Sucker Punch. Proof yet again, as if you needed it, story is king.

[Gillvane]

Sucker Punch made me feel like I was sucker punched, and someone stole my 9 dollars that I paid for the ticket.

I was so bored with this movie.

All guns, girls, cute baby doll sailor moon soft porn, giant robots, trains, plains, fire, explosions, dragons, slow motion flying bullet casings, and matrix style leaping and flying could hold my attention because there was NO decent coherent story.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sucker-punch-2010/

I watched Battle for Los Angeles, and ok, it wasn't great, but at least there was a story and some characters you could care about. A little.

Anyway, the special effects werent' nearly as over the top, but it was 10x more watchable than Sucker Punch because they at least tried to tell a coherent story, and give you some characters you could care about.

[paperkut12]

Well, it is a Zack Snyder movie after all. It's all about flashy action and sex apparently these days.

[EvilBastardProductions]

Watch it again and pay attention this time... There was a very coherent story.
It seems you may have missed the whole point of the movie- the title says it all.

[HD-tography]

Personally I have a love/hate relationship with this movie, in that I agree the story was lacking but I have never before been so inspired by Special Effects & Visual Effects done in 3D space, I even started learning the basics of Autodesk Maya because of this very movie...

I truly hated the immoral front story but the back story kept me from leaving the theater, long enough to be inspired by the effects, for which this movie was a monster! Look at how much work went into this movie, and you begin to have a new perspective... now if only they could start with a good story...

[Daniel Rutter]

I actually thought the film had a pretty good story. It's not pretending to be anything other than a glorified action film filled with women, guns and plenty of action. How many action movies have a storyline like that of Crash? No offense to our American members, but action films began in your country... and you started them off with simple storylines. When you watch an action movie, you just want an easy to follow story... and plenty of guilty pleasure action sequences.
Sucker Punch had a simple storyline. A predictable storyline. Strip it of its guns, girls etc... it was just a story of an abused girl wrongly imprisoned... allowed to escape into her imagination and block out the real world around her. Imagine this movie without the special effects... not such a good movie now eh? If you add everything, her "escape from reality" makes sense. In fact, the end of the film (the twist) actually caught me off guard.

I wanna bring in another example of a film that obviously had very little plot, "Faster". This film had a simple plot: Violent revenge. Thats all it was. Then you mix in the little back story, the other characters. Yeah, you don't care really for anyone... but the action, the vengeance and the car chases make you watch on. Again, for a movie without all that much of a story... I enjoyed every minute of it. This film wasn't pretending to be a cut and dry Hollywood action film, it was simply a indie-written story with some low level actors doing what they do best... and they made it enjoyable.

Not everyone can write cutting edge stories. In fact, not everyone can write. How many film makers among us actually write complex stories and film them? Why, if this is the case... do we even give these million dollar films our opinions? Seriously, I can't see why we complain that a film that had millions of bucks behind it is worth bitching about. We don't have that cash... and how many of you could make a movie better than Sucker Punch or Faster that would put asses in seats with the same budget?

These film makers are accomplished. They're bigger than we are... rather than bitch about them, try and be like them.

[kenkyusha]

These film makers are accomplished. They're bigger than we are... rather than bitch about them, try and be like them.

Admittedly, the work that I find moving tends to be more documentary and I haven't seen this film, but that argument seems specious. There are folks much more accomplished in many spheres from whom we can draw lessons, inspiration etc. By that same token, criticism is a powerful (if painful) tool to improve and helps us, at least in the case of collaborative arts like these, to establish a clear vision about what we put on screen for others.

For narrative filmmakers, why aim to be like this generation of successes? Why not learn their lessons, figure-out who/what provided inspiration to them and look to surpass the work? If we can tell the stories that we find compelling and these examples are helpful, great. If nothing else, they seem to possess the technical acumen required to manage large crews...

[Daniel Rutter]

I never said "Faster" moved me, I simply pointed out that the film maker behind it has progressed much further than most of us here...
So, rather than hate them for their obvious success (compared to us anyway), why not strive to at least get to their level of succession... then move forward?

