Escape to the Movies: Repo Men
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With the greatest respect... (well...) Bob, you're an idiot.
How can you possibly rate Equilibrium over 21st century sci-fi gold like Children of Men and Sunshine? I fully agree with D9 and Moon but feel positively insulted you would try to compare any of these fantastic titles with the poorly written, pathetically acted and shockingly directed junk that Equilibrium was. It was a poor mans 1984, an idiots Fahrenheit 451 and quite frankly a cash-in job from the studio giving money to a fool to make a film built solely round a fake martial arts the film maker developed in his back garden! I was always a bit unsure about your judgement when reporting past film releases, this has confirmed me suspicions.
How can you possibly rate Equilibrium over 21st century sci-fi gold like Children of Men and Sunshine? I fully agree with D9 and Moon but feel positively insulted you would try to compare any of these fantastic titles with the poorly written, pathetically acted and shockingly directed junk that Equilibrium was. It was a poor mans 1984, an idiots Fahrenheit 451 and quite frankly a cash-in job from the studio giving money to a fool to make a film built solely round a fake martial arts the film maker developed in his back garden! I was always a bit unsure about your judgement when reporting past film releases, this has confirmed me suspicions.
Apparently no one really was that interested in this film. USA domestic opening box office was generally weak at only $6 million, making it a distant 4th place. It is going to have a time making up that $32 million budget at this rate.
(Pardon if this duplicates.)
(Pardon if this duplicates.)
GameGoddess101 said:
I was thinking the same thing as soon as I heard about it. However I will say that while kind of cool "Repo: The Genetic Opera" seemed to suffer from being a translation of a stage play to a movie, where this movie was constructed from the big screen to begin with. That said, the plot going by this review also seems slightly more simplistic than Repo (as odd as that will sound).
Not sure if I'm going to see "Repo Men" or wait for tape/PPV. As a horror/gore fan it sounds like a movie that will actually benefit from a director's cut.
That said one thing that does sort of bother me is that I get a little tired of all of the anti-corperate, anti-capitolism messages. Especially when it seems like they don't think things through.
Interestingly, I'm waiting for a science fiction movie where the corperations/capitolists are actually the good guys, making points about freedom and such. I've read a number of science fiction novels involving space traders, and such over the years. Not to mention looking at a few RPG concepts like "The Hoffman Institute" which is basically a large university/corperate conglomerate that has it's shady side, but is ultimatly the closest thing to a group of good guys the world has in an eviroment full of covert supernatural and alien terrors. Not to mention one episode of the old "Wild C.A.T.S." cartoon show where they really brought the fact that they worked for a godlike multinational corperation to the front, and while cheezy actually used all kinds of ridiculous business gimmicks to mess with the bad guys (blocking roads, etc...).
The ironic thing about the central premise of "Repo Men" (having not seen the movie) is that it strikes me as being pointless. See Creditors want you to keep paying them something. Realistically these "robot parts" would probably be mass produced fairly cheaply, with inflated price tags. The corperation would benefit more from having a dude thrown in jail as punishment and then released to keep paying, because really every dead person is someone who isn't paying. You basically set it up so everyone pays as much as they can bear, constantly. Perhaps the movie covers this, but it's basically why VISA or Mastercard don't send assasins to kill people who can't pay their debts. Jail time + attached wages benefits them more in the long run even if it's less than was agreed on.
pumasuit said:
Written seperatly because this is a long spoiler: he's the details on Repo: The Genetic Opera.
"Repo: The Genetic Opera" was a stage/play musical that someone turned into a movie. The entire story is told through songs of mixed quality. It's big name stars are pretty much Anthony Stewart Head (from Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and Paris Hilton (who has a bit part).
The premise is that in the future there is this rash of organ failures, and a corperation rises that manages to create new cloned organs, which it sells, and offers expensive payment plans on. The guy running the corperation is named Rotti Largo, and he's having trouble deciding who to leave "Geneco" his company to, since his children are all freaks. One is a violent tempermental killer, another one is a psycho who likes to rip people's faces off and wear them, and the most "sane" of the group is Paris Hilton's character who is addicted to surgery.
The story revolves around how Rotti and his best friend (the doctor who apparently developed the organ technology) fell in love with the same woman. The woman chose the doctor (played by Anthony Stewart Head) over Rotti and he went insane and had her secretly poisoned in a way the doctor couldn't cure. This drove the doctor a bit nutty and he wound up becoming the head of Rotti's "Repo Men" and the most dangerous hunter in the city. Fearing losing his daughter Shiloh he poisons her so that she's always weak and won't leave the house, fearing she's sick. She is unaware that "Daddy" is pretty much a sadistic killer who likes cutting people up in rage for his dead wife.
Things come to a head when Shiloh sneaks out, meets her mother's best friend who is a singer owned by the corperation (contract permanantly held due to the cost of replacement eyes), and Rotti. The singer wants to leave Rotti's employ, he finds out and gives "Daddy" the job to kill her. He also decides that he wants to kill off the doctor, and take the daughter of the woman he loved (Shiloh) as his heir since all his kids are freaks.
