February 24, 2012
— Ace I decided to just rant about this on Twitter. I had an idea that I would put this review into proper order on the blog, but meh, it's such a crap movie I'm not sure I can do this again.
Basics that I didn't mention: Ryan Gosling plays the press secretary (??? -- the movie doesn't make it clear what his exact function is) to a front-running liberal dream candidate played by George Clooney. Clooney essentially has an extended cameo in the movie -- but he wrote the screenplay, so don't worry, you'll be getting some Full-On Clooney here.
Twitter goes in reverse order so keep scanning down to expose more and more of the feed, then find the post reading:
I saw Ides of March. It's as repellently stupid as @NolteNC said it was.
From about 2 hours ago, as I write this, at 6:30 ET.
Because this movie is so absurd, I sort of want to do a live-chat of it some day. But I don't want people to pay for this dreck, so maybe when it's on HBO or something.
I don't want to put cash in their pockets but I will say that as far as laugh-out-loud unintentional hilarity-- a MST2K goof-on-it-with-friends movie -- it's... well, it would serve that purpose admirably.
As you'll see in the review, it's actually very MST3K, because it is so divorced from reality it has a sci-fi vibe. I asked aloud, "What planet is this supposed to take place on?" I'm still not sure. It's a Type M planet, Earth-like in many respects... but apparently it's somewhere where very rich people cannot withdraw $900 from an ATM.
It's a movie by dumb people who think they're smart, for dumb people who also want to think they're smart, by people who don't know anything at all about the business of politics but think a few Cynical Sounding Lines of Dialogue will authenticate it all, for people who also don't know anything about the business of politics and will be fooled by a few Cynical Sounding Lines of Dialogue.
It, seriously, is retarded. At least films like Porky's know they're aiming at a very low brow. This film is so stupid it thinks it's actually smart.
Politics At The Expense of Art? At no point in the movie is anyone less than 100% enthusiastic about the abortion, so there's no drama on that point. The drama comes in on the "How do rich people secure $900 for this purpose?"
I'm wondering if the original play did contain some stuff qualms about the abortion-- perhaps the girl didn't want an abortion, and the drama comes in when Ryan Gosling pressures her to have one. And maybe that's where he's supposed to lose himself to this Beast Called Politics.
However, in Clooney's world, it would count as a liberal strike against the film to Push the Rightwing Narrative On Abortion, so maybe he just took that all out and made her say "Abortion? Of course!"
And then that necessitates making the acquisition of nine hundred whole dollars -- by wealthy people -- the main source of drama.
Point is, if that's what happened, it would be a liberal deliberately making a story less dramatic and less interesting than the original form he found it in, simply to earn Gold Stars from the Daily Kos and Amanda Marcotte.
Posted by: Ace at
02:29 PM
| Comments (367)
Post contains 573 words, total size 3 kb.
Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at February 24, 2012 02:31 PM (azHfB)
Posted by: great George Clooney movie quotes at February 24, 2012 02:35 PM (X7DMq)
Posted by: Knemon at February 24, 2012 02:35 PM (r1jNE)
Posted by: ace at February 24, 2012 02:36 PM (nj1bB)
Posted by: 1st at February 24, 2012 02:36 PM (845uI)
Really. Didya try "Nice shoes, wanna F***?" it works really well on single men if you are a hot chick.
Posted by: MikeTheMoose Now Researching How to Awaken Azathoth at February 24, 2012 02:38 PM (0q2P7)
Posted by: Knemon at February 24, 2012 02:39 PM (r1jNE)
Ace left out the name of the chick that dragged him to a 'Clooney' movie. At least, I hope he did. I would hate to think that Ace actually goes to a 'Clooney' movie because he thinks it might be good.
Posted by: ole scratch at February 24, 2012 02:41 PM (+56Bh)
Posted by: jewells45 at February 24, 2012 02:42 PM (Z71Vg)
No. Ewoks don't have sex. They are asexual or something like that...I heard...somewhere...or read on some blog. Oh fuck, I don't know.
Posted by: mpfs at February 24, 2012 02:44 PM (iYbLN)
Side note, CPAC videos are all up on youtube and I am having a good time getting through them started with Palin then Coulter... man I love the women on this side.
Posted by: Shiggz RocketSurgeon at February 24, 2012 02:44 PM (RfvTE)
Posted by: joe in houston at February 24, 2012 02:44 PM (MnSla)
(It's a good thing I've already gotten rid of my cable.)
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at February 24, 2012 02:44 PM (bjRNS)
I thought they could only have sex with Marco Rubio's garbage. Did I misunderstand?
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at February 24, 2012 02:45 PM (bjRNS)
Correction: It will be in the WalMart dollar bin soon enough.
Posted by: mpfs at February 24, 2012 02:45 PM (iYbLN)
When did radical atheist jewish crude misfits become the default of TV writers? I am looking at you otherwise brilliant Community!
Posted by: Shiggz RocketSurgeon at February 24, 2012 02:46 PM (RfvTE)
Posted by: sandy burger at February 24, 2012 02:46 PM (ErTq7)
I thought they could only have sex with Marco Rubio's garbage. Did I misunderstand?
Posted by: Meiczyslaw
You are correct sir.
My bad (hangs head in shame.)
Posted by: mpfs at February 24, 2012 02:46 PM (iYbLN)
Posted by: sandy burger
Or ate cold, delivered pizza in his boxer shorts on a Saturday night...in his mom's basement.
Posted by: mpfs at February 24, 2012 02:48 PM (iYbLN)
Posted by: The Rogue Economist at February 24, 2012 02:48 PM (2CxZr)
I would pay a buck from RedBox. The acting is good.. Philip Seymour Hoffman is always fun to watch.
But, like you, Ace. I asked what the f*ck planet they thought they were on politically. It just made no sense.
BTW- that Evan Rachel Wood is easy on the eyes.. so, I didn't hate it as much as you, but I sure regretted not waiting for the DVD - but us married guys gotta take one for the team now and then!
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at February 24, 2012 02:49 PM (UTq/I)
Posted by: Mitt Still Sux at February 24, 2012 02:49 PM (0xy1K)
Ace ~ ".....you'll be getting some Full-On Clooney here.
.
Clooney shows his junk? .....There may be a reason to watch this movie after all.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 02:51 PM (UOOK1)
He likes butter in his ass?
Posted by: fluffy at February 24, 2012 02:51 PM (vRSeu)
...........
Ha! Ace, I'm sure, has a plus 5 Holy Avenger sword.
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at February 24, 2012 02:51 PM (UTq/I)
Posted by: Soona at February 24, 2012 02:52 PM (uBZfB)
Or the cost of that pearl necklace you're wearing.
Or the cost of one of the three laptops the campaign gave me.
Or the cost of the two iPads you have.
Or the cost of the watch I'm wearing.
Or the cost of. . .
Posted by: JDwinston at February 24, 2012 02:53 PM (Gdli8)
we need to hook a generator shaft to Shakespeare for all the spinning he's doing with his plot device used as the title of this malformed waste of mankind's collective memory.
F* that plotline makes Bulworth look like believable, serious, social commentary.
Posted by: MikeTheMoose Now Researching How to Awaken Azathoth at February 24, 2012 02:53 PM (0q2P7)
Posted by: AllenLou at February 24, 2012 02:54 PM (70yzA)
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at February 24, 2012 02:54 PM (UTq/I)
Posted by: lesbian seagull at February 24, 2012 02:54 PM (xXhWA)
Posted by: Mirror-Universe Mitt Romney at February 24, 2012 02:55 PM (VitMz)
Posted by: fluffy at February 24, 2012 02:55 PM (vRSeu)
Might have to switch to grocery store wine for a whole week to save up. Thank Obama women don't have to suffer like this anymore!
