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bitcruncher Offline
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Post: #1121
RE: The movie thread
(06-24-2014 03:23 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 05:38 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 04:56 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 01:14 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 12:41 PM)DrTorch Wrote:  Sure. And the end where Ted pretended to be mentally challenged b/c John put the stuffing in wrong.
I thought it was a stupid movie, and couldn't watch more than 10 minutes of it. I have no idea why people think it's a good movie. There hasn't been a well written movie out of Hollywood in decades. It's all special effects, poor writing, and a lot of bad acting. Sure there are some good actors. But there are more bad actors than there are good ones.
I guess stupid would depend on what you wanted to get out of it. I thought they did the concept pretty well. IMO, they kind of over did the drugs/alcohol part. Otherwise, it was pretty good. I also think they focused too much on the Flash Gordon angle. That said, when they make Ted 2 I am interested to see what the improved upon. IMO, Ted was like if Teddy Ruxpin had a Eddie Murphy Raw tape put in instead of his normal story telling tapes.
That is because almost nobody in Hollywood has come up with an original thought for decades. They keep trying to recycle the same old 01-rivals. The ideas are mostly from comic books they enjoyed as a kid. The original thinkers making movies are animators, and even that is going downhill.

IMO the guys who made Idiocracy were far more prophetic than they ever thought they'd be. Humanity is getting stupider by the minute, and it shows in most of the movies.
the problem with this line of thinking is, it brushes aside the large amount of quality material coming out on other mediums. The golden age of cinema happened because creative writers had very few outlets for that creativity. With today's technology and variety of ways to release TV shows, we see more and more talented writers going that route and creating epic programming.

The golden age of cinema has ended, but we're right smack in the middle of the golden age of television. Sure, comedies are dwindling, but every other TV genre is showing incredible depth. No longer are we forced to get our TV fix from the major networks. There's great programming on USA, TNT, AMC, History channel, Hulu, Netflix, Cinemax, HBO, Starz, Showtime, FX, etc.

I look at shows like Vikings and Game of Thrones and I see movies that are basically spread out over 10 episodes a year.

And that's just television! What about the creative people writing for video games? I'm not a gamer, but from what I can tell, today's games are fully immersive experiences, with well-thought out plots and snappy dialogue.

So yes, cinema has been declining for years and is currently at its nadir, but that creativity isn't gone, it's just moved to other mediums.

*I do however, agree that society as a whole is dumber and despite the proliferation of travel opportunities, appears to have less perspective. Young people who used to have summer jobs, are now over-scheduled zombies, whose life purpose seems to be getting into a good college. No longer are those kids meeting people who aren't like them.
But having read Game of Thrones long before the HBO series came out, I find the HBO series lacking. What the director has put in of his own accord, to put his stamp on the series, has detracted from what George R.R. Martin put down on paper. I can't speak for Vikings, since I haven't watched it.

I do like the new sci-fi series Defiance. Although it is a bit tedious at times. But at least the people who wrote it put some time and effort into their thought process. But science fiction demands it, because that audience isn't stupid.

The movie Ender's Game, originally written by Orson Scott Card, was a horrible attempt to make that movie. They should have broken the book up into 2 or 3 movies. There was so much of the book cut out that the movie held almost no relevance to the book, other than the names of the characters. It was such a great story, and much of it revolved around Ender's growth in the Battle School (on an asteroid in the book, not in orbit around Earth), which the movie simply edited out.

However, there's a lot of science fiction out there that could be made into movies or a made for TV series. Star Trek is bargain basement by comparison, and one of the few examples where the on screen version is better than what's in print. All the best episodes of the original Star Trek were written by Harlan Ellison, one of my all time favorites, along with Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, etc. My more contemporary favorites are Pratchett, Baxter, Card, C.J. Cherryh, Robert Sawyer, John Scalzi, etc. I love science fiction, and always have. It's amazing how prophetic some of the old sci-fi stories have become.
(This post was last modified: 06-24-2014 08:40 AM by bitcruncher.)
06-24-2014 08:40 AM
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flyingswoosh Offline
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Post: #1122
RE: The movie thread
(06-23-2014 01:14 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I thought it was a stupid movie, and couldn't watch more than 10 minutes of it. I have no idea why people think it's a good movie. There hasn't been a well written movie out of Hollywood in decades. It's all special effects, poor writing, and a lot of bad acting. Sure there are some good actors. But there are more bad actors than there are good ones.
I guess stupid would depend on what you wanted to get out of it. I thought they did the concept pretty well. IMO, they kind of over did the drugs/alcohol part. Otherwise, it was pretty good. I also think they focused too much on the Flash Gordon angle. That said, when they make Ted 2 I am interested to see what the improved upon. IMO, Ted was like if Teddy Ruxpin had a Eddie Murphy Raw tape put in instead of his normal story telling tapes.[/quote]That is because almost nobody in Hollywood has come up with an original thought for decades. They keep trying to recycle the same old 01-rivals. The ideas are mostly from comic books they enjoyed as a kid. The original thinkers making movies are animators, and even that is going downhill.

