Posts by casualotter21

Noah Watson4 said:On the contrary... if you actually read what I wrote... we thought the movie was absolute perfection! 😉

I suppose I misspoke: when I used the word "terrible," I meant it in the sense of being "impressively awful." 🙂

Adam Wright56 said:5) Time Machine (the one from the sixties)

I was obsessed with this movie growing up, and honestly, I still am. I still find it hard to believe I once recorded over the tape containing it with some mindless garbage.

I actually have that on VHS. It's a classic. 🙂

Noah Watson4 said:Hey, look... regarding Cabin Fever... would you agree that the horror genre basically died out with the 80s!? Like, there haven't been any truly good horror films since then!? Well, my girlfriend and I went through a massive blowout before heading off to watch Cabin Fever.

I suspect that explains quite well why you found the horror genre so dreadful. 😬

Paul Mendoza8 said:I truly did my best to enjoy it, but I just can't bring myself to. It’s trying way too hard to be cool, spooky, and mysterious. Every single frame, character, or non-event is treated as if it carries some profound, hidden meaning.

I think I know exactly where you're going with this. That was my initial reaction, too. It’s like, "Okay, we have a traveling circus," except this isn't some standard troupe of performers—it’s the kind of twisted circus we all imagined when we were kids, teeming with dark and impossible secrets. It’s a classic trope, something we've seen since Bradbury's *Something Wicked This Way Comes* or even the movie *Freakshow*. Everything seems charming and wonderful at first, but much like those conspiracy theories in *The X-Files*, the creators eventually trip over their own attempts at being "cool" and "mysterious," and the whole thing just turns into a joke.

The thing that makes Carnivale such a compelling world to explore is the setting: we’re looking at the 1930s, where the Great Depression is ravaging the USA and the entire Midwest has been transformed into a literal dust belt. We like to think things are rough for us today, but that doesn't even begin to compare to the economic catastrophe faced by the most powerful nations on Earth back then.

As a direct consequence of that fatherly figure, we're seeing the influence of extreme political factions gain serious traction among the public. Their main talking point? The supposed inability of Western democracies to manage the Great Depression and its various fallout. It’s exactly what this Protestant pastor from California is doing: he’s a populist who genuinely wants to help people, yet he's perfectly willing to get his hands dirty to achieve his ends.

What I’m hoping for from this series is that it mirrors Stephen King's *The Stand*, focusing on a biblical struggle between good and evil, but viewed through the lens of ordinary people who aren't exactly saints or monsters. At the same time, that conflict could serve as a reflection of the clash between Western nations and the totalitarian regimes that emerged during the latter half of the 20th century. If they managed that, adding a dark and creepy circus element wouldn't just be okay—it would actually be pretty cool.

Well, we'll just have to wait and see. I'm not entirely convinced the series will hit the level of hype I'm hoping for, nor am I certain it'll actually be any good. Regardless, I have no intention of hunting down spoilers online. As it stands, ever since "Firefly" wrapped up, "Carnival" and "Lost" are really the only shows left on my regular watchlist.

I couldn't quite get through it yesterday, but honestly, the movie is fantastic: it’s got drama, comedy, and some impressive tech... I really appreciated the little details. For instance, after a successful launch, those German scientists are all drunk and singing Lili Marlen in a pub. 😬

Great film. I actually recorded it on video years ago, and I guard that tape like it's my own eyesight. 🙂

Thanks to PBS, we've barely managed to catch two episodes over the last four weeks. Not that I'm complaining, though. I managed to snag the second one, and it actually feels like this series could be quite excellent. It reminds me a lot of Stephen King: he has that knack for weaving supernatural occurrences and monsters into the fabric of mundane reality. In this case, we seem to have a biblical struggle between Good and Evil set in the USA during the Great Depression in the early 1930s. Quite clever.

My primary reservation at this stage is the same one I had with "Lost": the premise is fantastic, but how many episodes can you stretch it before you descend into cliches and self-parody? I mean, sure, we have a circus full of freaks and mysterious happenings, but sooner or later, you’re going to have to explain who this crowd is and what is actually going on. Just look at the later seasons of "The X-Files"...

But then again, that’s something for the writers to stress over, not me. 🙂

Oh, and one more thing: I absolutely love the opening sequence with the tarot cards and the documentary footage of the 1930s USA layered in. The music is also superb—appropriately eerie. I'm looking forward to the upcoming episodes!

The movie was alright, I guess, but it wasn't exactly edge-of-your-seat material. If it had come out about ten years ago, I might have actually found it interesting, but my first thought watching it was just, "Pffft, they're trying too hard to act like it's File X." Seriously: conspiracy theories, paranoia, intelligence agencies, mysterious abductions... the whole bit. Using the perspective of a mother searching for her missing child is a solid concept, but overall, I wasn't particularly impressed. Ebiga.

