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Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

Recent Topics paging, uploading images and preview bugs require a patch which has not yet been released.

× Talk abut Movies & TV here. Just tell us what you have been watching. Have hyper-academic discussions on visual semiotics. Whatever, it's all good.

Just saw John Carter...

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10 Mar 2012 17:39 #118800 by Brewmiester

Jeff White wrote: I know it's pg-13, but how appropriate is it for a 5 year old? Would I be pushing it?


There was a mom and son who looked to be about that age in the audience when my wife and I saw it yesterday and he seemed to handle it ok.

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10 Mar 2012 19:58 #118813 by ZMan
Replied by ZMan on topic Re: Just saw John Carter...

Black Barney wrote: that movie is for dumb people


Why do you feel that way?

For me, this is what movies are for. The Help or the Kings Speech might be good films but I can see those type of films on tv. John Carter, Avengers, these are films that are mnade for the big screens.

At least that is how I see it nowadays - as opposed to 30-35 years ago when any genre film was potentially worthy and fun to see in theaters.

With my dwindling time and other concerns, I think action films and their ilk are best suited for movie theaters. All else can be seen on a smaller screen with no loss of enjoyment.
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10 Mar 2012 20:46 #118819 by Harkonnen13
Zev makes a good point. Good dramas like The Kings Speech or Winters Bone are movies I won't see in the theaters. I'll wait to watch them on Netflix, On Demand if I miss one that seems really good and Netflix won't have it for awhile. All in the comfort of my own home. Genre flicks are pretty much the only ones I'll see on the big screen and John Carter in Imax 3D was awesome. Today's 3D is still a little rough but definitely better than when I was a kid. The newest trailer for The Avengers I saw before JC yesterday almost made me wet myself and I might have to catch the first midnight 3D Imax showing for that one. I'm pretty discriminating though, there's big-budget flicks I'll make sure I miss. Jake Gyllenhaal as Aladdin? I don't think so and that's just one example.

One thing about John Carter is that it seemed like Disney took all the cheesy sword-and-sandal movies from the 60s and remade them as a superior action flick. Good script, the acting was good enough, all in all a great genre action movie that didn't drag and didn't leave me thinking any part of it was stupid. I went into it not knowing anything about John Carter besides seeing Frazetta's paintings. Now I might have to read the ERB book.

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10 Mar 2012 21:43 #118823 by Jackwraith
I loved the Barsoom books as a kid and have been mildly dreading this film release for what it might do to my memories of decent but not earth-shattering stories that I've long enjoyed (I got the entire series on Kindle for free and started re-reading them a while back.) While you could make the argument that John Carter is of the same pulp origins as Conan, I think you'd be wrong in that REH had a definitive philosophy and perspective in his Conan tales, whereas ERB was mostly just spinning tales for the sake of spinning them. There are pros and cons to both, of course.

What made me dread the movie release and generally colors my view of films and other media, in general, these days is something that's hard to define but what I usually chalk up to "lack of vision." If you're going to tell me a story, make sure that the story is interesting and well told. That means plotting, scripting, and acting. No one wants to hear a joke in a monotone or rushed when most jokes are about timing and delivery, right? Same with movies. Give me a story well told, not just one gussied up with the latest CGI and delivered as spectacle. I've seen spectacle. I've seen or read most stories under the sun (I can't read superhero comics anymore because they're all identical to stuff I read 30 years ago.) Give me a story that will keep me thinking when I leave the theater. Movies like The King's Speech and The Descendants do that. Spectacle like the vast majority of fantasy/SF material frequently doesn't.

I guess I'm just too cynical to be impressed with the fireworks on the big screen anymore, although I can certainly understand Zev's perspective as movies more as escapism than challenging. I suppose it depends on what you want to get out of it.

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11 Mar 2012 00:36 #118837 by Black Barney
I dunno, I don't mean that John Carter is for dumb people and The King's Speech and Winter's Bone aren't, I'm not comparing John Carter to those cuz then I would be saying action movies or sci-fi is for dumb people and I don't think that.

I think there is GOOD action, there is GREAT action and there is action for dumb people. John Carter strikes me as the latter. It is no Bourne Ultimatum, Casino Royale, umm... Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. All of those were great action movies and you could TELL they were good. i can tell that John Carter will have a bad script, bad characters and just a bunch of awesome beautiful effects and that's it.

It's probably a pass (like a 2.5 star movie) but that's it. No one will talk about it a month from now nor ever again.

John Carter was on the big screen for less than 2 hours and cost $250 million to make. I dare filmmakers to do better.

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11 Mar 2012 00:43 #118839 by lfisher
Replied by lfisher on topic Re: Just saw John Carter...
I sort of think that if they really wanted to do just another dumb action movie, they wouldn't have bothered using John Carter in the first place.

Stanton, at least, dreamed his whole life of this.

