Oblivion

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  • #61
    Re: Oblivion

    It's a mystery to me that some people are complaining about this movie having sci-fi elements in it. It's a futuristic action sci-fi movie, what were you expecting to happen in it?

    The best complaint of all is the one about Tom Cruise. If you think Tom Cruise is always flawed in movies, what are you doing going to see a Tom Cruise movie?

    Okay, Oblivion is not a perfect movie, but there are not many of those around. For me the first two-thirds were fantastic and the last third was decent.

    Yes, it's true to say that many of the plot elements in it have been used before and that there are a few that on reflection don't add up. But for me this combination of them was well done and enjoyable. Rom-Com fans don't bitch about couples ending up together almost all the time, so why shouldn't sci-fi fans be allowed to bask in seeing a fresh version of material that they enjoy?

    If you can cope with your sci-fi movies including some sci-fi, and you don't have a problem with Tom Cruise, then I'd recommend seeing this.

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    • #62
      Re: Oblivion

      I think as writers we all see where things could be improved, but I think the point is it was still an enjoyable film taken in it's totality.

      I'm glad Universal took a risk on this and I'm looking forward to Elysium as well.

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      • #63
        Re: Oblivion

        Originally posted by tuukka View Post
        Well, plural is a plural. There isn't really anything unclear about my first post.

        Notice how in your posts you are taking things very personally, and doing over-wrough personal attacks?
        Yep, I tend to do that when someone sets out to insult me. It's a failing, I admit.

        Are you now saying that you *didn't* intend to call me ignorant and lazy? You were just calling *everyone else* ignorant and lazy, and only had my post there because of asthetics?


        I only included that because you claimed that your "joke" to your wife was actually "praise". It didn't read that way, but I admitted that you did praise the film a bit in your later paragraph.
        "Moon", "WALL-E" and "Planet of the Apes" are good films. Comparing it to them was a compliment. Much like how, when the discussion was about "Olympus Has Fallen", the comparisons to "Die Hard" were largely complimentary.

        The fact that you didn't pick up on this from my original post would be why my second post clarified. Rather than noting the bits I'd pointed out, you decided to keep being rude and insulting.

        This is not anymore about providing arguments and counter-arguments, which a good debate should be about.
        It was never about providing arguments and counter-arguments, as "This just seems like a stupid game to play. It's lazy script analysis" is not an argument, and has nothing to do with what I said, because what I said was "it's like these", and didn't include a pejorative about that anywhere inside.
        This was and continues to be about you trying to thumb your nose at people by acting superior about the pedigree of a film that couldn't be bothered to try anything different with any of the ideas it was built on.


        I can't fathom why you seem to feel this Okay, Entertaining movie is worth enough to be insulting and dismissive in defense of it, but regardless, as I've said, it brings up a bunch of ideas and then steadfastly refuses to explore *any* of them.

        Much like you do.

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        • #64
          Re: Oblivion

          I also admit that I'm highly amused by a bunch of reviews saying "Entertaining, though not much there" being taken as "It sucks".


          I could swear the word "entertaining" keeps getting used.

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          • #65
            Re: Oblivion

            If you think Tom Cruise is always flawed in movies, what are you doing going to see a Tom Cruise movie?
            I don't like Brad Pitt either, but while I avoid the majority of his projects that doesn't mean I blew off Inglorious Basterds. I enjoyed that movie despite his scenery chewing. And I'll watch World War Z despite the movie being built around his character.

            As viewers, we're stuck with whatever actor is cast. Blowing off a movie as a whole because a certain actor is in it pretty much limits your options. Especially when the bulk of contemporary actors are more abrasive than soothing.
            "Forget it, Jake. It's Hollywood."

            My YouTube channel.

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            • #66
              Re: Oblivion

              I've never gotten the ire towards Tom Cruise as an actor, honestly.

              I mean, yes, I can understand disliking him for the whole Scientology Rant on the Today Show and whatnot, whatever, actors are weird and odd beings which is why we love them. But he's been very good in a variety of things, as well as pretty bad in a variety of things.


              What I *don't* get is the studio obsession with him as a Movie Star that will make the movie successful. That hasn't been true since the mid-90s, and even then it was questionable. I'd hate to see the rate of return on his salaries for the last decade or so.

              I liked him here, though.

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              • #67
                Re: Oblivion

                Originally posted by MoonHill View Post
                I've never gotten the ire towards Tom Cruise as an actor, honestly.

                [...]

                What I *don't* get is the studio obsession with him as a Movie Star that will make the movie successful. That hasn't been true since the mid-90s, and even then it was questionable. I'd hate to see the rate of return on his salaries for the last decade or so.
                That's basically why I've never liked Tom Cruise. As an actor, he's fairly unobtrusive. Not much nuance, but I hear he's solidly professional. But none of this matters to me when he's miscast. And he gets miscast a lot, the marquee value of his name trumping the integrity of the character. As such, most of the movies I've seen him in have Tom Cruise as the main character, not Tom Cruise playing the character.
                "Forget it, Jake. It's Hollywood."

