Random Movie Thoughts Thread

[Doctor Cringelord]

I always really wanted Parker and Lambert to make it out with Ripley. Every time I watch, a small part of me still thinks "they might make it."

 

[Population: 1]

Imagine if they hadn’t killed Newt and Hicks before the first scene in Alien 3. I was actually depressed for days after that. To make it out of everything in Aliens only to buy it while immobilized and helpless in a stasis unit off screen. Not cool man. Not cool.

 

[Jaguar]

I need something robust. Precise.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Imagine if they hadn’t killed Newt and Hicks before the first scene in Alien 3. I was actually depressed for days after that. To make it out of everything in Aliens only to buy it while immobilized and helpless in a stasis unit off screen. Not cool man. Not cool.

Bothered me too. And apparently James Cameron has voiced his displeasure with that too.

On the other hand, doing that helps the tone of Alien 3 immensely. It establishes right off the bat that the xenomorph doesn't care who is worthy of survival. Anyone is a potential victim, even Ripley. It keeps the Xenomorph a real threat in the film and in that way doesn't let the audience relax too much, knowing that even main characters can die just like that. It's more like the original film in that regard. Although I still think Aliens is superior to Alien 3. Just saying Alien 3 better captured the hopeless feel of the original film.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Jaws franchise is the perfect example of sequel fatigue. In the span of one series, you go from the first film, widely recognized as one of the most popular, well-made monster films in history, to the 4th film, widely regarded as one of the worst films in existence.

For all its faults though, I do have a big soft spot for Jaws II, though it suffered in not having the same or a similar dynamic trio to the first film's protaganists. Mrs Brody and the deputy were great, but they were no Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss. It also breaks some of the rules established in the first film. You'll notice if you watch the first one closely, that the theme music actually only plays when the shark is around. In Jaws II, there's one or two cheap moments where they use the music to build tension, only to establish a false jump scare. The scene when Brody finds the burnt body in the surf, for example. Also, the camera angles in this shot imply the shark is actually watching Brody. The movie is actually borrowing more from slasher movie tropes than the original did. Then there's Brody's laughable suggestion that the Jaws II shark is actually killing for revenge. While it's basically a throwaway line, it's enough to establish the silly premise that each sequel involved vengeful sharks chasing Brody family members. I much prefer the original film where the shark has no real motives beyond hunger.

Had I written Jaws II, I'd actually have followed Hooper's character instead of Brody, and maybe had it set on one of his research vessels. this would make more sense, as it's believable with Hooper's line of work as a marine biologist. It would basically involve a similar plot to the first film, but at least it would be a more plausible premise and not a complete rehash of the first film.

 

[Totenkindly]

I always really wanted Parker and Lambert to make it out with Ripley. Every time I watch, a small part of me still thinks "they might make it."

Parker was great, Lambert was a great screamer. I really love Alien, and in part it is because of the diverse crew. (I'm also fond of Sunshine for the same reason.)

For more random Alien trivia: If you read the panels that either show up briefly in Aliens (or maybe on the special release stuff) where they review the crew backgrounds, interestingly both Dallas and Lambert were apparently transsexuals routinely reassigned at a young age according to their profiles.

Imagine if they hadn’t killed Newt and Hicks before the first scene in Alien 3. I was actually depressed for days after that. To make it out of everything in Aliens only to buy it while immobilized and helpless in a stasis unit off screen. Not cool man. Not cool.

Fuck that film. I mean, no ill will towards Fincher, he was left holding a bad project. But yeah, it turned me off for YEARS before I rewatched that film, and I'd probably only rewatch it now for Charles Dance.

It is like one of the first rules of franchise film making.

Then James Cameron retaliated by doing it to his own film in Terminator: Dark Fate... although he had more of a method to his madness.

Had I written Jaws II, I'd actually have followed Hooper's character instead of Brody, and maybe had it set on one of his research vessels. this would make more sense, as it's believable with Hooper's line of work as a marine biologist. It would basically involve a similar plot to the first film, but at least it would be a more plausible premise and not a complete rehash of the first film.

Instead we eventually got Deep Blue Sea and The Meg.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Parker was great, Lambert was a great screamer. I really love Alien, and in part it is because of the diverse crew. (I'm also fond of Sunshine for the same reason.)

For more random Alien trivia: If you read the panels that either show up briefly in Aliens (or maybe on the special release stuff) where they review the crew backgrounds, interestingly both Dallas and Lambert were apparently transsexuals routinely reassigned at a young age according to their profiles.

I saw something recently about Lambert being transsexual but I never realized that was in Parker's file as well!

I have to wonder if reassignment surgery at that point in the future is just a normal, common thing parents do, or perhaps it's done to satisfy some weird government gender quota. The latter wouldn't surprise me given the dystopian future of that universe. Like not to get too political in this thread, but maybe the government realized having a higher ratio of females to males would help to eliminate the growth of incel movements or something weird like that.

 

[Totenkindly]

I saw something recently about Lambert being transsexual but I never realized that was in Parker's file as well!

