Scott Pilgrim vs.... The Expendables?
By
Acemace,
Posted on: 2010-08-05 22:01 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
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And how, exactly, is he loathesome? That's a term I'd reserve for someone like... Andy Dick.|
Originally Posted by Tenzhi
Putting aside that I've been told that the comic/graphic novel is filled with horrible art, even if I read and liked the graphic novel casting a loathsome person in a "loveable" role is Epic Failure.
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| I haven't seen anything particularly humorous in the trailers. However, if you're one of those people who thought Napolean Dynamite was hilarious then we're not on the same humour wavelength. |
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| I didn't watch much of the show because what I did see of it left me completely uninterested in seeing more. |
No, Andy Dick is in a class of loathesome all to himself.
Cera has a voice, or can do a voice, the simply screams lack of self confidence. And what is Scott Pilgrim's journey but a means to achieve the confidence that he's right for Ramona?
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
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The art isn't bad at all. Did you click the link? There's an example of it right there, and an example of the writing and humor. But you didn't bother clicking it, did you? It seems at this point you're just going to hate it because Michael Cera is in it rather than give the movie an opportunity to prove you wrong.|
Originally Posted by Tenzhi
Putting aside that I've been told that the comic/graphic novel is filled with horrible art, even if I read and liked the graphic novel casting a loathsome person in a "loveable" role is Epic Failure.
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| Potentially cheesy fun ruined by the bizarre cloning experiment that combined the DNA of Owen Wilson and Tobey Maguire into one despicable being. |
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| I didn't see Hot Fuzz since the trailers didn't make it seem appealing. Shaun of the Dead was okay, but action or a lack thereof isn't necessarily important to me. Entertainment is my goal. |
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| I haven't seen anything particularly humorous in the trailers. However, if you're one of those people who thought Napolean Dynamite was hilarious then we're not on the same humour wavelength. |
But I don't know why we're talking about ND. This has nothing to do with that. ND was about subtle, awkward humor. This movie is the polar opposite in tone.
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| I didn't watch much of the show because what I did see of it left me completely uninterested in seeing more. I couldn't even have told you Michael Cera was in it. |
Thanks for eight fun years, Paragon.
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Read the other thread on the first page on Edgar Wright's quick comments about SP's motivation if you're really curious. He nails it.|
Originally Posted by Father Xmas
No, Andy Dick is in a class of loathesome all to himself.
Cera has a voice, or can do a voice, the simply screams lack of self confidence. And what is Scott Pilgrim's journey but a means to achieve the confidence that he's right for Ramona? |
I have a friend who is a movie critic for the Dallas Morning News. He knows nothing about the book or the premise this is based on. He saw it last night, and his quick email to me said, "Saw it last night. I must say, I was kind of blown away. Its a fantastic movie: visually, creatively, etc ."
I'm expecting big things.
Thanks for eight fun years, Paragon.
The fight scenes in the trailers look fun, and very over the top. I expect to have a blast.
What is Arrested Development? I have not had broadcast/cable in the last 5 years so I see very little TV.
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In Short: A show with this amazing magician.|
Originally Posted by BlackArachnia
What is Arrested Development?
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For Serious: It's a show about a family (and family business) that's best described as a sinking ship full of self-absorbed dillholes and one man trying to save it all.
I had a long response, but the server maintenance ate it.
So, in short, I suggest finding it. The three seasons are on sale on DVD, if you have Netflix, they're on there as well (I got the first disc through Netflix, watched it, removed all of the subsequent discs and went that day and bout the entire series from Target).
At the very least, YouTube clips will give you bite-sized tastes.
Thanks for eight fun years, Paragon.
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Sheer genius. A show that succeeded at many styles of humor most other writers wouldn't dare. Brick jokes, pitch black humor, sliding stuff past the censors... it was actually daring, as opposed to "We has boobs, we are daring" that some shows claim to be. It experimented and was a success in writing but not in viewership.|
Originally Posted by BlackArachnia
What is Arrested Development?
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Though even Fox adored it, absolutely nothing could garner it a significant mainstream audience. In a truly brilliant parting shot, however, the show spent its final episodes wrapping up the entire series into a nice little package, having foreseen its own cancellation.
I cannot recommend it highly enough.
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It was only after it's cancellation that I started watching episodes of it. If I would have known how good it was when it first aired I would have watched it then.
