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Wheat Loaf posted:Alias was a big deal, right? I got into it quite a while after the fact (not until after I'd watched all of Fringe); I learned from this thread that Abrams was picked for M:I3 because Cruise had watched and enjoyed a ton of Alias. However, I'm not sure what its legacy is, or what its place is in the history of that era of television. It seems like it gets overshadowed by Buffy on one side and 24 was an unintentional satire of the world Fox News wanted you to believe in, Season 1 was a legit compelling action drama, Season 5 was when it went so far off the rails it became a masterpiece of madness firing on all cylinders. Alias was a weird spy show that centered around this bizarre conspiracy plot around the research of some ancient Renaissance inventor, Rambaldi, with all sorts of weird poo poo like a giant floating red ball. It went super off the rails with all sorts of spy family drama as Victor Garber was also a spy that played Jennifer Garner's dad, her mom shows up at one point as an antagonist and becomes a main cast member. Bradley Cooper gets his start here as a weird in and out of the series boyfriend character I wanna say. Ron Rifkin played a really good main bad guy throughout the series, and the action/adventure was fun enough with a fair share of globetrotting. Lots of double crosses and twists, too.
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Sep 11, 2018 19:24
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on the other. Any thoughts?
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Alias had some legit good twists in the first few seasons. Like how they take out SD-6 kinda out of nowhere in the middle of Season 2, or the Season 2 finale with the 2 year time skip. It went off the rails when they went fully into the Rambaldi stuff but there was still like 3 solid seasons of t.v. in there so I'd still recommend it.
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Sep 11, 2018 19:30
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I didn't see it on its original broadcast and binged it on dvd. I think it's one of those ones where it has serialised story arcs, but the ability to binge it makes the seams a lot more visible. In particular, there was one season (three?) which ended with Sydney discovering some secret files and becoming distraught as she reads the contents; we don't see exactly what this is, but I believe it's implied to have something to do with her childhood; Jack Bristow enters and says something like, "I'm so sorry; I never wanted you to find out like this." Then in the next season, the secret that's driven a wedge between Sydney and her father is that he killed her mother off-screen, even though he'd been seen communicating with her after he was supposed to have done this. Later, it turns out that her mother is still alive. So it seems like plans changed between seasons and it was hoped that you'd have forgotten in the months in between since Internet speculation wasn't the huge thing it later became (thanks in large part to shows like Lost) and it wasn't available on home video yet. As I recall, there was even an aborted plan where they'd reveal that Victor Garber actually was Rambaldi, who'd discovered the secret of immortality so that would all tie together with the whole "Sydney is the chosen one" prophecy angle from season one and the implied "Something weird happened in Sydney's childhood". Obviously the number of episodes involved makes it unwieldy for anyone to try, but I remember thinking it made for a very interesting "double-bill" binge back-to-back with Fringe.
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Sep 11, 2018 19:40
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Alias and Fringe had opposite trajectories. Whereas Alias started out very strong and went downhill after about 2 and a half seasons, Fringe stumbled out of the gate and took basically an entire 20+ episode season to get really good. But then once it became good it stayed good until the end, at least imo.
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Sep 11, 2018 19:43
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Wheat Loaf posted:As I recall, there was even an aborted plan where they'd reveal that Victor Garber actually was Rambaldi, who'd discovered the secret of immortality so that would all tie together with the whole "Sydney is the chosen one" prophecy angle from season one and the implied "Something weird happened in Sydney's childhood". Obviously the number of episodes involved makes it unwieldy for anyone to try, but I remember thinking it made for a very interesting "double-bill" binge back-to-back with Fringe. On second thought, it would have been a lot better if Alias ended with Sidney turning into Goku.
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Sep 11, 2018 19:52
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Fringe also reuses a couple of Alias lines word-for-word (the one which immediately occurs to me is an eccentric scientist character in Alias remarking that he's just pissed himself "but it was just a small squirt" which is a line I'm pretty sure John Noble gets in the very first episode of Fringe). Remember the two-part episode of Alias where the villain was loving Quentin Tarantino? Then he shows up in a cameo in another episode and he's set up as the new big bad, but then he disappears because he was busy making Kill Bill for the rest of the show's run. Weird times for telly. 
