Modern Political Hysteria Ruins Film

[corplinx]

I just saw "Children of Men". What a waste of celluloid. This will be an oscar contender to the people who really think "things are headed this way" but look like the work of a pretentious junior high mind to serious people.

In the future, we're locking up illegal immigrants in ghettos and bombing ourselves to blame terrorists and blah blah blah blah blah.

V for Vendetta is a film in the post 911 world that tries to be a stark warning of sorts. Of course, V was the sophomoric reaction of its comic novel author to the Thatcher administration.

However, V was at least a good movie to forgive the deliberate and obvious allusions it was making.

Edited to add: I actually went into this film to see a clive owen/michael caine movie with scifi leanings. Instead I saw an extremely drawn out and boring film that was too busy trying to make a point. Mind you, I liked Tarkovsky's Stalker so I can deal with long and slow.

[Dancing David]

Well, I always believed that the KGB was behind certain bombings that lead to certain wars. Thanks for the warning.

The Village was sort of like pastry, it was pleasing to the senses but unsatisfy-ing. At least it could be a comment of Luddites in general.

[Cain]

_Slate's_ in-house film critic, Dana Stevens (I preferred David Edelstein), claims it's the best movie of the millenium. Forget about that **** for a second. Who else think Clive Owen rocked in _The Closer_? I thought V for Vendetta was average at best.

[Darat]

...snip...


s. Instead I saw an extremely drawn out and boring film that was too busy trying to make a point. ....

Sounds like they were true to the book!

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Who else think Clive Owen rocked in _The Closer_?


I don't know about "The Closer", but he was very good (as was the rest of the cast) in "Closer", one of the 10 best films of 2004.

[HarryKeogh]

I don't know about "The Closer", but he was very good (as was the rest of the cast) in "Closer", one of the 10 best films of 2004.

Clive Owen would have made a cool James Bond.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Clive Owen would have made a cool James Bond.

Richard Roeper made the same observation on this weeks show. But I'm happy with the one we got.

[Darth Rotor]

I don't know about "The Closer", but he was very good (as was the rest of the cast) in "Closer", one of the 10 best films of 2004.

??

I rented Closer, and by the time it was over, was dying for those two hours of my life back. One of the worst films I have ever seen, but at least it was better than Beaches.

DR

[hgc]

??

I rented Closer, and by the time it was over, was dying for those two hours of my life back. One of the worst films I have ever seen, but at least it was better than Beaches.

DR
Was it because Julia Roberts was full-on pregnant while filming, so that she had to wear annoyingly distracting big baggy clothing in every scene? She looked like a circus clown with one of those funny belly extending hoop things under their clothing. That drove me crazy.

[Darth Rotor]

Was it because Julia Roberts was full-on pregnant while filming, so that she had to wear annoyingly distracting big baggy clothing in every scene? She looked like a circus clown with one of those funny belly extending hoop things under their clothing. That drove me crazy.
No, what got me was that it was a story about four neurotics obsessed with sex and dysfunctional relationships.

DR

[hgc]

No, what got me was that it was a story about four neurotics obsessed with sex and dysfunctional relationships.

DR
I had seen it on the stage first, and kind of liked that. But seeing the movie, the flips and twists of people getting all huffy and breaking up relationships all the time got very tiresome. Sometimes you just don't want to wallow with unpredictable jerks for two hours.

[Beerina]

V for Vendetta is a film in the post 911 world that tries to be a stark warning of sorts. Of course, V was the sophomoric reaction of its comic novel author to the Thatcher administration.

However, V was at least a good movie to forgive the deliberate and obvious allusions it was making.

Updated to satirize the War on Terror, it's much more palatable.

[Darth Rotor]

I had seen it on the stage first, and kind of liked that. But seeing the movie, the flips and twists of people getting all huffy and breaking up relationships all the time got very tiresome. Sometimes you just don't want to wallow with unpredictable jerks for two hours.
Perhaps if I'd seen the play I'd have liked the story more. Perhaps not.

DR

[Pardalis]

In the future, we're locking up illegal immigrants in ghettos and bombing ourselves to blame terrorists and blah blah blah blah blah.

I was looking forward to seeing it, but now that I know it's that kind of movie, I won't.

Thanks for the warning. :)

[Matthew Best]

"Children of Men" is a cracking film. Of course, you have to remember that it is fiction. If that's a problem for you, then you're probably better off passing on it.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

??

I rented Closer, and by the time it was over, was dying for those two hours of my life back. One of the worst films I have ever seen, but at least it was better than Beaches.

DR

You must have seen a different version than what played in the theatres.

[Tony]

I just saw "Children of Men". What a waste of celluloid. This will be an oscar contender to the people who really think "things are headed this way" but look like the work of a pretentious junior high mind to serious people.

