8027 replies to this topic

[Koray Savas]

The only similarity I see with Spielberg is the plot. And that's not even a Spielberg thing, it's an E.T. thing.

[crocodile]

It's Jurassic Park (bus crash) meets E.T. (alien wants to go home among other things) meets Cloverfield (alien itself) meets War of the Worlds (Lillian battle), meets Lost (several references for example hatch landing) meets Close Encounters of the Third Kind and so on. The film is anything but its own thing. That's the problem.

Karol

[Koray Savas]

Jurassic Park? Really? That's an awfully long stretch. Perhaps it is the Cloverfield monster? Same one in Star Trek too, he just keeps landing on the wrong planet

[crocodile]

I'm not saying all of this is intentional, Koray. What I mean is that I see these instead of Super 8.

Karol

[Marian Schedenig]

Like I said, it's certainly honest and well meaning, but I'd heard it harked back to the glory days of Spielberg; and does it buggery. If that was Abrams' intention then he's a nothing but a pretender.

It's Abrams' take on the typical Spielberg 70s/80s concept. Primarily by being set in Spielbergville and having plenty of nods to CE3K and E.T. (plus JP). It serves pretty much every clichee you can expect from that sort of film, but it earns them through Abrams' foucs on characters before plot. It's not perfect, some of the characterisation and setup don't seem to really lead anywhere, and some of the clichees border on being taken too far, but in the end they rarely do. I liked it.

[Stefancos]

Of course it's intentional. This movie is supposed to be a homage to Spielberg.

[Quint]

There is nothing "wrong" with the movie as such.

Karol

I think there's quite a few things wrong with it, though the aforementioned pacing and blatant plot conveniences (we've got no fifth gear for the final act so let's just make the military hardware go haywire, for one example) are the major complaints I have. The film takes the long route for the sake of it; it's unnecessarily long-winded and the payoff ultimately doesn't warrant the trusting investment.

[crocodile]

I know what you mean.

Spoiler

Also Kyle Chandler (Deputy Lamb) doesn't accomplish anything in the third act. He breaks out to save the children, but doesn't do anything relevant in the end (apart from showing up in the finale).

Karol

[Quint]

I thought the biggest convenience of the lot was

Spoiler

the baloney about how the alien stores some of its victims in its lair for food - thus making sure the girl would live (after being oh so carefully setup for the kidnapping, obviously.)

And somehow they knew it!

Contrived drama is bullshit and the movie would've benefitted from playing it straight, knocking thirty welcome minutes off the runtime in the process.

[Joey]

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is surprisingly not the train wreck I expected.

It's a really good movie, and if you leave before the credits you miss something important.

You don't have to stay all the way after the credits just about several minutes in.


Will the academy have the balls and the guts to nominate Andy for Best Actor? He deserves it.

there are several touching moments and nicely timed references to the original.

[king mark]

Of course it's intentional. This movie is supposed to be a homage to Spielberg.

Yes but I agree the references were a bit forced . It tried too much to re-create some scenes from Spielberg movies. One that springs to mind is the camera panning around a dinner table of kids talking randomly

Another movie that goes after the 80's Spielberg-ish style film and works better on it's own is Let Me In

[Taikomochi]

Let Me In is a fantastic film that is entirely cohesive as a whole, while Super 8 feels like a series of references to Spielberg. I guess you could say they are imitating old and new Spielberg, respectively.

[king mark]

yes, that's what I mean

[Alexcremers]

The only similarity I see with Spielberg is the plot.

This movie is supposed to be a homage to Spielberg.

Hmm, I guess Abrams and his co-workers didn't do a good job, hey fellas?

[Score_Fan]

The Social Network.

[Luke Skywalker]

Captinan America

Enjoyable film, not bad compared to other superhero movies

[king mark]

Back on the subject of Super 8, and I must say I don't get all the fuss made here about the score. Yeah it's nice and perfectly serviceable, but it's nothing special. Just because it doesn't sound like an RC production doesn't automatically elevate it to greatness. The best thing I can say about it is it's inoffensive.

