I have not yet seen Resurgence, and it may be a couple of weeks before I do.
That said, if the original Independence Day writers were planning a sequel, I doubt they would have waited 20 years to release it, so I guess we just have to deal with the "orb" non-sequitur. (Maybe they'll release a new "Director's cut" of the original, with orbs, orbs, everywhere.)
I don't watch movies in 3D. Long story short, I only use one eye at a time (both work, it's a mental thing), so there's no point in spending the extra bucks for a special effect I won't perceive.
I don't mind being in mostly-empty theaters. In fact, it's why I never see a film on its opening weekend. Not even "Green Lantern." :o I think it's insane to stand in line for hours to see a movie that I can just walk into, the following week, and pick my seat.
Not 100% sure,,, but I've never been to a blockbuster on the opening weekend that I can recall. I know! What a boring existence I live. When I do go to the movies I like to go during the week or wait a few more weeks and then go on the weekends.
I saw "Resurgence" last weekend. I get T-Bone's point, but there really wasn't a lot about "we always had these orb icons" so much as "we just started to notice these orb icons -- I wonder how they relate to the aliens."
Not 100% sure,,, but I've never been to a blockbuster on the opening weekend that I can recall. I know! What a boring existence I live. When I do go to the movies I like to go during the week or wait a few more weeks and then go on the weekends.
The last time i remember going to see a blockbuster movie on opening weekend was back in 1980 i think - stood in line for OVER two hours for a two hour movie - The Empire Strikes Back , and yeah i live a boring existence too.....i usually go during the week or wait awhile until all the fuss dies down. Plus i do not like crowds....even back in my concert going days as a teen.... yeah pack me in a tight space with a bunch of strangers whooping and hollerin' over the thrills and chills...naw - reminds me of being on a New York subway .
I saw "Resurgence" last weekend. I get T-Bone's point, but there really wasn't a lot about "we always had these orb icons" so much as "we just started to notice these orb icons -- I wonder how they relate to the aliens."
Fun movie. Not terrific, but fun.
George
i still managed to enjoy the movie on some level....just wanted an excuse to post in this forum i guess....and maybe just a little ticked off that i paid to see it in a theater....every review i heard about Resurgence was bad. i'll usually gather as much info and feedback about a movie that interests me long before i go to see it so i can manage expectations.....so the reviews were bad - but i threw frugal thinking aside - rather to wait until it was "free" on cable (yeah let's talk cable bill shall we) - i bought a movie ticket.
...and if i'm a big enough fan of a certain series or franchise i'll even buy the DVD instead of seeing it in the movies just to satisfy the fan / collector / hoarder in me - that's whether or not reviews were good or bad; i did that for the Fantastic Four movies (original cast and remake) just because they were my number one favorite comic book heroes back in my pre-teen days - and even though most reviews i read or heard were very critical...
..i don't know ....maybe i'm getting easier to please in my old age...goes along with my pragmatic philosophy of late - something is better than nothing....so i turn to my inner kid and say "hey, i've got the latest sucky movie of the Fantastic Four !" and my inner kid responds "something is better than nothing." which is true - there's not a whole lot of movies out there featuring the Fantastic Four....wonder if it's a conspiracy.
i saw Star Trek: Beyond recently; i just wanted to say in general i really like what they've done with the Star Trek reboot (or prequels - or whatever you call 'em) the actors have all done a great job of portraying the crew in the early days - i think they pulled it off by not going so much for a look-alike as for an act-alike portrayal....well, i buy it anyway...i hope they keep it up - i have really enjoyed all the newer Star Treks.
Since this thread is more about my movie going experience rather than reviewing the movie itself ....i have to share a funny little incident - of me taking my daughter to the first reboot Star Trek (2009). There are two scenes when the movie goes to Kirk's home town of Riverside, Iowa...the first scene is when Kirk is a young lad hot rodding his dad's '65 corvette - as the scene opens the word "Iowa" is superimposed on the screen so you know where this is taking place.
when that location flashed upon the screen, my daughter - in a child's breathy voice filled with awe and wonder read it out loud Iowa - as if it were some far off mystical place like heaven or Shambhala or something; i then realized why she reacted like that - she had a thing for Iowa because one summer we let her go there to stay with her best friend and parents who had moved back there recently...anyway the folks around us within earshot started laughing over that...i was a little embarrassed - didn't want to have folks think we don't get out much - i whispered to my daughter - sssshhhh, don't talk so loud during the movie....
a little later - in another scene - the movie returns to Iowa where we see Kirk as a young man now in a bar in Iowa. Again to set up the scene, Iowa is superimposed on the screen at the top; instantly my daughter announces in that same awe and wonder filled voice Iowa...I've been there....as if to say "yes - that is an amazingly wonderful place - - and i've actually been there!" this gets an even bigger laugh from the folks around us....i also realized that sometimes it's the simple things that impress kids the most....and it's fun to experience things together with kids and sometimes see things through their eyes.
