Movie: The Way of the Gun. My take: It blew.

[John Harrison]

starship troopers is a well disguised commentary on nazi germany. i think that's where it deviates from the book, which admittedly i haven't read.

Since you haven't read the book, you don't know that the movie is about 180 degrees opposite of the book. That's what irritates most fans of Heinlein's work.

 

[George Hill]

The movie has NOTHING to do with the book. Nothing.

 

[Steve Smith]

Starship Troopers was on TV last night. My roomate hasn't read the book and commented about the lame storyline. I told him, "That movie will forever make the readers of that book look like idiots." I hope he'll read it.

 

[Tamara]

To recycle an old post of mine on Starship Troopers...

Imagine if they made a movie of the Bible, but Satan was the good guy, and the entire populace of the Bronze Age Middle East ran around in sequin-and-feather-covered spacesuits. On rollerblades.

That's about the level of difference between the book and movie. They didn't just juggle a few things; they reversed the ideological meaning 180 degrees.

As far as the tech and stuff goes, the guys in the book were wearing super-advanced combat armor and operated mostly out of visual sight of each other, not lined up shoulder to shoulder like a bunch of Assault Rifle-wielding British Redcoats, but blazing wildly from the hip instead of actually trying to hit anything.

"See the amazing movie Starship Troopers! Based on the back cover blurb of a novel by Robert Heinlein!"



Re: Way of the Gun. The plot was way, way subtle. Most folks I've watched it with didn't get half the innuendos in the movie, with the result that they thought it made no sense. If that's the case, just sit back and enjoy the shooting. (And you think it needed comedy, George? That opening scene is absolutely hilarious. )

 

[spacemanspiff]

i love the movie. i watch it at least once a week (thank you P2P software!)
some of the acting sucks, obviously juliette lewis, but i also didnt like taye diggs character, he didnt seem that hardcore like his partner. besides, after losing two of your team, wouldnt you replace them immediately? especially when going up against the kidnappers?

some elements of the plot were lacking, but not enough so that it isnt entertaining.

and i think benicio did a far better job in WOTG than in some other movies, like 'the usual suspects', which was also on tv last night.

 

[Steve Smith]

That opening scene is absolutely hilarious.

I don't think hilarious is the word for it. Its funnier than hilarious.

 

[Mute]

WOTG. Definitely great gun play. And yep the movie was completely devoid of any character that you could, at the very least, sympathize with.

Don't even get me started on Starship Troopers. Only saving grace of that movie was Dina Meyers. Denise Richards as a spaceship pilot? Thtats almost as preposterous as her being a nuclear physicist.

 

[George Hill]

The opening of the WOTG was great... and into the Sperm Bank... that was some good stuff there. Then you see the guys in a waiting room looking at skin-rags and they overhear a phone call... decided to snag this girl. They had a Low Speed Chase thing going on... and after that the whole movie promptly fell apart.

 

[spacemanspiff]

"why is that a big deal?"

"because nobody brings up sex with dead people!"

"of course they dont. thats sick."

"you brought it up!"

"just said i never did it."

"i didnt ask that."

"you should."

 

[Joe Demko]

I admired WOTG as a movie with no sympathetic, or even charismatic, characters whatsoever. The bad guys vs. te bad guys, as it were. Movies like that are comparatively rare in American cinema. Our movies are typically aimed at audiences who want to identify with and root for the hero, especially our action movies. WOTG was refreshing in that it was a movie that, for once, didn't seem to be aimed at teenage boys. Movies without good guys, or at least really, really waycooll bad guys that you can't help but like, had their American hey-day back in the 1970's. Remember "McCabe and Mrs. Miller?" How about "The Culpepper Cattle Co.?" I picked those because they had guns in them, but there were others, as well.
With respect to gun handling in movies, I could really give a crap whether it is good or bad. I'm interested in the story. If the story is strong, I don't pay attention to gun handling. If the story is weak, good gun handling won't save it. I watch movies to be entertained, not as training. Goofy weapons handling has as long a history as wearing make-up in the world of entertainment. Getting worked up about it is just pointless.

