* Partly I just haven't felt like it, but mostly I didn't get the impression that many people whose opinions I care about were actually reading them.
Sunshine
So, I've pretty much stopped writing movie and book reviews this year*, but you should go read BLDBLOG's review of Sunshine for a pretty good explanation (albeit in that weirdly drug-addled and overblown BLDBLOGgish way) of how it was almost a great movie, and then went completely off the rails into OMG Suck.
Tags: firstperson, movies, reviews
Current Music: Prince -- Pop Life ♬
26 Responses:
I worked a goodly portion of my life away helping make the visual effects for that film and I along with most of my coworkers still thought it sucked.
Regardless of the rest of the film, the visual effects were gorgeous. Kudos.
Cheers for that mate.
I do like your annual music wrap-ups...
Yes, please do continue those -- consistently a 80-90% match for CDs that will earn a long rotation in my changer.
I haven't seen Sunshine yet, but AUGH. One of the comments mentioned Event Horizon, a movie I've been trying hard for years to forget.
Yes, Event Horizon is one of the, I don't know, dozen(?) movies ... umm ... paid homage to? Or ripped off? I'm not sure which.
wait. there are people whose opinions you care about?
Line, mine, stolen, verbatim.
This is what you think passes for wit, and you wonder why I don't feel like wasting my effort on you?
Not at all -- I recognize that there's a fine line between wit and smartassery, and I try and stay well clear of that line.
Look! A Borogrove!
The BLDBLOG review claims that it spoils the ending. I call that taking credit for the work of others. That ending was spoiled before they even filmed it.
I was reading them.
I actually went out and bought a book because of one of your reviews.
I didnt like it very much, but am willing to keep trying.
And i liked it when you reviewed something from a festival i put on, of course. feedback is always nice.
I read them, fwiw. Although I have to say I was more influenced by your music reviews...
Ditto. I always like to hear music reviews, especially now that I'm so out of the loop on what the Kids Today are listening to.
I've bought music...and avoided movies...based on your reviews.
I think it was one of your book reviews that introduced me to Charles Stross a while ago, so thanks for that. I've bought heaps of his books since then.
"Me too."
Same for The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson, that was lots of fun.
I happened to see the movie last night, and the "plot twist" he mentions didn't really bother me. Of course, that might be in part due to the fact that I had already stopped caring a good deal because of my least favorite plot device ever: smart people doing stupid things. Over and over. And over. To the point where I felt a nearly overwhelming urge to yell at the characters on the screen that they were being morons.
The "plot twist" made sense; there was a rational reason for it to have happened, even if the filmmaker's stylistic choice of allowing it to happen was somewhat questionable.
In short, if the "plot twist" was really the worst thing wrong with the movie, it would have been an excellent movie. As it is, it's beautiful but mediocre.
Oh, and the thing is, those characters doing stupid things is so totally out of place. The movie doesn't treat the audience like idiots. It's actually really well made, except for this period of about 30 minutes right in the middle of the movie. It's incredibly frustrating.
I've been lurking here for about a year, and have always looked forward to the reviews. That and the YouTubage and science articles keep me coming back.
having just seen the movie yesterday, I have to agree in parts with those that liked the movie and with the review you posted. The movie was beautiful visually, and from a philosophical background it was a great parable about man, god, mortality, and sacrifice for the greater good. I have to admit I could have done without the plot twist, but then again, I think that if you look deeper at it, what they may have been trying to do was to show that there is a cost for trying to interfere with God's greater plan. I would have done it differently but I understand the meaning behind the "killer" and appreciate it, even if it could have been done better.
I sincerely enjoyed your movie and book reviews. I don't know if you care about my opinion, but there it is.
If you applied that standard to your blog, you'd barely write anything.
Even though my opinion isn't valued I'll express it anyway (this is livejournal after all). I too have lurked here for a while mostly for the reviews on films, novels, musics, and other cultural events that I don't get exposed to in my little world. Example: I never heard of the movie Cube until this review. I rented it, loved it, and added it to my film canon. Please don't stop?
I just saw Sunshine tonight and I agree with the beautiful but mediocre comment. I'd love to see another editor get their hands on the footage and recut it without the lame bits. Actually there are a couple films like that...