I was wondering if anyone is going to see this wednesday night, I am, and I guess I was just wanting to know if anyone else was?

Moving this to Misc.... but please do discuss. I for one can't wait for this movie.

Probably not. Haven't seen the first one and I'm too busy trying to watch all of AFI's top ten to rent it. It doesn't seem like a very "Rachel" movie anyway.

sorry about that i wasnt paying attention to what i put this under

I fell asleep during the first Matrix. I don't think I'll be rushing to the theater for this one.

I would rather see X2 for the 5th time than see "The Matrix Reloaded" any time soon when all the scary fanboys will be out. And I feel I'm qualified to deem people fanboys since I myself tear up at the awesomeness of X2 every time I see it...geez I want to see it again.

But really, I dont dislike "The Matrix." It was an entertaining movie that I would probably still be excited about if it didn't suffer from super-duper mega hype. I don't really find the action scenes to be all that exciting since the slow-motion is used way too much. I don't think the special effects look that groundbreaking despite all the work that I know was put in them. Plus, I also don't find the acting to be that stupendous either. All these factors don't add up to a bad movie in my opinion (Heck, I liked "Attack of the Clones" and "Lost World") but there is just way too much psycho-trenchcoat-wearing-Godsmack-loving Rave kids who sang its praise at my high school and it sorta ruined it for me.

On a personal note, I also take offense to people who say that "The Matrix" is a comic movie, especially Kevin Smith's article in the latest Rolling Stone. But that's a personal thing. And I will see this movie in the theaters at some point, and I'm sure I'll be entertained, but I will never see what is so groundbreaking, amazing, and all that with it.

I loved The Matrix, and think it was easily one of the best movies of the last ten years, so needless to say, I'm really excited about this sequel. Mike and I have tickets to see it Thursday night. I can't wait!

Digsy, I can't really put my finger on why I think it was such an incredible movie. It definitely wasn't the special effects - I don't get very excited about special effects - although I will acknowledge that it was obviously influential in that regard. The acting was okay at best, but I thought that the guy who played Agent Smith did a great job. I guess now that I'm thinking about it, what I fell in love with was the story itself. I think that the Wachowskis overwhelmingly succeded in creating another world onscreen in much the same way that Lucas did back in the day, only with a different attitude. It's a classic underdog vs. the evil empire sci-fi film, but at the same time, the context (the whole Matrix/Real World idea) is completely original, and is actually believable enough in today's high-tech computer-based society. It definitely makes you think, anyway.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 12:22 am on May. 12, 2003)

I've never seen Dark City, but I have heard from more than one person that the Matrix basically ripped it off. But that's just what I've heard. Having not seen Dark City I can definitely agree with what you said about the Wacha...um...those brother dudes creating a very original and plausible world. Of course, that world also gives me the heebie jeebies and sorta depresses me (much like most Anime) so that may be why I can't get fully into it. In a way, it's like the twisted Star Wars.

But darnit, I can't wait for Return of the King or even for The Two Towers to come out on DVD. But that's another topic....

Me, too, my friend. Me, too.
I was talking to a guy at my job on campus the other day, and he has been really caught up in the books by Tolkien. So, he is already getting pumped for the DECEMBER movie. I can't wait either. That's for sure. And, I will probably end up buying the regular Two Towers then the deluxe 4 DVD set, just like I did for The Fellowship of the Ring. Ah, well. It's worth it.
Oh, and Legolas is H-O-T. Am I weird for liking an elf?
Since most of you guys have at least met me once, I will let you in on what TF and I discussed after seeing The Two Towers...I was considering letting my hair grow without cutting it until October so that I could be an elf. I know; I'm a loser. But, that would be an ultimate costume. I might even change it up and go as another person from Middle Earth...We shall see.

eh... having been a fan of the books since middle school, i wasn't too pleased with The Two Towers. I hope Return of the King makes up for it, but sadly, it was the slowest and most preachy of the three books. However, with all the changes to The Two Towers (it was almost like a different book since the emphasis on the plots were totally different and major changes regarding characters) I can only imagine what he's going to do to Return of the King. Needless to say, they've been great movies and entertaining, but having been a fanboy I can say I'm dissapointed with the second installment, especially after the perfection of the first film.

haha...you blur referencing bastard. you stole my gig!

