Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 9, 2019 A movie that knows how to deal with a Duckie. We watched: 2 Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 9, 2019 Overall, I really liked it. There were a few things I think needed to be tightened up, but otherwise, I feel like it accomplished what it set out to do. (I also might have bought the soundtrack ) 3 Share this post Link to post
Cinco DeNio 5290 Posted September 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Cameron H. said: Overall, I really liked it. There were a few things I think needed to be tightened up, but otherwise, I feel like it accomplished what it set out to do. (I also might have bought the soundtrack ) Yeah, I was thinking of buying the soundtrack as well. I bought the movie sight unseen a while ago. I think is is like Repo Man for me where the songs fill out more because I can use my imagination. 2 Share this post Link to post
Cinco DeNio 5290 Posted September 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Cameron H. said: Overall, I really liked it. There were a few things I think needed to be tightened up, but otherwise, I feel like it accomplished what it set out to do. (I also might have bought the soundtrack ) I might have been singing "oo-ah, oo-ah. There's no such thing as a Hollywood ending" for several hours after watching it last night. 1 Share this post Link to post
Cinco DeNio 5290 Posted September 9, 2019 Found some alternate posters. Â 2 Share this post Link to post
Cinco DeNio 5290 Posted September 9, 2019 I was thinking this was much like Stage Fright. Share this post Link to post
Cam Bert 8145 Posted September 9, 2019 I really get where Max is coming from. Like he said he couldn't decide if he liked the movie or hated it and I'm pretty much in the same camp. Like I said in my letterboxd review I think the movie tries to do too many things and instead of being really good at one or two it just kinda middles at them all. The biggest thing I loved were the songs. I did find them catchy and for the most part well done. However, the script really needed another pass or I missed some stuff at the start because there were things like why the headmaster hated Anna and her father so much that just seemed arbitrary rather than established. Like he wanted to fire her father when he became the headmaster because... reasons? 4 Share this post Link to post
Cam Bert 8145 Posted September 9, 2019 Also her relationship with the non-ducky love interest. He's presented as some sort of jerk, is that way until she confronts him in the school and something we didn't know happened, he makes a heroic self sacrificial move to prove her wrong and some how they end up together at the end. I just found that whole character and story line to be disappointing. Like either he's an asshole until his second to last scene and then we're suppose to be happy they're together at the end? Meh. That said I really enjoyed the story of Chris and Lisa and thought that was done well. That's what I mean about this movie, for me for every bad their is a good. 2 Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 9, 2019 8 hours ago, Cam Bert said: Also her relationship with the non-ducky love interest. He's presented as some sort of jerk, is that way until she confronts him in the school and something we didn't know happened, he makes a heroic self sacrificial move to prove her wrong and some how they end up together at the end. I just found that whole character and story line to be disappointing. Like either he's an asshole until his second to last scene and then we're suppose to be happy they're together at the end? Meh. That said I really enjoyed the story of Chris and Lisa and thought that was done well. That's what I mean about this movie, for me for every bad their is a good. I wanted to bring that up. I feel like the point was to show that in a real apocalypse the Duckies are way less likely to survive than the Billy Zabkas ( sorry for mixing my 80âs archetypes). On the one hand, I thought that was pretty likely, but I also felt like they made him TOO much of an asshole ( a Dickie?) to really make his redemption arc work. I mean, I didnât think she belonged with Duckie, but I didnât like him getting picked on either. Iâm also not sure that they end up together at the end as a couple, just that they both survived. I could be wrong though. 3 Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Cinco DeNio said: This is the cover of the album - which I now own  1 1 Share this post Link to post