IMO the guys who made Idiocracy were far more prophetic than they ever thought they'd be. Humanity is getting stupider by the minute, and it shows in most of the movies.[/quote]the problem with this line of thinking is, it brushes aside the large amount of quality material coming out on other mediums. The golden age of cinema happened because creative writers had very few outlets for that creativity. With today's technology and variety of ways to release TV shows, we see more and more talented writers going that route and creating epic programming.

The golden age of cinema has ended, but we're right smack in the middle of the golden age of television. Sure, comedies are dwindling, but every other TV genre is showing incredible depth. No longer are we forced to get our TV fix from the major networks. There's great programming on USA, TNT, AMC, History channel, Hulu, Netflix, Cinemax, HBO, Starz, Showtime, FX, etc.

I look at shows like Vikings and Game of Thrones and I see movies that are basically spread out over 10 episodes a year.

And that's just television! What about the creative people writing for video games? I'm not a gamer, but from what I can tell, today's games are fully immersive experiences, with well-thought out plots and snappy dialogue.

So yes, cinema has been declining for years and is currently at its nadir, but that creativity isn't gone, it's just moved to other mediums.

*I do however, agree that society as a whole is dumber and despite the proliferation of travel opportunities, appears to have less perspective. Young people who used to have summer jobs, are now over-scheduled zombies, whose life purpose seems to be getting into a good college. No longer are those kids meeting people who aren't like them.[/quote]But having read Game of Thrones long before the HBO series came out, I find the HBO series lacking. What the director has put in of his own accord, to put his stamp on the series, has detracted from what George R.R. Martin put down on paper. I can't speak for Vikings, since I haven't watched it.

I do like the new sci-fi series Defiance. Although it is a bit tedious at times. But at least the people who wrote it put some time and effort into their thought process. But science fiction demands it, because that audience isn't stupid.

The movie Ender's Game, originally written by Orson Scott Card, was a horrible attempt to make that movie. They should have broken the book up into 2 or 3 movies. There was so much of the book cut out that the movie held almost no relevance to the book, other than the names of the characters. It was such a great story, and much of it revolved around Ender's growth in the Battle School (on an asteroid in the book, not in orbit around Earth), which the movie simply edited out.

However, there's a lot of science fiction out there that could be made into movies or a made for TV series. Star Trek is bargain basement by comparison, and one of the few examples where the on screen version is better than what's in print. All the best episodes of the original Star Trek were written by Harlan Ellison, one of my all time favorites, along with Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, etc. My more contemporary favorites are Pratchett, Baxter, Card, C.J. Cherryh, Robert Sawyer, John Scalzi, etc. I love science fiction, and always have. It's amazing how prophetic some of the old sci-fi stories have become.
[/quote]

I've also read the Songs of Ice and Fire series and I really can't imagine what there is to complain about. The books are excellent, but can often be overstuffed and unnecessarily tedious. I think the showrunners have done an excellent job of bringing to life as much as possible. I think anyone complaining about the transition is just doing so for its own sake.

I also watch Defiance, and I agree that it's a good show with room to improve. Not sure what the rest of your points have to do with anything I said. There's a plethora of amazing content on TV. How about Orphan Black, Moone Boy, Arrow, The 100, etc?

