tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post5160809078513262239..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: Film Friday: Men in Black (1997)AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-40357446664956230082013-08-24T12:59:15.957-04:002013-08-24T12:59:15.957-04:00Rustbelt, This film isn't presented a unified ...Rustbelt, This film isn't presented a unified theory of the universe nor is it everything it talks about something it deals with in the film. What it does, is that it examines human nature -- individuality v. group think -- and it otherwise throws out lots of questions and issues, but leaves those for you to consider rather than exploring them. You can't try to link all the things it raises as one theory.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-8944161911258928282013-08-24T01:50:47.874-04:002013-08-24T01:50:47.874-04:00Twilight Zone influence, eh? Well, that certainly ...Twilight Zone influence, eh? Well, that certainly deserves the Spock reply of "Fascinating."<br /><br />But if that's the case, showing that we're all just insignificant parts of something small and really don't matter, wouldn't that hurt the celebration of the importance of the individual? Okay, now I know I'm really reaching out there, but the idea just hit me. Food for thought, I guess.<br /><br />Anyway, mentioning the Twilight Zone is only heightening my mood. I went to a football scrimmage at my old high school this evening and it has left me in a fall mindset. I suddenly miss 'Fear Friday' on AMC. I definitely feel like it's time to break out the old B-movies for a late night viewing, preferably something with Peter Cushing and/or Christopher Lee... Rustbelthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190297078043033514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-12868834921517505942013-08-24T01:09:22.143-04:002013-08-24T01:09:22.143-04:00Rustbelt, There's no crime in that. People se...Rustbelt, There's no crime in that. People see movies differently and have different tastes.<br /><br />I don't get a hipster sense at all from the film. What I get mainly is a celebration of individuality and a heavy disdain for "the crowd."<br /><br />I think the ending is meaningful in the sense of perspective. It's like the Twilight Zone episode where Claude Akins terrorizes the microscopic people only to have giants land on top of him later. It's kind of like a statement that says, "Imagine what you'll discover tomorrow."AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-23314159720532123002013-08-24T00:27:37.338-04:002013-08-24T00:27:37.338-04:00Well, I'm late to this chat, and, honestly, th...Well, I'm late to this chat, and, honestly, there's only two things I can add.<br /><br />First, this film is good, but it doesn't scream out for a re-watch as far as I'm concerned. It just seems so...90's. Like a pre-9/11 relic, or something like that. It's hard to express. Maybe I was surprised by the lack of concern for humanity in this film. It just has such a "yeah, whatever..." feel to it that seems almost...hipster-ish? I don't know. It just seems to have such a detached, unemotional, and almost Kubrick feel to it that I feel no need to revisit it, no matter how smart it is.<br /><br />And speaking of Kubrick...<br />I don't feel that the Earth being part of another "galaxy" thing at the end has any special meaning. (Or the locker thing at the end of MiB2, for that matter.) I've always had the same feeling about it that I have about Jack's picture at the end of 'the Shining.' There's nothing to it, IMO. It's just the director trying to put up a visual because "it looks cool" and then trying to trick the audience into thinking it means something. And yes, I have the read the Commentarama 'Shining' thread. So, I'm all caught up on this subject. And that's my two cents.<br /><br />All in all, it's a good film, but not one that makes me want to re-watch it, like 'Ghostbusters,' 'Big Trouble...," or "Firefox." <br /><br />Anyway, it's good to be back. Oh, and, uh, I left a few comments and links in 'the Warriors' thread. (Andrew, shame on you for putting that up while I was away!) Please enjoy! Rustbelthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190297078043033514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-45142134500107729432013-08-23T22:27:07.962-04:002013-08-23T22:27:07.962-04:00Daniel, Interestingly, I remember all those lines ...Daniel, Interestingly, I remember all those lines as well and think about them from time to time. I think that is a sign of truly genius writing when people remember your dialog years later.<br /><br />I think the reason the cult aspect isn't obvious at first is because this just feels like a surprisingly smart summer film. But it isn't until you start to think about it that you see how similar this film actually is to other cult films except that each scene ends with the big shiny for the summer crowd.<br /><br />There is a lot of philosophical stuff in this film, but it's also handled very subtly, so you can ignore it if you like. I think that's probably key to keeping everyone happy too.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-92012159708108630252013-08-23T22:22:17.858-04:002013-08-23T22:22:17.858-04:00Jason, It is funny that in hindsight it seems like...Jason, It is funny that in hindsight it seems like this was guaranteed to be a success, but it really wasn't. As you point out, this was not THE big film that summer.<br /><br />I think you are right that the "cult film" aspect certainly helped this movie big time with word of mouth. By giving all these layers of humor, people get a feeling of "Oh, I figured it out!" even if they only got part of it. It creates a feeling that the film spoke to you in ways you know it didn't to other people. That makes it feel special, and I would suspect that leads people to run out and tell their friends to go see it. How many people do you think told their friends to go see <i>Batman and Robin</i>?