I have to wonder if reassignment surgery at that point in the future is just a normal, common thing parents do, or perhaps it's done to satisfy some weird government gender quota. The latter wouldn't surprise me given the dystopian future of that universe.

Dallas (captain, Tom Skerritt), not Parker.

Yeah, in the data file it just came off as a routine medical procedure without social stigma, based on psychological assessment.



I remember watching stuff with Veronica Cartwright years later simply because she was in it (usually TV episodes -- she was in an X-File two-parter at one point); I found Lambert really annoying but also very memorable. I love the "deleted" bits too which might be in a master cut, where Lambert goes after Ripley for not letting them back in and there's a huge altercation. That whole freaking cast is so memorable.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Instead we eventually got Deep Blue Sea and The Meg.

Deep Blue Sea was dumb but fun. The Meg was mostly just dumb. I actually quite enjoy the 47 Meters Down franchise though. Implausible and impossible as the second film's premise was, it was still kind of cool.

 

[Totenkindly]

Deep Blue Sea was dumb but fun. The Meg was mostly just dumb. I actually quite enjoy the 47 Meters Down franchise though. Implausible and impossible as the second film's premise was, it was still kind of cool.

Deep Blue Sea is one of my guilty pleasures in life; and yeah, my thought on The Meg too... pretty much just "Thomas Jane wrastles a really big shark with his bare hands" kind of film. Both just centered around scientists who discover / awake the sharks, though, so that was the tie in.

I didn't see the 47 meters series; I watched The Shallows and was indifferent, mostly, it had some tense moments but then parts of it were unbelievable.

 

[Totenkindly]

I might have mentioned this elsewhere, but I just mentioned it to some coworkers today -- in "Frozen II," Elsa tames the water spirit that looks like a horse, and by the end of the film they are like kindred spirits and she's riding him all over the place, friends 4evah kinda thing. Beautiful cliche Disney film ending.

But in the film, the subtext is that her parents ship went down because they were trying to reach the glacier that the water spirit was protecting, and in fact the horse actively tries to drown Elsa and almost succeeds.

In other words, Elsa ends up being best buds with the creature that murdered both of her parents, who died trying to help her.

Needless to say, this is pretty messed up.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Deep Blue Sea is one of my guilty pleasures in life; and yeah, my thought on The Meg too... pretty much just "Thomas Jane wrastles a really big shark with his bare hands" kind of film. Both just centered around scientists who discover / awake the sharks, though, so that was the tie in.

I didn't see the 47 meters series; I watched The Shallows and was indifferent, mostly, it had some tense moments but then parts of it were unbelievable.

Jason Statham was just ridiculous in The Meg. He really is the new Arnold Schwarzenegger.


Shark films are cool because they're almost plausible, like the writers take a vague understanding of actual science and twist it into monster movies. I liked the concept of a warmer layer of ocean separated from the ocean above by a layer of chemicals in The Meg. While this is based in reality and similar layers have been found at bottoms of water bodies, the possibility of something like a giant shark surviving in this layer is unlikely, given there wouldn't be enough oxygen to sustain it, let alone enough food. Even if the shark could have adapted over time to survive in that zone, it would be unable to survive in the shallower layers of oxygen rich water, which would be like poison to it. But otherwise a fascinating place to visit in a movie.

 

[Totenkindly]

I'm not sure how I feel about Christian Bale.

It's weird. I don't particularly like HIM... but I tend to really like some of the characters he has played in movies, and he's been in a lot of movies I've really enjoyed. I think he's talented as an actor as well, even if I don't really take to him.

I am not sure what this means. Typically if I like an actor's repertoire of films, some of that affection bleeds over to them as well. But if someone invited me to a lunch with Christian Bale, I might go out of curiosity but not enthusiastically. But I'd be thrilled to go meet Hugh Jackman or Bill Hader or Robert DeNiro.

Jason Statham was just ridiculous in The Meg. He really is the new Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Shark films are cool because they're almost plausible, like the writers take a vague understanding of actual science and twist it into monster movies. I liked the concept of a warmer layer of ocean separated from the ocean above by a layer of chemicals in The Meg. While this is based in reality and similar layers have been found at bottoms of water bodies, the possibility of something like a giant shark surviving in this layer is unlikely, given there wouldn't be enough oxygen to sustain it, let alone enough food. Even if the shark could have adapted over time to survive in that zone, it would be unable to survive in the shallower layers of oxygen rich water, which would be like poison to it. But otherwise a fascinating place to visit in a movie.

I pretty much considered the whole film as "nature fantasy" for that kind of reason. I've been able to enjoy movies my rational mind finds laughable, if they appeal to other sensibilities consistently (hence, "Deep Blue Sea" which is a joke science-wise but has other stuff going for it, including the purposeful melodrama and the morality play of who dies when).

Yeah, Statham really has established himself as a presence up near The Rock or Arnold or Sly... not QUITE on their level but pretty close, so that everyone knows who he is at this point and films can play off his notoriety and past roles.

 

[Jaguar]

I'm not sure how I feel about Christian Bale.

