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Any other "Thing" fans out there?


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Speaking of...

am I the only one that thought it looked a lot like a roach after it burst from the ice and during the *ahem* alien autopsy?

Edit to add spoiler tags.

-b.

I just saw a mess of parts. Honestly, I don't want to make too much sense of the creature because it freaks me out...

Bruce agrees with you. (Bruce the mechanical shark of course)

Lol I had to look that one up. I never knew there was such fanfare about that mechanical shark...

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Don't be surprised, as it wasn't too popular even during its initial run in the theaters. Critics didn't like it and the audiences clearly didn't either. Wasn't it competing with E.T. at the same time in the box offices? Nevertheless, it's earned quite the following over the years and rightfully so...

Edited by myk
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A decent review from a trusted source :-)

http://io9.com/58500...ag=movie-review

and to tout my own horn!...

"...Then, when we finally get to the (beautifully designed) Thingship..."

Go see it, support a fellow MacrossWorlder... And watch for my name in the credits! - too bad it was too dark to make up the Macross/Zentradi inspired details in the Alienship.

hehe, effin' A, man! Good on ya! Every MW member that goes to see this movie needs to brag on you, show our support: "the guy who designed that ship is a member on our message forum." B))

Bruce agrees with you. (Bruce the mechanical shark of course)

But Bruce's success was by accident. We only see "him" at the end of Jaws because he malfunctioned during most of the filming. Still made for a damned good, suspensful movie, though.

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I borrowed my bother's copy of The Thing... Holy hell, is this a GREAT movie! Seriously, how is it that I've never watched this movie before?

Check out "They Live" too. There were quite a few films in the 80's, (some by Carpenter, a few by Verhoven and a few others) that had great action/horror moments but also had great senses of humor, which has become a lost art in many of these films. They were designed to be enjoyable, which is no crime.

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Lol, hey man it was the 80's! I loved They Live for the story, much like the '82 Thing, whose special effects are equally laughable by today's standards. I realize that these two movies aren't the type to blow Uxi's home theater setup to oblivion, to be sure...

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To be fair, the alien makeup was pretty ridiculous. The movie is best enjoyed on a well-worn VHS copy.

But that was the point. The makeup didn't matter for one second, it was the concepts being explored that were important, like many other 80's films.

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But that was the point. The makeup didn't matter for one second, it was the concepts being explored that were important, like many other 80's films.

Yeah, what a concept eh? Special effects and makeup not taking center stage for once. Movies like They Live and the Thing were the types of movies that could stir your thoughts and soul. Good stuff for sure. I'm not trying to say that there isn't anything modern that can do the same, it's just remarkable that they could accomplish so much with so little, then...

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Yeah, what a concept eh? Special effects and makeup not taking center stage for once.

Yup, this is exactly what's wrong with 99% of movies today. It's almost as if the studios have forgotten how to tell a compelling story. Today it seems Hollywood believes by throwing hundreds of millions of dollars into SFX, it can trick audiences into thinking a movie is good. Of course, it never works but people still buy the tickets. :/

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Yup, this is exactly what's wrong with 99% of movies today. It's almost as if the studios have forgotten how to tell a compelling story. Today it seems Hollywood believes by throwing hundreds of millions of dollars into SFX, it can trick audiences into thinking a movie is good. Of course, it never works but people still buy the tickets. :/

To be fair, that was also what was wrong with 99% of SF/Fantasy movies in the '80s, as well.

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Haha, you're probably not wrong. But I just can't think of a movie, from a major studio, from that decade that I can accuse of trying to overcompensate for a paper-thin plot with massive SFX.

You ask... Gubaba provides... :D

The "Ultimate 3D experience":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vd6xXhbatk

"A Ridley Scott Film":

I tried to add "Jaws 3D" and "Friday the 13th Part 3 in 3D" as well, but it wouldn't let me...

Edited by Gubaba
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But that was the point. The makeup didn't matter for one second, it was the concepts being explored that were important, like many other 80's films.

I dunno. I must disagree on this point--at least, in regards to Carpenter's Thing. I'd assert that the SFX was a major deal for this one. Back in the day, this was some mind-blowing sh*t; at least to an 80's kid like myself.

I remember this being one of those movies that, when it came on TV, you call your buddy/relative into the living room for the best part(s): "hey ____, come check this out, man!"

...then wait for the collective *whoooooaaaaaa!* moment [for instance: the "heart attack" scene]

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Haha, you're probably not wrong. But I just can't think of a movie, from a major studio, from that decade that I can accuse of trying to overcompensate for a paper-thin plot with massive SFX.

Having lived through the (early) seventies, and the dreadful run of movies from that time (fx wise), the eighties was an explosion of paper-thin movies with massive SFX. The idea of a summer blockbuster (and the attendent lack of plot combined with large FX budget) started in the eighties (late seventies technically, but really got cemented into the culture by the early eighties). Up till Star Wars and Close Encounters the major studios had shuttered nearly all the FX shops, by the early eighties they were opening more and more to compete with ILM.

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Hmmm, from a historical perspective you might be right about the concept of the summer blockbuster originating in the 80's. And I suppose the studios throwing money at a sci-fi production, in hopes of making it "good", is a natural reaction given the genre itself. But I wonder, was it done as often, and at the scale (taking into account inflation) with which we are seeing today?

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Hmmm, from a historical perspective you might be right about the concept of the summer blockbuster originating in the 80's. And I suppose the studios throwing money at a sci-fi production, in hopes of making it "good", is a natural reaction given the genre itself. But I wonder, was it done as often, and at the scale (taking into account inflation) with which we are seeing today?

No, definitely not.

But that's just because now the children of Jaws and Star Wars are running the studios...

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Hmmm, from a historical perspective you might be right about the concept of the summer blockbuster originating in the 80's. And I suppose the studios throwing money at a sci-fi production, in hopes of making it "good", is a natural reaction given the genre itself. But I wonder, was it done as often, and at the scale (taking into account inflation) with which we are seeing today?

I'm probably not the best one to answer, since I consider most modern movies to be Drek(*) (even the latest Batman, people were heaping praise on it and I'm shaking my head). The amount of money, even accounting for inflation, goes up each year - so they did not spend as much per film then as they do now. On the other hand movie ticket prices have gone up at a higher rate then general inflation. I remember them being $3 when I was a kid and now (with the obligatory 3D charge) they are 12-15, that is 400% to 500% increase while prices of other things have gone up about 200 to 300%. (a book was generally 3-4 back then, today they are 6-8 for example)

(*) - Then again, most movies I liked in my teens my parents would have said was Drek...

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I remember them being $3 when I was a kid and now (with the obligatory 3D charge) they are 12-15, that is 400% to 500% increase while prices of other things have gone up about 200 to 300%. (a book was generally 3-4 back then, today they are 6-8 for example)

That's because traditional print media is dead, rock bottom prices are the only way to get people to actually buy books.

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