I wound up with passes to screenings in Austin AND Dallas tonight, couldn't find anyone to take me up on either set of 'em.
I'll pay to see it, though, since it opens at the local theater tomorrow. That's cheaper than drivin' to the screenin'...
battlefield los angels who's gona go see it ?
- Thread starter timothy
- Start date
I wound up with passes to screenings in Austin AND Dallas tonight, couldn't find anyone to take me up on either set of 'em.
I'll pay to see it, though, since it opens at the local theater tomorrow. That's cheaper than drivin' to the screenin'...
Ebert's review is up. He gave it a half star. Not even one whole star.
I think he was being generous.
I think he was being generous.
This is great news! My rule of thumb is that anything Ebert hates has to be pretty high quality.
Back from the movie.
Grade: B+
Whaaaat you say?? I've read the reviews all the critics hate it. They do and not the first time they've been wrong about a fun movie.
Firstly it is without a doubt a blantant reworking of the Independence Day script in several key areas. Key areas equaling 70% of the movie. That said it's a GOOD reworking, I was expecting mediocrity and got a good dose better.
Aaron Eckhart sells the heart and soul of the movie. A lesser actor, see Skyline, might not have sold you what everything that was happening to him and those around him. Eckhart pulls you in at least twice. He gives a version of the that ID4 speech and the movie moves forward with a repurposed sense of duty. If I had one word to use it would be "intense". Good use is made of keeping the aliens unrevealed for a good half of the movie. Use of shadows, glimpses, smoke and shakey cam allow the aliens to maintain a sense of 'unknown'.
Worth a matinee at worse but worth seeing on the big screen.
Grade: B+
Whaaaat you say?? I've read the reviews all the critics hate it. They do and not the first time they've been wrong about a fun movie.
Firstly it is without a doubt a blantant reworking of the Independence Day script in several key areas. Key areas equaling 70% of the movie. That said it's a GOOD reworking, I was expecting mediocrity and got a good dose better.
Aaron Eckhart sells the heart and soul of the movie. A lesser actor, see Skyline, might not have sold you what everything that was happening to him and those around him. Eckhart pulls you in at least twice. He gives a version of the that ID4 speech and the movie moves forward with a repurposed sense of duty. If I had one word to use it would be "intense". Good use is made of keeping the aliens unrevealed for a good half of the movie. Use of shadows, glimpses, smoke and shakey cam allow the aliens to maintain a sense of 'unknown'.
Worth a matinee at worse but worth seeing on the big screen.
It should be noted that Ebert has something of a history concerning sci-fi movies with lots of violence.
From his Aliens review way back in '86...
But who knows, I haven't seen the movie yet.
From his Aliens review way back in '86...
And later in the same review...
I think his patience with violence has probably decreased with age.
But who knows, I haven't seen the movie yet.
lots of negative reviews coming back. looks like i wont be seeing battlefield los angels
currently watching Farscape season 3
currently reading The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass by Stephen King
I like pizza
currently watching Farscape season 3currently reading The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass by Stephen KingI like pizza
I saw it last night with a group of people, and have to say I was disappointed.
Every review I had read going in talked about how terrible the movie was, how people laughed their way through it, how it had poor effects and wasn't "realistic" and etc.
I went in expecting to see yet another failure of Red Riding Hood proportions. Sadly, I didn't get it. Instead, I got a decent SF/military movie, with lots of 'splosions.
The characters left a lot to be desired. With the exception of the lead, played by Aaron Eckhart (Nantz), and his "oh so young" boss Martinez, played by Ramon Rodriguez, all of the characters were interchangeable. Every so often one of them would give a line of dialog that would separate them temporarily from the others (this one has a brother, oh, that's nice; that one is a virgin? oh, ok), but those were few and far between. The only ones who got any sort of development were Martinez and Nantz.
And I suppose that's fine. I wasn't going in for the characters anyway. I was going in to laugh at a terrible film. The only laughs were intentional, though.
The effects at the beginning were cheesy - but they were designed to be, since we are looking at things on a television set, thanks to a news reporter and her cameraman pointing at the stuff falling from the sky. It gets better once the marines are out there and seeing things "for real" ... And at no time did I feel like I was looking at a CGI character like I did with the wolf in Red Riding Hood.
There was far too much reliance on hand-held cameras, meaning at least 90% of the film is shaky-cam. This is not an exaggeration. Once the marines get outside of the base and go on the hunt (and everything we see that isn't marines before this happens) is shaky-cam. Those who get queasy during movies like Born Identity may want to wait for the DVD.
I give it a B+.
Every review I had read going in talked about how terrible the movie was, how people laughed their way through it, how it had poor effects and wasn't "realistic" and etc.
I went in expecting to see yet another failure of Red Riding Hood proportions. Sadly, I didn't get it. Instead, I got a decent SF/military movie, with lots of 'splosions.
The characters left a lot to be desired. With the exception of the lead, played by Aaron Eckhart (Nantz), and his "oh so young" boss Martinez, played by Ramon Rodriguez, all of the characters were interchangeable. Every so often one of them would give a line of dialog that would separate them temporarily from the others (this one has a brother, oh, that's nice; that one is a virgin? oh, ok), but those were few and far between. The only ones who got any sort of development were Martinez and Nantz.
And I suppose that's fine. I wasn't going in for the characters anyway. I was going in to laugh at a terrible film. The only laughs were intentional, though.
