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Capone gives Shane Acker's 9 a 3 for story, 8 for voice acting, and 10 for visuals!!!
Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
I've spoken to enough directors over the last 11 years or so to know that scraping together a handful of short films and getting them shown at festivals has been the path that many successful filmmakers have taken to land them their first feature film job. About five years ago, I saw a wonder live-action short called CASHBACK, from writer-director Sean Ellis. About two years following the short's acclaimed journey through the festival circuit, Ellis took his short and made it the centerpiece of a feature-length work of the same name that garnered a great deal of acclaim from most critics who saw it (including me). Ellis has since directed another feature, but continues making shorts as well. In 2005, writer-director-student Shane Acker developed a groundbreaking and much talked about animated short called 9, which showed up in animation and other film festivals. It caught the attention of Tim Burton and others who were eager to work with Acker and add him to the growing list of directing greats in the animation universe. The result of this process is a feature-length version of 9 that does not feature material from the short, although it certainly does take place with the same lead character in the same post-apocalyptic world. It's actually kind of rare that a first-time director will get to make an enhanced version of their own short as their premiere movie, but both Ellis and Acker are the worthy exceptions to the standard operating procedure.
If you're a fan of eye-popping, dark, and slightly terrifying animated works, 9 should scratch that itch. The trouble comes with what I deem to be a fairly unoriginal story about a group of humanoid creatures (they look like ragdolls built with bits of metal weaved into their cloth bodies) that are simply going from place to place searching for clues about their origin, about what happened to the human population in this now machine-run world, and how they can stop from getting killed by the machines before they figure out how to defeat them. This is the kind of adventure story that parcels out bits of plot detail only when the story dictates they are necessary and not from any kind of insight or cleverness on the part of any particular character. And considering how stunning the look of the film is and the smart general concept behind 9, the fact that the execution is so ordinary is a substantial disappointment.
One of the things I loved so much about the short was that there was no spoken dialogue, an element I wish could have been transferred to the feature. The short made the audience think and pay attention and look for hints concerning the world in which the character 9 exists. I've got nothing against any of the voice actors in the feature; quite the contrary. Any film featuring Elijah Wood (who plays the title character), Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, Martin Landau, Christopher Plummer, and Crispin Glover will get no push back from me on casting choices. The problem originates with the screenplay from Pamela Pettler (CORPSE BRIDE; MONSTER HOUSE), which spends way too much time in exposition mode and not enough time simply wowing us with character development or even a surprise or two on this journey.
I did like the way each clothed avenger was differentiated. Reilly's 5 is missing an eye, so a folded cloth has been sewn over the socket. Glover's mentally ill 6 has pens for fingers and communicates largely through drawings. Connelly's action-hero 7 looks like she's made out of a smoother, sleeker material. And how great is it that Plummer and Landau are both in the movie at all, rather then have some younger actors come in and perform the characters (1 and 2) using old-man voices. In no way can I fault Acker's vision. He has created a world that isn't exactly ours, but it's close enough to be recognizable as a post-industrial age gone horribly wrong. The machines don't look slick and modern at all; they are noisy, clumsy, and ugly, but every inch of them appears able to cut or crush you. An OSHA inspector would have a field day in this environment.
I'm truly torn on 9, because there is much to like here. But considering it's only 79 minutes long with credits, and I was getting bored at about the 30-minute mark, that isn't a good sign. Perhaps if I'd watched the film with the sound turned off, I might have seen it as a masterpiece. What I got instead was a tired plot brought to life by some of the coolest visuals you'll likely see this year. With exceptional voice work spouting out cliché dialogue and practically reading us the handbook on how to execute an adventure, 9 is a troubled movie that is playing it safe in one area of its production, while going for broke down in the best possible dark and dangerous way on many other levels. I'm edging toward recommending it primarily because I want to encourage people to support adult-oriented animation and not simply look at the medium as a place safe for families to go on the weekend. 9 is not for small children, but I'm guessing that pre-teens might get a lot more out of this film than I did only because they haven't seen it 100 times before. The look of the film is simply too good for me to dismiss it entirely, but if you loved the short as much as I did, you may be disappointed.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com
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Post-apocalyptic setting? Check. Anything else happening? Please share.
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Hated the Cashback movie?
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Not really what I was expecting though. I thought it was going to be some art drama film, not a comedy.
