Posts by quietdriver3

John Robinson said:Are you talking about a country where athletes show up to international competitions just to figure out how to flee the very nation they’re supposedly representing?

I guess I was thinking more along the lines of the Cuban healthcare system... you know, the one that draws in maybe 20,000 desperate people every year—people who usually come from the countries everyone else is trying to "escape" from—just because they're looking for medical care that's actually affordable and decent.

John Robinson said:So, you're basically expecting doctors—who spend over a decade in school, mind you—to just be free labor? And you think all the supplies needed for surgery should just be handed out for nothing? I mean, wow. That kind of logic... it's just not really working for me.

Just one word comes to mind: Cuba.

Anthony Phillips33 said:it really depends on how you look at it, I guess.
In the US, a doctor's salary might be $50,000 - $100, $0.00 per month (which is like four to six times higher than average)
whereas in some other places it might be $5,000 - $10, $0.00 (so maybe average up to twice the average)... I feel like there's still this old socialist mindset lingering where people think they should get healthcare for free, or like paying $10, $0.00 for car insurance is fine, but $10, $0.00 for health insurance just isn't okay.

In the US, hospitals are basically set up to turn a profit, which I suppose is just capitalism doing its thing.
But in most of Europe, hospitals are usually running deep in the red.

Maybe I still have a bit of that old-school socialist mentality stuck in my head, but I always felt like hospitals should be built to actually do their jobs first, and then if they happen to make a profit, well, that's just an extra hobby for them, I guess.

Larry Martin11 said:...man 😵 just aimless wandering of the worst kind—the script is incredibly clunky (those dialogues? seriously? they try to lean on profanity to make everything feel "gritty" and authentic, but it just feels forced and hollow) and the acting is just mediocre. Honestly, I'm totally disappointed...

The critics seem to be saying pretty much that, so I don't really have any huge expectations going in. But man, that one scene from the trailer... you know the one? Where it’s raining in Washington, D.C. at night, and the camera just slowly pans up while a city bus rolls by at the bottom of the frame—yeah, that's the whole reason I'd actually go see it.

Arthur Garcia59 said:well, look at that.
first news item.
does anyone have a link to where this was mentioned, maybe somewhere outside of this forum?

There we go...

Arthur Garcia59 said:I can maybe stomach a hanging mic once or twice if the movie is already a total disaster, or maybe four or five times if I'm feeling generous, I guess. But when you have a stationary mic just sitting there in the top left corner, clearly visible on screen for ten solid seconds? Yeah, that pretty much kills it. It completely ruins any sense of paranoia they were trying to build, if they even managed to pull it off in the first place.

I guess you should probably send an appeal straight to the theater itself... or maybe just to those folks hanging out behind the projector.

Rachel Price75 said:That dialogue right near the end where they finally stumble upon the whole conspiracy... I don't know, it just felt kind of weak. Maybe it was just me, but it didn't really land.

I guess that one specific bit of dialogue is really what makes it all worth it... it's honestly the only reason I can look past all his other mistakes. 😁

The crowd's reaction to this movie was pretty interesting to watch. I don't think I've ever been to a screening where people were walking out in such massive numbers. It’s definitely the trailer's fault, though—it sets you up for one thing, then the actual movie gives you something completely different.

Anyway, the whole thing reminds me a bit of Mulholland Drive—everything feels relatively normal until a certain point, and then—after that one massive shocker—things just go totally insane. Honestly, that sudden shift is probably its biggest flaw. It suffers from the same issue as The Shining; it just lacks that slow, creeping sense of madness. There aren't really any smooth transitions in how the characters behave. It’s just constant, jarring outbursts.

steelstag4 said:The Japanese film 😉 wasn't exactly a home run, to be honest. 😢
And the guy promoting tomorrow's screening was really hyping it up, calling it one of those standout feel-good movies from Sundance.

So, I caught it yesterday. It’s good, I guess, but maybe not quite on the level of all that praise from Mirkovićev.

The acting was actually pretty great, but the ending felt kind of rushed and unfinished.

Man, I can just picture it. Some dimly lit meeting room out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in the outskirts of Hollywood, where some nameless "player" stands up, clears his throat, and asks:
"Guys, you know what's always been missing from those Hannibal Lecter movies?"
"What?"
"Ninjas."
And then, just imagine the thunderous applause that follows. Even Thomas Harris is sitting there in the crowd, probably nodding along like he just heard the greatest idea of his career.