The only time I remember seeing something the weekend it opened was, IIRC,
"Lord of the Rings-Fellowship of the Ring."
That was by accident.
I had gotten off work and walked past a movie theater. There was no crowd and no line
waiting to buy tickets. (There were people waiting but hardly a crowd.) I checked.
In a few minutes, the midnight showing was going to start (which would let out something
like 3:30am) and most people wanted to get home earlier than that or not stay up
all the way till the end. So, I shrugged, got a ticket, hit the concessions, and
enjoyed the movie, with only a few yawns once we hit 3am. (I was a serious nightowl.)
Otherwise, I can wait for a less-crowded matinee during the week or something.
And even moreso nowadays when I'm less interested in the latest offerings,
most of the time.
WW, I wondered when someone would mention that. I don't go to a lot of movie's nowadays, because I think a lot of them stink. However, I did see "Spotlight" a few years ago, and thought it was great. For those who haven't seen it, it's about the priest molesting scandal back in 2002. How cow! I had no idea how wide-spread it was!!
Spotlight - great movie. Not for the squeamish, though it's not so much about the molestation as the resistance to it being uncovered.
Lord of the Rings series - YEAH YEAH YEAH! I was in NZ when parts were being filmed. Went up Mt Ruapehu one blizzardy night and there was the film crew, setting up for the next day's filming. Don't recognize what they shot though. Bits are chopped and changed and interspersed. Love the NZ scenery as the background to so much. Plus, of course, they're great movies, even if they don't exactly follow the books.
Spotlight - great movie. Not for the squeamish, though it's not so much about the molestation as the resistance to it being uncovered.
Lord of the Rings series - YEAH YEAH YEAH! I was in NZ when parts were being filmed. Went up Mt Ruapehu one blizzardy night and there was the film crew, setting up for the next day's filming. Don't recognize what they shot though. Bits are chopped and changed and interspersed. Love the NZ scenery as the background to so much. Plus, of course, they're great movies, even if they don't exactly follow the books.
But you can keep Star Trek.
Twinky, I think Patrick Stewart was great in the ST movies; but once he left, they went downhill. I didn't realize Lord of the Rings were filmed in NZ. I saw two of them, and thought they were great. I didn't like the books, but I loved the movies.
On 8/23/2017 at 1:59 PM, Grace Valerie Claire said:
Twinky, I think Patrick Stewart was great in the ST movies; but once he left, they went downhill. I didn't realize Lord of the Rings were filmed in NZ. I saw two of them, and thought they were great. I didn't like the books, but I loved the movies.
I thought that NZ meant nazi until I read this. Now that must be New Zealand. It puts a different light on the subject now. That subject however doesn't appeal to me as I've never seen any of this particular franchise.
Recently my son and I went to see Blade Runner 2049. It’s been out for a while and we decided to go on a week night - catch the 9:30PM show – we figured we’d have the theater mostly to ourselves. True to our expectations, there were not more than 10 or 12 folks (mostly guys…this ain’t no date movie…it’s for true blue sci-fi fans); hey, lounge chair recliners ! this is as close as it gets to having your own personal world-class home theater room. Before the movie started I could sense great anticipation judging by the animated buzz in the clusters of the randomly seated audience.
My only concern was this middle aged guy at the other end of our row that was going over every scene and detail of the original Blade Runner (1982) to his daughter/date/friend? (not sure of the relationship) – and he was loud – I thought he was either trying to impress her with his powers of total-movie-recall or he was trying to convince her this would be just as exciting as Thelma & Louise – only imagine them as biorobotic androids driving a car with jet propulsion that can easily fly over the Grand Canyon…which is now in L.A.…well…needless to say this guy was really excited about BR 2049…and I was worried he would talk and make comments throughout the entire film.
…Anyway….uhm…oh yeah…the movie, the movie…my son and I are fans of Philip K. Dick stories; we really enjoyed it – if you liked the Blade Runner (1982 ) I think you might enjoy this one; it’s not a reboot but a sequel – and picks up some 30 years later. The cinematography and sound track of BR 2049 kept with the same style as the first BR - which takes an imaginative look at the differences between humans and artificial intelligence…sometimes it’s almost overwhelming to the eyes and ears…so there’s a lot to take in besides the fascinating plot and themes.
As far as I’m concerned Blade Runner 2049 is the sleeper hit of the year – but not for anything that has to do with the movie. As I said at the start of this thread – it’s really not about the movie but about my movie going experience. BR 2049 is 2 hours and 44 minutes long …and praise the projector room gods, total-movie-recall dude was quiet!
…until about two thirds of the way through the movie...what's that I hear? the total-movie-recall dude is sawing logs…heavy duty like…as if he was juggling chainsaws in his sleep…I’m sure the entire audience could hear it during lulls in the movie soundtrack – which by the way was often punched with loud low-end frequencies from synthesizers and sound effects on the order of 4 stroke engines through electric bass amplifiers that go up to 11.
