tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post3335963840944454010..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: Film Friday: The Thing (1982) & (2011)AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-16100353062392449802012-07-25T17:10:01.488-04:002012-07-25T17:10:01.488-04:00Edward, I think the effects are fantastic in the o...Edward, I think the effects are fantastic in the original. They're even better than the CGI stuff today.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-88484833897259032592012-07-25T16:09:39.281-04:002012-07-25T16:09:39.281-04:00I'm going for John Carpenter's (1982) film...I'm going for John Carpenter's (1982) film 'The Thing' because this film has the better Special Alien Monster Puppetry Effects and Better Special Makeup Effects thanks to Rob Bottin's best work, and the actors are great especially one of the good guys like Kurt Russell.<br /><br />Rob Bottin did the remarkable work on these real special effects like the films 'Total Recall,' 'The Thing,' and 'The Howling.'<br /><br />Seriously, I think the Movie Directors should make ten to twenty more 'The Thing' sequels; only they should take their time making lot more monster puppetry fx and more than plenty of air-bladders, special makeup effects; and hire new good prefessional actors who are a little elderly, maybe have them way thirteen other people change into monsters and come up with the good story plots.Edwardnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-90509828612783899762012-07-13T22:56:56.896-04:002012-07-13T22:56:56.896-04:00T-Rav, Wait a minute, raisins are just de-juiced g...T-Rav, Wait a minute, raisins are just de-juiced grapes? Why didn't anyone tell me! ;)<br /><br />Yeah, I have long noticed that women are just as sexual as men, they just find it easier to hide these things... because we men are stupid and nonobservant.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-59498484372557337712012-07-13T21:21:56.192-04:002012-07-13T21:21:56.192-04:00That's because raisins are pressed and de-juic...That's because raisins are pressed and de-juiced grapes; hence, they can't get sour. See how that works? ;-)<br /><br />Sadly, I know about stuff like <i>Magic Mike</i>. At least it proves that, whatever they want to pretend, women are sometimes just physical in their attractions as those of us with a Y chromosome are. Too bad.T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-60589215341086072472012-07-13T20:50:42.004-04:002012-07-13T20:50:42.004-04:00You ever notice that nobody worries about sour rai...You ever notice that nobody worries about sour raisins? Just saying.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-49708350418325429492012-07-13T20:48:26.782-04:002012-07-13T20:48:26.782-04:00Just sour grapes on my part. :-)Just sour grapes on my part. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-2312827939829249082012-07-13T20:42:52.102-04:002012-07-13T20:42:52.102-04:00Scott, I get your point, but that is one of the mo...Scott, I get your point, but that is one of the more contradictory thoughts I've seen in a while! "I wish I could be there, but it would suck." LOL!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-41396044131003257542012-07-13T20:40:01.548-04:002012-07-13T20:40:01.548-04:00By the way, on a slightly related note, the San Di...By the way, on a slightly related note, the San Diego Comic-Con is going on as we speak. Apparently, there was a 10th anniversary <i>Firefly</i> reunion panel (time flies!) ... and on the other side of the convention center, they were previewing the <i>Star Trek: TNG</i> Blu-Rays to a packed crowd.<br /><br />Man, I wish I could be there! (Then again, it's too crowded and Hollywood has pretty much co-opted the whole thing. I could do without the <i>Twilight</i> moms and their tweens!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-69815715473938868422012-07-13T20:12:23.924-04:002012-07-13T20:12:23.924-04:00Scott, To put it bluntly, chicks dig that sort of ...Scott, To put it bluntly, chicks dig that sort of thing. ;)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-65265250204398200362012-07-13T20:10:22.175-04:002012-07-13T20:10:22.175-04:00Andrew, et al -
I'm not interested in Magic M...Andrew, et al -<br /><br />I'm not interested in <i>Magic Mike</i>, but I can safely say it made a lot of money at the box-office thus far (all things considered) and pretty much all of my female friends went to see it. If their Facebook comments are any indication, they enjoyed it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-53644134377981386152012-07-13T19:08:30.765-04:002012-07-13T19:08:30.765-04:00Patriot, I haven't seen many personally, but m...Patriot, I haven't seen many personally, but my understanding is that Norway is turning out some great films these days.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-85232285887815857792012-07-13T19:07:21.220-04:002012-07-13T19:07:21.220-04:00And yes, there is a movie about a male stripper an...And yes, there is a movie about a male stripper and it's called <i>Magic Mike</i>. Don't ask me why or how, but it exists. And I hear from T-Rav that they're making a sequel. Arg.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-51185976464161166862012-07-13T19:06:22.499-04:002012-07-13T19:06:22.499-04:00Koshcat, LOL! I agree entirely. Films like this ...Koshcat, LOL! I agree entirely. Films like this don't need to be remade and they should torture people who make bad remakes. Absolutely.