It's weird, most of the ways you're describing the movie seems like it would be my sort of thing, but I think it's all coming back to tone. I wasn't a big fan of
Bubba Ho-Tep
either, which also tried to walk the line between serious and silly. It's a tricky balancing act, and I guess sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn't. I really wanted to like it!
Also, I think I always conflated Buckaroo Banzai with Flash Gordon, so I expected him to have crazy space adventures. He didn't even have any adventures in the 8th dimension!
What PC said except for expecting Flash Gordon. Also, don't know how to explain this, but for me it was the wrong kind of straight facedness. And something about the timing bothered me a lot. Heh, I don't think we will fully understand each other on this. But at least I get the BB love a bit more even if I can't share it. I wonder if I'd like the comic book.
HE'LL SAVE EVERY ONE OF US!
I used to like Buckaroo Banzai, and then a couple years ago I tried the commentary, and it put me off thoroughly. I am off the bandwagon. I still like Perfect Tommy, but that's about it.
I did like the bit where Buckaroo asks Perfect Tommy to give whatsername his jacket and he's like, "Why me?" And Buckaroo is like, "Because you're perfect." And he's like, "You make a compelling argument, sir."
Finally finished The Hunger Games, and now I am all WTF over Cinna's casting. He is, like, my favorite character (in a story where I am constantly rolling my eyes about the makeup and clothing), and the chosen actor is beyond off what I imagined for the role.
I'm so excited by that casting. He looks great in the trailer. Can't wait.
Have you seen the photos, Juliebird? Because I thought that too, but when I saw the promos, I thought it would be okay!
I wonder if I'd like the comic book.
The comic was pretty terrible. The novel, on the other hand, is great. Well, it's great if you liked the movie, so... never mind, I guess?
Part of why I like BB is the meta. Kind of what Scrappy said; there's a presumption that you already know these characters, that this is just one episode in a series of popular stories, and as a result there's a whole universe you're being dumped into without any explanation. (In the book there are footnotes citing adventures in other, nonexistent books.)
But I know it is... polarizing. Until the internet I didn't even know it had a cult following -- for a long time the only people I knew who'd seen it and liked it were my immediate family.
