Total Recall

Discussion in 'SciFi & Fantasy' started by Michael, Nov 10, 2012.

  1. Michael 歌舞伎 Valued Senior Member

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    I was looking for a Scifi to watch and decided to give the latest Total Recall (2012) a try. It had really great CGI and there were only a few times it was too obvious from the poor acting perspective (it must be hell acting in a green room). I'm not sure if the 2012 was more in line with Philip K. Dick's "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" as I just don't recall (ha!) having read the book. I liked the 1990 movie better because the 2012 movie had too much action and not enough story AND knowing the twist sort of ruins it (for me anyway). Also I was having extra hot Kung Pao chicken (which I had to drown in beer) so maybe I wasn't paying full attention.

    I don't think it deserved a 2 out on Rotten Tomatoes... I mean, it wasn't THAT bad was it???

    I was thinking about checking out the Total Recall TV series and, before I do, wondered if anyone had watched it (made in Canada I believe).
     
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  3. superstring01 Moderator

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    It. Was. Horrible.

    ~String
     
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  5. Michael 歌舞伎 Valued Senior Member

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    Was it really THAT bad?

    Admittedly, I asked for extra-hot Kung Pao chicken and taking a piss this morning reminded me of why I probably shouldn't do that. So, I might not have been fully paying attention with my mouth on fire and my intestines in pain. Nevertheless, the CGI seemed pretty cool from between blinking away the tears.....

    And, the story IS a cool story, it just sadly wasn't told very well with the 1:45 min long action sequence getting in the way..... :S
     
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  7. Neverfly Banned Banned

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    Next time, pee before you put it in your mouth.
    I enjoyed the first movie (The book was by Piers Anthony) well enough. It was typical 80's style but good enough for it's time. I haven't seen the new version, what with the newfangled CGI and datburned special effects... but I've wondered about it. I admit, I haven't seen it due to low critic scores. Which isn't the best way to judge these things.
    After-all, many people didn't understand "Serenity" at all, since FuX network cut Firefly way too short.
     
  8. superstring01 Moderator

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    No. It was horrific. My boyfriend and I nearly left on two occasions. Was it "Prometheus" bad? Yes and no. Prometheus was the biggest dick-tease of the year, so the cinematic blue-balls that ensued were far worse. I didn't have as high of hopes for TR, but nevertheless, overall it was one of the worst movies of the year. FX were good, but besides that, everything else including cliche story devices, acting, writing, directing, acting, directing, story, and cliche story devices were all horrible beyond belief.

    ~String
     
  9. Michael 歌舞伎 Valued Senior Member

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    Firefly is the name of my small USB drive AND I wasted half an afternoon figuring out how to make a small icon that pops up when the drive is recognized

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    Serenity and Firefly reminded me a lot of Cowboy Bebop.

    Yeah, you're right, but I'm desperate here :S Since BSG it's been desolate......
     
  10. darksidZz Valued Senior Member

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    It was horrific you're right

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  11. Cowboy My Aim Is True Valued Senior Member

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    This, other than Kate Beckinsale.

    It was one of the few Arnold movies that was actually good and not needing a remake.
     
  12. kwhilborn Banned Banned

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    I watch movies at the theatre a lot. We go at least once per month.

    I thought Total Recall was excellent action deserving a big screen. It was likely my 2nd favourite movie of the year following Batman. Batman was quite an Epic.

    Some big movies like 007 paled in comparison.
     
  13. youreyes amorphous ocean Valued Senior Member

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    It does barely deserve a 2 out of gazillion. Additionally, it does not deserve to have the same name as the great Mars themed Arnold S's movie.
     
  14. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    Now I have to rewatch it, because I thought it was OK. The 2 female leads were too much alike causing a little confusion though. Anyhow, getting the director's cut right now...

    In a related note, I just watched Dredd, and liked it a lot. First the female lead was kind of small, but got used to it. The slow down scenes are beautifully cinematographed...

    You get an automatic disqualification from this thread for this.

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  15. superstring01 Moderator

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    I've heard good things about Dredd!

    --Dan
     
  16. kwhilborn Banned Banned

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    I liked Total Recall much better than Dredd. I did not care for the constant mask. I did not care for the way it all took place in 1 building. It missed humour like "All restaurants are Taco Bell".

    Total Recall was very fast paced, and graphics intensive. I still think 2nd after Batman.
     
  17. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    The CGI and imagery are fantastic in both. Dredd was made in Johannesburg. Yeah, they could have used more locations, but I assume that's what the storyline called for and this way the budget was cheaper. The luck of comedy was noted by others too. I managed to download a German version of Total Recall, so I just rewatched the action scenes.

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  18. youreyes amorphous ocean Valued Senior Member

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    That's weird it looks exactly like Brighton Beach...
     
  19. Syzygys As a mother, I am telling you Valued Senior Member

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    The reason I looked it up was because the inside scenes were so realistic. The shooting over the space sequence took 10 days to film...

    " Principal photography, using 3D cameras throughout on practical sets and locations in Cape Town and Johannesburg, began in November 2010."

    Anyhow, here is slo-mo bathtub scene. There is a similar one at the end with broken glasses flying all over....

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ujCxWp7kOs
     
  20. ScaryMonster I’m the whispered word. Valued Senior Member

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    Dredd was good because it didn't try to be too glitzy. the story is simple. It represents Mega City in a gritty realistic way and is character driven not an effects filled abortion.
     
  21. madanthonywayne Morning in America Registered Senior Member

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    My 12 year old son & I watched the original one night, and the remake the next. It was funny how, despite being quite different in many ways, some scenes were practically a carbon copy of the original movie in little ways you wouldn't notice unless you'd just watched the original.

    Overall, I definitely preferred the original. However, I agree that the remake wasn't horrible and that the two female leads looked too much alike.
     
  22. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    The two women in the remake looked too much alike. I wasn't sure who he was dreaming about. The 3 breasted woman was a throw away. Why bother? But I didn't think it was that bad either. I liked that they didn't copy the original
     
  23. Cris In search of Immortality Valued Senior Member

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    Total Recall had some good action and some great graphics - worth it for that. I watched it for the Kate factor though -

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    There is no Mars in this one but instead a tube running through the Earth and near the Earths core. A recent article in Scientific American rated this movie as the worst for scientific credibility. The travel time through the Earth for example was in minutes which would require acceleration and deceleration rates far higher than the highest survivable by any human - i.e. any passenger would be guaranteed to lose consciousness and would likely not recover. The colossal temperatures and pressure of course even outweigh the acceleration issue.

    I did laugh at the security gate check where they had the same woman that Arnie used as his disguise in his movie - but this time it had a nice twist.
     

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