                My YouTube channel.

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                • #68
                  Re: Oblivion

                  Yeah, it's unfortunate, because I think when he actually is allowed to vanish into a character (Les Grossman in "Tropic Thunder"), he's very good.

                  Comment


                  • #69
                    Re: Oblivion

                    Originally posted by MoonHill View Post
                    I've never gotten the ire towards Tom Cruise as an actor, honestly.

                    I mean, yes, I can understand disliking him for the whole Scientology Rant on the Today Show and whatnot, whatever, actors are weird and odd beings which is why we love them. But he's been very good in a variety of things, as well as pretty bad in a variety of things.


                    What I *don't* get is the studio obsession with him as a Movie Star that will make the movie successful. That hasn't been true since the mid-90s, and even then it was questionable. I'd hate to see the rate of return on his salaries for the last decade or so.

                    I liked him here, though.
                    My daughter is 11 and she loves Tom Cruise. Hell, I still love Tom Cruise. He's a talented actor and deserves far more credit that he receives.

                    He treats his fans well.

                    He seems a true professional.

                    And I have a great deal of respect for his career.

                    Seems to me, if Cruise attaches to your film, your film gets made-- that makes him relevant.

                    I'm not sure, but I think he's popular overseas, too.

                    FA4-- Tom Cruise Fan
                    "Arguing that you don't care about the right to privacy b/c you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say." -- Edward Snowden

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                    • #70
                      Re: Oblivion

                      Seems to me, if Cruise attaches to your film, your film gets made-- that makes him relevant.
                      True. It doesn't make it successful, which is what weirds me out about the attachment = made equivalency.

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                      • #71
                        Re: Oblivion

                        I'm not sure why you guys think Cruise isn't successful. Other than ROCK OF AGES, his last six movies all exceeded $200 million worldwide (or soon will; OBLIVION is just about there already). And ROCK wasn't even a starring vehicle for him so that probably doesn't even count as far as the bean counters are concerned.

                        He's a box office draw, and he'll continue to make movies as long as he keeps pulling in the dough for the studios.

                        Comment


                        • #72
                          Re: Oblivion

                          Originally posted by MoonHill View Post
                          What I *don't* get is the studio obsession with him as a Movie Star that will make the movie successful. That hasn't been true since the mid-90s, and even then it was questionable. I'd hate to see the rate of return on his salaries for the last decade or so.
                          I think Forbes did some kind of rate versus return thing with all the movie stars, but I think the studio obsession with Tom Cruise is his foreign box office numbers. Plain and simple. That and he's been able to do big numbers over the past four decades. I think it makes him a safer bet when building a big blockbuster film around an actor.
                          One must be fearless and tenacious when pursuing their dreams. If you don't, regret will be your reward.

                          The Fiction Story Room

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                          • #73
                            Re: Oblivion


                            My daughter is 11 and she loves Tom Cruise. Hell, I still love Tom Cruise.
                            He's a talented actor and deserves far more credit that he receives.

                            He
                            treats his fans well.

                            He seems a true professional.

                            And I have a
                            great deal of respect for his career.
                            Totally agree. I try to ignore his goofy private life and concentrate on what he does on the screen. He's delivered some bad performances, but he's never walked through a role and never, ever given less than 120%. And by the way, I thought his performance in ROCK OF AGES was a hoot. This goes back a long way, but I still think both his performances in RAIN MAN and in BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY were Oscar-worthy.

                            I enjoyed OBLIVION. Yes, it was pretty derivative, especially for someone like me who watches tons of sci fi. But it also was well made, gorgeous to look at, and entertaining. (Why is that a bad word?). The special effects supported the story, not the other way around.

                            Thumbs up from me.

                            Late Night Writer
                            Last edited by LateNightWriter; 04-30-2013, 01:11 PM. Reason: grammar boo boo

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                            • #74
                              Re: Oblivion

                              Originally posted by Richmond Weems View Post
                              I'm not sure why you guys think Cruise isn't successful. Other than ROCK OF AGES, his last six movies all exceeded $200 million worldwide (or soon will; OBLIVION is just about there already). And ROCK wasn't even a starring vehicle for him so that probably doesn't even count as far as the bean counters are concerned.

                              He's a box office draw, and he'll continue to make movies as long as he keeps pulling in the dough for the studios.

                              Hrm.

                              http://www.the-numbers.com/person/540401-Tom-Cruise

                              Looks like I was suffering from a good old fashioned case of Confirmation Bias. I had the domestic numbers roughly in my head, and seemed to have been ignoring the world-wide. Which is just plain silly.

                              Consider my world-view shifted on this one.

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                              • #75
                                Re: Oblivion

                                Empty calories. Reasonably engaging, and purty-like. Plot unable to withstand scrutiny.

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