Interesting observation here - - his snoring appeared to be reactive to when the soundtrack volume ramped up – reminded me of something like an old-timey cartoon of the burglar sneaking by a sleeping night watchman of a jewelry store – the burglar steps on a creaky floorboard and the watchman stirs a little in his sleep. Well, so maybe the movie wasn’t your typical sleeper hit…more of a sleep-inducing hit – with this guy anyway. Blade Runner 2049 is a pretty engrossing show – and my son and I were really into it – so our neighbor sawing logs was no big distraction to us…besides I am not a confrontational-type person…and we kinda found the whole thing funny too.
Toward the latter part of the movie a guy three rows in front of Mr. ZZZZZZzzzzzz got out of his seat and bent down low he approaches total-movie-recall dude as one might try to awaken a freeway driver who dozed off behind the wheel (well maybe it wasn't that dangerous a situation but it was a very heroic act of bravery in my book) – he was shining a flashlight in the guy’s face while at the same time reaching out to shake one of his feet perched on the recliner’s extended footrest
( I know that’s what he was attempting to do because we caught up with He Who Attempts to Awake Another on the escalator down after the show and compared observations and theories – did the guy have a few drinks before the show? Why didn’t the lady he was with try to wake him? Was she faking sleep to avoid dealing with this situation ?was she faking sleep because she was embarrassed to be in this situation?...I can imagine conspiracy theories as complex as those about the JFK assassination coming out of this night! )
...oh yeah, oh yeah - back to the awakening attempt - at this point my son pointed a flashlight at He Who Attempts to Awake Another – which startles him so he withdraws – as if a burglar interrupted before he could steal another man’s sleep, he quickly retreated back to his seat – mission aborted. Monsieur Dormez-Vous remained asleep even as the credits began to roll by… We still have a good laugh about the whole thing – how odd and defiant of the mores of a civilized society.
I think good movies are ones that get you to think and talk about them long after the movie is over. And I must say, when relating all this to my friends who are also sci-fi fans - this has got to be the only movie that I’ve spent almost an equal amount of time talking about the great sleeper incident as much as Blade Runner 2049.
== == == == ==
Oh yeah…where was I? guess I better give a few movie-related details :
As you may recall from the origin story of this thread, my movie going experience is more about the experience than the movie…well…maybe not an origin story – just a thread title.
My wife Tonto, daughter and I went to see Top Gun: Maverick at an EVO Cinemas theater…as stated on their website “In 2014, we set out on a mission to disrupt an industry with a new experience-focused approach to entertainment. Our goal was simple; create a state-of-the-art, one-stop entertainment destination…EVO has built a reputation as one the fastest growing independent cinema-circuit in the Nation, and a leader in the experiential-entertainment space.” From EVO Cinemas website . I’ll have more on my remarkable experience in a little bit – so let me just get a hasty review of the movie out of the way (with a little input from online reviews).
You gotta see it to believe it’s by far a better movie than the 1986 Top Gun. My wife and I did like the 1986 movie – “a slick presentation” as my wife put it…The special effects of the 1986 film were great – very convincing. But we were unconvinced there was any on-screen chemistry between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis (who played one of the instructors at the Navy’s elite flying school) – don’t know if it was the directing, screenplay, acting, editing or what but the chemistry between Cruise and McGillis - how they acted and talked when together on screen - seemed kinda klunky – like it was scripted by someone who was clueless of how two people in love might relate to each another…like the screenwriters / director thought in terms of photogenic cliches…keep in mind I’m talking about the 1986 Top Gun…I thought it was necessary to give a brief review of the 1986 film as a reference point for how much more realism I found in the 2022 Top Gun.
Perhaps most folks think of Cruise as more of an action hero than a serious actor. I think of him as both – off hand a few thoughtful roles come to mind. he’s portrayed emotionally torn characters in movies like Born on the Fourth of JulyRain ManVanilla SkyJerry Maguire and The Firm
In the 2022 Top Gun, I felt like some of the high-speed action takes a backseat to the tension and conflict that unfolds between Cruise and one of his trainees “Rooster” – played by Miles Teller. “Rooster” is the son of “Goose” …speaking of backseat – “Goose” (played by Anthony Edwards) was Maverick's Radar Intercept Officer and best friend in the 1986 Top Gun.
Oh, there’s another throwback to the 1986 film that the 2022 gets into. There are several scenes that depict the slow boil competitiveness between “Rooster” and “Hangman” (played by Glen Powell). Tonto and I both agreed it was reminiscent of that subtle yet nervous hostility between 1986 Maverick and “Iceman” played by Val Kilmer – who also reappears in the 2022 film and is now the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet – outranking Maverick…and over the passing years “Iceman” has been instrumental in helping to keep Maverick involved in the Navy.
