorious, egomaniacal slave driver you, lol

:lol:

If we gave out awards, I'd give you the J-D 2009 Rookie of the Year Award for your posts... :victory:

Tu_triky wrote:I recently saw the film Red Cliff by John Woo. It's a a visual sumptuous epic detailing the events in the Records of the Three Kingdoms. If you're into films showcasing classical Chinese warfare you'll really enjoy this film which focuses on the Battle of Red Cliff. The acting is solid too.

As an added bonus for some jdorama fans, half-Taiwanese, half-Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro is excellent as the supporting male actor. It's a really long movie though at 2.5 hours. John Woo struts his stuff directing this flick.

Everything Takeshi does is worth it, :applaud: he's what got me interested in J-dramas. :woot: Watched one of my 5 non-Asian films that I view a year, only cause I got it for X-mas, watched Michael Clayton, it was actually a very good movie, first time I've seen a Clooney film, any recommendations on other films that he's good in?

hitomi #1 wrote:
Everything Takeshi does is worth it

Especially when he cut off that mane :)

hitomi #1 wrote:
Everything Takeshi does is worth it, :applaud: he's what got me interested in J-dramas. :woot: Watched one of my 5 non-Asian films that I view a year, only cause I got it for X-mas, watched Michael Clayton, it was actually a very good movie, first time I've seen a Clooney film, any recommendations on other films that he's good in?

Yeah I don't really recall any other films that Kaneshiro has starred in that I HAVE seen but I'm sure his filmography is pretty lengthy.

Tu_triky wrote:

Yeah I don't really recall any other films that Kaneshiro has starred in that I HAVE seen but I'm sure his filmography is pretty lengthy.

Probably known here in the West for House of Flying Daggers, really not the thread for him, but check out Sleepless Town and along with Manami Konishi in Accuracy of Death.