Recent Viewing Part IV

I reckon we're at Def-Con 3

The Avengers is pretty stupid, too!

-Erik-

Yes, but that's because you're wrong.

I saw the early showing, slightly cheaper in other words, today of "Lone Survivor". The theater was nearly full.

Based on the real operation Red Wings, where a group of Navy SEAL's goes on an operation to take out a Taliban operative who's killed a number of American's in Afghanistan.

Things go off without a hitch until one unexpected encounter, then things go down hill quickly and do not get better.


Now, I had a bunch of fore knowledge about it simply because the survivor, I won't give his name incase you don't know it and are planning on seeing the movie, is good good friends with Glenn Beck, and he's had him on the radio and television show a few times to talk about it (in fact, he was on this last Friday).

For example, I know that he never killed that Taliban with the knife as depected in the film. And that he was paralyzed from the waist down at the end and was using his hands to drag his body across the rocky forest, taking a knife, drawing a line as far ahead himself as he could, and dragging himself until he reached it, then drawing the line again. Sadly, this dramatic moment of strength and courage was not in the film.

He took hits, fell brutally down rocky mountain sides, was paralyzed from the waist down, and was being hunted by an unexpected small army of Taliban.


Glenn specifically asked him how accurate is the movie, and he said some of it was so real, it was like his nightmares. The events left him with severe emotional stress and problems and it took him a long time to get over those. He was still going through them when talking to the studio about making the movie, at one point telling them that if they do anything to dishonor him or his fallen brothers, he'd kill them. The meeting got a little quiet after that.


The film is brutal. There's some shakey-cam in it, but it's not overly done. But what is overly done, is the fast-cut scenes -- got really annoying.
There's appropriate amounts of pre-Red Wings comradery before so we get to know the real life people some, and you feel bad for them because you remember what the film is titled.

The score by Steve Jablonsky and Explosions In the Sky, is servicable, but nothing remarkable.
Some syntyhs pads, guitar, some orchestra later on. It was kind of there carrying you around, never really helped the emotion of the film and the emotonal release was weak.

Peter Berg, director.


It was worth it.

Seriously old friend.....explain?

There were some good points in this film but on the whole it was truly dreadful.

Agreed, but Iron Man 3 comes in a tight second. The whole trilogy was pretty solid imho.

Volker

I prefer Man of steel too, and Thor is speaking undeniable fact. Anyway, my favourite Marvel is the first Iron man. The avengers is pretty neat as well.

Peter

Sherlock

Have now watched all the episodes, and have really enjoyed this show. The first episode completely blew me away, so I was a bit disappointed that I didn't find the second one as good. All the others were very good, except for the second episode of the third season, which was a bit lackluster and had a bit too much comedy. But the comedy in all the other episodes has been fantastic.

Anyway, Sherlock is a fantastic character, and Watson is great tu. Irene Adler was great, and should be in future episodes. I wonder though if I'm the only one who found Moriarty to be a ridiculous caricature and the overacting to be ridiculous. He acted like a spiteful teenager, overdosed on mushrooms and I'm supposed to believe he's some super genius who's running a global crime syndicate? I get what they were trying to do, but they should at the very least have used an actor who's gone through puberty. [spoiler]Glad he snuffed it though.[/spoiler]

Anyway, can't wait for the third episode tonight!

Peter

Telling. Very telling.

I watched the first one a few days ago. It's a solid film, a decent start to the Iron Man franchise, but as ever with 'origin' stories by the second half it loses what it sets up so well at the start. Iron Man 3 is better on just about every level!

I don't care. Even if that was a joke, he delivered it so deadpan that it's still bad taste.

Right.

Hm. I think there are ways to be wry and funny that don't involve insulting a colleague, but maybe that's just me.

Seriously, dude. Lighten up!

I would say it's a matter of British vs. American humor, if it wasn't for the fact that I gel pretty well with British humor most of the time.
I dunno, there was just something about that comment that rubbed me the wrong way. But I'll try.