Testy Area 51 (2 Viewers)

[Ruz-El]

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon /t/81187/testy-area-51/28320#post_3937484
I can NOT disagree with you about the cost, Russell!

They wuz expensive.

Wait, you agree with me? No one ever agrees with me on the forum. I win! I get to be a moderator now right? that's how it works? There can only be one like in Highlander?

Truth be told, if I didn't have to pay all the extra shipping I would of bought Fright Night. It just wasn't worth it. Maybe it will get a regular release some day.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Russell G /t/81187/testy-area-51/28350#post_3937520
Wait, you agree with me? No one ever agrees with me on the forum. I win! I get to be a moderator now right? that's how it works? There can only be one like in Highlander?

Truth be told, if I didn't have to pay all the extra shipping I would of bought Fright Night. It just wasn't worth it. Maybe it will get a regular release some day.

Um, no. I didn't agree with you. I said I couldn't disagree with you. Big difference.

No moderatin' for YOU!

 

[Elizabeth S]

The only Twilight Time I have so far is Bite the Bullet. Interested in The Big Heat, eventually.

 

[RickER]

I got the Fright Night Blu from Twilight Time. I thought about getting the Journey to the Center of the Earth. But the duck was the only character i liked. I think we all know what happens to him!
Still have not seen Prometheus. Been busy.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

That photo of Batman merely shows him wearing a black plastic codpiece - very British I might add....
If the bad guy kicks him there, would that be a case of "codswallop"?
And of course I much prefer my very own Catwoman, Condoleezza Mice.

 

[Mike Frezon]

THAT catwoman is almost as hot as Julie Newmar...

 

[Elizabeth S]

I saw Rock of Ages yesterday. It kind of reminds me of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band in that a good bunch of songs, mixed with some bad casting and stupid screenplay makes a rather embarassing film. The only saving grace is Tom Cruise, who basically provides the only interesting character and is the reason this will be in my collection. Kudos to him for playing a different kind of character and decent singing (autotune or no). Malin Akerman was fine in her role, Russell Brand was Russell Brand and actually sings quite well (perhaps he has music in his background, I don't know). Oh, poor Catherine Zeta-Jones. She's not shot very flatteringly and has the absolute worst choreographed number with "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" (which actually isn't appropriate for her character to sing but applies more to another character, who couldn't sing, I guess). Alec Baldwin somehow felt a little out of place to me. Julianne Hough isn't a strong singer and I found her quite annoying. Diega Boneta -- who is this guy, and how did he get this role? He was annoying as well.
I'm a rock/metal lover, and I don't like the word "rock" being used loosely. This is "Pop of Ages", at best. Such a homogenized feel to it. I read the synopsis of the original theatrical version, and there are definite story changes. Cruise's Stacee Jaxx is clearly modeled after Axl Rose, bandana, tats and all. Well, let's just say Axl wouldn't be caught dead singing "Don't Stop Believin'". Twice in the film, we cut back and forth between 2 sets of people singing different songs -- it doesn't blend well that way. I understand the film's not at fault as it's an adaptation, but I would have probably been annoyed at the play as well. And director Adam Shankman decided "Oh, Sherry" was "too obvious" for the film, so we just get a 10-second teaser.
Oh, this movie is likely to be mocked for decades.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Great review, Elizabeth.

My wife and I just watched Mel Gibson & Jodie Foster's The Beaver. What a dark film.

I knew going in what the film was about, but IIRC the marketing campaign was rather light and focused on the aspect of the hand puppet.

I would highly recommend this film. The most amazing thing about it was that I never once had a feeling of "oh, this is so contrived and would never happen in real life." Somehow, Gibson made everything his character did come alive with realism. An incredible, incredible performance. Jennifer Lawrence was quite good, too.

I also just surprised my family with Zero Hour. I challenged them to see who could--first among them--tell me why I was showing them the film. Great fun! It's a great exercise in trying to figure out why certain minds would watch that film and then turn it into one of the funniest films of all time. What did they see? And what were they smoking/drinking at the time!

