Biggest Disappointments...

[Elton]

Now, regarding 2001, I loved it when I saw it in 1968. It blew me away. To me, the years have not been kind to 2001. I can barely set through it now.

I have the HDNET Movies 1080i broadcast of 2001 recorded on my DVR. It is absolutely amazing how good it still looks.

I think we've all been a little conditioned to fast paced editing as the movie industry has "evolved" over the years.

Movies don't breathe as well as they used to.

 

[Alex DePew]

AI falls into this weird category of films that I call 'TWO IN ONE'

Essentially this means that at some point in the film it just takes a weird left turn and becomes a completely different film that what you started out watching. For example:

Hostel - Fun teen sex romp to torture room stomach churn

There are others but I can't think right now

I have a 'TWO IN ONE', Superman (1978). It starts out with a great origin story. Well told and exciting. Then it turns into a campy, silly romp. The exact point where this change over happens is right after Superman catches Lois and the helicopter. I loved the movie as a kid, but watching it again the whole campy Lex and Otis thing didn't work for me. I still LOVE the begining of the movie though. And Supes II was pretty good as well.

There are many left turns in movie that have made me question the director. AI is definitely in this category. I chalk it up to Spielberg trying to channel Kubrick for the darker part of their collaboration.

 

[J.R. Hudson]

I have the HDNET Movies 1080i broadcast of 2001 recorded on my DVR. It is absolutely amazing how good it still looks.

I think we've all been a little conditioned to fast paced editing as the movie industry has "evolved" over the years.

Movies don't breathe as well as they used to.

I disagree Elton (Back to another of our spirited debates)

I can't accept that as films like Apacalypse Now, The Conversation, The Deer Hunter, Jackie Brown, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, M Knights entire body of work .... (Some more or less than others)

Malick !

all sit in that sort of premeditated storytelling mode; very deliberate in pacing and exectution and just are great great films IMO

 

[MojoTrancer]

Just had to throw out that the first two star wars prequels were just a let down. But the third was the single most disappointing experience I've had as a moviegoer. Twenty years of anticipation and here's what I get:

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.........."

Lucas owes me 10 dollars. And one of these days I'm gonna collect.

 

[Elton]

I disagree Elton (Back to another of our spirited debates)

I can't accept that as films like Apacalypse Now, The Conversation, The Deer Hunter, Jackie Brown, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, M Knights entire body of work .... (Some more or less than others)

all sit in that sort of premeditated storytelling mode; very deliberate in pacing and exectution and just are great great films IMO

John, you're entitled to simply be wrong.

2001 is supposed to feel slow. It's about ETERNITY, and it FEELS LIKE IT! LOL!!

It's one of the few sci fi's whose ambiguous ending is absolutely enthralling...to me, of course.

You're other examples are duly noted, but 2001 is on a different plane of existence. (pun intended) It's sloooooowwwww, but worth the pondering.

 

[Hairy Lime]

I'm with Koolaid boy, er, um, Elton on this one. 2001 is intentionally slow, empty, souless, etc.

Meet Kubrick on his terms rather than forcing your sensibility on his art.

 

[Elton]

Just had to throw out that the first two star wars prequels were just a let down. But the third was the single most disappointing experience I've had as a moviegoer. Twenty years of anticipation and here's what I get:

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooo.........."

What a climax!:

 

[Elton]

I disagree Elton (Back to another of our spirited debates)

John, you underestimate my power!:

This ain't no Tatooine!

 

[J.R. Hudson]

John, you're entitled to simply be wrong.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ! My opinion is never wrong. :thumbsup: :beer:


Perhaps I should explain my position on the matter. I like what Kubrick did with 2001; the allegory, the metaphor, duality of man with his tools and his evolution and his rebirth and the machines trying to kill him ...........................

I find the film a landmark in special effects (Trumball of course) .....

For me; I need the old familiar chreshendo / dechreshendo ...

I need a peak and valley, a climax ...

When a film is nothing but 'monotone' for lack of a better word; it leaves me with no emotion. It comes across more as a day in the library:

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ..."

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Not too say it must be Star Wars (on the contrary) but even a film like Close Encounters of the Third Kind takes one for a ride. 2001 has 1 speed; First Gear and nothing else.

And never do we even care about the character's. If it is symbolic of man, shouldn't we even care for one second ? HAL has more of a personality (at least he is a ruthless bastard) than our astronaughts it seems.

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I do find it a deeply moving piece of filmmaking, very personal and visionary .... but the ho-hum existence of the entire film experience leaves one to ponder sleeping instead.