The singer comes and visits Shiloh as her house, and meets The Doctor who neither know is the head Repo man. This causes Shiloh to rebel and run away where she is picked up by Rotti and used as bait to lower The Doctor into a trap at the opera where the singer is performing. Everyone's secrets wind up coming out, the singer puts out her own eyes, Shiloh learns she was being poisoned, The Doctor is killed by Rotti, Rotti dies before he can sign over the corperation. Shiloh leaves healthy and free (but with nothing apparently) and the psycho kids take over the corperation and put Paris Hilton's surgery addict character into the CEO seat.
That's pretty much the story (Operas do not have a happy ending). You have musical numbers with people getting their organs pulled out, and involving subjects like surgical anastetic that is made using chemicals from dead bodies. What action there is (like The Doctor killing off a ton of Rotti's minions since he's supposed to be a massive Badass) are told mostly through comic-book panel cut scenes and narration.
Other than the basic premise the storyline has little to do with Repo Men, but I do see the similarities. I won't say that this is GOOD, but it is entertaining, and some of the songs are pretty painful. There is plenty of gore, and truthfully it requires someone a bit jaded to enjoy seeing someone strapped to a board being diassected by a singing doctor while still alive.... and Anthony Stewart Head can sing (he's one of the better singers).
The premise is that in the future there is this rash of organ failures, and a corperation rises that manages to create new cloned organs, which it sells, and offers expensive payment plans on. The guy running the corperation is named Rotti Largo, and he's having trouble deciding who to leave "Geneco" his company to, since his children are all freaks. One is a violent tempermental killer, another one is a psycho who likes to rip people's faces off and wear them, and the most "sane" of the group is Paris Hilton's character who is addicted to surgery.
The story revolves around how Rotti and his best friend (the doctor who apparently developed the organ technology) fell in love with the same woman. The woman chose the doctor (played by Anthony Stewart Head) over Rotti and he went insane and had her secretly poisoned in a way the doctor couldn't cure. This drove the doctor a bit nutty and he wound up becoming the head of Rotti's "Repo Men" and the most dangerous hunter in the city. Fearing losing his daughter Shiloh he poisons her so that she's always weak and won't leave the house, fearing she's sick. She is unaware that "Daddy" is pretty much a sadistic killer who likes cutting people up in rage for his dead wife.
Things come to a head when Shiloh sneaks out, meets her mother's best friend who is a singer owned by the corperation (contract permanantly held due to the cost of replacement eyes), and Rotti. The singer wants to leave Rotti's employ, he finds out and gives "Daddy" the job to kill her. He also decides that he wants to kill off the doctor, and take the daughter of the woman he loved (Shiloh) as his heir since all his kids are freaks.
The singer comes and visits Shiloh as her house, and meets The Doctor who neither know is the head Repo man. This causes Shiloh to rebel and run away where she is picked up by Rotti and used as bait to lower The Doctor into a trap at the opera where the singer is performing. Everyone's secrets wind up coming out, the singer puts out her own eyes, Shiloh learns she was being poisoned, The Doctor is killed by Rotti, Rotti dies before he can sign over the corperation. Shiloh leaves healthy and free (but with nothing apparently) and the psycho kids take over the corperation and put Paris Hilton's surgery addict character into the CEO seat.
That's pretty much the story (Operas do not have a happy ending). You have musical numbers with people getting their organs pulled out, and involving subjects like surgical anastetic that is made using chemicals from dead bodies. What action there is (like The Doctor killing off a ton of Rotti's minions since he's supposed to be a massive Badass) are told mostly through comic-book panel cut scenes and narration.
Other than the basic premise the storyline has little to do with Repo Men, but I do see the similarities. I won't say that this is GOOD, but it is entertaining, and some of the songs are pretty painful. There is plenty of gore, and truthfully it requires someone a bit jaded to enjoy seeing someone strapped to a board being diassected by a singing doctor while still alive.... and Anthony Stewart Head can sing (he's one of the better singers).
*Jumping on the Repo! bandwagon*
Repomen's villains just can't compare to Repo!'s crazy-ass corporate family. -1
Repo!'s repoman was more believable and organic, and I actually felt for him; Repomen's characters are too cardboard cutout. -1
Repomen doesn't have awesome musical numbers with its gory scenes. -1000000000000000
In conclusion: Repo! wins.
Repomen's villains just can't compare to Repo!'s crazy-ass corporate family. -1
Repo!'s repoman was more believable and organic, and I actually felt for him; Repomen's characters are too cardboard cutout. -1
Repomen doesn't have awesome musical numbers with its gory scenes. -1000000000000000
In conclusion: Repo! wins.
MovieBob was more or less right. Just got back from this movie. Not bad, but HARD TO WATCH. Wierd. I can watch violent movies where the characters shoot each other and be desensitized all the way from here to egypt, but make it a movie where the characters cut themselves/ea other, and it grosses me out to the point of being physically ill.
Well, after seeing repomen I have to say it was a pretty good movie, realistic characters, compelling story (apart from the WTF bit at the end) and impressive visuals. I then went to see the movie this "ripped off". Yes, it's very similar; but why does everyone care?
