Movies

[Kathy Li]

db--sorry. I loved the Hulk. But we don't have to fight about it. We can always discuss energetically, but politely. :-) The reasons I liked it are three fold, the main one is that I like the way Ang Lee tells the story (I've only ever disliked one of his films). He comes from a similar cultural background to my parents (Taiwanese/Chinese) and that may explain some of it. But I also love the way he does labs as real labs (unlike, say how fake and Hollywood-impossible the labs were in Spiderman), which stems from Lee being married to a microbiologist; and the visual addition of Cold War elements. The second reason I loved the movie was because I grew up in the '70s and for me the Hulk was equal bits the Jack Kirby/Stan Lee comic book and the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno television show. I loved how Shamus managed to combine elements from both shows and come up with something new of his own. The third thing I love about it is the CGI animation. Most CGI animation doesn't have weight or gravity to it, let alone an emotional element. The stuff that ILM put together for Hulk had all three.

I can understand why it doesn't work for some people. It's morally ambiguous, it isn't rock'em sock'em action. It isn't Kirby & Lee's Hulk. I get that. But for me, it was a deep, thoughtful and thought-provoking retelling of the Hulk that showed affection and respect for the original.

Tui: Sean Bean's playing Odysseus. You need to check the IMDb for this kind of thing. He'll be there. Y'know, I still maintain that he was completely wasted in LoTR (Boromir. Pfeh. Not even Faramir). I still can't believe they didn't cast him as Aragorn, but that's just me.

And as for Knightly, I have a feeling they've written a completely different Guinevere from the trad. one, given that she's running around half-naked, painted blue, waving a sword and going all Braveheart in the trailer.

[Birdhead]

Thank. God. I swear I checked about eight different sites...! But that's good, that's good, we have an Odysseus, all is right with the world once more.
Personally, I liked him as Boromir... and Faramir as Faramir. Sean Bean just wouldn't have looked right standing next to Miranda Otto in the last five secodns of the movie. (I kinda have to say that, though; my best friend is obsessed with Faramir.)

As for Guinevere- yes, I noticed that. I'm not usually a canon fanatic, because I generally assume other people are going to fanatacise for me... but I worry that no-one's going to do it for Arthur. I don't know... I liked Arwen's slightly expanded role, for example, but I don't think I could have stood much more. It just wouldn't have worked. Similarly, this problem of changing Guinevere doesn't work for me. I liked her as a serene figure. Swords do not equal serene.

[Kathy Li]

OTOH, some of us are Sean Bean-obsessed and have been ever since Sharpe first appeared on television (of course, when I saw it, I kept thinking how both Sharpe and Harper were miscast, because they looked NOTHING like the characters in the book, and how we really needed Ian McKellen as Richard Sharpe--but of course, that was back when McKellen still had dark hair.) Snert. Casting games. They're fun.

And don't worry. I'm sure some Arthurian folks are going to be going nuts over the flick. Me, I'm just happy I get to see Clive Owen as not-a-thug. I liked Croupier and all, but he really has been cornering the market on shady London underworld characters for a while--I blame those BMW commercials.

Dunno if I'd think of Guinevere as serene, mind you. I mean, tipping an entire kingdom into war ala infidelity/treason isn't exactly the act of a serene woman... OTOH, at least this time you can see why Guinevere chose Lancelot over Arthur (unlike, say, when it was Richard Gere and Sean Connery, and every woman in the theatre was going, "say what??!")

Also, I like the pseudo-Roman helmets everybody's got on.

[db_pr]

It's okay. But I still liked X-Men as a Marvel movie better .

[Kathy Li]

I can agree with that. My only complaint about X-Men is that they should have give Chris Claremont a screen credit somewhere, if not stuck his mug up on the screen in a cameo. He wrote practically all of the story material that's being used for the movies, and nobody bothers to remember he's the guy who wrote that stuff, not Stan Lee. I mean, they're using Storm, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, not Iceman, Angel, and the Beast.

I was EXTREMELY happy to see him getting interviewed in the extras for the DVD of X-Men 2. About time he got some of the kudos due him.

BTW, did you know that DD knows Chris Claremont? I can't remember exactly which one (Wounded Sky? My Enemy, My Ally?) but she lists him in the dedication of one of her Star Trek novels.

[Birdhead]

Yeah, I do like the costumes. And the Lancelot. Good casting, I thought- actually, I felt quite proud, because I guessed the Lancelot and the Galahad before we got the bit in the trailer that actually named them. They just looked right, so I guess I have to gove them that casting.

Meh. You may be right about the whole treason thing, but she's still always struck me as someone who stuffed it all up because she was... a little hopeless, maybe. Well, no, actually, nothing like that. Just... anything but a warrior. I meran, don't we already have enough warriors in the story? Like, every other character (that isn't a monster or a wizard, and the last's debatable)?

[Rysade]

I'm curious. Did anyone here see 'Willard' when it came out? I want to know if it's worth seeing. I'm a 'Rat' in the Chinese Zodiac, BTW, which is part of the reason I'm asking about the movie.

[Kathy Li]

Bump.

So, who's planning on seeing Prisoner of Azkaban the day it opens?

And has anybody seen Van Helsing? I'm hearing terrible reviews.

[Chani]

I am planning on seeing Prisoner of Azkaban on the 5th of June... which happens to be the chat session with DD. I need an exact time (my time zone) for the chat so that I can be here and not at the HP movie.

I heard that Van Helsing is good... guess it depends on what you want in a movie. It is kind of a Buffy meets Spiderman. Lots of weird things in it. I put a url up for a place to go to watch the trailors. I put it in the wrong place, I guess. I will post it here too.


http://www.comingsoon.net/trailers/

[Angel_Star]

I want to see Prisoner of Azkaban the day it comes out, because I'm going on vacation a few days later. I've also gone with my friend on the first day for the first 2. I don't have time to watch many movies while school is in, so I'm just waiting for summer.

[Chani]

Angel_Star:

That is exactly why I am not seeing HP until a day after it comes out. I will be on vacation that week. At least I get home Friday night so that we can go Saturday.

*weird song popping in my head by Dada*

I just ran away from home now, I'm going to Disneyland
I just scratched my car again, I'm going to Disneyland

Well, stupid song.... but that is where I am going.

[Chani]

Gonna Be A Bear
---------------

In this life I'm a woman. In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.

When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.

If you're mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.

If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.

Yup, gonna be a bear!
-----------------------------------------------

[bradwart]

The movie i want to see is the day after tomorrow!!!!!! cool!!!!!

[Kathy Li]

Troy, I take it?

Let us know if it's as good as the book.

[Birdhead]

My two best friends saw Van Helsing.. Without me. I was working, and they took advantage of me... *cries* (yes, I finally got a job. Proud of me?)

Lucy, who is very forgiving, thought it was okay. Meg, who isn't, and hates horror movies (As in, she dislikes them, not as in, she's scared by them. I'm scared, but I _like_ them.) said "it's better than Charlie's Angles, and it's getting worse reviews." *shrugs* Soooo....

They said it had some funny moments. Worth it, you think?