300

[Jim]

Hi Pete, :wub:

BECAUSE!!!

Why do I need to explain WHY "I" enjoyed the Movie...besides what reason could I give You & Others other than Major Eye Candy, Major Action and a hell of a lot of Fun...> IMO your opinion is, IS, IS Your Opinion, and that is a good thing hehe :)

If I were to list my favorite really good Movies chances are you or someone else might disagree with "MY" choice. I LOVED the 300, others did Not, I'm not going to try to change their or your minds. :rolleyes:

ps: I went to see it again only 2 weeks later, It's a must see for the Big screen and yes I purchased the DVD Directors Cut :w00t:

edit: One persons TRASH is another persons Treasure!

[--Pete]

Hi King Jim,

Is it still good to be king? :)

Why do I need to explain WHY "I" enjoyed the Movie

Because otherwise it's a short conversation:

Pete: I didn't like 300
King Jim: I did.
.
.
.
.
Pete: Hmm, nice weather, eh?

...besides what reason could I give You & Others other than Major Eye Candy, Major Action and a hell of a lot of Fun...

Well, 'Major Eye Candy' and 'Major Action' are reasons -- good ones, too. But 'a hell of a lot of Fun' is just another way of saying you liked it -- valid opinion, but not shared by me.;)

If I were to list my favorite really good Movies chances are you or someone else might disagree with "MY" choice.

Yep. Then again, I (or someone else) might just add them to my NetFlix queue. I'm always looking for movie suggestions (well, at least until I get more mobile :whistling: ).

--Pete

[kandrathe]

I'm always looking for movie suggestions (well, at least until I get more mobile :whistling: ).

I saw "The International" recently, and found it to be worthy although somewhat cliche'. I appreciated the concept of bankers working to control the world with debt.

[Chesspiece_face]

I saw "The International" recently, and found it to be worthy although somewhat cliche'. I appreciated the concept of bankers working to control the world with debt.

I've added this to my instant queue recently but haven't had the chance to watch it yet.

And since it seems the productive side of this topic is to recommend other movie choices (and I know Pete also has instant watch from netflix) here are some of the ones I enjoy:

Television Shows:
- This American Life
- Lost (If you have any interest in this show and haven't watched it all, Instant watch is awesome. It has everything up to the current season.)
- 30 Rock (Consistently Hilarious.)

Movies you may have missed:
- Synecdoche, New York (The most recent from Charlie Kaufman. As he is also director on this film he is given a lot of rope to hang himself. Not nearly as good as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - also on Instant Watch. But still worth a watch.)
- Old Boy (Korean thriller with the prize ending. The sequels Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance are also Instant Watchable.)
- The Proposition (Everything you want in a western only in Australia.)
- Let the Right One In (Swedish Vampire Children.)
- The Royal Tenenbaums (Really? You missed this?)

[--Pete]

Hi,

. . . (and I know Pete also has instant watch from netflix) . . .

I do, indeed, and love it. It is a great way to check out films that you'd otherwise give a pass. No need to spend any time or effort -- simply start it and if it isn't to your taste, one click and it's gone. I know, I sound like an ad for NetFlix, but it really is great. I just wish that there were more available. Some of the ones I'd like to check out are still DVD only.

Thanks for the recommendations, to you and kandrathe. I'll give them a shot (and perhaps rant or rave as needed):)

--Pete

EDIT: Rather than adding additional posts to this thread, I'll make my comments in edits.

The International: A well executed tailing sequence, locations across a third of the world, some good (understandable) Italian, and a machine pistol shoot-out in the Guggenheim. What's not to like?:) I agree with kandrathe's cliché comment. Besides the plot, there were a number of visual and audible clichés -- as well as a couple of Zen koan like statements. In some ways, it struck me as being something like Adam Hall would have written (anyone else remember Quiller?) except not as polished. Well worth the time.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind : Almost shut it down after 30 minutes which was only a little bit after the opening credit. The delayed opening credits and the Joycean time loop trick were only two of the blatant movie clichés that marred this film. The plot was entirely too complex, with too many stories intertwining, and just too much coincidence. It was almost as if the writer, unable to come up with one good story, decided to give us four (or five?) mediocre ones. The supporting roles were all caricatures -- stock amoral scientist, stock nerdy and irresponsible lab rats, stock druggie bubble-head secretary, and stock jealous and jaded wife. The main characters were somewhat more interesting, but not very likable. At the end of the movie, I really didn't give much of a damn what happened to them. I hesitated between giving it two or three stars, decided on three because of the interesting, existential, way they handled the dream sequences.