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Sep 11, 2018 19:53
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Basebf555 posted:Alias and Fringe had opposite trajectories. Whereas Alias started out very strong and went downhill after about 2 and a half seasons, Fringe stumbled out of the gate and took basically an entire 20+ episode season to get really good. But then once it became good it stayed good until the end, at least imo. Someone should have called an audible on Anna Torv's character choices for the first season, because it took way too long to notice she was a legitimately good actor and I remember her being the butt of a lot of jokes.
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Sep 11, 2018 20:02
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LesterGroans posted:Someone should have called an audible on Anna Torv's character choices for the first season, because it took way too long to notice she was a legitimately good actor and I remember her being the butt of a lot of jokes. Those first 8 or 10 episodes were just so rote, I think that was the problem. She was just such a standard tropey character and everybody else was too, with the exception of I guess Noble. It wasn't until the main plot started to emerge that any of them were allowed to become a bit more complex.
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Sep 11, 2018 20:07
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Basebf555 posted:Those first 8 or 10 episodes were just so rote, I think that was the problem. She was just such a standard tropey character and everybody else was too, with the exception of I guess Noble. It wasn't until the main plot started to emerge that any of them were allowed to become a bit more complex. I'm glad the show continued and everyone got a chance to stretch themselves, which presumably led to other opportunities. Joshua Jackson and Torv are really good in The Affair and Mindhunters respectively.
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Sep 11, 2018 20:12
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Basebf555 posted:Alias had some legit good twists in the first few seasons. Like how they take out SD-6 kinda out of nowhere in the middle of Season 2, or the Season 2 finale with the 2 year time skip. It went off the rails when they went fully into the Rambaldi stuff but there was still like 3 solid seasons of t.v. in there so I'd still recommend it. Yeah I haven't watched it since the time but Alias season 2 is an all time classic season of spy action television.
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Sep 12, 2018 05:13
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I'm actually watching Fringe for the first time right now, and am mid-way through Season 2 and Torv's character has really improved. I never thought she was a bad actress, but the first season of Fringe I felt was very forgettable. John Noble's Walter Bishop is of course the most fun character of the lot, but he's written to be.
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Sep 12, 2018 06:32
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mobby_6kl posted:Does it suck more than Pearl Harbor though? Pearl Harbor is such a weird movie. It's a legitimately really impressive attack sequence that contains some of bay's best work, sandwiched in a loving terrible movie.
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Sep 13, 2018 00:55
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There's a brand new British thriller series called Bodyguard that has some pretty good political thriller melodrama with some occasional gun porn, if you're still nostalgic for Alias. The main character is really compelling and he gives no fucks about putting himself in harm's way.
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Sep 13, 2018 01:04
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No thread for it and I don't think it deserves it, so I think it goes here, it's kind of an action movie? I just saw The Predator and it is a loving disaster. Some people might get some satisfaction out of it, there is some gore, but this is the worst Shane Black film and the worst predator film. Like below the other three and the two AvPs, I'm not kidding. No real spoilers, but this movie has obviously been hacked to death in the edit. Like, to the point where the climax of the film makes no sense! I'm going to put a actors name in spoilers here Sterling K Brown Don't mouse over that until you see the movie, and I think it's because I blinked at the wrong time, but what the gently caress happened to them? They just, vanish? There's something on the cutting room floor I bet, but it's not in the movie, so make up your own mind. The action scenes in the movie are terrible, like here is every action scene: Characters fire weapons at things to little effect. The End. Imagine the first predator film, but instead of stalking, and long shots of the jungle for tension, you had the predator standing out in the open just tanking damage. That's this film. Utter dog poo poo. No camera moves, no exciting blocking, just static, made-for-tv level action. And the new super predator is an ordinary predator, just stretched out. Very innovative design. It's like the OG predator is the Undertaker and the new one is Giant Gonzalez. Bigger sure, but awkward and with limbs too thin so it looks like its going to just fall over. So not as intimidating. I hear this got reshoots and I really wanna know if the first predator in this film always had the motivation/goal it does in the final edit. Because, it's actions seem contrary to that goal sometimes like they changed it later. Or maybe it's just a stupid story. Some of the interaction between the cast nearly reaches the level of Shane Black written goods you've probably seen before. But if you want that, just watch Predator, Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Last Boyscout, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Nice Guys etc. You know, actual good films. Oh, and autism is a super-power and the next stage of evolution. News to me.
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Sep 13, 2018 08:08
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Wew. I'm still gonna see it but my butthole will be clenched.
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Sep 13, 2018 08:18
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Sounds like the Ghost Recon: Wildlands predator mission where the Predator just tanks a million bullets until bullet 1000001 kills it.
