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Started by SmallBlueThing, 04 February, 2011, 12:40:44 PM

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Mattofthespurs

Quote from: abelardsnazz on 26 March, 2018, 08:46:12 PM
Unsane. Steven Soderbergh's return to film after a self-imposed retirement is an entirely IPhone-shot, almost unbearable exercise in intensity. That it stays the right side of extremely watchable is testament to Soderbergh's directing skills and an incredible central performance from Claire Foy. Have I said it's intense yet? It is. Very.

Looking forward to this very much. And Soderbergh ended his 'retirement' 18 months ago with the release of Lucky Logan didn't he?

JamesC

Quote from: TordelBack on 26 March, 2018, 10:54:40 PM
Quote from: JamesC on 26 March, 2018, 07:56:34 PM
...the rest of the cast did what they could with characters so barely sketched that, for me, they were impossible to care about.

Obviously I can't make you care where the filmmakers have failed to do so,  but I really don't get this criticism. Are the other three really that much thinner than the supporting cast of any other SF film?  They all seemed believable and interesting enough that I was sorry when each departed. And the manner of their going was significant in each case too.

As to the technical believability of the mission, I think there's a meta-reason for that: other alien-contact movies have worn the hazmat/MALP path pretty intensively (Close Encounters,  ET,  Arrival,  2001 etc), not sure we as an audience needed to see it again: the more prosaic Southern Comfort-style hike into the woods was visually fresh,
and established that this is regular Earth, our familiar backyard that's being transformed,  rather than an expedition to another world; and then there's the in-universe reason,  that there have been many,  many previous missions,  and this one smacks of weary,  not to say suicidal, desperation.

I'd put the supporting characters on par with Jesse Ventura's turn in Predator.

I'm sure you're right about the lack of technical beleivability - it was undoubtedly a conscious decision. For me it had the opposite effect to making it feel like it was taking place on Earth - I couldn't believe anyone on Earth could be so half-arsed! I think like Radiator says, you either go with it or you don't...and I couldn't.

Steve Green

Benedict Wong's character is suited up and Natalie Portman is in isolation after coming out of it.

They'd presumably already done the whole hazmat suit and it made no difference - the final expedition were the canaries, a last throw of the dice.

It didn't bother me in the way Prometheus' characters acted more like teens in a slasher flick.

JamesC

Quote from: Steve Green on 27 March, 2018, 09:27:43 AM
Benedict Wong's character is suited up and Natalie Portman is in isolation after coming out of it.

They'd presumably already done the whole hazmat suit and it made no difference - the final expedition were the canaries, a last throw of the dice.

It didn't bother me in the way Prometheus' characters acted more like teens in a slasher flick.

They'd done the whole 'guns' thing which made no difference but they still went in armed.
It doesn't make sense, I'm over it, but trying to justify it with 'everyone else died so there's no point having safety procedures anymore' just makes it sound even more stupid.

Steve Green

I can see why they don't want them in Hazmat suits for the duration, it would be harder work for the audience.

I also wasn't sure how much distance they were going to cover but it seemed 20 miles+... is it even practical to cover that amount of ground in hazmat suits, how about with o2 tanks to be perfectly safe?

Maybe they just don't work over those distance and aren't practical, but guns are.

They could quite easily had just had them in hazmat suits to start with, and then ditched them after they wake up with memory loss, but they didn't - so there's obviously a pretty good reason for it.

But like I said, it didn't bother me, it kind of fitted in with the fatalistic nature of the group and the self-destructive themes.

In the real world people are willing to carry guns, but smoke and drink and eat too much.

JamesC

I just feel sorry for the bloke who worked in that lighthouse. A four day hike and a day's canoe trip away from the nearest shop is pretty remote. I bet he had shit broadband.  :lol:

Steve Green

It's an unlikely crossover.


TordelBack

#12082
Quote from: JamesC on 27 March, 2018, 08:42:22 AM
I'd put the supporting characters on par with Jesse Ventura's turn in Predator.

No higher praise for a supporting character!  Blain is one for the ages.

abelardsnazz

Quote from: Mattofthespurs on 27 March, 2018, 07:48:20 AM
Quote from: abelardsnazz on 26 March, 2018, 08:46:12 PM
Unsane. Steven Soderbergh's return to film after a self-imposed retirement is an entirely IPhone-shot, almost unbearable exercise in intensity. That it stays the right side of extremely watchable is testament to Soderbergh's directing skills and an incredible central performance from Claire Foy. Have I said it's intense yet? It is. Very.

Looking forward to this very much. And Soderbergh ended his 'retirement' 18 months ago with the release of Lucky Logan didn't he?

Ah yes, you're right. I keep getting that and Baby Driver mixed up.

Tjm86

Quote from: JamesC on 27 March, 2018, 12:18:50 PM
I just feel sorry for the bloke who worked in that lighthouse. A four day hike and a day's canoe trip away from the nearest shop is pretty remote. I bet he had shit broadband.  :lol:

don't need a lighthouse for that!  Just buy yourself a house in the Rhondda.

GrudgeJohnDeed

Quote from: TordelBack on 27 March, 2018, 12:34:37 PM
Quote from: JamesC on 27 March, 2018, 08:42:22 AM
I'd put the supporting characters on par with Jesse Ventura's turn in Predator.

No higher praise for a supporting character!  Blain is one for the ages.

Blaine is fantastic, pretty much all the supporting cast in that film are fantastic! Billy's a big favourite of mine too. 'There's something out there waiting for us *pregnant pause* and it ain't no man. We're all gonna die.' Yeah cheers Billy thanks for that

Tiplodocus

THE REZORT.

There's an alternate universe where it's Hugh Jackman reduced to starring in "it's Jurassic Park/Westworld but with zombies". The only other thing you need to know is that it is mercifully short (even with a clumsy, uncecessary  framing device), poorly executed and thinks it has something to say about refugees but doesn't quite know what.
Be excellent to each other. And party on!

Colin Zeal

I watched Terminator Geysis the other night. I had to go to the toilet at one point and it's possible that the plot was explained while I was out of the room but I doubt it. The whole film was pretty pointless and the constant reminders of the first film only served to showbhow rubbish Genysis is.

abelardsnazz

The Dead Zone. One of the 10ish Stephen King adaptations that's really good. Cronenberg, Walken and a great supporting cast create an intense psychological horror that just works really well. Enjoying it a lot.

Tinmachine

The Shining - Special Edition. Thought the additional scenes added a fair bit to the story.  One of the few special editions along with The Abyss, Aliens and Blade Runner that I really enjoyed more than the original cut of the film.