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zombiewhacker
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1475 Posts |
 Posted - 03/03/2008 : 01:00:12 AM
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We all know the feeling. You're the lonely voice crying out in the wilderness, like Charlie Brown picking out the Christmas tree with only three branches on it.
That's the way I felt tonight watching League of Extraordinary Gentlemen for the first time. I'm not sure if this all-out qualifies as a movie people hated, but I do remember it got universally negative reviews when it opened and it tanked at the box office after a strong opening week. When critics and audiences actually agree on something...
But I liked it. I don't why everyone was so hard on this picture. Maybe fanboys of the graphic novel felt the source material was desecrated, but isn't that the case with almost all comic book-to-film adaptions?
Also given the infamous bad blood between Sean Connery and director Stephen Norrington, I expected either a) Connery would end up giving a crap performace or b) Norrington would muck up the proceedings entirely. Neither was the case. Whatever reservations ol' 007 had about the finished product, Connery remained the consummate pro (and proved surprising convincing in action considering he was well into his 70s by the time he made this.) As for Norrington, he handled the action scenes well (without relying on the tiresome rat-a-tat shakey cam crap that's de rigeur in adventure movies nowadays).
So I might be all one in my affection for League but so be it. What are some of your guilty pleasures?
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Edited by - zombiewhacker on 03/04/2008 5:21:01 PM
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Pip
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
333 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 01:14:39 AM
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"Loved" is a strong word, by I enjoyed Silent Hill. The movie excellently set up the creepy isolated village trope to perfection. Sure, it had its flaws: hackneyed lines in places, a silly main monster and a guy (the detective) with a Joisey accent who was supposed to be a life-long resident of the coalfields of West Virginia, but 2/3 of the movie was really well done.
Pip
"These five fingers: individually they're nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold!" - Lucy Van Pelt |
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Prankster
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Canada
727 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 12:21:08 PM
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The thing is, the LoEG comic is brilliant and very, very cinematic--you'd hardly have to change anything. Yet, as I understand it, they did indeed make a huge array of changes, including turning Mina into a vampire and demoting her from leader to Token Female, adding a car chase through the streets of Venice(!) and an unneccessary new identity for the villain. And the CGI looked pretty fake.
Haven't seen it, though, so I can't speak too harshly about it. I know that a lot of comic-book adaptations, or adaptations in general, seem to turn out that way--they seem like decent enough movies unless you've read the original and realize just how much good stuff has been lost in translation. Alan Moore adaptations seem to get it particularly badly, with Constantine and V For Vendetta being great examples of competent movies where the filmmakers nevertheless totally missed the point of the original stories. Recent non-comic examples of this tendency include Stardust and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Ironically, Frank Miller has so far had his works very faithfully adapted (Sin City and 300), even to the point of replicating his drawing style in live action. His work is really cinematic too, but I think there are other comics creators more worthy of that level of reverence.
But anyway. Movies I love that other people hate. Ummmm...well, on the subject of unfaithful comic adaptations, I adore Batman Returns, which tends to give comic readers hives. But I think in that case (and the case of most superhero movies, really) the subject matter is shallow enough that it benefits from a directors' unique perspective, as has happened repeatedly over the years in the comics.
Oh, and I have an unshakeable affection for Hudson Hawk. Judge me if you must.
---
Check out my online comics at [URL]http://www.phantasmictales.com[/URL]! |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 12:43:20 PM
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I also tend to think that Silent Hill has enough strength in its overall look and style to marginally offset its failings. One movie that no one shares my love for is The Core. How can anyone not love this movie? It's like 1965 Irwin Allen fell through a timewarp and made a movie with 21st century technology. It's SO stupid it's genius. I really want to think that the filmmakers wanted to make a brilliant disaster/B movie parody and were just too subtle for people to get it, ala Deep Rising.
But I doubt it.
But I never get tired of watching it. I think I'll watch it tonight in fact.
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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Nlneff
Diocesan Ecclesiarch of the Sacred Order of Jabootu
USA
84 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 1:29:38 PM
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I really enjoyed Constantine, prehaps because I've never read the comic.
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Neville
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Spain
1590 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 3:23:34 PM
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If you have the chance to read the Hellblazer volume called Dangerous habits, do it. The Constantine movie took stuff from here and there, but the main story arc comes from those numbers. It's easily among the best comicbook stuff I've ever read.
Prankster, I also enjoyed Batman returns and Hudson Hawk, you're not alone in those, specially the second.