Watching Rooster and Hangman interact it’s unmistakable to see “Rooster” is like the young impetuous and daring Maverick of 1986 and “Hangman” is the cool, calm and ridiculously good-looking Iceman…After one heroic scene Maverick literally pounces on Rooster for coming to the rescue “what were you thinking?” to which Rooster yells back “You told me not to think!”
I won’t say anything else about the 1986 film if you haven’t seen it – and you’d probably enjoy this 2022 film as a standalone. But I think it’s even more satisfying as a sequel if you’re familiar with Maverick’s history.
If you check out some of these reviews you’ll see there’s a consensus that the 2022 film is superior not only in cinematography and special effects but in character development:
And now…drum roll please…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…my latest movie going experience.
The high-tech manner in which I had to purchase tickets was a confusing foretaste of the ultramodern and personally challenging wonders to come. In the theater lobby - minus any living/breathing staff – I had to walk up to a touch screen – and like purchasing a plane ticket from a human-less kiosk at most modern airports - I had to choose the movie, the showtime, and seats – using the “next” button after each choice.
I ran into a snag at picking 3 seats together – “the system” kept giving me this complicated re-pick message – thankfully Tonto figured it out – I was messing up theater seating arrangements by completing a row with one empty seat in the middle…By the way – there were only about 20 people in our show, but you know how bossy “the system” can be – so I picked 3 seats starting in another row. I pay with a debit card and the machine spits out 3 tickets with the alphanumerical message “Top Gun: Maverick EVX 1”...the EVX 1 at the end hit me as some kinda cryptic clue...what did it mean? Is there another version of Top Gun: Maverick I wasn't aware of?
“The System” also offered up a drink menu. Great! Beforehand we all talked about getting icy cokes and those fancy gourmet pretzels mmmmmmmm. I touch on the icy coke icon. Bummer – they’re out.
We enter the main hallway – now here’s the next challenge. There are no little marquees by each theater entrance to indicate what’s playing inside. We stand there in utter puzzlement. Ah ha! I notice above one door is “EVX 1” in glowing red. Feeling like I had Tom Hanks’ expertise in the DaVinci code we enter EVX 1. I later found out EVX stands for Enhanced Viewing Experience.
I’m still not sure if we’re in the right place. As we’re walking up the steps to our row, I notice 2 ladies with what appeared to be icy cokes on the little swingout tray and hope they’re Tom Cruise fans. So, I ask them “Is this Top Gun?” They chuckle and say “Yes”. Then I feel stupid for asking – so I have to explain to them about my ticket purchasing snafu. I’m just a simple caveman confused by these modern ways. They were very nice in saying there’s a lot of new things to get used to with this theater.
We’re 2 rows further back from the lady-guides. We settle into our seats and I’m a little concerned – how did THEY get those icy cokes? So, I go back to the lady-guides and ask them where they got their drinks. One of the ladies leans back and points to this big button on a diamond-shaped plate mounted on the sidewall and says just press that to summon a server and adds there’s menus in a sleeve under the swingout tray.
I return to our seats…uh oh – no big button on a sidewall…there’s no sidewall…I go back to the lady-guides. “Sorry to bother you again – and I promise we won’t follow you around all day – but there is no big button by our seats.” I’ll tell you what true leadership is all about – when someone has the natural instinct to jump up and serve their fellowman. Without any hesitation she sprang out of her seat – went over to our seats and pointed to the smaller diamond-shaped plate with button mounted below the post of the swingout tray. Great!!!!!! We thank her profusely.
Mind you, this is all before the movie starts – the theater has to brag about its enhanced viewing experience – we’re treated to a 360 degree speaker system and deep bass we could feel in our seats – kinda like the speaker orgasm scene in the movie Private Parts … what fun – here we are exploring the wonders of our seats (inuendo of your end – doh… a little Homer-esque pun there)…now they’re showing previews - I activate the server-summoning-system.
I’ll tell you another great quality of true leadership – they are genuinely concerned about everyone’s well-being. The lady-guide came over to our seats again and told us about another button on the side that activates the heated seats. Wow – I was again surprised how high-tech this theater was. Tonto told me later she’s was glad that lady revealed another mystery - because her bottom was getting uncomfortably warm – she unknowingly turned the heater on while searching for the server-summoning button…hmmmm just a coincidence or was that lady-guide walking by the spirit? I like to think she was really tapped in…aware of the needs of her people.
The server came by to take our order. “We’ll have 3 icy cokes and 2 orders of gourmet pre …” he interrupted me and said “The icy coke machine is down”. Damn! Oh well…we went with 3 regular cokes and split 2 orders of gourmet pretzels and settled in to enjoy a great movie…explosions and jet engines were beloved bowels of seismic-warmth…it’s funny with all the church-shopping we did after leaving TWI, how we finally found a satisfying denomination in the most unlikely place – at Our Ladies of Enhanced Viewing Experience.
