Tag Archives: Retaliation

MOV102: “All Mouth, No Trousers”

In this thriller-based installment of COL Movies, the boys don their creepy masks to stare in on 2008’s “The Strangers”.  From there, they launch into orbit with Guy Pearce as he attempts to save a damsel in distress stuck on a space prison in “Lockout”.  Finally, they try to decipher the reason there are so many damn trailers for the upcoming “GI Joe: Retaliation”.  All this, more about “Prometheus” and cell phone use in theaters, as well as some fun tidbits regarding some sequels you might be looking forward to.  It’s the 102nd reel of COL Movies – “All Mouth, No Trousers”

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News:

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  • Tim League Responds to the Don’t Talk PSA Craziness

The Past: The Strangers (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 45% Rotten, 48% Audience

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Director: Bryan Bertino

Starring: Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler and Gemma Ward

Trivia:

  • it is based on “true events” – but not the ones you’d think. It’s based on the director’s memory of a knock at the door and someone asking for someone who wasn’t there. The rest of the film is artistic license, and the director is said to have been impressed with the amount of internet folklore building up about the “truth” of the murders.
  • Originally scheduled for release in summer 2007. After 2 delays, it was released May 30, 2008.
  • In one scene, Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried” plays loudly on the record player. His band was “The Strangers.”
  • Mark Romanek was originally slated to direct the film.
  • Many theaters across the United States were sent faulty reels of the movie, containing sound problems, which made a few minutes to several scenes of the movie filled with nothing but static. Most movie-watchers didn’t even realize the sound was a problem, since the dark overtone and loud background music at some areas make the static seem like part of the movie.
  • Liv Tyler suffered from tonsillitis during shooting.
  • The script was originally titled “The Faces.”
  • Arguably based on the 1981 Keddie Resort murders in northern California, although this has not been substantiated by anyone connected with the movie, with the writer claiming it is based on a childhood experience.
  • The film was shot entirely with hand-held cameras or steady cams. Every shot has some camera movement.
  • According to Liv Tyler, the finale had much more interaction and dialog between the victims and the villains in the original script. It was cut to keep the intruders mysterious and eerie.
  • Bryan Bertino said the film was inspired by the infamous Manson murders.
  • According to director Bryan Bertino the film is partially based on an incident he experienced as a child. One evening, a stranger came to his door, asked for someone who wasn’t there, and left. Later, Bertino found out that other homes in his neighborhood had been broken into that night.
  • The song “Mama Tried”, which is heard several times during the film, is a 1968 hit by Merle Haggard and the Strangers.
  • Bryan Bertino said that at the end sequence there was more talking from the three strangers, but it was cut to make them more mysterious.
  • Shot in chronological order.
  • The exterior shots of the house were filmed at an actual farm house. The film makers were surprised to discover the property had a barn, garage, a forest and a long enough road.
  • The film makers tried to design the house as one that “your brother could have lived in, that you could have grown up in” in order to make the audience feel more attached to the film.
  • The movie was not shot inside of an actual house, the interior of the home was built on a sound stage.
  • During filming, in order to get an actual reaction from Liv Tyler, Bryan Bertino would tell her where to expect a loud bang from, but would then have the loud noise come from a completely different direction.
  • Before filming any scene after The Strangers begin terrorizing the couple, Liv Tyler would have to run laps, do jumping jacks, and other physical activities to get her out of breath. This was so she would have the panicky feeling the real life characters would have been experiencing.
  • The car crash sequence was filmed in three takes.
  • To make it look like he had actually been shot at point blank range, ‘Glenn Howarton’ had to ​sit in the makeup chair for three hours.
  • There were two special prosthetic makeups for Glenn Howerton. One of them was for fresh kill, when he was shot in the face by Scott Speedman, and the other was for 1 hour after death prosthetics.

Talking Points:

  • “inspired” by true events
  • “Because you were home”
  • did you watch this a little differently after seeing cabin in the woods?
  • The importance of sound in a “Scary” movie
  • Critic statements to ponder – “just another home invasion movie” and “torture porn”

What We Learned:

  • Always best to have a backup plan just in case she says NO!
  • unexpected knocks on the door at 4am are never good.
  • When arriving on a suspicious scene when someone has thrown an object through your windshield.. immediately call the cops and leave.. don’t go IN THE HOUSE.
  • Dick Cheney says, try not to shoot your friends in the face!

Trailer

Recommendations:
Jeff: This movie is one big horror trope, quiet and dark. Sure stirred up the fear in me like it should but really didn’t have the screaming payoff that I’d want from a horror movie. It’s terrible. Skip it.
Ray:Ok, for the most part, I loved this. Is it perfect? No. It suffers from some of the faults of all scary movies, otherwise rational people making dumb decisions that put them in danger…but because the rest of this movie is so well executed. I do not hesitate to recommend it. I spent the first 40 minutes fighting goosebumps. Watch it! Preferably in the dark, and by yourself or with one good friend to grab on to.
Steve: Love this movie! It’s the kind of “OMG…what is that in the background?”, “Don’t open the curtain!”, “What the hell are you doing?”, kind of movie that makes you want to yell at the screen. Even I have to look through my fingers at times or slightly look away because I’m anticipating what’s going to happen. What I love though…I they throw in some surprises along the way that throw me off. I like! It’s almost like you’re watching a “true crime documentary” versus a feature film…so screw character development, critics!