Posted by: HeatherRadish at February 24, 2012 02:56 PM (/kI1Q)
From what I'm gathering, this movie is like the "Legally Blonde" movie where Reese becomes a congresswoman? It's that believable?
Posted by: Soona at February 24, 2012 02:56 PM (uBZfB)
I can't get to the mute button fast enough.
Posted by: Mike in CFL at February 24, 2012 02:57 PM (motsG)
Geez.. I sure don't wanna be the one defending this thing... but there is more to it than the abortion plotline.
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at February 24, 2012 02:57 PM (UTq/I)
So we've gotten to the point where merely noting (even cinematically, in make-believe) that abortion might be emotionally difficult is a betrayal of liberalism. If it's not a thoughtless and automatic act devoid of a moment's reconsideration, you're not a true Prog.
Just checking.
Posted by: lauraw at February 24, 2012 02:57 PM (DbybK)
Nah-Paladins are to purist for Ace. Not enough nuance to ally with the Lawful Evil to fight the Chaotic Evil.
Posted by: MikeTheMoose Now Researching How to Awaken Azathoth at February 24, 2012 02:57 PM (0q2P7)
Posted by: Charles M. Blow at February 24, 2012 02:58 PM (SzAZ7)
Posted by: Soona at February 24, 2012 02:59 PM (uBZfB)
Depending on what additional books you're using, you could roll a Paladin of Will, which is Chaotic Good.
Posted by: The Rogue Economist at February 24, 2012 03:00 PM (2CxZr)
Posted by: Joffen, fucking sunshine patriot at February 24, 2012 03:00 PM (ImSXR)
Posted by: Mike in CFL at February 24, 2012 06:57 PM (motsG) Well, at least she tries (and often fails) to rationalize leftist positions when most leftists would just start hurling insults and accusations.
Posted by: lesbian seagull at February 24, 2012 03:01 PM (xXhWA)
Cloris Leachman.
Posted by: HeatherRadish at February 24, 2012 03:01 PM (/kI1Q)
Posted by: Twba at February 24, 2012 03:01 PM (ns0RJ)
Right, cause waiting one day, too hard.
Posted by: MikeTheMoose Now Researching How to Awaken Azathoth at February 24, 2012 03:01 PM (0q2P7)
Posted by: AllenLou at February 24, 2012 03:01 PM (70yzA)
Posted by: crazy babe pointing a phaser at February 24, 2012 03:02 PM (WOB8h)
But my favorite is a lecherous dwarf-thief. Since he does all the scouting, he gets to bad-mouth the "brave" fighters waiting for him to give the ok! He spends all his gold at the Pink PussyKat Brothel between adventures.
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at February 24, 2012 03:02 PM (UTq/I)
Posted by: fluffy at February 24, 2012 03:07 PM (vRSeu)
If it was written by a professional, maybe, but since it was written by Clooney, almost surely not.
Actually, an MST3K-style live chat of some movie on Hulu or Netflix Streaming wouldn't be bad. Maybe have it on Saturday nights for us losers.
Posted by: AmishDude at February 24, 2012 03:07 PM (T0NGe)
Posted by: Joffen, fucking sunshine patriot at February 24, 2012 07:00 PM (ImSXR)
Rent Four Lions. You won't be disappointed. Great movie.
Posted by: really ... at February 24, 2012 03:08 PM (X3lox)
Posted by: Knemon at February 24, 2012 03:09 PM (r1jNE)
Posted by: Carwash at February 24, 2012 03:09 PM (XknXv)
Posted by: Meiczyslaw at February 24, 2012 03:10 PM (bjRNS)
Posted by: Shiggz RocketSurgeon at February 24, 2012 03:11 PM (RfvTE)
In liberal land, "abortion" = "Women's Health". And by "Health", I mean "healthcare."
How can anyone possibly be expected to pay $900, or anything really, for healthcare?
Posted by: Andy at February 24, 2012 03:11 PM (XG+Mn)
F* I'm surprised they don't carry 10x that kind of money in a "contingency fund" laying around for just such an emergency.
Posted by: MikeTheMoose Now Researching How to Awaken Azathoth at February 24, 2012 03:12 PM (0q2P7)
cash a check at your bank.
Oh crap! that was too easy.
Posted by: Jimbo at February 24, 2012 03:13 PM (O3R/2)
When it comes to movies you're as bad as Matt Drudge. Buy a gun, move out in the country and forget about all that movie/pop culture bullshit.
It's better for the soul.
Posted by: Ed Anger - Certified Kos Kid at February 24, 2012 03:13 PM (7+pP9)
Quantum of Clooney
However, in Clooney's world, it would count as a liberal strike against the film to Push the Rightwing Narrative On Abortion, so maybe he just took that all out and made her say "Abortion? Of course!"
And then that necessitates making the acquisition of nine hundred whole dollars -- by wealthy people -- the main source of drama.
http://tinyurl.com/quantum-of-phallus
In 1999, Bechtel corporation signed a contract with the president of Bolivia to privatize the water supply in the 3rd-largest city, and shortly thereafter tripled the water rates (source - new window). Yeah, that's right, they tripled the rates in real life... so when the bad guy in James Bond threatens to double the rates, it's like the producers are challenging you to give less of a shit. They took a non-interesting real-life story and somehow made it less interesting than real life.
Posted by: Underground Vulgarian at February 24, 2012 03:14 PM (Aaxiu)
Two words: Nancy. Pelosi.
Posted by: Andy at February 24, 2012 03:14 PM (XG+Mn)
Posted by: Benson at February 24, 2012 03:14 PM (qzcNU)
Posted by: FatBald N Sassy at February 24, 2012 03:14 PM (PRFKD)
That said, Unstoppable was still a fun movie, if impenetrably stupid. Guilty pleasure.
Posted by: really ... at February 24, 2012 03:17 PM (X3lox)
We get the Roman Catholic Church to pay for it.
Posted by: president o'bumbles at February 24, 2012 03:17 PM (WOB8h)
Oh F* you. I just took a straight shot at ace. If this were LGF I'd already be gone.
Posted by: MikeTheMoose Now Researching How to Awaken Azathoth at February 24, 2012 03:18 PM (0q2P7)
Posted by: LizLem at February 24, 2012 03:18 PM (5Ig4L)
Posted by: Mr Pink at February 24, 2012 03:19 PM (uo3ZD)
Posted by: Balsamic Shotgun at February 24, 2012 03:19 PM (sTS/8)
Only fucktwit commenters like you.
Posted by: Andy at February 24, 2012 03:19 PM (XG+Mn)
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 03:19 PM (Rnfm0)
Posted by: Deuce at February 24, 2012 03:22 PM (E55AK)
If they are horrendously unrealistic on a major plot line involving underage sex, and an inexplicable inability to pay for an abortion; how on earth can I trust that their depiction of a "bare-knuckle campaign" is accurate?
Posted by: MikeTheMoose Now Researching How to Awaken Azathoth at February 24, 2012 03:23 PM (0q2P7)
It's like they're talking right to me.
(Seriously, Maher is a dumb guy who wants to be inter-lectual.)
Posted by: Bill Maher at February 24, 2012 03:23 PM (MMC8r)
So.....did Clooney's character win his election?
.
Maybe this movie was meant as a followup to the John Edward's story.....that cautionary tale, which shows what happens when the girl didn't get an abortion.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 03:23 PM (UOOK1)
The black Republican butler did it?