So I don't think the intention was to have it for "dumb people", though I guess some might argue that that was also ERB's intention.

Of course the result may not match the intention.

I don't particularly think much of bourne/MI either, personally.
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11 Mar 2012 01:50 #118841 by Sagrilarus

Black Barney wrote: I think there is GOOD action, there is GREAT action and there is action for dumb people. John Carter strikes me as the latter. It is no Bourne Ultimatum, Casino Royale, umm... Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. All of those were great action movies and you could TELL they were good. i can tell that John Carter will have a bad script, bad characters and just a bunch of awesome beautiful effects and that's it.


Honestly Barney, without having seen the film that comes off as . . . well . . . kind of stupid. Pirates of the Caribbean was deemed to stupidest film idea of all time until it came out, and then everyone who had looked down their nose at it looked ridiculous.

Have you seen John Carter?

S.

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11 Mar 2012 10:35 #118858 by Mr Skeletor

Black Barney wrote: I dunno, I don't mean that John Carter is for dumb people and The King's Speech and Winter's Bone aren't, I'm not comparing John Carter to those cuz then I would be saying action movies or sci-fi is for dumb people and I don't think that.

I think there is GOOD action, there is GREAT action and there is action for dumb people. John Carter strikes me as the latter. It is no Bourne Ultimatum, Casino Royale, umm... Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. All of those were great action movies and you could TELL they were good. i can tell that John Carter will have a bad script, bad characters and just a bunch of awesome beautiful effects and that's it.

It's probably a pass (like a 2.5 star movie) but that's it. No one will talk about it a month from now nor ever again.

John Carter was on the big screen for less than 2 hours and cost $250 million to make. I dare filmmakers to do better.


This post is for dumb people.
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11 Mar 2012 10:35 #118859 by Mr Skeletor

Sagrilarus wrote:

Black Barney wrote: I think there is GOOD action, there is GREAT action and there is action for dumb people. John Carter strikes me as the latter. It is no Bourne Ultimatum, Casino Royale, umm... Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. All of those were great action movies and you could TELL they were good. i can tell that John Carter will have a bad script, bad characters and just a bunch of awesome beautiful effects and that's it.


Honestly Barney, without having seen the film that comes off as . . . well . . . kind of stupid. Pirates of the Caribbean was deemed to stupidest film idea of all time until it came out, and then everyone who had looked down their nose at it looked ridiculous.

Have you seen John Carter?

S.


He hasn't seen it, since he wasn't aware the film goes for well over 2 hours.

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11 Mar 2012 15:08 #118863 by Mr. White
After reading some other reviews, I think I'll hold off on taking the boy.

Going to check it out this week though. Is it worth it in 3D or should I look for a 2D option?

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11 Mar 2012 19:38 #118876 by wice
Replied by wice on topic Re: Just saw John Carter...
Saw it today, it's pretty good. Not perfect, but a very good popcorn movie. The visuals are awesome and the battle scenes kick ass. I wish they had cut the two (or three) romantic dialogues between Carter and Dejah Thoris shorter, and I!m on the fence about whether I really like this two characters, especially Thoris (as depicted in the movie). Carter is fine, I guess, he has some really cool moments, but Thoris is only OK, and the chemistry between the two sometimes feels forced. My favorite characters were the animated ones by far: Sola, Tars Tarkas and that disgustingly cute doggy-thing.

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11 Mar 2012 22:06 #118883 by Notahandle
Mr Skeletor wrote:
" He hasn't seen it, since he wasn't aware the film goes for well over 2 hours."
Maybe he fell asleep and was only awake for the "less than 2 hours"? Barney, you didn't fall asleep did you? Tell us it isn't so!
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12 Mar 2012 01:54 #118896 by dysjunct
I liked it. Really entertaining. I liked that Dejah isn't some shrinking violet but actually has skills and things to do.

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12 Mar 2012 03:35 #118901 by jason10mm
I liked it a lot. I think they did a good job with the JC backstory about his family. Not a huge fan of sword swinging Dejah, but the actress at least looks like she could throw a punch and isn't a waif. I wish more of the nobility of the tharks and the rigid honor of the helium warriors came through. And the Thuns.... why? No need to get all meta on us, the story from Princess of mars with the air generator would have been fine. Now we have the river story spoiled as well.

Makes me want another Gor movie though, hard R rating :)

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12 Mar 2012 04:10 #118903 by Mr Skeletor

dysjunct wrote: I liked it. Really entertaining. I liked that Dejah isn't some shrinking violet but actually has skills and things to do.


Speaking of which this was the first romance story in one of these kinds of flicks that actually worked for me in ages.
I liked the fact that you could tell they dug each other from the moment they first laid eyes. He's buff, she's hot, it makes sense they are going to want to fuck. The writes avoided having them 'hate' each other at the start before finally falling in love like most other nerd films do.

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