'The Earth Stood Still' for Keanu Reeves

Zap2It Movie News ^ | 8-28-07 | Bender2

[Bender2]

Variety is reporting that Keanu Reeves will star in 20th Century Fox's remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."

[discostu]

IMDB is where the movie buffs live, doesn’t count. And when was the last time network TV showed Titanic? I can’t remember it in the last 5 years at least.

[Borges]

It was on last summer.

[Lee'sGhost]

I love SciFi, so take my comments as discussion rather than objections.

I believe the Kidman film will be the fourth movie version of the “pod people” story.

I thought John Carpenter’s The Thing in was excellent. Much better than the one where James Arness runs around in suit looking like a giant carrot.

“Opps, they already butchered Heinlein Starship Troopers.”

Yes and no. Yes, they did butcher Heinlein’s story. If — and granted it is difficult to consider — if the movie had been made without Heinlein’s story being around as a reference to compare to, the movie would have been pretty good. Of course, the biggest flaw was having Johnny Rico go for Carmen rather than Dizzy. Dina Meyer — what an absolute babe. Sure, Denise Richards is pretty, but there’s no there there. Plus, the fact that she cohabitated with Charlie “the human std petri dish” Sheen pretty much cancels out the good stuff.

[Borges]

This is a good exegesis of it...

Vertigo extends the theme of Rear Window--the relationship of creator and creation--into the realm of love and sexuality, focusing on an isolated, inspired romantic (James Stewart) who pursues the spirit of a woman (the powerfully carnal Kim Novak).

The film's dynamics of chase, capture, and escape parallel the artist's struggle with his work; the enraptured gaze of the Stewart character before the phantom he has created parallels the spectator's position in front of the movie screen. The famous motif of the fall is presented in horizontal rather than vertical space, so that it becomes not a satanic fall from grace, but a modernist fall into the image, into the artwork--a total absorption of the creator by his creation, which in the end is shown as synonymous with death.

But a thematic analysis can only scratch the surface of this extraordinarily dense and commanding film, perhaps the most intensely personal movie to emerge from the Hollywood cinema.

[discostu]

That would explain why i missed hearing about it, I watch almost no network TV during the summer. Of course it being summer rerun time I’m not sure that’s a “big deal” time to show the movie.

[Lee'sGhost]

Man, she is SO hot. Haven’t seen her since that TV thing — Night Wing — Dark Wing ??? — where the idiots put her in a wheelchair.

[discostu]

But it’s a bad story, and the vertigo effect is laughable. That’s the problem with the whole technique worshiping section of movie critics and buffs. They’re hooked on the least important part of the movie and classify as masterpieces movies that are unwatchable.

[Borges]

Mood and theme are more important than story. And in Verigto the technique is fimrly wedded to both. In something like Minority Report which is a murder mystery...the story holes were a problem.

[discostu]

No. Mood is part of story, and theme in most movies is art house obsession that should be ignored by most audience members. But Vertigo’s story sucks, the technique doesn’t matter because it’s in the service of a bad story and therefore makes a bad movie. The problem with Minority Report was Spielberg’s addiction to happy endings, that movie is a grade and a half better if it ends with Tom Cruise being lowered into the cryo-vat. The story works better with the lesson of you can’t eat an entreched bureaucracy backed up by telepaths.

[EDINVA]

Don’t even MENTION “The Thing” ... when I was a kid and the original was in the theatres it was shown as part of a double-header. My parents expressly forbade my brother and me from staying to see it. We did anyway (at his insistence). I got physically sick and was in bed for a couple of days afterwards. Kept waking up with nightmares. Don’t think I’ve been to a single sci-fi movie since.

[Bender2]

Re weef #1: Well done Bender2! Those were some of the most creative FR posts IÂ’ve seen in a long time. Love your show too.

The check... is in the mail!

Re Lee’sGhost #1: I believe the Kidman film will be the fourth movie version of the “pod people” story.

At the End of the Universe notes “ If you were to plot the quality of the four versions of this story I think you’d see a definite downward trend which makes you wonder why someone would want to remake this movie so many times.” However, they do not name the four...

Let’see... As I';ve always believed the original was Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and the 1st remake was Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and the 2nd remake was The Invasion (2007). What was the missing one?

Well... after some googling, I found the missing one is Body Snatchers (1993) which I never heard of. At the flick’s IMDb page, I find there are only two things to recommend it: Gabrielle Anwar plays the lead and I’ve always thought she was pretty hot and speaking of hot, old sex-on-a-stick (Well, as me old Mom always claimed!) R. Lee Ermey plays General Platt.

So, I stand corrected, sir.

