EPISODE 117 - Theodore Rex: LIVE!

[Joven 373]

So is this movie better or worse then Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Which had the same plot, and also had dinosaurs and robots and crappy special effects.

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

Listening to this again and this is what I hear Jason say about the sombrero: "Sombrero-wearing--uh, uh--Mexican."

 

I understand that this phrasing is awkward. But, in Jason's defense, I don't think it necessarily means the sombrero is wearing a Mexican, like the audience member suggests. Couldn't he have said "sombrero-wearing Mexican" (emphasis on the hypen between sombrero and wearing) making it a compound adjective?

 

Any grammar experts out there?

[FisterRoboto 7499]

So is this movie better or worse then Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Which had the same plot, and also had dinosaurs and robots and crappy special effects.

Except Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was actually a decent movie. The effects were "meh" because it was one of the first fully CGI films and, as such, hasn't held up very well. (And I say that as someone who can't stand steam-/dieselpunk or overblown CGI)

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Listening to this again and this is what I hear Jason say about the sombrero: "Sombrero-wearing--uh, uh--Mexican."

 

I understand that this phrasing is awkward. But, in Jason's defense, I don't think it necessarily means the sombrero is wearing a Mexican, like the audience member suggests. Couldn't he have said "sombrero-wearing Mexican" (emphasis on the hypen between sombrero and wearing) making it a compound adjective?

 

Any grammar experts out there?

I agree with you. That's how I heard it, too.

[Sun Tzu Said That 32]

So is this movie better or worse then Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow? Which had the same plot, and also had dinosaurs and robots and crappy special effects.

 

I would argue that Theodore Rex has better special effects relative to 1995 than Sky Captain has relative to 2004. Not sure which one is more watchable though.

[Auden 1809]

 

Listening to this again and this is what I hear Jason say about the sombrero: "Sombrero-wearing--uh, uh--Mexican."

 

 

I understand that this phrasing is awkward. But, in Jason's defense, I don't think it necessarily means the sombrero is wearing a Mexican, like the audience member suggests. Couldn't he have said "sombrero-wearing Mexican" (emphasis on the hypen between sombrero and wearing) making it a compound adjective?

 

 

Any grammar experts out there?

 

You are totally right. I don't know whether that audience member was trying to be funny or if he really didn't know how to use context clues. Jason was listing people, not items.

[Cockney Mackem 514]

At the end of the movie, Teddy gets promoted to Detective First Class. As he is walking away with Whoopi he tells her that with his new position he has the power to pick his own partner--heavily implying that he wants it to be her.

 

So...does that mean Teddy now outranks Whoopi???? She gets shot six or seven times in the line of duty and he gets all the credit for cracking the case...

 

That's some bullshit.

 

A great illustration of how bad the glass ceiling is for black women, that even recently created genetic experiments are selected for promotion ahead of them. Some of the best sci-fi contains important social commentary after all.

[kokalola 3]

All my thoughts have been covered, except that Edge is basically a really shit Loki

[Cameron H. 23786]

Sometimes it's the little things in movies that I get the most hung up on. For instance, in this movie, when we are first introduced to Whoopi. She and her partner are having a conversation and in between their lines you can hear an announcement that sounds like it was being read by Carol Kane. I'm not sure if it's a gig Molly Rex has in her down time or if the director just drafted Kane into doing it. Anyway, the announcement is: Attention Shoppers! In store special on aisle nine. All [dialog indecipherable] are half off. I guess it's okay if a movie wants to add these types of flourishes to make a world seem more realistic, but my problem is they aren't IN a store. They are on a roof, in what looks to be a crappy part of town, in the middle of the night. Who is this announcement for and where is it coming from????

 

Then later, when Teddy is driving home from somewhere, the Zap Heads start to follow him. He sees them in the rear view mirror and says something like, "Hmmm...I guess they're Trick or Treating early..." First of all, "Trick or Treating early" is probably about the dumbest assumption anyone has ever made. Has anyone ever just dressed up in a costume in July and went Trick or Treating? How well would that go over? Secondly, once it becomes clear that they aren't go-getting Trick or Treaters, he radios Whoopi for back up. When she arrives, she finds him covered in a weird white goo (I don't even want to know, do I?) and he tells her that he was attacked by Zap Heads. Okay, if you could recognize them as Zap Heads when they attacked you, why didn't you recognize them before?

 

I've really tried to isolate how this movie was written--much less produced and filmed. I've had to ask myself: what kind of pea-brained moron would take the time to put pen to paper, write this garbage, and feel that it somehow made sense? In the end, there was only logical solution...

 

[Auden 1809]

This Theodore Rex was better received.

 

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

i had a really hard time getting through this film. it was not fun. you could feel whoopi's anger in every scene. listening to the ep and getting the background from slashfilm i can now see why.