I know that you're an older individual and, like my grandma, you want to b*tch just for the sake of b*tching and so that you can remind everyone that content isn't as good as it was decades ago, but that's simply ignorance and refusal to admit the ubiquity of amazing content.
(This post was last modified: 06-24-2014 02:25 PM by flyingswoosh.)
06-24-2014 01:33 PM
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DrTorch Offline
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Post: #1123
RE: The movie thread
(06-24-2014 08:40 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  
(06-24-2014 03:23 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 05:38 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 04:56 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 01:14 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I thought it was a stupid movie, and couldn't watch more than 10 minutes of it. I have no idea why people think it's a good movie. There hasn't been a well written movie out of Hollywood in decades. It's all special effects, poor writing, and a lot of bad acting. Sure there are some good actors. But there are more bad actors than there are good ones.
I guess stupid would depend on what you wanted to get out of it. I thought they did the concept pretty well. IMO, they kind of over did the drugs/alcohol part. Otherwise, it was pretty good. I also think they focused too much on the Flash Gordon angle. That said, when they make Ted 2 I am interested to see what the improved upon. IMO, Ted was like if Teddy Ruxpin had a Eddie Murphy Raw tape put in instead of his normal story telling tapes.
That is because almost nobody in Hollywood has come up with an original thought for decades. They keep trying to recycle the same old 01-rivals. The ideas are mostly from comic books they enjoyed as a kid. The original thinkers making movies are animators, and even that is going downhill.

IMO the guys who made Idiocracy were far more prophetic than they ever thought they'd be. Humanity is getting stupider by the minute, and it shows in most of the movies.
the problem with this line of thinking is, it brushes aside the large amount of quality material coming out on other mediums. The golden age of cinema happened because creative writers had very few outlets for that creativity. With today's technology and variety of ways to release TV shows, we see more and more talented writers going that route and creating epic programming.

The golden age of cinema has ended, but we're right smack in the middle of the golden age of television. Sure, comedies are dwindling, but every other TV genre is showing incredible depth. No longer are we forced to get our TV fix from the major networks. There's great programming on USA, TNT, AMC, History channel, Hulu, Netflix, Cinemax, HBO, Starz, Showtime, FX, etc.

I look at shows like Vikings and Game of Thrones and I see movies that are basically spread out over 10 episodes a year.

And that's just television! What about the creative people writing for video games? I'm not a gamer, but from what I can tell, today's games are fully immersive experiences, with well-thought out plots and snappy dialogue.

So yes, cinema has been declining for years and is currently at its nadir, but that creativity isn't gone, it's just moved to other mediums.

*I do however, agree that society as a whole is dumber and despite the proliferation of travel opportunities, appears to have less perspective. Young people who used to have summer jobs, are now over-scheduled zombies, whose life purpose seems to be getting into a good college. No longer are those kids meeting people who aren't like them.
But having read Game of Thrones long before the HBO series came out, I find the HBO series lacking. What the director has put in of his own accord, to put his stamp on the series, has detracted from what George R.R. Martin put down on paper. I can't speak for Vikings, since I haven't watched it.

I do like the new sci-fi series Defiance. Although it is a bit tedious at times. But at least the people who wrote it put some time and effort into their thought process. But science fiction demands it, because that audience isn't stupid.

The movie Ender's Game, originally written by Orson Scott Card, was a horrible attempt to make that movie. They should have broken the book up into 2 or 3 movies. There was so much of the book cut out that the movie held almost no relevance to the book, other than the names of the characters. It was such a great story, and much of it revolved around Ender's growth in the Battle School (on an asteroid in the book, not in orbit around Earth), which the movie simply edited out.

However, there's a lot of science fiction out there that could be made into movies or a made for TV series. Star Trek is bargain basement by comparison, and one of the few examples where the on screen version is better than what's in print. All the best episodes of the original Star Trek were written by Harlan Ellison, one of my all time favorites, along with Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, etc. My more contemporary favorites are Pratchett, Baxter, Card, C.J. Cherryh, Robert Sawyer, John Scalzi, etc. I love science fiction, and always have. It's amazing how prophetic some of the old sci-fi stories have become.

03-lmfao

So are you keeping aware of the pedophile scandal going on w/in the Science Fiction Writers Assoc? (Not that Scalzi is directly linked, but he was pres of the organization for a couple of terms and let that stuff slide, even while he presided over his own witch hunt).

