2012

maestrowork · Jul 2, 2009

Why oh why do they have to show so much in trailers. Like, the whole movie plus all the SFX shots?

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2415723033/

Kurtz · Jul 2, 2009

[standard trailer voice] This summer, it's John Cusack versus everything[/]

AdamH · Jul 2, 2009

Wow! That was cool. Saw the whole movie and saved myself a few bucks and about 2 plus hours of my life.

Totally like another version of A Day After Tomorrow.

Who am I kidding? I'm a sucker for disaster movies. :e2drown:

Shadow_Ferret · Jul 2, 2009

Sounds like it's got some AWESOME!!!! bass! Yeah!

But do you really think that's the whole movie? In 2 minutes?

And from the name, I thought it was another Arthur C. Clarke film.

maestrowork · Jul 2, 2009

It's just 2 hours of more of the same. Doesn't mean it won't be awesome. Disaster movies are cheesy, guilty pleasure, eye candy.

"We need to not fight each other, for humanity's sake." oh oh oh, when did I hear that before? Cheesecake Factory?

Yeah, but I'll see it, most definitely.

Shadow_Ferret · Jul 2, 2009

Isnt' that sort of what THe Day After was? 2 hours of disaster and people trying to survive? In fact, most of the lastest ones are that. Wasn't there something called "Volcano?"

Its rehashing of a theme that Airport, Poseiden Adventure, and the Tower Inferno started. The ante has been raised globally thanks to CGI.

firedrake · Jul 2, 2009

Cheesy, but entertaining. I can't wait.

I love the complete disregard the director has for iconic structures like the White House or the Vatican, he certainly loves destroying them.

Fokker Aeroplanbau · Jul 2, 2009

Looks decent, maybe I'll get it on NetFlix.

Enzo · Jul 4, 2009

It looks like a remake of Armageddon, or Michael Bay on steroids.
I can't see it offering anything new we already didn't have in Armageddon, The Day after Tomorrow, the new Transformers etc: just stuff hitting big objects.

Zoombie · Jul 4, 2009

I love this tagline

"The Mayan calendar predicted it, science has confirmed it, but we never imagined, it could really happen. "

HAAHAHAHAAAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAAHAHAAHA
HAAHAHAHAAAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAAAHAHAAHA

The Mayan Calendar predicted no such thing! The way I understand it, the Mayan Calendar goes on cycles, and that if they were still using that system by 2012, they'd simply reset it back to zero and continue on as though nothing had changed.

And science confirmed no such thing!

Can't we come up with something better than the Mayan calender to make an exciting movie?

Like...

um...

Aliens suddenly invade during World War 2, forcing all of humanity to take up arms against them, uniting us at the time of our greatest division.

I'd watch that...

Wavy_Blue · Jul 4, 2009

Meh. I can't stand disaster movies. Which is strange, because I LOVE action flicks. I guess there's just something about knowing exactly how the movie is going to end the second you see the preview that makes it not seem like much fun to watch. I HATED Poseidon.

maestrowork · Jul 4, 2009

Oh, but this one... I don't know how it's going to end. The entire planet is falling apart. Manhattan just sank into the ocean. So how are they going to fix that?

As cheesy and stupid as The Day After Tomorrow was (and some of it was REALLY bad -- like the tornadoes in LA. Oh gawd that was awful), I liked parts of it. I liked the wolves. I liked the book burning discussion. I liked the quick freeze. And I loved how Americans were running across the border to Mexico, seeking asylum. That's just ironic.

Like I said, they're guilty pleasures but sometimes they have something that just makes you go, "Wow, that's so neat."

maestrowork · Jul 4, 2009

Besides, knowing how it ends doesn't mean the events before the end can't be entertaining. I know how Pearl Harbor was going to end, but I still liked Tora! Tora! Tora! How about the Titanic? Or Indiana Jones (as if he wasn't going to save the day)? Or James Bond? Or Transformers (right, as if you don't know Optimus Prime is going to kick some alien robot butts)?

Jcomp · Jul 4, 2009

I'm expecting visual awesomeness accompanied by copious (but surmountable) plot idiocy.

maestrowork · Jul 4, 2009

Jcomp said:
I'm expecting visual awesomeness accompanied by copious (but surmountable) plot idiocy.

Pure escapism.

As long as I can see clearly what buildings and which landmarks are falling, I'll be happy. Don't have six indistinguishable robots fighting one another in close-ups!

Jcomp · Jul 4, 2009

maestrowork said:
Pure escapism.

As long as I can see clearly what buildings and which landmarks are falling, I'll be happy. Don't have six indistinguishable robots fighting on another in close-ups!

Amen.