...i guess i'll change it...

(Edited by deathscythe257 at 8:37 am on May. 12, 2003)

So, is it coming out wednesday or thursday? I've heard both. I don't think I'll see it opening night (especially if it's Thursday b/c of the Verde/Jetpack show at the Slow Bar), but I intend to see it soon. Movies like this (and X-Men 2) are why theaters were invented.

(Edited by carligula at 10:49 am on May. 12, 2003)

It's opening on a Thursday from everything I've seen on TV, which completely goes against the rule of movies opening movies on Wednesday or Friday.

Yes, it technically opens Thursday, but they're having midnight shows Wednesday night, like they do for these big releases nowadays. I'd love to see it Wednesday night, but it's past my bedtime for a weeknight.

it officially opens Thursday, but as JC said there is a special showing wednesday night, I personally am going to Thoroughbred 20 in Cool Springs

I was extremely disappointed with this movie. I thought the plot was extremely thin, the pacing was horrendous, and the acting was laughable. This movie took itself way too seriously. With that said, the action sequences were the most amazing displays of special effects I have ever seen. I don't think they had to necessarily be that long, but I was still thoroughly entertained at the ass-kicking.

I'll refrain from giving away any of the movie. I would recommend this one to anyone that appreciates good action, special effects and computer animation to the extreme. If you want character development or a compelling plotline, try X-Men 2 (again if need be).

I was afraid that, after X-2, this would be somewhat of a let down. They should have waited until later in the summer to release it, perhaps.

(Edited by Token at 8:43 pm on May. 16, 2003)

Yes, this movie definitely sucked. I love how Zion is nothing but a bunch of teenagers at a rave. All of the corniness (the over-the-top bad-ass, expressionless talking/acting and the fact that they're always wearing sunglasses in already poorly lit rooms) that I overlooked in the first one b/c I was so impressed with its cool aspects was just highlighted in this film. Basically, it was what I thought it was going to be: the same stuff, only more of it. I don't like the fighting in this film. Or, at least, I liked in the first one, but I think it gets boring after a while. They all fight in the same style, and there's no reason that I can see why one wins and others lose except the fact that everyone but Neo gets hurt. I don't get their powers either. It seems really inconsistent. During most of the fight sequences I kept thinking, "Why doesn't he just do that other thing, since that worked before?" Some other things in the movie, which I won't mention for those who want to see it, only added to the snapping of my suspension of disbelief. They didn't really exercise restraint in this film. X-Men is a much better, more solid film. I think all of the inner-workings and philosophical ideas that were kind of interesting in the first Matrix have become so convolluted in the second to the point where I don't think even the creators know how to justify all that happens in their film.

I am so glad to actually read these negative statements about the Matrix. I saw the movie this afternoon since my sister wanted to go and I was curious. Needless to say, I agree with all of the above statements, but I actually will not even give the movie credit for its special effects. The only realistic special effects in this movie were the scenes where Neo flew. everything else was pretty atrocious looking, in my opinion. There were so many times during the fight scenes where it was obvious that the entire thing was computer generated. I guess I'm not a fan of kung-fu, but the fight scenes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alias completely surpass the fights in this movie. Why? Because they are realistic and the actors actually act while fighting. You can actually feel the emotion between the two people while they trade blows. In this movie, it seems like all the fighting consists of is
-Dude punches dude
-Other dude blocks punch with his palm
-Dudes swat at each other
-One dude does lotus position mid-air
-Lotus Dude kicks other dude in the head...three times (!!)
-Whoah.

The acting? Oh sweet mother of monkeys. The acting in Episode I and II was heads and shoulders superior than this. Heck, the first Matrix had better acting if I recall correctly. Of course none of these reasons compare to the most annoying aspect: the craming of pseudo-philosphy down the audiences throat. There were way too many expository scenes that could have been cut down from 5 minutes to two lines, but instead the audience is beat over the head with the 'philosophy' of the movie. And I agree, Buckley, that Zion seemed like nothing more than a rave. I would have taken the Matrix over Zion anyday (this explains why Cypher still is my fave Matrix character/actor).

