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The Dark Tower (2017)

Totenkindly

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Oh, the other thing I forgot that I actually liked -- the concept of the Low Men wearing human skins.

That concept was a bit creepy, but they really didn't do much with it past the concept and the MIB punishing one of his servants regarding it. So it was missed opportunity although a decent idea.
 

Mal12345

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Oh, the other thing I forgot that I actually liked -- the concept of the Low Men wearing human skins.

That concept was a bit creepy, but they really didn't do much with it past the concept and the MIB punishing one of his servants regarding it. So it was missed opportunity although a decent idea.

They can't do much in 95 minutes, but the concept you're referring to did help to hasten the plot because these Low Men were identified so easily.
 

Tomb1

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The action was surprisingly good for a PG-13 movie.

I did not like the choice of McConnaughey. Jack Nicholson can get away with sleep-walking through epic villain roles by just playing himself. McConnaughey can't. He's not a natural bad guy imo. That and the fact Idris Elba struck me as a throwback to the pre-pretty boy action stars....made McConnaughey's presence even less compelling for me. It's like, total mismatch.
 

Totenkindly

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MM partially revitalized his career by playing a hardass brooder in True Detective Season 1 (HBO). He also played a hired killer believably in the movie "Killer Joe" although that did play off his good looks quite a bit as well, as a juxtaposition of sorts.

He did take a hit playing a bunch of romcom crap back in the late 1990's and early 2000's, it gave him a particular reputation/typecasting.

So he CAN actually do it depending on the role, but it has to fit him a certain way.
 

Julius_Van_Der_Beak

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MM partially revitalized his career by playing a hardass brooder in True Detective Season 1 (HBO). He also played a hired killer believably in the movie "Killer Joe" although that did play off his good looks quite a bit as well, as a juxtaposition of sorts.

He did take a hit playing a bunch of romcom crap back in the late 1990's and early 2000's, it gave him a particular reputation/typecasting.

So he CAN actually do it depending on the role, but it has to fit him a certain way.

Well, I enjoyed Interstellar for what it's worth. Although Matt Damon's part could have been excised.
 

Tomb1

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Oh, I don't mind when the performance is intense (like Heath Ledger's Joker)....cast against type with bells on in that case.
 

Totenkindly

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Well, I enjoyed Interstellar for what it's worth. Although Matt Damon's part could have been excised.

He wasn't really playing a villain, the good guy part he does well.

Well, if it wasn't for Dr. Mann, he couldn't have done that total baddassery bit of docking with the spinning station. ;)
 

Tomb1

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Winnick did a good job playing the mother's shift in perspective. Her son ain't a loon, afterall. And so much for that shrink's dream analysis.
 

Totenkindly

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Winnick did a good job playing the mother's shift in perspective. Her son ain't a loon, afterall. And so much for that shrink's dream analysis.

That was horrible. It made me wonder if the writer had ever even been to a shrink, that's not really how therapy is especially for therapists of kids.

The mother was one of the better acted characters. I heard she is/was a regular on Vikings?
 

Doctor Cringelord

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So it's basically like that Breaking Bad: The Movie fan adaptation?
 

Totenkindly

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So it's basically like that Breaking Bad: The Movie fan adaptation?

Is there one of those on YouTube or something?

...That sounds hilarious.

-----

But yeah, that actually sounds fair; the script could have been lifted from younger fan fic.
 

Doctor Cringelord

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Is there one of those on YouTube or something?

...That sounds hilarious.

-----

But yeah, that actually sounds fair; the script could have been lifted from younger fan fic.

Someone made a feature length edit of Breaking Bad and although they did a decent edit, it felt like a preview or summary and much of the character development and nuance of the series was lost. It only works if you're already familiar with the series; it just feels like a collection of clips, any tension is removed, it all feels like an inevitable progression of events.
 

Totenkindly

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Someone made a feature length edit of Breaking Bad and although they did a decent edit, it felt like a preview or summary and much of the character development and nuance of the series was lost. It only works if you're already familiar with the series; it just feels like a collection of clips.

Oh.

I thought you meant like real fan fic, where they take main characters and make up new stories about them, but typically the dialogue is really broad/vague, doesn't say much of value, and the plots are overblown and there is no real dramatic tension.
 

Mal12345

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It's not going to be a retelling of the books.

They are riffing off the themes of the seven-book series, which is plausible due to a particular plot point late in the series.

So expecting it to be a retelling or to follow much directly from the books at all is kind of mistake. I could tell this just from the trailers, which seem to give Jake a more predominate role.

You say it's not a retelling of the books, and then you say that it's a poor adaptation from the books. On the other hand, the producers and Stephen King himself say it is not an adaptation but a sequel.

The Dark Tower is a story in its own right and must be treated as such.
 

Totenkindly

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You say it's not a retelling of the books, and then you say that it's a poor adaptation from the books. On the other hand, the producers and Stephen King himself say it is not an adaptation but a sequel.

The Dark Tower is a story in its own right and must be treated as such.

