Escape to the Movies: The Expendables

[TheEndlessSleep]

I haven't actually seen this movie, but many people have told me it's really good. Equally, I haven't seen scott pilgrim but some people have told me it wasn't that great... So why does Moviebob have his head so far up his ass that he needs to call everybody with the oposite opinion (quote) "Fucking worthless".

Speaking as somebody who has watched neither movie and therefore has no opinion as of yet, I'd like to think that critics consider that they may not always be right before condemning what other people think as wrong.

There's a reason that movies do well or not; entertainment value. Even bad movies can be entertaining at times, and really well made movies can be boring... how well it does in the box office nowadays is no guarantee of actual quality...

Nerd rage over

 

[TheEndlessSleep]

32 pages? And 90% of it are from butthurt people who feel the need tell Bob he's misinterpretated his own opinion?

Honestly, this has nothing to do with them disagreeing with Bobs opinion. This is a group of people who feel they were personally attacked with his "sheep" comment, got offended and needed to voice their disdain in some of the most immature fashion I've ever seen.

To those people I say: grow a pair.

It's not that his opinion is different, it's more becuase he called the people with a different opinion 'fucking worthless'.

 

[omegawyrm]

Satoshi Kon has died, Satoshi Kon was one of the most creative minds ever to have been brought into this world whose works such as PAPRIKA have been cited as direct inspiration for movies such as INCEPTION, he died of pancreatic cancer surrounded by family in his home....So Woe is us because were in a lot of trouble! So what does that have to do with these types of movies right? Why does it hurt us in the long run....right? BECAUSE YOU PEOPLE have fed the beast, BECAUSE YoU people have inspired Hollywood's marketing department to run with this beefhead formula once again. Right now all the imagination, creativity, and love for the medium is being drained from your mind, BECAUSE YOU PEOPLE get your fix from these movies. Day by day less of you read books, because their not more ACTION ORIENTED, day by day creativity is lost!
An entire generation now exists growing up with a formula that throws imagination and creative storytelling out the window before doubletapping it with a pistol, an entire generation refuses to accept character development, plot lines, storylines! These movies are the ultimate revelation, they can make or break an entire year's worth of output from hollywood, it can decide what it shoves down your throats in terms of propaganda, storytelling, subliminal messaging and woe is us if creativity is thrown out for box office checkouts, woe is us if creativity were to ever die BECAUSE if this ever falls into the wrong hands WHO KNOWS WHAT SHIT WILL BE PEDDLED ONTO US FOR MERE CASH PROFIT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2LXy66ah8I)
So my friends i beg of you, dont let another die, SCOTT PILGRIM was one of a kind, it was experimental, it attempted creativity and originality in a world in which THE A TEAM FORMULA 3 can rip it to shreds at the box office. Sure it may seem as a stupid choice compared to a movie in which things explode in a 30 minute orgy of violence finale that resolves nothing nor gives a proper resolution to THE A TEAM FORMULA 3. JUST REMEMBER. Entire Marketing departments are watching your wallet, attempting to decide whether or not to run with a formula for the rest of the year. Think i'm crazy? Consider how many 3-D movies were being made before AVATAR'S big entrance (which epically failed at the box office this weekend i might add), Now Count each week how many movies are coming out with the 3-D as MARKETING MATERIAL....In Fact where do you think THE AVENGERS came from, DARK KNIGHT was being watched CAREFULLY as most likely this movie was >.>

First the Expendables and then Kon...

It's been a bad couple of weeks.

 

[Per Kaas]

Exactly!

 

[C95J]

i saw this movie and actually thought it was pretty good

 

[AgentLex]

32 pages? And 90% of it are from butthurt people who feel the need tell Bob he's misinterpretated his own opinion?

Honestly, this has nothing to do with them disagreeing with Bobs opinion. This is a group of people who feel they were personally attacked with his "sheep" comment, got offended and needed to voice their disdain in some of the most immature fashion I've ever seen.

To those people I say: grow a pair.

[sarcasm]Yup, when someone insults you, don't complain. Staying silent is the best course of action. They won't take that as an invite to continue at all. That's what the blacks should have done in the 60s, right?[/sarcasm] SHUT UP. You are wrong.

Holy....