As for me, I enjoyed Cold mountain, despite Rene Zellweger and despite the extra syrup. |
Edited by - Neville on 03/03/2008 3:27:08 PM |
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RVHorror
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
532 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 3:31:21 PM
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Mars Attacks. What can I say? I love the damn thing, giant flaws and all. And Batman Returns is a terrific movie, public consensus be damned.
I have rather a large fondness for the original cut of Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce.
Oh, I got a good one. I really like Ahnuld's Last Action Hero. There, I said it and I'm glad! |
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Neville
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Spain
1590 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 4:25:15 PM
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Lifeforce! That's another guilty pleasure of mine. It's a bit dull and doesn't make much sense, but then, it has naked space vampire, zombies, nods to the Dr. Quatermass opus, Patrick Stewart and a grand finale where pretty much all London gets turned into zombies.
What else could a film nerd want? |
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Ericb
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
648 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 4:30:14 PM
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I was going to say Lifeforce as well but then got embarrased and decided not to which is really something I shouldn't be concerned about on a site like this. What was I thinking?
"I reserve the right to look as well as be boring." - Robert Fripp |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 5:20:57 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Neville
Lifeforce! That's another guilty pleasure of mine. It's a bit dull and doesn't make much sense, but then, it has naked space vampire, zombies, nods to the Dr. Quatermass opus, Patrick Stewart and a grand finale where pretty much all London gets turned into zombies.
That, plus the naked space vampire. And then there's the naked space vampire. And I remember there was a naked space vampire.
Did I mention the naked space vampire??
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
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hbrennan
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Philippines
1455 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 7:03:06 PM
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For me, it's a whole plethora of old B-Movies. It's easy for me to see that many of them are filled with flaws that undermine the talents of some of the unfortunate "greats" forced (for economical reasons) to appear in them. However, as a kid, I really enjoyed my Saturday nights watching cheesy horror flicks on Chiller Theater - so the fun is still embedded in me. Sort of like film "comfort foods". Most notables:
"Indestructible Man"
"She Demons"
"War of the Colossal Beast"
"Teenage Frankenstein"
"The Black Sleep" (with Carradine, Chaney, Lugosi, Tor and Basil Rathbone !!!)
and a host of others...
"...yet it hadn't destroyed his brain."
re: Charles "The Butcher" Benton (1956)
http://www.henrybrennan.com/
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Edited by - hbrennan on 03/03/2008 7:03:33 PM |
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Ericb
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
648 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 7:48:27 PM
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quote:
That, plus the naked space vampire. And then there's the naked space vampire. And I remember there was a naked space vampire.
You forgot to mention that the naked space vampire was incredibly hot.
"I reserve the right to look as well as be boring." - Robert Fripp |
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Pip
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
333 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 7:58:45 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Sardu
quote:
Originally posted by Neville
Lifeforce! That's another guilty pleasure of mine. It's a bit dull and doesn't make much sense, but then, it has naked space vampire, zombies, nods to the Dr. Quatermass opus, Patrick Stewart and a grand finale where pretty much all London gets turned into zombies.
That, plus the naked space vampire. And then there's the naked space vampire. And I remember there was a naked space vampire.
Did I mention the naked space vampire??
Alright already! Enough with the space vampire! You sound like a zombie yourself!
In the same vein, I'll say Blair Witch, because there seemed to be a hate backlash against it and I actually kind of liked it.
Pip
"These five fingers: individually they're nothing, but when I curl them together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold!" - Lucy Van Pelt |
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RossM
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 8:06:17 PM
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| Barbarella with Jane Fonda. I love this movie. Jane makes a complete fool of herself in every scene and the movie is just great from start to finish (Jane looks great from start to finish as well). Just when you think that a movie cannot get any dumber, it sinks lower. I cannot understand why so many people ignore or hate this movie. |
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Terrahawk
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
644 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 8:56:43 PM
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The Core is definitely one I find I like. It has all of the ludicrous items you expect in a Hollywood sci-fi film. Yet, it is an enjoyable little flick.
- Si desea pulse 2 para español, encontrar un país diferente. - |
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Citizen Carrier
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
322 Posts |
Posted - 03/03/2008 : 9:06:22 PM
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Barbarella reminds me of a guilty pleasure I used to enjoy because it seemed like HBO showed it every other day. Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, starring Peter Strauss and Molly Ringwald. I'm not sure if everyone else "hated" it, but it wasn't exactly Masterpiece Theater.
I have to confess that I liked League of Extraordinary Gentlemen far more than I did any of the X-Men movies. I'm a sucker for period pieces. And I liked how Connery, representing the aging British Empire, was passing the future and it's responsibilties onto a younger upstart. Okay, a bit sentimental, but it worked for me... |
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