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Author Topic: Do they even make decent movies anymore?  (Read 11490 times)

Jamisjockey

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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #25 on: July 29, 2009, 04:12:12 PM »
Oh, and anything with Ron Jermey in it....
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #26 on: July 29, 2009, 04:18:46 PM »
Quote from: bluestarlizzard on July 29, 2009, 04:00:04 PM
one of my recent favorites was (suprisingly to me) Speed Racer. beautiful special effects and lots of eye candy, 
The coming attractions made it look more like a pinball game than a movie, so I just filed it away in the "must miss" category.

But your post got me to thinking . . . you know, they've combined different movie themes before; Frankenstein vs. The Wolf Man, Alien vs. Predator . . . what if they crossed Speed Racer with (drum roll please) . . . ZARDOZ!?!    :O
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #27 on: July 29, 2009, 04:59:41 PM »
Quote from: RoadKingLarry on July 17, 2009, 03:47:51 PM
When was the last time an original theme/premise/idea came out of Hollywierd?

There was Redbelt and Tropic Thunder last year. The first Pirates of the Carribean movie 4 years ago. I haven't seen Gran Torino, but the only idea that seems similar is the vigilante aspect.
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RoadKingLarry

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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #28 on: July 29, 2009, 05:53:35 PM »
Tropic Thunder was a fair spoof of the Rambo/Chuck Norris/Gene HackmanGo back to 'Nam stuff.
Pirates came from the Disney theme ride.
Gran Torino was good but still not really an original theme, Deathwish comes to mind.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #29 on: July 29, 2009, 06:18:56 PM »
Quote from: zahc on July 17, 2009, 12:52:51 AM
Instead all it was, was a bunch of quick-cut, up-the-nose handheld closeup snatches of Depp and company interspersed with a bunch of spatially and temporally incoherent scenes of people shooting guns somewhere at someone, both intercut in a glaringly obvious way with handheld, noisy, shaky-cam video straight out of a '90's skateboarding video.

Man, I hate shaky-cam stuff, it hurts my eyes and makes me nauseous.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #30 on: July 29, 2009, 06:26:54 PM »
I am very much looking forward to '9' and 'The Book of Eli'.

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Balog

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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #31 on: July 29, 2009, 09:42:24 PM »
What was "Redbelt" about? Never heard of it.

Ditto 9 and Book of Eli, haven't heard of them.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #32 on: July 30, 2009, 12:53:57 AM »
Tropic Thunder was hilarious, but the basic plot is not terribly original.  We were talking about this a while ago, and someone pointed out its obvious similarity to The Three Amigos.  One big difference, however, is that Tropic Thunder's El Guapo was not the actual El Guapo. 
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #33 on: July 30, 2009, 01:04:04 AM »
Quote from: Balog on July 29, 2009, 09:42:24 PM
What was "Redbelt" about? Never heard of it.

A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor and former Gulf War soldier whose life is turned upside down by circumstances not under his control. Its a drama about his honor, the sort of personal bushido he follows. He doesn't believe in prize fighting yet he is severly pressured to do so. It's not about action or even the fighting, its about him standing firm and refusing to give in against all odds. I admire the character for believing in his convictions. So many people are hippocrites in one way or another. When someone believes in something strongly enough to fight for it they are showing the world they have a strength that many do not. They also have something to live for.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7ldC5EwmeA  

Quote from: fistful on July 30, 2009, 12:53:57 AM
Tropic Thunder was hilarious, but the basic plot is not terribly original.  We were talking about this a while ago, and someone pointed out its obvious similarity to The Three Amigos.  One big difference, however, is that Tropic Thunder's El Guapo was not the actual El Guapo. 
I need to watch more movies then.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #34 on: July 30, 2009, 01:25:43 AM »
There aren't all that many new ideas. Take Death Wish. A guy becomes angry after what has happened to his family/buddy/self/whatever, and goes around killing people. See also: The Patriot, Rambo. This is a theme of Shakespeare's most creepy play, Titus Andronicus. Only Titus is decidedly more crazy-as-a-bedbug than any of the above. Mel Gibson tomahawking a dead guy is child's play by comparison. Rambo knifing people at random is likewise.

Or, a couple has come apart. An event of some sort brings them together, they live happily ever after. For a while, anyway. See: His Girl Friday, Die Hard, among others.

Practically every basic plot has been used and reused. Characters are changed, situations are changed, and sometimes there are two or more plots thrown in. But the basics tend to be the same.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #35 on: July 30, 2009, 01:59:49 AM »
Quote from: Fistful Savalas on July 30, 2009, 01:25:43 AM
There aren't all that many new ideas.

