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Went to the movies last night with a friend. We were supposed to see North Country...and we ended up seeing Doom. I'm not entirely sure how that happened, since when I told him last week I wanted to see Doom, he LAUGHED AT ME and said there was no way he was paying to see a movie with The Rock in it. But whoo for my feminine wiles. Or something. I'm really glad we went with Doom though, cause it was crazy mad fun. I imagine it was much more fun than, you know, a flick about sexual harassment back in the day.
Spoilery reaction behind the cut.
So, yes. I liked this movie. I liked it enough that I might go see it AGAIN. What can I say: it kinda fucked with my practically non-existent expectations. I was expecting it to be a silly and mindless bit of a deathfest, and sure it doesn't surprise there, but you know all the conventions and stuff you go into movies like this with? It messes with those a little, and it's cool.
+ Like everyone else, I totally had Samantha pegged for being his ex-fiancee or some bullshit. I really liked the twin sister reveal, and their dynamic. I swear, these kinds of movies are so much more fun when you take out the bullshit love story angle.
+ It took FOREVER for one of the RTS team to finally kick the bucket. It's kind of funny, because it starts to get the point where you're like JESUS, somebody DIE ALREADY. Or maybe it was just me. Brad looked over at me and laughed as I started to shift in my seat and mutter about how ridiculous it was that everyone was still alive and whole over 35 minutes into the movie.
+ I fully expected Portman to be the one that died first, because he was abrasive and obnoxious and perverted, and those are the guys that go first, right? Except instead Goat, the stoic and quiet, faith-driven veteran bites the bullet first. Awesome. Also, I loved the way we get faked out, with Portman losing his footing and falling in the sewer. Because he goes down, and you're like YES, HA! I SAW THAT SHIT COMING...and then it turns out he's not dead. Heh.
+ The whole Destroyer fight scene. I thought Destroyer was a goner, and then I was like holy shit, he might make it, and then I was like fuck it, he's gotta be dead, and then I was like OMG HE IS THE HARDEST MOTHERFUCKER IN THIS MOVIE. And then he died. So fucked up. But to get flip-flopped like that over the fate of a character so many times? in the span of like 4 minutes? in a movie like this?
+ I didn't expect The Kid to last as long as he did. Or to go out the way he did.
+ There was a remotely coherent plot!
So yeah. Fun times. Other things I liked:
+ Karl Urban stealing this movie. First of all, he's all tortured about his family and his past. And the facial scruff? And the haircut? So hot. I think it's the facial hair that does it for me, more than anything. By the end of the 12 hours, I thought he was infinitely hotter in this than in The Bourne Supremacy. Also, John "Reaper" Grimm is totally the focus of this film, despite the way the trailer sells it. I mean, he and his sister are the only principle characters who actually get full names, so that probably should have been a sign to me early on :-P
+ I'm probably reading too much into this, but I really thought the fight between Destroyer and the creature in the cell foreshadowed the final battle between Sarge and Reaper in a very neat way. Both fight sequences were pretty well done.
+ The soundtrack was kickass. Great brooding, pulsing beats.
+ I know it's a horror/action movie based on a video game, but I hold out hope that the presence of Rock & Urban will bring a few fangirls to the theatre. So that I can be blessed with Sarge/Reaper slash, because yay for the chemistry there :-P From their first bit together when Sarge is all subdued and understanding about what going back to Olduvai might do to Reaper, to the confrontation in the lab over the data to "You gonna shoot me?" "Yeah. I was thinking about it." and "Semper Fi, motherfucker!". Yeah. Come on. There's totally backstory that needs to be written here, people!
+ "You got a problem with that, Duke?"
"Me? Hell, no, Sarge - I love my job!"
Duke was too much at first, and I was like "oh great, thanks for ComicRelief!Black Man." But he toned it down and got professional as the situation got serious, and I liked him better. And for all that we saw of it, I liked the subtle shift in his dynamic with Sam. It went from him just being lewd and suggestive to him to here being more of a connection between them. In the way that you, you know, connect with someone whose job it is to keep you alive. I dunno. But it sucked when he died (which happened so quick, I'm still a little confused about what went down. I feel like I blinked and suddenly Sam was screaming and poor Duke was half torn in two and pulled through the floor grate.)