[cgbier]

hate

Isn't that a bit strong of a word?

Success is not necessarily quality...

[Gillvane]

Watch it again and pay attention this time... There was a very coherent story.
It seems you may have missed the whole point of the movie- the title says it all.

That's not the point really. The problem is probably better explained as character development, or lack thereof. Or something.

Do I care about any of these characters? Not in the least. Is there any real danger in the dream sequences when they take on giant robots and zombie Nazis? None. And those dream sequences are the majority of the movie. Do I care when they come out of the dream? Again, no. I've just been watching giant robots and zombies, what the hell, now it's about dancing that I never even get to see? I've got no time to invest in that before I'm off again in fantasy land where nothing is at stake.

That's the missing element. However you achieve that, if it's lacking the story will be dull no matter how much CGI you pile on, and that's the case with Sucker Punch.

It's probably the jarring back and forth that ruins the story. If they'd just set it in one place or the other it might have had a chance. I get it, they were trying to be creative and imaginative, but it just falls flat IMO. Put me in a world where there actually are giant robots and zombie nazis. I'll go with it. Or put me in an insane asylum where the girl has to fight for survival. I'll invest in the characters and root for them.

[Gillvane]

I never said "Faster" moved me, I simply pointed out that the film maker behind it has progressed much further than most of us here...
So, rather than hate them for their obvious success (compared to us anyway), why not strive to at least get to their level of succession... then move forward?

I would make movies like Ewe Boll if someone would pay me his salary. I have no problem with that.

[Dr. Benway]

These film makers are accomplished. They're bigger than we are... rather than bitch about them, try and be like them.

That made me vomit - and that's no easy task. When The Levee Breaks is too awesome for this it seems.

[MalfunctioningHuman]

Moviemaking is a business that moves a lot of money. If people like crap, if there is a market for empty stories with flashy special effects and softcore porn (without the nudity) then it will be made.

I personally prefer a low budget movie with good story telling. The script, for me, is the most important part of a movie. If nothing else, at least it tells a story. Everything else (acting, lighting, music, etc) should be geared towards more effectively telling the story.

I saw a movie recently which is obviously low budget, but that I really enjoyed because of the script. A nice little Canadian horror movie called Pontypool. That's an excellent example of an anti-Transformers movie. Good script, competent acting, low budget, characters you can care about.

[Erik Bien]

If people like crap ...

In light of the fact that, despite unanimously scathing reviews, the number two movie in America this weekend is Adam Sandler playing his own sister in a cliché so shopworn it looks like one of the fake coming attractions from the beginning of Tropic Thunder, I'd say it's safe to drop the "If" from that sentence!

[MalfunctioningHuman]

In light of the fact that, despite unanimously scathing reviews, the number two movie in America this weekend is Adam Sandler playing his own sister in a cliché so shopworn it looks like one of the fake coming attractions from the beginning of Tropic Thunder, I'd say it's safe to drop the "If" from that sentence!

Indeed, it kind of makes you lose faith in humanity, doesn't it? I wonder if human civilization is due for a mass extinction.

How have you been, Erik? I have been away from the forum for way too long, and the funny thing is I always felt guilty about it. Life got too crazy I guess, but things have slowly been returning to normal. I still haven't taken on Absinthe, by the way. That's on my to-do list, but when I do I will do it in style since I have all the right information. Unfortunately I can have an addictive personality, so I hope I won't turn into Hunter S. Thompson and Oscar Wilde's secret baby.

[Gillvane]

I used to order Absinthe all the time, but can't afford it now.
http://www.alandia.de/

My favorite is a Le Bleue which is a blanche Absinthe instead of a verte:
http://www.alandia.de/absinthe/produ...-La-Bleue.html


I will add Immortal to the list of movies with bad story, and good FX. It wasn't as bad as Sucker Punch, but it was bad IMO. The trailer is deceptive. You think you're going to see a movie about a battle between the gods, but really you just see a poorly motivated love story that never goes anywhere, and a bored Mickey Rourke breaking everyone's balls. Then at the end, some gods fight. By then, you're to bored to care, just like Rourke.