Oh, and he sucks as a writer.
(This post was last modified: 06-24-2014 01:44 PM by DrTorch.)
06-24-2014 01:42 PM
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bitcruncher Offline
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Post: #1124
RE: The movie thread
(06-24-2014 01:42 PM)DrTorch Wrote:  
(06-24-2014 08:40 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  
(06-24-2014 03:23 AM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 05:38 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 04:56 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  I guess stupid would depend on what you wanted to get out of it. I thought they did the concept pretty well. IMO, they kind of over did the drugs/alcohol part. Otherwise, it was pretty good. I also think they focused too much on the Flash Gordon angle. That said, when they make Ted 2 I am interested to see what the improved upon. IMO, Ted was like if Teddy Ruxpin had a Eddie Murphy Raw tape put in instead of his normal story telling tapes.
That is because almost nobody in Hollywood has come up with an original thought for decades. They keep trying to recycle the same old 01-rivals. The ideas are mostly from comic books they enjoyed as a kid. The original thinkers making movies are animators, and even that is going downhill.

IMO the guys who made Idiocracy were far more prophetic than they ever thought they'd be. Humanity is getting stupider by the minute, and it shows in most of the movies.
the problem with this line of thinking is, it brushes aside the large amount of quality material coming out on other mediums. The golden age of cinema happened because creative writers had very few outlets for that creativity. With today's technology and variety of ways to release TV shows, we see more and more talented writers going that route and creating epic programming.

The golden age of cinema has ended, but we're right smack in the middle of the golden age of television. Sure, comedies are dwindling, but every other TV genre is showing incredible depth. No longer are we forced to get our TV fix from the major networks. There's great programming on USA, TNT, AMC, History channel, Hulu, Netflix, Cinemax, HBO, Starz, Showtime, FX, etc.

I look at shows like Vikings and Game of Thrones and I see movies that are basically spread out over 10 episodes a year.

And that's just television! What about the creative people writing for video games? I'm not a gamer, but from what I can tell, today's games are fully immersive experiences, with well-thought out plots and snappy dialogue.

So yes, cinema has been declining for years and is currently at its nadir, but that creativity isn't gone, it's just moved to other mediums.

*I do however, agree that society as a whole is dumber and despite the proliferation of travel opportunities, appears to have less perspective. Young people who used to have summer jobs, are now over-scheduled zombies, whose life purpose seems to be getting into a good college. No longer are those kids meeting people who aren't like them.
But having read Game of Thrones long before the HBO series came out, I find the HBO series lacking. What the director has put in of his own accord, to put his stamp on the series, has detracted from what George R.R. Martin put down on paper. I can't speak for Vikings, since I haven't watched it.

I do like the new sci-fi series Defiance. Although it is a bit tedious at times. But at least the people who wrote it put some time and effort into their thought process. But science fiction demands it, because that audience isn't stupid.

The movie Ender's Game, originally written by Orson Scott Card, was a horrible attempt to make that movie. They should have broken the book up into 2 or 3 movies. There was so much of the book cut out that the movie held almost no relevance to the book, other than the names of the characters. It was such a great story, and much of it revolved around Ender's growth in the Battle School (on an asteroid in the book, not in orbit around Earth), which the movie simply edited out.

However, there's a lot of science fiction out there that could be made into movies or a made for TV series. Star Trek is bargain basement by comparison, and one of the few examples where the on screen version is better than what's in print. All the best episodes of the original Star Trek were written by Harlan Ellison, one of my all time favorites, along with Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, etc. My more contemporary favorites are Pratchett, Baxter, Card, C.J. Cherryh, Robert Sawyer, John Scalzi, etc. I love science fiction, and always have. It's amazing how prophetic some of the old sci-fi stories have become.
03-lmfao

So are you keeping aware of the pedophile scandal going on w/in the Science Fiction Writers Assoc? (Not that Scalzi is directly linked, but he was pres of the organization for a couple of terms and let that stuff slide, even while he presided over his own witch hunt).

Oh, and he sucks as a writer.
Scalzi may not be what you'd want to call an example of a great human being, but his writing is pretty good IMO. I thoroughly enjoyed his "Old Man's War" series. It was a very original concept, unlike all the stories about time travel, which is way overused and mundane. Original ideas are becoming harder and harder to come up with in modern sci-fi. Although I will agree that the idea could have been developed better and in more detail.

