Life is riddled with a procession of minor impediments

[Darren Stephens]

I remember our school's PE teacher making us play rugby in a hailstorm.  Something about building character.

Mind you, maybe he was onto something.  He also ran a black market in cheap kit, and the rest of the sports staff consisted of one who could only talk in mock Cockney-Italian ("You are the Mars-a-bar! The Numero Uno!") and another who spent most of his time rotating his penis with his spare hand via his trouser pocket.

Characters they certainly were.

Our PE teacher made us play hockey on a frozen solid feild. Before the game he said that he didn't want to see anyone flick the ball up. Ten minutes later, he flicked the ball....into my face. Spent the afternoon in hospital. :-/

[Pete Wells]

Bah, the missus was taking the two kids to Edinburgh Zoo today with her family and staying overnight, leaving me with a pile of horror/sci fi DVDs to watch as well as a world of Internet 'gentleman's entertainment.'

However, this morning, the eldest has decided he's staying home with me. FFS, for once can I not just watch porn with the sound on!?!

[SmallBlueThing]

I'm putting this in here because I promised myself I wouldn't derail the movie thread any further- but Mr Lee Bates, a gentleman of otherwise unimpeachable loveliness, did cast aspersions upon my behaviour, basically claiming that I was in effect trolling, and asking why I would be watching clips and reading a thread from and about a movie I have no intention of seeing. This classes as a "minor impediment" and I demand my right to reply (even though I feel sure we've gone over this before)- and my right to punch said Mr Bates right up the bottom with my growling Incredible Hulk Hands should our paths ever cross.

It's really easy: I'm just not that into films. For me, it's all about the comics. In exactly the same way that I really don't give a fig about the various videogames that feature 2000AD characters, or the other other comic characters I enjoy, the upcoming Dredd movie is, for me, just another bit of merchandise.

However, of course I enjoy looking at the clips online, and the pictures and wotnot- it being related to 2000AD, it's all catnip to me. In much the same way that I can't not read those Down The Tubes Tributes or Front magazine- or laugh heartily at pictures of the Lizard from the upcoming Spider-Man 4. In the end, none o it matters, because I don't feel any overpowering need to see these movies. The Avengers looks great as a trailer- but the chances of me seeing it are 50/50 depending on whether my wife or I are free the day we take the boys. Actually less than that, because the boys may not want to see it. I'll probably go to the new Spidey movie, despite not really wanting to, as I'm sure they'll be chomping at the bit, and I expect my wife will draw the line at Andrew Garfield fighting a green potato for two hours.

But these days, unless I take the kids, I never go to the cinema. The exceptions to this are if I go with a client (like to The Inbetweeners) or if it's something very special, like Rise of the Planet of the Apes- a movie I absolutely loved... but won't be buying the DVD until I find it for £3 somewhere. The wife and I hardly ever watch movies in the evening anymore- and when we do it's either something we both are very excited about, or something with Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, or some horror anthology from the 60s or 70s.

The days of me seeing film as anything important are long, long gone. The Dredd movie to me, is less exciting than if they were releasing an original comic story for sale in shops (a "graphic novel" if you like, but lets not go there), or than if there was a new novel coming out. Films, like games, are something I just can't raise any enthusiasm about. Ages ago, someone posted a picture of an unofficial Judge Dredd bouncy castle- I see the new film as being like that. And just as I lapped up those pictures of the bouncy castle, and enjoyed the experience without ever once feeling the need to track it down and have a go on it, so I can look at pictures from the movie without ever once feeling the need to buy a ticket.

I like Judge Dredd as a comic strip. If the movie resembled the comic strip, I might be a little more enthusiastic- but as it stands, well, Ive seen Children of Men and Mad Max, I don't need to see them again.

So- everyone as they were! And thanks. Now, Mr Bates- watch out for my big green fists!

SBT

[TordelBack]

It's really easy: I'm just not that into films.