Cinco DeNio 5290 Posted September 9, 2019 48 minutes ago, Cameron H. said: I wanted to bring that up. I feel like the point was to show that in a real apocalypse the Duckieâs are way less likely to survive than the Billy Zabkaâs (sorry for mixing my 80âs archetypes). On the one hand, I thought that was pretty likely, but I also felt like they made him TOO much of an asshole ( a Dickie?) to really make his redemption arc work. I mean, I didnât think she belonged with Duckie, but I didnât like him getting picked on either. Iâm also not sure that they end up together at the end as a couple, just that they both survived. I could be wrong though. I had the feeling that she and Steph were going to wind up together. We never hear about nor see her girlfriend IIRC. Just that one reference that the girlfriend wasn't picking up the phone. 1 Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 9, 2019 2 hours ago, Cinco DeNio said: I had the feeling that she and Steph were going to wind up together. We never hear about nor see her girlfriend IIRC. Just that one reference that the girlfriend wasn't picking up the phone. I didnât just because the movie was more focused on her independence than on her being attached to anyone. 1 Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 9, 2019 I think the scene that nailed what this movie should have been doing more of was the âTurning My Life Aroundâ scene. Â 2 Share this post Link to post
Cam Bert 8145 Posted September 9, 2019 7 hours ago, Cameron H. said: I wanted to bring that up. I feel like the point was to show that in a real apocalypse the Duckieâs are way less likely to survive than the Billy Zabkaâs (sorry for mixing my 80âs archetypes). On the one hand, I thought that was pretty likely, but I also felt like they made him TOO much of an asshole ( a Dickie?)Â to really make his redemption arc work. I mean, I didnât think she belonged with Duckie, but I didnât like him getting picked on either. Iâm also not sure that they end up together at the end as a couple, just that they both survived. I could be wrong though. Yes. I was glad she put Duckie in the corner and he was basically accepting on this. However the fact that she is interested in this Zabka that is constantly belittling her so called best friend seems like a guy that read The Secret one too many times. I agree that it isn't 100% they are a couple but the fact that he survives at all feels a bit... disappointing considering on freely the movie was killing off the other characters. Also, how is killing your father who's turned into a zombie doing something selfless? She told him that he only thinks of himself and his counter point was he killed his zombie turning dad because that's what his dad wanted. That just seems like common sense in a zombie apocalypse scenario. 2 Share this post Link to post
Cam Bert 8145 Posted September 9, 2019 2 hours ago, Cameron H. said: I think the scene that nailed what this movie should have been doing more of was the âTurning My Life Aroundâ scene. Â While this is the biggest homage scene to Shaun of the Dead with Shaun going to the shop, I agree. This and Zabka's being good at killing zombies are probably the most on point songs for a "zombie musical" 2 Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 9, 2019 15 minutes ago, Cam Bert said: Yes. I was glad she put Duckie in the corner and he was basically accepting on this. However the fact that she is interested in this Zabka that is constantly belittling her so called best friend seems like a guy that read The Secret one too many times. I agree that it isn't 100% they are a couple but the fact that he survives at all feels a bit... disappointing considering on freely the movie was killing off the other characters. Also, how is killing your father who's turned into a zombie doing something selfless? She told him that he only thinks of himself and his counter point was he killed his zombie turning dad because that's what his dad wanted. That just seems like common sense in a zombie apocalypse scenario. Thatâs true and didnât make much sense, but I did like the thread of âYes, killing your zombie-parent is the sensible thing to do, itâs still going to leave you emotionally fucked up.â In most zombie shows/movies when these scenes inevitably play out, yes, thereâs some guilt, but ultimately they get over pretty quickly. I appreciated this movie actually showed that it really wouldnât be as easy all that and itâs not something you just move on from. 2 Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 9, 2019 18 minutes ago, Cam Bert said: While this is the biggest homage scene to Shaun of the Dead with Shaun going to the shop, I agree. This and Zabka's being good at killing zombies are probably the most on point songs for a "zombie musical" Agreed. I touched on that in my LB review where very few of the songs felt specifically written for the movie. I liked most of them, but there wasnât anything that was specifically âzombie Musicalâ about them. Zabkaâs song, and one by the principal, are I think the only songs that specifically comment on whatâs happening in the movie. Like the song in the bowling alley was fine, but it felt kind of like a stretch as far as being narratively important. For me, this is one of the biggest dings against it. (Although, I always appreciate a solid penguin rap.) 2 Share this post Link to post