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GeorgeStGeorge
I have not yet seen Resurgence, and it may be a couple of weeks before I do.
That said, if the original Independence Day writers were planning a sequel, I doubt they would have waited 20 years to release it, so I guess we just have to deal with the "orb" non-sequitur. (Maybe they'll release a new "Director's cut" of the original, with orbs, orbs, everywhere.)
I don't watch movies in 3D. Long story short, I only use one eye at a time (both work, it's a mental thing), so there's no point in spending the extra bucks for a special effect I won't perceive.
I don't mind being in mostly-empty theaters. In fact, it's why I never see a film on its opening weekend. Not even "Green Lantern." :o I think it's insane to stand in line for hours to see a movie that I can just walk into, the following week, and pick my seat.
George
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Human without the bean
Not 100% sure,,, but I've never been to a blockbuster on the opening weekend that I can recall. I know! What a boring existence I live. When I do go to the movies I like to go during the week or wait a few more weeks and then go on the weekends.
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GeorgeStGeorge
I saw "Resurgence" last weekend. I get T-Bone's point, but there really wasn't a lot about "we always had these orb icons" so much as "we just started to notice these orb icons -- I wonder how they relate to the aliens."
Fun movie. Not terrific, but fun.
George
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T-Bone
The last time i remember going to see a blockbuster movie on opening weekend was back in 1980 i think - stood in line for OVER two hours for a two hour movie - The Empire Strikes Back , and yeah i live a boring existence too.....i usually go during the week or wait awhile until all the fuss dies down. Plus i do not like crowds....even back in my concert going days as a teen.... yeah pack me in a tight space with a bunch of strangers whooping and hollerin' over the thrills and chills...naw - reminds me of being on a New York subway
.
i still managed to enjoy the movie on some level....just wanted an excuse to post in this forum i guess....and maybe just a little ticked off that i paid to see it in a theater....every review i heard about Resurgence was bad. i'll usually gather as much info and feedback about a movie that interests me long before i go to see it so i can manage expectations.....so the reviews were bad - but i threw frugal thinking aside - rather to wait until it was "free" on cable (yeah let's talk cable bill shall we) - i bought a movie ticket.
...and if i'm a big enough fan of a certain series or franchise i'll even buy the DVD instead of seeing it in the movies just to satisfy the fan / collector / hoarder in me - that's whether or not reviews were good or bad; i did that for the Fantastic Four movies (original cast and remake) just because they were my number one favorite comic book heroes back in my pre-teen days - and even though most reviews i read or heard were very critical...
..i don't know ....maybe i'm getting easier to please in my old age...goes along with my pragmatic philosophy of late - something is better than nothing....so i turn to my inner kid and say "hey, i've got the latest sucky movie of the Fantastic Four !" and my inner kid responds "something is better than nothing." which is true - there's not a whole lot of movies out there featuring the Fantastic Four....wonder if it's a conspiracy.
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WordWolf
The only time I remember seeing something the weekend it opened was, IIRC,
"Lord of the Rings-Fellowship of the Ring."
That was by accident.
I had gotten off work and walked past a movie theater. There was no crowd and no line
waiting to buy tickets. (There were people waiting but hardly a crowd.) I checked.
In a few minutes, the midnight showing was going to start (which would let out something
like 3:30am) and most people wanted to get home earlier than that or not stay up
all the way till the end. So, I shrugged, got a ticket, hit the concessions, and
enjoyed the movie, with only a few yawns once we hit 3am. (I was a serious nightowl.)
Otherwise, I can wait for a less-crowded matinee during the week or something.
And even moreso nowadays when I'm less interested in the latest offerings,
most of the time.
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T-Bone
i saw Star Trek: Beyond recently; i just wanted to say in general i really like what they've done with the Star Trek reboot (or prequels - or whatever you call 'em) the actors have all done a great job of portraying the crew in the early days - i think they pulled it off by not going so much for a look-alike as for an act-alike portrayal....well, i buy it anyway...i hope they keep it up - i have really enjoyed all the newer Star Treks.
Since this thread is more about my movie going experience rather than reviewing the movie itself ....i have to share a funny little incident - of me taking my daughter to the first reboot Star Trek (2009). There are two scenes when the movie goes to Kirk's home town of Riverside, Iowa...the first scene is when Kirk is a young lad hot rodding his dad's '65 corvette - as the scene opens the word "Iowa" is superimposed on the screen so you know where this is taking place.
when that location flashed upon the screen, my daughter - in a child's breathy voice filled with awe and wonder read it out loud Iowa - as if it were some far off mystical place like heaven or Shambhala or something; i then realized why she reacted like that - she had a thing for Iowa because one summer we let her go there to stay with her best friend and parents who had moved back there recently...anyway the folks around us within earshot started laughing over that...i was a little embarrassed - didn't want to have folks think we don't get out much - i whispered to my daughter - sssshhhh, don't talk so loud during the movie....
a little later - in another scene - the movie returns to Iowa where we see Kirk as a young man now in a bar in Iowa. Again to set up the scene, Iowa is superimposed on the screen at the top; instantly my daughter announces in that same awe and wonder filled voice Iowa...I've been there....as if to say "yes - that is an amazingly wonderful place - - and i've actually been there!" this gets an even bigger laugh from the folks around us....i also realized that sometimes it's the simple things that impress kids the most....and it's fun to experience things together with kids and sometimes see things through their eyes.
