So I peeped Swingtown and was so bored out of my mind by it that I turned that shit off after about 15 minutes. It was slow moving with poor acting, hair and clothing was a little too obviously fake and forced, plot was weak and erratic…it just wasn’t good enough for me. All the hype about the show made me give it a whirl. I’m sure that’s why other people watched, particularly the swinging community and baby boomers. I hear the ratings were solid but I assume that’s only because of the hype machine as it relates to the subject matter (which was a major draw). If someone was watching that show blind as to what it’s about, they most likely would’ve did what I did. They took too long to get to the point and if they did finally get to it (and I’m sure they did), the stuff leading up to it could’ve been a lot more interesting.

Watched Fear Itself too. What a waste of my time. I guess I should’ve did more research into it as far as the format. I was under the impression that it would comprise two or three shorts rather than one stand alone ep. That’s the only reason I kept watching it all the way through. I was expecting the vampire bit to end and something else to start. When I realized that wasn’t gonna happen, I just finished watching it to see how it would end. Predictable. Lame. Cliché. I could go on and on.

I was reading forums and comments on other sites, and horror fans seem to love it. How old those people are is one issue. If they’re too young and are from the Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer generation, they’re thoughts are expected to be what they are. I’d find it very hard to believe that someone from my generation (Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre) would think that stuff was quality horror entertainment. Ok, some people, yes. But the majority that are horror fans from that time, no. Apparently the show is similar to some Masters of Horror series that’s on Showtime. I don’t get Showtime and you have more freedom on cable, I understand that. But still, I think the show sucked when putting it in perspective of its genre and entertainment value.

If it ain’t garbage ass reality tv sucking and clogging up the airwaves, it’s scripted tv doing the same. I think Hollywood’s standards have gone to hell along with their ideas. They don’t have any good ones left. At least that’s how I used to think. Now I realize that it ain’t the ideas that suck, it’s the execution of them that makes them blow sheep balls. I got a lot of movies on my hard drive. Jumper is one of them. I hadn’t watched it but had been dying to do so ever since it came out. I finally got that chance Sunday night. My opinion? I’m glad I didn’t pay to see it. It really wasn’t that great. The ideas were superb, execution wasn’t.

Doug Liman is a guy who’s movies make money. And I loved Bourne Identity. They’re already talking about Jumper 2, mainly due to international box office I’m sure. The movie is only an hour and a half but certainly could’ve benefited from an extra 30 minutes of exposition scenes. Even still, the acting wasn’t on point although I’ll admit Hayden didn’t do as bad a job as I thought he would. Samuel L. Jackson’s character was a bit clichéd (especially when he pulled his damn knife out and unwrapped it all slow and shit) and his motivations weren’t clearly explained. The main plot (Jumpers v. Paladins) was discussed rather than shown and that’s what I hate the most. I’m sure that’s what they’re gonna do in part 2 on a grander scale, but all that back story and origins and such should’ve been shown here. Other scenes could’ve moved slower for character development. The biggest issue I have here is how Hayden’s mom relates to the whole thing (that’ll be a plot point in the second part most likely) and his fast moving relationship with Rachel Bilson’s character.

His mom had limited scenes but were very important every time she appeared. It was never explained why she did what she did or why she was where she was. I can figure it out but I’d rather have it shown to me. It’s a movie after all. I don’t like holes in my movies! And his relationship with Bilson was never clearly defined. Was it a high school crush? A friendship? Never defined. Did young Hayden die under the icy waters? You’d think cops would be swarming to find his body and the library wondering where all that water came from. Didn’t happen. They just downplayed that part. Then years later, they meet again as adults and don’t really shoot the shit like one would expect. And he knocks it just like that in the hotel room in Rome? They just fucking met and all of their dialogue up to that point was limited. Also, Jackson killed a jumper, stabbed him with that knife of his, and there wasn’t an ounce of blood. What is this, an X-Men movie? And how come security cameras didn’t get footage of all that jumping around? And nobody flips out when someone just pops up and then disappears right in front of them? Street cameras don’t pick that shit up? Don’t treat me like an idiot!

Like I said, the movie has its problems. Even the action scenes weren’t as great as I thought they would be. Some of them were nice now, don’t get me wrong, like jumping buses and cars and shit, but it wasn’t enough. There should’ve been a lot more wow factor considering the characters. I never read the books but I’d like to think it was more in-depth than this movie. It would suck if they were withholding scenes for the dvd just to get motherfuckers to buy it and add to the final tally. That shit sucks. Give me the whole fucking movie, dammit, the way it was intended to be made and seen! Don’t play me for a sucker. This movie was a brilliant idea that was poorly executed.

And I didn’t like the Iron Man movie either. All these people yelling at me that it was so damn good, internet buzzing like crazy, and I paid to see it rather than dl it. And I was disappointed. It had its moments. And for a comic book movie, it was a lot better than most when it comes to the acting and believability. The cast was great. No complaints about that. The plot could’ve been better developed. And my skepticism about Favreau as director was right. The movie was too light hearted and maybe even a little too comedic rather than as serious and dramatic as it could’ve been in places. That might be the Marvel higher-ups decision though. As a movie, it wasn’t great. As a comic book movie, it was acceptable. Worth my money? No.