Amanda Lopez50 said:...just because of you, I'll probably catch it when it's on TV 😉 just to see what I didn't quite vibe with the first time around...

same here... I guess I'm dedicating my viewing time to Jose Chase2 too. I doubt I'd ever go back to it, but honestly, with all this praise, I suppose the movie really did earn it. 😬

Amanda Lopez50 said:Man, I don't know... I feel like I actually went through that myself, maybe with, I don't even know... Los Angeles Lakers Now I think I get why I’m so much more into that thread about David Fincher. 😁

I had that exact same experience with FC. Or I guess, it was more like what happened to all of us. There were actually more of us in the theater at first. But once the credits started rolling, man... you could hear nothing but the sound of crickets in the background. Just total silence.

Jose Chase2 said:Or maybe it's just us that changed? I mean, if you look at the world and the era we grew up in, it kind of feels like watching Terminator 2. It’s almost like giving a kid the keys to an ice cream factory, and then expecting them to feel the exact same way when they see Terminator 2 for the first time as adults.

Yeah, that's definitely part of it. But I guess I also expect directors to evolve along with us (you know, to keep up with my own maturity 😬 ).
But whatever.

Jerry Martin19 said:I mean, I kind of doubt that Avatar is going to let us down. Cameron hasn't really missed the mark when it comes to his sci-fi stuff, so I guess it’s hard to imagine he’ll start now. Like I was saying before, all his sci-fi films seem to have this solid foundation behind them—even The Abyss, which I actually haven't sat down to watch yet. He just seems like one of those directors who truly gets the genre, you know? Their work speaks for itself, and we've all seen how our guy Cameron handles things. It feels a little silly to get too carried away with expectations, though. I suppose we've all seen how massive disappointments usually come from nothing more than our own hype, but it's still pretty reasonable to assume that... So, I was thinking about Avatar... just that whole thing. It’s funny how much people talk about it, you know? I guess I've been sitting here wondering if it actually holds up the way everyone says it does. Maybe it's just the scale of it all, or maybe it's something else entirely. I don't know. It's hard to pin down. Just one of those movies that stays in the back of your mind, I suppose. It’s not going to be a flop. I mean, maybe it turns out to be a masterpiece, or maybe just really great, or maybe just okay... honestly, it could even end up being his worst one yet. But it’s hard to say it'll actually be bad. Making a bad movie just isn't really in Cameron's DNA, I guess. It's almost like he doesn't even have the capacity for it. It's just not in his hands. 🙂

I mean, the numbers are definitely on his side. But I don't know... there's something about the way Cameron hasn't really maintained that steady momentum over the last decade that kind of worries me. It’s just an observation, I guess. Looking at the stats—just off the top of my head—it seems like directors who take these massive breaks before jumping back in tend to stumble quite often. Maybe it's just me, though. 😳

slyrider16 said:Heh, true. Though, honestly, I hadn't actually seen one of his movies in a theater before seeing The Abyss. Back then, they wouldn't let me go see Aliens because it was supposedly "too scary for such a little kid." Then I saw The Abyss, and man, it was fantastic. I didn't have a clue who the director was, nor did I really care at the time. Two years later, I caught Terminator 2, which was just genius—again, not even knowing who directed it. Around that same period, I finally watched Aliens on VHS and was just... wow. It was only later, I think I read it somewhere, that I realized those three films—which were easily some of my all-time favorites back then—were all by the same guy.

I remember the first time I watched Terminator 2. I remember sitting there in my chair after the credits rolled, almost robotically grabbing the VHS remote and hitting STOP => REW => PLAY just to watch the whole thing from start to finish without breathing. 😁 I don't think I've ever watched a movie like that again, no matter how good it turned out to be.

Anyway, I agree with everything else too.

Let's just hope he brings that same energy to Avatar. I feel like it's been a really long time since I've seen a decent Hollywood spectacle.

Kyle Watson8 said:I’m honestly saying the same thing: Kyle Watson8 and placidlynx23 really need to stop acting like such total idiots. 🙂

Anyway, here is my take on this, since I can't find a better way to put it:

There is an undeniable, dark energy at play here. Maybe it's just an illusion, maybe it isn't some distinct entity existing outside our own minds—though if you ask me, watching those kids on their motorcycles... 😲 even if it is just an illusion, it’s so persistent that it practically screams for a deeper explanation. Is that what Lynch was chasing with this film, searching for the ultimate mystery of life? Did he write a letter straight from "hell"? I don't know if that actually answers any fundamental questions; I won't presume to step in there, because frankly, I failed to grasp the film myself. Regardless, Lynch has crafted something profoundly spiritual, but don't expect enlightenment, because it is inherently evil 😁. I’ve always held the belief that art is the only thing capable of revealing certain facets of life—of the soul, or whatever—that everything else fails to touch. But that relationship hits a wall the moment I become its victim, even if we are talking about the most brilliant film ever made. You can call me a coward if you want, but I call it wisdom 😁
. There are ideas that draw us in, ideas from which we can mostly gain and extract meaning, but in this film, the ideas are presented in a way that actively repels us. The real question, then, is what on earth compelled Lynch to make this film in the first place 😁

I don't think I've ever seen a piece of art that felt truly evil. Maybe it's because, you know, art comes from the soul, so the assumption is that it can't be malicious... so, yeah, I guess I really need to see this film😬

placidlynx23 said:What would change? Based on what he's said, he'd take those six-plus hours of raw footage and choose a massive amount of shots featuring abstract elements—wind in the desert, waves, abstract architectural shapes—and toss out an equal amount of scenes that are actually "explanatory" or narrative. Generally speaking, he’d focus more on the "world" rather than the "plot" or specific events. But obviously, that version wouldn't draw the kind of audience this one does, which is why the studio dictates exactly what he has to make and how he has to pick it.