However, back to your original point. Few high profile people, including writers, are worth emulating. Asimov loved young women, and lots of 'em. Mark Twain was very similar in that respect, as was Benjamin Franklin. They are not model citizens just because they're famous. They're people, just like the rest of us. All people have their faults. Although some have more faults than others, obviously.
06-24-2014 02:29 PM
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DrTorch Offline
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Post: #1125
RE: The movie thread
(06-24-2014 02:29 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Scalzi may not be what you'd want to call an example of a great human being, but his writing is pretty good IMO. I thoroughly enjoyed his "Old Man's War" series. It was a very original concept,

Uh, it was a complete ripoff of Heinlein. That's not the definition of "original".

It was also crudely written, except for 3-4 chapters in the middle. I seriously wonder if those were ghost-written b/c they were so different.

Quote: unlike all the stories about time travel, which is way overused and mundane.

I agree with you there, I hate time travel stories.
(This post was last modified: 06-24-2014 02:53 PM by DrTorch.)
06-24-2014 02:53 PM
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Post: #1126
RE: The movie thread
So, with Transformers: Age of Extinction coming and thus the Dinobots coming.... who is excited about it?

*********

The Dinobots storyline in the G1 cartoon series was one of my faves. That said, once Transformers went real world for the movies I've always had reservations about them appearing... I hope it works out for the best.
(This post was last modified: 06-24-2014 09:04 PM by PirateTreasureNC.)
06-24-2014 09:01 PM
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flyingswoosh Offline
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Post: #1127
RE: The movie thread
(06-24-2014 09:01 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  So, with Transformers: Age of Extinction coming and thus the Dinobots coming.... who is excited about it?

*********

The Dinobots storyline in the G1 cartoon series was one of my faves. That said, once Transformers went real world for the movies I've always had reservations about them appearing... I hope it works out for the best.

never watched it growing up, thus not a fan of the movies. Always found the idea of aliens turning into chevrolet cars and trucks, to be completely ridiculous. Not to mention the humans spend four movies running around without getting stepped on or hit by flying debris. How does no one get hurt?
06-24-2014 11:50 PM
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flyingswoosh Offline
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Post: #1128
RE: The movie thread
Saw Snowpiercer the other day. Never seen any of his movies, but pretty sure this is Bong Joon Ho's first English-speaking flick and man was it good. The whole movie was set onboard a train, but there was a a really nice variety of set pieces. I'd definitely recommend it should it be playing in your area
06-24-2014 11:51 PM
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Post: #1129
RE: The movie thread
I watched xXx last night. I saw some on FX the other day and wanted to watch the real thing again. I forgot that it was decent.

I saw the new TMNT trailer yesterday too. It looks interesting.
06-25-2014 10:41 AM
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Post: #1130
RE: The movie thread
(06-24-2014 11:50 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  
(06-24-2014 09:01 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  So, with Transformers: Age of Extinction coming and thus the Dinobots coming.... who is excited about it?

*********

The Dinobots storyline in the G1 cartoon series was one of my faves. That said, once Transformers went real world for the movies I've always had reservations about them appearing... I hope it works out for the best.

never watched it growing up, thus not a fan of the movies. Always found the idea of aliens turning into chevrolet cars and trucks, to be completely ridiculous. Not to mention the humans spend four movies running around without getting stepped on or hit by flying debris. How does no one get hurt?

On their home planet of Cybertron they weren't "Earth" vehicles but alien vehicles that could turn into robots. Their robot race origins had lead them to the evolution of transforming. I won't say the movies have been cinematic gold but they have done about as good of a job as possible to bring the concept from a animated series/comics to a live action real world concept.
06-25-2014 11:11 AM
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Post: #1131
RE: The movie thread
(06-25-2014 10:41 AM)gdunn Wrote:  I watched xXx last night. I saw some on FX the other day and wanted to watch the real thing again. I forgot that it was decent.

I saw the new TMNT trailer yesterday too. It looks interesting.

This morning I heard the lunkhead DJ talking about how they were 20 years old.

DJ seems like fun, but wow you don't have to be very smart.
06-25-2014 12:22 PM
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Post: #1132
RE: The movie thread
(03-28-2011 09:47 PM)PirateTreasureNC Wrote:  Robin Hood: Men in Tights / NF stream
--Yeah....I still hate this movie.

The Toxic Avenger / NF Stream
--damn its so cheesey...yet you can't stop watching it...

The A-Team / BR
--I liked it and the more I go back watching the first season of the original show the more I think they nailed the cast.

Death Race 2000 / NF Stream
--Interesting 70s movie with Stallone AND Carradine.

