Escape to the Movies: That Awkward Moment

[Ashley Blalock]

The reason I can't get excited about Godzilla is because I've been burned too many times by Hollywood wanting a name to sell tickets but never understanding what made something work in the first place. Just too many films that feel like in name only. Getting kind of rare to find those films where you can say the film makers get it instead of feeling like they were just pandering to you or worse completely re-invented something because they had to take something geeky and make it cool for the frat-boys of the world.

I just can't see Hollywood making something like the original Godzilla. A force of nature so just throwing tanks or more guns at the big guy will not do you any good, Godzilla should stomp the military not back down because you've got jingoism on your side. Plus all this got to have a stupid happy ending crap. Part of the reason I loved the original film is because it had such a sober ending with self sacrifice to not only save Japan but to save the world from a terrible weapon. It didn't feel so much like defeating Godzilla as it felt like the characters just did find a way to survive.

Plus how do you top the original Godzilla for bold. To have a movie with so destruction so soon after World War II was a bold move by the film makers and I deep admire that sort of bold risk taking in film making.

 

[Moeez]

If you want to see a good movie with Miles Teller, SPECTACULAR NOW.

It's sweet and touching. Romantic coming-of-age, living in the present and commitment issues, reconnecting with an astray father, not loving yourself, drinking and the path to self-destruction. Taken in the context of a high school teen about to graduate is still interesting. Here, the execution from the writer duo of 500 Days of Summer really sells it with really tender performances from Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller. MEW and Brie Larson also play supporting characters, they're good and just damn cute.

Also, Shailene's character is into manga.

 

[PayNSprayBandit]

Because Monsters (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1470827/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). What a steaming pile of garbage. The director also wrote it. So no hope there.

This.

The answer to your question is Gareth Edwards.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/2266-Monsters

I'm not prepared to bury him before he's had a chance to surprise me, but he is every reservation I have.

 

[Disthron]

You should review Her, that only came out a week or two ago didn't it?

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Oh, is that where it came from? Huh.

Well, I'm probably already in Bob's movie taste shit-list (you see, I actually like Amazing Spider-Man), but I kind of got the point of Red State. Not to say the point is particularly compelling, but the whole thing is this gonzo set of movie mad-libs all built around Smith and the Westboro Baptist Church having a bit of a grudge against each other. If anything, I was a bit surprised that the movie *looks* as good as it does, considering that Smith has never been a particularly visual guy. The plot being basically random is clearly intentional, even if that doesn't mean it works. But I don't even know if that's why Bob dislikes it, so maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree?

I actually assumed Bob's issue had more to do with Smith having harshly criticised film critics and Hollywood at large after Cop Out. He's been doing a whole lot of passive-aggressive stuff I don't keep track of since then, mostly as a "screw you" to the whole movie thing. I can totally see how, Bob being a film nerd with an Internet presence very much cut from the same cloth as Smith, that 180 would have felt insulting or intellectually bankrupt. Still, on that issue I don't think it retroactively harms Smith's earlier movies. They were maybe a bit overrated then, they are maybe a bit underrated now.

The thing is while he was very negative towards Red State, in the review itself he didn't seem to harbor any outright negativity toward Smith at the time and that was after Cop Out/critics fiasco. The sudden U-turn is strange given that.

However, it's fair enough if someone were to simply not like a filmmaker yet Bob seems oddly consistent on him despite Smith, regardless of one's feelings towards him, is far from a major issue with the industry. Basically I have to wonder "why him of all people?"

I'm probably opening up a can of worms with this one but: jealousy?

I mean, when you think about it, Bob and Kevin Smith are kinda similar to one another. Both are overweight, nerdy guys who are not stereotypically good-looking, both are big geeks who love comic books and films, both went to school for film (though Smith dropped out), and both have jobs that revolve around film.

The difference, of course is that (whether you like him or not) Smith is a multi-millionaire director with several hits under his belt, is married to an attractive woman with whom he has a daughter, and people come out in droves to hear him speak. Bob works for an esoteric video game website and (as far as I can tell) isn't exactly killing it with the ladies. It sometimes feels like Bob hates more on successful nerdy type directors (JJ Abrams, Kevin Smith) than he does on just successful directors he doesn't like (Michael Bay notwishtanding). Is it jealousy? I dunno, just a theory.

 

[VikingKing]

This interests me in the same way that The Big Bang Theory does.

And in the manner of a car wreck happening in slow motion.

 

[Stupidity]

These days I find romantic comedies on Tv or the big screen unbearable. All I can think about is my incredible soul burning hatred for the pompous producers and screenwriters that think they should tell me how to feel and what to like and then charge me to subject myself to their blantant vapid brainwashing money grab.

Seriously, over and over again on a seemingly endless loop, its Hahahaha, how quirky of him to like XXXX now grow to be just like our perfect shining idea of life/morality and Love like your told!

And I say this as a straight white guy.

 

[Strain42]

Well apparently Miles Teller has been cast as Mr. Fantastic in the new Fantastic Four film.

...soooo...I'm just gonna go sigh and rub my eyes about that now if that's cool with you all.