Pinback's Ten Best Movies

Debaser · Post by **Debaser** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:48 pm

JQW wrote:Blade Runner is the most awful, overrated piece of sci-fi shit since 2001. Or Dark City, that Ebert loves so much. Or motherfucking GATTICA. Vomit! For the record, I have only ever seen the non-voiceover "director's cut" of BR. I bought the DVD, movie unseen, based on the positive comments, despite my snippets of previous viewings being negative. It was terrible, I could barely make it through.

2001 - first off, instead of orbiting space stations and evil artificial intelligence, we had planes being flown into buildings. Didn't see that one coming, did you, Clarke? Seriously though, what a pompous, dull movie, which can only be enjoyed by those who are in an altered state of consciousness.

I've never actually seen all of 2001 and I admit Gattica can get a bit trite, but Great Siva do you just not comprehend any scifi that isn't about 4 breasted hookers and shit getting blown up by giant space lasers? Dark City is fucking fantastic.

I actually agree with you on Highlander, though. The actual story and characters are so much nonsense and you can't even appreciate the swordfights (I used to only watch the last 10 minutes of each episode of the TV series for the swordfight/decapitation/lightning orgy bit) because they gay them up with crumbling paper mache castles and history's worst sound effects.

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Tue Mar 07, 2006 4:50 pm

THX1178 must have been the sequel.

THE
SMARTASS
AARDVARK

JQW · Post by **JQW** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 9:56 am

Vit hit the nail on the head. "Best" is much different than "favorite". It's arrogant and stupid to claim to know the "best" when one has sampled from such a limited pool. It'd be like me listing the best wines when I've only drank a few and never more than a few sips (as they all taste like old socks to me.) Or someone listing the best music ever when they only know Top 40 music, or the best art ever when the only art they know is in Aquaman comic books.

Debaser, I went into Dark City completely "open" and I hated it, but I don't remember hardly anything about it so can't defend my opinion. Ebert's slavish suckling on its teat (even doing a commentary track on the DVD) makes me wonder if I should revisit it, but jeez, there's so many other movies yet unseen, why take a chance on one that I know I didn't like already?

For multibreasted hookers, the number I'm aware of it 3 not 4 - both in Total Recall (which I did quite enjoy but is not a best-movie) and in Hitchhiker's Guide.

I will state that the best scifi movie I've seen in the past year or two was unquestionably Sky Captain. I didn't expect too much as I find CGI sets a bit distasteful, but I absolutely loved it. It helps that I'm a sucker for that Frank R Paul scifi style.

I think the problem with those scifi movies I dislike is that they are usually based in ridiculous futures (let's face it, the sterile future worlds of THX and Gattaca, the spaceships of 2001, the grungeworld of Blade Runner and Dark City, etc, are pretty goddamn far-fetched - 2001 slightly less than the others but it leads to the silly giant space baby of 2010 so it's not excused)... they're based in ridiculous futures but they are so goddamned serious. See also the absolutely horrible "Soylent Green", which is completely poker-faced.

If you're going to take such things so seriously, I prefer them to dip into outright horror (Alien, etc), raw action (Aliens), or tongue-in-cheek (Star Wars, Sky Captain, Starship Troopers, etc.) It's also my problem with Star Trek, it wants to have its cake and eat it too - it yearns to take on serious subjects like racism, etc, but it can't help itself but put on space hippies, blue women, or aliens with absolutely silly makeup.

I do have no problem with "hard" scifi (or scientifiction, as some insist on calling it), but I'm having a hard time thinking of any hard scifi movies I've seen that I really liked. I haven't seen Contact yet, but I have a copy in HD, and I'm hoping to like that - I like that Carl Sagan was one of the writers. I'm sure there are some, but I can't think of them at the moment.

Vitriola · Post by **Vitriola** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:12 pm

JQW wrote:they are usually based in ridiculous futures ... spaceships of 2001, the grungeworld of Blade Runner and Dark City,

Tha's real interesting that you said that, because I've actually been in parts of the world that looked exactly like Blade Runner. Of course, they were parts that most tourists don't go into, and it's helpful to remember that the majority of the population of the earth lives in less-than-landscaped surroundings, but there was a dark, dingy, populus, chaotic and hidden market warren in some back alley of San Jose, Costa Rica that had a roof on it and there were still alleys in between and behind all the kiosks and Jesus that place was scary, and it reminded me so much of Blade Runner I regret to this day not having my camera with me.

Worm · Post by **Worm** » Thu Mar 09, 2006 12:31 pm

JQW wrote:Vit hit the nail on the head. "Best" is much different than "favorite". It's arrogant and stupid to claim to know the "best" when one has sampled from such a limited pool.

