donbot

Firstly, (in reference to all your previous discussions) I took it as "our" world - pre-humanity (pre all life?) at the beginning of the film. And that the engineer's death was the catalyst for our existence. Evolution, of a fashion, would still be in check - as we supposedly came from the sea anyway. This sort of fits with all the weird genesises going on later, as you see several different ways to get to the same point (loved that pictorial diagram ). I took the black liquid to be the famed 'primordial ooze' from which all life begins. Is it the same thing he drinks that the worms fall into later? Why he drinks it I don't know - at first I thought he'd been left behind E.T. style, but then I saw Mr. Icon's pictures of the shrouded engineer, and some sort of ritual?

Secondly, why does a biologist (particularly one who has already voiced fears at what they might meet) step closer to what's essentially an overly phallic cobra in attack stance position. You learn at school that when their hoods are spread it's as a threat. HE'S A BIOLOGIST! And, you'd think, a pretty bloody good one to be picked for this expedition. That said, the geologist with the 'maps' got himself lost too - so maybe it was done on the cheap?

Thirdly, yes, Jennka - run sideways! You can trip, sprain your ankle and take a sidestep and avoid the falling spaceship. You can't outrun it in the same direction.

Thought you might like these? They're famous movies "re-imagined" ( stick with me, it's in a good way this time) as oriental art tableaux.

Guess 'em - not tricky:

What I've bought since Steam Summer Sales began:

La Noire (Complete Edition/Dlc's), The Binding Of Isaac + Soundtrack, Darksiders, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfare 2, From Dust, Warhammer 40,00: Space Marine Pack (with Dlc's), Borderlands Game Of The Year (Dlc's included), Plants Vs. Zombies, Cthulhu Saves the World & Breath of Death VII Double Pack, Left 4 Dead 1 & 2, Legend of Grimrock, Killing Floor Bundle (all dlc's), Prince of Persia (Complete pack all games+ Dlc's), Fable III (with Dlc's), Ys the oath of Felghana, Assassin's Creed (Deluxe Edition All games + Dlc's)

And there will be more to come

Look what Edita wore to 'Peru': Her outfit belongs more in the bedroom...(pretty awesome in that context) than the ballroom but I do wonder why her handlers advised her to wear something like this. I don't know what the 'Mate foundation' is...1. The launching of a non-profit organization 2. or cosmetics?

"Launch event of MATE Foundation in Lima, Peru, July 12, 2012"

I admit, I lol'ed at 1:30

Yeah, I did. I liked it most on Karlie, though....

Yeah I saw that. It sure was an interesting and questionable choice. But..

Iza wore something equally.. eyecatching at that event too - did you see that?

Firstly, (in reference to all your previous discussions) I took it as "our" world - pre-humanity (pre all life?) at the beginning of the film. And that the engineer's death was the catalyst for our existence. Evolution, of a fashion, would still be in check - as we supposedly came from the sea anyway. This sort of fits with all the weird genesises going on later, as you see several different ways to get to the same point (loved that pictorial diagram ). I took the black liquid to be the famed 'primordial ooze' from which all life begins. Is it the same thing he drinks that the worms fall into later? Why he drinks it I don't know - at first I thought he'd been left behind E.T. style, but then I saw Mr. Icon's pictures of the shrouded engineer, and some sort of ritual?

Yeah, I did. I liked it most on Karlie, though....

<_<

^

Is that a total piss-take, or is it actually partially serious? I just can't tell anymore

^Indeed

Did you hear about the whole 'chicken wing' tackle debacle with Judd?

Firstly, (in reference to all your previous discussions) I took it as "our" world - pre-humanity (pre all life?) at the beginning of the film. And that the engineer's death was the catalyst for our existence. Evolution, of a fashion, would still be in check - as we supposedly came from the sea anyway. This sort of fits with all the weird genesises going on later, as you see several different ways to get to the same point (loved that pictorial diagram ). I took the black liquid to be the famed 'primordial ooze' from which all life begins. Is it the same thing he drinks that the worms fall into later? Why he drinks it I don't know - at first I thought he'd been left behind E.T. style, but then I saw Mr. Icon's pictures of the shrouded engineer, and some sort of ritual?

I figured that scene was supposed to be the creation of humanity in some respect, but that running in parallel with evolution just causes more confusion. Surely their intention was to create beings in their own image.. did they really set down X million years ago to start that process? Did they create all life on Earth X billion years ago? Was it really by design or do they just spread their seed all over the universe in the hope that one of the combinations of circumstances results in us?

<_<

Guys, expect to see a Dark Knight Rises review sometime tonight or this weekend from yours truly.... This was my only anticipated movie of the year, and I would undoubtedly have much to say

thread: http://www.bellazon....12/page__st__40

I saw the Dark Knight Rises, here's my immediate thoughts: * (warning, no blatant spoilers but of course, one's inferential abilities may be stimulated. )

- If Batman Begins was a Bildungsroman, The Dark Knight would be a Crime epic, and The Dark Knight Rises would be a disaster film.- as in, a film about an apocalyptic situation. I rewatched the Joker/Dent scenes from TDK, and refreshed myself with a little bit of BB the day before. TDK has a special capacity for instilling a triple sense of horror, uncertainty, and fascination for its entire duration. BB is the best reboot of a superhero and story about a superhero.