The Proposition : The opening credits were to the sound of a little kid (kids?) singing. That's one of my pet peeves. The opening scene is an overly violent gunfight. That's two more of my pet peeves -- starting in media res and unnecessary violence. Besides, I find gunfights and car chases to be two of the most boring clichés in film making. Once I got past that, I sat through another half hour of poor acting, insipid dialog (they need Clint Eastwood and his red pencil), nice pictures of ugly scenery, and total lack of plot development before I shut it off. Two stars, and one was almost a gift.

The Royal Tenenbaums: I made it 30 minutes into this one. I don't know if that 30 minutes were prologue and the real film would eventually start, or if the whole thing was going to be that boring -- and I no longer care. There was great potential there but not much was done with it and I got tired of waiting. There are, literally, millions of books I haven't read and movies I haven't seen, so I see no reason to spend my time on anything I don't fully enjoy. I can't really analyze why I didn't enjoy this one -- probably just a matter of taste.

Lost: Early impression (we've only watched the pilot and the first three or four shows). Sue (Magi) loves it. I'm enjoying it a lot for the interesting concept and the strong character presentations. The interactions among the characters are interesting and, so far, interestingly developed through successive levels. Personally, I have a hard time getting past a number of technical issues such as the inconsistency of the wreckage field and the existence of survivors, the break up of a plane by a downdraft, the loss of all (mutually redundant) communication systems, the existence of a radio beacon which has run apparently unattended for 16 years, and the use of cell phones to pick up that signal (clearly, whoever wrote that has no concept of frequency, types of modulation, and encoding). My other problems are believing that so few people would act rationally in those circumstances, and that any sane person would destroy one of their greatest assets (the fuselage) to make a pyre which they could just as easily have built on the open beach. We'll see how well they do as the stories unfold -- I'll add more (maybe) later.

[vor_lord]

I didn't like 300 because it was bad history, I disliked it because it was crappy (IMO) entertainment.

Same here. I don't know anything about the history involved, so historical inaccuracy wasn't a factor. I still found it unwatchable. I don't do well with movies that have no story, or a story that makes no sense, or characters that don't act anything like human beings would.

[Jim]

Hi my Old friend :wub:

Yes it's good to be the King...[a line from the movie "History of the World Part 1] :P
Are you seeking a good conversation ...[a line from one of my favorite movies "The Last Samurai" :P

The critics write a review based on their personal feeling not based on an appreciation for the craft, critics can't Make a movie nor can they Act in one, so what is left for them save that they are only good at ruining YOUR possible enjoyment of a movie...I do NOT refer to a movie review before I decide to see a move. I choose a movie based on the Plot & Who is in it :rolleyes:

Pete: I didn't like 300
King Jim: I did.
.Pete: Why?
.Jim: Because!
.Pete: Because WHY?
.Jim: Because it was a very enjoyable entertainment experience for "ME" !!!
Pete: Hmm, nice weather, eh?
Jim: Depends where your home is, Cold, windy & wet or Sunny dry & Hot Arizona :)

[Taem]

I'll tell you that whom you watch a movie with changes how you feel about the movie. When I watch Event Horizon or The Ring (my two favorite horror movies) by myself in the dark, I get that giddy yet ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Recently however, I have been watching (pre-approved) horror movies with my 13-year old son and the feeling is not the same. He understands the movies concepts but, perhaps because I hyped them up too much, did not find them scary at all and I, for lack of a better word, could "feel" his emotion and it overrode mine. The movies felt tired and dry even though I knew I liked the movies on my own. When I watch horror movies with my wife, I get almost overly excited to the point of being nauseous - I love it - and she hates watching them because they make her on edge and stomach feels queasy. Equally, when we watch teenage angst movies, I find myself getting strangely involved in the show when my son is watching them and sitting next to me, yet on my own I wouldn't even bother with this type of regurgitation. I don't know why I "feel" what the person next to me feels when watching a movie, and if this happens to anyone else but me, however I'm sure whom you choose to watch a movie with will ultimately change the way you enjoy the movie, rather you realize it or not.