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Sep 09, 2009 10:37:02 AM CDT
...I didn't like CORALINE as much as I wanted to either...
by flickapoo
...loved the visuals so much I kept telling myself it was great...but the story and pacing were sadly lacking.
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You are going to use Cashback as your point of reference for short film to full film?
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same here.
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The whole first paragraph acts like District 9 does't exist. What the fuck.
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I was really looking forward to this and all. Loved the short, although I also wished just from seeing the trailer that they had kept it dialogue free.
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To make his own CGI movie that sucks balls but everyone will think he did 9 and go see it and say that its just as good as 9.
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The script is written by the writer of that movie I just made fun of because its crap. God damn that sucks.
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even more so than the film has already done. Fuck it. The story basically sucked, right? Then what the fuck's the point? The movie sounds like it's for men who watch kids play at the McDonald's playland. Nothing more, nothing less.
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my girlfriend said she would never show Coraline to a young child, which i consider makes it a triumph.
the original 9 would never have worked even as a short with voices. goodness only knows why they felt it was crucial to the feature.
fools, damn fools and screenwriters. -
damn
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How is this not still considered a "short" film?
What is the time break that makes the difference? -
Got a deal with Mcdonalds, they have the best toys. Beanie Grimace in the house!
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He makes it sound just like every movie Burton has made after Mars Attacks.
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What the fuck. So I guess small children should go and see Hanna Montanna again? What happened to the dark kids movies? Why is everyone so worried about what their kids see?
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...this sort of thing always makes me wince. Sometimes you have an image that's just so cool you think it's fool proof...sadly, without story, pacing, and character no visual gets off the ground...
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...ELMO IN GROUCHLAND. Villainous Mandy Patinkin scares the crap out of her. She loves it.
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Sep 09, 2009 11:00:03 AM CDT
I was afraid of this. I couldn't pin down why I wasn't excited.
by the reluctant austinite
The hype from the art/animation fanboys has been huge, and I know I should be excited about this, but I'm not. I love the voice cast. Dark animated storytelling is near and dear to my heart. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my favorite films, but I hated "James and the Giant Peach." Despite all the hype, I was extemely let down (to the point of depression) by "The Corpse Bride". And "Coraline" didn't thrill me as much as I expected either. I guess I'm tired of getting excited about this type of film, only to bored by poor storytelling substituted for by arty visuals.
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Shouldn't be going to the movies. But I'm thinking of kids old enough to go to the movies like 5-6.
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Sweet! Hey look a blue car!
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...is for four year olds. To a two year old GROUCHLAND is like Dario Argento being eaten by feral pigs. She will be on to CORALINE and DARK CRYSTAL soon enough. I was just boasting about my little badass braving the wilds of GROUCHLAND. The streets are paved with solid mold there you know...
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Watch I spit on your grave...and thats why I don't have any kids....yet.
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I missed that one when it was in theaters.
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I was in the theatre, and I had my popcorn, but I was too busy masturbating :)
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...Vanessa Williams is the queen of Grouchland and at one point requires Elmo to blow her 100 raspberries in 30 seconds. She has to slowly demonstrate how you use your lips to blow said raspberry..and she REALLY loves raspberries....when Elmo finally succeeds she squeals with delight and fireworks go off. ELMO IN GROUCHLAND only plays in the evening around here because Mr. and Mrs. FlickaPoo need some alone time afterwards...
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I don't know if Capone or the rest of you guys/gals are aware, but much of the backstory to 9 has been playing out on Facebook through "9 Scientist." Probably the most interesting elements of the story are there. I've been copying them out and posting them in a running thread on this site...
http://tiny.cc/inHPG
I posted a thread on IMDB a while back in direct response to this "Cross Media" approach. In a way it's clever, and cool... but at the same time it means the film itself might feel foreign to those who haven't been following the story via the viral stuff. Mixed results. -
nicccce.
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Thats a trick question. There is no demographic for this movie. It would have worked better and sold better as a video game. Major fail.
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Sep 09, 2009 11:33:38 AM CDT
as uch as I hate sayin' it - damn Martin Landau is still alive?!
by flipster
cool
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Looks like Up gets to hold onto its title of Best Animated Feature of 2009 (not that I thought it was in trouble of losing that status).