The Present: Lockout

Rotten Tomatoes: 35% Rotten ; 46% Audience

Director: James Mather, Stephen St. Leger

Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace and Peter Stormare

Trivia:

  • The main antagonist brothers are named Alex and Hydell. Alek Hidell was an alias used by Lee Harvey Oswald.
  • Snow remarks, “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not actually Houdini”. Guy Pearce played Harry Houdini in Death Defying Acts.
  • WILHELM SCREAM: The inmate who trips and falls right after coming out of stasis.
  • Luc Besson produced the film. Besson also co-wrote the script with James Mather and Stephen St. Leger. Leger directed the film.
  • Much of the filming utilized Green screens, rather than practical sets
  • The intended scenes were storyboarded in Dublin, Ireland to aid the actors in visualizing how the green screen scenes would appear after the completion of the CGI in post-production.
  • Principal photography took place in Belgrade, Serbia.

Talking Points:

  • American prison with lots of Irish people in it? (were the accents Irish though?)
  • Are you happy or pissed at Luc Besson?
  • How many Razzies are we talking for this one?
  • Halo jumping from orbit? Really?
  • Warning: Offensive T-shirt
  • Critics: Overall, entertaining, yet majorly flawed. Especially outlandish, cliche’, unappealing characters – saw no particularly positive or extremely negative reviews. Just “eh”.
  • Anyone notice the “Irish Producer” credit?

What We Learned:

  • When they say no guns in the prison, they mean no guns in the prison – idiot!
  • Creepy Irish convicts are way scarier than other convicts.
  • Be specific when you ask the prisoners to release a wounded female hostage.
  • If you work on a space prison, make sure you can crack the door in less than 2 minutes, or at least be prepared to be honest and witty about it.
  • Cryogenic freezing is not good for the brain. So freezing people who are already wacko is probably not the best method of rehabilitation.
  • The first family is more important than anyone else.
  • Fuck you is actually a proper Asian name.
  • Coffee and Motor oil make for an excellent hair dye
  • If a locked door won’t open, smash the controls. If a open door won’t lock, smash the controls.
  • Blow up the space prison. It would have saved us all some time.

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: Wow, what an incredibly mediocre movie. It was an okay watch if you want to see it. I’d wait for Netflix streaming though. It’s just a fun, dumb movie. At least it wasn’t bad.
Ray: I felt like it was trying soooo hard, but failing sooo miserably. I felt like I was watching all the full motion cut-scenes for an early 90’s video game on CD-Rom…
Steve: A big ol cheese plate. Tasty, but it will leave you constipated. Almost like wanting to get on a really awesome roller coaster, but you have to settle for one of those 3D rides where you strap in and stay put while the character on the screen leads you through something as the floor moves. The ​action was cool, but dialogue and story were just dumb. Put it on mute and enjoy!

The Future: GI Joe: Retaliation

Release: June 29, 2012

Director: Jon M. Chu

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Adrienne Palicki, Bruce Willis

Summary:

The film will feature the G.I. Joe Team coming into a conflict with Zartan, Storm Shadow and Firefly, all serving under the newly released Cobra Commander. Zartan (who is last seen in disguise as the President of the United States) manipulates the U.S. Government and frames all G.I. Joe operatives as traitors, exterminating most of them and leaving a small group of survivors, the last of the G.I. Joe team, which includes Roadblock, Flint, Lady Jaye and Snake Eyes. Zartan and the Commander now have all the world leaders under Cobra’s control, with warheads aimed at innocent populaces around the world. Badly beaten, outnumbered and outgunned, the Joes make a desperate plan to overthrow Cobra Commander and take back the world, with their secret black operation called the “Second American Revolution”, which involves the original G.I. Joe General Joseph Colton

Talking Points

  • What are you expecting?
  • Tons of trailers out there…even more than we’re sharing. What’s that about?
  • From what you’re seeing, does this seem to entice you more than the first movie?
  • Going with the storylines? (original GI Joe, Renegades, Comics?)

Trailers (3 total):

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

International Trailer:


Excitement:
Jeff: This is going to be some explodey, ninja-y, fighty fun. I’m for it. Is it going to be good. Maybe not.
Ray:Based on trailer alone, I will say that I am somewhat excited to see this. But I’m having a hard time rationalizing that after suffering through the first movie.
Steve: I may have to look at some comics before seeing this because seeing some of the characters from the trailer, I’m not sure where they are going. However, looks like it will be cheeky, but not slapstick like the first one came off. Seems to me like they are putting more into the action – which is what we all want to see out of a GI Joe live action movie!

The Past:

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The Present:

The Future:

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