In the future, we're locking up illegal immigrants in ghettos and bombing ourselves to blame terrorists and blah blah blah blah blah.

V for Vendetta is a film in the post 911 world that tries to be a stark warning of sorts. Of course, V was the sophomoric reaction of its comic novel author to the Thatcher administration.

However, V was at least a good movie to forgive the deliberate and obvious allusions it was making.

Edited to add: I actually went into this film to see a clive owen/michael caine movie with scifi leanings. Instead I saw an extremely drawn out and boring film that was too busy trying to make a point. Mind you, I liked Tarkovsky's Stalker so I can deal with long and slow.

I agree. Your political hysteria, paranoia and psychosis ruined your enjoyment of that film.

[mumblethrax]

Reminds me of this hilarious exchange. What's the parodist to do when his work is done for him?

CUVUTO: Well, those cute little penguins in “Happy Feet,” winning at the box office, earning more than $42 million. In the movie the penguins are starving, the fish are all gone and it’s clear human and big buisness are to blame. Is Hollywood using kid’s films to promote a far left message. Entertainment critic Holly McClure says “Yes, and it’s wrong.” Holly, so you though it was over the top?

MCCLURE: Well, I did, Neil. I tell you, I went watching this movie saying Ok, great, a light-harded fun film — love these animated pictures. And it’s interesting how realistic it looks. You get in there and you’re enjoying all the fun and frivolity and, yes, it’s a takeoff of the penguin documentary. And then along comes the subtle messages. One by one they come in. I felt like i was watching “Dirty Dancing” penguin-style. You know, the preaching against tap dancing and being liberal and stay conformed. And then it started to get into the other messages. Yes, we had that plastic ring around one of the penguin’s neck.

CUVUTO: Yes. Yes.

MCCLURE: From there it got worse.

CUVUTO: Holly, I saw this with my two little boys. What I found offensive — I don’t care what your stands are on the environment — is that they shove this in a kid’s movie. So you hear the penguins are starving and they’re starving because of mean old men, mean old companies, arctic fishing, a big taboo. And they’re foisting this on my kids who frankly were more bored that it was a nearly two-hour movie. And they’re kids!

[Snip]

My biggest thing was — you can make a political statement all you want — adult movie and all. I just think it’s a little tacky, and a big-time objectionable when you start foisting it on kids who don’t know any better.

[Snip]

Even more telling to me was the fact that — I though it was like an animated “Inconvenient Truth.” I half expected to see an animated version of Al Gore to pop-up. I must be the only one in the theatre having this reaction because, you know, my boys are just bouncing off the wall because it’s so damn long. But the other issue is that, you know, that is animated “Inconvenient Truth.”

Anyway, I agree that it isn't that great, but what ruined it for me was Michael Caine's wig and my suspicions about what my girlfriend would do with Clive Owen.

Not that I've seen it.

[Grammatron]

Tell me corplinx, did you hate Blade Runner as well?

[corplinx]

I agree. Your political hysteria, paranoia and psychosis ruined your enjoyment of that film.

Actually, I enjoyed bowling for columbine though I didn't agree with its conclusions. I don't mind a fairly blunt political message or even a flawed one.

I do however mind sophomoric slippery slope fallacies where the fiction movie takes a backseat to the message. I think V for Vendetta was more movie than message for instance.

Does anyone think the "dire warning" of Jurassic Park made the movie a bore or made it less of a film? Contrast that to the right wing propaganda popcorn movie Red Dawn. One of these popcorn films was a good film with good acting and a good script. Both were works of speculative fiction.

[mumblethrax]

Does anyone think the "dire warning" of Jurassic Park made the movie a bore or made it less of a film? Contrast that to the right wing propaganda popcorn movie Red Dawn. One of these popcorn films was a good film with good acting and a good script. Both were works of speculative fiction.
I agree, Red Dawn was a much better movie than Jurassic Park.

But I disagree about Children of Men. I think it's high time we took spontaneous universal human infertility seriously.

[corplinx]

But I disagree about Children of Men. I think it's high time we took spontaneous universal human infertility seriously.

Your mockery is funny as well as your comparison to some TV talking head looking for political themes in "Happy Feet".

I don't suppose you would be saying this parody writes itself if I said Team America has a blunt political message that lessens the movie somewhat in its delivery?

[Grammatron]

So I just saw Children of Men. I don't know what your problem is corplinx but if we saw the same film you need to correct it. The film I saw was amazing in every way.

[mrfreeze]

Any movie that features "Court of the Crimson King" in the soundtrack wins in my book. Even if the ending was a bit of a cop out.

I'm assuming that it still ends with the baby getting loaded on a ship with "HOPE" written on the side and then credits roll?