GrahamS. 803 Posted September 10, 2019 11 hours ago, Cinco DeNio said: Yeah, I was thinking of buying the soundtrack as well. I bought the movie sight unseen a while ago. I think is is like Repo Man for me where the songs fill out more because I can use my imagination. Hold upâRepo Man was a musical? The Emilio Estevez/Harry Dean Stanton Repo Man? I havenât watched that in a LONG time. Iâll have to rewatch itâI donât remember that AT ALL. 10 hours ago, Cam Bert said: I really get where Max is coming from. Like he said he couldn't decide if he liked the movie or hated it and I'm pretty much in the same camp. Like I said in my letterboxd review I think the movie tries to do too many things and instead of being really good at one or two it just kinda middles at them all. . However, the script really needed another pass or I missed some stuff at the start because there were things like why the headmaster hated Anna and her father so much that just seemed arbitrary rather than established. Like he wanted to fire her father when he became the headmaster because... reasons? I wonât totally recap my initial reaction (which I added to the other post last week). It boiled down to: I wanted to like it but it simply didnât gel for me. Iâve only watched the first 45 minutes because I felt like I had seen what it had to offer and it didnât appear to really be ramping up to be something different. i still have Epix  because I think I forgot to cancel my subscription (and at least I can watch that Ben Kingsley/Jackie Weaver crime show now thatâs supposed to be good), so I can still finish Anna. My honest question is, Is it worth it? I guess I found a handful of jokes funnyâthe film itself had the potential to be really funnyâbut it seemed like the filmmakers felt like it was enough to set up an amusing situation and then not follow through on the jokes. It seemed like the people behind the movie thought it was more outrageous than it actually was. I didnât hate it, but It felt weirdly inert. I hope I donât sound overly grouchyâIâm just burnt-out on zombies and feel like if they arenât used for more than window dressing in a movie/show, I wish theyâd stay dead (which is somewhat hypocritical of me because one of the stories Iâm working on involves zombies, but I try to make them more than bullet-fodder). But having said that, Iâll probably still see the Zombieland sequel.  1 Share this post Link to post
GrahamS. 803 Posted September 10, 2019 P.S. those were supposed to be zombie emojis but now I donât know what the hell they are. Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 10, 2019 14 minutes ago, GrahamS. said: Holdï»ż upâRepo Man was a musical? The Emilio Estevez/Harry Dean Stanton Repo Man? I havenât watched that in a LONG time. Iâll have to rewatch itï»żâI donât remember that ATï»ż ALL.ï»ż I wonât totally recap my initial reaction (which I added to the other post last week). It boiled down to: I wanted to like it but it simply didnât gel for me. Iâve only watched the first 45 minutes because I felt like I had seen what it had to offer and it didnât appear to really be ramping up to be something different. i still have Epix  because I think I forgot to cancel my subscription (and at least I can watch that Ben Kingsley/Jackie Weaver crime show now thatâs supposed to be good), so I can still finish Anna. My honest question is, Is it worth it? I guess I found a handful of jokes funnyâthe film itself had the potential to be really funnyâbut it seemed like the filmmakers felt like it was enough to set up an amusing situation and then not follow through on the jokes. It seemed like the people behind the movie thought it was more outrageous than it actually was. I didnât hate it, but It felt weirdly inert. I hope I donât sound overly grouchyâIâm just burnt-out on zombies and feel like if they arenât used for more than window dressing in a movie/show, I wish theyâd stay dead (which is somewhat hypocritical of me because one of the stories Iâm working on involves zombies, but I try to make them more than bullet-fodder). But having said that, Iâll probably still see the Zombieland sequel.  I think he meant Repo: The Genetic Opera. We did that one awhile ago. I mean, I liked the ending. If youâve got 45 more minutes, Iâd say itâs worth it. Then again, I think I like the movie more than anyone else. 3 Share this post Link to post