"X2" is far superior in all aspects and the X-Men trilogy is shaping up to be the best trilogy of the past 20 years. Boo-yah, Wachowskis.

The first Matrix was an amazing peice of cinematic history... it reinvented special effects, and it showed us amazing things we'd never seen before, all as seamless as could be. It created a new Science Fiction world based in proven philosophical concepts. It did as Lucas did and stole heavily from mythology and other science fiction to create a world that is instantly recognizable to its audience, and yet totally fresh. It was tightly edited, and no scene was too long or too short, and none were unneccessary. It handled its plot exposition in very inetesting ways that kept the audience on its toes, rather than feeling like they are being talked at.

I saw the first public showing of The Matrix: Reloaded at 10 on Wednesday night, and all I can say is that I'm disappointed. The new Matrix has non of what made the old Matrix great. The plot exposition was handled abysmally and created major pacing problems: "we'll talk at you for 10 minutes, and then as your reward you can watch an action scene" was the name of the game. And nearly every scene was too long: the rave, the frenchman, the battle with the cool medieval weapons... they all dragged. Action sequences aren't supposed to feel too long, but many of these did. And then plenty of scenes were unneccessary: did we need to see the scene with Link's wife? How about the Rave scene? Did we have to meet the Frenchman in order to progress the plot along, or is there an easier way to get from point A to point B that is more exciting for the audience? There was again a heavy influence from other mythology and science fiction, but all of it felt very tired, and none of it was fresh nor did it mesh well with the established universe. The pedantic philosophy of this film is like a boring lecture compared to the well-implemented free will vs fate debate of the first film. Even the special effects often looked bad, missing the point of why people loved the first film's effects: they were seamless.

But I can perhaps live with all of that. On top of all of that, however, my roommates and I have had debates since seeing the film as to the nature of what actually happened in the film... and I don't mean secret things that haven't been revealed yet, I mean basic plot points for the last third of the movie: we disagree on many of these points, and all three of us saw the same movie. Bad filmmaking, that.

It is a credit to the filmmaking that went into the first film that I still enjoyed the second one in many ways, and that I can't say that I hate it or that I won't see it again. But that doesn't alter the fact that I'm extremely disappointed and bewildered at how they could miss the boat in every possible way in trying to continue what made the first film great.

Will

No, but without him, we wouldn't have been able to see a close up of the Matrix's take on the pre-orgasmic female anatomy. Definitely a highlight of the film.

By the way, I thought the soundtrack was pretty damn good-- even though I'm not usually big on Techno music.

Hmm...I have mixed feelings about the soundtrack. I guess that techno is the obvious choice for the Matrix, so I understand that it had to be used. At least they didn't use horrible rap-rock like Daredevil did. Overall, I prefer a film score to using pop songs as the main score (like Daredevil), and The Matrix gave a nice mix between the two. But hearing Zach De la Rocha's voice (I assume that was him, it sounded like him) at the beginning of the credits just made me chuckle. At least that POD song wasn't used.

That was a remix of "Calm Like a Bomb" from Battle of Los Angeles and sounded friggin amazing. I miss RATM soooooo much (although I think they pretty much pushed it as far as it would go).

The POD song was used later in the credits. I sat through the credits to watch the trailer for the last installment of the Matrix. I'm not sure if it was worth the wait, though.

And if it was worth the wait it sure wasn't worth the sitting through that godawful Paul Oakenfold/Dave Matthews garbage at the end of the credits...

Will

I pretty much agree with Wiyum's rant up above. I just thought it was a much dumber movie than the first one. Blah blah blah, fight... blah blah blah, fight...random African dance/love scene...fight...someone explains what happened for five minutes...to be "concluded." It seemed like a parody of itself. Someone thought, "okay, the matrix is about special effects and Kung Fu, so we'll spend all our time shoving that down the sheeps' throats." By the time they finally got around to telling us (not showing us) the story, I had pretty much lost interest.