 

[Walter Kittel]

Viewed Prometheus last week and posted in another thread on HTF. My feelings about the film are similar to Steve's post in this thread, but he may have been a little too kind to the film.
Liked
The production design of the ship and alien environments.
Michael Fassbender
Noomi Rapace
The film's ambitions.
Disliked
Charlize Theron's one note performance - although I blame the script/director more for this characteristic.
The telegraphed nature of certain story elements, esp. the first two victims.
The logical fallacies and muddled nature of the storyline. Very poorly thought out in some cases. A scientist is afraid of a corpse, but mere hours later engages a living alien organism as if it were a pet. WTF?
Overall I was let down by a film whose storyline and narrative never lived up to the film's ambitious nature. I don't regret viewing it theatrically as the production design (and scope of the environment) needs to be witnessed on a large screen; but the film's lack of cohesiveness really undermines the entire venture. I'll probably still pick this up on Bd some day to revisit those aspects of the film I enjoyed; so I suppose it gets a marginal recommendation from me; on the strength of the visuals if for no other reason.

 

[Steve Christou]

Hello Walter, I remember you were a little surprised my review of Prometheus wasn't very enthusiastic and now you've seen it you like it even less than I did. It was a crushing disappointment wasn't it? I expected an instant classic from Sir Ridley, oh well I'm sure I'll like it more on Blu-ray.

for decades.

So, Mock of Ages, than?

Rock of Ages isn't really my type of film, too noisy, I like my films quieter, something like Transformers 3 Rise of the Moon.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Hello Walter, I remember you were a little surprised my review of Prometheus wasn't very enthusiastic and now you've seen it you like it even less than I did. It was a crushing disappointment wasn't it? I expected an instant classic from Sir Ridley, oh well I'm sure I'll like it more on Blu-ray.

Hey Steve - You know it just kills me that films like this can excel on some levels and yet the basic fundamental fact that the story has to engage the viewer seems lost. I understand that sometimes the more abstract elements of a story may not be realized on the screen and accept that as a given; but the logical fallacies in this script are simply too obvious and too cumbersome to not be noticed. So, the question is "What were they thinking when they reviewed this script?" (That assumes that they did review it of course. )
The more I view films the more I think storytelling is some ephemeral quality that is elusive - (to use the common phrase) "like trying to catch lightning in a bottle". Oh well, I'm sure I'll revisit the film on Bd this winter.
- Walter.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Walter Kittel /t/81187/testy-area-51/28350#post_3939663
The more I view films the more I think storytelling is some ephemeral quality that is elusive - (to use the common phrase) "like trying to catch lightning in a bottle".

Perish the thought! How does one explain the ability of Walt Disney to be able to tell so many stories in such an effective manner...and so consistently?

I believe there is just a lack of understanding today about what makes for an intelligent, satisfying film. I certainly don't claim to have any answers...buty I think most of the "blame" can be directed towards poorly conceived scripts.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Perish the thought! How does one explain the ability of Walt Disney to be able to tell so many stories in such an effective manner...and so consistently?

Well, I don't have any answers either. My comments about the elusiveness of effective storytelling is an attempt to explain why obviously intelligent people sometimes produce poor stories. It is an attempt to resolve the conundrum of why obvious flaws make it to the screen. And not everyone is Walt Disney, BTW.
- Walter.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I guess there is a reason why the man is considered to be a genius.

And did you ever wonder why it is usually (if a movie is going to fail in its story-telling capacity) in the last ten or fifteen minutes of the movie that things tend to fall apart?

Them endings is hard.