Under Siege / dvd
--Great Segal action movie IMO. Too bad the second one was such garbage.

I kinda liked Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Not great, but not bad.
06-25-2014 02:49 PM
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Post: #1133
RE: The movie thread
(06-24-2014 01:33 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  
(06-23-2014 01:14 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  I thought it was a stupid movie, and couldn't watch more than 10 minutes of it. I have no idea why people think it's a good movie. There hasn't been a well written movie out of Hollywood in decades. It's all special effects, poor writing, and a lot of bad acting. Sure there are some good actors. But there are more bad actors than there are good ones.
I guess stupid would depend on what you wanted to get out of it. I thought they did the concept pretty well. IMO, they kind of over did the drugs/alcohol part. Otherwise, it was pretty good. I also think they focused too much on the Flash Gordon angle. That said, when they make Ted 2 I am interested to see what the improved upon. IMO, Ted was like if Teddy Ruxpin had a Eddie Murphy Raw tape put in instead of his normal story telling tapes.
That is because almost nobody in Hollywood has come up with an original thought for decades. They keep trying to recycle the same old 01-rivals. The ideas are mostly from comic books they enjoyed as a kid. The original thinkers making movies are animators, and even that is going downhill.

IMO the guys who made Idiocracy were far more prophetic than they ever thought they'd be. Humanity is getting stupider by the minute, and it shows in most of the movies.[/quote]the problem with this line of thinking is, it brushes aside the large amount of quality material coming out on other mediums. The golden age of cinema happened because creative writers had very few outlets for that creativity. With today's technology and variety of ways to release TV shows, we see more and more talented writers going that route and creating epic programming.

The golden age of cinema has ended, but we're right smack in the middle of the golden age of television. Sure, comedies are dwindling, but every other TV genre is showing incredible depth. No longer are we forced to get our TV fix from the major networks. There's great programming on USA, TNT, AMC, History channel, Hulu, Netflix, Cinemax, HBO, Starz, Showtime, FX, etc.

I look at shows like Vikings and Game of Thrones and I see movies that are basically spread out over 10 episodes a year.

And that's just television! What about the creative people writing for video games? I'm not a gamer, but from what I can tell, today's games are fully immersive experiences, with well-thought out plots and snappy dialogue.

So yes, cinema has been declining for years and is currently at its nadir, but that creativity isn't gone, it's just moved to other mediums.

*I do however, agree that society as a whole is dumber and despite the proliferation of travel opportunities, appears to have less perspective. Young people who used to have summer jobs, are now over-scheduled zombies, whose life purpose seems to be getting into a good college. No longer are those kids meeting people who aren't like them.[/quote]But having read Game of Thrones long before the HBO series came out, I find the HBO series lacking. What the director has put in of his own accord, to put his stamp on the series, has detracted from what George R.R. Martin put down on paper. I can't speak for Vikings, since I haven't watched it.

I do like the new sci-fi series Defiance. Although it is a bit tedious at times. But at least the people who wrote it put some time and effort into their thought process. But science fiction demands it, because that audience isn't stupid.

The movie Ender's Game, originally written by Orson Scott Card, was a horrible attempt to make that movie. They should have broken the book up into 2 or 3 movies. There was so much of the book cut out that the movie held almost no relevance to the book, other than the names of the characters. It was such a great story, and much of it revolved around Ender's growth in the Battle School (on an asteroid in the book, not in orbit around Earth), which the movie simply edited out.

However, there's a lot of science fiction out there that could be made into movies or a made for TV series. Star Trek is bargain basement by comparison, and one of the few examples where the on screen version is better than what's in print. All the best episodes of the original Star Trek were written by Harlan Ellison, one of my all time favorites, along with Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, etc. My more contemporary favorites are Pratchett, Baxter, Card, C.J. Cherryh, Robert Sawyer, John Scalzi, etc. I love science fiction, and always have. It's amazing how prophetic some of the old sci-fi stories have become.
[/quote]

I've also read the Songs of Ice and Fire series and I really can't imagine what there is to complain about. The books are excellent, but can often be overstuffed and unnecessarily tedious. I think the showrunners have done an excellent job of bringing to life as much as possible. I think anyone complaining about the transition is just doing so for its own sake.

