Overrated Movies

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

Speaking of alternate versions of Dune... I've never watched the four hour series featuring William Hurt.  Supposedly, it's better than Lynch's film.

Once again, was scanning a wall full of VHS tapes at a thrift store on Friday and saw the four hour Dune for fifty cents. Snagged.

How do you like it so far?  I don't remember much about it, other than that I enjoyed it and it did a good job of presenting the story given the time constraints.  I like it better than Lynch's for that reason, although to be fair, if he'd been allowed four or five hours (which I've heard he wanted), he could have filled in a lot of gaps.  Even though it could have been better, it's still worth watching just for the sheer visual onslaught and the gruesome parts that give you an idea of what Eraserhead might have looked like with the same budget.  Which is in no way meant to suggest I don't like it just the way it is. 

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

How about the way GL is attempting to rewrite film history by making it impossible to get a copy of the film that was released in theaters in 1976?

If you haven't seen the South Park episode that aired after the last Indiana Jones movie, check it out even if you're not a fan of SP.  They absolutely flayed GL and Spielberg for their obsession with endlessly revising their movies!

[Designx]

Star Wars most definitely plus all the damage it caused to the movie industry.
I think some things just don't translate well to film - Star Wars type fantasy sci-fi and Lord of the Rings style fantasy. These days it's all CGI and the moment I see CGI I'm pulled out of the movie experience. I'd stick with the book with this stuff - what I can imagine is way better than CGI.

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

These days it's all CGI and the moment I see CGI I'm pulled out of the movie experience. I'd stick with the book with this stuff - what I can imagine is way better than CGI.

I don't have a problem with CGI when it's done well and there's no other practical way to create certain visuals, but I completely agree that it doesn't compare to a good book and your own imagination.

I also have yet to see a movie version of a book I've read that didn't ruin it in some way by making arbitrary and unnecessary changes.  That bugs the hell out of me.  Why can't they leave well enough alone?   

[zeebo]

How do you like it so far?  I don't remember much about it, other than that I enjoyed it and it did a good job of presenting the story given the time constraints.  ....

That was back when the SyFy SciFi Channel actually held some promise.  I enjoyed their Dune version since it was more like a play than an attempt to recreate the world with over-the-top effects, so it concentrated more on the characters/story.  Their Children of Dune is worth checking out for the same reason.  Both productions had some cool music too.

[zeebo]

...I also have yet to see a movie version of a book I've read that didn't ruin it in some way by making arbitrary and unnecessary changes.  That bugs the hell out of me.  Why can't they leave well enough alone?   

They did this to Ender's Game, which had such potential, but in order to shave time off they truncated the fantastic ending of the book.

[b_dubb]

I also have yet to see a movie version of a book I've read that didn't ruin it in some way by making arbitrary and unnecessary changes.  That bugs the hell out of me.  Why can't they leave well enough alone?   

No Country For Old Men was almost completely faithful to the book

[zeebo]

No Country For Old Men was almost completely faithful to the book

Another example was Watchmen, almost a slavish frame-by-frame reproduction ...... until the ending.  wtf?

[b_dubb]

Another example was Watchmen, almost a slavish frame-by-frame reproduction ...... until the ending.  wtf?

I thought the movie was better than the graphic novel

[zeebo]

I thought the movie was better than the graphic novel

reported

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

They did this to Ender's Game, which had such potential, but in order to shave time off they truncated the fantastic ending of the book.

Things could always be worse.  I read somewhere that Peter Jackson originally wanted to have Sauron storm out and go mano a ojo rojo with Aragorn during the battle at the gates of Mordor.  It was bad enough that he made stuff up at the expense of parts of the story that should have been included (and don't get me started on those ridiculous, gargantuan mumakils at the siege of Gondor), but if somebody hadn't talked him out of that harebrained idea, there would have been nerd riots in a lot of theaters.

[zeebo]

Things could always be worse.  I read somewhere that Peter Jackson originally wanted to have Sauron storm out and go mano a ojo rojo with Aragorn during the battle at the gates of Mordor....

Not to mention ... how could anyone leave out Tom Bombadil ?? 

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

Not to mention ... how could anyone leave out Tom Bombadil ??