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Grace Valerie Claire
WW, I wondered when someone would mention that. I don't go to a lot of movie's nowadays, because I think a lot of them stink. However, I did see "Spotlight" a few years ago, and thought it was great. For those who haven't seen it, it's about the priest molesting scandal back in 2002. How cow! I had no idea how wide-spread it was!!
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Twinky
Spotlight - great movie. Not for the squeamish, though it's not so much about the molestation as the resistance to it being uncovered.
Lord of the Rings series - YEAH YEAH YEAH! I was in NZ when parts were being filmed. Went up Mt Ruapehu one blizzardy night and there was the film crew, setting up for the next day's filming. Don't recognize what they shot though. Bits are chopped and changed and interspersed. Love the NZ scenery as the background to so much. Plus, of course, they're great movies, even if they don't exactly follow the books.
But you can keep Star Trek.
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Twinky
Movie adultery...
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Grace Valerie Claire
Twinky, I think Patrick Stewart was great in the ST movies; but once he left, they went downhill. I didn't realize Lord of the Rings were filmed in NZ. I saw two of them, and thought they were great. I didn't like the books, but I loved the movies.
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GeorgeStGeorge
Whew! I was afraid someone would take them away.
George
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Human without the bean
I thought that NZ meant nazi until I read this. Now that must be New Zealand. It puts a different light on the subject now. That subject however doesn't appeal to me as I've never seen any of this particular franchise.
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T-Bone
Recently my son and I went to see Blade Runner 2049. It’s been out for a while and we decided to go on a week night - catch the 9:30PM show – we figured we’d have the theater mostly to ourselves. True to our expectations, there were not more than 10 or 12 folks (mostly guys…this ain’t no date movie…it’s for true blue sci-fi fans); hey, lounge chair recliners ! this is as close as it gets to having your own personal world-class home theater room. Before the movie started I could sense great anticipation judging by the animated buzz in the clusters of the randomly seated audience.
My only concern was this middle aged guy at the other end of our row that was going over every scene and detail of the original Blade Runner (1982) to his daughter/date/friend? (not sure of the relationship) – and he was loud – I thought he was either trying to impress her with his powers of total-movie-recall or he was trying to convince her this would be just as exciting as Thelma & Louise – only imagine them as biorobotic androids driving a car with jet propulsion that can easily fly over the Grand Canyon…which is now in L.A.…well…needless to say this guy was really excited about BR 2049…and I was worried he would talk and make comments throughout the entire film.
…Anyway….uhm…oh yeah…the movie, the movie…my son and I are fans of Philip K. Dick stories; we really enjoyed it – if you liked the Blade Runner (1982 ) I think you might enjoy this one; it’s not a reboot but a sequel – and picks up some 30 years later. The cinematography and sound track of BR 2049 kept with the same style as the first BR - which takes an imaginative look at the differences between humans and artificial intelligence…sometimes it’s almost overwhelming to the eyes and ears…so there’s a lot to take in besides the fascinating plot and themes.
As far as I’m concerned Blade Runner 2049 is the sleeper hit of the year – but not for anything that has to do with the movie. As I said at the start of this thread – it’s really not about the movie but about my movie going experience. BR 2049 is 2 hours and 44 minutes long …and praise the projector room gods, total-movie-recall dude was quiet!
…until about two thirds of the way through the movie...what's that I hear? the total-movie-recall dude is sawing logs…heavy duty like…as if he was juggling chainsaws in his sleep…I’m sure the entire audience could hear it during lulls in the movie soundtrack – which by the way was often punched with loud low-end frequencies from synthesizers and sound effects on the order of 4 stroke engines through electric bass amplifiers that go up to 11.
Interesting observation here - - his snoring appeared to be reactive to when the soundtrack volume ramped up – reminded me of something like an old-timey cartoon of the burglar sneaking by a sleeping night watchman of a jewelry store – the burglar steps on a creaky floorboard and the watchman stirs a little in his sleep. Well, so maybe the movie wasn’t your typical sleeper hit…more of a sleep-inducing hit – with this guy anyway. Blade Runner 2049 is a pretty engrossing show – and my son and I were really into it – so our neighbor sawing logs was no big distraction to us…besides I am not a confrontational-type person…and we kinda found the whole thing funny too.
