RiD (off topic)

[Shockwave]

K-Pax is a terrible example. That movie sucked specifically because the movie up until then was everyone speculating if he was really an alien or jus crazy. The fact that the writers pussed out and didn't show the ending and pulled that "leave it to the audience" crap is what sucks. Sorry, but if I'm going to watch a sci-fi movie, I want to see aliens and technology and what have you. This is also why Contact sucked. She finally beams up or whatever and the alien is her fuckin' dad!? What the Hell? And then she maybe did or did not actually go anywhere? Fuck me, make up your mind and god damned stick to it. Seriously, K-Pax and Contact are the Blair Witch of sci-fi. Fuck 'em both. Hard. And fuck Blair Witch too.

Shockwave
-Fuck.

K-PAX was sci-fi? I thought it was a psychological drama about how people deal with trauma in their lives, and how the unknown is preferable to the truth in many scenarios. The ending was ambiguous because it was ambiguous for the characters involved, and the way they reacted would have less impact if they and us had a clear idea of what happened. I never really considered it 'sci-fi'.

Actually, it's only ambiguous to Kevin Spacey's character (if I remember it correctly, I've actually tried to block the whole damned movie out of my mind. That's an hour and half of my life that I want back damn it). He thinks he's an alien and they never really prove/deny at the end conclusively if he is or not. Which is just lazy. And I get the whole "is he right or isn't he" bullshit, but I've never seen it pulled off well at all. In pretty much any form. Personally I think it's the mark of a truly lazy writer to "just leave it to the audience". Fuck that. It's not my job as the reader/watcher of something to determine what the damned story is. It's up to the writer to tell me what the fuck is going on and if I can't tell what's going on in a movie within... like, the first 30 minutes then it's not worth my time. Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise also pulled this shit and that movie blew ass too.

Anyway, I'm gonna talk about something that doesn't piss me off now. I agree with O6, I didn't find the Kup Spotlight lacking at all either. Although I did think they were probably going to do something later. I mean why else save him?'

[Onslaught Six]

Well, what about Total Recall?

[Dominic]

And fuck Blair Witch too.

I have not seen "Blair Witch". But, I thought it was pretty cut and dried, (if difficult on the eyes). The kids are unambiguously killed.

Yes! The only issue I can forsee with that is if an issue is late, but AFAIK IDW has never had a late issue.

It had happened a few times, though never by more than a week or two. (And, in fairness, that is not unusual. Their error rate is about the same as anyone else's.)

Personally I think it's the mark of a truly lazy writer to "just leave it to the audience". Fuck that. It's not my job as the reader/watcher of something to determine what the damned story is. It's up to the writer to tell me what the fuck is going on and if I can't tell what's going on in a movie within... like, the first 30 minutes then it's not worth my time.

I partly agree.

It is not the job of the audience to fill in the blanks for a writer.

But, I am not going to start complaining about a movie/book/whatever being sloppy or lazy until the end unless it is *really* bad. If I buy a movie ticket, I am giving the writer the duration of the movie to make their point.

And, if their point is legitimately to convey uncertainty, then so be it. But, they need to make that clear and state their case before the movie ends.

Although I did think they were probably going to do something later. I mean why else save him?'

To tell a story about Springer's complete lack of ethics? That is what I figured it was.


Dom
-and issue one is not even out yet.

[Shockwave]

I forgot about Total Recall, but in that movie's defense, the end showed a very clear decision on the part of the character for which "reality" he was living in. Even if it was a "false" reality there was no way out of it for him so that was his life from there on out.

Blair Witch sucked because it was essentially a monster movie with no freakin monster. Yeah the kids are shown dead at the end, but we never see what actually killed them. And for that to be what the whole damn thing was about, to not show it is just a big giant fuck you to the audience.

I was just overly pissy in my last post, I actually do give the movie a full chance. I will stick with a movie until the end because I have seen movies that sucked for the most part but wound up getting redeemed at the end. So yeah, I do give them a chance, but if the first half hour or so I can't tell what's real and what's not, it is not usually a good sign.

[BWprowl]

Yes! The only issue I can forsee with that is if an issue is late, but AFAIK IDW has never had a late issue.

It had happened a few times, though never by more than a week or two. (And, in fairness, that is not unusual. Their error rate is about the same as anyone else's.)