<br /><br />And I don't understand how so many remakes turn out so poorly in any event? It's not hard to grasp what made the original work and repeat that. It's like they aren't even trying.<br /><br />I agree completely that the original (which I also consider the 1982 version as the 1951 version is simply too different to be considered the same movie) is very well-acted, well-written and well-directed. So they don't need the effects they need today to keep the audience -- the audience comes and stays for the stories and the characters.<br /><br />In fact, I would suggest that the existence of modern CGI effects has caused modern film writing to collapse as movies are now written around CGI fight scenes and are meant to be as simplistic as possible so as not to scare away audiences.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-1538977517801535532012-07-13T18:44:35.089-04:002012-07-13T18:44:35.089-04:00Maybe they should make the American/British versio...Maybe they should make the American/British version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo" because the Norwegian one was so bad......NOT! What is it with the Norwegians these days...? Putting out good movies, good tech gadgets, and babes of course. Hmmmm....Norway......once the Lizard King has been re-elected that might be my next destination. All I'll have to worry about there are tatooed Goths and alien Things.Patriothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01533169053860540075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-34134677755508941332012-07-13T18:38:50.007-04:002012-07-13T18:38:50.007-04:00There is a stripper movie named Magic Mike?There is a stripper movie named Magic Mike?Koshcatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-26707570361175194752012-07-13T18:37:55.132-04:002012-07-13T18:37:55.132-04:00I haven't seen the new movie but I really love...I haven't seen the new movie but I really love the original version. Since I never saw the 1951 version, original in my eyes was the 1982 one. The movie is great entertainment. I hadn't seen it for awhile and like another poster saw it on Netflix. My wife had never seen it so we watched. Better than I remembered. No boring monologues about how so and so lost his only son Billy to a roving band of conservative zombies. No political commentary. You were placed into this group without much background. Therefore, they had to use good writing to allow you to put in the background.<br /><br />Compare this to the most recent Transformers movie. It has great effects but SO BORING. Were are they finding these writers today? Walmart bargain bins?<br /><br />My final comment is that the 1982 movie was very well written, acted, and filmed. It didn't NEED a remake. Directors and studios who make bad remakes should be tortured until they admit guilt. Thumb screws? Iron Maiden? Maybe the Rack? Any will do. I pray that there is a special place at least in purgatory where these people will be punished for their sins against humanity. BTW, I never planned to watch the 2011 version and after this review never will, at least purposely.Koshcatnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-4806210545152372622012-07-13T18:09:14.801-04:002012-07-13T18:09:14.801-04:00T-Rav, I agree and I think that's the real pro...T-Rav, I agree and I think that's the real problem. Sequels are fine in and of themselves, i.e. there's nothing wrong with the concept.<br /><br />But when they set out to make sequels before they've even made the original, the thing they do to set up the franchise twist the films and make them unlikable.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-10700246391663370072012-07-13T18:05:01.524-04:002012-07-13T18:05:01.524-04:00I don't mind sequels/franchises in and of them...I don't mind sequels/franchises in and of themselves. Done right, they can be transcending epics with a lasting impact in the culture (see also <i>Star Wars</i>, <i>Indiana Jones</i>). I only wish that Hollywood would make movies without planning for a sequel, and stop using those as a crutch to compensate for a dearth of quality films. Speaking of which, I heard yesterday that they are planning a sequel to that stripper movie, <i>Magic Mike</i>. GAAAAAAAA!!!!!!T-Ravhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10861218035729479354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-79060701507609625642012-07-13T17:59:20.655-04:002012-07-13T17:59:20.655-04:00Indi, I agree with you, except we know this is abo...Indi, I agree with you, except we know this is about marketing. By taking an existing property, they hope to capture both the new audience who is already primed to see the latest monster film PLUS the audience from the original. It's cynical, but that's what you get when you turn art into business.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-37717956482482610262012-07-13T17:53:37.669-04:002012-07-13T17:53:37.669-04:00Jed, That's the role that sticks with me too f...Jed, That's the role that sticks with me too for Dysart.<br /><br /><br />Scott, "Hey, it's that guy" -- I know exactly what you mean. I've got a couple dozen of those who I can't really name, but the moment I see them or hear them I suddenly remember their entire careers.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-72701471117591814392012-07-13T17:51:25.794-04:002012-07-13T17:51:25.794-04:00Scott, This:
