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Topic: Box office roundup (Read 346928 times)
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WayAbvPar
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Screw Lucas. Go see The Hammer.
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When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM
Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood
Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
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SurfD
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The thing i always loved about Starwars was how everyone was like "Woo hoo, we have discovered the chosen one, destined to bring balance to the force", yet none of their great, wise leaders, with TONS of experience and wisdom, seemed to put two and two together that nature, when balancing forces tends to go about this by evening out the opposites till their sum equals zero.
When one side is LOADS of Jedi, who have been so entrenched in power for so long that they are a household name and the other is tiny groups of sith, operating in the shadows for so long even the Jedi have practically forgot about them, there is really only one effective way a single "chose one" is going to "balance" that equation. (here's a hint: Padme isn't THAT fertile)
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Darwinism is the Gateway Science.
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HaemishM
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Posts: 42666
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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According to friends of mine who have read the novelizations of the last 2 Star Wars movies, the turning of Anakin took place over a long period of time, and was much more involved and manipulative on the Emperor's part. The movie did a SHITTY SHIT SHIT SHIT job of explaining that there was any real manipulation at all, or that any time passed between Anakin's good and evil phase. But really, he was just a whiny little dick and as a result, it wouldn't have mattered if the movie was paced right or not. The actor couldn't pull it off even if it had been written worth a shit (which it wasn't).
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Merusk
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It's a combination of things. 1) There should have been a whole movie dedicated to his turning in and of itself. The sum total in ROTS was about 10-20 minutes of a 2:15 film. 2) Lucas is a horrible, horrible writer. He didn't write any of the movies after Star Wars, and large chunks of the quality of that movie are attributable to myths and operas he meshed together. He came up with the Story for everything after that, but someone else wrote it. Until the prequels. For some asinine reason, he thought he could write, and we see the result. 3) He's gotten into the 'overly concerned meddler' phase that all the Baby Boomers seem to be entering. So we get stupid changes like Greedo shoots first and the FBI guys have walkie-talkies in E.T. Things that were seens as OK and appropriate in the 70's and 80's are now too dangerous for little Bobby and Susie to see, which is going to cripple the writing (such as it is). There's going to be a big lack of complexity and things are going to be too cartony black-and-white.. meaning bullshit like "Oh hey I'm good! BUT NOW I'M EVIL!!! YAR, WATCH ME SLAUGHTER CHILDREN!!" No middle ground.  4) Yes, bad actor. My god, he's horrible. I'd wonder if it was the direction, but even hammy bullshit like Palpatine's "UNLIMITED POWAH!!!" was pulled-off by better actors. The prequels also didn't touch on the whole thing about Obi-Wan's arrogance in thinking that he was as good a teacher as Yoda and was unable to keep Anakin in check. They do, but not well. Again, part because of the actor involved and part because of writing. All those times Obi Wan calls Anakin "my young apprentice" or "My VERY young apprentice" (  ) while chiding him for something he did were meant to convey this. They fail bigtime for anyone but huge SW freaks looking for such details as a way to redeem the movies. 
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The past cannot be changed. The future is yet within your power.
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HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42666
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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4) Yes, bad actor. My god, he's horrible. I'd wonder if it was the direction, but even hammy bullshit like Palpatine's "UNLIMITED POWAH!!!" was pulled-off by better actors. It wasn't the direction. Ok, the shitty direction didn't help Christensen AT ALL, but he really just sucks as an actor. Jumper would have been better with a different actor in the main role (though really, it needed some serious story help first). At least I wouldn't have wanted to stab the main character over and over again.
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Riggswolfe
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Posts: 8046
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The thing i always loved about Starwars was how everyone was like "Woo hoo, we have discovered the chosen one, destined to bring balance to the force", yet none of their great, wise leaders, with TONS of experience and wisdom, seemed to put two and two together that nature, when balancing forces tends to go about this by evening out the opposites till their sum equals zero.
