Ugh. This was so painful guys. The lead actor was the worst, most wooden actor I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing, but none of the performances were good and the effects were not good, not even for 1981, and it just seemed so dated and weak. Just terrible, and then to top it off we watched The Omega Man as well, which was equally brutal. Probably a worse movie overall, but with Omega I had less hopeful expectations. Let’s just hope I’ve gotten the bad movie watching out of my system as Margot At The Wedding; Southland Tales; I’m Not There; and hopefully The Night Porter are all on tap for the long Thanksgiving weekend. I’m really only worried about Southland Tales…fingers crossed though.
Check out good reviews of both The Omega Man and Scanners by Adam on his blog.
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All of those movies are on tap for this weekend, and maybe The Last Man on Earth, too. I think that Southland Tales is going to be a mess but I have to see it.
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Two things:
1. Yes, the film is dated, but Patrick McGoohan is the man in scanners. And you’re telling me the exploding head wasn’t cool?
2. This shouldn’t stop you from seeing it, but Southland Tales was THE worst piece of garbage I’ve seen in ages, and I was a huge fan of Donnie Darko. This isn’t hyperbole. It was utterly terrible. Thank god I saw No Country For Old Men the very next night, to renew my faith in film.
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kfugrip: yes, last man on earth…i was looking it up online and it looks much better than The Omega Man, let’s give it a try.
jamminjabber: ugh. sigh. that does not bode well.
as for scanners – the exploding head was cool, but it was basically the only cool thing and it happened in the first 15 minutes. also, Patrick McGoohan…not that amazing…i thought Ironside was better, although he lost it a bit in the end. REVICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I was not a huge Donnie Darko fan but I did hear that Southland Tales was “Pychonian”… which is a draw for me.
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i liked Donnie Darko…Josh did you like Donnie Darko?
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See above comment where I say, “I was a huge fan of Donnie Darko.”
And if by “Pynchonian” you mean a mess of plot lines and characters that don’t all add up, then yes.
Haha, Ironside is the MAN!
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jackass.
when i ask you a question on my blog, you answer it! even if it is stupid and repetitive!
well we’ll know next week what adam and i thought of Southland…i am becoming more nervous by the day.
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you’re either going to love Southland or hate it. I personally love it, but it does require a bit of deciphering. there’s actually a really good thread over at imdb (go figure).
and the comics do help alot.
i’m a little biased as my art starts showing up in the first couple minutes.
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I read the prequel graphic novel and liked it quite a bit. It made me think all the negative buzz about the film might be wrong. It definitely helped, as I feel I had a pretty good handle on the film’s unruly plot. But that isn’t even the main problem with Southland Tales. For me, it was the casting and the tone. I know Richard Kelly was going for some sort of pop culture statement by populating his film with Buffy, The Rock and third rate SNL alums, but it just doesn’t work. The acting is across the board terrible and the tone is all over the place. If the film had better actors and the more somber tone of the graphic novel, it could have been a much better film.
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i’m very excited to see your work – that alone will make it worthwhile.
i’ve been excited about southland for a long time now (and waiting not so patiently) but every preview i see kinda makes my head hurt. it’s pretty amazing though to think of you being a part of something so huge. congratulations if i haven’t already said it by the way
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To each his/her own.
i’m going to go see it again tomorrow before it disappears. it may make your head hurt, but its not likely you’ll see anything else like it.
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I agree that Scanners totally sucks. Big let down after a large build up from an old friend. BUT, I love Omega Man. I remember the first time I saw it back in the 70’s, and it’s been good every time I’ve seen it since. There is something so intriguing about that post apocalyptic existence. All well and nice in fiction; not sure the real thing would be so fun.
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nice handle Tom…so very…appropriate
i think i could have loved The Omega Man if i hadn’t just read I Am Legend and known that Omega was based on Legend – it would have been more acceptable. it is campy fun, that’s for sure, but it is a pretty horrible bastardization of the original idea.
also…no comment about my use of CAPITALIZATION? And italics? And bolds? And a half-assed attempt at correct grammar?
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I just realized after talking to Adam that the guy I was “bashing” the film to in this post was the artist on the graphic novel. I had just read the damn thing, you’d think I would have realized. My bad.
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jamminjabber: i thought your comment was pretty okay, otherwise i would have flagged you and shut you down (there will be no hate fests on my blog…regardless of what you do over there on yours)…your comment was very respectful of the graphic novel though, which is of course what our friend Brett worked on.
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