The Packbats' Weblog

This post consists almost entirely of spoilers for 1949 British noir movie The Third Man.

Also, we don't have an answer to the question. Suggestions welcome.

Content warnings for general murderousness (including of children), car accident, and medical stuff.

( Read more... )

What? I asked.

It's a Japanese word that means a story that plays with the same characters, but different, my brother told me. Ninja Gaiden was a retelling of the story of Ninja, but different.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the difference between Whiteout (1998 comic) and Whiteout (2009 film). What killed the interest in this movie for the people who hated it was either (Theory 34) that Kate Beckinsdale's shower scene wasn't hot enough, or (Theory Changed) that it wasn't anything like the book. Both objections are correct ...

... but if the comic had never existed and the film had been simply written directly, it wouldn't have received anything like the opprobrium it is subject to. It's a thriller movie, set in Antartica, with a hot lead, lots of plot twists, good action scenes, kinda low-budget special effects but give them some credit, they work, and a satisfying ending. It's not a classic, it's not a tightly-written Chandleresque suspense novel with brilliantly stylized presentation, it's not forward thinking in any way - it's a popcorn movie, and a good one.

Whiteout Gaiden. Rating: 3 stars, buy cheap or rent.

What was your favorite movie when you were a kid? Is it still your favorite now that you're older? View other answers

The first favorite movie I can recall is actually Twelve Angry Men. For a brief time, Pieces of April displaced it as my favorite, but it has resumed the throne.

You're packing your bag for that magical desert island that happens to have electricity, a TV, and a DVD player—what five DVDs do you take with you? View other answers

In order by increasing cheerfulness:

• The Third Man (1949)
  
• 12 Angry Men (1957)
  
• Crank (2006)
  
• The Rocketeer (1991)
  
• Enchanted (2007)

Crash would have made the list, but I wanted two cheerful movies on the list, so...

I have just watched my first bad movie. I've seen good movies before, I've seen great movies before, I've seen decent movies before, and I've seen one truly terrible movie before, but I've never actually seen a merely bad movie until today.

Man, I want my two bucks back.

Sorry for not getting around to taking about stuff. Enjoyed The Dark Knight when I saw it Saturday, but consider it overrated - worth walking/running 2.5 miles for, but not nearly the religious experience people treat it as. Also, Two-Face was so much cooler than the Joker. (Yes, I said it. So there!)

In contrast, Test Drive Unlimited on XBox 360 rocks like a hurricane. This is a game where you really can drive at 140 mph (225 km/h) for forty miles without loading, through traffic, and it's a fantastic feeling. Only underwhelming parts are (a) the character customization, which is terrifically complex for not much effect, and (b) the motorcycles, which are a little too carlike to be truly thrilling. Oh, and they clearly didn't optimize for the in-car view. In spite of those, it's awesome - A+.

What are some gripping opening lines from films or books, and why do you think they work so well? View other answers

I have never seen a book, film, song, or anything with an opening line to match one old entry by daysgoby (formerly anjimito), here:

On the way home today, while crossing the Fuller-Warren bridge, someone threw a kitten out of their window.

God themself could not write a more gripping first sentence.

(Edit: This entry was reposted to readers_list here, in the event that daysgoby is lost.)

(Also: The kitten came out all right, and went to live in a new, loving home. Sorry to spoil the ending for you. ^_^ )

This is not a review. My impressions of a movie right after seeing it in the theaters is quite unreliable - I have to forcibly restrain myself just to keep the superlatives out.

Loved it. Terrific superhero movie - up there with the best I've seen (that doesn't count, does it?). Characterization and acting were spot-on. Cinematography - I dare not even attempt to describe it. Special effects? Well, those are always hard. They didn't accomplish the impossible, but they did help push the limits a little closer to it.

In plot - it made sense when I watched it. Not the least because the writing was superb. Whoever did the dialogue did magnificently - genuinely clever, and touching, and well, well done.

It was convincing. It was exciting. It was inspiring - a classic uplifting heroic story, in spite of being indubitably set in the ever-popular day after tomorrow. The good guys are good, and the good guys win.

Today was a great day.

(P.S. Got Patty Griffin's 1000 Kisses at Borders after!)

What does it take to make a good movie? What's the best movie you've seen recently? View other answers

I was thinking about this a while back, and I came up with something like this:

• A good movie (good anything, really) does everything competently well. A movie might be fun that does some things badly, but unless all the fundamentals - plot, character, acting, cinematography - are there, it's not going to be a good movie.
  
• A great movie does something superbly.

Of course, neither of these encompass everything required for me, personally, to like a movie. For example, a certain sort of moral center has to be present, and certain kinds of stupidity absent. (I disliked Johnny English for both of these reasons, though it is a good movie; similarly, though to a lesser extent on the former grounds, Surviving Christmas.) However, as a rule of thumb, I believe the above suffice.

Now, as for the best recent movie I've seen? (Yes, I'm altering the phrasing a little.) My nominee is Crank.

First off: if you check the site, you'll see that it's "Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, sexuality, nudity and drug use." You see that "pervasive"? That practically applies to the entire rest of the sentence - no, the entire sentence, full stop. Do not bring your kids to this movie.

Why do I say Crank is an excellent movie? Well, to start with, it's a good movie. The plot is not entirely original - as my mom said, it's clear that the people who made it had heard of the 1950 movie D.O.A. (Dead On Arrival) - but it's definitely okay, and it's the weakest part. But the real reason I mention it is the camerawork.

Read, if you will, the directing, writing, and camera department credits. Yes, those are the same two people. This is a movie by and for camera operators, and it contains the most incredible camerawork I have ever seen, including the most incredible in-camera special effects I've ever heard of. (When you hit the end of the movie: yes, they shot that in-camera. I'm not kidding.)

(Have I abused the <em> tags enough? Hmm, may as well make it an even dozen.)

Now, I can't guarantee you'll like it. My brother didn't even think I'd (twelve!) like it. But if action is your game (and there's plenty of it; it even stars Jason Statham doing his own stunts), Crank won't disappoint.

This is a truly incredible movie. Pure suspense.

I could provide more detail, but just ... wow.

Anyway - on to the TV!

( The penultimate 'Who Wants to Be a Superhero?' episode, and it's the final three! )

Edit: A poll!