 

[RickER]

Tomorrow we have to put down our15 year old Yorkie, Millie. She has been sick for days.
We took her to the vet last Saturday, and he said she has renal failure. She has been pooping blood. Has not eaten since Friday, and has been getting more confused.
She is shutting down.
My wife questions if we are doing the right thing.
I say we are. She is old, not eating, and will not get better from this. I said we should do this now, before she gets worse, starts to hurt. Its bad enough she hasnt eaten in about 5 days. She at least holds down water. Worse is my wife has been crying every day since last Saturday.
Tomorrow will be hard. Extra hard for my wife. Wish us luck, and a peaceful end for Millie.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Sorry to hear that, Rick. I hope things go as well as can be expected, given the situation. Just my opinion, but yes you are doing the right thing in preventing needless suffering.
Best wishes,
Walter...

 

[Mike Frezon]

Rick:

Coincidentally a thread on this very topic in AHL has been bumped in just the last few days.

Based on your details, you are doing the right thing. Of course, it's hard for anyone outside your inner circle to really know. The physiology of a dog differs greatly from that of humans. Dogs are stoic creatures and tolerate a lot of pain and discomfort that us humans would be moaning & groaning about. Listen closely to the advice of your vet. Their expertise should bring comfort to you and wife in this most difficult time.

I'm sorry for your troubles. You'll both be in the prayers of my wife and I.

 

[RickER]

Thanks for the kind words Walter, Mike. I appreciate them.
Eating breakfast, then it is off to work for me. My wife is off today. She will be loving on Millie one last day, until i get off work.
The vet gave us options to try. Options we would surely do if she was 5, or even 10 years old. But at 15, my wife and i think we should not put het through the pain. The vet would not go as far as to say she needs to be put down. It is our choice, and he left the choices for us to mull over. She had a good life. She was a rescue dog, and we gave her love she never had.
My wife and i both work in health care. These are hard choices to make on a pet. I can only imagine making these choices for human family! Jeez.
But i firmly believe it is better to let a loved one (human or pet) go, if no chance of recovery. Rather than see them suffer.
Thanks again guys for keeping us in your thoughts.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by RickER /t/81187/testy-area-51/28350#post_3940282
My wife and i both work in health care. These are hard choices to make on a pet. I can only imagine making these choices for human family! Jeez.
But i firmly believe it is better to let a loved one (human or pet) go, if no chance of recovery. Rather than see them suffer.

Rick:

What you and your wife are facing today is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

I think what makes it difficult in terms of a pet is that they cannot give you verbal cues as to what-to-do. Sometimes a human patient can make it clear what they want. Pet ownership is a huge responsibility. Pets are wonderful for the unconditional love they give us. But they are also completely reliant upon us for food, water, health care and to make these types of decisions which determine their quality of life.

My wife and I talked about your situation last night. She reminded me of one of her "rules" on the matter. She reminded me of the way that most pets react when their owner walks into a room--lifting their head, making eye contact, wagging their tail, etc. When they lose that enthusiasm that is the hallmark of their existence, it can be considered an indicator that their quality of life has reached a certain point.

This is just one isolated indicator that can be taken into account at times like these...but it spotlights one of the ways we might try to get "inside" the head of our companion animals.

I'm still hurting from the passing of my beloved yellow lab several years ago--which I discussed in this very thread. My new dog doesn't replace him for me...but helps remind me of how good we had things together. These things hurt so much only because of the wonderful strong bonds we forge together.

 

[RickER]

Thanks again Mike for keeping us in your thoughts.
I showed her what you and Walter wrote. Very kind.
Funny about what your wife says. Millie used to bark, and wag her nub when i came home from work. She would let me have it. For years she would do this. For the last week, she didnt even know if i was home, she was that confused.
She had ice cream today. She couldn't keep it down, but she loved it. She feels no more pain. My wife and i feel like we lost a child.
I have grown kids from a previous marriage. But my wife does not have kids. Millie was her baby, and was Homer before Millie.
Thanks for bringing up that other thread Mike. I read through it, a little. I will get back to it at another time. I also showed my wife the pics of the furry ones at the Frezon place. She loves them.
Anyway, sorry to be such a downer. Helps to write.
Russ, hug that furry one of yours too!