I tend to gather my movie intel either through friends' recommendations or by stumbling upon articles and ads in the news. I make it a point to avoid reading reviews until after I've actually seen the film. As for production news and all that other nonsense, I've never had any interest in it. The only thing that might actually ruin the experience is a trailer, and even then, only if it’s poorly made enough to spoil the entire plot. But then again, as Rotten Tomatoes would say: "Any movie whose plot you can figure out from a trailer isn't worth watching." 🙂

I'm perfectly content with this approach, as it saves me a mountain of cash I would have otherwise wasted at the theater. Honestly, why bother? The movie will eventually hit streaming or Blu-ray anyway, so I'll just catch it then.

urbanhawk28 said:Since we're talking about facts, I don't think you can really take Homer at his word.

And here I was thinking the part where we find out Helen was hatched from a giant egg was a total dead giveaway. 🙄

quietdriver3 said:Look at it this way:

if he hadn't pulled it off, there wouldn't be a story worth telling. 😉

Roughly. There are piles of clichés we could live without, but superhero movies just don't feel quite right without... well, a *hero*.

Kiki said:It’s non-stop!!!! Honestly, enough to drive you insane.

Seriously. You'd think you were watching some musical or something. 😬

BTW: It's a shame you guys haven't seen House of Flying Daggers. It's a stunning film, absolutely meant for the big screen. And I'm not just saying that because of Zhang Ziyi. 😍

wiredwolf55 said:Drivers in older films never seem to actually look at the road while they're behind the wheel.

That explains why vintage cars are so incredibly slow. My late great-grandfather, Mirko, used to tell me stories about how his morning commute worked: he’d head out for work, shave, call his wife to have her wire him some betting money, play a quick hand of cards, write a few posts on an online forum, and only then finally turn the steering wheel left at the intersection.

Women in horror movies always seem to run in the most illogical direction possible.

Well, there you have it. This goes back to why the whole concept of "running away" in a horror flick is fundamentally flawed. It doesn't matter how fast a half-naked girl sprints or how much Michael Myers drags his feet behind her; by the next shot, he’ll somehow magically be waiting around the corner to turn her into minced meat.

Useful tips regarding movie trailers:

Coming and Going Attraction
If you’ve watched the trailer, you’ve basically seen the whole movie.

On that note:

Less-Is-More Rule
The less a preview reveals, the more confidence the filmmakers actually have in
their project and their desire to let the audience experience actual surprises.
(If the trailer feels like it's narrating the entire plot, it probably
is; at that point, there isn't much point in seeing the film itself.)

Warning! Bad comedy ahead!

Letter Imperfect Law
If the opening credits are presented in a chaotic mess of mismatched fonts and sizes meant to scream "wacky," the movie is already in deep trouble.

Product Placement Warning
If a movie trailer wraps up by listing all the artists on the soundtrack, there is an 80-percent chance the film will be terrible.

quietdriver3 said:Idiot Plot trope
Any plot containing problems which would be solved instantly if all of the characters were not idiots.

That was supposedly said by James Blish, the late American sci-fi writer.

Also, a major issue regarding quality cinema:

Gandhi Movie trope
Any film which is undeniably good, perhaps great, but once youve seen it, there is absolutely no reason to ever want to see it again. Examples: "Gandhi," "The Last Emperor," "A Passage to India," long documentaries about the holocaust, most of the New Hollywood, all underground art films of the 1960s, the lesser works of Bergman and Antonioni, and Woody Allen's "serious" movies.

Disappearing pedestrian phenomenon
Two People are on opposite sides of the street. One spots the other. A large vehicle drives between them, and when it passes, the person on the other side has vanished into thin air.

Hollywood racism in action:

Ethnic Default trope
All Asian people know karate. All Latin people dance salsa. Any Russian character is related to some ex-KGB agent now working for the new Russian Mafia.

Latino Laughers trope
In all action movies set in Mexico, sooner or later a gang of tough guys will corner the hero and laugh at him in unison while using the word "gringo."

Actually, this rule doesn't just apply to Mexicans. In any action movie worth its salt, there has to be an opening scene where the hero meets a bunch of greasy, unshaven thugs whose arrogance is inversely proportional to their actual strength. Their sole purpose in the plot is to serve as a punching bag so the hero can demonstrate how cool and capable he is.

Ingenue Nudity Rule
In a movie with several young, pretty females, the prettiest among them, with the best body, will be the only one not seen nude.

A sad truth. The last time I saw this was in "House of the Dead," a low-budget horror piece of trash where the two hottest girls are never allowed to strip.

And finally, the ultimate cinematic rule for perverts like myself:

Hot Tub Rules
If a hot tub is seen in a movie, people will take their clothes off and get in it. If the women have large breasts, its a T&A movie. If the women have small breasts, its a drama or a foreign film. If the women keep their underwear on, its a coming-of-age movie. If its a slasher movie or a thriller, there will be an electrical appliance located nearby.

Whoa! Richard Hernandez13, what an absolute masterpiece of a cast! I suppose I'll have plenty of material to quote for the next few days. 😬

Here are a few of my personal favorites:

Aging Blood syndrome trope
The tendency of movie blood to look more and more like gushes of slightly crimson motor oil every year (as in all 90s horror and action movies), as opposed to anything possibly resembling real blood (as in "The Wild Bunch").

Jump Scare trope
When a character touches another to check whether they're sleeping or dead, the immobile person inevitably wakes up and grabs them right on cue with a loud musical sting.