Damn right! Leaving him out was inexcusable!

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

No Country For Old Men was almost completely faithful to the book

That's great to hear!  I like the movie a lot, but have been hesitant to read the book because I didn't want to find if the movie had screwed it up.  Glad I can safely read it now, because I like the books of his that I've read.

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

Life of Pi

[albrecht]

Life of Pi

I made the mistake of actually reading the book due to all the hype, Booker Prize, etc. Talk about overrated. No way would I go near the movie version.

[FightTheFuture]

There Will Be Blood


Hideous. And I`m a huge DDL fan. I recall after the last scene, turning to my neighbor and asking, "that`s it?"

Yep. That`s it.

[b_dubb]

That's great to hear!  I like the movie a lot, but have been hesitant to read the book because I didn't want to find if the movie had screwed it up.  Glad I can safely read it now, because I like the books of his that I've read.

I only recall one minor detail varying in the movie. tommy lee jones was great as the sherif. At times hysterical and then chillingly profound when hey describes his dream at the end. McCarthy is brilliant.

[Camazotz Automat]

How do you like it so far?  I don't remember much about it, other than that I enjoyed it and it did a good job of presenting the story given the time constraints.  I like it better than Lynch's for that reason, although to be fair, if he'd been allowed four or five hours (which I've heard he wanted), he could have filled in a lot of gaps.  Even though it could have been better, it's still worth watching just for the sheer visual onslaught and the gruesome parts that give you an idea of what Eraserhead might have looked like with the same budget.  Which is in no way meant to suggest I don't like it just the way it is.

Digressive post warning.

Bad news... not only did the Dallas Cowboys win, but my tape had a repeating defect.  Part of the nostalgia of "tape driving" is dealing with the tracking or magnetic degradation or what have you, but this made a shrill "skip shrieking" sound about every 6 to 7 seconds.... as if being forward wound for a tenth of a second.  Very high pitched disturbance. I can overlook visual defects or poor sound quality, but that predictable Chinese Water Torture of a sound resembling an electronic squeegee was too much.  I thought it might be an overall tension problem and forward wound and rewound the tape hoping to even out the skip, but no luck.  Could have something to do with their cramming four hours of content onto a single tape. Could be wear and tear on the plastic wheels. I'm confident it's not the player itself.

I was easily intrigued enough to put it on the Netflix list, so will eventually watch it via DVD.  It felt more like watching a play, so comparing it to Lynch's would be an exercise in apples and oranges futility.

No matter how much the Lynch version is disliked, there are some incredible visuals. Lynch received too much interference from Herbert et al, and I also think if some of Giger's proposed visions had been incorporated it would have enhanced the project, making it more Lynchesque if I may use that term. In other words, I like Lynch so much, that I would have welcomed a complete reinterpretation of the Dune books!

And, were a more Lynchesque vision allowed, it should be spread along in three or four films, at 2 hours each volume, to really evoke full spice immersion.

I would like to get my hands on all the material that was cut out of the Lynch attempt.

Normally, I want books to be more faithfully followed.  Hollywood fiddles with the endings due to feedback from survey groups. Those test screening results can be highly misleading and not portray how something will be received. It's annoying as hell.

In the short stretch of the Sci Fi version of Dune I did see, I liked how they portrayed the spacing guild navigator. I am one degree removed from "Ernie," the visual effects supervisor, and know he is a perfectionist and worships at the altar of Harryhausen, so I expect additional  decent effects moments when I view the complete four hours. He also worked on one of the Terminator films... but get this.. Ernie also worked on a Cinematic Titanic riffed film, The Alien Factor, creating  the title sequence.  Back in 1977.  You've come a long way, Ernie.

(He even got riffed: "Ernest, you totally rocked the Helvetica Condensed Bold, man.")

The somewhat hokey Harryhausen styled navigator immediately made me think of the indefatigable Maya bat god Camazotz, which in turn made me think of yours truly!

Apparently, my narcissism knows no bounds, including lines drawn in the sand by a magnetically compromised copy of Frank Herbert's Dune.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camazotz

(note: on the same day I snagged the Dune tape, I also bought Romero's Night of the Living Dead for fifty-cents and it played fine, so not a total loss! Total amount invested: one dollar American. )

[Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost]

Digressive post warning.

