Three Micro Reviews (no spoilers)

[jeriendhal]

Trying to catch up here, since I've fallen behind on making reviews.


Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Point One: Best Transhuman Space game ever.

Point Two: Which I realized when they spent 3/4 of an episode letting cute-widdle sentient tanks argue over the meaning of the term "soul" and whether they had one. Which got especially confusing since they shared memories and couldn't figure out whether they'd have a single one or one for each individual unit.

Point Three: I Heart Mr. Batou.


The Specials

This is the first film I've rented from NetFlix that I sent back without bothering to finish. I don't care how cute and quirky the premise is, if you can't show me a likable (or at least engaging) character in the first ten minutes, you've lost me.


The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

If a movie attempts to make a comedy by making a parody of a b-grade 50's sci-fi horror movie, but does the parody so note perfect that you can't actually tell whether it's supposed to be deliberately funny or not, should you laugh?

I admire the effort, but I'm still trying to figure out the motivation.

Comments

Filmgoer et-i-ket

[glenbarnett.livejournal.com]

If a movie attempts to make a comedy by making a parody of a b-grade 50's sci-fi horror movie, but does the parody so note perfect that you can't actually tell whether it's supposed to be deliberately funny or not, should you laugh?

It depends on the context, silly.

If you're in an arthouse theatre, you laugh too loud, and afterward in the coffee shop, knowingly applaud the filmmaker's seamless segues from parody to homage and back - and all the better if it is delivered with an artfully arched eyebrow.

If you're in a standard multiplex you chatter over all of the suspenseful bits, loudly ask "who's that guy?" about every person that comes within range of the camera, throw popcorn at the screen, text your friends about how lame the film is and later complain loudly about the special effects and the lack of really good tit jokes as you storm out ten minutes before the end of the film and demand your money back.

If you're watching it at home, you react with honest puzzlement, watch it again just in case you missed something, conclude that you really have no idea, vow to watch it again someday and stash it at the back of the DVD collection, so that when you eventually get divorced you can say "No, that's yours, I'm sure of it."

[wyldemusick.livejournal.com]

The Specials doesn't get any better after that first ten minutes. If anything it gets worse.

[shadur.livejournal.com]

You just know that he gets this sinking feeling of dread every time one of the 'komas walks up to him going "ne, ne, Batou-san..." because they're going to ask a perfectly reasonable question and it's going to hurt his head...

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

That hardly seems possible, but I'm more than willing to take your word on it.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

It would too. Because there's nothing worse than a tank with an integral chain gun asking, "Why is the sky blue?" questions. :-)