Toward the latter part of the movie a guy three rows in front of Mr. ZZZZZZzzzzzz got out of his seat and bent down low he approaches total-movie-recall dude as one might try to awaken a freeway driver who dozed off behind the wheel (well maybe it wasn't that dangerous a situation but it was a very heroic act of bravery in my book) – he was shining a flashlight in the guy’s face while at the same time reaching out to shake one of his feet perched on the recliner’s extended footrest
( I know that’s what he was attempting to do because we caught up with He Who Attempts to Awake Another on the escalator down after the show and compared observations and theories – did the guy have a few drinks before the show? Why didn’t the lady he was with try to wake him? Was she faking sleep to avoid dealing with this situation ? was she faking sleep because she was embarrassed to be in this situation?...I can imagine conspiracy theories as complex as those about the JFK assassination coming out of this night! )
...oh yeah, oh yeah - back to the awakening attempt - at this point my son pointed a flashlight at He Who Attempts to Awake Another – which startles him so he withdraws – as if a burglar interrupted before he could steal another man’s sleep, he quickly retreated back to his seat – mission aborted. Monsieur Dormez-Vous remained asleep even as the credits began to roll by… We still have a good laugh about the whole thing – how odd and defiant of the mores of a civilized society.
I think good movies are ones that get you to think and talk about them long after the movie is over. And I must say, when relating all this to my friends who are also sci-fi fans - this has got to be the only movie that I’ve spent almost an equal amount of time talking about the great sleeper incident as much as Blade Runner 2049.
== == == == ==
Oh yeah…where was I? guess I better give a few movie-related details :
Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner (1982)
Philip K Dick on IMDB
Philip K Dick (from Wikipedia)
Edited by T-BoneBonus features
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T-Bone
As you may recall from the origin story of this thread, my movie going experience is more about the experience than the movie…well…maybe not an origin story – just a thread title.
My wife Tonto, daughter and I went to see Top Gun: Maverick at an EVO Cinemas theater…as stated on their website “In 2014, we set out on a mission to disrupt an industry with a new experience-focused approach to entertainment. Our goal was simple; create a state-of-the-art, one-stop entertainment destination…EVO has built a reputation as one the fastest growing independent cinema-circuit in the Nation, and a leader in the experiential-entertainment space.” From EVO Cinemas website . I’ll have more on my remarkable experience in a little bit – so let me just get a hasty review of the movie out of the way (with a little input from online reviews).
You gotta see it to believe it’s by far a better movie than the 1986 Top Gun. My wife and I did like the 1986 movie – “a slick presentation” as my wife put it…The special effects of the 1986 film were great – very convincing. But we were unconvinced there was any on-screen chemistry between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis (who played one of the instructors at the Navy’s elite flying school) – don’t know if it was the directing, screenplay, acting, editing or what but the chemistry between Cruise and McGillis - how they acted and talked when together on screen - seemed kinda klunky – like it was scripted by someone who was clueless of how two people in love might relate to each another…like the screenwriters / director thought in terms of photogenic cliches…keep in mind I’m talking about the 1986 Top Gun…I thought it was necessary to give a brief review of the 1986 film as a reference point for how much more realism I found in the 2022 Top Gun.
Perhaps most folks think of Cruise as more of an action hero than a serious actor. I think of him as both – off hand a few thoughtful roles come to mind. he’s portrayed emotionally torn characters in movies like Born on the Fourth of July Rain Man Vanilla Sky Jerry Maguire and The Firm
In the 2022 Top Gun, I felt like some of the high-speed action takes a backseat to the tension and conflict that unfolds between Cruise and one of his trainees “Rooster” – played by Miles Teller. “Rooster” is the son of “Goose” …speaking of backseat – “Goose” (played by Anthony Edwards) was Maverick's Radar Intercept Officer and best friend in the 1986 Top Gun.
Oh, there’s another throwback to the 1986 film that the 2022 gets into. There are several scenes that depict the slow boil competitiveness between “Rooster” and “Hangman” (played by Glen Powell). Tonto and I both agreed it was reminiscent of that subtle yet nervous hostility between 1986 Maverick and “Iceman” played by Val Kilmer – who also reappears in the 2022 film and is now the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet – outranking Maverick…and over the passing years “Iceman” has been instrumental in helping to keep Maverick involved in the Navy.
Watching Rooster and Hangman interact it’s unmistakable to see “Rooster” is like the young impetuous and daring Maverick of 1986 and “Hangman” is the cool, calm and ridiculously good-looking Iceman…After one heroic scene Maverick literally pounces on Rooster for coming to the rescue “what were you thinking?” to which Rooster yells back “You told me not to think!”
I won’t say anything else about the 1986 film if you haven’t seen it – and you’d probably enjoy this 2022 film as a standalone. But I think it’s even more satisfying as a sequel if you’re familiar with Maverick’s history.
