Kevin's Watch

Mister Anderson, you should have just taken the red pill and enjoyed your Chris Claremont comics. Moore's Watchmen were no more groundbreaking than Claremont's X-men were twelve years prior, and Lee's Fantastic Four fourteen years prior to that. Evolution is measured in stages, Mister Anderson; you should really learn how to appreciate that.

I wasn't very fond of the X-Men films either. The first Matrix film was somewhat interesting (though very derivative), the 2nd and 3rd should be outlawed by the Geneva Convention.

Well- it was bound to happen- Nathan beat me to it. Solaris was by far and away the worst movie I have ever seen. It was followed closely by a little gem called "Drawing Down the Moon" which, incidentally, was shot in my little home town in Pa. It was about a Wiccan lady who comes to this small town to help the homeless, ill etc. The wierd twist is that the big name in it is Walter Koenig of Star Trek fame who stars as an evil genious trying to take over the world somehow or something. It was funny because we rented it not knowing it was filmed in our town. We're sitting there watching it going "Hey- isn't that the courthouse? Hey, isn't that the Elks Club on Second Street? Hey, isn't that CHEKOV?" It took us a little while to catch on and from there on out it was hilarious, but if you aren't from where I am from, I highly recommend avoiding it.

Kym, I had a similar experience watching The Blair Witch Project. Many of the woods scenes were filmed over in Seneca Creek State Park in MD, where my friends and I used to roam. The movie just wasn't that scary when every few minutes, one of us said, "Hey, it's the tree-planting project," or "See that open space behind them? Those are the power lines."

Anti-recommendations: Ensign Pulver, The Postman (if you've somehow managed to avoid it thus far, continue to do so), the Matrix sequels, and anything Adrian Paul was in after Highlander: The Series - including the fourth movie.

Reign of Fire (I think that's what it was called)

There was no point to this film ever existing.

- Anything with that hag Julia Roberts (how people find her attractive and/or talented, I'll never know)
- The Bunker (a brutally bad British 'horror' movie)
- The Matrix series (If I wanted a philosophy lesson, I'd take a class thanks ... oh, wait, I am taking a Philosophy class!)
- The Titanic (yawn ... )
- Pretty much all the "Hollywood Horror" garbage released in the last few years
- most modern "Teen" Road movies
- every single Black comedy where negative role-model stereo-typical Black thugs and their "homie niggas" treat White folk like shit. Sorry ... but that crap is offensive.
- remakes ... all of them.

Agent Smith wrote:Mister Anderson, you should have just taken the red pill and enjoyed your Chris Claremont comics. Moore's Watchmen were no more groundbreaking than Claremont's X-men were twelve years prior, and Lee's Fantastic Four fourteen years prior to that. Evolution is measured in stages, Mister Anderson; you should really learn how to appreciate that.

I see your point, Mr. Smith. It's true that Watchmen does not exist in a vacuum: its commentary on superheroes would be meaningless without acknowledging the history of past comic book heroes. I'll take your word that Claremont's and Lee's earlier stories were in their way as groundbreaking as Watchmen, as I don't have copies of them to read for myself (and they'd probably cost me a pretty penny, too).

Cail wrote:The first Matrix film was somewhat interesting (though very derivative), the 2nd and 3rd should be outlawed by the Geneva Convention.

I liked the first Matrix movie...a lot, but I agree with folks who thought the sequels were heavy-handed with the philosophy and just plain overwrought. I made a long rant on why I hated Matrix Revolutions (I call it 'Revulsions') in another thread. I think the Wachowski Brothers buried themselves under the weight of their own ambitions. The thoughtful mix of action and talk and CG effects in the original movie was put on steroids for the sequels: everything was blown monstrously out of proportion. The fight scenes, the CGI, and the philosophical verbiage came to be mind-numbing instead of enlightening and exciting. However, there are Watchers who see the worth of the sequels, so hey, I'm glad the films weren't a waste of time for them, at least.

Btw, Loremaster, we never did get around to that Smithathon, did we?

I see merit in the sequels, Revolutions more than Reloaded. But neither can match the original. You're quite correct, the second and third instalments were heavy-handed.

Today's anti-recommendation: The Perfect Storm. Boring; slow; cliched characterisation; cliched dialogue; fishermen who appear to be marines in all but name (seriously, watch the way they behave together, and Clooney's "rousing" speeches). It was pretty bad. The only thing worthwhile I brought away was the knowledge that tuna are huge.

Bach and Mozart are two composers who were NOT groundbreaking. Mozart wrapped up his era, and Beethoven started the next one. And Bach was just plain old-fashioned, writing in styles that nobody else bothered with anymore. Sometimes genius is in taking a particular form/genre to its ultimate expression. As I believe Watchmen and Matrix did.

Of course, some people just don't like a particular form/genre. For example, I don't like Mozart too much. The occasional piece, but for the most part, boring.

So I'm one of the strange few that liked Solaris? (that's what I get for watching it sober...)

Please don't watch Cold Creek Manor, just don't!

Yeah, Cold Creek Manor was awful.

My latest anti-rec is Soul Plane. Dear God, please do not watch this movie. Horrible does not begin to describe it.

Matrixman wrote:Btw, Loremaster, we never did get around to that Smithathon, did we?

The Smithathon will happen in march; I'm about to start a 6 week training course for my job.

We just finished watching Anchorman. People thought this was funny?

What's this about a Smithathon??

anything with Adam Sandler...UGH!!! All he talks about is the potty!!!

Potty awareness is very important!

Fist and Faith wrote:What's this about a Smithathon??

I tried to organise a Smithathon at the watch early last year - basically the three Matrix movies watched in a row. We all watch them in one day and post our thoughts.

I'm in for the Smithathon!

All he talks about is the potty!!!

I heard that there's alot of potty prejudice in Oregon, but this is the first time it's reared its ugly head here.

Furls Fire wrote:anything with Adam Sandler...UGH!!! All he talks about is the potty!!!

I'd like to see a movie where he didn't beat someone up!
hmmmm I wonder who got beat up a lot in school....?

YEAH to the Smithathon! Wow, finding a day when we all can just sit and watch them sounds like a daunting task.