 

[Correia]

I really enjoyed WOTG. I'm going to have to disagree with George on this one, and we are usually in pretty good agreement on movies.

I thought Del Toro and Phillipi's characters were very understated and I thought the acting was great. The dialog was good. I won't address the action scenes because we are all gunnies here.

I just found it refreshing to have a classic anti-hero movie. Probably the same reason I loved Pitch Black.

 

[Futo Inu]

I fell down a rabbit hole and ended up here...

Anyways, hi guys.

George, you have *GOT* to be kidding. I thought that Way of the Gun was one of the best movies I've seen, even without any gun play, with all the plot twists and turns. To me, the whole human interest angles of pitting people's interest in the survival of their progeny versus interest in money, etc., was outstanding. 180 degrees from ya. Although hilarious commentary. fetal alchol syndrome - lol. I think you just don't like that one actress, so you're biased. Great, great movie, all the way around, IMO.

 

[MAKOwner]

Dude you're crazy, WOTG was a good unique entertaining movie. Obviously you didn't catch the subtle stuff, and weren't in to the movie for some reason. Perhaps you have to be in the mood to see it, or perhaps you just plain don't like the actors so that spoiled it. Has to be something like that because that was a good movie damnit.

That stylized filth Romeo + Juliet was your idea of a good movie? Last Man Standing? Pay Back was better? Alllrrrightly then.

You sir no longer get to review gun movies, lol j/k.

 

[John Harrison]

Don't even get me started on Starship Troopers. Only saving grace of that movie was Dina Meyers.

(Homer voice) Mmmmmm, Dina Meyer. She and Michael Ironside were the only redeeming qualities of the enormous suckitude that is ST: The Movie.

 

[George Hill]

You mean the lame attempt at subtlety? Yeah, I caught it. But there is a difference between subtle and woefully lacking.

 

[George Hill]

Mmmm... Diz...

Starship Troopers didn't even have cool guns. Heck, even WING COMMANDER had cool guns. Er, once you saw them for the brief moments of gun play...

I did like the gunplay in WOTG. The ending gunfight with the one handed reloads... That was brilliant. But the story was pathetic.
Pitch Black was good because it had such a cool badguy that was actually being the goodguy. That made it interesting. He saved the whole film. I was disappointed when that chickybabe from Farscape got killed... she was cool character and one of the first to die. Sad. I forget the badguy's character name in Pitch Black - but he was interesting enought for a complete spin off movie. About like where he goes from there. However if Vin doesn't play the role - it's a no go. Wouldn't be worth the effort to even watch it let alone make it.
Speaking of Vin, A Man Apart was one of the best movies that came out this year so far... Great story. Great cast. Great gunplay. That one is a DVD to buy.

 

[GSB]

but detested "Equilibrium"

You understand that this makes you a bad human being, right?

 

[Scott Evans]

George,
You nailed it … WOTG was indeed pathetic! I hate it as well. I think its acceptance among knowledgeable gun owners has more to do with desperation then any in-between the lines mojo. All of us are so near starving from feeding upon entertainment devoid of the essential nutrients of technical proficiency that we tend to lap up any morsel that comes along. At best such can produce only a temporary buzz …

For me I need real food!

 

[BowStreetRunner]

im going to have to disagree, WOTG was awesome in my opinion
BSR

 

[George Hill]

Scott, you said it far better than I could have.

 

[Correia]

Scott, George, I know what to you get you guys for Christmas. WOTG DVDs!

 

[Scott Evans]

Yes … please do. I love reactive targets!

 

[Correia]

 

[rage]

You missed a great movie.

Too bad you couldn't appreciate the fast pace, subtle humor and plot twists, against the background of exciting gun action.

Until that day!

 

[Dave Markowitz]

starship troopers is a well disguised commentary on nazi germany. i think that's where it deviates from the book, which admittedly i haven't read

Do yourself a favor and read the book. You may not agree with Heinlein but he does make you think. The film adaptation was AWFUL. That spinning sound you heard during the movie was Heinlein rolling over in his grave.