If you check out some of these reviews you’ll see there’s a consensus that the 2022 film is superior not only in cinematography and special effects but in character development:
Top Gun: Maverick review by Tomris Laffly May 27, 2022
Grownup Filmgoers Make ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ a Historic Hit
and
"Top Gun: Maverick is a rare sequel that is not only better than the original but retroactively makes Top Gun's story altogether deeper."
"Top Gun: Maverick improves upon the original in every conceivable way and does so in a way that might make this one of the greatest sequels ever made." from: Screen Rant: Why Top Gun: Maverick Reviews Are So Positive
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And now…drum roll please…the moment you’ve all been waiting for…my latest movie going experience.
The high-tech manner in which I had to purchase tickets was a confusing foretaste of the ultramodern and personally challenging wonders to come. In the theater lobby - minus any living/breathing staff – I had to walk up to a touch screen – and like purchasing a plane ticket from a human-less kiosk at most modern airports - I had to choose the movie, the showtime, and seats – using the “next” button after each choice.
I ran into a snag at picking 3 seats together – “the system” kept giving me this complicated re-pick message – thankfully Tonto figured it out – I was messing up theater seating arrangements by completing a row with one empty seat in the middle…By the way – there were only about 20 people in our show, but you know how bossy “the system” can be – so I picked 3 seats starting in another row. I pay with a debit card and the machine spits out 3 tickets with the alphanumerical message “Top Gun: Maverick EVX 1”...the EVX 1 at the end hit me as some kinda cryptic clue...what did it mean? Is there another version of Top Gun: Maverick I wasn't aware of?
“The System” also offered up a drink menu. Great! Beforehand we all talked about getting icy cokes and those fancy gourmet pretzels mmmmmmmm. I touch on the icy coke icon. Bummer – they’re out.
We enter the main hallway – now here’s the next challenge. There are no little marquees by each theater entrance to indicate what’s playing inside. We stand there in utter puzzlement. Ah ha! I notice above one door is “EVX 1” in glowing red. Feeling like I had Tom Hanks’ expertise in the DaVinci code we enter EVX 1. I later found out EVX stands for Enhanced Viewing Experience.
I’m still not sure if we’re in the right place. As we’re walking up the steps to our row, I notice 2 ladies with what appeared to be icy cokes on the little swingout tray and hope they’re Tom Cruise fans. So, I ask them “Is this Top Gun?” They chuckle and say “Yes”. Then I feel stupid for asking – so I have to explain to them about my ticket purchasing snafu. I’m just a simple caveman confused by these modern ways. They were very nice in saying there’s a lot of new things to get used to with this theater.
We’re 2 rows further back from the lady-guides. We settle into our seats and I’m a little concerned – how did THEY get those icy cokes? So, I go back to the lady-guides and ask them where they got their drinks. One of the ladies leans back and points to this big button on a diamond-shaped plate mounted on the sidewall and says just press that to summon a server and adds there’s menus in a sleeve under the swingout tray.
I return to our seats…uh oh – no big button on a sidewall…there’s no sidewall…I go back to the lady-guides. “Sorry to bother you again – and I promise we won’t follow you around all day – but there is no big button by our seats.” I’ll tell you what true leadership is all about – when someone has the natural instinct to jump up and serve their fellowman. Without any hesitation she sprang out of her seat – went over to our seats and pointed to the smaller diamond-shaped plate with button mounted below the post of the swingout tray. Great!!!!!! We thank her profusely.
Mind you, this is all before the movie starts – the theater has to brag about its enhanced viewing experience – we’re treated to a 360 degree speaker system and deep bass we could feel in our seats – kinda like the speaker orgasm scene in the movie Private Parts … what fun – here we are exploring the wonders of our seats (inuendo of your end – doh… a little Homer-esque pun there)…now they’re showing previews - I activate the server-summoning-system.
I’ll tell you another great quality of true leadership – they are genuinely concerned about everyone’s well-being. The lady-guide came over to our seats again and told us about another button on the side that activates the heated seats. Wow – I was again surprised how high-tech this theater was. Tonto told me later she’s was glad that lady revealed another mystery - because her bottom was getting uncomfortably warm – she unknowingly turned the heater on while searching for the server-summoning button…hmmmm just a coincidence or was that lady-guide walking by the spirit? I like to think she was really tapped in…aware of the needs of her people.
The server came by to take our order. “We’ll have 3 icy cokes and 2 orders of gourmet pre …” he interrupted me and said “The icy coke machine is down”. Damn! Oh well…we went with 3 regular cokes and split 2 orders of gourmet pretzels and settled in to enjoy a great movie…explosions and jet engines were beloved bowels of seismic-warmth…it’s funny with all the church-shopping we did after leaving TWI, how we finally found a satisfying denomination in the most unlikely place – at Our Ladies of Enhanced Viewing Experience.
Edited by T-BoneEnhanced Editing Experience
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