Posted by: andycanuck at February 24, 2012 03:24 PM (WOB8h)
Posted by: mare at February 24, 2012 03:24 PM (A98Xu)
Posted by: IreneFingIrene at February 24, 2012 03:24 PM (/VMLD)
A few years ago a freight train got loose and was running down the tracks for miles. I can't remember where; I think California. An engineer volunteered to try and run alongside it and hoist himself up the ladder into the cabin. It was extremely dangerous, but they let him do it. There was helicopter footage of this guy running like a gazelle next to the train along the gravel-covered track bed, and then he did exactly what he said he'd do: pulled himself up onto the ladder and into the cab and stopped the train.
They later identified the guy as being 58 years old. Holy shit, that made me so ashamed of my physical condition.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 03:24 PM (Rnfm0)
>> From what I'm gathering, this movie is like the "Legally Blonde" movie
where Reese becomes a congresswoman? It's that believable?
Two words: Nancy. Pelosi.
Posted by: Andy at February 24, 2012 07:14 PM (XG+Mn)
------------------------------------
Heh. Point taken.
Posted by: Soona at February 24, 2012 03:24 PM (uBZfB)
I mean, good Lord, at least in the runup to the Civil War someone got caned.
Posted by: Boulder Toilet Hobo at February 24, 2012 03:25 PM (QTHTd)
The black Republican butler did it?
Much, much better than that. That movie will haunt you for weeks.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 03:25 PM (Rnfm0)
Posted by: Dr Spank at February 24, 2012 03:26 PM (lVGED)
I got a sliver in the House of Commons once and it hurt like a bitch.
Posted by: andycanuck at February 24, 2012 03:26 PM (WOB8h)
Posted by: Mr Fever Head at February 24, 2012 03:27 PM (SzAZ7)
Michelle did it? [But seriously, I'll keep an eye out for it.]
Posted by: andycanuck at February 24, 2012 03:27 PM (WOB8h)
Posted by: LexisTexas at February 24, 2012 03:28 PM (Cn396)
I'm sure there would have been other questions if I decided to continue giving a shit.
Posted by: Dave S. at February 24, 2012 03:29 PM (UvR6d)
OK This is definitely set on another planet.
Posted by: MikeTheMoose Now Researching How to Awaken Azathoth at February 24, 2012 03:29 PM (0q2P7)
Posted by: And Irresolute at February 24, 2012 03:30 PM (RC3M9)
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 03:31 PM (ED8o6)
Posted by: mama winger at February 24, 2012 03:31 PM (P6QsQ)
87 Instead of this, see Up in the Air, a terrific Clooney movie with a shocking twist that'll punch you right in the guts.
.
You liked that movie? ......Corporate downsizer with no soul, finally sees the light and decides to have a life? .....Not a bad theme, I guess, but it didn't address at all the causes of all that downsizing that's been going on.
.
'Up in the Air' is one of the long list of movies that will be played over and over again.....if Romney does, in fact, become our nominee, because they reinforce the meme that 'Corporations are Evil'.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 03:31 PM (UOOK1)
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 03:32 PM (ED8o6)
And, if not this movie.. rent something.. or, god forbid, get yer ass up off your computer chair, change your underwear with the cheetos stains on it, get dressed and go out to a movie.. with people!
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at February 24, 2012 03:32 PM (UTq/I)
It's certainly possible. Images are very good ways to follow people around the web and the company gets to see your movements and store info about you every time you visit any page that has one of their images on it (since your machine needs to alert their server that you want the image - they do some tricks so that your browser doesn't use a cached image but constantly tells the image server you need a new copy, each time allowing them to store more information on you and on your computer through the image names. It's not as easy and detailed as cookies, but image tracking is much stealthier.
Posted by: really ... at February 24, 2012 03:33 PM (X3lox)
You'll love it. I promise. It has the added extra bonus of one of the hottest naked female asses ever put to film. It belongs to Sarah Tuttle, who was the body double for Vera Farmiga.
Tuttle's face is quite nice, too.
http://tinyurl.com/888wcty
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 03:35 PM (Rnfm0)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 03:35 PM (AsqOS)
I wasted $1.50 at redbox to burn through about 1.5 hours of "entertainment". It was trivial entertainment, but I expected no more from Clooney, and now reading your reviews, I realize I had completely forgotten the entire plot in about 10 days!
Posted by: Hrothgar at February 24, 2012 03:35 PM (i3+c5)
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 03:36 PM (I2LwF)
That was pretty good. There were a few other moments in the movie where it was clear our team was the most ruthless, coordinated attack machine imaginable. Then there was one scene (and I forget the specifics) where Hoffman talked about how if they get through the primary the general will be an afterthought, because we can't get our shit together.
Of course, that total logic disconnect is exactly what Dem's do regularly, so 2 points for accuracy on that one.
GWB was either the biggest damn fool the planet has ever seen or the most sinister conniving SOB ever, and he could be both in the same day, it just depended on which caricature was needed for the argument at the moment.
Posted by: Dave S. at February 24, 2012 03:36 PM (UvR6d)
Posted by: Hoke Malokey at February 24, 2012 03:38 PM (41PFz)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 03:38 PM (AsqOS)
No, I agree with your view of it as 'entertainment' - hyphenated. You paid too much to watch it as far as I'm concerned.
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 03:39 PM (ED8o6)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 03:39 PM (AsqOS)
What the hell is wrong with you?
Posted by: fluffy, misanthrope at February 24, 2012 03:39 PM (vRSeu)
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 03:41 PM (I2LwF)
Posted by: Bob Undead Saget at February 24, 2012 03:42 PM (dBvlk)
Up in the Air wasn't intended to address the issue of why corporations are downsizing. Besides, the Clooney character had great advice for people who were being laid off. The point was not that he had no soul, but that he thought he had insulated his soul with layers of cynicism.
But he hadn't. Some of the speeches he gave to people he was firing were terrific and true. His humanity came through, even when he himself didn't know it.
I view it as an apolitical movie. The corporate-downsizing aspect was a plot device, not a political statement. Besides, corporate downsizing happens, and it has real-world ramifications.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 03:42 PM (Rnfm0)
Drive is a better movie. How come no review of Drive, Ace? You not man enough for Big Red's boobies?
'Drive' kicked ass. In fact, I've watched that three times already.
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 03:43 PM (ED8o6)
Posted by: Ohio Dan at February 24, 2012 03:43 PM (JKNDp)
Yuppers. That's a stellar guy right there. You know if someone from the Right side of the aisle wrote that, it would be The Worst Thing Ever.
Posted by: alexthechick at February 24, 2012 03:43 PM (Gk3SS)
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 03:43 PM (GZitp)
Posted by: ArizonaBuckeye at February 24, 2012 03:44 PM (nMMma)
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 03:44 PM (I2LwF)
Bottom line time... you fuckwits don't have $1 and 2 hours time to watch a movie? WTF do you do with your lives besides sit at ace of spades HQ and hit refresh?
Dear Dumbass:
I paint the shed, hang doors, replace windows, repair plumbing, install new light fixtures, replace light switches and outlets, garden, repair the stucco on the foundation, remove and install air conditioners, mow the lawn and read for recreation.
As for TV I watch true crime stuff like Forensic Files, 48 Hours and classic movies that have stood the test of time.
I also like to fish for relaxation and enjoyment.
Now get off of your fat, lazy ass and at least change a burned out light bulb or do something else useful.
Posted by: Ed Anger - Certified Kos Kid at February 24, 2012 03:44 PM (7+pP9)
Posted by: ArizonaBuckeye at February 24, 2012 03:44 PM (nMMma)
>>>Ace, you're getting bent over total bullshit.
Darth Rove, they tell me you are out of touch--I wondered. Well, I wonder no longer. You just don't get us at all. This is what we do.