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Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
Sheer genius. A show that succeeded at many styles of humor most other writers wouldn't dare. Brick jokes, pitch black humor, sliding stuff past the censors... it was actually daring, as opposed to "We has boobs, we are daring" that some shows claim to be. It experimented and was a success in writing but not in viewership.
Though even Fox adored it, absolutely nothing could garner it a significant mainstream audience. In a truly brilliant parting shot, however, the show spent its final episodes wrapping up the entire series into a nice little package, having foreseen its own cancellation. I cannot recommend it highly enough. |
Shadowy Presence - Absolutely, positively worse than playing a Kheldian... --Myrmydon
The Expendables is to action movies what Damn Yankees is to super groups: the overrated led by the over-the-hill. Stallone simply isn't in the first rank of action movie directors, and his screenwriting abilities have waned. 2008's by-the-numbers John Rambo was a vanity project packaged as blood 'n' bullets fan service and tied up with 80s franchise nostalgia. The Expendables looks like more of the same, only with a larger cast and budget. Besides, my action movie budget is already allocated to Machete.
Edgar Wright, on the other hand, is an up-and-coming original helming his first big-budget extravaganza, with the excellent movies Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead under his belt. Scott Pilgrim promises a unique combination of geek-fu, video game-fu, indie rock, wit, and, yes, explosions.
Interestingly, while both films fall in the same segment on Metacritic's average scoring system, Scott Pilgrim has a much wider range of scores, than the Expendables. That kind of split suggests there's something unusual to see.
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And according to other critics, Scott Pilgrim is Twilight for boys.
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Originally Posted by ChrisMoses
Read the other thread on the first page on Edgar Wright's quick comments about SP's motivation if you're really curious. He nails it.
I have a friend who is a movie critic for the Dallas Morning News. He knows nothing about the book or the premise this is based on. He saw it last night, and his quick email to me said, "Saw it last night. I must say, I was kind of blown away. Its a fantastic movie: visually, creatively, etc ." I'm expecting big things. |
Tales of Judgment. Also here, instead of that other place.
good luck D.B.B.
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From the moment the series was about beating up enough of the woman's exe's that you would "win" her, I've shut off the part of my brain that analyzes subtext and focused on the fighting.|
Originally Posted by Agonus
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After watching the movie, I may come back and rant. In the meantime, however, I'm withholding accusations.
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OK, either we all listen to critics, and take their word for everything, or we ignore them.|
Originally Posted by Agonus
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Do you really think they are going to give the Expendables a high score? No.
Critics do not tell me that is good. Most of them miss out on the point of a movie, TO HAVE FUN! This is why things like A Beautiful Mind, American Beauty, and Slumdog Millionaire always dominate the Oscars. There ARE action movies, and fantasy movies that are well acted, and well written. Critics just do not see them as art.
Are we going to listen to the same type of people that look at comic books as being childish and amatuerish instead of something that can have a great story and great art work?
NO!!
Well, to quote another man, "I may not know art, but I know what I like."
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This reminds me of when reviewers started trashing The Last Aribender. These forums were utterly alight with guesses as to how critics could misunderstand it. That it could still be genius even with bad reviews.|
Originally Posted by BlackArachnia
OK, either we all listen to critics, and take their word for everything, or we ignore them.
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Then people saw it for themselves. They came back, pale skinned and white eyed. They fumbled unknowingly for their beds and claimed some muttering utterance of "Mouth of the Beast". They fell asleep and slumbered in a torrential and quaking comfort that saw them into eternity.
tl;dr Sometimes reviews know what they're talking about. It doesn't mean you must agree with them.
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Who cares how the Expendables is rated? That is missing the "point" of the movie. |
Originally Posted by BlackArachnia
OK, either we all listen to critics, and take their word for everything, or we ignore them.
Do you really think they are going to give the Expendables a high score? No. |
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Originally Posted by BlackArachnia
Are we going to listen to the same type of people that look at comic books as being childish and amatuerish instead of something that can have a great story and great art work?
NO!! Well, to quote another man, "I may not know art, but I know what I like." |
Tales of Judgment. Also here, instead of that other place.
good luck D.B.B.
