OT - Movies and TV

[WayOutWest]

Seen a few movies so far.

Spiderman III - pretty good movie but did not live up to the hype, still it was worth the price of admission.
Shrek III - disappointing.  No where near as good as the first two, should have waited for video.
Meet the Robinsons - Horrid movie, seemed like they were writting the script as the movie was playing, waste of money should have waited for video.
Pirates of the Carribean III - Sucked!  Made PotC II look like a masterpiece, actually I liked II.
Surfs Up - IMO it sucked, intertaining in short spurts but for the most part just a 2nd tier animated flick.

Can't wait for Transformers, hope it doesn't bomb.  I can't get myself to sit through Fantastic 4, just not interested, I doubt I'll see the Silver Surfer.  I just have never been in to F4, for all I know the movie might be good.

WTF with the Sopranos?  IMO the ending was one of the most suspenseful couple of minutes on TV EVER, but the ending left me a little bummed.  I love how those last few minutes really drew me in and I haven't felt that anxios about a movie/tv show EVER, just for that I give it a big thumbs up.

[Derek Bodner]

Spiderman 3: Agree that it was still entertaining, but a notch below the first two.  My main gripe with it was the CGI.  On the one hand, I thought Sandman and Venom looked INCREDIBLE.  Top rate CGI there.  However, the fight scenes (and movement overall) between Spiderman/Parker and the Goblin I thought looked incredibly fake.  I also think they just tried to pack too much into it.  Between the alien suit, Venom, Goblin, the love story, and Sandman, none of them got the attention they deserved.
Shrek the Third: Not as good as the first two, but I don't think it was bad.  I still think it was very, very funny.  It's not novel anymore, and therefore feels a little rehashed.  But standing on it's own, not compared to the first two, I still think it's a very funny movie.

Haven't seen either Pirates or Surfs Up.  Not expecting much from Pirates, I thought Surfs Up looked at least somewhat entertaining from previews.  Can't wait for Transformers (as much of a dork as that makes me).  I'll wait for FF until it comes out on video.  I think Silver Surfer looks cool, but the first one was so bad I just can't get excited for this one.

I agree on Sopranos.  I thought those 8 minutes or so of the Diner was great.  I thought the ending was horrible.  Regardless of which way you were meant to infer it ended (Tony getting shot and the world "going black and not hearing anything", or Tony living on in a world of fear), I don't think the screen abruptly going black works.  If Tony was killed, I think we needed some confirmation he was killed.  I didn't need to see him shot, but when we were watching Meadow come in, all we needed to see was a look of horror on her face, then the screen go black and silent.  If Tony wasn't killed (and I don't think he was meant to be), then the whole "screen going black" thing created ambiguity that I don't think was necessary.  And I really hate that  we have to sit here and decide whether he was killed or not.  I do not like ambiguous endings.  After 9 years in development, I think this is a plotline that shouldn't be ambiguous.

I also think the war with NY, which had been built of up 3 years, was a little underwhelming.  I would have liked some betrayal or something involved in there.  Phil getting whacked was nice, but more could and should have been done there.

[westkoast]

Spiderman III was lame.  I have to deal with EMO kids all the time and to see them try to play into that was beyond corny.  Plus how can you have 3 villains in one movie?  Sandman should not have been included IMO.  The whole suit/venom story alone should have been it's own seperate movie.

I saw knocked up this past weekend and it was a very funny movie.  Not too much on the girly, chick-flick side as you would think.  Worth going to see with the significant other.  It is a mutually pleasing movie as you get to see the male perspective and the female perspective on the whole ordeal of getting 'knocked up'

I am very disapointed in the Sopranos.  The end was not suspenseful for me at all.  The reason being is that just 10 minutes earlier they showed Tony making a truce with Phil's crew and giving him the okay to kill him.  The people out to gun him wanted to stop even prior to the meeting so why should he have to be worried about getting whacked by them?  Also..why go into such detail about AJ in this episode?  Why even bother the last few episodes.  I don't know anyone who even cared about getting closure for AJ. 

 If Tony did get shot a gun firing sound would have been heard before it went black.  This whole 'choose your own ending' is crap.  If nothing shows up on a DVD or in a movie it's crap.

[JoMal]

I think they will have to do a Sopranos movie, based on that ending. Besides, it would no doubt create some money - real money - for the cast and creators of the show. Hard not to consider that.