When one side is LOADS of Jedi, who have been so entrenched in power for so long that they are a household name and the other is tiny groups of sith, operating in the shadows for so long even the Jedi have practically forgot about them, there is really only one effective way a single "chose one" is going to "balance" that equation. (here's a hint: Padme isn't THAT fertile)
All well and good except it is wrong. It was specifically said, in interviews and in the novels, that the way to balance the force was to finish off the Sith. That the rise of Palpatine was what was causing the imbalance in the first place and not the relative numbers between the two groups. Now, if you want to say the movies failed because they didn't make this clear then I'd agree but your argument is wrong. Though it's not uncommon to see and in fact is what I thought until I saw a couple of interviews and read the novels.
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"We live in a country, where John Lennon takes six bullets in the chest, Yoko Ono was standing right next to him and not one fucking bullet! Explain that to me! Explain that to me, God! Explain it to me, God!" - Denis Leary summing up my feelings about the nature of the universe.
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Lantyssa
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Posts: 20848
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Since they balanced it through the method we think 'balance' means, I'd say we're right.  Maybe that's what all those silly Jedi thought and the writers meant, but look what good their skewed sense did them. Even the crappy writers got it right, whether accidental or not.
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Hahahaha! I'm really good at this!
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naum
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"Should the batman kill Joker because it would save more lives?" is a fundamentally different question from "should the batman have a bunch of machineguns that go BATBATBATBATBAT because its totally cool?". ~Goumindong
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pants
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Posts: 588
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That dude really needs to get out more. Its a movie ferchrissake. Hes right - in 'tha future' robots probably will talk to each other using 802.11g or something like it - but guess what, that would make a really fucking boring movie watching C3PO and R2D2 communicate wirelessly. Jesus.
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WayAbvPar
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That dude really needs to get out more. Its a movie ferchrissake. Hes right - in 'tha future' robots probably will talk to each other using 802.11g or something like it - but guess what, that would make a really fucking boring movie watching C3PO and R2D2 communicate wirelessly. Jesus. Seriously. Some interesting points were made, but way too Comic Book Guy in tone.
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When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM
Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood
Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
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Merusk
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I found another cantidate for internet face-stabbing when that technology is advanced. I'm sure he'll love it! And of course, Darth still had to inhabit his body. Droids have no midichlorians. Noob. 
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The past cannot be changed. The future is yet within your power.
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Riggswolfe
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http://streetfightermovie.net/It's got the chick from Smallville and seems to center on Chun Li. Maybe it will be fun to watch in that "it's so bad but I enjoy it way" that DOA had.
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"We live in a country, where John Lennon takes six bullets in the chest, Yoko Ono was standing right next to him and not one fucking bullet! Explain that to me! Explain that to me, God! Explain it to me, God!" - Denis Leary summing up my feelings about the nature of the universe.
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stray
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Posts: 16818
has an iMac.
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It lists Dion Lam as the choreographer for the Matrix, but he was just assisting. It was Yuen Wo Ping responsible for that stuff (and a whole slew of good shit). I like smallville, but Kristin Kruek is a pretty hammy actress. And not all that hot, as far potential chun-li's go. She's leaving smallville finally, which is good. The chick who played in the first was actually perfect imo. Even had the muscles for it.  Uh, not that good casting made it good or anything.
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Chenghiz
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Posts: 868
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But did she have the thighs? 
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Margalis
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The only thing I liked about ROTS was the green Jedi chick who was onscreen for 5 seconds before being offed. She had a nice hips and ass. That was seriously it.
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vampirehipi23: I would enjoy a book written by a monkey and turned into a movie rather than this.
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stray
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Funny. The actress was actually just an ILM production asst. I thought that whole sequence was pretty cool (Order 66?). But did she have the thighs?  Is that a request?  
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« Last Edit: April 11, 2008, 09:32:20 PM by Stray »
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Margalis
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Funny. The actress was actually just an ILM production asst.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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vampirehipi23: I would enjoy a book written by a monkey and turned into a movie rather than this.
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stray
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A little late here, but... Knocked Up is EXCELLENT. I wonder what else is floating in the head of Judd Apatow? Seems like that guy can do no wrong.
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Abagadro
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Possibly the only user with more posts in the Den than PC/Console Gaming.
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His next one, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, comes out next week and is getting very good advanced reviews.