Posted by: spongeworthy at February 24, 2012 03:45 PM (puy4B)
Screw hollywood and their bullshit propaganda.
Maybe one out ten movies are watchable, the rest are intended to reinforce the lefty mindset.
Posted by: seamrog at February 24, 2012 03:45 PM (L49lj)
Posted by: AmishDude at February 24, 2012 03:46 PM (T0NGe)
Posted by: todler at February 24, 2012 03:47 PM (OluE0)
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 03:48 PM (I2LwF)
Posted by: Waterhouse at February 24, 2012 03:48 PM (sBKNQ)
I seriously doubt it's that much if you go to Planned Parenthood and lie your ass off about who you are.
Oh hey there's another way that this movie is unintentionally proving things for the other side, having an abortion is traumatic and may cause you to off yourself.
Posted by: alexthechick at February 24, 2012 03:48 PM (Gk3SS)
Posted by: todler at February 24, 2012 07:47 PM (OluE0)
I was kind of looking forward to that movie until I found out it wasn't about the band.
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 03:48 PM (I2LwF)
Drive sucked. Gosling playing McQueen? Albert Brooks as the knife-man heavy? Christina Hendricks with her brains all splattered? Hellboy as Heavy No. 2?
C'amon.
Posted by: Hoke Malokey at February 24, 2012 03:49 PM (41PFz)
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 03:49 PM (GZitp)
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 03:49 PM (I2LwF)
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 03:50 PM (ED8o6)
Posted by: todler at February 24, 2012 03:51 PM (OluE0)
Sounds really awful.
On a side note, the aligment of planets tonight will be awesome.
And since IIIII am awesome, I have an 8" reflector to enjoy all 5 planets tonight.
Posted by: CAC, blowing rasberries at all you telescope-less rubes at February 24, 2012 03:51 PM (DO7Od)
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 03:51 PM (I2LwF)
C'amon.
Fine. You can stick to enjoying "The Muppets," there chief.
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 03:52 PM (ED8o6)
Posted by: Dr Spank at February 24, 2012 03:52 PM (lVGED)
I don't watch movies at home either, because I know at some point in time they were in a theater.
Posted by: mama winger at February 24, 2012 03:53 PM (P6QsQ)
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 03:54 PM (I2LwF)
Especially theaters with sticky chairs.
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 03:54 PM (ED8o6)
Posted by: Hoke Malokey at February 24, 2012 07:49 PM (41PFz)
Who the hell is this Gosling loser, anyway? All of a sudden this ugly nitwit starts showing up in every movie. It's like that James Franco turd. I don't know who he is. I don't know where he came from. But I do know that he's a shitty actor and somehow his pathetic mug is to be found in more movies than even Michael Caine at his most annoying.
I mean, we all know that acting is not very hard. There are tons of schizos out there who can change personlities on a dime ... so why do we keep getting these talentless losers foisted on us?
Forcing us into submission. That's got to be what it is. Islamiwood.
Posted by: really ... at February 24, 2012 03:54 PM (X3lox)
Easy, cochese. If it made you feel like a man, I'll retract.
You own one of those snake jackets, don't you?
Posted by: Hoke Malokey at February 24, 2012 03:55 PM (41PFz)
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 03:55 PM (I2LwF)
According to About.com, between $300 and $500 for the first trimester and $400-$600 for the second trimester.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 03:56 PM (Rnfm0)
Posted by: Charles M. Blow at February 24, 2012 03:56 PM (r2PLg)
Posted by: phoenixgirl at February 24, 2012 03:56 PM (Ho2rs)
"It's like that James Franco turd."
Easy. He was very convincing as a scientist working on a cure for Alzheimers in the last Planet of the Apes movie.
Posted by: Hoke Malokey at February 24, 2012 03:56 PM (41PFz)
Posted by: mama winger at February 24, 2012 03:57 PM (P6QsQ)
Posted by: Ohio Dan at February 24, 2012 07:43 PM (JKNDp)
If it had been based on Cincy politics, then he should have paid for it with a personal check, like Jerry Springer did when he wanted a prostitute one fine day.
Posted by: Oldcat at February 24, 2012 03:58 PM (z1N6a)
I have a 1000' overcast and snow flurries but if I look straight down I can see the planet Earth.
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 03:59 PM (GZitp)
And the people who never ever shut their mouths through the entire movie and make those little noises with their candy wrappers.!!! If I could carry my automatic rifle into the theater and wipe out entire rows of people, I might go. And the concession guy. But they have these things called "laws" so I just stay home and read a book.
Posted by: mama winger at February 24, 2012 03:59 PM (P6QsQ)
Posted by: PJ at February 24, 2012 04:00 PM (DQHjw)
yay. isn't this normally an Easter time thing?
Posted by: todler at February 24, 2012 04:01 PM (OluE0)
Who the hell is this Gosling loser, anyway? All of a sudden this ugly nitwit starts showing up in every movie. It's like that James Franco turd. I don't know who he is. I don't know where he came from. But I do know that he's a shitty actor and somehow his pathetic mug is to be found in more movies than even Michael Caine at his most annoying.
So I take it you won't be seeing Ryan Gosling and Shia Laboeuoif starring in the Will Smith produced remake of "The Man Who Would Be King".
Posted by: wooga at February 24, 2012 04:01 PM (vjyZP)
yay. isn't this normally an Easter time thing?
Posted by: todler at February 24, 2012 08:01 PM
Lotta mysteries, only 38 more days of Lent.
Posted by: huerfano at February 24, 2012 04:03 PM (fIuC0)
I used to have a zazzle store. It was a cult of personality hipster-douchebag tribute to my old Facebook character. But I stopped doing Facebook, so I got rid of the store.
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 04:04 PM (I2LwF)
Posted by: tasker at February 24, 2012 04:05 PM (r2PLg)
Jack Black as Kipling?
Posted by: huerfano at February 24, 2012 04:05 PM (fIuC0)
Yeah, I guess $500 (that's probably with the premium for the extra cushy chair and the personal counselor to distract you from the fact that you're killing your offspring) doesn't play as well in the script as $900.
And, of course, you can easily get $500 from an ATM.
But I guess in liberal fantasyland, the DNC princess lives like little Suzy Trailerpark.
Posted by: AmishDude at February 24, 2012 04:06 PM (T0NGe)
Posted by: Michael Medved's spermcount at February 24, 2012 04:06 PM (5CqBh)
Oh, that's too bad! I would have loved to see it. A person can make a very nice living on Zazzle.
Posted by: mama winger at February 24, 2012 04:06 PM (P6QsQ)
Posted by: ConservativeMonster at February 24, 2012 04:08 PM (v3pYe)
I imagine the formula is very delicate. Too high and you don't get the killin' job and too low and you don't have enough extra to buy your political protection.
Posted by: dagny at February 24, 2012 04:09 PM (u50z0)
130......
I view it as an apolitical movie. The corporate-downsizing aspect was a plot device, not a political statement. Besides, corporate downsizing happens, and it has real-world ramifications.
.
But.....corporate downsizings have occured as a direct result of Politics. ....Govt policies and taxation that have made doing business here more expensive and less viable....are a result of....politics.
.
The fact that you enjoyed and were seduced by the 'human aspect' of this movie just illustrates how well the narrative has worked.....that as you mention...."corporate downsizing happens, and it has real-world ramifications" and so therefore, corporations are evil.
.
This narrative has pervaded....everything....for so long, that I cannot believe we are so close to picking a guy for our nominee that plays right into it.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 04:10 PM (UOOK1)
You own one of those snake jackets, don't you?
What. Me? No, fuck that. I bet you own one of those bullet proof jock straps, don't you.