The effects at the beginning were cheesy - but they were designed to be, since we are looking at things on a television set, thanks to a news reporter and her cameraman pointing at the stuff falling from the sky. It gets better once the marines are out there and seeing things "for real" ... And at no time did I feel like I was looking at a CGI character like I did with the wolf in Red Riding Hood.
There was far too much reliance on hand-held cameras, meaning at least 90% of the film is shaky-cam. This is not an exaggeration. Once the marines get outside of the base and go on the hunt (and everything we see that isn't marines before this happens) is shaky-cam. Those who get queasy during movies like Born Identity may want to wait for the DVD.
I give it a B+.
And yet, he gave the movie three and a half stars.
Is this gonna be the official thread then? "battlefield los angels" "gona" ??
Anyway, I went to the first screening this morning... well it's a lot better than Skyline I can tell you that!
I really, really enjoyed it for one. Thought it was awesome fun actually.
I haven't seen any reviews and to be honest I don't much care to. A film like this to me is critic proof. It looks interesting so I'm going to see it; I don't really care what some stuffy boring old bastard thinks about it. I'll make my own mind up.
I'm not one for huge reviews so I can just say I thought it was fun exciting action packed ride. I really enjoy films like this, like at the half way point you can stop the film and it could really go anywhere, anything could happen next. This is what I love about the Sci-Fi fantasy genre, the excitement of what's to come. As opposed to a "normal" shall we say film, a cop film for example, where all that's really gonna happen is someone gets shot/arrested, someone betrays someone else bla bla bla
Anyway, I went to the first screening this morning... well it's a lot better than Skyline I can tell you that!
I really, really enjoyed it for one. Thought it was awesome fun actually.
I haven't seen any reviews and to be honest I don't much care to. A film like this to me is critic proof. It looks interesting so I'm going to see it; I don't really care what some stuffy boring old bastard thinks about it. I'll make my own mind up.
I'm not one for huge reviews so I can just say I thought it was fun exciting action packed ride. I really enjoy films like this, like at the half way point you can stop the film and it could really go anywhere, anything could happen next. This is what I love about the Sci-Fi fantasy genre, the excitement of what's to come. As opposed to a "normal" shall we say film, a cop film for example, where all that's really gonna happen is someone gets shot/arrested, someone betrays someone else bla bla bla
Is this gonna be the official thread then? "battlefield los angels" "gona" ??
Yeah, that's "timothy" for you, who writes like he's 8.
I try to ignore him, but his topics names are just annoying, more so if I actually care to read them, like this one.
Frankly I hope the movie ends with everyone dead and the aliens taking over the planet.
I enjoyed it. It's a pretty decent movie. A bit by-the-numbers, but enjoyable all the same. When the bullets aren't flying the movie can be somewhat lacking, but the action sequences are awesome and really fun to watch.
I got to say though, product placement is getting pretty bad. Shell gas station is acceptable, the Marine in the laundry knocking over Tide detergent was too obvious. But O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer? That is the most obscure and random product ever to get product placement in a movie. I wouldn't even have heard of it if I didn't work in a grocery store.
One last thought, does Aaron Eckhart remind anyone else of Scott Bakula? Maybe it's just me, but several times I had to do a double take because something about Eckhart's appearance reminded me of Bakula.
I got to say though, product placement is getting pretty bad. Shell gas station is acceptable, the Marine in the laundry knocking over Tide detergent was too obvious. But O'Doul's non-alcoholic beer? That is the most obscure and random product ever to get product placement in a movie. I wouldn't even have heard of it if I didn't work in a grocery store.
One last thought, does Aaron Eckhart remind anyone else of Scott Bakula? Maybe it's just me, but several times I had to do a double take because something about Eckhart's appearance reminded me of Bakula.
Really? I can't imagine that at all, though, Dennis Leary, I can definitely see.
Okay, I read the NY Daily News review of it. Zero Stars.
And I see people in this thread dissing it for the same BS, "Film School" reasons.
Admiral2 says: I don't give a crap if it doesn't have mythos, pathos, Porthos or D'Artangan or whatever literary buzzword its supposed to have.
I don't care if some failed director stuck teaching directing in community college would give it an "F".
I don't care if it sweeps the next Razzies.
I went into this looking to see me some US Marines killin' fukking aliens.
I paid my money and saw me some US Marines killin' fukkin' aliens.
I'm good.
A++
And I see people in this thread dissing it for the same BS, "Film School" reasons.
Admiral2 says: I don't give a crap if it doesn't have mythos, pathos, Porthos or D'Artangan or whatever literary buzzword its supposed to have.
I don't care if some failed director stuck teaching directing in community college would give it an "F".
I don't care if it sweeps the next Razzies.
I went into this looking to see me some US Marines killin' fukking aliens.
I paid my money and saw me some US Marines killin' fukkin' aliens.
I'm good.
A++
J
Jetfire
Guest
BATTLE: LOS ANGELES(Film 2011) Grade/Discuss
Ok since the other thread isn't properly titled...
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RoGltjpYVE[/yt]
BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle:_Los_Angeles
If the MODs want to merge timothy's thread with this one...
(Poll will be up shortly!)
Ok since the other thread isn't properly titled...
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RoGltjpYVE[/yt]
BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle:_Los_Angeles
If the MODs want to merge timothy's thread with this one...
(Poll will be up shortly!)
Normally, I've never noticed it, but in one of the trailers where the marines are walking out of a room and Echkart stops to look at a TV, it really caught me. It took a couple viewings of the trailer to figure out for sure that it wasn't Bakula. I'm gonna hopefully see it this weekend!