I have a confession to make.

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I have a confession to make.

Post by ratperson665 »

I don't want to get you guys angry so I’ll just come straight out and say it. I saw Lethal Weapon a few days ago and I did not care for it.
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Post by Duo »

For shame! "I'm getting to old for this shit." It was good for its time. The only one i didn't care too much for was 2 (aside from Mel's girl). 4's pretty damned good, too.
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Post by Missing »

Meh, what's to like about it? Just a bunch of random explosions and shoot-outs culminating in the good guys defeating the bad guys. Same old junk that you see in a million other action films.
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Post by Junker_05 »

Missing wrote:Meh, what's to like about it? Just a bunch of random explosions and shoot-outs culminating in the good guys defeating the bad guys. Same old junk that you see in a million other action films.
Yeah, ain't it true. It's like every other action film, though the worst culprit of this would have to be Rambo. I saw it a couple of days ago on DVD, and my friend said "I thought it was alright, what about you?"

I just looked at Stallone on the cover and said ".... Yer shit." It was a burnt copy, and a nice day outside, so guess what we used as a frisbee. ^^
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Post by Marc »

I move for a banning - do I have a second?

I guess you guys don't realize how much of an impact the first one had, even though the sequels haven't been quite as good. More than anything else, it's the character interactions I love about the series.

You can watch a Hitchcock film, for example, nowadays and say, "Eh, nothing special," but you'd be forgetting that every film of its type since then is what it is partly due to that original (take Psycho). That doesn't mean you have to like it, but it does mean it deserves your respect.
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Post by Junker_05 »

Ah, Hitchcock films. THEY were good flicks.

Look, I'm not saying "Rambo was shit and that should be everybody elses opinion too", I'm just telling my opinion on the forum about why I didn't like it. Sorry if I offended you or angered you in any way, Osiris.
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Post by Marc »

No, you didn't offend me or anger me - the banning line was a joke. I was just proffering a reason as to why some might not like it in 2006 (the original came out nearly 20 years ago and was made for that audience). And I know Hitchcock films are much better, so let's not go down that road - that was just an example, as I know people who feel the way I described.
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Post by Duo »

i was offended and slightly angered once a long time ago, but that was back when i could feel.
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Post by ratperson665 »

I got mixed up. I saw the second one.
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Post by Missing »

Osiris wrote:I guess you guys don't realize how much of an impact the first one had, even though the sequels haven't been quite as good. More than anything else, it's the character interactions I love about the series.
What's so special about them? The character's are no more original, no more defined, than in any other generic action film (Die Hard, Speed, The Matrix). For real characters, I'll take Kurosawa any day over those films.
You can watch a Hitchcock film, for example, nowadays and say, "Eh, nothing special," but you'd be forgetting that every film of its type since then is what it is partly due to that original (take Psycho). That doesn't mean you have to like it, but it does mean it deserves your respect.
I wouldn't compare any Hitchcock film to Lethal Weapon. Action can always be topped with bigger explosions and longer shoot-outs (in my opinion, John Woo's The Killer and Hard Boiled are outdated for this very reason), whereas suspense always remains suspenseful. For example, a shoot-out is always more exciting before people start shooting, rather than while they're shooting because of the suspense. A bomb is more exciting before it explodes, rather than while it explodes because of the suspense. For reasons such as that, Hitchcock's work will remain timeless, regardless of how desensitized people become to violence and action in films.

Besides, the chances are that people who watch a Hitchcock film nowadays and decide it's nothing special are not so much influenced by every filmmaker who's copied Hitchcock's style, but are more likely unused to the era in which his films were created. A lot of the young people who watch films nowadays want nothing more than action and violence, without any substance or skill in the movie-making craft. If they go into Psycho or The Birds expecting a lot of bloodshed, they'll be disappointed. If they go into Strangers on a Train or North By Northwest expecting a lot of action, they'll be disappointed. It isn't the film themselves that disappoint, but the preconceptions people may have of them due to all the hype that surrounds Hitchcock.
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Post by Marc »

I said the character interactions, and not as much the characters (though they are enjoyable and relatable) - meaning their lines. I think you still fail to realize what a big impact Lethal Weapon had on 90s action films. All the films you named feature one cop, and The Matrix isn't even about cops (plus the technology they had access to was miles ahead). Not only that, but, unlike most action films, this one actually has a good plot that makes sense. Yes it has shootouts and chases, but the ones in Lethal Weapon are done so much better. I still think the characters are real. I wouldn't say Kurosawa's characters are any less real, either.

As for the Hitchcock bit, I said "for example", because I knew you and everyone else would say "you can't compare Lethal Weapon to his films", and you can't. That was just the first thing that popped into my head. I wasn't comparing the films directly, but saying the idea I was talking about can be found in both of them (indeed between many films). Actions sequences can always be longer and have more special effects, but it's about the film's style. More than directly copying earlier films, they can't help but be influenced by them in certain ways. They're like the industry's forefathers.

Either you like the film or you don't, and you obviously don't, and that's fine. No one's forcing you to like it. But just because a movie isn't for you, I don't think it makes it a bad movie. I know a lot of people who hate The Matrix, for example, but I don't see how you could say it's a bad movie.

And without Lethal Weapon, we wouldn't have Policenauts.
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Post by Omega579 »

One thing that people might not be aware of is that Lethal Weapon introduced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the world six years before the first Ultimate Fighting Championship. Rorion and Royce Gracie were the fight choreographers for the fight scene with Riggs and Mr. Joshua which featured an armbar transitioned into a triangle choke. Rorion would later create the UFC with his brother Royce to prove BJJ's dominance over more traditional styles.
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Post by kitano »

Ah the famous Gracie Jujitsu! My introduction to it was in a manga called Noritaka. here they said that it was the most "lethal" form of Jujitsu.