That's not quite true though, is it?  From your posting here you love films, and have strong thoughtful opinions on them, to judge by your passion for some truly dire and pretty obscure ones (sorry!), and your strong dislike for many great ones (sorry again!).  What appears closer to the truth is that you, not unlike me, really don;t care about film (or game) adaptations of properties you enjoy in other media: it is indeed "all about the comics".   

[SmallBlueThing]

It's really easy: I'm just not that into films.

That's not quite true though, is it?  From your posting here you love films, and have strong thoughtful opinions on them, to judge by your passion for some truly dire and pretty obscure ones (sorry!), and your strong dislike for many great ones (sorry again!).  What appears closer to the truth is that you, not unlike me, really don;t care about film (or game) adaptations of properties you enjoy in other media: it is indeed "all about the comics".

Not really. If I am able to speak about films at all, it's because I spent the years 1985-2000 absolutely dripping in them. I made them for my own pleasure, I studied them at college and university, I reviewed them, I worked on proper films in various capacities, spent my time reading about them, had subsciptions to Fangoria, Film Review, Sight & Sound, The Dark Side, etc etc- but then I just fell out of love with the whole industry. I saw too many promising ideas screwed up by shitty productions and then lauded to the skies, and just realised I wasn't getting anything out of them anymore. I still enjoy the films I've always liked- and am lucky enough that I wasted so much time watching utter crap that there's still a few from the periods and genres I enjoy to keep me going. Of new films I see (maybe ten a year, in a busy year) I may enjoy two. This compares unfavourably to, say, 1986, when I saw absolutely everything that my local three screener showed at least once plus rented on average about four a week on VHS. That's hundreds of the buggers. These days a couple of months can go by without me seeing anything. For instance, the only film I've seen this year is, I think, Flash Gordon, yesterday- and that was only to keep the kids quiet.

SBT

[Dark Jimbo]

For me, it's all about the comics. In exactly the same way that I really don't give a fig about the various videogames that feature 2000AD characters, or the other other comic characters I enjoy, the upcoming Dredd movie is, for me, just another bit of merchandise.

Totally agree - no comment on any aspect of the film itself, but I just can't muster any enthusiasm for it, any more than I can for tie-in novels of my favourite tv series. I want my comics to be comics.

Also - and I may be alone here - the fact that it's going to take it into the mainstream puts me off. I like the fact that 2k is niche and somewhat under-the-radar and requires the man on the street to do a bit of legwork to find out about it. I can imagine nothing worse than a world where everyone on a high street was wearing Stronty Dog t-shirts and doing 'hilarious' impressions of Judge Death. I'd think 'Fuck off, leave my interests alone - I've been into 2000AD for years, you don't get to just come along and jump on the bandwagon.'

[SpetsnaZ99]

SBT is in denial.

[TordelBack]

If I am able to speak about films at all, it's because I spent the years 1985-2000 absolutely dripping in them.

Fair enough!  I'll amend that to 'you loved films'.

[Gonk]

Comics and films are just a part of the entertainment industry. This Dredd film is just meant to keep people entertained for a couple of hours. It's not going to change the world. Why worry over it SBT?

[TordelBack]

Why worry over it SBT?

I think the point is that he isn't.

[Cyberleader2000]

For me, it's all about the comics. In exactly the same way that I really don't give a fig about the various videogames that feature 2000AD characters, or the other other comic characters I enjoy, the upcoming Dredd movie is, for me, just another bit of merchandise.

Totally agree - no comment on any aspect of the film itself, but I just can't muster any enthusiasm for it, any more than I can for tie-in novels of my favourite tv series. I want my comics to be comics.

Also - and I may be alone here - the fact that it's going to take it into the mainstream puts me off. I like the fact that 2k is niche and somewhat under-the-radar and requires the man on the street to do a bit of legwork to find out about it. I can imagine nothing worse than a world where everyone on a high street was wearing Stronty Dog t-shirts and doing 'hilarious' impressions of Judge Death. I'd think 'Fuck off, leave my interests alone - I've been into 2000AD for years, you don't get to just come along and jump on the bandwagon.'