I have a buddy of mine who actually thinks that Roland Emmerich, given a good story, could make a sci-fi / spec-fic classic instead of mere popcorn flicks. Been debating him about this for a while now. I think Emmerich's niche is these sort of throwback disaster flicks, this is where he's comfortable and entertaining. He doesn't care enough about detail or plain common sense to make a masterpiece, even if he throws out some pretty arresting visuals. I just wish he would get over the Day After Tomorrow style attempts to shoehorn some sort of message into his movies.

Toothpaste · Jul 4, 2009

Emmerich is a total guilty pleasure for me, I love seeing how the famous landmarks will be destroyed this time. Though he has a fair bit in common with the Bay, as Maestro said, there's a couple big differences: you can actually SEE what's happening, and I think he sets up tension well and has a good sense of pace (again unlike Bay whose films I find genuinely boring by the end, they happen all at the same pitch and tempo).

maestrowork · Jul 4, 2009

Yeah, the problem with Day After Tomorrow was it's seen as a "message" film -- and it was. The whole green, environmental theme. No one likes heavy-handed message films.

Independence Day still remains one of the best "cheesy" extravaganzas of all times. Roland Emmerich definitely is a master of this genre. And I'm glad he's back to do his thing.

I'm sure, though, he's going to sneak some "messages" in there but hopefully it would be more subtle and ironic this time. I love, for example, how the Vatican crumbles, killing all the folks holding vigils. It's totally un-PC (probably controversial, too) and ironic. But in the context (it's, after all, about a Mayan prediction), you have to find some humor in that.

Jcomp · Jul 4, 2009

maestrowork said:
I'm sure, though, he's going to sneak some "messages" in there but hopefully it would be more subtle and ironic this time. I love, for example, how the Vatican crumbles, killing all the folks holding vigils. It's totally un-PC (probably controversial, too) and ironic. But in the context (it's, after all, about a Mayan prediction), you have to find some humor in that.

Yeah, when I was looking at the trailer it seemed for a second like the catastrophe had declared war on Catholicism. The statue of Jesus in Brazil crumbles, the vatican gets destroyed complete with a crack in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel dividing God and man. It was a few seconds of symbolism overload, but that's fine.

My larger beef is when a movie, like Day After Tomorrow, shoots for a message but gets its facts as screwed as possible. Movies can be factually inaccurate--it's just a flick, not history class--but don't act like you're imparting scholarly wisdom when you're calling the Mayans the first civilization. You're just setting yourself up to get skewered.

Vincent · Jul 4, 2009

Jcomp said:
Amen.

I have a buddy of mine who actually thinks that Roland Emmerich, given a good story, could make a sci-fi / spec-fic classic instead of mere popcorn flicks. Been debating him about this for a while now. I think Emmerich's niche is these sort of throwback disaster flicks, this is where he's comfortable and entertaining. He doesn't care enough about detail or plain common sense to make a masterpiece, even if he throws out some pretty arresting visuals. I just wish he would get over the Day After Tomorrow style attempts to shoehorn some sort of message into his movies.

I happen to love Stargate.

Kurtz · Jul 4, 2009

Jcomp said:
My larger beef is when a movie, like Day After Tomorrow, shoots for a message but gets its facts as screwed as possible. Movies can be factually inaccurate--it's just a flick, not history class--but don't act like you're imparting scholarly wisdom when you're calling the Mayans the first civilization. You're just setting yourself up to get skewered.

Oh my God do they do that they weren't even the first civilisation in Mesoamerica, let alone America

maestrowork · Jul 4, 2009

beezle said:
I happen to love Stargate.

Stargate was awesome.

The movie that screwed them up was Gozilla. What was that about? It was dreadful.

Zoombie · Jul 4, 2009

The problem I have is...

Godzilla you can fight.

Aliens you can beat

Cold you can warm up with.

Alien portals are just fucking cool.

But how in the flying PISS of HELL are they going to even remotely survive the WORLD sinking into the OCEANS!?!

maestrowork · Jul 5, 2009

Zoombie said:
But how in the flying PISS of HELL are they going to even remotely survive the WORLD sinking into the OCEANS!?!

Cue Kevin Costner from Water World.

(the preview mentioned about a boat. So I guess they'll be going after the Noah's Ark angle).

Jcomp · Jul 5, 2009

Kurtz said:
Oh my God do they do that they weren't even the first civilisation in Mesoamerica, let alone America

Exactly what I said in my review. Except with considerably more profanity.

2012

Fear the Death Ray

Fix up, look sharp.

Pumped Up Kicks

Court Jester

Fear the Death Ray

Court Jester

practical experience, FTW

Dragon of the Multiverse

Adventure is out there!

Fear the Death Ray

Fear the Death Ray

Fear the Death Ray

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is out now!

Fear the Death Ray

Cheers

Fix up, look sharp.

Fear the Death Ray

Dragon of the Multiverse

Fear the Death Ray