Lethal Weapon is a fine piece of what it is. It's great fun with no other pretentions. I really enjoy it to this day. Actually, I enjoy it now more than years before, especially comparing it to current hollywood action films. There's something pure about Lethal Weapon among its genre that I love. The impossible stunts, the one liner humour in the most dire situation, and the endearing relationship between Riggs and Murtaugh. In my opinion it's a classic that generated a lot of copycat crap. But it's still the best of what it is in my book.
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Post by Duo »

It's sad that despite being told not to take the comparison to Hitchcock to heart, someone went ahead and did. No one's saying it should have won an Oscar, but come on. High brow elitest scumbag! I keed, I keed.
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Post by OtakupunkX »

So speaking of movies related to Richard Donner, I watched the remake of The Omen today with some co-workers.

It's not a very good movie. Hell, the original version's not even outdated yet, I don't see why it needed to be remade.
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Post by Marc »

Apparently The Omen remake wasn't going to go anywhere until some genius realized they could release it on 06/06/06.
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Post by Junker_05 »

That's a tad crap... they could've waited years for that! Lucky for them, eh.
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Post by Missing »

OtakupunkX wrote:Hell, the original version's not even outdated yet, I don't see why it needed to be remade.
Speaking as a movie buff, I'm of the opinion that no movie needs to be remade. I can understand if a director wants to return to a film they directed in the past and improve upon that formula (though this doesn't negate the quality of the original), but no classic film should be remade with the sole intention of making money. I don't care what generation you're from, but as long as you can appreciate movies (or any artform for that matter), then the age of something should not be of any importance. If the studios were smart, they'd save the cost of remaking these films and simply re-release the originals in theatres again. I'd pay full price to see the original The Omen more than I would pay half to see the remake. Anyone who's shallow enough to reject a film of another era because there's not enough violence and swearing, or because they're not familiar with the actors, or because they just don't think they're intelligent enough to keep up with films that were actually made with an intelligent audience in mind -- compared to today's drivel -- then they shouldn't even be watching films. They should be watching television.
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Post by ratperson665 »

Missing wrote:
OtakupunkX wrote:Hell, the original version's not even outdated yet, I don't see why it needed to be remade.
Speaking as a movie buff, I'm of the opinion that no movie needs to be remade. I can understand if a director wants to return to a film they directed in the past and improve upon that formula (though this doesn't negate the quality of the original), but no classic film should be remade with the sole intention of making money. I don't care what generation you're from, but as long as you can appreciate movies (or any artform for that matter), then the age of something should not be of any importance. If the studios were smart, they'd save the cost of remaking these films and simply re-release the originals in theatres again. I'd pay full price to see the original The Omen more than I would pay half to see the remake. Anyone who's shallow enough to reject a film of another era because there's not enough violence and swearing, or because they're not familiar with the actors, or because they just don't think they're intelligent enough to keep up with films that were actually made with an intelligent audience in mind -- compared to today's drivel -- then they shouldn't even be watching films. They should be watching television.
Was the original a good film? I've never seen it.
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Post by Omega579 »

The Weinsteins are trying to remake Seven Samurai with Ziyi Zhang. Nothing is sacred anymore. Next thing you know Citizen Kane will be remade.
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Post by Missing »

ratperson665 wrote:Was the original a good film? I've never seen it.
It's a decent film. The premise is somewhat of a semi-rip-off of Rosemary's Baby in itself, though not nearly as scary. Of course, I understood why they picked a film like this to remake, just like I understand why they chose to remake The Amityville Horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, Dawn of the Dead, and When a Stranger Calls (though I'll never uderstand why they spoiled the film's biggest twist in the commercials). They're commercial popcorn flicks, even if the originals were created with certain artistic intentions in mind. But I just don't see what is so hard about creating an original horror film. Most people's expectations rely solely on how gory the film they're watching is.
Omega579 wrote:The Weinsteins are trying to remake Seven Samurai with Ziyi Zhang. Nothing is sacred anymore. Next thing you know Citizen Kane will be remade.
That is truly fucked up. Couldn't they have at least stuck with more familiar ground, such as remaking The Magnificent Seven (even though it's already a remake)? I've also heard a remake of The Wild Bunch is already in the works for release either later this year or early next year, so no, it looks like nothing is forever sacred.
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Post by OtakupunkX »

Personally, I think that the only time any movie should ever be remade is when a filmmaker thinks he can add to the film or present a different take on a story. Other than that, though, I'm against remakes because few filmmakers ever do them for any reason other than money.
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Post by Missing »

I just found out that a remake of All the King's Men is scheduled for release fairly soon. I watched the trailer, and while it seems to be well-made and acted with a pretty good cast, it also seems a lot more simplified in comparison to the original. Robert Rossen's film was a masterpiece, which is why it's a shame he's so forgotten nowadays (he also made two other masterpieces, Body and Soul with John Garfield and The Hustler with Paul Newman). I can't imagine this remake will at all live up to the original (but that'd be no small matter considering it deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Picture).
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Post by OtakupunkX »

I don't think it'll be able to touch the original.
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Post by ratperson665 »

Omega579 wrote:The Weinsteins are trying to remake Seven Samurai with Ziyi Zhang. Nothing is sacred anymore. Next thing you know Citizen Kane will be remade.
I didn't like Seven Samurai one bit! It's way to long, the romance feels rushed and unnecessary, the characters are more like puppets and the ending is totally stupid!
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