[Jim]

Hi Van ;)

I liked both Far & Away and Titanic, both are in my Sony 400 DVD player which contains 343 Recorded DVDs from Cable, about 1100 movies total [I put 3 movies on one DVD] only 57 DVD slots open...My HHD on my DVD Recorder has another 70+ movies that might go on a DVD if I enjoy them and would like to see again. IF I watch 1 movie a night it would take me 3 years to view them ALL. Not counting the ones I purchased like Box sets & Director cut DVDs:wub:

The character in Titanic...> Billy Zane...Caledon 'Cal' Hockley
The character in Far & Away...> Thomas Gibson...Stephen Chase [not sure]

How could a person who loves RPG Fantacy games not like the 300 "That is the Question?" :P

Happy Holidays,
Uncle Jim
============

Edit: go here for Movie INFO: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/

[--Pete]

Hi,

Not all movies from a comic book are bad.

Indeed, not. I watched the ultimate cut of Watchmen two nights ago. Technically, a very good movie. Nice integration of comic book animation into a comic book based film. Interesting plot developed in a non-linear manner that builds tension nicely. No real character development and a few too many clichés. Overall, an enjoyable experience -- I'd recommend it as a rental, but not as a purchase.

--Pete

And, for those that missed it earlier in the thread, a cut and past of some other reviews.

The International: A well executed tailing sequence, locations across a third of the world, some good (understandable) Italian, and a machine pistol shoot-out in the Guggenheim. What's not to like? I agree with kandrathe's cliché comment. Besides the plot, there were a number of visual and audible clichés -- as well as a couple of Zen koan like statements. In some ways, it struck me as being something like Adam Hall would have written (anyone else remember Quiller?) except not as polished. Well worth the time.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Almost shut it down after 30 minutes which was only a little bit after the opening credit. The delayed opening credits and the Joycean time loop trick were only two of the blatant movie clichés that marred this film. The plot was entirely too complex, with too many stories intertwining, and just too much coincidence. It was almost as if the writer, unable to come up with one good story, decided to give us four (or five?) mediocre ones. The supporting roles were all caricatures -- stock amoral scientist, stock nerdy and irresponsible lab rats, stock druggie bubble-head secretary, and stock jealous and jaded wife. The main characters were somewhat more interesting, but not very likable. At the end of the movie, I really didn't give much of a damn what happened to them. I hesitated between giving it two or three stars, decided on three because of the interesting, existential, way they handled the dream sequences.

The Proposition: The opening credits were to the sound of a little kid (kids?) singing. That's one of my pet peeves. The opening scene is an overly violent gunfight. That's two more of my pet peeves -- starting in media res and unnecessary violence. Besides, I find gunfights and car chases to be two of the most boring clichés in film making. Once I got past that, I sat through another half hour of poor acting, insipid dialog (they need Clint Eastwood and his red pencil), nice pictures of ugly scenery, and total lack of plot development before I shut it off. Two stars, and one was almost a gift.

The Royal Tenenbaums: I made it 30 minutes into this one. I don't know if that 30 minutes were prologue and the real film would eventually start, or if the whole thing was going to be that boring -- and I no longer care. There was great potential there but not much was done with it and I got tired of waiting. There are, literally, millions of books I haven't read and movies I haven't seen, so I see no reason to spend my time on anything I don't fully enjoy. I can't really analyze why I didn't enjoy this one -- probably just a matter of taste.

Lost: Early impression (we've only watched the pilot and the first three or four shows). Sue (Magi) loves it. I'm enjoying it a lot for the interesting concept and the strong character presentations. The interactions among the characters are interesting and, so far, interestingly developed through successive levels. Personally, I have a hard time getting past a number of technical issues such as the inconsistency of the wreckage field and the existence of survivors, the break up of a plane by a downdraft, the loss of all (mutually redundant) communication systems, the existence of a radio beacon which has run apparently unattended for 16 years, and the use of cell phones to pick up that signal (clearly, whoever wrote that has no concept of frequency, types of modulation, and encoding). My other problems are believing that so few people would act rationally in those circumstances, and that any sane person would destroy one of their greatest assets (the fuselage) to make a pyre which they could just as easily have built on the open beach. We'll see how well they do as the stories unfold -- I'll add more (maybe) later.

[[wcip]Angel]

Pete:
I'd love to get your thoughts on "The Wire", what I consider one of the best-crafted series in memory.

For those of you who know the show: (warning: Spoilerific!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qulcqNMHVic...player_embedded

[--Pete]

Hi,

Resurrected because I finally got around to finishing one.

