After watching the Conan remake I decided to revisit the original.

In a post-LOTR world, Conan The Barbarian feels incredibly dated; it's clearly an artifact of its era. In some ways, it even feels like a pre-Star Wars movie - its structure is a wonky, unpolished variation on the Hero's Journey. The love story is handled particularly badly (it just happens).

On a more positive note, the music (by Basil Poledouris, the RoboCop guy) holds up pretty well and the cheesy dialogue is sort of charming.

You worked on them? Good for you, 'cause the VFX in Yogi Bear are pleasant to the eye (and the bears themselves are absolutely cute). Just like with many modern CGI-heavy movies, the story is the weakest element.

Just like Kubrick and Lynch, Nolan has a very specific style. I think it works pretty well for the movies he made so far, but not all movies should be like that.

Another unnecessary remake made by no other than Marcus Nispel - the foremost director of controversial remakes. Conan The Barbarian 3D is an unimaginative interpretation of the Hero's Journey. Bland and not fun to watch.

Rachel Nichols used a body double for the sex scene, which suggests that she was hired solely for her acting skills. WTF? Did nobody realize that Rachel is no Jodie Foster? We live in truly dark times...

(No, really... The hoodie from Attack the Block is a fascinating choice, he can really stir things up.)

I haven't had the chance to hear the original soundtrack (the TV broadcast was dubbed into Polish). Our voice actors did the best they could, but nothing could salvage the uninteresting plot.

The franchise desperately needed a reboot after Superman Returns. Chris Nolan and Zack Snyder seemed like the right people for the job, but the result turned out to be a mixed bag.

What works:
— The serious approach. One of the biggest problems with previous Superman films was the campy humor. No such silliness in Man Of Steel.
— The Kryptonian designs. The first Superman movie came out a year after Star Wars, but its Krypton visually resembled the earlier sci-fi era (the Logan's Run aesthetics mentioned by Trey a few times). The new Krypton feels much richer and more realistic (one exception is the "hatchery" - it looks like right out of The Matrix).
— The acting. It's pretty solid across the board.

What doesn't work:
— The score. It's simply not distinctive enough. The old Superman theme by John Williams was instantly recognizable. Man Of Steel has fairly generic movie music.
— The story as a whole is not strong enough (feels like many other movies we've seen for the last few years).

To sum it up: I was expecting something better from the guys who gave us Watchmen and the Dark Knight trilogy.

Another solid commentary

Conspiracy is worth checking out; it's very much in the vein of TV stage plays that were once popular in some European countries (the earliest ones were usually aired live, but in time they evolved into ultra-low-budget TV movies). It's not really surprising, since BBC co-produced Conspiracy.

A few years earlier, HBO produced another movie somewhat related to that Nazi conference - Fatherland (I saw it on TV, I'm not sure if it was ever released on DVD). Based on an alternate history novel.

The basics seem simple enough, but things get much more complicated once you get to specific FIFA rules (things like "offside" can be really hard to figure out).

Re: baseball rules... If you grew up outside America, it's nearly impossible to figure them out. For most Europeans, baseball is just as inscrutable (and just as alien) as quidditch (which is a deliberate satire).

(To be fair, most sports use the "because he MUST" justification.)

Star Wars Origins

It's an old website, but (according to the "search forums" function) nobody here linked to it. A pretty cool read.

Most WAYDM commentaries are very good, especially when compared to some other commentary podcasts (WAYDM episodes have a briskness that many other fan commentaries simply lack).

1. Twilight remains my favorite commentary. It has a good analysis of Bella's unsuitability as a protagonist and a discussion regarding soul and immortality.

2. Aside from Twilight, I'd probably show them Prometheus (it points out all the missteps and flaws very well) and all six Star Wars commentaries. The Star Trek (2009) and District 9 should work well, too.

The one episode I don't care much for is Ang Lee's Hulk (that awful movie seems to suck the life out of everyone, including the WAYDM guys).

A satire on Hollywood directed by Frank Oz. Pretty solid, but not as good as In & Out or Death At A Funeral. It was nice for a change to see Eddie Murphy in a role that wasn't nominated for a Razzie.

I bought the disc two days ago and I must say I don't regret it. It's the ultimate space porn movie, tailor-made for nerds.

Just like XXX films, Gravity has no intricate plot. It's a straightforward disaster movie and there's nothing wrong with that. Unlike 2001, Gravity goes straight to the space porn and many people will appreciate that (to love 2001 you have to accept its Kubrickian pacing; I do, but I can see why some people don't).

Complicated storytelling can be great and we've got filmmakers who can deliver it (Chris Nolan is a pretty good example), but there's also place for space porn. Thanks, Alfonso - you gave me a great nerdgasm.

(BTW, in some languages the name "Alfons/Alfonso" means "pimp" )