+ The Rock really getting into the whole commando thing and cursing up a storm. Oh my god. I was thinking about it, and I don't think I'd ever heard The Rock really curse before this movie. And when he let loose the first "what the fuck?" I was no more good. **laughs** It was great. I officially love listening to/watching the Rock curse. He also had some great line deliveries; "What the hell is this? And WHOSE GODDAMN BLOOD is on that window?" and "I'm not...supposed to die!" killed me.
He could stand to find some other way of communicating menace besides looking at people from under his eyebrows.
+ Did I mention I loved Karl Urban in this movie? Because I did. When the bullet ricocheted off the nano wall and hit him? Yeah, I might have gotten a little freaked out. I didn't want John to die! In fact, I'm glad I didn't pay attention to any press for this film, because apparently it was leaked that Karl and Rosamund Pike (who played Sam) were both signed for sequels. So. You know, why to spoil for people who makes it through this thing and who doesn't.
+ The game-view sequence, where the audience becomes the first person shooter. The trailer makes it seem as if Game-View is a big part of the movie and it actually isn't. It's only used for like 10 minutes, and late in the film. I actually think it's worked in pretty well.
Things that annoyed me:
+ I want to say the Sarge's personality shift came out of nowhere, but we didn't really get to see much of Sarge's personality. I mean, we saw him exhibit concern for his men and we saw him be rather considerate of Reaper in particular (backstory! backstory!) but that was it. Still, it bothered me when he was suddenly like "It's about the money" or whatever (I think the line was something like "I didn't see shit. I ain't paid to see shit. And neither are you."). I think I would have preferred it if they'd played it more that he was just really dedicated to The Mission and not one to deviate from that mission for anything. I don't know, I think that's sort of what they were going for, but he made it a point to tell the guys part of their orders was "to protect the civilians". And like...his showdown with The Kid was really intense or whatever, but for him to seriously go for the kill shot on The Kid? I realize they were setting up to show that he would be susceptible to infection because of his violent tendencies but I dunno. (Actually, does he kill Kid before or after he gets wounded and infected? Before, right?) I just had a little trouble with the Sarge Is Just In It For The Money And Doesn't Care About Innocent Lives development, because his being so adamant about keeping Earth protected in part suggested a concern for saving innocent lives. He tells Kid early on in the film: "You hesitate? People die." I guess I just would have been happy if we'd gotten a line from him about how he couldn't take the chance that Sam was wrong about some people being clean, when he was being so insistent about killing the remaining survivors. I mean, in the beginning, he's told that if quarantine efforts are impaired, he's to eliminate with extreme prejudice, and I just feel like that was all the audience needed to be reminded of. The $$ thing is just a red herring to make it easier to understand that he's infectable, I think.
+ I realize this was probably for the benefit of losers like me who spent part of this movie hiding behind their hands but really, some of the violence in this unfolds a little quickly to register what's happening. Like the beginning of the fight between Destroyer and the Creature is hard to follow.
+ Dude, I can't recall seeing a SINGLE ONE OF THOSE GUYS RELOAD THEIR WEAPON. Sure, we hear the computer telling Reaper to reload in the trailer, but did that shit ever happen once in the movie?
+ The Ark as an intraplanetary transportation device. Because...what?
+ When John leaves Sam behind in the lab and then he comes back to give her something since she'll be unprotected. I thought he was going to give her a gun, or some sort of weapon, right? He gives her a fucking comm device and tells her to use it to call for help if anything happens. Um...what? Call for help so they can FIND ME DEAD BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVE? Thanks, but no thanks, my darling brother. I'll take the comm device, and your extra personal weapon. Jeez.
+ I could not make out John's last line. It sounded like he said "how much time...."? I don't even know what that means.
I would really like an icon of that final shot of the bloodied John holding Sam in his arms. Because awww. **digs around for decent torrents to cap**
Anyway, could anyone who's played the game explain to me the significance of being a MAC/Mac?
