Actually this is something a LOT of people either don't know or just keep forgetting. Willis' big break was NOT Die Hard, but instead the television show Moonlighting. Willis was the ROMANTIC COMEDY LEAD when he became a star. So Willis going to stuff like The Sixth Sense or even Pulp Fiction was him going back to his roots as an actor as opposed to trying to make an actor out of an action star.
If I am not mistaken, I just saw a post release trailer with review blurbs that quoted "One of the best movies of the year." attributed to Bob Chipman. Awesome.
Finally saw it with some buddies and you were 100% fucking correct. This film kicked seven different kinds of ass and I savored all of it. My only complaint is that the beginning is a little slow for my tastes. And while I understand it was necessary for character development, this is a problem I also had with Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. Regardless, when the fun started, it didn't let up for a damn second. All in all, great movie, sadly under appreciated this weekend, but nonetheless it has won its way into my top 5 of the year.
Well, I just saw the movie and it's....very....shiny!
=/
I don't know, maybe I just don't get teenagers today, but there wasn't a single likable character all with the depth of a 14 year old being dumped for the first time...in a video game, the whole tongue in cheek homage to gaming culture got pretty redundant, and it made me miss being a X-gen teenager from the 90s.
I've seen this movie twice already. I love it so much! I also love Michael Cera, I don't care if he plays the same character in every movie he's in, it's a good character that I find appealing so it's no really a big deal to me haha.
I LOVED this movie. It was SO MUCH FUN! You could find flaws in it, sure, but I feel like that's missing the point slightly. One thing I noticed was that tertiary characters in theb ook REALLY got a chance to shine in the movie, even beyond more popular secondary characters. Knives Chau definitely stole the show from Kim Pine and even Ramona, Young Neil was pretty funny, the first evil ex was actually one of my favorites... You can't really say that about the book equivalents. They definitely softened Scott's character to make him Michael Cera material, but it was still pretty good. I'm not surprised at all that it isn't doing well at the box office though. It appeals to such a specific niche!
They definitely changed some stuff for time, and I did miss all of the detail and backstories that got lost (Kim and Envy definitely suffered thanks to this) but they got the major moments in there and the spirit was overwhelmingly the same. I already know this is a movie that I'm going to be seeing ALOT in the future.
I just dodged what would have been a REALLY awkward two hours by seeing this review.
I was going to ask my dad if he would be interested in seeing it. And the man sees video games as the black hole parasite of my generation, as well as anything connected to them.
If I am not mistaken, I just saw a post release trailer with review blurbs that quoted "One of the best movies of the year." attributed to Bob Chipman. Awesome.
You... you can't be serious. Bob, if you (or anyone else here) honestly believes that, then answer me this:
[HEADING=3]As portrayed in the movie, why does Ramona feel ANY attraction Scott whatsoever?[/HEADING]
How can you call this movie a "thoughtful, resonant, and mature study" of young adult relationships when it complete glosses the female perspective? As you pointed out later in the review:
MovieBob said:
"While Scott IS sensitive and thoughtful, he's also a real jerk. He's whiny, selfish, shallow and he shamelessly milks his innate helplessness for female sympathy. So all the fighting is less about proving himself to Ramona, whose already lived enough of life to have him pretty well figured out."
So if Ramona is completely aware that Scott's kind of a tool, why is she even dating him when she could clearly do much better?
Feel free to stop reading here if you're not interested in comparing the book to the movie, but I think it really helps drive home my point. The scene where Scott and Ramona first meet is almost a frame-by-frame recreation of the same scene from Volume 1 of the comic, but with drastically changed dialogue. (man, I really wish I had my scans of the books right now. Maybe I can add them in later.)
Scott sidles up to Ramona and says hi. He awkwardly starts up a conversation and abruptly ends when he asks her "Am I dreaming?" Both parties extremely embarrassed, Scott apologizes and leaves (only to stalk her until she leaves the party.)
Later, when Ramona delivers the package to Scott, he references their earlier conversation, and Ramona realizes she's being using subspace to travel through Scott's dreams, hence Scott's awkward question. "Oh! I'm sorry, I just thought you were crazy", she says. Her perception of Scott radically changes and the relationship develops from there.