Re Lee’sGhost #2: I thought John Carpenter’s The Thing in was excellent. Much better than the one where James Arness runs around in suit looking like a giant carrot.

and EDINVA’s #1: Don’t even MENTION “The Thing” ... when I was a kid and the original was in the theaters it was shown as part of a double-header. My parents expressly forbade my brother and me from staying to see it. We did anyway (at his insistence). I got physically sick and was in bed for a couple of days afterwards. Kept waking up with nightmares. Don’t think I’ve been to a single sci-fi movie since.

Bite your tongue, Lee! Rewatch the original The Thing from Another World (1951) and find some of the best scf-fi dialog ever!

My personal favorite is:

Lt. Ken McPherson: What if he can read our minds?

Eddie: He’ll be real mad when he gets to me.

Arness’ ‘Thing’ actually has little screen time and it is what happened off screen and in our mind’s eye that really give the chills and thrills. Isn’t that right, EDINVA?

Re Lee’sGhost #3: Yes, they did butcher Heinlein’s story. If — and granted it is difficult to consider — if the movie had been made without Heinlein’s story being around as a reference to compare to, the movie would have been pretty good.

Yep, had they named it Starship Stormtroopers or Fascists in Space and never mentioned the work it was based upon, it would have been worth picking up from the dollar bin... But when they evoke Bob Heinlein’s name, they set at high threshold to cross. Which, of course, they did even come close!

Re Lee’sGhost #4: ...the biggest flaw was having Johnny Rico go for Carmen rather than Dizzy. Dina Meyer — what an absolute babe. Sure, Denise Richards is pretty, but there’s no there there. Plus, the fact that she cohabitated with Charlie “the human std petri dish” Sheen pretty much cancels out the good stuff.

And Rb ver. 2.0 #1: I took my 11 year old to see that in the movies. He was particularly impressed with the shower scene.

I’ve never had a problem with Dizzy being a hot showering babe nor Denise either, but I do agree with your points, Lee, Dizzy was the better love interest and I would not sleep with Denise unless I was really, really, really, really, REALLY drunk. Now, if we went to bed sober, that’s another thing. Ya know what they say: “A stiff XXXXX has no conscience.”

Forgive me, Millee, but I must plead guilty... on that count several times over the years. It was back when I was young and stupid before I turned 60 last Sunday. Now, I am on the straight and narrow. I've even closed in my stance when I go into an airport Men's Room!

BTW In the novel, Dizzy “...died on the way up.” on page 20 and Carmen 'Dear Johned' each and every time she wrote to Rico...

And while still on sexy, do not forget Brenda Strong's Captain Deladier as I stated on another Heinlein thread: "That was the only character that even came close to what I saw in my mind's eye when I read the novel."

Well... onward and upward!

[PinkDolphin]

I’m more interested in feeling the earth move!

[Froufrou]

Pinky, you’re so bad! ;o)

[Bender2]

Re: I’m more interested in feeling the earth move!

Then move... to either LA or San Fran!

[PinkDolphin]

Bender...you’re too darned old. If you think L.A. will do it, you are just too old.

[Bender2]

Re: Bender...you’re too darned old. If you think L.A. will do it, you are just too old.

Hummmmmmmmmm... Pinky lives in Georgia, yet flies Canadian flag on FR Homepage...

Claims I am too old... to make her earth move!

That means only one thing, Homer... I'll just have to track Pinky down and give her a good old fashioned, root'n, toot'n earth moving!

Just remember... to wear your hardhat!

[PinkDolphin]

You wear yours Bender!!! (i change that flag all the time)

[TrueKnightGalahad]

The film of ‘Starship Troopers’ was a satire.

What a load of hooey! Repetition by film critics manque won't make it true; just because VerHoeven, possibly the worst director of ALL TIME (makes Ed Wood look like a genius), said it was a "satire" doesn't make it so. He self-admittedly never even got beyond a few pages in the book, fer gosh'sakes! It's a "satire" -- how? Where? What is it satirising?

[Bender2]

Re Borges: The film of ‘Starship Troopers’ was a satire.

& True: It's a "satire" -- how? Where? What is it satirising?

Fellas! Fellas! It satired... Denise Richards being smart enought to become a starship pilot.

[TrueKnightGalahad]

Why cannot Hollywood do some original classic sci-fi works from Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov or Authur C. Clarke...

Can you imagine what someone like Spielberg would do to, say, "Citizen of the Galaxy?" Or maybe VerHoeven, doing another of his soi-disant "satires?" Sends shivers up and down my spine! Too bad Asimov's work is all but unfilmable.

One Clarke novel that I've always thought would be perfect for a film adaptation is "The City and the Stars." I wonder if anyone in Hollywood has ever optioned it?