<br /><br />I didn't care for MIB 3, but I'm glad you did. :) There was a lot I liked about it, but it just didn't feel right to me overall. I certainly can't say it was a bad movie, it just didn't feel right to me.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-77233715001601825932013-08-23T22:13:17.153-04:002013-08-23T22:13:17.153-04:00Koshcat, We need another Batman because it sells.....Koshcat, We need another Batman because it sells... that's the only reason. And teaming him with Superman will SELL. That's why they're doing it.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-21044674081443638142013-08-23T22:12:35.793-04:002013-08-23T22:12:35.793-04:00T-Rav, I don't actually dislike Affleck either...T-Rav, I don't actually dislike Affleck either, but there is no way he's up to the part. He's far too lightweight to be an action hero.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-81335590172696478932013-08-23T22:11:16.219-04:002013-08-23T22:11:16.219-04:00Jocelyn, "just because I can"! LOL! I ...Jocelyn, "just because I can"! LOL! I love that. That's the attitude that makes America what it is. :D<br /><br />I totally agree about the scenes like the bike. This film is visually rich as every scene is packed with so many things you can look it. It makes the film a joy to watch.<br /><br />Exactly! People can be smart, informed and very rational, but put them into a mob and they lose all of that and just go stupid.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-75028057567225907482013-08-23T22:08:24.773-04:002013-08-23T22:08:24.773-04:00I hadn't thought of MiB as a mix of cult film ...I hadn't thought of MiB as a mix of cult film intelligence and general film lightness, but that does explain a lot of its appeal. I thoroughly enjoyed it when I watched it in the past. Smith and Jones worked really well together and I liked Linda Fiorentino's character Laurel a lot, too. One of the biggest things that disappointed me about the sequel is that she didn't come back; I thought there was a lot of potential for a new adventure with her on the team.<br /><br />There's not much I can add about how good the dialogue was, too. Zed's line about government training, the line about how a person is smart but people are dumb and panicky, Laurel's comments about the alien body's...missing orifices, and Elvis going home still stick with me. It was definitely a good, fun movie and you've given me more to think about when it comes to the philosophical parts!<br /><br /> - DanielAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-22217607513711120362013-08-23T22:08:01.922-04:002013-08-23T22:08:01.922-04:00Jed, The jokes here were definitely meant to be go...Jed, The jokes here were definitely meant to be gotten, they aren't inside jokes. The best way to put it really is that this film caters to all levels of humor.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-47602522584051136062013-08-23T22:06:08.630-04:002013-08-23T22:06:08.630-04:00KRS, Take that! LOL! Just kidding. Sorry about th...KRS, Take that! LOL! Just kidding. Sorry about that. I can't believe anyone thought that casting Affleck was a good idea.<br /><br />On MIB, it's very hard to repeat magic in a sequel and I think that's probably because writers tend to see sequels differently than they do the first film. Rather than making the cool story they loved, then end up trying to make a knock-off of the same story and that ends up themeless.<br /><br />Agreed on MIB 2. Seeing her in her underwear, while I enjoyed it, kind of signaled that they were aiming for a more juvenile film that time. And that's kind of what we got.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-4743402711579660272013-08-23T20:05:21.944-04:002013-08-23T20:05:21.944-04:00The “cult film” aspects of this movie probably hel...The “cult film” aspects of this movie probably helped explain why it became such a big hit when it premiered. The audience thought that they had discovered it instead of it being hyped down their throats. <br /><br />Know what the big hit of that summer was supposed to be? Batman and Robin. Well, the second big hit; the first was The Lost World: Jurassic Park. B&R had all the starpower you could ask for and following up on the successful Batman Forever. By contrast, Men in Black had some witty trailers, but would it be big? At the time, I didn’t have an inkling of it. <br /><br />Well, we all know what happened. Batman and Robin was drowned in (well deserved) bad reviews and Men in Black opened with a smash. <br /><br />Also, I really liked Men in Black 3. :)Jasonhttp://www.rigelchase.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-57695521309495972132013-08-23T19:44:48.593-04:002013-08-23T19:44:48.593-04:00Why do we need another Batman? Why can't we g...Why do we need another Batman? Why can't we go forward with Robin Blake? The story of Nightwing would have potential especially since we already have the back story in place.Koshcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552108950848576633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-3478343578513403852013-08-23T19:39:03.142-04:002013-08-23T19:39:03.142-04:00KRS, if you needed any conclusive proof of how inb...KRS, if you needed any conclusive proof of how inbred and completely unserious and tone-deaf Hollywood is, all you'd have to do is listen today to all the entertainment "critics" and "commentators" talking about how much gravitas and grit Affleck will bring to the role. (groan)<br /><br />I don't really dislike Affleck, and I object mainly to the very idea of bringing Batman back only three years after TDKR. But still.