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Star Wars Space Opera ? No no no. Nothing that bouncy; but mix up the arrangement Stan

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In closing? There are parts of this film I truly appreciate and love; but overall ... it has always left me wanting more emotion and soul.

 

[Elton]

LOL...the light will dawn upon you oneday...just like Dave Bowman.

But eternity has no peak and climax...

 

[J.R. Hudson]

2001 is about eternity ?

(It really is open for debate and speculation!)

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Are you implying that eternity is in the form of the Soul and/or the Starchild (The Spirit of man?) ....

I'm 36. I already got it. :happy:

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But no, no, no my friend. I will not one day suddenly go 'Hey, I like the pacing on this film!'. I didn't like as a child, as a teenager nor in my late 20's .....

 

[Scott F]

Thunderdome, agreed.

Thunderdome, agreed.

Here's a dissapointment...
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome!

Mad Max - Fierce, down and dirty, gritty filmmaking.
The Road Warrior - Kinetic and powerful, awesome.
Beyond Thunderdome - What the F*ck was that?!

Absoulutely hands-down the first movie that came to mind. When did it come out, 84? I think I was going into 7th grade. Well anyways, I made my dad take me to see it. I was so amped up over the Road Warrior, there was no way it could suck. Boy, was I wrong.
I think this was my first letdown experience at the movies, probably the worst. I remember walking out of the theatre and my dad saying, "That wasn't a very good movie." I certainly couldn't offer up much of an argument.
In retrospect, I've forced myself to try and like the movie, and it's not terrible...But it just doesn't "fit in" with the balls-out nature of first two. I blame it on those damn kids.

 

[Elton]

2001 is about eternity ?

(It really is open for debate and speculation!)

A vague synopsis isn't it? How Kubrickian of me...

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Are you implying that eternity is in the form of the Soul and/or the Starchild (The Spirit of man?) ....

I'm 36. I already got it. :happy:

Something like that. I believe it's about an eternal progression of the intelligence and the spirit of man. Of course, it took encounters with an advanced alien intelligence to prod us along, but so be it.

If the scene of Dave's encounter with the infinite/monolith and his aging in "the eternity room" doesn't spell it out, then what does?

But no, no, no my friend. I will not one day suddenly go 'Hey, I like the pacing on this film!'. I didn't like as a child, as a teenager nor in my late 20's .....

This I understand. But my point is that the pacing is appropriate for the subject matter. It's also enhanced by Lageti's very eerie music, which I think allowed shots to linger on much longer than would otherwise feel warranted.

It's still one of the greatest sci fi's. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

 

[Elton]

Absoulutely hands-down the first movie that came to mind. When did it come out, 84? I think I was going into 7th grade. Well anyways, I made my dad take me to see it. I was so amped up over the Road Warrior, there was no way it could suck. Boy, was I wrong.

Beyond Thunderdome was somewhat disappointing, but I've even grown to like some things about it over the years.

In '84, easily the biggest disappointment was Dune.

But you know what, it's kind of a guilty pleasure at the same time; who can forget this memorable character?:

 

[J.R. Hudson]

Thunderdome has really grown on me over the years. Really underrated.

It is a huge step away from the darkness of the first two; but maybe this one is more about hope and the future.

I thought Tina did an outstanding job in it, and the characters much deeper than the first two. The Thunderdome battle, the Gulag and Wheel 'Bust a deal; face the wheel!' and the usual Max getting screwed in the end ...

(The Beginning and End Theme are great.)

In the end ? Yeah, I wish it kept it dark roots intact. It was definately catered too the Summer Crowd overall.

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[They Live]

I wanted to believe that Oliver Stone could make a good, swords and sandal epic with Alexander, but man did that stink. One of the few movies I've been too where people booed. One guy started begging that Alexander would die already, out loud, near the end of the movie. No one cared, actually, most of the audience laughed. What made it worse was that I read a book about Alexander the Great just so I would have some background on it all. Great book. Made the movie even worse since I knew what it could've been.

 

[Scott F]

Tina Turner

Tina Turner

"One of the Living" is a great song, and it works so well as the opening credits are rolling....Quite a departure from the opening music of the first two movies.

 

[specialed]

As long as we're on Kubrick, A Clockword Orange is another one of those movies i got a lot more out of than i expected. I borrowed my uncles copy about a month ago and its been living in my dvd player ever since.

I know it's hard to think that i didn't expect much from such a classic, but what can i say...

I'm 21. I was raised on die hard and ghostbusters.