Maybe so but you've got to admit the Matrix was unlike other Hollywood films. The idea of minds being partially loaded into computers was theorized by scientists and popularized by Shirow Masamune. The action scenes are from Hong Kong films. Neo is obvioulsy an agnostic Messiah/superhero. The things that are completely original are the massive AI conspiracy and the matrix itself.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #36 on: July 30, 2009, 02:33:12 AM »
It's been said that there's maybe 20 distinct types stories in the world; the rest are simply derivatives.  Some people quibble on the number. Some believe it is lower, others higher, but the point is that's why it seems there are so many remakes.  It had all been done by the time of the ancient Greeks; everything since then is just variation.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #37 on: July 30, 2009, 03:29:21 AM »
I'd like to see a movie version of Tom Clancy's Without Remorse but if they're gonna make it like The Sum of All Fears, they better keep their mitts off it.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #38 on: July 30, 2009, 08:21:28 AM »
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #39 on: July 30, 2009, 08:27:48 AM »
Quote from: RaspberrySurprise on July 30, 2009, 03:29:21 AM
I'd like to see a movie version of Tom Clancy's Without Remorse but if they're gonna make it like The Sum of All Fears, they better keep their mitts off it.
My sentiments exactly.  I've always thought that Without Remorse was probably the best Clancy book to make into a movie.  It's not all over the place at the same time like most of his other books. 
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #40 on: July 30, 2009, 08:44:27 AM »
We watched the Watchmen last night

It was quite good
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zahc

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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #41 on: July 30, 2009, 10:17:18 AM »
I always wondered who watches the Watchmen.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #42 on: July 30, 2009, 10:35:10 AM »
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
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Balog

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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #43 on: July 30, 2009, 10:39:54 AM »
Quote from: Harold Tuttle on July 30, 2009, 08:44:27 AM
We watched the Watchmen last night

It was quite good

Feh, a propaganda film for moral relativism that screwed the only character I liked. Plus way too much glowing wang.
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MicroBalrog

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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #44 on: July 30, 2009, 10:46:59 AM »
Quote from: Balog on July 30, 2009, 10:39:54 AM
Feh, a propaganda film for moral relativism that screwed the only character I liked. Plus way too much glowing wang.

There was moral relativism?

...wait, there was moral anything in that movie?
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Balog

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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #45 on: July 30, 2009, 10:48:27 AM »
Quote from: MicroBalrog on July 30, 2009, 10:46:59 AM
There was moral relativism?

...wait, there was moral anything in that movie?

"The ends justify the means" could've been the slogan for that movie.
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #46 on: July 30, 2009, 01:28:56 PM »


Quote from: RaspberrySurprise on July 30, 2009, 03:29:21 AM
I'd like to see a movie version of Tom Clancy's Without Remorse but if they're gonna make it like The Sum of All Fears, they better keep their mitts off it.

Dannyboy seconded, I'll third the nomination. And agree with your condition. TSOAF sucked out loud because of Hollywood's PC treatment.

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RoadKingLarry

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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #47 on: July 30, 2009, 02:42:08 PM »
Hollyweird just keeps rehashing the same old stuff.
Sure there is only a limited number of "themes" but instead of remaking something thats already been remade 2-3 times pick something new.
There is tons of good novels, fiction and reality based, that could be made into good movies.

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/166239/55_movie_remakes_currently_in_the_works.html
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #48 on: July 30, 2009, 02:53:33 PM »
Quote
"The ends justify the means" could've been the slogan for that movie.

I disagree. While that could of been the slogan for Ozymandias and the the other "vigilantes" at the end. It sure wasn't Rorschachs slogan, who I would say represented the voice for the movie, voice as in the moral of the story if there was one. I think that instead of simply following the usual heroes always win, they decided to take a different route. But the movie was freaking awesome still in my opinion.

Quote
Plus way too much glowing wang.

Just be glad they didn't do full body scenes when he was giant form,  :lol:

Quote
It's been said that there's maybe 20 distinct types stories in the world; the rest are simply derivatives.  Some people quibble on the number. Some believe it is lower, others higher, but the point is that's why it seems there are so many remakes.  It had all been done by the time of the ancient Greeks; everything since then is just variation.

Reminds me of that South Park episode where they talk about how the Simpsons had done everything already, it is the episode where Butters, as Professor Chaos, is trying to come up with ways to bring chaos to the world but everything he does had already been done in The Simpsons.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2009, 02:58:37 PM by freakazoid »
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Re: Do they even make decent movies anymore?
« Reply #49 on: July 30, 2009, 04:17:43 PM »
Maybe I was watching a different movie, but if y'all thought Gran torino was about vigilantism you may want to watch it again and look at what the characters actually do.

Ben
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