Did you honestly just compare MovieBobs sheep comment to Jim Crowe laws and demeaning racial slurs? THAT'S how offended you are? It's THAT big a deal to you?

Wow...this is just a whole new level of sad.

 

[bicepfetishist1]

His opinionated Rant upset me so bad I had one of my own...LOL. Which got locked... for no good reason? Since when did calling BS on MovieBob become against the law around here?

Anyway in the spirit of differing opinions to which we are all entitled as fellow human beings...here's a link to my OP...



http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.230023-Dear-Bob-An-open-letter-Opinions-vs-Facts-Yes-this-is-about-THAT-review#7995760

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

I could barely finish watching this review. Took a lot of strength.

I can't believe Bob this week. We are obedient sheep because we go see one of the biggest collaboration films this decade instead of watching a film that was barely advertised in many places? We are the worst kind of people on earth because we like the premise that a movie will be an homage to 80s action films?

He dropped the ball on this review. Insulting a film is one thing, insulting someone for liking it is another, but insulting people for thinking the premise sounds like a fun idea?. That's a new low. I won't even go into how much I disagree with you on the quality of the film.

For someone who tries to hinder people from being elitist nerds, you are one of the biggest elitist nerds I've seen in quite a while.

And yet so many people on this site take shit from Yatzee and allow him to call them whatever he pleases and no one takes a second glance.
Odd isn't it?

I think the difference between Yahtzee and Bob is that everyone expects Yahtzee to shred everything and everyone to bits because that's his shtick, while Bob, thus far, has come across more as a reasonable guy who has a strong interest in movies and wants to be a legitimate reviewer. His bile-filled rant dings his credibility just a touch for some of the people who take him seriously.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

Scott Pilgrim seems just as cynically designed to appeal to the Nerdy demographic as The Expendables is to the mainstream. Yet this is ok because it is aimed at us?

People calling it a small movie as well is pretty funny, a 60 million dollar budget is hardly small.

YES! Someone else with a reasonable view on both films! Thank you for being more level-headed than most about this. Personally, I don't intend to check out either film because they're both so obviously targetting a niche audience, and I'm not that much of a fan of ironic "*wink wink* We're so clever for parodying ourselves" type movies, which both films seem to be doing.

 

[Aanorith]

I don't have anything particularly deep to add to this discussion. I saw it in the movies with 4 of my friends and we had a blast. I'm all for some good action once in awhile.

 

[AgentLex]

32 pages? And 90% of it are from butthurt people who feel the need tell Bob he's misinterpretated his own opinion?

Honestly, this has nothing to do with them disagreeing with Bobs opinion. This is a group of people who feel they were personally attacked with his "sheep" comment, got offended and needed to voice their disdain in some of the most immature fashion I've ever seen.

To those people I say: grow a pair.

[sarcasm]Yup, when someone insults you, don't complain. Staying silent is the best course of action. They won't take that as an invite to continue at all. That's what the blacks should have done in the 60s, right?[/sarcasm] SHUT UP. You are wrong.

Holy....

Did you honestly just compare MovieBobs sheep comment to Jim Crowe laws and demeaning racial slurs? THAT'S how offended you are? It's THAT big a deal to you?

Wow...this is just a whole new level of sad.

You got a problem with my opinion? Figures, you're just like him.

And the funny thing is despite other people disagreeing with my opinion, I can still sleep at night. Wish it could be the same for the rest of ya'll.

 

[bicepfetishist1]

Scott Pilgrim seems just as cynically designed to appeal to the Nerdy demographic as The Expendables is to the mainstream. Yet this is ok because it is aimed at us?

People calling it a small movie as well is pretty funny, a 60 million dollar budget is hardly small.

YES! Someone else with a reasonable view on both films! Thank you for being more level-headed than most about this. Personally, I don't intend to check out either film because they're both so obviously targetting a niche audience, and I'm not that much of a fan of ironic "*wink wink* We're so clever for parodying ourselves" type movies, which both films seem to be doing.

Problem is MovieBob has his head rammed so far up Scott Pilgrim's ass that he's lost sight of the fact that he's the type of viewer that loves movies with indie pretentions and pop culture references he can feel clever because he 'gets'... Exactly the sort of person Scott Pilgrim was aimed at...by all those evil corp money hungry suits that green lite it btw.