I kind of know how you feal back when I was litile bout 5 I saw star trek my mum saw I fell in love with si-fi (is that spelt right) and decided to expose me to doctor who for years people I knew never knew what I was on about when talking about then doctor who reapaired back on tv and bam everone thinks its cool it was nice they were taking a interest but it felt kind of fack as none of them knew any thing about the clasick series what was worses was people keept telling me about stuf I had allredy knowen about for months.

just a side not in 2008 I met a teacher at collage know for being a doctor who nut fan of bouth new and old watched it when it was on tv originily this was during a collage holiday when some of us came in to cach up on corse work any way one of my friends said about this teacher so I went to meat him fue minits later everone one on the flor had left there class rooms and had gaveres at the staff room and were watching in amazment as we went head to head in doctor who knolage as we tried to out fox each outher by firing obscoure doctor who knloage qustions at each outher I eventily beat him with one qustion spent the next collage year being know as the guy who beat the teacher in knolage. im geting off point here ant I

any way my point is I get the whole down side to this movie its also like transformeres I was into it 2 years befor the 2007 movie came out and all thros movies have done yes they have made more people awere but just made us proper fans have a much harder time as all its seams to have done is increases the prises we have to pay and made it a huge market for knock off Produts. I do hope thats the dredd movie dose not have the same efect on 2000AD

[Batman's Superior Cousin]

You mean "Sci-fi", Cyberleader?

[Cyberleader2000]

You mean "Sci-fi", Cyberleader?

thank you

[Emperor]

It's really easy: I'm just not that into films.

That's not quite true though, is it?  From your posting here you love films, and have strong thoughtful opinions on them, to judge by your passion for some truly dire and pretty obscure ones (sorry!), and your strong dislike for many great ones (sorry again!).  What appears closer to the truth is that you, not unlike me, really don;t care about film (or game) adaptations of properties you enjoy in other media: it is indeed "all about the comics".

Not really. If I am able to speak about films at all, it's because I spent the years 1985-2000 absolutely dripping in them. I made them for my own pleasure, I studied them at college and university, I reviewed them, I worked on proper films in various capacities, spent my time reading about them, had subsciptions to Fangoria, Film Review, Sight & Sound, The Dark Side, etc etc- but then I just fell out of love with the whole industry. I saw too many promising ideas screwed up by shitty productions and then lauded to the skies, and just realised I wasn't getting anything out of them anymore. I still enjoy the films I've always liked- and am lucky enough that I wasted so much time watching utter crap that there's still a few from the periods and genres I enjoy to keep me going. Of new films I see (maybe ten a year, in a busy year) I may enjoy two. This compares unfavourably to, say, 1986, when I saw absolutely everything that my local three screener showed at least once plus rented on average about four a week on VHS. That's hundreds of the buggers. These days a couple of months can go by without me seeing anything. For instance, the only film I've seen this year is, I think, Flash Gordon, yesterday- and that was only to keep the kids quiet.

It sounds like you've burnt yourself out on films, and possibly got to "see too much." They are still making decent films within the mainstream movie industry and beyond that I suspect you'd like. For various reasons I didn't watch many films last year unless they happened to be on TV, so I got a Love Film subscription to get me back into the swing of things, as it would be a waste of money not to try and watch as many films as possible. So perhaps one day you might find yourself getting sucked back into movie going again.

[Tiplodocus]

Ages ago, someone posted a picture of an unofficial Judge Dredd bouncy castle- I see the new film as being like that.

That is a very logical way of looking at things - unfortunately I'm not sure a lot of people can apply logic to film adaptions.

I'd be interested to know which Dracula you put as the golden source and which you view as the bouncy castle. And how would you view a new dracula movie. (Not trying to trip you up, just understand how you reconcile things).

[/Godpleton mode engaged]
I see your Mom as being like that bouncy castle.
[/Godpleton mode disengaged.]