In the movie, Scott sidles up and without introduction begins spewing Pac-man trivia at a disinterested Ramona. As in the comic, Scott asks "Am I dreaming?" and then apologizes, leaves, stalks her for the rest of the party, etc. When Ramona delivers the package, Scott denies this conversation ever taking place. [BTW: if you're trying to appeal to hardcore fans by adapting scenes directly from the comic, don't strip all the narrative significance from them.] Ramona then decides to go out and almost have sex with him on the first date, based solely on her belief that Scott wasn't the creepy dude yelling at her about video games.
TL;DR version: In the comic, Ramona displays a range of emotion, including genuine affection towards Scott. In the movie, Ramona is in constant ice queen mode and it's not clear why she would ever fall for Scott in the first place.
Just want to make it clear, I still enjoyed the film, I just don't think it's a realistic depiction of an actual relationship. I also think they clung too tightly to the comic at times and paced the story way too fast, especially at the beginning. The film is at it's best when it deviates from the comic: the fight with Lucas Lee is loads, loads better than it was in the comic and I liked Knives' expanded role. The special effects, fight choreography, and staging are executed perfectly, but in my view, the writing and poor characterization drag it down.
I saw with my family and they all liked it more than i did. My dad had just read the books a day or two earlier and my brother knew practically nothing about the plot. My mom doesn't know a damn thing about video games and she managed to keep up somehow, so i don't mean to dissuade anyone from seeing it. Just don't expect it to live up to the books.
Oh yeah, and I'm SUPER pissed that the SHOCKING REVELATION about Stephen Stills from the end of book 6 didn't make the film.
Just saw the movie and i LOVED it. It was a refreshing change of pace from the cookie-cutter blandness of Eat, Pray, Love and the testosterone pumping Expendables (and enjoy The Expendables, so, no hatin'). It was snarky, it was revlevant, it was funny, it was just a good old finished nerd movie for the references and a great way to unwind after work. I also liked the way the movie would stop at one point and link it to another, not bothering with the awkwardness of a transition without action or revelvance that would have clogged the story.
I might say that I was a bit disappointed that Kim Pines took a serious back seat. Love her character, and sorta fell in love with the actress who played her. She did a great job, and had sort of a Lauren Ambrose vibe.
The Michael Cera cynics are missing out if they stubbornly refuse to see this movie purely because it has Michael Cera. Sure it's annoying that he's always playing the same role, but this movie is just too good for a minor hang-up like that. It isn't just "okay" like his other movies.
Finally someone here is making sense. I agree wholeheartedly. Seriously people, he's just one guy....ONE GUY. You're making him out to be the anti-christ. Sometimes I think people get too worked up over things that really don't need to be.
And I'm the one going gray at 20...sheesh. There is no justice in the world.
Movie was awesome, Michael Cera nailed Scott. Ramona was great, and Wallace...well Wallace was a champ. The only thing I'd like to have seen was the closure with Envy. But on that note, Clash at the Demon Head sounded exactly like I imagined they would. Amazing, I went and downloaded that song when I got home. Going to buy the soundtrack for sure.
What a great movie, you guys hating on one aspect of it are missing out.
Well, Bob, thank you for your review. I trust your judgment, but since I'm also one of those unforgivable, elitist, spoiled brats you name-checked in your "Why Movies Suck" article, I'll wait for DVD. I have the creeping Fear this is going to be another one of those Avatar moments where everyone else sees a film made of pure gold rather than the shamelessly crass exploitation of one of the many subculture I happen to belong to. In this case, nerds.
Right, I just saw it. Let's partake in a little exercise.
Now, stand up, step blinking into the sunlight. Yes, outside. Go on. Down to the cinema, and watch this film. Do not download it from some douche bag torrent site. Go watch it. Now.
I have been reading through the comments here and I began to realize that this is a love or hate thing or more accurately a love it or do not get it thing.
Especially Nomanlander's post led me to the conclusion that this film is basically a generation piece aimed at a very specific audience who's life and emotional world is similar to the characters and their life and its circumstances.
Bob nailed it when he said that this is about the relationships of the contemporary generation and video games and indie music is a way to express the people's inner turmoil.
As such it is not a big surprise that some people do not have the "right" access to this material.
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