The creaters of repomen took a geeky, low budget film and made it more mainstream and, frankly, better. Why is this such a problem for everyone?
The creaters of repomen took a geeky, low budget film and made it more mainstream and, frankly, better. Why is this such a problem for everyone?
At least "Repo! The Genetic Opera" had a less sterilized version of the future, some really good music tracks, no shoe-horned moral message other than "these corporate guys are psychotic", and Paris Hilton's face fell off.
I'll go with the little genre flick that doesn't fall into American Action trope 735, complete with shocking twist "the bad guy becomes the good guy".
I'll go with the little genre flick that doesn't fall into American Action trope 735, complete with shocking twist "the bad guy becomes the good guy".
To quote myself:
I thought the look of the world was very well done, tying in some Blade Runner [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/] elements (minus the flying cars) as well as I, Robot [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343818/]. The corporate city is shiny (reminded me of pics I've seen of Tokyo), the suburbs look similar to our own time (though, I'm sure, with some technological updates), with what equates to "the badlands" existing outside the city-limits. I think it was a believable look, technology didn't seem too far fetched that we couldn't have this be our future-outcome.
The acting was excellent and I, too, found myself wanting to see more of Whitaker & Law buddy-up. You get that they're friends (I loved the flashback of how they became friends) and co-workers; and Whitaker well-plays the friend who has it all but still longs for something his best-bud has (or at least that was what I was reading into it.)
I would've liked to have seen Liev Schreiber in a larger part (though he's excellent in the scenes he's in.) I thought he was amazing in Defiance [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034303/] and wanted to see more of him. He's an excellent corporate douchebag, though. I think his size and gravelly tone work well to make him menacing but in a seemingly unthreatening way, you trust his smile as he sells you on a heart you know you can't afford ("You owe it to your family, you owe it to yourself.") but if you listen to his tone and really look at his sinister smile you can see you're really selling him your soul *cue cash registers dinging as the customer signs on the dotted line*.
I saw this in the early afternoon so the theater was relatively empty; no big-crowd-reaction to some of the more grisly bits but it was definitely worth seeing on the big screen. I'm going to pick up the novel this is based on "The Repossession Mambo [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061802832/]" to further explore this world.
Oh, and if you're in the market for a new heart, liver, kidneys, or what have you, make sure you stop by The Union's site: http://www.theunioncares.com I've got a set of Ocurity Eyes on order, just waiting for my credit app to clear before heading in for my upgrade.
As MovieBob pointed out, and I, too omitted in my post above, it is a bit gory. Not throughout the entire movie, and I didn't feel it was gratuitous by any means as the gore is contained within the organ-removal processes but it was pretty grisly.TraumaHound's Twitter Feed said:
I thought the look of the world was very well done, tying in some Blade Runner [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/] elements (minus the flying cars) as well as I, Robot [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343818/]. The corporate city is shiny (reminded me of pics I've seen of Tokyo), the suburbs look similar to our own time (though, I'm sure, with some technological updates), with what equates to "the badlands" existing outside the city-limits. I think it was a believable look, technology didn't seem too far fetched that we couldn't have this be our future-outcome.
The acting was excellent and I, too, found myself wanting to see more of Whitaker & Law buddy-up. You get that they're friends (I loved the flashback of how they became friends) and co-workers; and Whitaker well-plays the friend who has it all but still longs for something his best-bud has (or at least that was what I was reading into it.)
I would've liked to have seen Liev Schreiber in a larger part (though he's excellent in the scenes he's in.) I thought he was amazing in Defiance [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034303/] and wanted to see more of him. He's an excellent corporate douchebag, though. I think his size and gravelly tone work well to make him menacing but in a seemingly unthreatening way, you trust his smile as he sells you on a heart you know you can't afford ("You owe it to your family, you owe it to yourself.") but if you listen to his tone and really look at his sinister smile you can see you're really selling him your soul *cue cash registers dinging as the customer signs on the dotted line*.
I saw this in the early afternoon so the theater was relatively empty; no big-crowd-reaction to some of the more grisly bits but it was definitely worth seeing on the big screen. I'm going to pick up the novel this is based on "The Repossession Mambo [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061802832/]" to further explore this world.
Oh, and if you're in the market for a new heart, liver, kidneys, or what have you, make sure you stop by The Union's site: http://www.theunioncares.com I've got a set of Ocurity Eyes on order, just waiting for my credit app to clear before heading in for my upgrade.
I guess its always funny to hear people try to pronounce names in a different language. This time, Carice van Houten (more like "car iece vaun hauten", not hooten by the way) and Paul Verhoeven (sounds like: verhooven).
Repo Men was great,I LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!! it had a cool visual style, great characters, good pace and the songs blew me away, "ZYDRATE COME IN A LITTLE GLASS VIAL!".... oh wait.. WRONG MOVIE!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963194/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0963194/
The local paper gave the movie 0 out of 4 stars. I have never once seen that. Usually really bad movies get 1/2 stars, but 0? It's no surprise it had such a shitty opening weekend and I'm certainly not going to see it even though I'm a Forest Whitaker fan.