Basically, I think the sequel lost what was great about the original, by trying too hard to recreate the original. Also, the budget was too big and I thought they got lost in trying to make the coolest special effects, instead of telling a great story that happened to have cool special effects.

That said, I'll probably see it again. Oh, and I liked X2 better.

Don't you feel dirty trashing a film and then saying that? I know I do...

And yes, X2 takes it for the Summer blockbusters so far... but we've still got

T3
Incredible Hulk
LXG
Bad Boys 2
Pirates of the Carribean

none of which seem too hopeful to usurp X2, but damn is that alot of tentpole blockbusters for one summer.

Will

Geez, Wiyum, you forgot about "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle." Realistically, "T3" looks lame (not as lame as "Freddy vs. Jason") and I'm usually not down with Pirates when taken seriously. Hopefully Johnny Depp will be killed by a Ninja and his Hippo blood-brother. "Hulk" is the only movie coming out this summer that, I think, has the potential to take second place (behind "X2") in summer blockbuster-dom.

About "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," what characters are in it? From the previews I can only gather Dr. Jeckyl and Captain Nemo (I'm assuming). I think I remember Dorian Gray being used in either the comic or the movie. Any light on this subject?

I wanna see "Bruce Almighty". I love Jim Carrey.

Johnny Depp is very hot. That might be the only reason I see POC.

I'm weird like that, I guess. I never liked Phantom Menace, but I've probably seen it 4 or 5 times.

MATRIX SPOILER ALERT (sort of)
I want to see it again because, admittedly, I missed some of the stuff when the architect was talking that I guess was pretty important. It will also be nice to go in with lower expectations.

On other topics, I think T3 is about 6 or 7 years too late for anyone to care that much about it. The Hulk looks pretty laughable, but I guess I'll give Ang Lee and Jennifer Connely the benefit of the doubt. Pirates looks like the worst thing since that kangaroo movie. I know nothing about Extraordinary Gentleman. And I want to see Bruce Almighty.

When does that new Tarantino movie come out?

The new Tarantino movie has been delayed indefinitely. You ask me, the smart money is on Christmas. It was to premiere at Cannes, alongside Intolerable Cruelty, the new Coen, and 2046, the new Wong Kar-Wai. None of them are there. Rumors indicate that Kill Bill may in fact become two films. Afterwards, Tarantino is set to make Glorious Bastards, a WWII epic featuring Adam Sandler (!). The Coen film is still set to have its US release in October, the first time in nearly a decade that one of their films will have opened in the US first. Meanwhile, I'd say the best of the bunch is going to be 2046, because I'm a huge Wong fan and because the cast (Tony Leung, Maggie, Cheung, Faye Wong, Ziyi Zhang, and Chen Chang) reads like a who's who of Hong Kong cinema. Also, the idea of a film set in Hong Kong in the fiftieth year of Chinese control (given the promise of fifty years without change) is intriguing.

Can't wait for any of them regardless.

Will

All of these negative reviews have definitely curbed my enthusiasm to see this movie. Regardless, I'll be on my in about 10 minutes to go see it. We've got free movie passes, so I know it won't be a waste of money. It is probably better, as I think Keith said, to go into it with lowered expectations. I imagine it will at least be entertaining considering all of the stinking money they spent on this film.

By the way, just watched a good movie this afternoon: Real Women Have Curves . Very simple, but good...and a winner of the Sundance Film Festival to boot.

EXCEPT that it stars Orlando Bloom !! I guess you don't care about that because you're not looking for a nice piece of male ass (at least I don't think you are). Stephanie was right that Legolas is the hottest male character to come around in a long time.

haha carligula- I too miss Rage, enough to have acquired the Audioslave CD. Rationally, I know that pretty much all of their songs are the same. But I still can't resist them or their overwrought fuck the man lyrics.

Thanks to all of you for describing my feelings about the movie much more eloquently than I would have. I laughed out loud when the African drums started in the rave scene, it was so ridiculous. And I still haven't figured out the offer to pick 23 women & 18 men...

We saw the Matrix Reloaded last night.

I think I enjoyed it more than most of you, but I had scanned this topic and had my expectations whittled down to nothing.