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then i guess animated movies should be renamed since most are 70-80mins long.
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God damn I fucking hate facebook. Maybe if 99% of it wasn't stupid shit I would have notice that. What happened to the good old days of just haveing a wall.
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I like playing movies in the background while I work although unlike Harry, I usually turn the sound off. That way, if I get up from working I can usually catch a glimpse of something cool on my way to the bathroom or the kitchen or wherever it is I'm going. A quick, momentary distraction that doesn't hold me up.
At less than 90 minutes it looks like 9 fits that bill nicely. -
just like district 9 is a ripoff of black hawk down, alien nation, and half life 2; this stupid animated movie is a ripoff of the old tool videos. another piece of shit movie to make the 2009 dung heap even bigger.
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If it's a "ripoff" of the old Tool videos (and I have no idea what the hell you're talking about... the previews looked nothing like any Tool video I've ever seen, except maybe the color scheme) then I will probably enjoy it all the more.
There are no new stories. Everything is a "ripoff" of everything else. Get over it. -
It's heart was in the right place but it just wasn't very good. Cashback was okay. I'll be seeing the other 9 movie with Danny Lewis and Penelope Cruz and skipping this nonsense.
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I'd enjoy the feature? Once again, AICN reviewers fault a film for not living up to "the other".
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I don't know about you, but I think one of the few original movies I saw this year, Year One, was a complete pile of shit under a bigger pile of shit. So give me ripoffs if thats the best hollywood can do.
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Sep 09, 2009 12:21:51 PM CDT
Lord of the Rings meets War of the Worlds meets scary Transforme
by gods_uncle_bob
...and it really, really sucked ass. Looked great though.
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didn't you get a "tool ripoff" did you get a tool kinda vibe from the Golden Army story at the beginning of HB2?? adam jones (did special f/x before joining tool) must have been pissed.
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tim burtons name is in the credits. That's an automatic pass for me these days.
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I just didn't see how that could stretch out the story when it was originally only a short film. I love the short but didn't think it'd work in full length. I'll give it a shot and support it though because that's what us movie fans need to do.
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The constant hating on people like Tim Burton and James Cameron and the current trend of remakes makes me wonder, are we right to show such derision to storylines that have been done before? Novelty seems to be the only thing most of you hate-geeks appreciate.
After all, we are 2-5000 years into human literature, and there are only so many story structures which people will find viscerally satisfying. Is it possible that we as a people have just used up most of the original ideas, turning the current movie industry into an art that just polishes old ideas? Even the few movies you haters seem to appreciate, like the Dark Knight, are just retelling of old stories through a slightly novel genre (Batman vs. Joker in a hard boiled gangster movie). Is novelty the X-factor of great films in this day and age? -
...speaking of dark kid stuff, anyone read it yet? Picked it up last night...family knifed to death in the first five pages...loving it so far...
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...TOOL videos are direct descendants of The Brothers Quay and all that great grimy Eastern European stop motion...nothing is created in a vacuum...http://tinyurl.com/kuzwb8
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I loved District 9. Best movie of the year. I did not see Transformer 2, my ass is still sore from one. After District 9 was so good, when I thought that you would not be able to expand the short to a film. See Capone failed to mention that District 9 was a short first (maybe someone should tell him). But D9 was fucking amazing, better then I had heard. So I was hoping this would be the same. But after hearing about who scripted it I can't help but wonder how the fuck that person gets work. Monster House was pretty good though, but Corpse Bride was one of the worst movies I've seen.
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That manga film, anyone ever see that?
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...never even heard of this...just looked it up...god I love stop motion...
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Yeah I remember seeing the trailer for every Manga film, but I could never find it. I don't think its on the net flixs either. You may also like Harvie Krumpet.
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Sep 09, 2009 1:18:29 PM CDT
hahahah i just did a search for Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb
by series7
On Netflix and it didn't come up, but The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland did. Maybe I SHOULD rent it.
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And D9 was one of the few movies with a truly novel concept released this year.
My point is that I enjoy Burton's movies, but he seems to be one of those artists that enjoys telling old stories with different visuals. Most of his defenders do so because they enjoy his VISUAL style. The lack of novelty bothers me less than many people here, it seems. Is this the dividing line on this site? The endless quest for novelty in film and story? Or do you guys just enjoy complaining? -
The Graveyard Book is great. Love Neil Gaiman.