A pretty significant difference, huh. Inace, it's interesting that you don't see anything Lynch's in Dune, because even in this compromised version, his touch is more than evident.

And you think being jerked around like that would be okay? And I don't mean just any random messing around, but getting played with regarding someone else's magnum opus. I mean, would that even be fair to Frank Herbert and his fans?

slyrider16 said:It’s pretty obvious his sensibility just clicked with ours (Beaver, Richard Howard2, and my little self), so we all think it's great. Then you have people trashing Titanic. Total amateurs, honestly. sigh. 😁

Looking at our profiles, the three of us are basically the same age, so, I guess, there's no way you could have grown up in the 80s without thinking Cameron is a legend. 😁

As for all the whining about Titanic, I feel like it's just some sort of rebellion from the younger generations... maybe that's how you'd interpret it. Most of the professional critics were more or less in agreement that the movie was good.

Besides that, it's probably the most "him" movie he's ever made. You can tell just how much passion and love went into it. And what matters most is that you can't help but respect his balls when you see how the whole thing was produced. The delays, the massive budget overruns, the runtime being considered totally unprofitable back then. But the guy just pushed through it all. He stood behind this project like nobody else. I mean, can you imagine the kind of pressure that must have been? But man, it paid off. I remember reading all the Hollywood gossip and little snippets of info about the project, stuff about scammers involving some sunken ship or whatever. It was stressful. I kept thinking, "man, what are we in for." 😁 And then when it finally came out... wow. We felt like that generation waiting for Star Wars decades earlier. 😬

slyrider16 said:Yeah, true, expectations are a total bitch. A real bitch. But what can you do? You just hope for the best. I've been wondering if it's better to just read nothing and stay away from everything related to a movie before seeing it. But I don't know, staying that disciplined seems hard.

Actually, it would probably be best if he just stayed quiet and kept filming. Without all those "oh, this has never been seen before" clichés. That's how George Lucas used to give interviews back in '97, saying things like, "we're 30 years ahead of everyone else."
And it turned out he just became a dinosaur.

Richard Howard2 said:It's true, I guess Cameron is the greatest living director to me, even if I might be overstating it a bit. He’s like a true pioneer of cinematic baroque. Of course, when I say Cameron, I don't just mean him, but the whole crew that works on his films. I have this feeling that maybe it isn't so much about him being that good, but more about the result of all that teamwork. Just as a little hint toward that theory, the Director's cut Abyss is a total disaster. It’s almost like some other director went in and messed with it.

Yeah, but I think his team produces that kind of quality because of his relentless, almost dictatorial way of working. You really have to know how to delegate things properly, I suppose. 😉

slyrider16 said:Man, you might be my long-lost twin, quietdriver3. I mean, I pretty much agree with everything you said about him. And honestly, maybe Piranha 2 isn't even that bad... I saw it a long time ago, and I think it has its certain trashy charms. (that short Xenogenesis bit of his was, unfortunately, kind of a letdown, maybe even his worst.) But, I guess I’d go even further with the praise. 🙂 Not only is he one of those rare directors who doesn't really have a bad movie, but he also made the absolute best films within specific subgenres. True Lies—it's probably the best mix of action and comedy out there. Aliens / T2—definitely the best blend of action and drama. He probably won't ever make something that breaks into my personal top tier of all-time favorites, but man, he's just so consistent when it comes to quality, and he doesn't just blindly follow genre tropes or formulas throughout his career.

Yup, I'm with you on all of that. If genre movies have to exist, I'd much rather they be directed by Cameron. He’s one of those few guys who takes a standard formula and actually pushes it a little further. It's a shame his successors don't really know how to handle that legacy of his.

slyrider16 said:I think I've been waiting over ten years for that, and I'm sure he's been waiting even longer to finally film it.

I don't know, lately I've been getting a bit nervous about those movies people wait their whole lives for. 😁 Everything just ends up feeling too overhyped in the end. But, well, I guess I hope that's not what happens here.

northerncrane4 said:You're barking up the wrong tree, genius.

I guess "You're humping the wrong leg, genius" would be a bit more accurate, maybe.