X2 is better. Why? They both are sequels that follow exposition-heavy beginnings. X1 and Matrix spend a lot of time explaining things and putting things in place. The sequels take all the exposition from the first films and just run with it. That's great for X2; all we want to see are mutants killing people with their uncanny powers anyway (and crazy titties, but that is another thread). The charm of the first Matrix was that it was much more compelling to be brought into the world presented in the Matrix than it is to live in it.

I do want to see the film again. I wish it could be cut down to the 4 talking scenes (group & French guy, Neo & oracle, Neo & Smith, Neo & architect) when I see it again. That film would only last 15 minutes, and would answer all the questions. Those fight scenes are waaaay too long, and I really don't care about them.

I am worried that the third one will be sub-par as well since they were shot at the same time. Good thing I saw Back to the Future 3 yesterday: my hope is restored.

Dude, talk about tough shoes to fill!

By my count it'd probably be more like 40 minutes to an hour.

Will

That long, huh? The length of those fight scenes threw off my concept of time.

"Back to the Future III" is my favorite of the three. I think that that trilogy is the perfect example of every movie improving on the last one. I also like "Return of the Jedi" a lot, but I'm a sucker for the downer ending in "Empire Strikes Back." The "Alien" trilogy is another story, since I really only like "Alien." Hmm...am I forgetting any other major trilogies?

Yes, the "Black Pole, White Hole" saga. While the third was a disappointment (Maria Breastez is obviously Puerto Rican, not white), the first two were instant classics.

Haven't there been 4 Aliens movies so far?

Sleepaway Camp, Sorority House Massacre, Halloween, Hellraiser, pretty much every horror movie ever made... those are major in my book, anyway...

Yeah...but I don't really count it. It was written by Joss Whedon (my hero) but, like all his film projects, it turned out exactly how he didn't want it. I've only seen it once. It didn't make an impression on me.

I think the only true horror trilogy is the Scream trilogy, since every other horror film has about 7 sequels, 5-6 of which are usually poo.

*cough**cough* Evil Dead *cough**cough*

Ah...yet another movie(s) that I have never seen. I would like to see it at some point, actually, so I don't have an absurd hatred of it like I do other things.

sorority house and sleepaway camp are true trilogies... but you bring up an interesting point.

I thought Halloween 1 and 2 were great, 3 and 4 sucked, 5 was awesome, and the rest can suck it.

If any of you have the chance, order a pizza, get a six-pack and rent the sleepaway camp trilogy with a couple of your closest friends. I'd be inclined to say that the first installment will be one of the most disturbing things you'll ever see, and the next two have some very original [and low-budget] death sequences.

On a brighter note for movie-going this weekend, Token and I enjoyed Down with Love tonight. It was great.

The clothes and decor are awesome. It is stunning to watch it.
It is worth the price of admission for Obi Wan Kenobi's hick accent.

I have to second this. Down With Love is witty and adorable. I grinned ear to ear the whole time.

I have to see this movie!

I have to sell my Phantom Planet CD to see this movie!

Ah, I cannot wait to see it. It looks so adorable. But, I'm afraid it's going to be a Pillow Talk rip off. And since Pillow Talk is one of my favorite movies of all time and I practically have every word memorized, I'm a bit worried that the movie will make me mad. I love all of the actors that are starring in the movie, but they will never hold up to Doris Day, Rock Hudson, and Tony Randall.

(Edited by Sexy Sadie at 11:11 pm on May. 18, 2003)

Apparently, it's a re-make, so "rip-off" is what you'll call it if you don't like it.

From what I know, it's not supposed to be a remake. It's just based on Doris Day & Rock Hudson films in general. But, it looks like they're basically taking Pillow Talk and changing very few details and saying it's based on the films in general.

(Edited by Sexy Sadie at 11:16 am on May. 19, 2003)

Hmmm. I don't know. I've only seen Pillow Talk once, and it was quite a while ago. However, I think this movie is fun even if it is a rip off. It's very tongue-in-cheek.

am i the only person who has never seen the first matrix?

you're not alone, smee. you're not alone.