And that’s just my opinion. The movie’s making serious bank and more power to it. Just wasn’t my cup of tea. And now I’m skeptical about the Hulk movie. The one and only reason I want to see it is because of Edward Norton’s creative involvement. No other reason than that! Now I’m hearing stuff about how he won’t help promote the movie cuz there was some things he wanted to do that Marvel didn’t. The fact that the (possible) co-writer and star of the flick won’t promote it is a huge red flag to me. Another is that I read in an interview with a Marvel Studios bigwig that they’ll never make an R-rated flick. This means that the new Punisher will possibly be rated PG-13 and severely watered down. How the fuck? I also read that one of the writers (Kurt Sutter) of that movie left the project cuz he had a vision to make it more realistic yet Marvel wanted to keep a comic book style. Then there’s various theories as to why Matthew Vaughn left Thor, one of which relates to creative differences.

So now I’m not so sure about the Hulk anymore. Do I pay to see it to support the creators involved and the industry? Or do I “say thee nay” and just wait to dl a good copy a week or so after it premieres? The director doesn’t help. Leterrier did Transporter 2, one of the most unrealistic, over the top movies I’ve ever seen. At the same time, he did part 1 which wasn’t bad at all. And 3’s coming soon. I don’t know. They really don’t make many good movies anymore. It’s remake hell out there and it’s fucking ridiculous. A Chucky remake? C’mon! Stop it! Please! Regardless of the original creators’ involvement, they’re taking this thing too far. Crappy scripted shows and trash reality tv cluttering the airwaves. Music that all sounds the same and you can’t tell one artist from another. Watered down movies that aren’t original. What the fuck has entertainment come to? Some of the last really good movies I’ve seen on the big screen that come to mind are Bourne Ultimatum, 300, and Beowulf. Original? Nope, they’re all based on something and that’s fine. Better than ganking an idea that’s been done already and shouldn’t be remade since the original still stands on its own legs. Execution? Those movies were executed superbly.

They have their own unique style, great direction and production quality, unique action, well thought-out stories, and characters. What is a movie without characters and plot? There is no movie without those! Try and make one without those elements developed properly, it’s gonna suck. And since consumers who eat this shit up are a bunch of knuckleheads who can’t even afford food and gas, unfortunately, the current system works for now. These are strictly my opinions. To each his own. I know what I like and don’t like and so do you. Studios are hitting the junket overseas before over hear cuz our money ain’t worth shit and our economic situation don’t help either. Depend on the home market for box office these days and you’re sure as shit not gonna make back that budget. And I don’t mind that. There’s movies meant to be popular (summer) and movies meant to be creative (Oscars). I prefer a mixture of both. Indiana Jones. Do I wanna see it? Not really. Do I think it’d be entertaining? Yep. Just not worth my money though. I’ll pass. Just like I passed on Star Wars Eps 2 and 3 (surprising to many). Can I dl a quality copy and watch it for free? That’s probably what’s gonna happen. Not anytime soon though.

My taste in movies has changed over the years. This is most likely due to my college education and immersion in the craft of writing. I view movies differently than the majority. I’m not that buzzkill that yaps about this technique and that one (really, I’m not even though you can’t tell after reading this). I want to be entertained and have that suspension of disbelief just like the next person. Just takes a little more for that to happen with me. I’m finicky. I won’t pay for something that I don’t think is worth my time and money. More importantly, if I don’t think I’ll be yanked into that onscreen world that I’m watching, you ain’t gettin’ my bread! Simple as that. I’ll download your movie for free if there’s some interest on my part. Won’t rent it and give you my money. Won’t borrow it from a friend. Won’t get a dvd from the library (free) and waste a disc copying it. Won’t even catch the dollar movie. I’ll sample it for free. The only cost is bandwidth and mine is unlimited. And I’ve rarely made mistakes on that. Sunshine is the only big-screen movie I wish I’d paid for instead of dl’ing it cuz it was really good.

You see Vantage Point is posted this week in the movie section. Obviously, I downloaded it but I paid my money to see it before that (went out on a date). I support quality work and that movie is pretty good. Not great, but not bad either. Would love to see a sequel actually. So like I’ve been saying, poor execution of ideas and feeding the dumb masses dumb-downed entertainment is part of why certain forms of it are sucking royally. Sure, there’s other options out there for people to spend their time and money on, but you know what I’m getting at. I wouldn’t look to much into Nielsen ratings either. Dvr’s, tv tuners, vod, satellite, cell phones, downloads…a lot of factors aren’t included in that bullshit. And those so-called families aren’t representative of the majority of tv viewers either. Pretty damn sure they don’t include rv’s, truckers, and homes in the hood, the barrio, and the trailer park in their selection process. Random my ass.