 

i loved the dinosaurs tv show (rewatched it a couple of summers back and i still laughed). this film kinda spits in its face ... i dont remember smiling once through the whole thing

 

but listening to the ep this made me smile

 

[njpozner 10]

One thing I didn't get when I watched the movie was that the roller-blading clone who is killed at the beginning knew about the plan to start the new ice age. So, Whoopi and her partner stand on the roof and see the truck chasing him, straight up watch the guy get murdered, THEN swoop down to take on the weird thugs. If they had been better at their jobs, they could have intervened earlier and learned what Adam knew. What I'm saying is that Whoopi and her partner were terrible cops, and if they were better at their jobs, the whole thing could have been avoided.

[Wien 401]

 

 

Whoa now, I will not stand for this libel! I'll have you know some of my best friends are talking, anthropomorphic dinosaurs, not to mention that my favorite TV show of ALL TIME is Dinosaucers--which may or may not have been based on actual events from my life.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy7fO2i9y94

 

 

You best check yourself before you Rex yourself!

 

I used to love Dinosaucers. And I still love that theme.,

[Molly L. 99]

Is it ever explicitly stated that Kane made the dinosaurs super smart, and that in this alternate reality, dinosaurs didn't have the faculty of speech all along? I admittedly had a hard time paying attention. If that's so, are all restored species going to get super intelligence now? What would the world look like if every animal on the planet had their own neighborhoods and cultures, and participated in life fully alongside humans? I get the feeling we wouldn't last very long. It seems like that might just set humans up for destruction. If dinosaurs are the only class of animals that would receive such treatment, why? Bringing back dinosaurs seems like a cool idea (habitat-wise it would probably cause a lot of problems...but I digress), but this seems like such a bizarre way to do it...

[visibleotters 16]

My favorite line comes about 18 minutes into this thing, when Teddy is first drafted into the police force. He shouts, “I gotta call my mom!” as he heads offscreen. And then, as kind of a throwaway afterthought, he says, “I don’t have a mom.” Which is kind of a bummer.

 

I’ve heard of them bringing in writers to punch up kids’ movies with ADR’d off-screen jokes, but this is the first example I’ve seen of an ADR line actually bringing things DOWN.

 

And on an unrelated note, why is Dr. Arbitrage Head Dinosaurologist such a BITCH? Whoopi asks her about the dead body that she’s been sitting next to all night and she yanks off her glasses and spits back: “He died of an explosion close to his snout - I really have not had a chance to look at him.” Hey, lady - how about do your fucking job? She literally seems to be just staring off into space when they show up, and now she’s copping an attitude? Ridiculous.

 

 

Edit: Just finished listening, and of course June was on top of the mom line.

[mofo83 1]

And in "Theodore Rex" world, I think he would be Paul Sapien since the species name for humans is homo sapiens. Or maybe Paul Homo? I'm not sure how they decided which part of the scientific name to use and which to discard.

 

I totally get what Paul was going for with "Hummy Man," and I came to the same conclusion as you - that it should have been a play on Homo Sapiens instead of human - but, following the conventions of this movie, I think the actual analogue would be something more like Hubert Sapiens or Howard Sapiens (edit: or Homer Sapiens), since they're playing on the "T" in "T-Rex." Really though, nobody ever uses the phrase "H. Sapiens," so maybe there is no exact analogue...

[Cam Bert 8145]

Is it ever explicitly stated that Kane made the dinosaurs super smart, and that in this alternate reality, dinosaurs didn't have the faculty of speech all along? I admittedly had a hard time paying attention. If that's so, are all restored species going to get super intelligence now? What would the world look like if every animal on the planet had their own neighborhoods and cultures, and participated in life fully alongside humans? I get the feeling we wouldn't last very long. It seems like that might just set humans up for destruction. If dinosaurs are the only class of animals that would receive such treatment, why? Bringing back dinosaurs seems like a cool idea (habitat-wise it would probably cause a lot of problems...but I digress), but this seems like such a bizarre way to do it...

Next they are bringing back the raccoon. Raccoons can talk. Talking raccoon learns to use guns. Bring back a prehistoric tree, but due to it being a non-sentient being its power of speech is limited. Guys, Theodore Rex is a prequel to Guardians of the Galaxy.

[Cam Bert 8145]

I'm shocked nobody has mention one of the worst gags in the movie. If it's been mentioned and I forgot I do apologise, but we have to talk about the macho marine psyche out gag.

 

So when Teddy is informed he's going to get a partner who is a "veteran, pro, cold steel(I couldn't make out the last word)" we cut to the love child of John Rambo and John Matrix, who I can only assume would be named John something, walking up with a cigar in his mouth and shotgun in hand. Even Shaft comments "Well, well, well" only to have Whoopie show up and shove him out of the way. I know it's just a stupid joke but it drives me mad how little sense it makes. He's not Coltrane's partner because we already saw earlier that her previous partner was a kinda tubby fellow with a bad haircut. We also know he has to be a cop because when shoved he whines "Hey Coltrane" so he knows who she is to name check her. He's just a random cop dressed like a marine who shows up to a black tie fundraiser, which is clearly being let out, and the chief of police is just like "Oh, this is slightly strange but no need to worry about that I have to make sure I team up the most unlikely of buddy cops before it's too late." Where was he going and why was he there and why do the guest not seemed freaked out? Is he just that guy? Like everybody is all "Detective John is just Detective John. You can't get him to wear a uniform or carry regulation firearms. If he wasn't such a great cop we'd have fired him by now. Frankly we're a little scared what he might do." Even if this joke took place in the police station I don't think it would even make any logical sense.

