Do things blow up? I like when things blow up.
And Kaylee, what the hell's goin' on in the engine room? Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?
Mal ,'The Train Job'
Buffista Movies 3: Panned and Scanned
A place to talk about movies--Old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Polter-Cow - Sep 29, 2004 6:42:37 am PDT #4208 of 10001
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
Nutty - Sep 29, 2004 6:42:47 am PDT #4209 of 10001
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
Freaky Friday made a great plane movie
I think that there are special qualities to being a good plane movie. Like, that silly time-travel movie with Paul Walker, Timeline, was a perfect airplane movie, because it was enthusiastically forward-moving without any complicated plot details to remember (or any logic to follow), and explosions and derring-do at the end. I probably would have hated it as a movie seen on the ground, but on an airplane, perfect.
Whereas, Master and Commander was extremely hard to follow when viewed on an airplane -- the screen was too small for me to see who was who sometimes, and the complexity of action was such that I had a hard time seeing what exactly was happening, despite having seen (and liked) the movie when seen on the ground.
I've heard all about how badly written The Da Vinci Code is, but that's criticism of the prose. It could still make a fun movie, right?
But P-C, haven't you ever read those airport novels that are basically just a movie script in novel format? Those can occasionally make good movies, depending on the acting and the director and whether the whole project winks towards its tawdry roots. Whereas, books that are irritating claptrap tend to make movies that are irritating claptrap, unless some wise soul just borrows the title and premise, and makes something else entirely out of it.
Anne W. - Sep 29, 2004 6:44:54 am PDT #4210 of 10001
The lost sheep grow teeth, forsake their lambs, and lie with the lions.
Do things blow up?
Only my head at the utter injustice of this thing being a best-seller.
tommyrot - Sep 29, 2004 6:46:21 am PDT #4211 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
Mel Brooks is working on a sequel to Spaceballs.
I'm meh on this - I didn't think the original was all that great.
lisah - Sep 29, 2004 6:49:28 am PDT #4212 of 10001
Punishingly Intricate
I had a film professor tell me that there have never been any great movies based on great books. There are only great or good movies based on mediocre or bad books, mediocre or bad movies based on great or good books, or bad movies made out of bad books.
One of his prime examples was Gone with the Wind. Good movie/mediocre book.
Of course it is all terribly subjective but interesting to think about.
bon bon - Sep 29, 2004 6:52:09 am PDT #4213 of 10001
It's five thousand for kissing, ten thousand for snuggling... End of list.
I had a film professor tell me that there have never been any great movies based on great books. There are only great or good movies based on mediocre or bad books, mediocre or bad movies based on great or good books, or bad movies made out of bad books.
Godfather is another. Part of that's just regression toward the mean though, right?
Jessica - Sep 29, 2004 6:52:15 am PDT #4214 of 10001
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
I had a film professor tell me that there have never been any great movies based on great books.
The Princess Bride. LotR.
Dana - Sep 29, 2004 6:52:16 am PDT #4215 of 10001
I'm terrifically busy with my ennui.
great movies based on great books
Oh, that sounds like a challenge.
Blade Runner, although the original is a short story and very different.
Possession, based on A.S. Byatt's novel of the same name, although probably not enough people saw it to rule on "great".
Emma and Clueless.
§ ita § - Sep 29, 2004 6:52:55 am PDT #4216 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
PRINCESS BRIDE!!!!
Okay, I'm done.
No, I'm not.
LORD OF THE RINGS!!!!
For all values of great that correspond to "ita enjoyed a great deal."
Polter-Cow - Sep 29, 2004 6:53:02 am PDT #4217 of 10001
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
Mel Brooks is working on a sequel to Spaceballs.
Will it be called Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money ?
I'm meh on this - I didn't think the original was all that great.
I really like it, though I saw it a couple years ago and realized it wasn't the best movie. Still very funny, with lots of great jokes. I don't want a sequel cause...why? Leave it alone. It's good. John Candy's dead.