I also watch Defiance, and I agree that it's a good show with room to improve. Not sure what the rest of your points have to do with anything I said. There's a plethora of amazing content on TV. How about Orphan Black, Moone Boy, Arrow, The 100, etc?

I know that you're an older individual and, like my grandma, you want to b*tch just for the sake of b*tching and so that you can remind everyone that content isn't as good as it was decades ago, but that's simply ignorance and refusal to admit the ubiquity of amazing content.
[/quote]

Guess I'll have to read Ender's Game. I actually liked the movie, though it wasn't great. But I'm usually disappointed in the movie after I've read the book - whenever they change something they inevitably make it worse.
06-25-2014 02:57 PM
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flyingswoosh Offline
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Post: #1134
RE: The movie thread
I read the book (Ender's game) and then saw the movie. I really enjoyed both. Obviously the movie was better, but honestly I never thought the book was that amazing.

p.s. sorry for messing up the quotations. Over 10 years on this board and I still don't know how to modify those to get them right
06-25-2014 03:26 PM
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NIU007 Offline
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Post: #1135
RE: The movie thread
(06-25-2014 03:26 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  I read the book (Ender's game) and then saw the movie. I really enjoyed both. Obviously the movie was better, but honestly I never thought the book was that amazing.

p.s. sorry for messing up the quotations. Over 10 years on this board and I still don't know how to modify those to get them right

I was thinking I messed up the quotations. Couldn't figure out why it did that.
06-25-2014 03:33 PM
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bitcruncher Offline
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Post: #1136
RE: The movie thread
NIU007, you must remember that for every [ quote ] there has to be a [ /quote ]. If they aren't paired up properly, it doesn't work.

I liked the movie myself, swoosh. But it was a weak effort, typical of Hollywood today. Like I say, it would have been far better had it broken into multiple movies. Say one for everything leading up to Battle School, and the first part of Battle School, and another one for everything that happened after Ender was made a Battle School commander through the Second Formic War.

As for your opinion on the book, opinions vary. Your's seems to be a minority opinion. Ender's Game won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards, was nominated for the Locus Award, and placed #59 on the reader's list of Modern Library 100 Best Novels. The non-stop action of the book made it nearly impossible for me to put down.
(This post was last modified: 06-25-2014 03:44 PM by bitcruncher.)
06-25-2014 03:42 PM
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flyingswoosh Offline
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Post: #1137
RE: The movie thread
(06-25-2014 03:42 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  NIU007, you must remember that for every [ quote ] there has to be a [ /quote ]. If they aren't paired up properly, it doesn't work.

I liked the movie myself, swoosh. But it was a weak effort, typical of Hollywood today. Like I say, it would have been far better had it broken into multiple movies. Say one for everything leading up to Battle School, and the first part of Battle School, and another one for everything that happened after Ender was made a Battle School commander through the Second Formic War.

As for your opinion on the book, opinions vary. Your's seems to be a minority opinion. Ender's Game won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards, was nominated for the Locus Award, and placed #59 on the reader's list of Modern Library 100 Best Novels. The non-stop action of the book made it nearly impossible for me to put down.

I should clarify my opinion of the book. I enjoyed it very much; from what i can remember I finished it in a couple days. That being said, I thought the ending was terrible and I really don't view it as any kind of legendary novel. I thought the His Dark Materials series was better. I should also note that when it comes to fiction I'm more a fan of fantasy than sci-fi. So in all, I really don't have any kind of allegiance to the book in the same way I do with harry potter, Songs of Ice and Fire and His Dark Materials.
06-25-2014 05:09 PM
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bitcruncher Offline
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Post: #1138
RE: The movie thread
(06-25-2014 05:09 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  
(06-25-2014 03:42 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  NIU007, you must remember that for every [ quote ] there has to be a [ /quote ]. If they aren't paired up properly, it doesn't work.

I liked the movie myself, swoosh. But it was a weak effort, typical of Hollywood today. Like I say, it would have been far better had it broken into multiple movies. Say one for everything leading up to Battle School, and the first part of Battle School, and another one for everything that happened after Ender was made a Battle School commander through the Second Formic War.