[Dr. Benway]

Indeed, it kind of makes you lose faith in humanity, doesn't it?

The flotsam swirling in the eddies of our intellectual superiority just want to be happy - Sandler makes them happy.

[MalfunctioningHuman]

I used to order Absinthe all the time, but can't afford it now.
http://www.alandia.de/

My favorite is a Le Bleue which is a blanche Absinthe instead of a verte:
http://www.alandia.de/absinthe/produ...-La-Bleue.html

Thanks for the suggestions, Gillvane. Somebody gave me a master class on Absinthe a while back in the forum (Erik I'm looking at you!) and I think I'm going to get started either with Kubler or Mansinthe, which I think I can pick locally. I didn't know that Mansinthe had been created by Marilyn Manson. All of a sudden it sounds even more dangerous.

I hope it doesn't become too expensive a habit. I have enough with meth and Ritz crackers already. Oh well.

[MalfunctioningHuman]

The flotsam swirling in the eddies of our intellectual superiority just want to be happy - Sandler makes them happy.

Well, that does sound kind of elitist, but the sad truth is that a majority of people do tend to give themselves to base instincts, yes.

[Dr. Benway]

Well, that does sound kind of elitist...

No criticism intended. And I agree. People! They can be so disappointing! But I think there are worse behaviours to rail against than choosing popcorn over arthouse. Bless their simple cotton socks and mine - I like switching my brain off sometimes too.

[MalfunctioningHuman]

No criticism intended. And I agree. People! They can be so disappointing! But I think there are worse behaviours to rail against than choosing popcorn over arthouse. Bless their simple cotton socks and mine - I like switching my brain off sometimes too.

Of course, as do I! Must I confess to watching the Maury Povich show on occassion, if only to take a hot shower afterwards and scrub hard, oh so hard, trying to wash the dirt and guilt away?

I guess what I find disappointing is not the individual act of watching a movie like Jack and Jill. It's more the overall trend of something like that being so massively popular and bringing great wealth and fame to those involved, while true works of art remain only watched and appreciated by a minority. But I think that much of it has to do with herd mentality and the function of these types of movies as dumb fun simply designed to allow the viewer to escape reality (and to elicit as little thought as possible by the audience.) We basically are paying Hollywood to make us think as little as possible about the things that really affect us.

[Erik Bien]

Somebody gave me a master class on Absinthe a while back in the forum (Erik I'm looking at you!) and I think I'm going to get started either with Kubler or Mansinthe, which I think I can pick locally. I didn't know that Mansinthe had been created by Marilyn Manson. All of a sudden it sounds even more dangerous.

Missed this earlier. Both Swiss, both good, but if I'm given the choice of those two, I'm going for Mansinthe every time. Very similar to Duplais Verte, a slightly stronger all-time favorite made by the same distiller. Deep peridot green, nice nose, full-bodied louche, tasty with or without sugar. Kübler is a better blanche than its low price would suggest, though, and I'd certainly choose it over any of the oil-mix "absinthe flavored schnapps" brands like Absente or La Fee. There are some very nice herbal flavors lurking in there, but it's definitely an "anise forward" absinthe, and I find it takes a delicate hand with water and sweetener to pour one that isn't a one-note anise bomb.

I hope it doesn't become too expensive a habit.

In that case, do not click this link (although, the bottles with less-than-presentable labels are under $1K and tasting samples are downright reasonable. Just in case, you know, anyone was wondering what a hard-working moderator might want for Christmas ...)

[Dr. Benway]

Deep peridot green...

Peridot, eh? Sold!!!

[wwjd]

I saw nothing appealing in the sucker punch trailer. Just another exercise in computer graphics - which never impress me anymore. Seems most trailers are ads for graphics lately. If a trailer "PLOT" catches my brain, I'll go. Otherwise, if I want computer graphics, I'll use my computer and play games I can interact with, not just sit and watch.

BUT people are buying the shiny, pretty, blinky lights these days and I can't change that. So, as someone stated above me, THAT is what goes to theaters: whatever sells.


(((SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!))))
So, after hearing Sucker Punch sort of ripped off "BRAZIL", I got down right mad at it.