It's weird. I don't particularly like HIM... but I tend to really like some of the characters he has played in movies, and he's been in a lot of movies I've really enjoyed. I think he's talented as an actor as well, even if I don't really take to him.

I am not sure what this means.

That happened to me a long time ago with Val Kilmer. My intuition was firing off alarms and I knew it was only a matter of time before the answer would be revealed. In an interview, he said all he ever wanted was to be famous. That's all I needed to hear before flipping him the bird. Pacino once said, "This is what I’m meant to do, with this, everything suddenly coheres, and I understand myself.” Very different individuals.

 

[Totenkindly]

That happened to me a long time ago with Val Kilmer. My intuition was firing off alarms and I knew it was only a matter of time before the answer would be revealed. In an interview, he said all he ever wanted was to be famous. That's all I needed to hear before flipping him the bird. Pacino once said, "This is what I’m meant to do, with this, everything suddenly coheres, and I understand myself.” Very different individuals.

Ah, yeah -- Val Kilmer is another one like that for me, too, although I think Bale has more talent overall and Kilmer's window of fame seems to have been shorter.

Ironically, my son was texting me today he was reading about Flow (psychological term coined by Csikszentmihalyi) which is basically about being "in the zone" -- and one of the attributes is finding pleasure in something for itself rather than for some external reward, so you can perpetuate it differently. You know, some people do what they love, and they do it for an end in itself, because their world syncs up around it and you're in that space where everything makes sense, it's a form of awareness and perfect functioning, and the external rewards might be nice but have nothing to do with their pleasure or feeling whole while doing it.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I always really wanted Parker and Lambert to make it out with Ripley. Every time I watch, a small part of me still thinks "they might make it."

I like the original Alien the best; I think the blue collar space trucker vibe of the Nostromo is really cool and feels "real."

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I'm not sure how I feel about Christian Bale.

It's weird. I don't particularly like HIM... but I tend to really like some of the characters he has played in movies, and he's been in a lot of movies I've really enjoyed. I think he's talented as an actor as well, even if I don't really take to him.

I am not sure what this means. Typically if I like an actor's repertoire of films, some of that affection bleeds over to them as well. But if someone invited me to a lunch with Christian Bale, I might go out of curiosity but not enthusiastically. But I'd be thrilled to go meet Hugh Jackman or Bill Hader or Robert DeNiro.

I feel similarly about Bale. I don't know why. He doesn't seem like a nasty person, just not super friendly. He did some cool stuff like visiting shooting victims after that theatre playing The Dark Knight Rises was shot up. But I just don't think I'd get along with him. And I have no real affection for him, despite enjoying his roles. Great actor though. I also feel similarly about Jack Nicholson. Great actor but I don't think we'd get along and I have no real love for him as a person.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I like the original Alien the best; I think the blue collar space trucker vibe of the Nostromo is really cool and feels "real."

Yes, and I think that's kind of how space travel will end up, unfortunately. By the time it's accessible enough for poor people, they'll be doing it as hired labor, essentially punching a few buttons on otherwise mostly automated ships. All of the wonder of space will sapped by the harsh, cold reality of being a low wage worker in a thankless, high risk job, on a cold ship, hauling resources in hopes of getting a tiny bonus if they deliver ahead of schedule. No one cares about truckers, despite it being a high risk job, right up there with police work and firefighting. People take supply chains for granted, such a shame. Most people have no idea how fragile it all is too. They get their gadgets and doohickeys on amazon and it arrives on their doorstep with the recipients having no real idea of the complexity and precariousness of it all.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Yes, and I think that's kind of how space travel will end up, unfortunately. By the time it's accessible enough for poor people, they'll be doing it as hired labor, essentially punching a few buttons on otherwise mostly automated ships. All of the wonder of space will sapped by the harsh, cold reality of being a low wage worker in a thankless, high risk job, on a cold ship, hauling resources in hopes of getting a tiny bonus if they deliver ahead of schedule. No one cares about truckers, despite it being a high risk job, right up there with police work and firefighting. People take supply chains for granted, such a shame. Most people have no idea how fragile it all is too. They get their gadgets and doohickeys on amazon and it arrives on their doorstep with the recipients having no real idea of the complexity and precariousness of it all.

Well, I don't know. A lot of things could change.

Another part of the "blue collar" thing that I like about the movie is the way they realized the character of Dallas as a sympathetic middle manager type. i had an immediate supervisor at a shit job that was like that (and even looked like him).

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Well, I don't know. A lot of things could change.

Another part of the "blue collar" thing that I like about the movie is the way they realized the character of Dallas as a sympathetic middle manager type. i had an immediate supervisor at a shit job that was like that (and even looked like him).

Oh yeah, Dallas was great. I didn't care for the character when I was younger but now I totally understand how he was between a rock and a hard place. Torn between the company overlords and trying to look out for his people. I do kind of wish he had dug a little more and learned of Ash's true nature before he climbed into that air vent though. Also he could've easily sent anyone else into that shaft but took it on himself. That's always a sign of a good manager, when they're willing to get their hands dirty and endure the same shit the little guy endures.