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

 

I totally get what Paul was going for with "Hummy Man," and I came to the same conclusion as you - that it should have been a play on Homo Sapiens instead of human - but, following the conventions of this movie, I think the actual analogue would be something more like Hubert Sapiens or Howard Sapiens, since they're playing on the "T" in "T-Rex." Really though, nobody ever uses the phrase "H. Sapiens," so maybe there is no exact analogue...

Hummie Sapien. We should make that composer change his name!

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

one of my fav june quotes in a while

 

[Joven 373]

Also, Molly is shit at her job too. I mean dinos are obviously incredibly horny all the time, so she doesnt have to be I guess, but her singing and dancing are straight up butt turrible.

[KyleEllis 4]

Did anyone else feel like an apocolypse already happened? Like World War 3 ended a few years ago, had killed off most of the people and animals, and Kane was trying to repopulate the world with creatures genetically engineered with more empathy, like a cross between Dr. Moreau and Kellogg.

 

I don't understand why Kane would be so upset as to try to wipe everybody left out. The only crime we see is caused by his henchmen which it kinda seemed like he created. The world isn't filled with decadent excess, people are barely getting by. What could make Kane resort to such drastic measures? My theory: Interspecies miscegenation, people and dinosaurs are hooking up and it grosses the good doctor out. His only response is nuke the planet from orbit Sodom and Gomorrah style to rid the world of our filthy lust.

[Cameron H. 23786]

From Blake Harris' "How Did This Get Made? Theodore Rex (An Oral History):"

 

"It was a dark, futuristic buddy cop movie, but where one of the buddies just happened to be a dinosaur."

--Stefano Farrari (Producer/Financier)

 

(I'm not sure how many people have had a chance to read this article, or the one for Top Dog, but I highly recommend them as a companion piece to the show.)

 

The above quote is in regard to the original concept for Theodore Rex was that it was going to be a "gritty sci-fi story." Honestly, I wish that is what it had been. While I still think it would have been crazy, I sincerely believe that a darker approach might have worked. Something more along the lines of Elephantmen.

 

 

Knowing now that this movie was envisioned as a darker affair, I think where this movie suffers the most is that you could tell they were never able to successfully marry the concepts of quirky sci-fi, film noir and fun children's movie, and consequently, ended up failing at both. I think a dark movie about a dinosaur private investigator teaming with a human cop has the potential to be a fun movie--albeit, more of a cult classic then a blockbuster film. And, on the flip side, I think a more kid oriented movie about a young boy or girl befriending a dopey dinosaur also has the potential to be good film. In fact, when Teddy meets the kids playing street hockey I just kept thinking, "Why can't the rest of the movie be more like this?" But how many scenes does Teddy share with the little boy? One? Maybe two--if you count that he is present at the ceremony at the end. It just seems so bizarre to me that you would write a children's movie about a talking dinosaur and never really have the dinosaur and the kid interact. The little boy really should have been our POV character--someone that the target audience (children) could relate to, and hopefully, fill them with the wonder of "What would it be like if I had a dinosaur friend?"

 

I mean, I get that Goldberg was a pretty big star at the time, but I'm not sure she's someone that kids were champing at the bit to see...

 

(Also, since I brought up the street hockey scene and I have yet to reach my "quibble quota" for this movie, the way Teddy proves his a badass at hockey is complete bullshit! Had they left an empty goal, I guess you could say, "Wow, he shot three pucks in the goal at the same time. That's pretty cool, I guess," but since they put a kid in as goalie, it was like they were trying to say, "Awesome! He got passed our goalie!" Yeah, motherfuckers! He was shooting three balls at high velocity at this lightly padded kid's face, did you really expect him to block them all? That would be like a pitcher throwing three balls at once, and when the confused batter fails to hit any of them, bragging about what an awesome pitcher you have.)

[FisterRoboto 7499]

(Also, since I brought up the street hockey scene and I have yet to reach my "quibble quota" for this movie, the way Teddy proves his a badass at hockey is complete bullshit! Had they left an empty goal, I guess you could say, "Wow, he shot three pucks in the goal at the same time. That's pretty cool, I guess," but since they put a kid in as goalie, it was like they were trying to say, "Awesome! He got passed our goalie!" Yeah, motherfuckers! He was shooting three balls at high velocity at this lightly padded kid's face, did you really expect him to block them all? That would be like a pitcher throwing three balls at once, and when the confused batter fails to hit any of them, bragging about what an awesome pitcher you have.)

I thought the same thing! I was like, "Ummm...that's basically cheating! What a piece of shit this dinosaur is!"

[Maximilian 99]

Also, Molly is shit at her job too. I mean dinos are obviously incredibly horny all the time, so she doesnt have to be I guess, but her singing and dancing are straight up butt turrible.

 

Dinosaurs feel. Those dance moves are impressive for clumsy dinosaurs.