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...for a tasteful but spectacularly dirty scene of Vanessa Williams as the Queen of Grouchland receiving oral pleasure from a furry red Jim Henson puppet (and who is ever NOT in that mood?) then I say go for it...
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Planet of the Apes. That was fun just because it was so fucking bad and odd, and the score was good. After that and it was a mega hit I think Burton gave up trying to do original shit and it sucks. I want his movies to be good and original. Also Danny Elfman hasn't been the same since that movie either. Something about finally getting tons of money for your movie probably ruined it for them. Granted Tim probably got a good amount for Batman, but back then he wasn't Tim Burton.
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and after wanted I'm beginning to think the same of timnur bekwhateverthefuckhisnameis. The nightwatch stuff showed promise but wanted was a piece of crap.
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Also if you like stop motion A LOT. You may like Neco z Alenky (Alice) its a stop motion version of Alice in Wonderland. Except all the stop motion is done with dolls and animal skeltons or taxidermied animals. Very odd.
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...if like is the right word...a little impenetrable like all that stuff...I'm not sure it's even intended to be "fun"...a visual goldmine though...
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Well, the LOOK of his newer movies is certainly that Tim Burton look. I don't think there is a lot of difference between his newer stuff (Wonka) and his older stuff (Scissor-hands) other than that 'look' has now been done many times, and the novelty has worn off by now. All of his stories are tales of the loner outsider who gains the acceptance of a larger society who comes to appreciate his weirdness. For you, would Burton make better films if he abandoned his trademark visual style? Or is it a matter of the similarities in theme?
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I mean his films aren't bad movies, he isn't Uwe Boll. He gets decent reviews and typically solid box office. It's gotta be the fact that all of his movies share similarities, and therefore lack that novelty.
I have just noticed 2 camps on these talkbacks, and I am trying to figure out the mind-set of the folks who automatically hate remakes and film makers who specialize in similar stories or styles, like Burton. I'll bet most people who hate Burton also hate Tarantino. -
If he went back to his own ideas or even original ideas rather then doing remakes or books into movies (Big Fish). And if he stayed away from stop motion until he patches up his relationship with Selick.
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I love him, I love him too much. That ever since Planet he has done nothing but cheat on me and rape me when I'm unwilling. Sweeney was a steep in the right direction, but Alice is 3 steps in the wrong direction.
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...with me Ewan McGregor is still riding a wave of goodwill leftover from TRAINSPOTTING and A LIFE LESS ORDINARY...the clock is ticking though...ticking hard...
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...Gaiman doesn't always do it for me, but when he does he really does. I like AMERICAN GODS and CORALINE best, and this one is shaping up to be as good or better...
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Looks are only half of any movie.
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I understand you saw a simple verson of this that stuck with you...but this isn't supposed to be a summer stock masterpiece and it has to be 999 times better then that shit summer movie line up they shoved at us. It is a semi original idea and after all the reboots, retucks, face lifts, reimaging, sparkling vampire bullshit at least it's semi fresh looking movie
...end rant -
"Capone gives a 3 for story, 8 for voice acting, and 10 for visuals"Does anyone else think the same may happen?
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But then again, I do have departed father issues...
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It's not so much that you hate Burton, I'm just trying to get to the core of why he seems to be alienating potential fans with his latest work, which is not so different from his earlier work. I guess I'm asking WHY Burton has turned you off with his latest work.
BTW, I probably like even his newer stuff so much because of all the 'herbal remedies' I take. I'll probably like 9 for similar reasons. -
They put so much effort into the design they forgot it was supposed to be a movie and not an extended videogame cutscene. Still, it was better than Transformers 2: Jive Talkin'.
This is definitely a background type film that will benefit from a viewing without the voices. I hope they have a SFX minus the voices track on the DVD/Blu-Ray. That might completely change how I view this movie.
Worth a look. -
Sep 09, 2009 3:23:00 PM CDT
From the site that gave postivie reviews to SUPERMAN RETURNS
by violator90
Transformers 2 and G.I. JOE, yeah like I would trust anything AICN reviews. I bet its not that bad but because AICN didn't get something from the people of 9 they give it a bad review. Isn't that why some of the shittiest movies get positive reviews. Either way, I'm still gonna check it out.