That exact comment belongs to Silvestri's Captain America, not Super8

[Chaac]

Back on the subject of Super 8, and I must say I don't get all the fuss made here about the score. Yeah it's nice and perfectly serviceable, but it's nothing special. Just because it doesn't sound like an RC production doesn't automatically elevate it to greatness. The best thing I can say about it is it's inoffensive.

That exact comment belongs to Silvestri's Captain America, not Super8

Yes.

I think Super 8 is a fun and beautiful score, yet surprisingly small sounding.

[publicist]

Back on the subject of Super 8, and I must say I don't get all the fuss made here about the score. Yeah it's nice and perfectly serviceable, but it's nothing special. Just because it doesn't sound like an RC production doesn't automatically elevate it to greatness. The best thing I can say about it is it's inoffensive.

That exact comment belongs to Silvestri's Captain America, not Super8

To both, actually. I listened to SUPER 8 several times now and nice as it is, i cannot bring myself to more than a lukewarm appraisal.

As for RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, i'm somehow eager to see it even if the Jablonsky-nized Doyle score warned me with a big sign reading "MAJOR BLOCKBUSTER SUCKAGE MAY WAIT AHEAD".

[Trent Hoyt]

Prefontaine

One of the two biopics made about Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine. This version focused more on his olympic goals and his problems with amateurs track and field. Without Limits focused on his relationship with his coach. If you are interested in Pre then you should watch both.

[Alexcremers]

Push (2009): Feels like a live-action anime film made by a western director. The lonesome hero is even accompanied by a sidekick in the shape of a young, little girl wearing a short skirt. In any case, now that her career as a child star is kinda over, Dakota Fanning proves she doesn't have the necessary chops to make it as a great actrice.

[Quint]

Apparently that one was surprisingly pretty good, better than it looked, anyway.

[Jeff]

I liked Push. Dakota Fanning was okay in it. As a side note, I'm curious to see what her sister will add to her resume after Super 8.

[Koray Savas]

Here's hoping Elle Fanning's career doesn't plummet after she grows up. I prefer her to Dakota.

[Quint]

They are both very good for their age.

[Stefancos]

Good actresses?

[Quint]

Yes. What else?

[Stefancos]

knowing you....

[Quint]

How old is Dakota now? 16, 17? She's a pretty young lady but she's still just a little girl.

[Trent Hoyt]

Running the Sahara

Its a documentary about 3 guys who run across the Sahara. They ran 4,000+ miles in 111 days.

[Joey]

sounds like a waste of time, like the worst part of Forrest Gump

[Koray Savas]

Good documentary, with an equally good score by Heitor Pereira.

[Trent Hoyt]

sounds like a waste of time, like the worst part of Forrest Gump

Not if you are a runner and are interested in the sport.

[Alexcremers]

Apparently that one was surprisingly pretty good, better than it looked, anyway.

Not really. I mean, it wasn't like Jumper, as one might perhaps expect, but I didn't see anything "good" about it either. Whatever it tries to do, it's so defeated by X-Men and the first season of Heroes.

Alpha Dog: Better than it looked. Justin Timberlake was surprisingly pretty good.



Yes, the film goes overboard sometimes, but wouldn't you go overboard too, if you knew Red Riding Hood is in it?!




Alex

[Chaac]

I just saw part of the ending of E.T. and I suddenly cried my eyes out.

[Jeff]

sounds like a waste of time, like the worst part of Forrest Gump

It may be the worst part of Forrest Gump but it was the lead-in to one of the funniest moments of the film.

[Alexcremers]

Monsters:





Alex

[Stefancos]

Dieplinken naar onze afbeeldingen is helaas niet mogelijk, meneer Cremers.

[Alexcremers]

What do you mean? Why are you talking funny?

[Wojo]

Dutch is funny?