- Let the Right One In (Swedish Vampire Children.)

That was a movie I enjoyed a lot, even if it took almost six months for me to finish it (probably longer than it took to make). Usually, when I'm watching a movie or TV, I'm also doing something else, like posting or playing the AH. So movies with subtitles I only watch now and again. This one was particularly good, and I really cannot say why. But the final lesson came through loud and clear: never mess with a kid who has a vampire for a girlfriend.

In a semi-related note: I also watched Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Now, Aliens vs. Predator was, IMO, a good action flick. Both franchises have been pushed far beyond their source, but AvP was better than most sequels. But AvP:R was a total loss. You'd have to fluff up the characters to make them cardboard. The plot consisted of one cliché after another, including the 'surprise ending' (i.e., tag to base the next sequel on). And, of course, Reiko Aylesworth playing Sigourney Weaver playing Ripley. Best part of the movie: the black on black special effects.

--Pete

[Chesspiece_face]

Resurrected because I finally got around to finishing one.

- Let the Right One In (Swedish Vampire Children.)

--Pete

Some new stuff on Instant Watch that I'm enjoying:

Zombieland

The Great Race - Absolute classic, I don't think I can ever get tired of watching this.

Brick - A noir murder mystery wrapped in a high school shell. I really enjoyed this even if the noir-ish writing is cumbersome at times.

Moon - I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this one before but it recently came up on Instant and Sam Rockwell consistently hits it out of the park.

Black Dynamite - Nuff said.

I've also been totally swamped enjoying Futurama and the nostalgia factor of watching Robotech again and I eventually want to get around to Antichrist but that one is a little heavy for me right now.

[DeeBye]

Some new stuff on Instant Watch that I'm enjoying:
Zombieland
Moon - I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this one before but it recently came up on Instant and Sam Rockwell consistently hits it out of the park.

I haven't watched the others you mentioned, but these two movies were great. Moon is engrossing and Zombieland is just plain fun (but with zombies).

Another one I recently saw that I liked a lot was The Losers. Totally a testosterone-fueled actionfest, but I loved all the characters and it kept me entertained.

[--Pete]

Hi,

Continuing my mini critiques;

Just finished God on Trial. Highly recommend it, I gave it 5/5. While the production values were minimal, the concept, the discussions, the ideas were excellent. Entertainment that makes you think

The only fault I found was minor. On two occasions they showed the prisoners nude. The actors were well fed, healthy men. I just couldn't reconcile that with the films and pictures I've seen of concentration camp prisoners. Neither scene was absolutely necessary, and either could have been done differently. Stupid point, but that's just me.

--Pete

[--Pete]

Hi,

Pete:
I'd love to get your thoughts on "The Wire", what I consider one of the best-crafted series in memory.

And I'd love to give them to you. Unfortunately, it seems that it is HBO only, and I don't pay for premium channels, so I've never seen it.

BTW: Anyone know how to escape [ and ] in the quote tag? I've tried [noparse], \, /, ~. Any Ideas?

--Pete

[kandrathe]

BTW: Anyone know how to escape [ and ] in the quote tag? I've tried [noparse], \, /, ~. Any Ideas?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "escape [ and ]". Would you explain more?

[Kevin]

BTW: Anyone know how to escape [ and ] in the quote tag? I've tried [noparse], \, /, ~. Any Ideas?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "escape [ and ]". Would you explain more?

It's a coding term. The [ ] characters are interpreted. They are used to mark tags in this forum software. Pete wants to know what the escape character is so that the forum software doesn't interpret the bracket but instead prints it, in the quote tag. Just try quoting something from [wcip]Angel and hitting preview and you'll probably see why.

I believe it's called an escape character because you are escaping the interpreter when you use it. I know my perl print statements get loaded with \ so that it won't parse certain symbols and just print them.

[LennyLen]

Just try quoting something from [wcip]Angel and hitting preview and you'll probably see why.

I have no idea what you mean...

Pete:
I'd love to get your thoughts on "The Wire", what I consider one of the best-crafted series in memory.

For those of you who know the show: (warning: Spoilerific!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qulcqNMHVic...player_embedded

I used HTML entity codes. There's a list of them here.

[--Pete]

Hi,

. . .

I used HTML entity codes. There's a list of them here.

Why, thank you, Lenny. Although that doesn't answer the question, it does solve the problem and that's good enough.

--Pete