And really, I understand you're judging me right now. Next time, I'll redeem myself by seeing something with important social commentary, like Jarhead or something.
+ The third season of The L Word premieres in January? Awesome. For some reason I was thinking it would be March.
ETA: Almost forgot; the animated Boondocks series based on Aaron McGruder's comic strip premieres tonight on Cartoon Network. 11pm EST, I believe. There's some video on the CNN website if you're interested in a preview. I like the animation (they've gone with a realistic anime style), but I'm so disappointed in the voice work I've heard so far. Sure, young male characters are often voiced by female voice actors, but I can't help but think it's much too obvious here. And Regina King is cool and all, but...no. I'm also not crazy about the choice for Granddad. But I guess we'll just have to see how it works out.
Spoilery reaction behind the cut.
So, yes. I liked this movie. I liked it enough that I might go see it AGAIN. What can I say: it kinda fucked with my practically non-existent expectations. I was expecting it to be a silly and mindless bit of a deathfest, and sure it doesn't surprise there, but you know all the conventions and stuff you go into movies like this with? It messes with those a little, and it's cool.
+ Like everyone else, I totally had Samantha pegged for being his ex-fiancee or some bullshit. I really liked the twin sister reveal, and their dynamic. I swear, these kinds of movies are so much more fun when you take out the bullshit love story angle.
+ It took FOREVER for one of the RTS team to finally kick the bucket. It's kind of funny, because it starts to get the point where you're like JESUS, somebody DIE ALREADY. Or maybe it was just me. Brad looked over at me and laughed as I started to shift in my seat and mutter about how ridiculous it was that everyone was still alive and whole over 35 minutes into the movie.
+ I fully expected Portman to be the one that died first, because he was abrasive and obnoxious and perverted, and those are the guys that go first, right? Except instead Goat, the stoic and quiet, faith-driven veteran bites the bullet first. Awesome. Also, I loved the way we get faked out, with Portman losing his footing and falling in the sewer. Because he goes down, and you're like YES, HA! I SAW THAT SHIT COMING...and then it turns out he's not dead. Heh.
+ The whole Destroyer fight scene. I thought Destroyer was a goner, and then I was like holy shit, he might make it, and then I was like fuck it, he's gotta be dead, and then I was like OMG HE IS THE HARDEST MOTHERFUCKER IN THIS MOVIE. And then he died. So fucked up. But to get flip-flopped like that over the fate of a character so many times? in the span of like 4 minutes? in a movie like this?
+ I didn't expect The Kid to last as long as he did. Or to go out the way he did.
+ There was a remotely coherent plot!
So yeah. Fun times. Other things I liked:
+ Karl Urban stealing this movie. First of all, he's all tortured about his family and his past. And the facial scruff? And the haircut? So hot. I think it's the facial hair that does it for me, more than anything. By the end of the 12 hours, I thought he was infinitely hotter in this than in The Bourne Supremacy. Also, John "Reaper" Grimm is totally the focus of this film, despite the way the trailer sells it. I mean, he and his sister are the only principle characters who actually get full names, so that probably should have been a sign to me early on :-P
+ I'm probably reading too much into this, but I really thought the fight between Destroyer and the creature in the cell foreshadowed the final battle between Sarge and Reaper in a very neat way. Both fight sequences were pretty well done.
+ The soundtrack was kickass. Great brooding, pulsing beats.
+ I know it's a horror/action movie based on a video game, but I hold out hope that the presence of Rock & Urban will bring a few fangirls to the theatre. So that I can be blessed with Sarge/Reaper slash, because yay for the chemistry there :-P From their first bit together when Sarge is all subdued and understanding about what going back to Olduvai might do to Reaper, to the confrontation in the lab over the data to "You gonna shoot me?" "Yeah. I was thinking about it." and "Semper Fi, motherfucker!". Yeah. Come on. There's totally backstory that needs to be written here, people!
+ "You got a problem with that, Duke?"
"Me? Hell, no, Sarge - I love my job!"
