Episode 73 — Congo

[wakefresh 689]

All of Crichton's books are Luddite morality tales. I've read a couple of his books (Timeline, Prey, Jurassic Park) and they all center around someone creating a new, exciting technology and then having that technology backfire and kill everyone except for the cautious narrator character who expounded upon the need for restraint the whole time. As far as I know, there isn't one of his books that have a new technology do good and work wonders. The scientists never have to grapple with things like, "oh this is a new drug that cures all diseases, but as a side effect, it slowly turns you into a serial killer." The question is always centered around should we even be researching this in the first place.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

All of Crichton's books are Luddite morality tales. I've read a couple of his books (Timeline, Prey, Jurassic Park) and they all center around someone creating a new, exciting technology and then having that technology backfire and kill everyone except for the cautious narrator character who expounded upon the need for restraint the whole time. As far as I know, there isn't one of his books that have a new technology do good and work wonders. The scientists never have to grapple with things like, "oh this is a new drug that cures all diseases, but as a side effect, it slowly turns you into a serial killer." The question is always centered around should we even be researching this in the first place.

And guess who President George Bush had at the White House as an informal advisor on global warming?

 

Yep.

[cmac94 191]

I don't know if someone else already hit on this because I'm still catching up with this thread, but the gang kind of missed what Peter and Amy's real objective was in the movie. I'm guessing because it was so poorly explained in the movie.

 

Peter "The World's Worst Gorilla Expert" Elliot originally wanted to bring Amy back to the jungle with the new talking device as a way to help other endangered gorillas in the jungle learn how to communicate, with Amy being their teacher, to help better their living situation (By the way, that's fucking insane). But after that minor exposition at the beginning of the movie, this objective is never even discussed again. I think it was Tim Curry who suggested Amy wanted to go home so Peter just completely erased his own objective and adopted this new one. And even in the end when the dum dums load up in their hot air balloon, Amy is sans talking back pack.

 

So many people in this movie died for basically nothing.

[seanotron 2307]

And guess who President George Bush had at the White House as an informal advisor on global warming?

 

Yep.

 

It seems somewhat fitting that he used someone with no climate science background to advise him on climate science. I mean, it would have been one thing if he'd asked say, Freeman Dyson (who had reservations about certain aspects of global warming science but is also a frickin genius). Nope, let's ask that Jurassic Park guy, he seems to know a thing or two.

[cmac94 191]

By the way, Laura Linney is 100% a felon on the run now, right?

 

She blew up what I would assume to be a multi-hundred-million dollar satellite. The, apparently, sole satellite of this big communications company. So it could be assumed that she not only caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to the satellite, but also what ever damage the falling debris caused, and quite possibly toppled an entire company and knocked out major communication networks just to get back at a greedy dick.

 

Joe Jon Don Doe Baker was a horrible person, but what she did was amazingly out of proportion.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

By the way, Laura Linney is 100% a felon on the run now, right?

 

She blew up what I would assume to be a multi-hundred-million dollar satellite. The, apparently, sole satellite of this big communications company. So it could be assumed that she not only caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to the satellite, but also what ever damage the falling debris caused, and quite possibly toppled an entire company and knocked out major communication networks just to get back at a greedy dick.

 

Joe Jon Don Doe Baker was a horrible person, but what she did was amazingly out of proportion.

Holy shit, "Gravity" is the sequel to "Congo". Laura Linney is the reason why space hates Sandra Bullock so fucking much.

[RyanSz 3140]

Holy shit, "Gravity" is the sequel to "Congo". Laura Linney is the reason why space hates Sandra Bullock so fucking much.

Having that mindset would be the only reason I would see that fucking movie. Just throw in a quick scene of Linney aiming the diamond laser and then boom, death in space.

[PhillipMedoc 648]

Having that mindset would be the only reason I would see that fucking movie. Just throw in a quick scene of Linney aiming the diamond laser and then boom, death in space.

Gravity was a great movie, so I assume you're referring to Congo, right?

[RyanSz 3140]

No I have no intention of seeing Gravity, it just isn't appealing to me for whatever reason. Though I do think it can be considered as Speed 3 in space as it has Sandra Bullock freaking out trying to survive while being guided by a male veteran in a specialized field, in this case an astronaut. Visually it looks good, but I just wasn't interested in sitting through it.