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 04:10 PM (ED8o6)
When you see me hanging around here, I'm usually also playing NCAA Football '12. Right now, my Utica College Pioneers are locked in a battle with the Scottsdale Community College Artichokes.
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 04:10 PM (I2LwF)
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 04:10 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: Waterhouse at February 24, 2012 04:11 PM (sBKNQ)
Posted by: wooga at February 24, 2012 08:01 PM (vjyZP)
Heh. There's a critical mass of squealing annoyance with those three together. Extreme danger.
Posted by: hollywood at February 24, 2012 04:12 PM (X3lox)
In the first season of 24, the Democrat presidential candidate (Allstate guy) had these scenes with really sleazy guys. I mean, really horrible mobster-type people. You know, the kind who hang around Democrat campaigns, especially local ones. I thought, "This will get really good. This will be a tragedy thing where the good guy is brought into a web of deceit from which he can't escape. Plus, Democrat mobsters? Duh." It went nowhere.
But you see that sort of nuts-and-bolts stuff in all Hollywood political movies. They all have to have the good-guy politician have some slam-dunk clever retort that leaves everyone speechless. The dialogue is always unrealistic and ideologically sound.
Lucas-esque.
Posted by: AmishDude at February 24, 2012 04:12 PM (T0NGe)
Posted by: AmishDude at February 24, 2012 04:13 PM (T0NGe)
124
$900 bucks was soooo hard to pay out of pocket, huh?
Same with Edwards. He could have paid off his hussy out of pocket. I guess he didn't want Elizabeth to find out, though I imagine they have some separate bank accounts. I also don't think she was the first bimbo he schtupped on the side.
---
She would never have seen the books.
Posted by: 1st at February 24, 2012 04:13 PM (845uI)
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 04:13 PM (I2LwF)
Posted by: phoenixgirl
.
Yep. And getting sneeze spray on the back of your neck. .....Theaters are like jumping into a germfest and making yourself sit in it for almost 2 hours.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 04:14 PM (UOOK1)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 04:14 PM (AsqOS)
http://tinyurl.com/7djej6k
Posted by: Retread at February 24, 2012 04:14 PM (joSBv)
Posted by: eman at February 24, 2012 04:15 PM (dFcKO)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 04:16 PM (AsqOS)
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 07:49 PM (GZitp)
--That's one I'm waiting to see. Denzel's action movies are worth it: even when the plot is so-so, he can chew up the scenery and look like he's having fun instead of acting like the material is beneath him. (About the film itself: I read the romantic subplot sucked and killed the flow at times. Is that true?)
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 04:16 PM (qOFr+)
Ide means (loosely) a half. The Ides of March is on March 15th, the day Julius Caesar was assassinated.
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 04:17 PM (ED8o6)
I'll be sure to wave back.
With my wang.
Posted by: SMOD [/i] at February 24, 2012 04:17 PM (9Hw3U)
Posted by: wte9 at February 24, 2012 04:17 PM (OYaaT)
Posted by: eman at February 24, 2012 04:18 PM (dFcKO)
Posted by: Jimmah at February 24, 2012 04:18 PM (845uI)
Hey, she was a babe back in the day. Check out Kiss Me Deadly, the Mickey Spillane nuclear bomb movie she had a minor part in back in 1955. A little time travel and that casting couch is pretty inviting.
Posted by: epobirs at February 24, 2012 04:18 PM (kcfmt)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 04:18 PM (AsqOS)
Posted by: wte9 at February 24, 2012 04:19 PM (OYaaT)
Posted by: tasker at February 24, 2012 04:19 PM (r2PLg)
Laughed out loud because it's so stupid. But then cried because this person is a successful screenwriter, and I am not.
Posted by: Nicholas Kronos at February 24, 2012 04:22 PM (P136z)
Posted by: tasker at February 24, 2012 04:23 PM (r2PLg)
Posted by: tasker at February 24, 2012 04:24 PM (r2PLg)
Posted by: Waterhouse at February 24, 2012 04:25 PM (sBKNQ)
Posted by: cherry at February 24, 2012 08:14 PM (OhYCU)
--Ides was the 15th of the month in the Roman calendar. Calends was the first of the month.
/stuff learnt watching the extras in Rome
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 04:25 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: tasker at February 24, 2012 04:26 PM (r2PLg)
Or doing weird little shakes of the head. I thought he was having seizures during whatever Batman movie he did.
Posted by: Waterhouse at February 24, 2012 04:26 PM (sBKNQ)
Posted by: tasker at February 24, 2012 04:28 PM (r2PLg)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 04:29 PM (AsqOS)
Posted by: tasker at February 24, 2012 08:26 PM (r2PLg)
I was very surprised that they had him do that. He's pretty puny and his exercises were pretty much of a joke. Best he keeps his shirt on.
On the bright side, that Italian chick was smoking! As if that's a surprise.
Posted by: hollywood at February 24, 2012 04:30 PM (X3lox)
>>What's an Ide?
I could be wrong but I believe an Ide is an old, old wooden ship used during the Civil War.
Posted by: Ron Burgandy at February 24, 2012 04:30 PM (lVGED)
Posted by: tasker at February 24, 2012 04:31 PM (r2PLg)
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue at February 24, 2012 04:31 PM (789+D)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 08:29 PM (AsqOS)
I'd rather watch his dog act.
Posted by: really ... at February 24, 2012 04:31 PM (X3lox)
Not as much as Hackman was in Superman, though.
Or as much as Charles Blow was in Barbi Benton.
Posted by: Nicholas Kronos at February 24, 2012 04:32 PM (P136z)
Posted by: tasker at February 24, 2012 04:32 PM (r2PLg)
Posted by: wte9 at February 24, 2012 04:32 PM (OYaaT)
Posted by: Boulder Toilet Hobo at February 24, 2012 04:32 PM (QTHTd)
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue at February 24, 2012 04:33 PM (789+D)
Man.. that never happens either, does it? rotlmao
Posted by: StuckOnStupid at February 24, 2012 04:34 PM (R5yLq)
No, George Clooney was never in Batman. That movie he did in the Batman costume, that was something other than Batman.
However, that Batman did fight a villain who was an environmentalist whacko, so it wasn't a total loss.
Posted by: Truman North at February 24, 2012 04:34 PM (I2LwF)
Little Drummer Girl
That was one awesome movie. There were a few leftist bits here and there, but nothing bothersome. Just a great spy story done amazingly well. From many, many years ago.
Posted by: really ... at February 24, 2012 04:35 PM (X3lox)
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 04:36 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: Lincolntf at February 24, 2012 04:38 PM (hiMsy)
Posted by: Nicholas Kronos at February 24, 2012 04:38 PM (P136z)
Posted by: Fritz at February 24, 2012 04:39 PM (Ohmaj)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 04:39 PM (AsqOS)
If their were any justice, taste or common sense in hollywood then you probably would have been right. Sadly however, no, he did actually play batman - well, if you could call it that. Much like they gave the role of what was perhaps one of the most interesting and complex villains from the animated series to Arnold Schwarzenegger. On the upside he only butchered the role in a slightly less horrific fashion than he did the role of Governor of California, or perhaps his marriage.
Posted by: StuckOnStupid at February 24, 2012 04:39 PM (R5yLq)
--Say it ain't so!
Well, when it comes to the super-evil CIA tropes I am not as hard on Hollywood because it is such comedy fodder to believe that the same agency that so fucked up the Bay of Pigs, pre-9/11, and WMDs in Iraq can be soooooo brutal a killing machine against "rogues."
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 04:40 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue at February 24, 2012 04:40 PM (789+D)
But for now it's time for some Half-Life.