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-54436426362859907062013-08-23T19:21:42.465-04:002013-08-23T19:21:42.465-04:00MIB is one of my all time favorite movies. I can w...MIB is one of my all time favorite movies. I can watch it over and over and laugh at it. The last time I was in NY, I went to Battery Park just to take a picture of the building that was used as the HQ and went to the old Worlds Fair place to take a picture of the flying saucers, just because I can.<br /><br />I love all the scenes; even when they are visiting the pawn shop and the couple on the bike goes by and they are all lite up. Those little things just add to the movie. I also use that quote, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." a lot in describing the mass public. A person is smart if they are informed, but once they are in a herd they are dumb.Jocelynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11404272311393716408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-15294407801408793282013-08-23T18:30:05.217-04:002013-08-23T18:30:05.217-04:00Never saw this one so I can't really comment m...Never saw this one so I can't really comment much. I enjoy feels that are rich in irony, and trust an audience rather than spell everything out. It sounds like you have to work a bit to like this one, and that's o.k. On the other hand, sometimes film makers mistake inside jokes for intelligence and ambiguity. Sounds like that was not the case here.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-60339648304671029352013-08-23T17:02:34.362-04:002013-08-23T17:02:34.362-04:00Andrew - Matt Damon as Robin? Just when I was reco...Andrew - Matt Damon as Robin? Just when I was recovering, that image put me back down again. Thanks, Andrew, next you'll be recommending nipples on the body armor :O<br /><br />Now that I've fully regained my senses, I can speak. Everything you say about MIB is spot one. I came to it without seeing much of the previews somehow, so it took me by surprize and and I was delighted to see it in theater.<br /><br />I tend to be suspicious of sequels to really brilliant work because it's hard to clear that bar again - maybe impossible. I know Toy Story did it, but I can't think of another offhand.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I really got into the opening of MIB2 until LFB popped up in her undies. There was something about that moment that told me the rest of the movie wasn't going to make it over the hill. Not that I didn't like seeing her in her deities, but that sort of thing right at the start kinda sends a message that's never good.KRSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-9375009246426918112013-08-23T15:27:02.160-04:002013-08-23T15:27:02.160-04:00tryanmax, My problem with 3 was mainly that Smith ...tryanmax, My problem with 3 was mainly that Smith is now too old to play the same "brash young guy" character he plays. It felt faked to me.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-91733499123291943962013-08-23T15:25:55.544-04:002013-08-23T15:25:55.544-04:00T-Rav, I don't think the past connection was n...T-Rav, I don't think the past connection was needed either. It was just tossed into the film at the end and I didn't care for it because it changed a lot of the meaning of their relationship if you actually thought about it.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-92158681782098033702013-08-23T15:18:16.986-04:002013-08-23T15:18:16.986-04:00To all those who haven't seen MIB3, while it&#...To all those who haven't seen <i>MIB3</i>, while it's far more tentpole than cult, it's still a fun romp. <br /><br />In defense of the "distant past connection" without giving any spoilers, 90% of it is just modern-J teaming up with past-K (presumably b/c TLJ can't jump around as much anymore) and the other 10% is an incidental "coincidence" that doesn't really affect anything. Maybe there's a slight emotional ret-con, but nothing substantive. tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-54149835563592729972013-08-23T15:04:08.897-04:002013-08-23T15:04:08.897-04:00Agreed. This is one of those movies you can watch ...Agreed. This is one of those movies you can watch whenever it comes on the TV and never get tired of it. I really don't have anything to add. <br /><br />I haven't seen MIB 3, but one of the things I learned online that struck me as wrong was using the whole time-travel thing to show that J and K had a distant past connection or whatever. The movie didn't need that. There was no reason why they had to have an entwined backstory--or really, any backstory beyond what we got in the first movie. They're two guys who team up to fight bad aliens, end of story. T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-15774765494662296312013-08-23T14:48:38.770-04:002013-08-23T14:48:38.770-04:00Thanks Patriot! That's funny too. The juxtap...Thanks Patriot! That's funny too. The juxtaposition of names is hilarious. I also like when he grabs Smith before he touches the one alien and all he says is, "He's cranky."AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-81548911809383920122013-08-23T14:37:59.180-04:002013-08-23T14:37:59.180-04:00Andrew......Great review!
Another scene I like is...Andrew......Great review!<br /><br />Another scene I like is when K is introducing J to the MIB HQ and he shows the two many armed aliens working the screens....."Meet the Twins, Bweryang and Bob."Patriothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01533169053860540075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-41034849603812221282013-08-23T14:21:29.581-04:002013-08-23T14:21:29.581-04:00RetroHound, I thought that scene was hilarious, ho...RetroHound, I thought that scene was hilarious, how they make his whole thing an act. "I'm watching a man eating a hamburger... it's... uh... transcendent." And the other bought it. To me, that was one of the strongest moments in that film. "You've got to get me out of here!"AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.com