Author Topic: Second Cousin Once Removed Of Film Poll: XVII  (Read 23827 times)

DKT

  • Friendly Neighborhood
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 4980
  • PodCastle is my Co-Pilot
    • Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Noir
Reply #25 on: February 05, 2008, 12:05:58 AM
Fight Club should have won way back... :P

Actually, yeah, I almost considered voting for that one over Empire. 

But really, it's as much nostalgia for me as it is being a great story (ESB was the first movie I ever saw in a theater at the age of 3.  I was born in the year of the original SW).  I can't count how many times I've seen that movie...


Tango Alpha Delta

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1778
    • Tad's Happy Funtime
Reply #26 on: February 05, 2008, 12:48:10 AM
I like to think in my darkest heart that one of the below could kick its ass:

2001: A Space Odyssey
Gattaca
Solaris
The Thing
Aliens

But to be honest, I doubt it... 

As long as the criteria is as squishy as "which one did you like the best", I would vote either Aliens or The Thing over ESB...  of course, my opinion of Star Wars has severely suffered since about 1999.
Maybe 2001.   Never saw The Thing but I liked the others - including both versions of Solaris.  But I don't think the bottom four on the list could pull it off. 

This Wiki Won't Wrangle Itself!

I finally published my book - Tad's Happy Funtime is on Amazon!


stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #27 on: February 05, 2008, 01:35:12 AM
This may be heresy, but I thought 2001: A Space Odyssey was utter toss.  A film should not require reading the novelization in order to be comprehensible.  Kubrick made many fine films, but that was not one of them.

as to the rest:
The Soderbergh Solaris was a good film; I haven't seen the one by Tartovsky.  I've heard that it's both long and slow-moving so I haven't been able to work up the time and inclination to sit through it yet.

Loved Carpenter's The Thing; haven't seen the earlier version.

Gattaca suffered from the overly long introduction IMO, but was otherwise an intriguing story.

Aliens was a fun popcorn action movie -- not as good as the creepy horror of the original.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Ocicat

  • Castle Watchcat
  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 3722
  • Anything for a Weird Life
Reply #28 on: February 05, 2008, 02:36:16 AM
Tartovsky's Solaris is indeed long and slow moving.  Really slow - and this from someone who adores 2001. 

Solaris lost me when there was about a 10 minute segment of driving through a "futuristic city",  but it's really just downtown Tokyo of the early 70s.   *yawn*



Tango Alpha Delta

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1778
    • Tad's Happy Funtime
Reply #29 on: February 05, 2008, 04:08:06 AM
This may be heresy, but I thought 2001: A Space Odyssey was utter toss.  A film should not require reading the novelization in order to be comprehensible.  Kubrick made many fine films, but that was not one of them.

as to the rest:
The Soderbergh Solaris was a good film; I haven't seen the one by Tartovsky.  I've heard that it's both long and slow-moving so I haven't been able to work up the time and inclination to sit through it yet.

Loved Carpenter's The Thing; haven't seen the earlier version.

Gattaca suffered from the overly long introduction IMO, but was otherwise an intriguing story.

Aliens was a fun popcorn action movie -- not as good as the creepy horror of the original.

Except for Solaris (which I haven't seen in either version), and the fact that I have yet to see a Kubrick film I liked, you and I are in agreement on all points!  I thought since I usual find myself contradicting you, and feeling badly about it later, that I should take the opportunity to celebrate this Moment of Harmony.  :D

This Wiki Won't Wrangle Itself!

I finally published my book - Tad's Happy Funtime is on Amazon!


stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #30 on: February 05, 2008, 05:57:56 AM
Except for Solaris (which I haven't seen in either version), and the fact that I have yet to see a Kubrick film I liked, you and I are in agreement on all points!  I thought since I usual find myself contradicting you, and feeling badly about it later, that I should take the opportunity to celebrate this Moment of Harmony.  :D

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


DKT

  • Friendly Neighborhood
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 4980
  • PodCastle is my Co-Pilot
    • Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual Noir
Reply #31 on: February 05, 2008, 06:26:27 PM
This may be heresy, but I thought 2001: A Space Odyssey was utter toss.  A film should not require reading the novelization in order to be comprehensible.  Kubrick made many fine films, but that was not one of them.

as to the rest:
The Soderbergh Solaris was a good film; I haven't seen the one by Tartovsky.  I've heard that it's both long and slow-moving so I haven't been able to work up the time and inclination to sit through it yet.

Loved Carpenter's The Thing; haven't seen the earlier version.

Gattaca suffered from the overly long introduction IMO, but was otherwise an intriguing story.

Aliens was a fun popcorn action movie -- not as good as the creepy horror of the original.

Hrm.  I find myself agreeing with you for the most part. 

Except that a couple of weeks ago I saw about an hour's worth of 2010 (it's been years since I last saw it) and wanted to head-butt the television.  I'd definitely go for the incomprehensible over that terrible dialogue/characterization. 


Russell Nash

  • Guest
Reply #32 on: February 05, 2008, 07:26:26 PM
This may be heresy, but I thought 2001: A Space Odyssey was utter toss.  A film should not require reading the novelization in order to be comprehensible.  Kubrick made many fine films, but that was not one of them.

as to the rest:
The Soderbergh Solaris was a good film; I haven't seen the one by Tartovsky.  I've heard that it's both long and slow-moving so I haven't been able to work up the time and inclination to sit through it yet.