Bad news... not only did the Dallas Cowboys win, but my tape had a repeating defect.  Very high pitched disturbance. I can overlook visual defects or poor sound quality, but that predictable Chinese Water Torture of a sound resembling an electronic squeegee was too much.  I thought it might be an overall tension problem and forward wound and rewound the tape hoping to even out the skip, but no luck.  Could have something to do with their cramming four hours of content onto a single tape. Could be wear and tear on the plastic wheels. I'm confident it's not the player itself.

I was easily intrigued enough to put it on the Netflix list, so will eventually watch it via DVD.  It felt more like watching a play, so comparing it to Lynch's would be an exercise in apples and oranges futility.

That's too bad about the tape, but that's probably why the previous owner took it to the thrift store in the first place.  It's always good to check your player, though, because neglecting to do that a few years ago caused me to needlessly throw out some irreplaceable early SCTV episodes I'd taped from Nick or TV Land which I thought had gone bad.  I still kick myself a couple of times a day for that.

And, were a more Lynchesque vision allowed, it should be spread along in three or four films, at 2 hours each volume, to really evoke full spice immersion.

I would like to get my hands on all the material that was cut out of the Lynch attempt.

Yes and hell, yes!

[Camazotz Automat]

Zombie Strippers. 

Big disappointment.

This can be said for zombie strippers in general, not limited to the cinematic variety.

[zeebo]

There Will Be Blood

I had mentioned this one previously.  I thought Daniel Day Lewis was great, but mostly wasted in an otherwise missable movie.

[yumyumtree]

The pre-Heart of Darkness/up the river part of this movie is phenomenal.
The Vietnamese lady acting like she is going to get on the helicopter and then throwing a hand grenade in it.
The river boat inspection and the boy who get his face smashed with the rifle butt and just stares back with the defiant grin.

I haven't seen this since it came out in the theatres in the late seventies.  Were you watching the original cut or the one with additional scenes that came out some time later?

Martin Sheen nearly died making this.  And I guess that Charlie, just a kid then, was with him in the Phillipines or wherever nursing him when he was sick.

[yumyumtree]

This can be said for zombie strippers in general, not limited to the cinematic variety.

Yes, that's a man for you.  Who would want a lap dance with somebody whose flesh is falling off?

[yumyumtree]

Sideways I didn't care for really.  But the others are classics.  How could Apocalypse Now be overrated?  CHARLIE DON'T SURF ASSHOLE

Ha, ha. Duvall's character in Apocalypse Now sounded reminded me of a neighbor we used to have at home.  The guy probably had ADD or something but we didn't know about stuff like that now.  He was very successful but a bundle of nerves and had this funny voice.

[yumyumtree]

How can you say that?  It's full of valuable life lessons for the kids, such as:

Never steal a brutal crime lord's briefcase.

Never sexually assault a brutal crime lord who knows people who can go medieval on your ass.

Stay out of seedy pawn/military surplus shops.

Don't snort any white powder unless you know exactly what it is.

If you're staking out someone's apartment waiting to whack them and have to use the toilet, take your gun into the bathroom with you so that your intended victim can't use it on you.


I know I'd be a lot better off today if someone had taught me those things at an early age.

If you do snort white powder without knowing what it is, Eric Stolz can give you a shot in the chest to fix things up.

[pate]

Super Troopers I just didn't find that funny, or at least not to the point where I'd want to see it again.  Don't get me wrong, it was funny, but I didn't get the 'cult' status the movie is supposed to have...

[Roswells, Art]

If you do snort white powder without knowing what it is, Eric Stolz can give you a shot in the chest to fix things up.

And please, please, please, videotape it.

[The General]

Every movie made after about 1970.

With that said, any Wes Anderson movie.
But especially The Royal Tenenbaums. What a shit heap.
Here's an idea- if you're making a movie, have a plot.

[Roswells, Art]

Every movie made after about 1970.

With that said, any Wes Anderson movie.
But especially The Royal Tenenbaums. What a shit heap.
Here's an idea- if you're making a movie, have a plot.

I have to agree, I had a friend who recommended that movie to me since she said I had a dry sense of humor.  I couldn't get through it.  twice