Duke was too much at first, and I was like "oh great, thanks for ComicRelief!Black Man." But he toned it down and got professional as the situation got serious, and I liked him better. And for all that we saw of it, I liked the subtle shift in his dynamic with Sam. It went from him just being lewd and suggestive to him to here being more of a connection between them. In the way that you, you know, connect with someone whose job it is to keep you alive. I dunno. But it sucked when he died (which happened so quick, I'm still a little confused about what went down. I feel like I blinked and suddenly Sam was screaming and poor Duke was half torn in two and pulled through the floor grate.)
+ The Rock really getting into the whole commando thing and cursing up a storm. Oh my god. I was thinking about it, and I don't think I'd ever heard The Rock really curse before this movie. And when he let loose the first "what the fuck?" I was no more good. **laughs** It was great. I officially love listening to/watching the Rock curse. He also had some great line deliveries; "What the hell is this? And WHOSE GODDAMN BLOOD is on that window?" and "I'm not...supposed to die!" killed me.
He could stand to find some other way of communicating menace besides looking at people from under his eyebrows.
+ Did I mention I loved Karl Urban in this movie? Because I did. When the bullet ricocheted off the nano wall and hit him? Yeah, I might have gotten a little freaked out. I didn't want John to die! In fact, I'm glad I didn't pay attention to any press for this film, because apparently it was leaked that Karl and Rosamund Pike (who played Sam) were both signed for sequels. So. You know, why to spoil for people who makes it through this thing and who doesn't.
+ The game-view sequence, where the audience becomes the first person shooter. The trailer makes it seem as if Game-View is a big part of the movie and it actually isn't. It's only used for like 10 minutes, and late in the film. I actually think it's worked in pretty well.
Things that annoyed me:
+ I want to say the Sarge's personality shift came out of nowhere, but we didn't really get to see much of Sarge's personality. I mean, we saw him exhibit concern for his men and we saw him be rather considerate of Reaper in particular (backstory! backstory!) but that was it. Still, it bothered me when he was suddenly like "It's about the money" or whatever (I think the line was something like "I didn't see shit. I ain't paid to see shit. And neither are you."). I think I would have preferred it if they'd played it more that he was just really dedicated to The Mission and not one to deviate from that mission for anything. I don't know, I think that's sort of what they were going for, but he made it a point to tell the guys part of their orders was "to protect the civilians". And like...his showdown with The Kid was really intense or whatever, but for him to seriously go for the kill shot on The Kid? I realize they were setting up to show that he would be susceptible to infection because of his violent tendencies but I dunno. (Actually, does he kill Kid before or after he gets wounded and infected? Before, right?) I just had a little trouble with the Sarge Is Just In It For The Money And Doesn't Care About Innocent Lives development, because his being so adamant about keeping Earth protected in part suggested a concern for saving innocent lives. He tells Kid early on in the film: "You hesitate? People die." I guess I just would have been happy if we'd gotten a line from him about how he couldn't take the chance that Sam was wrong about some people being clean, when he was being so insistent about killing the remaining survivors. I mean, in the beginning, he's told that if quarantine efforts are impaired, he's to eliminate with extreme prejudice, and I just feel like that was all the audience needed to be reminded of. The $$ thing is just a red herring to make it easier to understand that he's infectable, I think.
+ I realize this was probably for the benefit of losers like me who spent part of this movie hiding behind their hands but really, some of the violence in this unfolds a little quickly to register what's happening. Like the beginning of the fight between Destroyer and the Creature is hard to follow.
+ Dude, I can't recall seeing a SINGLE ONE OF THOSE GUYS RELOAD THEIR WEAPON. Sure, we hear the computer telling Reaper to reload in the trailer, but did that shit ever happen once in the movie?
+ The Ark as an intraplanetary transportation device. Because...what?
+ When John leaves Sam behind in the lab and then he comes back to give her something since she'll be unprotected. I thought he was going to give her a gun, or some sort of weapon, right? He gives her a fucking comm device and tells her to use it to call for help if anything happens. Um...what? Call for help so they can FIND ME DEAD BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVE? Thanks, but no thanks, my darling brother. I'll take the comm device, and your extra personal weapon. Jeez.