I also have no problem with mytholo...Scott, This:<br /><br /><i>I also have no problem with mythologizing but with many of the great movies we grew up with, the mythologizing was usually done by fans and critics and usually after the fact.</i><br /><br />is exactly the problem. When they made movies in the past, they made them to tell the best story they could in the hopes the audience would enjoy it and pay to see it again and again. Yes, people knew about sequels, but they were rare so no one worried about catering to a sequel.<br /><br />Somewhere that changed. Now every movie is meant to be a franchise with 3-5 more movies coming if the first one works, so they write them differently. Rather than giving you a complete story, they give you half a story. Rather than wrap things up naturally, they intentionally create loose ends. They inject needless subplots that slow the film just so they can be used in later films. It's a huge mistake.<br /><br />This film is crawling with recognizable people. Dyshart, absolutely. Also Brimely did a ton of oatmeal commercials for years after this. TK Carter was all over film. Donald Moffatt (Gary) showed up everywhere as well. And of course Keith and Russell.<br /><br />As an aside, Carpenter is one of those directors who has given many famous people their break into films.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-36311681370832952502012-07-13T17:29:31.220-04:002012-07-13T17:29:31.220-04:00I have missed both movies but I will say this ...
...I have missed both movies but I will say this ...<br /><br />When if ever has a remake ever been as good as the original. Hollywood would be much better off paying writers to create original works.<br /><br />Though I have not seen either movie the MO is all too familiar.<br /><br />Take a movie that was good, update it to have a minoirty, a women and a gay guy if it did not before, take generic tropes and play out the same script.<br /><br />We are becoming the Elizabethian audience of Shakespeare going to see the same plays over and over.....Individualisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11005025873042230314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-38444466453359292262012-07-13T17:29:30.969-04:002012-07-13T17:29:30.969-04:00Jed -
It was the voice that tipped me off. For m...Jed - <br /><br />It was the voice that tipped me off. For me, he's one of the quintessential "Hey, it's that guy!" actors. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-87485502070032522112012-07-13T17:28:39.580-04:002012-07-13T17:28:39.580-04:00Scott - Dysart was in a million things. The role t...Scott - Dysart was in a million things. The role that has stuck in my mind is his t.v. portrayal of Leland McKenzie, senior partner in the law firm in the series L.A. Law. The, I saw him as a villain in Pale Rider. Of course you would see him later in his career, not recognize him by name, but know he had been in a million different things.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-77314352629974409452012-07-13T17:15:40.208-04:002012-07-13T17:15:40.208-04:00I haven't seen the new one but I recall most o...I haven't seen the new one but I recall most of the reviews which more or less echoed your opinion: "It was supposed to be a prequel but it's basically a remake."<br /><br />Since I'm not much of a horror guy, I was in no rush to see the Carpenter version but I stumbled across it on Netflix a year ago and I thought, "Why not?" I was surprised by how efficient and "not flashy" it was. There was a logical progression and things just happened. No fanfare... just a bunch of guys in the wrong place.<br /><br />I think one of the problems with movies today - and I know I've brought this up before - is that every movie is expected to be part of a franchise and set up a mythology. I have no problem with world-building. In fact, I encourage it. But take <i>Prometheus</i> for example. It was unsatisfying and the creators may have gone into it already assuming there would be a sequel so there was no effort made to wrap up anything in this one. To quote another critic, "Remember when movies used to be f---ing self-contained!"<br /><br />I also have no problem with mythologizing but with many of the great movies we grew up with, the mythologizing was usually done by fans and critics and usually after the fact.<br /><br />Having said that, I had no idea how many familiar faces were in this movie! Richard Dysart is someone that I know has been in a million things but... and this'll sound weird... I think when we're younger, there are certain actors from previous generations who show up in our favorite movies and <i>that's</i> how we know them. (How many kids who watched <i>The Muppet Movie</i> knew who Orson Welles was?)<br /><br />For me, Dysart will always be the barbed wire salesman in <i>Back to the Future Part III</i>: "If peddling this barbed wire all across the country has taught me one thing, it's that you never know what the future might bring." <br /><br />Also, I believe this movie had one of the great laserdisc retrospective documentaries. It was ported over to DVD but they split it up for the Blu-Ray and turned it into some "interactive" viewing option. I hate when they do that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com