Rabid Nick Vs. the Hopper

Here is the first try at a bit of Q & A with Rabid Nick and The Hopper (me).

1) Is the MacGruber movie going to be a good idea, especially considering the script calls for a “Hard R?”

-Kevin – I just don’t like the idea at all. I am a huge MacGyver fan, and would buy the ticket now, if they ever make it into a movie, however, I hated the skit, back in the day. I mean, it was only 20 years ago, and MacGyver has only been off the air for 20 years, as well, so this is perfect timing, right? Wrong! I also think the hard R is a bad idea. Look at Waynes World, Austin Powers, and Night at the Roxburry; they succeeded because of a PG-13 audience.

-Rabid Nick - Hmmmm Macgruber...
I don't know about that one. The SNL movies are hit or miss. I do think a MacGyver satire could be good if given time and money, more than a skit would provide. I think it has a shot, however I agree the R is a bad idea. It’s gonna cut off half the audience that would want to see it (in theory). Plus we know they'll take it too far sex/shit wise.

2) There are already pictures and a bootlegged trailer for Iron Man 2 online. Do you think studios are starting the marketing machine a bit early, possibly making the movie watchers tired of the product by the time it comes out?

-Kevin – For me, I don’t mind the early anticipation as much for a film like Iron Man 2, but when the movie looks like its gonna suck, like G.I. Joe (which, was actually pretty good), I hate seeing the crappy footage and reading all the comments saying how much its gonna suck. I really only hate it when the trailer gives away too much of the plot a year ahead of time, then, I get really uninterested.

-Rabid Nick - Marketing too early.... No not at all.  If a studio released a full regular trailer now for something out next year, yeah, overkill. A teaser is fine (like that Shamalyan one the other day. Plus you can't blame the studio for bootlegs, they are prolly pissed about them as is. I think a lot of the viral marketing, like Cloverfield and Dark Knight is totally brilliant. A) Its super creative and appeals to a small part of the audience that digs that shit. The best part is that shit comes from the artists and creative people involved NOT the suits that are in charge of posters/trailers, so it’s more authentic. And, if you spend 5 minutes on the net and on the boards there are certain fans that will ALREADY pass judgement on a movie or franchise before ANY footage is shot, so I don’t think stuff out there really makes a difference.

3) Stephen Sommers was quoted as saying all critics really hate popular movies, like his G.I. Joe, and that the movies aren’t made for movie critics, rather real movie fans. Do you agree movie critics hate “popular movies/summer blockbusters?”

-Kevin – This one is a toughie. There are a lot of movie critics that are, shall we say middle age, and movies like Transformers and G.I. Joe are not created for them, they are created for young males. That being said, I don’t think critics hate popular movies, it just happens that a lot of popular movies are rushed out with great special effects, but no depth. I mean, look at Dark Knight, or Star Trek, both movies are “summer blockbusters” that were popular, and both were very well received with critics, so, I think Sommers was just upset at the bad press he’s gotten.

-Rabid Nick - I agree with Sommer's opinion to a point but don't chalk it up to hate. See critics who like the arty flicks have their season too. Fall to January is Oscar season, when the Ben Buttons and period pieces come out. There is something out there for everyone. But as I've said with the advent of the internet everyone is a critic, which means there are haters out there for everything. There are people who hate popcorn flicks, people who hate dramas, foreign films, etc. The noticeable change is in money. Films are making TONS of bank even in this economy. There are droves (sometimes you and I included) who will go out and see stuff that is just plain fun. There are a MASSIVE amount of people who hate ANYTHING that is popular and will not judge it on it's merits (See Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code, Twilight).

4) You are familiar with Deus ex Machina right? A story element were the conflict is settled by a seemingly random event that fixes everything. Like a soldier about to be gun downed is all of a sudden saved when a gun falls out of the sky.  District 9 had a few, like when the guy was about to be cut to pieces and all of a sudden the random Mech suit turned on and saved him. Do you have any particular examples that bug you in film?

-Rabid Nick - I'm going with shapeshifters. I HATE shapeshifters in fiction, especially film. Tension is built and someone dies, a big hero perhaps. The audience is moved or angered or anything then it's revealed that it was just a shapeshifter and its all null and void. I hate that. It's such a convenient way to make something "appear" to happen in a film and then negate it anyway. Lame.

-Kevin- I’m gonna have to go with time travel. While some of my favorite movies use this plot device, it is way too often used in sci-fi, and makes everything right at the end of the day. Bill & Ted kinda made fun of this but remembering to hide Bill’s dads keys, setup a tape recorder and other stuff just to get the characters into the jail to rescue the famous history dudes. While that was funny, other movies use the same gimmick to write their way out of a corner and it just comes across as cheap. I think Star Trek did a great job of turning this commonplace theme into something a bit better.

5) Are there any films you thought you'd like, wanted to like but just didn't?  Maybe even tried watching it again later in life and still nothing?

-Rabid Nick - I certainly do; High Fidelity. It looks so good, is written by an author whom all other films about his books I love; has John Cusack AND a Springsteen cameo. I just can't like it. I tried like 3 times in 5 years to enjoy and just never do.

-Kevin – Well, this is really gonna sting, but The Godfather is my answer. I know everyone wants to strip me of my movie critic card, but I wanted to
like it, but I couldn’t stay awake, and really had no desire to see it again. It is critically acclaimed, but for some reason, the mafia does not hold that kind of wonder and astoundment other genres and characters have.

6) Where is your moral standard in film?  How far can a film go and still be tasteful? Has there ever been a movie watching expierience that made you feel uncomfortable and had to turn it off?

-Rabid Nick - Movies are always going to showcase the good and bad in life. There are always going to be films depicting murder and rape. These are not easy subjects to deal with and need to be handled with care. I think intelligent filmmaking can focus on these subjects without going to far. Use of editing and off screen devices are helpful. Extended scenes of rape are quite hard to deal with. 'I spit on your grave' made me quite uncomfortable. And I couldn't make it 10 minutes into 'Caligula'. It was just rampant sex and dildos and orgies spalshed on the screen. IF there was some sort of point they were trying to get across it was lost on me.  I just had to get out.

-Kevin – Alright, I have to laugh that the Sex Column guy found too much of a sex scene as over the top. For me, I found Eli Routh’s movies, such as Hostile and the rest of the torture porn sub-genre too much. I loved the first Saw, but not for the gruesomeness, but for the suspense and drama. I think when you spend more time showing how an eyeball explodes, than developing a character you have an issue. Oh, and dogs, if you kill a dog, its pretty much over; bring on the body count for humans, but I hate the dog abuse.