Breaking Bad News
Whenever someone is holding a vase or some other glassware, they’ll inevitably drop it the second they hear bad news. It usually shatters in slow motion, filmed from several different angles for good measure.

Ashley Nguyen5 said:After a pile of corpses and an attempt on their lives, the killer enters the house or apartment and wanders through the rooms without turning on a single light.
It’s a staple in horror movies.

I have already touched upon this on my blog, but it warrants a mention here as well. I find those "Wait, you thought he was the killer!" scenes in teen slashers quite amusing. You have this dangerous mass murderer or monster terrorizing the city, leaving a bloody trail behind. Then, predictably, we get that scene where a protagonist finds themselves isolated. We realize someone is creeping up behind them, placing a hand on their shoulder—only to discover it isn't the killer at all! It turns out to be Mirko Mirkic from accounting, just looking to check on a bill. Ho ho ho, what a twist by the screenwriters! That trope wasn't particularly effective in the sequel to "to know how to work last summer" or in "urban legend."

Personally, I believe anyone who attempts such a prank in a city already teetering on the edge of hysteria deserves whatever comes their way. At best, they should receive a knee to the groin. If they follow that up by claiming it was "just a joke," then a punch to the stomach is certainly earned.

Bradley Gonzalez said:It seems Asians in Hollywood are perpetually relegated to playing doctors, scientists, experts, chefs, lunatics, or criminals. They rarely ever get cast in roles that are actually grounded or normal.

Furthermore, it seems every Asian person is expected to be a master of martial arts. 😬

One of my favorite little clichés is the way the weather seems to bend itself to suit the protagonist's mood or the general vibe of the plot. In horror movies, you constantly see that classic setup of "a dark and stormy night." This trope goes so far that even in the movie Event Horizon—where the story takes place on a haunted spaceship discovered drifting in deep space—we still end up with a thunderstorm, despite all logic.

Another solid example would be this movie. Striking Distance With Bruce Willis. After he spends the whole time practically convincing a suicidal man to step off a bridge, the guy jumps anyway and dies. Bruce drops to his knees, lets out a massive "NOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOO!!!!", and right on cue—as if scripted—it starts pouring rain while he weeps bitterly.

The film is essentially just a walking collection of clichés. You have Bruce Willis playing the typical "tough as nails" cop who’s constantly at odds with his superiors because they can't stand the fact that he refuses to follow orders. He also clings to some wild theory about a serial killer that makes zero sense to anyone but him—though, obviously, we all know he's actually right. To top it off, Bruce carries around this dark past that he's reluctant to discuss, which explains the alcoholism. Eventually, he gets paired with a new, attractive partner; after a predictably nasty argument, they hook up, and she somehow guides him toward the right path.

The mass murderer follows that classic trope seen in *When the Lamb Falls Silent*: he's a brilliant mastermind spinning these ultra-complex schemes for consciousness and murder that, in reality, would never actually work. To round out the experience, the film’s soundtrack consists entirely of electric guitars and soft jazz saxophone, depending on the mood.

The only truly original element of that film was Bruce Willis playing a cop... in short pants !!! If you consider that the peak of originality, then you clearly have no idea what time it is. 😬

neonsailor12 said:Diane Kruger isn't bad either—she's got a great physique,

I find Diane Kruger attractive, but she just lacks charisma. She feels like just another pretty Hollywood blonde cast in a series.

nimblemarlin17 said:True, but you could make that same argument about a third Indiana Jones movie, which follows an almost identical formula.

Fair point. However, I think these two critiques perfectly highlight the distinction between Indy 3 and NT.

Nothing in NT is actually *that* terrible. We have a somewhat likable lead, some decent comic relief, a reasonably charming female lead, and a halfway interesting plot... The issue is that everything stays stuck at "halfway," which is why the film feels so mediocre.

On the other hand, even if we have some naive clues in India 3, everything else is so much better that I barely notice them. Though, even regarding those clues: isn't Indy just following breadcrumbs left by his father in a journal he spent *years* filling out? With that kind of setup, Indy doesn't really have to do anything besides follow instructions.

slycrane94 said:Beyond that, it's just a lukewarm adventure and nothing more. Personally, I actually like Nicolas Cage, but this movie feels pretty bland. It’s just missing something.

The film is an easy, quick watch, which actually surprised me; usually, when I sit down for one of Bruckheimer's movies, I start rolling my eyes within minutes (the sole exception being "The Rock"—but then again, you had Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris in that).

But yeah, the movie simply lacks charisma. Everything feels pale and forgettable. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" has Nazis, a badass lead, a female lead he constantly bickers with, a giant rolling boulder, submarines, planes, the Ark of the Covenant, exotic locations ranging from South America to Nepal to Egypt, and great action scenes... Meanwhile, what does "National Treasure" even have, poor thing?

I spent most of the film wondering who on earth this guy played by Sean Bean is supposed to be. I mean, seriously? He's this incredibly wealthy, cool Englishman—basically a criminal. What exactly is he spending his hard-earned money, time, and energy on? Chasing childish clues and the messy theories of some crackpot archaeologist. WTF?