Someone should point out to Bob that Scott Pilgrim is actually a major studio release while Expendables is actually an indie...In the words of Bob himself 'DO NOT BE FOOLED'. Scott Pilgrim isn't the wacky quirky indie david to the Expendables evil mcdonaldised Goliath Bob seems to think it is...someone's brought somethings hype that's for sure.

Both movies are cynically marketed at their respective demos. The Expendables has a larger one, and Cera's casting and that demo's preferance for illegal downloads have proved a further double wammy that made Pilgrim's already smaller demo smaller still (We're sorry Bob really we are).

MovieBob's inablity remain objective is plain old unprofessional regardless of what anyone thinks of EITHER Pilgrim or the Expendables. That's the point.

 

[Nigh Invulnerable]

Scott Pilgrim seems just as cynically designed to appeal to the Nerdy demographic as The Expendables is to the mainstream. Yet this is ok because it is aimed at us?

People calling it a small movie as well is pretty funny, a 60 million dollar budget is hardly small.

YES! Someone else with a reasonable view on both films! Thank you for being more level-headed than most about this. Personally, I don't intend to check out either film because they're both so obviously targetting a niche audience, and I'm not that much of a fan of ironic "*wink wink* We're so clever for parodying ourselves" type movies, which both films seem to be doing.

Problem is MovieBob has his head rammed so far up Scott Pilgrim's ass that he's lost sight of the fact that he's the type of viewer that loves movies with indie pretentions and pop culture references he can feel clever because he 'gets'... Exactly the sort of person Scott Pilgrim was aimed at...by all those evil corp money hungry suits that green lite it btw.

Someone should point out to Bob that Scott Pilgrim is actually a major studio release while Expendables is actually an indie...In the words of Bob himself 'DO NOT BE FOOLED'. Scott Pilgrim isn't the wacky quirky indie david to the Expendables evil mcdonaldised Goliath Bob seems to think it is...someone's brought somethings hype that's for sure.

Both movies are cynically marketed at their respective demos. The Expendables has a larger one, and Cera's casting and that demo's preferance for illegal downloads have proved a further double wammy that made Pilgrim's already smaller demo smaller still (We're sorry Bob really we are).

MovieBob's inablity remain objective is plain old unprofessional regardless of what anyone thinks of EITHER Pilgrim or the Expendables. That's the point.

That's where I'm agreeing with ya. I don't know that your long-winded explanation in your thread will change anything, but I saw your point and agreed. Bob's image, to me, up til now has been that of a professional reviewer, as opposed to Yahtzee's professional troll title, so watching him rant about a movie and the audience he felt it was targeting came across as extremely unprofessional.

 

[Ascarona]

This movie made bob rage...
I'm totally going to see the Expendables .

 

[willgreg123]

I'm pretty pissed at the American viewing public myself, yes, I'm talking to YOU!

Well, I'm glad the Escapist still hires sharp and intelligent people such as yourself, Bob. You're always right on the money, give 'em hell I say! I'm personally going to buy the Splice and Scott Pilgrim DVDs. And I don't mean rent them on Netflix either, nope, I mean full price, as close to the source as possible. I really hope they can at least break even with DVD sales.

And YOU, yes, YOU, the American viewing public! Put on the dunce cap and stand in the corner, you know what you did!

 

[Darkhill]

Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful. I only aim at the powerful. When satire is aimed at the powerless, it is not only cruel -- it's vulgar.

-- Molly Ivins

That's the line, and Bob crossed it. The audience ARE the victims here- they just had to sit through The Expendables. It's not cool to go after people who were just as dissapointed as you.

There's nothing wrong with having high standards for popular art and popular entertainment, standards that help you (and others) to separate the good stuff from the inferior. But when those standards are turned against the audience, when they're used to separate the good people from the supposedly inferior, that's when the critic loses my respect and attention. That's when the critic loses everybody's attention. This is what makes such critics truly elitist -- the tiny circle of people still listening to them is, indeed, an exclusive elite. (By the way, I'm just quoting this paragraph, but I stand behind it; Here's the link- http://slacktivist.typepad.com/slacktivist/2007/02/lb_casting_the_.html)