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"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
-H.L. Mencken
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stray
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has an iMac.
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Ah yeah... Hmm, well the previews don't make me want to see it particularly, but I think I said the same about 40 Yr Old Virgin and Knocked Up as well. Maybe it's the actor. He didn't really stand out in Superbad or Knocked Up for me.
I will give it a chance though.
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schild
Administrator
Posts: 60350
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lol you said kristin kreuk isn't hot
hahahahahahahahahahha
that's a good one
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stray
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has an iMac.
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I direct you to the Eurasian Nation boards. Heh. We Eurasians seem to be a little more prejudiced to those of our kind. Or rather, maybe we're just more discerning. Definitely don't succumb to fetish territory like everyone else.
You could call that weird, I don't care. I don't understand it myself really.
As for the chick above, she's full Asian (which may have something to do with it), but also, she's fit as hell. I'd like her more just by virtue of her being able to seriously kick Kristin Kreuk's ass.
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stray
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has an iMac.
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Also, those Speed Racer clips I'm catching on TV look kick ass. Might be fun.. And if anything, a visual feast.
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Samprimary
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I do not know if speed racer the movie is some sort of genius camp or if it is proof of the Wachowski's final decline into insanity.
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shiznitz
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the plural of mangina
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The Speed Racer trailers are unwatchable for me.
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I have never played WoW.
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stu
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Posts: 1891
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John Goodman is in it, so I'd say it'll be worth the ticket. I'm kinda surprised they haven't gone 3D with the project.
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Dear Diary, Jackpot!
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stray
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Huh, apparently this was going to be made in the 90's, with Johnny Depp as Speed and Henry Rollins as Racer X. Fuck, that would have kicked ass!
Matthew Fox is Racer X in this one. Hmm..
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K9
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His next one, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, comes out next week and is getting very good advanced reviews.
Unfortunately it has Russel Brand in it, who is insufferable.
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I love the smell of facepalm in the morning
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HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42666
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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I forget who mentioned Soutland Tales on here a few weeks back, but I can recommend this movie. It's trippy as hell, and at times hard to follow, but like Donnie Darko, I think it will reward repeat viewing. Also, the Rock is funny in this one.
Knocked Up was so boring, I couldn't finish it. I really wanted to like it, but just didn't.
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WayAbvPar
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Knocked Up was so boring, I couldn't finish it. I really wanted to like it, but just didn't. Really? It wasn't quite as funny as 40YOV, but it was damned funny and had some nice moments in it as well. I also  Katherine Heigl (I have actually sat through an episode or two of her godawful show just to catch a glimpse!), so that might have influenced me.
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When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM
Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood
Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
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stray
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It's not a bad show really (no, I don't watch it a lot..but all of my friends do, so I catch it sometimes). I doubt she'll be on there much longer though.
Knocked Up, to me, is one of those rare 4 star comedies, like Zoolander, Groundhog Day, and yes, 40 Year Old Virgin.
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Merusk
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Knocked Up is 100 times funnier if you've actually had kids. A group of us from work watched it, and the 2 of us with kids thought it was hilarious, while the single guy didn't find it funny at all and the married-but-childless woman thought the relationship parts were funny.
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The past cannot be changed. The future is yet within your power.
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stray
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I hang around a lot of kids, wouldn't [mind] my own... Maybe that's part of it. Still funny on other levels though, I think. Apatow writes off-the-wall comedy, that's also very realistic. Which just makes it funnier. Also, that it's realistic makes his stories more touching than the average comedy. Good stuff.
[edit] clarified something big
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« Last Edit: April 15, 2008, 01:34:31 AM by Stray »
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HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42666
the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring
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See, Knoicked up was epic fail from the beginning because I never got the relationship between the main characters. Why were they together? The one night stand part was believable, but after that, what justified the two them staying together? Nothing in their chemistry told me these two characters should or would ever stay together just because there was a baby there. The basic premise of the comedy I just didn't buy. I thought the parts with the web site were funny enough, but it wasn't enough to hang a movie on.
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stray
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Well, you should keep watching it then. It addresses that.
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