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Sep 13, 2018 11:52
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Well this is disappointing.
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Sep 13, 2018 13:06
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I’ve read in multiple reviews that the editing is like, significantly bad to the point of incoherence at times. One review in particular made mention of the death of a main character that happens so abruptly and with such little fanfare that it only becomes clear what happened later after the character just stops showing up in scenes, Apparently the editor comes from tv, and hasn’t worked with Black before, so maybe those are factors. But in all the reviews I’ve seen, the problematic and jarring editing has been called out (even in the more positive reviews).
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Sep 13, 2018 13:17
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garycoleisgod posted:
They shoot themselves in the head with the shoulder mounted cannon. During the big shootout when they set the Predator on fire Agreed though the film was kinda trash. Completely disjointed and disatisfying. I didn’t even realise which Predator was which for a good 15 minutes.
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Sep 13, 2018 13:45
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Pretty sure it was in here that someone mentioned Boorman's Point Blank(1967). I watched it last night, definitely check it out if you enjoy "lone badass on quest for revenge" movies because it's definitely a major influence on that subgenre. Not a great "action" movie per se, the action itself isn't overly impressive, but the character work in it is outstanding and it's very nice to look at. But the real draw is Lee Marvin, that dude really had a presence not many can match.
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Sep 13, 2018 14:41
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Basebf555 posted:Not a great "action" movie per se, the action itself isn't overly impressive Wheat Loaf posted:Featured one of the best fight scenes of the decade. 
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Sep 13, 2018 14:44
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You posting that link is what made me seek the movie out, and it's even better in context. I've seen a lot of guys like Walker in movies who are supposed to be "dead inside" or whatever but Marvin is definitely one of the best. Even when he finds his wife dead his expression barely changes.
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Sep 13, 2018 14:51
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Basebf555 posted:Pretty sure it was in here that someone mentioned Boorman's Point Blank(1967). I watched it last night, definitely check it out if you enjoy "lone badass on quest for revenge" movies because it's definitely a major influence on that subgenre. Not a great "action" movie per se, the action itself isn't overly impressive, but the character work in it is outstanding and it's very nice to look at. But the real draw is Lee Marvin, that dude really had a presence not many can match. The real draw is Carroll O'Connor.
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Sep 13, 2018 16:26
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HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:The real draw is Carroll O'Connor. I wish he'd come into the picture a bit earlier though. There was a middle-man villain that wasn't nearly as good as he was.
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Sep 13, 2018 16:29
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He's so good in his 5 minutes, perfect foil for a too stubborn to die man's man noir protagonist.
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Sep 13, 2018 16:35
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Has anyone seen the Lee Marvin remake of The Killers (from around the same timeframe) and, if so, would anyone recommend it?
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Sep 13, 2018 17:15
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Soylent Green posted:They shoot themselves in the head with the shoulder mounted cannon. During the big shootout when they set the Predator on fire I knew I blinked and missed it. Seems there should have been more fanfare considering how important a character they are. The final scene gave me some laughs, though probably not intentionally. Who thought that looked good?
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Sep 13, 2018 19:22
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The Predator is a big bummer. I'm shook.
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Sep 13, 2018 20:40
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Wheat Loaf posted:Has anyone seen the Lee Marvin remake of The Killers (from around the same timeframe) and, if so, would anyone recommend it? Just watched it last night. Definitely worth checking out. The opening doesn't come close to being as good as the diner scene in the '40s version, but it has a lot of strengths. Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager are great together and have really complementary vibes. The cast across the board is great, and it's a solid option if you've ever wanted to see Ronald Reagan haul off and slap a woman.
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Sep 13, 2018 21:48
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I’m probably too biased to hate it. But I don’t know. I’m just sad we won’t get another Predator movie for another 10 years if at all.
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Sep 13, 2018 22:39
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CelticPredator posted:I’m probably too biased to hate it. But I don’t know. I’m just sad we won’t get another Predator movie for another 10 years if at all. They already released a Predator movie a few years back, called Jurassic World. The story even centered around an autistic kid. So you’re basically saying like “more of this garbage, please.”
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Sep 13, 2018 23:14
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garycoleisgod posted:I knew I blinked and missed it. Seems there should have been more fanfare considering how important a character they are. I saw this movie at a midnight screening and the next day I really had to wonder if the whole scene about autism was some kind of dream. Really pissed off that Yvonne Strahovski was so thoroughly misused as well. That's probably lost in the edit as well.