Posted by: Ed Anger - Certified Kos Kid at February 24, 2012 04:41 PM (7+pP9)
Posted by: Jordan at February 24, 2012 04:45 PM (RSG1I)
But for now it's time for some Half-Life.
Posted by: Ed Anger - Certified Kos Kid at February 24, 2012 08:41 PM (7+pP9)
--I'm reading my second Nook book, Intellectuals by Paul Johnson. I knew it would be good, but to be so awesome in just the first few paragraphs of the foreward? Sweet action!
BTW, the chapter on Shelley demonstrates that the talented-artists-as-disappointingly-clueless-libtards phenomenon is an old one.
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 04:45 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue at February 24, 2012 04:46 PM (789+D)
Posted by: King Barack at February 24, 2012 04:47 PM (OhYCU)
Posted by: Ronster at February 24, 2012 04:51 PM (T1nDt)
Actually, I didn't buy any narrative. I enjoyed a great movie. And your argument is self-refuting. First you say corporations downsize as a result of politics, then you say the fact that politics forces corporations into downsizing makes corporations evil.
That would make the political message of the movie conservative, not liberal, and pro-corporation, not anti.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 04:52 PM (Rnfm0)
Also, somehow in the real world people like Carville & Matalin date and then marry, but in this movie talking to someone from another campaign (same party, even) is career suicide? Don't these people regularly bump into each other at debates, TV show green rooms, etc?
Posted by: Lizzy at February 24, 2012 04:52 PM (2R/zg)
Posted by: Lemmiwinks at February 24, 2012 04:53 PM (61yvg)
Not really, all action movies have a similar subplot, gotta have something to make the movie a 100 minutes. What got me was the hand to hand fight scenes, no background noise just realistic punching, gouging and panic like a real fight to the death would be. I think they were trying to pull off the grittiness like "Man on Fire" but it was almost to realistic. I'm sure the critics are going to bash Reynolds as wooden but I thought he played the part pretty good. It ain't a Bruce Willis type action movie where you kill someone and make a snark, that's not what they were going for.
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 04:54 PM (GZitp)
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 08:54 PM (GZitp)
Ryan Reynolds is another one of those uninteresting, talentless hacks that they keep stuffing into every movie possible. Where the hell do they find these losers? It's like they go hunting for them and then sign them to 20000 movie contracts for some unknown reason.
Posted by: really ... at February 24, 2012 04:57 PM (X3lox)
The Christian Slater School of Drama maybe?
Posted by: StuckOnStupid at February 24, 2012 05:01 PM (R5yLq)
I've caught a couple of glimpses and I'm intrigued, It seems like something the morons would like.
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 24, 2012 05:04 PM (piMMO)
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 05:04 PM (GZitp)
266...Actually, I didn't buy any narrative. I enjoyed a great movie. And your argument is self-refuting. First you say corporations downsize as a result of politics, then you say the fact that politics forces corporations into downsizing makes corporations evil.
.
First off, I don't mean to be picking on you, man. I usually always enjoy reading your comments. ....I'm just marveling at the idea that you blew right past the basics in that movie, which was that 'downsizings have become so commonplace that there are professional downsizers doing this souless work for the corps now'.....and enjoyed it.
.
And no....I was not refuting myself and saying that corporations are evil. ....I was trying to point out that the movie 'Up in the Air' was based on the meme that 'corporations are evil'....as though it is a 'given'. .....Perhaps I should have used single quote marks on that phrase, as I have just done, because then it would have been more clear.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 05:09 PM (UOOK1)
Posted by: Jean at February 24, 2012 05:11 PM (tZYm2)
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue at February 24, 2012 05:11 PM (789+D)
It's alright. Better then most the crap on TV, but that ain't saying much. Like the comedic werewolf sidekick.
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 05:12 PM (GZitp)
Do I get any pity for that?
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 05:14 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue at February 24, 2012 05:14 PM (789+D)
Posted by: Squarehead Kraut at February 24, 2012 05:14 PM (q93EU)
22 minutes and probably cost less than a quarter-million to make.
Posted by: epobirs at February 24, 2012 05:15 PM (kcfmt)
Posted by: Ronster at February 24, 2012 05:16 PM (T1nDt)
You would think Sam Shepard could afford some false teeth, man he looks old.
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 05:16 PM (GZitp)
Posted by: USS Diversity at February 24, 2012 09:15 PM (0s0CT)
--My wife already took it away.
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 05:18 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: Fritz at February 24, 2012 08:39 PM (Ohmaj)
What is this earlobes guff? The male equivalent of elbows that are too pointy?
Posted by: Rainier Luftwaffe Wolfcastle is McSpades at February 24, 2012 05:18 PM (Aaxiu)
****
He had bad teeth in Baby Boom and that was filmed in the 80s.
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 24, 2012 05:19 PM (piMMO)
Geez, my step-dad says some pretty creepy shit sometimes.
If he mentions gladiators, I'm joining the Foreign Legion.
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue's step son at February 24, 2012 05:19 PM (vRSeu)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 05:20 PM (AsqOS)
Do I get any pity for that?
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 09:14 PM (qOFr+)
Yes, because it sure as hell sounds like you didn't get any head for it.
Posted by: Underground Vulgarian at February 24, 2012 05:20 PM (Aaxiu)
Posted by: Taste The Rainbow at February 24, 2012 05:20 PM (0F6Sg)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 05:21 PM (AsqOS)
I've had to watch the first three of those wretched Twilight movies....because my daughter is into them. ....But after the third one, 'Twilight - Eclipse', even she is disgusted with them. Thank God.
.
I understand in this latest one, Bella gets pregnant by Edward the vampire? ....How the hell is that even possible.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 05:21 PM (UOOK1)
The polygraph is a joke. Any ranking CIA guy knows that.
To learn how to beat the polygraph by doing the anal version of Kegel exercises, see the appropriate Penn & Teller's Bullshit! episode, season 7 episode 5.
There is a reason hardly anyplace allows polygraphs as admissible evidence. It's a reverse placebo to get people to screw up and contradict themselves in interrogations.
Posted by: epobirs at February 24, 2012 05:21 PM (kcfmt)
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue at February 24, 2012 05:22 PM (789+D)
Posted by: Algae at February 24, 2012 05:23 PM (minmk)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 05:23 PM (AsqOS)
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 09:21 PM (UOOK1)
His swimmers are undead, too.
Posted by: Underground Vulgarian at February 24, 2012 05:23 PM (Aaxiu)
As I said before, that wasn't the point of the movie. The movie doesn't try to paint corporations as evil. And the character you claim is soulless is exactly the opposite of soulless, as he proves by giving the downsized good advice that saves their lives and by experiencing the shocking plot twist.
If anything was painted as evil it was the current circumstances, not corporations themselves. Every single character in the film was sympathetic. The film is much more ambiguous than you're trying to make it.
As Freud said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." Sometimes a great story is just a great story.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 05:23 PM (Rnfm0)
Posted by: wte9 at February 24, 2012 09:18 PM (OYaaT)
--Always look at the bright side of life.
The upside was inserting mocking commentary throughout the beginning like [using squealing, girly voice], "Oooo, I want to marry a vampire too! How hot would that be? Hee hee hee!"
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 05:24 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: mike at February 24, 2012 09:23 PM (AsqOS)
I am a drinker - Sam Shepard sounds like an alcoholic.
Posted by: Underground Vulgarian at February 24, 2012 05:24 PM (Aaxiu)
Posted by: Ronster at February 24, 2012 05:25 PM (T1nDt)
You must've seen a different movie titled Up in the Air[//i] than I did.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 05:26 PM (Rnfm0)
It's 8:30 and you can still type. Sorry, you're a drinker.