[Darth Rotor]

Any movie that features "Court of the Crimson King" in the soundtrack wins in my book. Even if the ending was a bit of a cop out.
OK, I must now see this film. A fine soundtrack choice.

DR

[mumblethrax]

I don't suppose you would be saying this parody writes itself if I said Team America has a blunt political message that lessens the movie somewhat in its delivery?
Well, since Team America is a political parody, yes, I would say that the parody is already written for me there, too. I didn't think the it was as funny as some of their other work, but it was leagues better than Baseketball, for example. The p*****s, d***s and a******s speech was a little John Galt, but they can always just invoke the Daily Show defense: are you seriously going to object to the politics of a fornicating puppet?

Anyway, it's not that important to me that we both like the same movies. I just think, like Grammatron, that you might be letting your politics interfere with enjoyment of a movie (reports from all quarters indicate that the cinematography, at least, is stunning). I have to wonder whether somebody who sits in a darkened movie theater thinking, "Slippery slope! Straw man! Mere rhetoric!" hasn't been spending too much time talking politics on the internet. I would also point out that you're missing the new premise in the slippery slope argument in this fictional world, namely the hopelessness engendered by the end of reproduction.

But, yes, films exhibiting apocalyptic and dystopic themes do often reflect contemporary social concerns. This is not a flaw, but the very reason for the subgenre to exist. Soylent Green had overpopulation. The Road Warrior had biker gangs and the energy crisis. Waterworld had global warming. Zardoz had men wearing marble bags. Day of the Triffids had blindness-inducing meteor showers and giant walking carnivorous plants.

Wait, no. Shut up. Shut up. Delete this thread.

[Dave1001]

I just saw "Children of Men". What a waste of celluloid. This will be an oscar contender to the people who really think "things are headed this way" but look like the work of a pretentious junior high mind to serious people.

In the future, we're locking up illegal immigrants in ghettos and bombing ourselves to blame terrorists and blah blah blah blah blah.

V for Vendetta is a film in the post 911 world that tries to be a stark warning of sorts. Of course, V was the sophomoric reaction of its comic novel author to the Thatcher administration.

However, V was at least a good movie to forgive the deliberate and obvious allusions it was making.

Edited to add: I actually went into this film to see a clive owen/michael caine movie with scifi leanings. Instead I saw an extremely drawn out and boring film that was too busy trying to make a point. Mind you, I liked Tarkovsky's Stalker so I can deal with long and slow.

It was a beautiful, well done film. Film is, after all, a visual medium, and they handled their business there. I walked out of it cause I'm a busy guy, but the images I did see were pretty incredible. The preachiness didn't ruin great visuals (the flaming car) and great novelistic moments (spitting the egg back and forth to each other), all clearly on a fairly low budget.

[Dave1001]

I was looking forward to seeing it, but now that I know it's that kind of movie, I won't.

Thanks for the warning. :)

please tell me you're joking.

[Grammatron]

It was a beautiful, well done film. Film is, after all, a visual medium, and they handled their business there. I walked out of it cause I'm a busy guy, but the images I did see were pretty incredible. The preachiness didn't ruin great visuals (the flaming car) and great novelistic moments (spitting the egg back and forth to each other), all clearly on a fairly low budget.

Pretty sure it was a ping pong ball.

[corplinx]

It was a beautiful, well done film. Film is, after all, a visual medium, and they handled their business there. I walked out of it cause I'm a busy guy, but the images I did see were pretty incredible. The preachiness didn't ruin great visuals (the flaming car) and great novelistic moments (spitting the egg back and forth to each other), all clearly on a fairly low budget.

I did think it was a beautiful film. The "amazing" parts felt heavily forced (the baby coming out of the wartorn building).

And to grammatron, did the ending not make you groan? It felt so "i want to be a foreign black and white" movie.

[corplinx]

It might be possible i didnt see the final print...... Was the version you saw 3 hours long?

[Pardalis]

please tell me you're joking.

What do you care?

[Grammatron]

I did think it was a beautiful film. The "amazing" parts felt heavily forced (the baby coming out of the wartorn building).

And to grammatron, did the ending not make you groan? It felt so "i want to be a foreign black and white" movie.

No it did not, I think it was a good ending. It was happy-ish, but not the sunshine and rainbows happy.

The only thing that can remotely be viewed as having a political message on current issues is when they are on the way to the refugee camp in the bus and there's a person in a cell dressed akin to one of the prisoners in Abu Graib. Heck, an actor even points to him, screaming.

[steverino]

But, yes, films exhibiting apocalyptic and dystopic themes do often reflect contemporary social concerns. This is not a flaw, but the very reason for the subgenre to exist. Soylent Green had overpopulation. The Road Warrior had biker gangs and the energy crisis. Waterworld had global warming. Zardoz had men wearing marble bags. Day of the Triffids had blindness-inducing meteor showers and giant walking carnivorous plants.

