i don't know of studios to be so blatant about it, but it happens regularly. i get hooked up with a bunch of screenings through a friend of a friend. he trashed the first transformers on a pretty popular movie site and is apparently in the doghouse with a few key people at that studio because of it.

I'm a little puzzled as to what some people actually expect from live action movies made about Transformers and G.I.Joe.

I'd expect them to NOT cast Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans.

Really. I mean, should they have cast Don Cheadle and Leonardo DiCaprio or something.

I guess what makes me scratch my head is to why th studio went to such lengths to make it a point to not show it to critics. I mean, studios know that they're going to shred it but they're aren't making these movies for critics. Summer action blockbusters almost always get trashed by cinema intelligentsia (The Dark Knight being an exception to the rule, maybe Iron Man as well)

The movie still did 56 million for the weekend. More than doubling the 2nd place finsher. Why the need to even waste time with this ploy to get faux critical accliam.

Just seemed pointless.

I think there are really 2 answers here:

1. The geek contingency sees this as a desecration of their childhood. When you mess with what made people like the cartoons and figures in the 80s, and then completely turn your back on it, then you're messing with a formula people expect. I have no doubt, that the people who are complaining about convoluted storylines, etc would completely forgive those trespasses if beachhead looked like beachhead. Heck, why not even put this film out and not call it GI Joe? Call it something else, and then in press say that GI Joe inspired it. Damn, if that wouldn't get every nostalgic guy to plunk down $10.

2. Its frustrating when good action flicks are made for a fraction of the cost of Transformers 2 and GI Joe, but huge franchises can't get it right. Shouldn't more money equate to no limits to your imagination as to what you can do?

GI Joe has already done well opening weekend, and I have no doubt it will follow Trans2 in performing overall amazingly. Best review I read about GI Joe was actually a Twitter post from Latino Review--"if you were a 10 year old, this would be the greatest movie of all-time" Maybe that's how we have to go into these big, dumb movies?

Personally, I'll see it when it comes to DVD. Enough of my friends whom I trust their opinions have seen it and said it was horrible for me to stay away.

Are you really thinking about this, though. How could a G.I. Joe movie be good in the typical sense that movies are considered good? I mean, would you expect a Care Bears movie to be complex and sophisticated and hold up to all levels of criticism just because a big studio and a lot of money was put behind it? No, because it's fucking Care Bears, and Transformers is Transformers, and G.I. Joe is G.I. Joe. These aren't movies based on comic books or even video games; they're based on a line of toys. Those toys always had a line of cartoons and comic books to accompany them, but the whole thing has primarily, at its heart, been a toy franchise.

I mean, in what ways do you expect a G.I. Joe movie to test the limits of your imagination.

Well, if Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers were to be behind the film...

Technically, you're incorrect as "G.I. Joe has been the title of comic strips and comic books in every decade since 1942." (wiki ref). For myself the only reason I had any slight interest in this movie at first was because of Marvel's GI Joe comic that was restarted in 1981 that I read when I was a kid. I think they launched the toys and cartoons as a link up to the comic in 1982. The story itself in the comics was pretty cool, but after seeing a single trailer for the movie it was pretty clear this wasn't a based on that story at all nor on the toys as the characters are all remarkably different. This is just some loud movie inspired by toys, which is somehow even worse.

So yr telling me no one could take the premise of an elite terrorist fighting agency and make it into a great film? I think that's bunk. I think your usage of Care Bears isn't exactly fair. One are giant bears, and then other is at least semi-rooted in reality.

I think its unfair to automatically dumb something down because of its source material. Automatically you cast your nose down at something like King Kong which, came from a pulp novel.

I don't think anyone is expecting a GI Joe film to be an AFI top films of all time, but at the same time, I can at least point you in the direction of action films that are accepted as top of a genre. I just think you're giving a film carte blanche to suck because it came from a toy line...a toy line that has inspired about a million storylines across comics, toys, cartoons, etc. for over 20-some years in the current incarnation.

So you'd like to see a serious movie about "an elite terrorist fighting agency" called G.I. Joe.

I don't get it either. The people who want to see it are going to see it regardless of reviews and that's still enough of an audience to make it profitable. A bad review is pretty much expected for these movies.

Oh the anger, the malice

Self-righteous much?

[img][337:500]http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/12/16/two-lovers-poster.jpg[/img]

meh.

[img][335:500]http://www.impawards.com/1996/posters/microcosmos.jpg[/img]
Pretty awesome.

yeah this came via netflix last week.

And did Jaouoioquin seriously stop making movies after this, to persue a rap career? Did my wife really say that, or was it the beer?

LooGAR doesn't like action-adventure, rom-com, or slapstick (for lack of a better word) fare anymore than the rest of us, we just dislike 'em for the wrong (non-LooGARtian) reasons. As well, the films we do enjoy do not meet LooGARtian standards.

We're a bushel of a FAIL in a too small sack.

yeah this was fucking great. I might watch this again right now.

When there is that much money at stake there is no need to risk some critic to put you down even though you know its going to be succored by a wide audience.

And his conclusion seems more poignant as each seasonal release passes.

District 9...


loved it.

[img][352:500]http://www.impawards.com/2007/posters/breach_ver2.jpg[/img]

this was pretty good. Chris Cooper is great as usual.

Alien Raiders - pretty good for a B horror movie.

The Killing Room - considering the cast I'm a little surprised that I would just give it the ubiquitous "so-so" rating.

Hush - UK film that takes a lot from Duel/Joyride/et al but I still liked it even if the protagonist makes some seriously questionable decisions.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane - Found this to be fairly original with regards to the horror genre.

The Burrowers - Also original although not as well executed as the above but at least has does something different.

The Informers - Even though they moved away from the book a bit I still like this.