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 05:28 PM (GZitp)
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue at February 24, 2012 05:28 PM (789+D)
So. You were BOTH drunk? Was Sienna drunk too?
Sounds like fun.
Posted by: Squarehead Kraut at February 24, 2012 05:30 PM (q93EU)
Posted by: lowandslow at February 24, 2012 09:28 PM (GZitp)
I'm dictating to my wife.
Posted by: Ronster at February 24, 2012 05:30 PM (T1nDt)
.
I understand in this latest one, Bella gets pregnant by Edward the vampire? ....How the hell is that even possible.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 09:21 PM (UOOK1)
--Yeah, it's my wife who likes them. Maybe it's because she's Mexican and the whole series is just at heart a soap opera with vampires and werewolves as a plot device. She did admit that she did not like this one as much as the previous ones.
Still, I consider it a small victory that I managed to avoid watching all the previous ones and much of the latest one.
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 05:31 PM (qOFr+)
Oldboy
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/
Posted by: sTevo at February 24, 2012 05:33 PM (VMcEw)
Posted by: befuddled at February 24, 2012 05:34 PM (xJU23)
302.....His swimmers are undead, too.
.
Well, I guess if we buy into the storyline that vampires can be vampires, without the fangs and combusting in sunlight.....then we must also believe that their dead swimmers can somehow fertilize a live egg and create a live fetus.
.
Ugh. ....Just seems like they have strayed so far from the basics of what makes a vampire, a vampire, that they should be calling it something else.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 05:35 PM (UOOK1)
Posted by: Jean at February 24, 2012 05:36 PM (tZYm2)
Little Drummer Girl
That was one awesome movie. There were a few leftist bits here and there, but nothing bothersome. Just a great spy story done amazingly well. From many, many years ago.
Breach, about the Robert Hanson spy scandal, and The Recruit, with Al Pacino, are recent and excellent nail biters with no overt politics.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 05:36 PM (Rnfm0)
I think I'll watch the American version when it's out on DVD, although if it's too similar it won't be as suspenseful.
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 05:38 PM (qOFr+)
.
Ugh. ....Just seems like they have strayed so far from the basics of what makes a vampire, a vampire, that they should be calling it something else.
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 09:35 PM (UOOK1)
--That's why I think the soap opera aspect takes precedence over vampire "tradition" or "canon" if you will. The bit at the end after the credits with there being some sort of Vampire Vatican even ventured into camp territory.
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 05:41 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: wheatie at February 24, 2012 09:35 PM (UOOK1)
Vampires do. Not. SPARKLE.
Posted by: Underground Vulgarian at February 24, 2012 05:41 PM (Aaxiu)
Posted by: Jean at February 24, 2012 09:36 PM (tZYm2)
--Oh yeah, I've seen that shot. I also liked the Buffy-Twilight mash-up. Vampires Suck also gave me an idea of what to expect before I saw any of Twilight.
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 05:42 PM (qOFr+)
Oldboy.
The best fight scene ever filmed (Oh Dae-Su versus the 40 gangsters), and the best villain. It's part of director Chan-wook Park's "vengeance trilogy."
If you thought Oldboy messed with your head, watch Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance. It will curl your toes, make you grind your teeth, and make your jaw drop onto your chest as your scream, "I can't believe they actually went there!"
It's possibly the most disturbing film ever made, bar none.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 05:43 PM (Rnfm0)
****
I haven't seen either but American movies almost always favor happy endings so, if the original did not, you can bet it will be changed.
Ever seen The Vanishing?
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 24, 2012 05:43 PM (piMMO)
Posted by: Jean at February 24, 2012 05:48 PM (tZYm2)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 24, 2012 09:43 PM (piMMO)
--No, what's it about?
Posted by: logprof at February 24, 2012 05:48 PM (qOFr+)
Posted by: Ace's liver at February 24, 2012 05:48 PM (1+XRG)
Posted by: Waterhouse at February 24, 2012 05:51 PM (sBKNQ)
Posted by: Roger Ebert at February 24, 2012 05:54 PM (789+D)
Correction: It will be in the WalMart dollar bin soon enough
Correction...it will be on bittottent soon enough.
Posted by: Sweet Meteor of Death at February 24, 2012 05:55 PM (4Pzid)
Posted by: Wonkish Rogue at February 24, 2012 05:57 PM (789+D)
First you grind your teeth, then your jaw drops as you scream. Although it's entirely possible to lean your head forward until your jaw is on your chest and then grind your teeth.
Unless you're a Burmese Padaung woman wearing those neck rings that push down your collar bones and make your neck look like it's two feet long.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 06:02 PM (Rnfm0)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 24, 2012 09:43 PM (piMMO)
--No, what's it about?
A guy whose girlfriend vanishes at a rest stop, and he spends years trying to find out what happened to her. Eventually her abductor contacts him and promises to show him exactly what happened.
The original Dutch movie has a ghastly ending, while the American remake has a happy ending, even though you see a guy get a shovel rammed into his mouth, splitting his cheeks open into a jack-o'-lantern grin, one of the more disgusting movie scenes I've ever witnessed.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 06:07 PM (Rnfm0)
Posted by: McLovin at February 24, 2012 06:23 PM (l14aH)
Fortunately, the original developer of Google's Picasa software has a free program that can fix that for you called f.lux, and available on Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well as jailbroken iPhone/iPad, and soon Android as well.
It's really great --- it just adjusts the color temperature of your monitor depending on the time of the day. I could hardly live without it at this point.
Get it free here:
http://stereopsis.com/flux/
Posted by: Random at February 24, 2012 06:29 PM (ZIkmx)
1) three kings
2) a perfect storm
3) oh brother where art thou. Which is one of my
Favorite films. I watch it on a regular basis.
I liked that airport one he was in, where he did a lot of traveling, but maybe it's because I banged the chick I was watching it with last night, so I think I have good memories associated with it.
Plus a movie about two lonely people traveling around the country rubbing one out together and sleeping together where possible probably helped set the direction for each of us in our minds.
Posted by: Random at February 24, 2012 06:31 PM (ZIkmx)
*****
Looks like Llary has covered it pretty well. The Dutch movie sticks with you for quite a while. Yet, Kiefer Sutherland's mental undoing mid-movie (American) is always pretty damned disturbing.
If you ever think you might watch the Dutch version, do not seek out the spoilers. You have to watch it all the way through, thus I will say no more.
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 24, 2012 06:41 PM (piMMO)
****
Happier ending but with more overt violence than the original. It's disturbing that our culture is so damned comfortable with violence while sex has only recently become less taboo in the movies.
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 24, 2012 06:44 PM (piMMO)
Posted by: Hoke Malokey at February 24, 2012 06:52 PM (41PFz)
Also, it's about how politics is shit, and politicians are likely shit (like Clooney was, despite his ever-so-noble liberal values).
The most ridiculous bit to me was when "political genius" Gosling tells Clooney to come out for manditory public service for all 18- and 19-year-olds, because adults will all be for it, and the people who will be against it are... wait for it... TOO YOUNG TO VOTE! Cue uproarious laughter from the staff, who must all be fucking retards. Please have Obama use this logic in November, Cloons. You and Zero are boys, right?