You left out "My Dinner With Andre." Just what are you, a commie or something?

[Grammatron]

It was a beautiful, well done film. Film is, after all, a visual medium, and they handled their business there. I walked out of it cause I'm a busy guy, but the images I did see were pretty incredible. The preachiness didn't ruin great visuals (the flaming car) and great novelistic moments (spitting the egg back and forth to each other), all clearly on a fairly low budget.

Also, I wouldn't call $76 million a low budget.

[corplinx]

The movie is sitting at 92 percent on rottentomatoes. Apparently I am just a scrooge.

[Polaris]

I agree, Red Dawn was a much better movie than Jurassic Park.

But I disagree about Children of Men. I think it's high time we took spontaneous universal human infertility seriously.

Red Dawn is one of those movies that a few people seem to have a special disliking for that I've never understood. Spaceballs and Porky's seem to be similar in this regard.

[JamesDillon]

The movie is sitting at 92 percent on rottentomatoes. Apparently I am just a scrooge.

I agree with you. I thought the movie looked stupid in the previews, but when I saw the Rottentomatoes rating I figured it must be worth seeing. My first instinct was right; I found it terribly overrated.

[Cello Man]

Children of Men aside, I'm amazed that someone else here has seen Zardoz. That is quite possibly the nuttiest film I have ever seen.

[Jimbo07]

I agree with you. I thought the movie looked stupid in the previews, but when I saw the Rottentomatoes rating I figured it must be worth seeing. My first instinct was right; I found it terribly overrated.

I haven't seen the movie, just the previews. Also, I'm inclined to believe that humans are stupid and malicious enough to bomb themselves in order to blame someone else... however...

Is it me, or is the whole premise stupid... sort of a Handmaid's Tale dystopia thing?

[hgc]

Red Dawn is one of those movies that a few people seem to have a special disliking for that I've never understood. Spaceballs and Porky's seem to be similar in this regard.
I have a regular dislike for Red Dawn, because it sucks is ordinary ways, not because of its politics. I do have a special dislike for Spaceballs, because it is so horrendously awful that it signaled the final and permanent downfall of the movie-making abilities of of a comic genius. Porky's is damn fine entertainment.

[Pardalis]

This movie sounds like a conspiracy theorist's wet dream.

Any movie which portrays terrorists as heroes is a movie I will not go see. Reality is being abused enough already as it is.

[hgc]

Just saw Children of Men. Terrific movie. I have a message for you corplinx: you are paranoid. The movie is FICTION, completely and entirely. It takes place in a dystopian world no children have been born for 18 years (in case you missed that vital detail). It has nothing whatsoever to do with current political circumstances.

By the way, who noticed the view outside the window from Clive Owen's cousin's place? That was one hell of a funny piece of art direction.

[hgc]

This movie sounds like a conspiracy theorist's wet dream.

Any movie which portrays terrorists as heroes is a movie I will not go see. Reality is being abused enough already as it is.
Your second-hand opinion about this movie is a paranoiac's wet dream. It has nothing to do with conspiracy theory or with terrorist heroes.

[Matthew Best]

By the way, who noticed the view outside the window from Clive Owen's cousin's place? That was one hell of a funny piece of art direction.

I think there must have been a Pink Floyd fan on the production design staff.

Did you notice that although his cousin's place is supposed to be in Battersea, Clive Owen actually parked his car in the Tate Modern?

[Pardalis]

Your second-hand opinion about this movie is a paranoiac's wet dream. It has nothing to do with conspiracy theory or with terrorist heroes.

Maybe I am, and I need to take a break from the CT subforum! :D

[hgc]

Maybe I am, and I need to take a break from the CT subforum! :D
I don't know if you'd like the movie, but I'm recommending it all around. It belongs in the pantheon of dystopian greats. Beautiful to look at, economical storytelling, thrilling action, mind-bending subject matter, a touch of humor, etc.

[Beerina]

This movie sounds like a conspiracy theorist's wet dream.

Any movie which portrays terrorists as heroes is a movie I will not go see. Reality is being abused enough already as it is.

Well movies like this are leftist disasterbation. Take it with a grain of salt and as a small warning to just keep an eye open that things don't get too bad.

[hgc]

Well movies like this are leftist disasterbation. Take it with a grain of salt and as a small warning to just keep an eye open that things don't get too bad.
Please explain what is "leftest" about it. If you haven't seen it, feel free not to respond at all.

[Matthew Best]

Any movie which portrays terrorists as heroes is a movie I will not go see.

You might enjoy "Children of Men", then. The terrorists are not the heroes, they are the villains.

:)

[hgc]

You might enjoy "Children of Men", then. The terrorists are not the heroes, they are the villains.

:)
I suggest you edit that as a spoiler!