[seanotron 2307]

Gravity was great, though I could never watch it again. I almost threw up when I left the theater. Too much spinning for this fella...

[PhillipMedoc 648]

Aww, Ryan, you should give it a shot -- I was turned off initially by Sandy B but the movie is a technical marvel and yes, visually stunning. It's really worth seeing, although like Sean said, it may inflict motion sickness upon you. I think I might go back and see the 3D version.

 

Anyways, CONGO.

[PlanBFromOuterSpace 3138]

Aww, Ryan, you should give it a shot -- I was turned off initially by Sandy B but the movie is a technical marvel and yes, visually stunning. It's really worth seeing, although like Sean said, it may inflict motion sickness upon you. I think I might go back and see the 3D version.

 

Anyways, CONGO.

I'm actually surprised at my theater that we haven't had more comments about the motion, especially with as many seniors and people that don't go to movies all the time that it's been pulling in, because they're always the ones complaining to us (like we make the damn things) about shaky handheld stuff. The difference I guess with "Gravity" though is that while there's a LOT of motion and spinning out of control, it's pretty steady and smooth camera movements, not someone shaking the shit out of the camera. I liked "Gravity" quite a lot, and it's interesting that it almost seems to play out in real time. I mean, it doesn't, there's a little bit of jumping forward here and there, but for the most part (like the camera), the movie is ALWAYS moving and it's a constant race against time. OK, let's get back to shitting on "Congo"...

[Jollygreen52 57]

Oh my god, I forgot about the sign language machine. In the presentation, the primatologist dude says that sign language was created for people who were unable to speak. But that is totally not true. It was created for and by people who can't hear. Obviously the guy who was hearing his "voice" for the first time could hear, he was just mute for some unexplained reason.

[cmac94 191]

Obviously the guy who was hearing his "voice" for the first time could hear, he was just mute for some unexplained reason.

Well it was because that poor fellow was missing those oh so essential "organs of speech." You know the ones.

[Glaive 29]

Well it was because that poor fellow was missing those oh so essential "organs of speech." You know the ones.

 

Speech-bubble orrify? Elasto-Lips? A Head?

[RegFranklin 19]

 

Speech-bubble orrify? Elasto-Lips? A Head?

 

Penis.

[Glaive 29]

June?

[AndyTalarzyk 34]

Seriously guys, how did you not mention that for a Primatologist, this guy Peter knows jack shit about primates. Did you forget the scene where they're in the jungle and both he and CIA gal are awoken by jungle noises and they are both freaked out like "what is that noise?" It was Monkeys. Monkeys. Even when confronted by the silverback he's told to be still and he goes "yeah, I've read the books." I think he got an honorary doctorate for his work with teaching a gorilla sign language. I feel like he was really just an ESL teacher for kids that one day started teaching a monkey.

[agentstinky 33]

Wait, Joe Don Baker is in this movie?

 

[brandenhaize 51]

Have HDTGM episode releases been changed to Wednesdays now?

[seanotron 2307]

Have HDTGM episode releases been changed to Wednesdays now?

 

If I were to guess I'd say it's probably because of the site issues and not a regular thing.

[DanEngler 5249]

If I were to guess, I'd say it's probably because Paul and June are busy selling 10-12 shows to various television networks and appearing in several more.

 

Meanwhile, Jason is straight jerkin' it.

[DeathToMikeyBay 130]

They didn't even have time to mention the scene where they fend off wave after wave of missiles with a flare gun!

 

 

For some reason I always swore that Amy's trainer was Steve Gutenberg. The only other movie I had that big of an actor misplacement was thinking that Fred Savage starred in The Gate.

[seanotron 2307]

They didn't even have time to mention the scene where they fend off wave after wave of missiles with a flare gun!

 

They did talk about that part, it's where they're joking about Laura Linney having such good aim and then someone points out that the missiles are heat-seeking.

[jarrycanada 2483]

I didn't think this movie was all that bad, I sort of enjoyed it.

but as soon as Bruce Campbell showed up on screen I knew I was going to enjoy this movie.