Batman Begins- 4/5

The Dark Knight- 4.5/5

The Dark Knight Rises- 3.5/5 whole film, 2.5/5 as a story, 6/5 as an action spectacle

-Now, onto Part 3

-TDKR felt like a movie with 6 hours worth of ideas, but squeezed into 3 hours. So many ministories, and I believe that TDKR was ambitious to an extent that I've never seen before. It was definitely non-conventional in format, and experimental on the part of the director.

The tone was just..considerably different from 1 and 2. I do wonder a bit about how my views will change if I see this film a second time. As of now, I think it tried to do too much in a limited time frame (yes, 2:45 is too little for a movie this big), and the storylines- which were legion and involving nearly a dozen characters, were not individually fleshed out. Quality was sacrificed for quantity.

- This film is 1/4 about Bruce Wayne, 1/4 about the rest of the cast. 1/2 about spectacle and 'disasters'. So it doesn't revolve around the villain like TDK did. I didn't like the format at all. I like films that revolve more around flesh and blood in depth rather than just around spectacles.

- But The 'Man of Steel' 2013 Teaser trailer was attached to it and is inspiring- good things may come out of that. High productive values and imagery. It's narrated by Kevin Costner, who plays Superman's adoptive father. Good teaser, and 'Man of Steel' resembles a bildungsroman like 'Batman Begins'. Henry Cavill is the new superman.

- As far as ratings go, I'll give this a 3.5/5 overall. As a pure story, just a 2.5/5. I'm starting to understand the rotten tomatoes now- it's the weakest 'story' of the trilogy. The narration, the plot turns, the characters just aren't there this time around. But, as an action spectacle- it's a 6/5. There is simply no other film quite like it. Action junkies will see some the best action...ever. It's innovative in this respect. The scale and scope of what you will see in this film are just simply beyond Part 2 or any other film I can think of. It's worth watching as an action spectacle, and preferably in IMAX.

- The film is wall to wall action intermixed with dialogue, and it's very difficult to completely process. It's just so....much. So many characters, so many events going on.

-I liked the first hour a lot more than the second and the third. Anne Hathaway shows a lot of promise as catwoman in the early scenes, and I thought she did well with sub-par material. The second and third hour is where....let me..for comparison's sake, call it "the Institutional imperative' ...went out of control. There are a few good scenes, but it's mixed with too many 'noisy' and muddy ones. I think the short form for this situation is the term 'bloated...' But the sheer quantity of intricate setpieces is such that I have never seen before, and that smaller bit was a fascination of its own.

-My favorite theme in the film, and favorite parts were those that revolved around the theme of Bruce Wayne being physically and psychologically damaged and the life & mores of the Catwoman. If the first 2 hours of the film were about that and about that greatly expanded in depth and length....then this movie would of had great potential.

On towards the more negative.

-Christian Bale's early scenes are solid, but he was given a below average script. There was a sense (I felt it, at least), that Bale didn't put as much effort as he did in Batman Begins and was just going through the motions. He could have done much better, even with the problematic script.

Bale's best performance is still in Batman Begins. BB was his movie.

-The narration, themes, and dialogue are weaker this time around. While Part 1 and Part 2 gave plenty for one to talk and think about, Part 3 lacks that sort of emotional resonance. Much of the dialogue, and action are unnecessary. As a story, it fails in my view. It fails for me because I lost belief that these characters were actually real and I lost belief that this 'universe' had some basis in reality. In contrast, Part 1 and Part 2 succeeded in sustaining this semi-reality. And that's the vital point, and what separated Nolan's Batman from the cluster of competing superhero franchises. If the film fails here, it just fails....that's how it is.

Now, towards my opinions of the characters (not really a spoiler, but I'll put a spoiler tag on them anyway:)

But Indeed, Bane's fighting skills were scary, but he was just another thug with the intellectual depth of a puddle to me. He was a standard-issue movie monster, nothing more.

-Nevertheless, TDKR is worth watching once, I wouldn't want to spend time to seeing the entire 2:45 thing again. I do, however, want to review the better scenes (top 40%) of the film.

So I think I'll pick up a cam rip sometime.....For what's it worth, I had a good time! (including writing this..)

Here's another, more heartfelt thought:

not really a spoiler:

Hey don, can you clean up these avatars for me? When they shrink to avatar size, the resolution gets messy...!

Much appreciated : )

^Spoilers within spoilers. Not even our Prometheus discussion had those

Interesting thoughts. I saw the movie on Sunday, and I agree with much of what you said. Ledger's Joker was always going to be a tough act to follow, but there wasn't anything particularly captivating about Bane at all; in his past, present or at the conclusion of his arc. I too felt that a lot of the film was muddy, and I think the lapses of time during the final act were really strange and not very well realised. More focus on less would have definately been an improvement - especially if that meant more Selina.

I actually didn't mind Blake's character so much, although I felt the pull of his story arc to where it ended up to be a bit forced. On this..

Do you know if they've actually queued up a Robin spin-off/sequel, or were they merely opening the door for it you think?

It also struck me more than a few times how much he looks like Heath Ledger, coincidentally. Is it just me?

Hey don, can you clean up these avatars for me? When they shrink to avatar size, the resolution gets messy...!

Here you go

Also, awesome picture of the week:

:o

whow