As for your opinion on the book, opinions vary. Your's seems to be a minority opinion. Ender's Game won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards, was nominated for the Locus Award, and placed #59 on the reader's list of Modern Library 100 Best Novels. The non-stop action of the book made it nearly impossible for me to put down.
I should clarify my opinion of the book. I enjoyed it very much; from what i can remember I finished it in a couple days. That being said, I thought the ending was terrible and I really don't view it as any kind of legendary novel. I thought the His Dark Materials series was better. I should also note that when it comes to fiction I'm more a fan of fantasy than sci-fi. So in all, I really don't have any kind of allegiance to the book in the same way I do with harry potter, Songs of Ice and Fire and His Dark Materials.
I tend to agree with you about the ending. But Card ended the book in that fashion in order for there to be a sequel. Although I must admit that I was disapointed by the sequel, "Speaker for the Dead".
06-25-2014 05:14 PM
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flyingswoosh Offline
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Post: #1139
RE: The movie thread
(06-25-2014 05:14 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  
(06-25-2014 05:09 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  
(06-25-2014 03:42 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  NIU007, you must remember that for every [ quote ] there has to be a [ /quote ]. If they aren't paired up properly, it doesn't work.

I liked the movie myself, swoosh. But it was a weak effort, typical of Hollywood today. Like I say, it would have been far better had it broken into multiple movies. Say one for everything leading up to Battle School, and the first part of Battle School, and another one for everything that happened after Ender was made a Battle School commander through the Second Formic War.

As for your opinion on the book, opinions vary. Your's seems to be a minority opinion. Ender's Game won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards, was nominated for the Locus Award, and placed #59 on the reader's list of Modern Library 100 Best Novels. The non-stop action of the book made it nearly impossible for me to put down.
I should clarify my opinion of the book. I enjoyed it very much; from what i can remember I finished it in a couple days. That being said, I thought the ending was terrible and I really don't view it as any kind of legendary novel. I thought the His Dark Materials series was better. I should also note that when it comes to fiction I'm more a fan of fantasy than sci-fi. So in all, I really don't have any kind of allegiance to the book in the same way I do with harry potter, Songs of Ice and Fire and His Dark Materials.
I tend to agree with you about the ending. But Card ended the book in that fashion in order for there to be a sequel. Although I must admit that I was disapointed by the sequel, "Speaker for the Dead".

you answered the question I was just about to ask.

Funnily enough I thought the ending worked better in movie form, than in the book.
06-25-2014 05:32 PM
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bitcruncher Offline
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Post: #1140
RE: The movie thread
(06-25-2014 05:32 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  
(06-25-2014 05:14 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  
(06-25-2014 05:09 PM)flyingswoosh Wrote:  
(06-25-2014 03:42 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  NIU007, you must remember that for every [ quote ] there has to be a [ /quote ]. If they aren't paired up properly, it doesn't work.

I liked the movie myself, swoosh. But it was a weak effort, typical of Hollywood today. Like I say, it would have been far better had it broken into multiple movies. Say one for everything leading up to Battle School, and the first part of Battle School, and another one for everything that happened after Ender was made a Battle School commander through the Second Formic War.

As for your opinion on the book, opinions vary. Your's seems to be a minority opinion. Ender's Game won both the Nebula and Hugo Awards, was nominated for the Locus Award, and placed #59 on the reader's list of Modern Library 100 Best Novels. The non-stop action of the book made it nearly impossible for me to put down.
I should clarify my opinion of the book. I enjoyed it very much; from what i can remember I finished it in a couple days. That being said, I thought the ending was terrible and I really don't view it as any kind of legendary novel. I thought the His Dark Materials series was better. I should also note that when it comes to fiction I'm more a fan of fantasy than sci-fi. So in all, I really don't have any kind of allegiance to the book in the same way I do with harry potter, Songs of Ice and Fire and His Dark Materials.
I tend to agree with you about the ending. But Card ended the book in that fashion in order for there to be a sequel. Although I must admit that I was disapointed by the sequel, "Speaker for the Dead".
you answered the question I was just about to ask.

Funnily enough I thought the ending worked better in movie form, than in the book.
"Xenocide" the sequel to "Speaker for the Dead" was somewhat lacking as well.

The movie ended at the conclusion of the 2nd Formic War. The book went further. But I'm not sure Card had any idea where he was taking things with the book once the war ended, and simply stopped when he ran out of ideas. I could be mistaken. But that's the impression I got.
(This post was last modified: 06-25-2014 05:57 PM by bitcruncher.)
06-25-2014 05:56 PM
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