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Sep 13, 2018 23:49
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There’s a rumor that Fox completely cut the movie to poo poo, besides the sex offender stuff and that Shane was completely miserable during the whole thing due to studio interference. This all came from some weird tweet so who knows. But from all the interviews Shane seems to be happy to be rid of the thing.
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Sep 13, 2018 23:57
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I wonder if maybe he's just not a good director. Or he's gone like Frank Miller and kinda lost his touch.
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Sep 14, 2018 00:21
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Narzack posted:I wonder if maybe he's just not a good director. Or he's gone like Frank Miller and kinda lost his touch. His last movie was The Nice Guys and I thought it was good. Maybe he's just better for movies like that and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang than big action tentpoles?
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Sep 14, 2018 00:25
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Wheat Loaf posted:His last movie was The Nice Guys and I thought it was good. Maybe he's just better for movies like that and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang than big action tentpoles? Yeah, maybe the dude just needs to play to his strengths. Big action sci-fi spectacle movies are tough, though, especially with the way studios are so desperate to min-max their investments and returns. Plus, it's been eight years since the last Predator movie and twenty years before that. Obviously AvP count as neither Alien nor Predator movies. Hell, they barely even count as movies at all.
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Sep 14, 2018 00:35
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Has anyone else seen Jailbreak? Everything ever written about it until the heat death of the universe will call it the ‘Cambodian answer to The Raid.’ Which is actually pretty accurate. It’s not great. Not terrible, but not nearly to the level of The Raid. I think what brings it down is the unimaginative lighting, the dull, repetitive sets, and the fighting style itself: bokator. There’s some decent camerawork there, but none of the fights really stand out, except for one which has some brutal machetework out of nowhere. Overall, I just wasn’t impressed by action choreography. It just didn’t have the wild brutality of Silat and Muay Thai that Iko Uwais and Tony Jaa blew us away with. Still, it’s worth checking out. Especially if you are interested in seeing a full length film that is comprised of nearly 90% dudes getting kicked.
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Sep 14, 2018 01:02
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I think the issue is simpler: Predator is a closed loop. You can't do a sequel that pulls the same trick as the original, because you're never going to top a) the cast of the original, which is just such a pure distillation of a time and place in movie making or b) the surprise of seeing this singular cast getting picked off as if they're teenagers who drank beer and had sex at summer camp. Yet they keep trying to replicate the formula of the first. I mean, if any of these films did something completely different, it might work. The Alien franchise gets this, and at least keeps trying new things.
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Sep 14, 2018 01:03
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Narzack posted:Yeah, maybe the dude just needs to play to his strengths. Big action sci-fi spectacle movies are tough, though, especially with the way studios are so desperate to min-max their investments and returns. Plus, it's been eight years since the last Predator movie and twenty years before that. Obviously AvP count as neither Alien nor Predator movies. Hell, they barely even count as movies at all. His enthusiasm was pretty great going in. He just felt the franchise has been stuck in this loop of being cheap movies and wanted to try and make the summer blockbuster version of the character. I read the script and it had a lot of charm too it, only iffy stuff was the autism angle, but I think that just comes from Black suffering from his own issues and trying to find a way to make a positive out of it. As probably dumb as it is (haven’t seen the film yet) But I think straight up no one knows what to do with the franchise so they keep sticking to what worked instead of trying something completely new. The reason no one gets excited for these movies is no one is really giving anyone a reason to care. People still like the creature, go off that. Make the creature the hero. Give him character and personality. Get weird and alien with it. Make Avatar but way more violent and cooler. We don’t need to do humans vs predators in modern day any more imo. Just makes me drat sad. That being said, all the stuff in the script seemed fun and cool to me, so I’ll have to see how I feel in a few hours.
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Sep 14, 2018 01:07
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Narzack posted:I wonder if maybe he's just not a good director. Or he's gone like Frank Miller and kinda lost his touch. Nah, The Nice Guys whips rear end. Predator smacks of studio interference and behind-the-scenes bullshit. And make no mistake: Black was absolutely part of that bullshit, as the whole Olivia Munn fiasco has shown. But I wouldn't go so far as to say he's lost his touch as a director just yet. I will say that the script had a lot of stupid poo poo in it, but it seemed like something you could make a decent movie out of. I haven't seen the finished flick yet, but I wonder how much the reshoots and terrible editing stripped that away.
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Sep 14, 2018 01:09
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