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The reviewer who had that to say about Scott Pilgrim had similarly negative things to say about The Expendables. Although she didn't dislike it quite as much. She used some entertaining phrases to describe it though. My personal favorite being her calling the film's character development an, "accretion of manly male melodrama."|
Originally Posted by Agonus
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Edit: Finally got the sarcasticgamer webpage to load and noticed they said that too. I was talking about the movie reviewer up there, just in case it wasn't obvious.
MA Arcs: Yarmouth 1509 and 58812
I find the consensus score on Rotten Tomatoes is usually about right. Sometimes a little too high or a little too low, but it's rare that I completely disagree with it.
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I wasn't citing a critic as to how a movie could be good.|
Originally Posted by Agonus
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I was citing a friend, who had a reason to form an opinion on the movie and see it early (as a critic) and had no idea what the movie would be about to make a case that even people unfamiliar with the subject matter could enjoy it.
Edit: Because if we're taking the critic angle, I think the Expendables fan has more to lose than those touting Scott Pilgrim.
EditX2: Also, your "negative" review on Destructoid said:
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| Through life, death, and a third option, we see the characters we've grown to love finally reach their potential. It's visually and emotionally beautiful. All of the main characters' stories wrap up together at the same time, under an umbrella of events that can only be described as a "videogame come to life." I've never seen a movie utilize videogames as source material as honestly, intelligently, and effectively as Scott Pilgrim does. |
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It may be snarky, but this is still the first true videogame movie. I certainly hope it's not the last. Score: 8.0 -- Great (8s are impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.) |
Thanks for eight fun years, Paragon.
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Honestly, if one is going to link to a negative review of Scott Pilgrim, then a critic with some taste and or at least notoriety would be nice. Take note, however, that this is shaping up to be a movie that divides critics, and very probably audiences, too.|
Originally Posted by Agonus
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Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
From the moment the series was about beating up enough of the woman's exe's that you would "win" her, I've shut off the part of my brain that analyzes subtext and focused on the fighting.
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Oh, I get that entirely. And on that level, I appreciate it. It's commentary on game concept, which was unintentionally commentary itself. |
Originally Posted by TrueGentleman
That is, of course, the plot of the average video game, an ethos that Pilgrim has unreflectively absorbed. Wright has made it clear that this approach won't work in the real world and that Pilgrim (surely that name's symbolism isn't obscure?) will have to learn otherwise for himself.
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No, there were no reviews for Last Airbender before it was released. That's even worse than bad reviews, it meant the studio felt that there was no chance of any pre-release buzz being helped by the critics. All I was hoping for was that the studio execs simply didn't grok the premise. |
Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay
This reminds me of when reviewers started trashing The Last Aribender. These forums were utterly alight with guesses as to how critics could misunderstand it. That it could still be genius even with bad reviews.
Then people saw it for themselves. They came back, pale skinned and white eyed. They fumbled unknowingly for their beds and claimed some muttering utterance of "Mouth of the Beast". They fell asleep and slumbered in a torrential and quaking comfort that saw them into eternity. tl;dr Sometimes reviews know what they're talking about. It doesn't mean you must agree with them. |
Boy was I wrong.
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
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Nope, I did not click the links as you said they were critics. Heck there are people in this forum alone that bash Fellowship of the Rings, one of the best movies I ever saw. |
Originally Posted by Agonus
Did you even check any of those links I posted? Sarcasticgamer.com is reviewing the comic, and destructoid.com is in there too. A far cry from the elitist reviewers with no sense of fun you're talking about. |
I have not read the comic. I know very little about it. It simply looks cool. It's like everyone jumping on how fun The Expendables will be. I saw an article today, and found out who many of the actors are. They are athletes, not actors. That does not inspire confidence in me what so ever.
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Let's see... two critiques were generally positive in their conclusions. Ms. Johanson's criticisms, I'll admit, are scathing and accurate. Then two more critiques by the same guy who didn't like the film. So what I'm seeing is a 50/50 split.
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Originally Posted by Agonus
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Here is a trailer recreation using the graphic novel pages, both to show how faithful of an adaptation the movie appears to be, and to show that one guy who questioned the art what it actually looks like (if he can be bothered to click the link this time, that is).
Thanks for eight fun years, Paragon.
Tenzhi, you called Michael Cera loathsome and presume Arrested Development interesting. I think you're, ah, quite different from the average geek.
And how is Cera "loathsome"? Strong word for someone who has effectively separated his personal life from his acting career.