Cam Bert 8145 Posted September 10, 2019 7 minutes ago, GrahamS. said: Hold upâRepo Man was a musical? The Emilio Estevez/Harry Dean Stanton Repo Man? I havenât watched that in a LONG time. Iâll have to rewatch itâI donât remember that AT ALL. I wonât totally recap my initial reaction (which I added to the other post last week). It boiled down to: I wanted to like it but it simply didnât gel for me. Iâve only watched the first 45 minutes because I felt like I had seen what it had to offer and it didnât appear to really be ramping up to be something different. i still have Epix  because I think I forgot to cancel my subscription (and at least I can watch that Ben Kingsley/Jackie Weaver crime show now thatâs supposed to be good), so I can still finish Anna. My honest question is, Is it worth it? I guess I found a handful of jokes funnyâthe film itself had the potential to be really funnyâbut it seemed like the filmmakers felt like it was enough to set up an amusing situation and then not follow through on the jokes. It seemed like the people behind the movie thought it was more outrageous than it actually was. I didnât hate it, but It felt weirdly inert. I hope I donât sound overly grouchyâIâm just burnt-out on zombies and feel like if they arenât used for more than window dressing in a movie/show, I wish theyâd stay dead (which is somewhat hypocritical of me because one of the stories Iâm working on involves zombies, but I try to make them more than bullet-fodder). But having said that, Iâll probably still see the Zombieland sequel.  1. Repo the Genetic Opera not Repo Man the Emilio Estevez movie and not Repo Man the Jude movie. 2. As a person who was so-so on the movie personally I would say no. The film doesn't really do anything overly creative, new or interesting with the zombies. They just kill off characters to raise the stakes and that's about it. Much like the Christmas element the zombies are just kinda there. They are used to move some character growth but that's about it. If you are a fan of zombie films I think you'll also find some of the zombie attacks hamfisted (Ducky just randomly sticks his hand up and out into the open for no reason just so he can get bit at the most dramatic time). 1 1 Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 10, 2019 2 minutes ago, Cam Bert said: Theyï»ż just kill off characters to raise the stakes and that's about it. Much like the Christmas element the zombies are just kinda therï»żeï»ż. You know something Cam, âLast Christmasâ is a great Christmas song. He *gave* her his heart - as a present. Youâre just bitter you werenât in Wham! (emphasis theirs)  1 1 Share this post Link to post
Cam Bert 8145 Posted September 10, 2019 1 hour ago, Cameron H. said: Thatâs true and didnât make much sense, but I did like the thread of âYes, killing your zombie-parent is the sensible thing to do, itâs still going to leave you emotionally fucked up.â In most zombie shows/movies when these scenes inevitably play out, yes, thereâs some guilt, but ultimately they get over pretty quickly. I appreciated this movie actually showed that it really wouldnât be as easy all that and itâs not something you just move on from. I know you said this movie could use a view rewrites and I completely agree and I feel a bulk of that should be put into the first act on this movie. It would further the relationship between Anna and Zabka and actual establish him as a character rather than "hot guy who made lewd gesture." It would also establish more of a relationship between the headmaster and Anna's father. I think the reason that Chris and Lisa works so well is they are the most defined at the start. Duckie also works because he's focused on too. 1 Share this post Link to post
Cam Bert 8145 Posted September 10, 2019 9 minutes ago, Cameron H. said: You know something Cam, âLast Christmasâ is a great Christmas song. He *gave* her his heart - as a present. Youâre just bitter you werenât in Wham! (emphasis theirs)Â Â If I were in Wham! I would want to be the guy at 39 seconds in the Club Tropicana video. Â 1 Share this post Link to post
Cameron H. 23786 Posted September 10, 2019 9 minutes ago, Cam Bert said: I know you said this movie could use a view rewrites and I completely agree and I feel a bulk of that should be put into the first act on this movie. It would further the relationship between Anna and Zabka and actual establish him as a character rather than "hot guy who made lewd gesture." It would also establish more of a relationship between the headmaster and Anna's father. I think the reason that Chris and Lisa works so well is they are the most defined at the start. Duckie also works because he's focused on too. On the one hand, I appreciated they had the guts to off Duckie, but I agree, if they were going to make Zabka an important character, they really needed to establish that earlier. What the movie really needed was a big opening number that introduces us to everyone. Like, it wouldnât have hurt to have a song where - even in a single line - we see Zabka and his father together. And also, maybe a small nod to the fact that his feelings are sincere, but heâs got to hide it to be cool. Basically, Zabka needs to Zucko it. 2 Share this post Link to post