No one here watches "The Shield"? After watching that show, I feel like I need to take a shower to wash the grime off of me. While "The Sopranos" comes close, there is nothing quite like watching a questionable cop anti-hero going at it against everyone in authority and slipping and sliding his way out of trouble.

[Skandery]

Spiderman III -- Was just too jampacked.  I mean three main villains revolving around the duality of the main character was just too much.  Also I didn't like that Sam Raimi was essentially making fun of Venom because he didn't like the character and so much as said he put him in there for the fans, only.  Well, its great you did that for the fans and all, Sammy, some effort into the character would've been nice, too.

PofC III - Godawful!!  The second movie was bad but at least I enjoyed myself.  The third movie was a horrible, incomprehensible, mish-mash of disappointment and histrionics.  You could also tell that the writers were just making things up as they went along (dude's wooden eyeball was one of the pieces...very hokey).  Depp didn't do anything new but at least his talent overshadows his subpar performance, something Knightly and Bloom couldn't count on.  I still liked Geoffrey Rush and Bill Nighy but one was buried under cliche dialogue and the other's character was reduced to insignificance by what passed for a plot.  As if all that wasn't bad enough, you couldn't HEAR the freakin' dialogue.  They had the special effects and music cranked to the gills that you couldn't even hear what the characters were saying to each other.  Ugghh!!  Horrible, horrible movie.    

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Transformers - I'm really looking forward to this but remain extremely wary of Michael Bay as the director.  Come on, Michael, please, please have a story we care about, have some 3-dimensional characters, don't just rely on explosions and cgi, please, Michael.

Rise of Silver Surfer - This one I'm really, really looking forward to, and not because I'm a fan of the FF but I've always loved the Silver Surfer character.  And if they stick to the comic story, I'm going to see the biggest bad-a$$ in the Marvel Universe, LIVE ACTION!  I'm not spoiling it for anyone, but the character's name starts with a G.    

[westkoast]

^---I feel the same way Skand.  I've always loved the Silver Surfer.  Was one of my favorite characters in comic books when I was heavy into them as a child.  The first FF movie was boring to say the least, Jessica Alba or not, but I like SS so much I am willing to shoot myself in the other foot this time around.

[Reality]

POTC.  If you two liked 2, which i hated, and yet say 3 sucks more then 2, then 3 i will avoid like the plague.
Spider 3 concur.  Two much camera jumping around and overdone fights with jumpy plotlines.  

Surfs Up i got the feeling that was just gonna be a filler movie trying to cash in on the penguins.
Shrek 3 what Derek said.

I'm not into the Sopranos, but i do follow the ET industry.  Here is an interview with director David Chase along with several comments on the finale plot.
http://blog.silive.com/advanceupdate/2007/06/exclusive_an_interview_with_so.html

Also, remember when 5-6 of the main actors held out between 6a-6b.  After they settled, then James G (Tony) injured his knee and required surgery.  The surgery set back shooting 2 months in addition to what the contract nego set back.  IMO this had to affect the final season.  One of the main grouches i hear is that in 6b the Sops had way to much filler time on silly sideplots and characters who did not hold out (AJ -Tonys son) and yet the final few eps tried to cram too much in without proper wrap ups.  Furthering this, I'm told if you watch the final 2 eps that Tony and his wife are always shot seperately, meaning filmed seperately.  

Not a way to go out of a 7 year 88 episode blockbuster.

Agree with Jomal, a movie will happen, money will talk.  Spok of star trek said he would never do another after both the tv show and Trek 1, so did James Bond guy, on and on.

[jn]

Saw Hot Fuzz this weekend.  It's another amusing genre parody from the same people who made Shaun of the Dead, the brilliant zombie/horror movie parody.  Hot Fuzz takes on cop buddy movies and throws in a couple sly references to spaghetti westerns and Chinatown in the process. 

Also saw Deja Vu recently.  It's a mess.  Avoid it.

[WayOutWest]

Rise of Silver Surfer - This one I'm really, really looking forward to, and not because I'm a fan of the FF but I've always loved the Silver Surfer character.  And if they stick to the comic story, I'm going to see the biggest bad-a$$ in the Marvel Universe, LIVE ACTION!  I'm not spoiling it for anyone, but the character's name starts with a G.    