Loved Carpenter's The Thing; haven't seen the earlier version.

Gattaca suffered from the overly long introduction IMO, but was otherwise an intriguing story.

Aliens was a fun popcorn action movie -- not as good as the creepy horror of the original.

Hrm.  I find myself agreeing with you for the most part. 

Except that a couple of weeks ago I saw about an hour's worth of 2010 (it's been years since I last saw it) and wanted to head-butt the television.  I'd definitely go for the incomprehensible over that terrible dialogue/characterization. 

The first time I saw 2001 was on the largest pre-Imax screen in DC (I forget the name of the theater).  On such a screen with the great sound system it was something to see.  I didn't get the ending, but I loved it all the way up to the baby.



stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #33 on: February 06, 2008, 04:33:58 AM
... the fact that I have yet to see a Kubrick film I liked...
Well, for me there's Doctor Strangelove, and ... um ...  :-\  Okay, I was stretching a bit when I said "many".

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


eytanz

  • Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 6109
Reply #34 on: February 07, 2008, 01:58:54 PM
... the fact that I have yet to see a Kubrick film I liked...
Well, for me there's Doctor Strangelove, and ... um ...  :-\  Okay, I was stretching a bit when I said "many".

What about A Clockwork Orange?



stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #35 on: February 09, 2008, 01:02:36 AM
... the fact that I have yet to see a Kubrick film I liked...
Well, for me there's Doctor Strangelove, and ... um ...  :-\  Okay, I was stretching a bit when I said "many".

What about A Clockwork Orange?
Okay, that was a fair adaptation of Burgess' novel (or all but the last chapter of it, anyway  ;)).  And I thought The Killing was a decent crime caper piece, and Full Metal Jacket is worth seeing just for R. Lee Ermey's performance if nothing else.  But the only one I can say I truly loved was Strangelove

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Tango Alpha Delta

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 1778
    • Tad's Happy Funtime
Reply #36 on: February 09, 2008, 02:37:52 PM
... the fact that I have yet to see a Kubrick film I liked...
Well, for me there's Doctor Strangelove, and ... um ...  :-\  Okay, I was stretching a bit when I said "many".

What about A Clockwork Orange?
Okay, that was a fair adaptation of Burgess' novel (or all but the last chapter of it, anyway  ;)).  And I thought The Killing was a decent crime caper piece, and Full Metal Jacket is worth seeing just for R. Lee Ermey's performance if nothing else.  But the only one I can say I truly loved was Strangelove


I've actually never seen ACO; so many people have urgently pressed me to watch it, that my reaction has been to avoid it like the plague.  (I enjoyed the book, but I find it a lot easier to take violence in print than in film.) 

FMJ was great, and I did like it, which runs counter to my usual opinion of "war movies".  (Aside: our basic training flight voted the line "What is that, Pyle, a jelly doughnut?" as our flight slogan.  Such pride.)

I appreciated Dr. Strangelove, but couldn't summon anything like the utter devotion to it that everyone else seems to have for it.  It is this disparity that makes me shy away from ACO.

2001, as other mentioned before me, was visually stunning, but too austere for my tastes.  Like everything I've read by A.C. Clarke, it was great and grand, but left me cold.

Eyes Wide Shut was just an agonizing slog, like I'd imagine a Universal Studios Tours ride through a pristine replica of set of the sewers of Paris would be.  You go in expecting to see and smell and feel the dankness, and instead you get a distant sanitized, plastic version with nothing happening.  Even Tom Cruise wasn't Tom Cruise Crazy enough in that one.

And don't start me on the Shining...  the "dramatic tension" created by what seemed like a full 10 minutes of a kid on a Big Wheel (tm) riding through the hotel bracketed by the terrifying words "Tuesday" and "Wednesday"... Jack Nicholson growing increasingly angry that Shelly Duvall can't act... Scatman Caruthers getting "axed" a lot of questions by an overly-cute "Eight is Enough" reject...

But that's just my opinion... I could be wrong.  ;)

This Wiki Won't Wrangle Itself!

I finally published my book - Tad's Happy Funtime is on Amazon!


stePH

  • Actually has enough cowbell.
  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 3906
  • Cool story, bro!
    • Thetatr0n on SoundCloud
Reply #37 on: February 09, 2008, 03:05:05 PM
And don't start me on the Shining...  the "dramatic tension" created by what seemed like a full 10 minutes of a kid on a Big Wheel (tm) riding through the hotel bracketed by the terrifying words "Tuesday" and "Wednesday"... Jack Nicholson growing increasingly angry that Shelly Duvall can't act... Scatman Caruthers getting "axed" a lot of questions by an overly-cute "Eight is Enough" reject...

I'm with you all the way on The Shining.  I hate that one almost as much as 2001 -- it also breaks my "shouldn't require the viewer to read a book" rule.

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Russell Nash

  • Guest
Reply #38 on: February 09, 2008, 08:16:12 PM
But that's just my opinion... I could be wrong.  ;)

Winner of the obscure quote for this thread award.



Darwinist

  • Hipparch
  • ******
  • Posts: 701
Reply #39 on: February 09, 2008, 08:24:58 PM
But that's just my opinion... I could be wrong.  ;)

Winner of the obscure quote for this thread award.

Is Miller doing any TV stuff anymore......other than his regular appearance on O'Reilly's show?

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.    -  Carl Sagan