What say you? (Movie related)

Hi fellow ATSers,

So here is my question of the night to you guys. Given the amount of excruciating and painfully poor quality of movies coming out lately (ie. skyline, get him to the greek, district 9, stone, buried, easy A and many more), I was wondering what your personal perfect movie would be like?

Question being, how would you describe a movie you'd gladly want to pay the 'ever more expensive' theatre tickets for? $20+ to go see the crap movies mentioned before is a real outrage in my opinion.

What say you?

I don't go to movie theaters, I usually just wait and rent or download. Last movie I saw in the theater was Avatar and I did not even pay for the 3D. As for as getting $20+ out of me for a movie, I don't see it happening. Unless it's like that new movie Black Swan, but with an hour long extended love making scene between Portman and Kunis.

i have to disagree on district 9 but yes i am sick of the movies today. they only entertain the very simple minded that laugh at the same exact joke that was in a movie they saw two months earlier but they dont put two and two together. There have also been some very good interesting movies that have come out in the past couple years. like shutter island, inception, the union (the business behind getting high), food inc, and king Korn. which i personally think are all excellent movies

If a movie trilogy was made on the game mass effect then I'd probably be satisfied.

I'd like to see The Dark Tower series by Stephen King put into film, please. That is my ultimate movie fantasy. Though I hear that there's talks of going just that. *crosses fingers*

I, also, disagree about District 9. Thought it was pretty good.

As far as a movie being worth the $20 entry level fee, I cannot think of any. Though the Coen bros. True Grit remake, and the Cowboys and Aliens concept admittedly interest me. But keeping my $20 interests me more than both of those movies.

Originally posted by RayTheWizardLiotta
If a movie trilogy was made on the game mass effect then I'd probably be satisfied.

Ah man that's what i was going to say. Such a great game, i would like to see that happen.

reply to post by inthemass


I have played that game way too many times can't wait till the 3rd one comes out.

I still think many movies succeed. For me, I want different things from different kinds of movies. I mean, I wouldn't go in seeing a "Scary Movie" title expecting real horror...I'd expect slapstick humor. Likewise, I'm not expecting any real substance in "The Expendables", I'm expecting lots of explosions, some 80's style one-liners, etc.

What really gets my goat though is when a movie is advertised as one thing, then is something else. Or worse, when a movie is just teased, and you have no idea what it is going to be about. (personally, I never see such films until I at least have an idea, whether from reviews or other sources).

As for seeing Avatar in 2D, that's like a cupcake without icing. I wasn't as blown away as others with it, but in 2D, it is unimpressive. In 3D, it's MUCH better...(and looks less cartoony)....

For all the crap though, there are still some great ones that come out. The Lord of the Rings movies are great examples of what epic movies used to be, for example. Those weren't too long ago. There have even been some good recent horror movies (by that, I mean the ones that are just plain creepy, not hack and slash)...

I would Love if they made a movie for Orson Scott Card's "Enders Game"

Also Now that the CGI has gotten so advanced I think I would be very pleased to see Anne McCaffrey's
" Dragonriders of Pern" series made into a movie franchise.

My last suggestion is a little bit more off the beaten path , but I Would really Like to see Roger Zelazny's
"Chronicles of Amber" stories brought to the live screen.

In the meantime I guess I will just settle for combing over used book stores to find more gems, its cheaper than going to the movies and also a fun hobby in and of itself..

Thanks for the thread

~meathead

reply to post by Mike Stivic


The Dragonriders of Pern, if done right, could be a GREAT movie franchise. I've no idea why studios haven't jumped on this one yet, especially after the success of Lord of the Rings. Not to mention, would open these stories up to a whole, large audience. Great books, by the way, for anyone who hasn't read them.

Rich world, great characters, and the visual potential is right on par with the LOTR.

Last I saw was this:

In May 2006, it was announced that the rights to the entire Dragonriders of Pern series was optioned by Oscar-winning production company Copperheart Entertainment.[4] Copperheart announced their intention to bring Pern to the big screen.

However, this company doesn't have the $$$ to really do it justice, so here's hoping a major studio sets its sights on it, and buys the rights from them. I'd bet they could get it for a song, and reap hundreds of millions from it later. Some big name actors, impressive CGI, a great musical score, and you are set. Instant classic hit.

A perfect movie? That's a tough one. I'd have to differentiate between a movie that I can really enjoy even on TV and a movie you have to see at the theater to get the full effect.

I don't know that there is a "perfect" movie, but there are some movies that I like because they're mentally stimulating, and some just because they're good escapist popcorn fodder. Then you have the epics.

Inherit the Wind is a near perfect movie. So is To Kill a Mockingbird. 12 Angry Men. Not to mention something more light and fun like, His Girl Friday. I could name a couple of dozen old B&W movies that are entertaining and have great plot and character and may be close to perfect. Never saw them at the theater, but they're as good as anything you'll see. Most Hitchcock movies fall into that category for me.

For escapism type stuff, you've got Lord of the Rings, and one of my personal favorites, Independence Day which might just be the perfect theater movie.

Epics like Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, The Longest Day, Patton, Braveheart, The Godfather, How the West Was Won, The Great Escape, all excellent and then some.

If I had to pick the best movie I've seen at the theater in the past 3 years, it might be Watchmen. Avatar did nothing for me, at all, even on 3D at the theater. Meh. I found it to be anything but compelling and really couldn't wait for it to be over. How to Train Your Dragon was more enjoyable.

I know I'm going to get raked over the coals with this, but I thought Titanic was a perfect movie.

Before you flame me, so did a lot of people, evidently. (including not only the public, but also the Academy)...

Seriously though, it had great cinematography, great costumes, great sets, great music, great acting (some better than others of course, but overall), a great story (especially considering we knew the basic ending...the boat sinks), and a nice mix of scenes (especially the fades from the past to the present).

It had romance (duh), action (escaping the flooding ship), special effects (the sinking), sex (the portrait pose and buggy sex), and real touching moments (the 3rd class folks preparing for death, the end scene with the photos showing all she'd done after being free).

Basically, it was one hell of a well-crafted movie... If you didn't cry at some point in this, you're probably not quite human....