See, this actually lets me get to my other point: Why shouldn't comics be able to know exactly when things are coming out? Think of movie previews, there'll be teasers and crap that come out a year ahead of the movie that give you the exact date you'll be able to walk into a theater and see it. So how is it that comics, despite being made by less people, for less money, with far less work and effort involved, can't nail down a release a month before something comes out while a big-budget film can half-a-year before it's set to release? Can you imagine if you saw a trailer for a movie on TV, hyping the hell out of it, and at the end, instead of just telling you when it came out like they always do, they just flashed the studio's web address and expected you to go there and hunt around to figure out when the movie actually came out? Movies would be doing as bad as comic books if this were the case!

It just kind of baffles me since I think comics are the only medium we let get away with stuff like this.

[Sparky Prime]

This is also why Contact sucked. She finally beams up or whatever and the alien is her fuckin' dad!? What the Hell? And then she maybe did or did not actually go anywhere? Fuck me, make up your mind and god damned stick to it. Seriously, K-Pax and Contact are the Blair Witch of sci-fi. Fuck 'em both. Hard.

What are you talking about? I really liked Contact personally. Sure, the ending is somewhat open ended, but I wouldn't exactly say they left it up to the audience. It's meant to be an ironic twist for Ellie's character, having her asking the world to have faith that this trip did in fact happen on her word alone, when she's shown to be a skeptic throughout the film when it comes to matters of faith herself. But the film does suggest a degree of evidence the trip happened, as we find out her recorder had 18 hours worth of static for only the few minutes she was perceived to be in the pod. And about the alien being her dad... as Ellie theorizes, the aliens somehow downloaded her memories and created a familiar setting/person her mind was comfortable with. Which makes sense as a first step/first contact scenario. Ellie was clearly overwhelmed by the trip as it was, and it's pretty clear in the film that not all of humanity is ready for alien contact. As the alien said, in time humanity would take another step.

I haven't read the novel the movie is based on, but I think it's worth pointing out it's got a number of differences to the film, as such things usually do...

[Onslaught Six]

I forgot about Total Recall, but in that movie's defense, the end showed a very clear decision on the part of the character for which "reality" he was living in. Even if it was a "false" reality there was no way out of it for him so that was his life from there on out.

Go back and watch it again, man, because that's totally not it. It's actually stated several times that, if this is a dream, Arnold is going to wake up at the end of it. That's actually even the last line of the movie:

Melina: I can't believe it, it's like a dream. What's wrong?
Douglas Quaid: I just had a terrible thought... what if this is a dream?
Melina: Well, then, kiss me quick before you wake up!

[BWprowl]

Go back and watch it again, man, because that's totally not it. It's actually stated several times that, if this is a dream, Arnold is going to wake up at the end of it. That's actually even the last line of the movie:

Melina: I can't believe it, it's like a dream. What's wrong?
Douglas Quaid: I just had a terrible thought... what if this is a dream?
Melina: Well, then, kiss me quick before you wake up!

We need to go deeper (Two threads now where Leo has been mentioned).

Actually, what'd you think of Inception as well, ShockTrek? That's another one with a purposefully ambiguous ending which exists with relevance to the film's themes.

[Onslaught Six]

Actually, what'd you think of Inception as well, ShockTrek? That's another one with a purposefully ambiguous ending which exists with relevance to the film's themes.

Thread derail time: Has anyone else noticed how EVERY frickin' trailer these days is ripping off Inception? I saw the Prometheus trailer again the other day and all I could think of was BWOOOOONG BWOOOOOOONG BWOOOOOOOONG BWOOOOOOOONG

[Dominic]

It just kind of baffles me since I think comics are the only medium we let get away with stuff like this.

Not quite.

Toys. Those do not ship, let along get shelved, reliably by any stretch.

Regular books are even worse. Book stores around here are lazy as hell. I have seen books on shelves at one place and not bought them, (say for lack of money). Then, later, I would be in another store and able to buy the book. Not only is the book not on the shelf, but the people there are swearing up and down that it is not even out yet.

And, when books do show up, they are not guaranteed to be in good condition. Bookstores need to take a lesson from comic stores.

Ellie theorizes, the aliens somehow downloaded her memories and created a familiar setting/person her mind was comfortable with. Which makes sense as a first step/first contact scenario. Ellie

As an aside, oh hell no.

If a stanger creature comes up to me obviously disguised as somebody who I know has been dead for years, I am going to (at best) mildly offended, if not afraid that it is a predator trying to eat me. Just sayin'......


Dom
-thinking it might be time to lock this thread and make a new IDW "Robots in Disguise" thread.