And I wouldn't even bother with it. I may hock my VHS copy for money...

I only got through a tad of it and fell asleep. I do not care to see it.

for those detractors of the matrix:

Go here.

Yup, interesting. It would have been a lot nicer if all of those great ideas and philosophical/religious concepts could have actually been turned into a cohesive and attention grabbing movie with decent characters and actual acting. Oh well.

yeah, i still haven't seen the movie. just thought that that article might serve some purpose... I know I for one don't know much about a lot of the stuff the dude talks about, but damn was it interesting.

Awesome.


www.kill-bill.com

Jayroe has some very interesting commentary on the movie. I suggest you check it out.

Hmmm...I don't know why I didn't see this topic and weigh in earlier, but here goes:

The Matrix: Reloaded was absolutely incredible and was much much much better than X2. But then again, I didn't really like the first X-Men movie either. But then again I don't really like X-Men or comic books in the first place. So I guess I disagree with like, every other person here. But that's okay. I can't wait to see Reloaded at least 2 or 3 more times in the theater. I feel as though I've only just begun to appreciate this movie, yet I'm still in awe.

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 6:26 pm on May. 27, 2003)

I saw the movie this weekend. I have two different views on it.

First, it was great. It was a movie. Watch it for such.

Second, it was okay. The philosophy, while there, was loose and not very well tied in. The acting sucked. This is most apparent in the sex/rave scene. I have NEVER, i repeat, NEVER felt like trinity and neo have loved eachother. They are so damn emotionless that the only possible explanation for their situation is purely and simply lust. The fact that a rave was going on with the drums and whatnot, compounded with trinity's facial expressions and their sweaty, dirty bodies, leads me to feel like i just watched fucking rather than making love. they are supposed to be in love. we are told that they are in love. but there is absolutely nothing in their chemistry that SHOWS us that they are in love. I would say that my emotion during the sex scene was best described as "bored."

Also, a couple of other things happened in this movie that really bother me.
Don't read anymore if you dislike spoilers

the fact that neo can control the robots in the "real" world tells me one of two things. 1) the real world is not real or 2) neo is a superhero. Either one of these scenarios bother me. The entire universe is forever changed by this action. If neo has superpowers, it moves this from post-apocalyptic, improbable, possibility (which one can allow to suspend their disbelief) into an impossible alternate universe. If the real world is not really real... let's just say that I didn't want to go there. You enter the realm of never being able to prove that the world you live in is real, and how can we? if none of it is real, then screw it all. it's worthless to me.

So basically, in my book, the walchowski brothers are damned if they do and damned if they don't. However, there were some very cool things done in this movie and I enjoyed it.

I think it has something to do with what happened to Smith. I could be wrong though.

yes, it may have something to do with smith, but still. if smith got a piece of neo imprinted on him and vice versa, that's all good and fine when it comes to program routines and personality/thought process, but to go into the real world and now be connected to the machines? that's a little too far fetched for me, hence my superhero designation.

I watched it again and liked it much better the second time. The above sums up my main problem with it. The philosophy (and kung fu for that matter) was tied into the original movie much more cleanly. I can now say I think The Matrix Reloaded is a pretty decent movie, but still nowhere close to the original Matrix, and still not even as good as X2.

This post was written about as well as The Matrix Reloaded script.

I've gone back and actually read this thread now. I think Digsy sums it up best. The analysis of it is in-depth and probably correct, but I don't really care at this point since I have to sit through sooo much kung fu and car chase to feel like I can digest this movie.

As for the new Quentin Tarantino movie, it looks ridiculous. I still haven't gotten around to watching Jackie Brown, and I'll probably see it before I see this new movie.

(Edited by YaDaDaDa at 8:37 pm on May. 27, 2003)

I love Jackie Brown. It is a wonderful movie with real people as its characters, which was a nice switch from Tarantino's other movies. Not that I mind his exagerrated characters in the least, but the depth of the characters was a nice surprise in Jackie.

Will

Jackie Brown is great. I'd say it's my second favorite Tarantino movie.

May even be my favorite, truth be known. See it, everyone.

Will

In a good way, right?