I don't care about spoilers, just alert others.  Not sure who the G character is, the baddest of the baddest I ever read in Marvel comics was that one guy who could just "think" of something and it would happen.  I remember he got challenge by some or all the Marvel comic hero's, he just thought of them not existing and it happened, end of all the super heros, the last page was all white, everyone and everything was gone.

[WayOutWest]

I think they will have to do a Sopranos movie, based on that ending.

That was my second thought after WTF!  The last episode was a movie setup.

[westkoast]

Rise of Silver Surfer - This one I'm really, really looking forward to, and not because I'm a fan of the FF but I've always loved the Silver Surfer character.  And if they stick to the comic story, I'm going to see the biggest bad-a$$ in the Marvel Universe, LIVE ACTION!  I'm not spoiling it for anyone, but the character's name starts with a G.   

I don't care about spoilers, just alert others.  Not sure who the G character is, the baddest of the baddest I ever read in Marvel comics was that one guy who could just "think" of something and it would happen.  I remember he got challenge by some or all the Marvel comic hero's, he just thought of them not existing and it happened, end of all the super heros, the last page was all white, everyone and everything was gone.

I am assuming it is Galactus, he was Silver Surfers "boss" in the comics

[Reality]

"Open" is a Dublin shot film about guy plays street music, wants to land deal.  Guy meets passerbyer girl, she also plays.  It's one you can take your other half to.  The 1st 30 minutes are a snore, but it grows on you after that.  I'm not saying it's great, some will consider it chickflick/Hillcresty but all in all its okay pretty good.
The music gets better as the film goes on.

The Lot.  Director wannabes competing American Idol style including arrogant Hollywood sell out judges.  However some of the individual short short films are great.  I thought Dough: The Musical was pretty creative.  It's a bit cornball but its supposed to be.  Plot/storyline/poetry lyrics i give it kudos.
http://www.thelot.com/episodes/?ep=3&vd=68

[Skandery]

I am assuming it is Galactus, he was Silver Surfers "boss" in the comics

Darn it, wk!!!  You ruined for the handfull of people that might have gone to see it.  

Ah well.  Que sera.  Anyways, its all just 100% conjecture on my part since I haven't seen a sliver of footage on Galactus or foreshadowing in all the numerous previews, but if he's in the movie and rendered even half-way decently, the rest of the movie can be Baboon droppings and I'll love it. 

Also saw Deja Vu recently.  It's a mess.  Avoid it.

jn, you were a couple days late with this warning.  I saw it last Friday, completely agree, a mess.  I think its the duty of all movie-makers to at least try and suspend disbelief.  Instead the lynchpin of the plot was gimmicky and didn't hold very well. 

[Skandery]

Not sure who the G character is, the baddest of the baddest I ever read in Marvel comics was that one guy who could just "think" of something and it would happen.  I remember he got challenge by some or all the Marvel comic hero's, he just thought of them not existing and it happened, end of all the super heros, the last page was all white, everyone and everything was gone.

I don't know if you're talking Proteus (Kevin McTaggart), Franklin Richards, or Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) here. 

Proteus had pretty vast psionic powers but he never suspended existence.  Everyone was afraid Franklin (Son of Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman) would, but I don't think he ever did either.  Scarlet Witch blamed her father's (Magneto) madness on mutants and ended the existence of all mutants, that was recent actually.  That's about all I can think of.  Any more clues who the character was?       

[westkoast]

I am assuming it is Galactus, he was Silver Surfers "boss" in the comics

Darn it, wk!!!  You ruined for the handfull of people that might have gone to see it.  

Ah well.  Que sera.  Anyways, its all just 100% conjecture on my part since I haven't seen a sliver of footage on Galactus or foreshadowing in all the numerous previews, but if he's in the movie and rendered even half-way decently, the rest of the movie can be Baboon droppings and I'll love it. 

Also saw Deja Vu recently.  It's a mess.  Avoid it.

jn, you were a couple days late with this warning.  I saw it last Friday, completely agree, a mess.  I think its the duty of all movie-makers to at least try and suspend disbelief.  Instead the lynchpin of the plot was gimmicky and didn't hold very well. 

Anyone who is hyped up about Silver Surfer has to know he is going to be in the movie.  I already know the plot of the movie and how it is going to end but will still go see it anyways.  If you want a real spoiler W.O.W.......

Man I forgot Hot Fuzz was out.  Shaun of the Dead is a personal classic of mine.