Um, Mal... it's a shitty sequel. If it was a damn good movie in its own right, then people wouldn't even be dissing it aside from saying, "Well, it has little to do with The Dark Tower."

Plus, if you're going to market it as "The Dark Tower," then suddenly you want to have your cake and eat it too. Calling it a "sequel" is actually a sloppy lie. What King allowed at the end of his tale is a "retelling," not a "sequel." So while the same GENERAL story would unfold again, it would give the filmmakers a chance to do their own riff on the material, change things that couldn't be filmed, and so on. a "sequel" doesn't mean "reduce a 2000 page story to 95 minutes by not doing anything from the book, changing the few characters that remained, and toss in a few random baubles out of context as lip service."

Maybe they should have just done all new characters, as part of their "sequel," to avoid confusion.

Ironically, I have a friend here at work who was bitching about all the negative RT reviews, "let people make up their own mind," and ranting at the reviewers. then he saw the movie. Now he complained more about the movie than I did and how terrible it was. We did both agree Idris Elba was decent as Roland, if he had had a better movie to be a part of.
 

Tomb1

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That was horrible. It made me wonder if the writer had ever even been to a shrink, that's not really how therapy is especially for therapists of kids.

I met one even worse but he worked for the school.

In fourth grade, he told my mother that I needed treatment because I was disobedient and did not know my place. His basis: I submitted a sentence with the phrase “shutup and eat your peas" in it and answered "Zimbabwe" when asked to come up with a word beginning with the letter “z”. From this, he concluded that I was on my way towards becoming a drug addict.

The wanker wanted to treat me. My semi-compliant sp/so mother said she would take me to an independent shrink instead. I met with the independent one a few times. He knew his shit and in no time concluded that the problem lay with the school, not me. Told my mother I needed him like I needed a hole in the head and would probably be better off in a private school where I’d get a more challenging education!

I never did a drug in my life. :D
 

Totenkindly

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'The Dark Tower' TV Series Sets 'Walking Dead' Grad as Showrunner (Exclusive) | Hollywood Reporter

We'll see where this goes. It sounds like it will have no/little connection at all to the movie, which is a good place to start. But it might not go anywhere after the lousy opening weekend; they don't yet have a TV studio lined up, just a potential showrunner. Mazzara's resume has potential, his biggest claim was showrunning Seasons 2-3 of TWD (which is an adaptation) and writing some episodes; those two seasons had some good stuff but also some lousy stuff.

I met one even worse but he worked for the school.

In fourth grade, he told my mother that I needed treatment because I was disobedient and did not know my place. His basis: I submitted a sentence with the phrase “shutup and eat your peas" in it and answered "Zimbabwe" when asked to come up with a word beginning with the letter “z”. From this, he concluded that I was on my way towards becoming a drug addict.

Yeah, he sounds like a load of crap.

The wanker wanted to treat me. My semi-compliant sp/so mother said she would take me to an independent shrink instead. I met with the independent one a few times. He knew his shit and in no time concluded that the problem lay with the school, not me. Told my mother I needed him like I needed a hole in the head and would probably be better off in a private school where I’d get a more challenging education!

I never did a drug in my life. :D

I am glad you escaped the first guy. Sounds like he didn't know what the hell he was doing, but he had authority from the school so people wouldn't necessarily question him. The second guy sounds like he actually had some experience working with adolescents rather than a chip on his shoulder like the first guy did.
 

Mal12345

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Um, Mal... it's a shitty sequel. If it was a damn good movie in its own right, then people wouldn't even be dissing it aside from saying, "Well, it has little to do with The Dark Tower."

Plus, if you're going to market it as "The Dark Tower," then suddenly you want to have your cake and eat it too. Calling it a "sequel" is actually a sloppy lie. What King allowed at the end of his tale is a "retelling," not a "sequel." So while the same GENERAL story would unfold again, it would give the filmmakers a chance to do their own riff on the material, change things that couldn't be filmed, and so on. a "sequel" doesn't mean "reduce a 2000 page story to 95 minutes by not doing anything from the book, changing the few characters that remained, and toss in a few random baubles out of context as lip service."

Maybe they should have just done all new characters, as part of their "sequel," to avoid confusion.

Ironically, I have a friend here at work who was bitching about all the negative RT reviews, "let people make up their own mind," and ranting at the reviewers. then he saw the movie. Now he complained more about the movie than I did and how terrible it was. We did both agree Idris Elba was decent as Roland, if he had had a better movie to be a part of.

What's up with all the ad populorum all the time?

Rottentomatoes is a rotten site. It's a shame that it's blown up the way it has. People take the critics reviews as meaningful, but they are not. A good example is your statement that The Dark Tower is an adaptation from the novels. But I did a little research and found out that it is a sequel. You may be a good writer, but it takes more than writing skills to create a good review, whether negative or positive doesn't matter.
 

Mal12345

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Um, Mal... it's a shitty sequel. If it was a damn good movie in its own right, then people wouldn't even be dissing it aside from saying, "Well, it has little to do with The Dark Tower."

You don't see the illogic in saying If it was a good movie, then people wouldn't be dissing it.
 
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