+ I could not make out John's last line. It sounded like he said "how much time...."? I don't even know what that means.
I would really like an icon of that final shot of the bloodied John holding Sam in his arms. Because awww. **digs around for decent torrents to cap**
Anyway, could anyone who's played the game explain to me the significance of being a MAC/Mac?
And really, I understand you're judging me right now. Next time, I'll redeem myself by seeing something with important social commentary, like Jarhead or something.
+ The third season of The L Word premieres in January? Awesome. For some reason I was thinking it would be March.
ETA: Almost forgot; the animated Boondocks series based on Aaron McGruder's comic strip premieres tonight on Cartoon Network. 11pm EST, I believe. There's some video on the CNN website if you're interested in a preview. I like the animation (they've gone with a realistic anime style), but I'm so disappointed in the voice work I've heard so far. Sure, young male characters are often voiced by female voice actors, but I can't help but think it's much too obvious here. And Regina King is cool and all, but...no. I'm also not crazy about the choice for Granddad. But I guess we'll just have to see how it works out.
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I know German isn't necessarily your forte, but I think you'll be able to understand the relevant information.
I hope we don't have to die now. ;)
I had my fair share of Urban yesterday too. I first watched Pitch Black and then Riddick. I didn't enjoy him as much as you did, but I don't think that comes as a big surprise. :P
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I had my fair share of Urban yesterday too. I first watched Pitch Black and then Riddick. I didn't enjoy him as much as you did, but I don't think that comes as a big surprise. :P
**laughs** Actually, I understand, because I didn't enjoy him at all in Riddick. In fact, I hated that movie. Such a disappointment after all my anticipation. I am a huge, huge fan of Pitch Black and I was so excited to hear that there would be a follow-up. In fact, we were promised a follow-up and a prequel, but I think they choose to go with an animated prequel, which is just as well, because after Riddick, they weren't gonna fool me into a theatre again.
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As you said, the inventiveness of the ways death gets them is very enjoyable. I found half of the characters very annoying, but that didn't stop me from watching it 'til the end since I sure wanted to know how it ends.
Added bonus in the German version: The name of one of the characters who gets killed early is Tod (A piece of newspaper lands on the knee of the main character with the name on it.). 'Tod' is the German word for 'death'. :)
Are John Denver songs now banned from airports and airplanes?
Agreed, Pitch Black is certainly the much more enjoyable movie. It's always much more interesting to watch a movie with a (relatively) small budget than a overhyped big-budget event.
I haven't seen it yet, but the half-hour animated film will also be shown later in the month. As far as I know it has the purpose to bridge the gap between the two movies. A bit like some of the Animatrix shorts.
What's interesting is that it's directed by Peter Chung, the creator of the Aeon Flux series (as well as one of the Animatrix shorts). So I'm looking forward to find out what it looks like.
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**laughs** Same here.
Are John Denver songs now banned from airports and airplanes?
If they did, they'd have to also ban Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, Aaliyah, Patsy Cline... ^_~
As far as I know it has the purpose to bridge the gap between the two movies. A bit like some of the Animatrix shorts.
Oh yeah? Well, let me know how it is. I was so disillusioned with Riddick that I never watched any of the companion animated stuff.
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It starts with the ship that Riddick, the priest/Imam (Keith David) and the kid Jack/Jackie used to escape running out of fuel. They get picked up by a
mercenary ship. They get arrested, there's a lot of fighting, blablabla.
Also on the ship are frozen soldiers and frozen villains. Among the villains is the headhunter crew of Toombs who hunts Riddick throughout CoR. When Riddick and the others escape his crew gets 'defrosted' and they help hunting the three inside the ship. Once again a lot of fighting, blablabla.
Riddick and the other two escape with another spaceship and are headed to New Mecca where he plans to leave the kid and the Imam. Toombs is left behind and says something like 'We'll meet again'.
If you're able to watch it then I would say do it, but don't pay any money for it, it's certainly not worth it. More info (http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=12254) about the DVD.