Are you going to have a child so I can kill and eat it?

JQW · Post by **JQW** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 9:31 am

Child: been there, done that. OH NO DON'T SAY ANYTHING BAD ABOUT MY BABEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WAHHHHHH

Vit: I'm not saying that there's no grime and such in the world - obviously there is - but there's more to BR's environment than just shady back alleys and greasy rice vendors. It feels much more like a graphic novel (going for a "look") than a realistic future - which is fine, as long as you don't take yourself so deathly seriously. That's what killed the 2nd and 3rd Matrix movies, IMHO.

(That being said, I'm still really anxious to see "V For Vendetta", hopefully those assholes can redeem themselves.)

(Those assholes, meaning the directors of the Matrix movies, who did V For Vendetta.)

Anyway, a graphic novel (ie, long comic book) can get away with a "look" because the medium encourages a lack of reality by its very nature. That isn't the case with film.

Jack Straw · Post by **Jack Straw** » Fri Mar 10, 2006 10:44 am

JQW wrote: (That being said, I'm still really anxious to see "V For Vendetta", hopefully those assholes can redeem themselves.)

Well, they're sure off to a good start by making a well thought out, original name!

JQW · Post by **JQW** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:03 am

Jack Straw wrote:
JQW wrote: (That being said, I'm still really anxious to see "V For Vendetta", hopefully those assholes can redeem themselves.)
Well, they're sure off to a good start by making a well thought out, original name!

It's an adaptation of a British graphic novel from the '80s of the same name.

Jack Straw · Post by **Jack Straw** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 10:31 am

...and it still S for Suxxxxx!

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:45 pm

Jack Straw wrote:...and it still S for Suxxxxx!

EVERY movie critic will be using some variation of that line. It's like when they all came together and said that Lord of the Rings is "hobbit forming" and that Matt Damon is Bourne Again.

At least with movies you really understand why they are talking about them rather than making them.

Jack Straw · Post by **Jack Straw** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 1:40 am

Sorry about the C for Cliche!!!

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 8:09 am

Jack Straw wrote:Sorry about the C for Cliche!!!

No, no, I meant - you were first. You are the trail blazer here. Also, you instantly rocket to the top of the movie reviewing field.

Dial "C" for "Clutch!!!"

JQW · Post by **JQW** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:59 am

Not to be relentlessly unfunny or squash an attempt at a running gag, but not EVERY movie reviewer will stoop so low. Ebert & Roeper did an early review and neither one made a "letter for word-that-begins-with-that-letter" gag. In fact, it got the double thumbs-up.

Vitriola · Post by **Vitriola** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 12:16 pm

I think I just saw a commercial for AARP insurance that was being hawked by Q from TNG. I need to know if that was him.

I was actually going to start a thread for this, but the commercial came on, and I reread the last 2 messages in this one, and there really was no time like the present.

palavos3 · Post by **palavos3** » Mon May 21, 2007 4:20 pm

Speaking of great films there are only two movies I've seen that would get the very top or the five star rating and they are:
The Shining- The acting, scenery, and suspense of this film make this the ultimate horror classic. Nothing will top this one. My #1 film.
Fight Club-A great cast, storyline, and loads of action. This movie really is the shit plus Marla Singer is really hot! My #2 film.

Tell me Pinback, how many stars would you give The Shining? (that is if you have seen it).

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Mon May 21, 2007 4:30 pm

I want to know if Pinner saw Shaun of the Dead.

Also, I didn't really like Dark City. It was doing just fine until that mofo started flying. That's also where the Matrix movies became a waste of time, although I'd put pre-flying Dark City ahead of pre-flying The Matrix.

Don't make your characters fly. Ever. Unless he's Superman, Hawkman or Shaft.

Vitriola · Post by **Vitriola** » Mon May 21, 2007 7:48 pm

palavos3 wrote:The Shining- The acting, scenery, and suspense of this film make this the ultimate horror classic. Nothing will top this one. My #1 film.

The book was much better.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Tue May 22, 2007 10:39 am

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:I want to know if Pinner saw Shaun of the Dead.

Yes. One might have inferred that from my statement that Hot Fuzz was not as good as Shaun of the Dead, but nobody's perfect.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Tue May 22, 2007 10:50 am

I, too, thought that HF was not as good as Shaun. We seem to be the only two people in the world to hold this opinion. Our backs are against the wall and we're going to have to fight our way out not with guns, but with cricket bats.

And the "TIED TO THIS FUCKING THREAD" comment from Gerrit in the Thing Game thread from months ago was one of the best statements ever, and I regret not saying such at the time. I had needed to see The Thing again to refresh.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Tue May 22, 2007 2:14 pm

Contrarily, I have yet to find someone who thought HF superior.