Stream of Consciousness, Not Unlike Urine. - Page 2

Blog Wars II is happening. I just have to find an angle for a summer release.

Being mentioned in your blog. We's famous, baby. Top of da world, ma.

Oh, that was beautiful!!!

And I got a mention. I thank you, sir. Unless you’re talking about another Natalia. If that is the case, I’m an asshole.

By the way, parts of your post felt like The Unofficial CHUD Bloggers’ Manifesto. Very cool indeed.

Excellent assessment. Though I must confess that despite trying to make two of the movies you wrote about one of my birthday gifts, I haven’t seen any of them. Also, I haven’t seen Watchmen. The shame…The shame…

Hehehe...silly boy.

Great write up, Erix. I agree on your assessment on 1. Star Trek 2. THE REST. Star Trek set the benchmark really early in the summer, and it's not going to get passed.

As per my write up in the B-Action Thread, (and I may turn it into a blog as well) I really dug Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen.

Can't wait to read about you as Dr. Manhattan.

That actually makes a lot of sense.

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited to correct the first part of what I had written. Just saw Watchmen. OMG!!!!!!

Good, you're blogging again!

Welcome back sir!

I haven't seen 8 of the 25 films you listed, but I was glad to see Unbreakable made the list.

It's wonderful to see you blogging again!

Pretty cool you name dropped TAE GUK GI: THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR. A fab movie. I always imagined John Woo crying after seeing this movie and its budget compared to his WINDTALKERS.

Sounds major league crazy, Erix.

Although I find sardines to be DELICIOUS! Glad you made it out ok.

Your blog lists every single reason why I don't go to big concerts.

Good read sir!

Great Blog man, I retired from concerts a few years ago and it sounds like it was the right move.

I've only seen Iron Man 2 once, and I liked it, but my girlfriend and I came out of the theater thinking the same thing you posted, Erix. The final showdown sucked. Rourke should have had a big battle with Stark and Rhodes.

Also in the Summer of 2001 there was American Pie 2, and that was a damn hilarious sequel. Although I can agree with you that the summer overall sucked, even though I liked the Apes remake, and Ghosts Of Mars. Although I was hyped to see Rush Hour 2, and saw it with a packed audience, and now I could give 2 fucks about it. Piece of shit. Can't believe I liked it at one point. Screw that.

Prince Of Persia I don't even want to see, and it's still puzzling to me on who decided that Gyllenhaal should have a British accent.

Thus far the best movies of the summer are The A-Team, Toy Story 3, and Predators.

Great write up, Erix!

Chinese Kirsten Dunst... hehehehe

Yay, you're back!!!!

I completely agree with you. This is one of the worst movie summers ever. I haven't seen a single movie yet. The only one I wanted to see was The A-team and that's probably already gone from theaters.

And I won't be fooled by a movie called The Karate Kid that's actually about Kung Fu.

Is Scott Pilgrim a summer movie? I want to see that. And Inception.

One of the Most Objective Looks at the Film I've Seen! By M. Night Shyamalan.

Wow, Oded Fehr in that shot looks quite like Ron Moore.

Anyway, that does not fill me with enthusiasm for when I eventually check out The Last Airbender. I'm still surprised he wanted to make this, love of the property or not.

I've been slinging around an idea for a short story series involving Jesus, and my initial choice for him was Naveen Andrews, but then I remembered that Oded Fehr is actually Jewish, and when he's got the long hair to accompany the beard, he really does resemble Jesus.

I avoided Farter: The Last Wind Breaker since it looked like crap. The Happening at least has it's unintentional hilarity. I avoided that one in the theater, but caught it on dvd courtesy of Redbox.

Erix, I think you are, like me, a Shyamalan apologist. I still maintain that The Sixth Sense is deserving of all the initial praise and that Unbreakable was just two years too early. But the wheels have come off for the guy.

Have you seen Devil?

My gratitude to you is twofold: One for the above great articles and two for articulating in far better words what I have been harping on about for the best part of a decade.

Commence rambling.

You are spot on. Shyamalan's first few films were all about that slight of hand. You weren't really watching a ghost story, you were watching a drama about a man trying to reconnect with his wife. That creepy thriller was a Superhero Movie! The twists brought me back for second viewings but it's those layers that I love.

Public opinion of his later output has completely overshadowed the reality that he is an incredible filmmaker

The Sixth Sense is so much more than that twist. It is utterly chilling, something as slight as the kitchen cupboards being open or the voice in that door terrified me.

Unbreakable is a slow burner but it's perfectly paced. The entire sequence in the house when Willis completely accepts that destiny is masterful. Unbreakable's problem is that it tried to deconstruct the Superhero movie while it was just beginning it's rebirth.

Water and baseball bats aside. Signs gave me one of my favourite Cinema moments of my life. When Phoenix was watching that home video everyone in the packed audience leant forward. Literally everyone was leaning forward in their seat. When the alien appeared the place went through the roof. Everyone screamed, some leapt up and everyone burst into applause.

The Village on a technical level is absolutely his best film. It is utterly gorgeous and haunting. But that ending... I think this maybe where we begin to differ. My problem with the ending is that comes after three far better endings. The first reveal that the entire threat is a lie followed by the idea that maybe it wasn't was fantastic. That ambiguity gets completely lost come the final twist. I love your thoughts about how disturbed the Elders are, but without the "fake" village that idea might have come across in a more subtle way.

Lady in the Water is a film I just didn't get. It looked fantastic and features a fantastic cast but crazy decisions bog it down, namely, him casting himself as the saviour of mankind.

I remain convinced that if Shyamalan had shot The Happening in black & white we would be celebrating it. It feels throughout that he couldn't decide if he was making a real horror or tongue in cheek B-Movie (akin to Tremors) he didn't commit to either and (for me) it suffered.

I'm still behind the guy 100% There is serious talent there. I want him to stop making films he thinks other people want to see. Filmmakers lose their way all the time but I'm convinced M Night has more in him.

There we go. Proof, if it was needed, that you said it better.

End rambling.

I still haven't seen The Sixth Sense (because I don't know anyone who hasn't seen it to watch it with and because I guessed the twist before it even had a chance to be spoiled at me and because other films have gotten in the way). I've seen only Unbreakable, Signs and The Village and the only one I had a good time with was the first 2/3rds of Signs, so I haven't rushed to see any of his others, especially given the rampantly rancid word of mouth they've all gotten from Lady In The Water onward.

But you have me much more curious to take a look Erix. As a fan of both Nacho Libre and Pluto Nash I know the outcast feeling of loving films the masses turn their noses up at.


God, what a crime the end of that film is. Up until the dumb, dumb, dumb reveals that film had me so rivetted my heart damn near busted out of my chest like one of those aliens that busts out of chests. That moment right there is one of my favourites too.

If Manoj thought like you, he'd kill himself. KILL HIMSELF!