Posted by: Bang Out Of Order at February 24, 2012 06:59 PM (1H47k)
Posted by: Hoke Malokey at February 24, 2012 07:01 PM (41PFz)
Posted by: McLovin at February 24, 2012 07:02 PM (l14aH)
Posted by: Hoke Malokey at February 24, 2012 07:03 PM (41PFz)
Posted by: ace at February 24, 2012 07:06 PM (nj1bB)
They didn't even try to make a single character likeable -- so why again would I care if shitbag predator Clooney lost the election (ahhh, this is why no critic picked up on this...the reason to care for Clooney is that he's a liberal and it would be TRAGIC! to lose an election to a Republican, see? So the critics did care!) or if lying, amoral Gosling got booted from the campaign or if the overacting, overtired, over-it-all Paul Giamatti put a gun in his mouth and got the brainless, rich, semi-hot bimbette to pull the trigger... I. Don't. Care. About. These. Assholes. I'm glad when shit happened to them. I wish an asteroid hit them all and saved our country from them.
Posted by: Bang Out Of Order at February 24, 2012 07:10 PM (1H47k)
Posted by: ace at February 24, 2012 07:32 PM (nj1bB)
Posted by: steevy at February 24, 2012 07:33 PM (7W3wI)
Posted by: ace at February 24, 2012 07:37 PM (nj1bB)
Posted by: ace at February 24, 2012 07:39 PM (nj1bB)
Posted by: Darth Rove at February 24, 2012 08:09 PM (ED8o6)
Not at first, but the blackmail/double-cross aspect drives the whole last half of the film. The film doesn't end when she has the abortion. I only wish it did.
Posted by: Bang Out Of Order at February 24, 2012 08:16 PM (1H47k)
Makes zero sense.
Posted by: Dave S. at February 24, 2012 08:31 PM (UvR6d)
I only mention this because of the hundred times I watched "Siskel and Ebert" and they reviewed a great film like Trainspotting and railed "Why do I care about a story where I don't like anyone? I don't care what happens to them!" Critics use this critique as a crushing blow to a movie where everyone's a bastard. Funnily, I didn't hear any critics mentioning it (as a negative) in this case. Ebert's review said something like, the good guys are Democrats and the bad guys are Democrats. (Good guys? Really?) The reviewer from the Boston Globe yearned to be able to vote for Clooney's character. Because Clooney and Gosling (and the dead chick) were Dems, the critics cared what happened to them. Had they all been Republicans, I'll bet it would've been a different story.
Posted by: Bang Out Of Order at February 24, 2012 08:53 PM (1H47k)
That reminded me of another movie: Freeway, with Reese Witherspoon as a juvenile delinquent runaway and Keifer Sutherland as a serial killer and pedophile.
It's exceptionally horrific. It has a story line I always find compelling, the one where a hideous, smug predator finally picks on the wrong person.
Posted by: Llarry at February 24, 2012 09:00 PM (Rnfm0)
****
I've never seen that one!
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at February 24, 2012 09:02 PM (piMMO)
Posted by: twoslaps at February 24, 2012 10:17 PM (VA2qd)
Posted by: GGE of the Moron Horde, NC Chapter at February 24, 2012 11:58 PM (yh0zB)
This movie was the best effort from democrats? LAME.
/"Are there any tits in it?" An abortion and suicide.
Posted by: panzernashorn at February 25, 2012 02:11 AM (lpWVn)
Posted by: Looking Glass at February 25, 2012 02:28 AM (14BKc)
Posted by: andycanuck at February 25, 2012 05:56 AM (WOB8h)
[*SPOILERS*]
Eh, crappy review, brah.
Specifically, other than the $900 thing (which I thought the writing finessed sufficiently to suspend disbelief on, myself,), WHY was it so stupid?
I'm just a moron, and I'll admit to missing obviously stupid things in movies. But not a lot jumped out at me as obviously stupid here.
Just a list of bullet points, please, of the stupid stuff I missed -- particularly where it was *politically* stupid.
W/r/t to no one being "less than 100% enthusiastic about the abortion," my take was that was perfectly reasonable, given that all the characters in the film are liberal Democrats. I thought their handling of the abortion (with the possible exception of the $900 thing) was realistic -- it was seen as just a somewhat inconvenient thing to get done, which needed to be handled in an efficient and pragmatic fashion (it's a stretch to say anyone was "enthusiastic" about it).
At the same time, however, the film was shot in such a way as to very clearly suggest the girl's misgivings, w/o her actually having to articulate those misgivings.
That said, what made the movie interesting for me as a paleo/socon was my sense - really, my certainty - that it was a product of the liberal-left who are ANGRY at Obama for not being liberal enough, or for being "just a politician."
To wit: Clooney is specifically called "The One." Clooney is an Obama proxy.
Gosling thinks Clooney is the Real Thing - much as the liberal-left did circa 2008.
Then Gosling discovers that "The One" is just another sleazy, deal-making politician like all the rest.
Like at least some members of the liberal-left have discovered about the big O.
ALSO, I really dug, and found quite dramatic and believable, the way Gosling was played by Giamatti -- the sheer cleverness of that. It was a Mamet-worthy twist, where you sense something really bad is coming but you're not sure what it is, then the bomb drops, and you realize the protagonist has been completely double-crossed (like "The Spanish Prisoner" or "Redbelt," etc).
ALSO, aside from a couple of throwaway digs at the Republicans, the movie was ALL about how nasty and corrupt DEMOCRATS are, which I really kind of dug, to tell you the truth. It was refreshing to see a Hollywood movie that pissed on Democrats for a change, and which had as a takeaway message (via the Clooney character, and the naif Gosling's "conversion") that Democrats are just as hypocritical and sleazy as anybody else.
Posted by: John at February 25, 2012 08:26 AM (k5Bku)
Posted by: meep at February 25, 2012 09:35 AM (e0ZCG)
Posted by: Joshua at February 25, 2012 02:39 PM (oCZ4e)
Posted by: ace at February 25, 2012 07:30 PM (nj1bB)
@ Ace.
Okay, fair enough. you make some good points. Fwiw: Although there was no overt conflict w/r/t the abortion, two things made those scenes work for me. First, the shadiness and implicit risk that something would go south, and the story would somehow get exposed to the press, created a certain tension in that sequence, which held my interest as a viewer. Second, there was an unspoken conflict between Gosling and the girl turning on the way Gosling handled the matter so coolly, verging on callous. She wanted him to stay at the clinic, he didn't. She waited for him to pick her up, he never arrived (or came very late, I can't recall). It was low-key, but I thought the girl played it nicely, and the whole thing was well-directed and cinematic (i.e., the drama was conveyed primarily visually, through the choice of camera angles, lighting, etc). It was subtle, but it worked, imo.
As for the inside politics stuff being completely unrealistic, okay. If you're a cop, I suppose you can't enjoy cops shows, because they're very rarely realistic. Likewise if you're a doctor watching House, or whatever. Not having that political inside knowledge, the story worked for me.
That said, since you bring it up, of course there were stakes -- specifically, Gosling's career on the verge of crash-and-burn, and Clooney's bid for the presidency. And conflict: Gosling vs. Giamatti , vs. Hoffman and, finally vs. Clooney. And too a sweet character arc for Gosling even the higher-level screenwriting gurus might approve of, if they take phone calls on their respective moutain-tops.
Good stuff. But if you didn't dig it, you didn't dig it. There's no disputing in matters of taste, as the wise man said.
As to the message, sure, liberals could dismiss it, but the message is there nonetheless, no?
A final note. I was really looking forward to Drive. It had a couple of good scenes, especially the opening, but the story was really contrived, and the movie as a whole just didn't come off. I found Gosling's attempt to do a neo-70s tough guy painful to watch, because the dude was just very obviously not a bad-ass, however low-key. (If they had done the same story with, I dunno, Charles Bronson, it just might have worked.) By contrast, I thought he was perfectly cast in Ides of March, and gave a really good performance.
Cheers.
Posted by: John at February 26, 2012 08:07 AM (k5Bku)
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Posted by: Clutch Cargo at February 24, 2012 02:31 PM (Qxdfp)