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Everything after Mars Attacks has just left me flat. Like the movie go no where, the acting isn't good. I don't believe the world he created. The CGI is cheesy. The music is not memorable. I'd say the biggest thing would be the stories, they just suck and are boring. Also he isn't funny anymore, Beetlejuice is funny as shit, same with Pee Wee and Edward and Batman had their moments. Mars Attacks was very funny.
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Girlfriend was very, very excited for it. I was excited, but not overly so, just thought it looked pretty unique and badass, especially for an animated. Anyway, pretty big disappointment to be frank. For the exact reasons this review goes over. Just lazy, boring, utterly conventional yet still missing incredibly important, basic details. It's great to look at, and at 75 minutes it certainly doesn't waste too much of your time. It's worth seeing, just to enjoy the visuals, but you'll be left wondering why they didn't try just a tiny, little bit to tell an actual story. It's pretty strange, I honestly laughed when I saw someone got a "Screenplay" credit for it...other than describing action set pieces etc, the actual screenplay couldn't have been more than like 15 pages of dialogue. And none of it came from anywhere except a place of convenience.
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video game. Kind of like Little Big World-warfare. Its even got built-in boss levels.
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Chet Zar, who helped Adam Jones on a lot of the Tool videos, worked with Del Toro on some of the creature design for HB2. That's probably where the "Tool" vibe comes from.
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Thats funny you mentioned the fact that someone got a screen play credit. I just saw a TV spot where at the end the only credits they show are Directed by Shane Acker Screenplay by Pamela Pettler. I was like really? Are they trying to make a point about the screenplay? Like for all of Pamela's fans? When was the last time you saw ANYONE get a solo credit line for the fucking screenplay in a trailer? Unless it was a writer/director thing.
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that is a lil nugget of info i will file away. that helps explain i was waiting for meat tubes and pedophiles to show up in the story. i think i saw a short film of his where this "guy" was putting himself together on an operating table or sumpin. no dialogue an trippy as all hell.it was great
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Just got back from seeing it. The visuals were amazing. Really cool enemies. Plot was top notch. Huh... whatever Capone. See it if you like any Burton flick.
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Empty calories and after 2 hours you have a kind of sick feeling in your stomach. You know you saw some interesting stuff, but after the 40 min mark you were just counting the minutes until the end. TIME BURTON IN ROCK and ROLL TERMS: If a Burton movie was a rock band they would have have an awesome Goth stage show but the music would be shit, which begs the question: Is THE CURE really TIM BURTON???
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Sep 09, 2009 10:58:00 PM CDT
No need to be torn on this movie....it was just OKAAAAYY...
by gibsonusa returns
It was okay, and thats the bottom line imo. You go, its worth the price of the ticket, then you go out for food and forget about the movie completely by the end of it. Not worth being torn. It was okay.
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Shane wrote 9. Not Tim. Oh, and Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Pee Wees Big Adventure, Sleepy Hollow, James and the Giant Peach, Nightmae Before Christmas, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory... on and on... damn good movies me thinks...
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What a lame flick... It's visuals just can't make up for the plot
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Sep 10, 2009 9:10:44 AM CDT
Too many plot holes. Ultimately dissapointing and shallow.
by knowthyself
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somebody ought to put that on youtube
"anyone who liked the second half of WALL E leave the room right now" -
but he hasnt had any original ideas in 10 years.
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Edward Scissorhands, after that he became the king of remake, reboot, reimagine, take credit.
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yet shyamalan is everyone's toilet. go fucking figure
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9 makes almost no sense the more you think about it. Now I'm just angry.
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the characters don't look that cool(frankly, it bothers me when essentially a rag doll, made of cloth can talk and think and move without any logical/scientific shit to back it up...just plain silly to me)and the animation seemed sorta cruddy too.I HATED seeing this preview so much, as me and my girl figured "this is SOOOOO gonna tank".The ONLY redeeming concept to me was that TIMUR was involved-becuase that guy is a genius with visuals, with practically no budget.Sorrt 9 director, you do deserve a shot, but I must call it as I see it.
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I'm sure it will be pointed out to me without delay why I'm wrong, but I tend to think there will be a more diverse set of reactions to this than just Capone's response.
I saw the film yesterday, was quite caught up in it, and felt that it really only faulters in the latter part of the second half. I was sure they were going a very specific place with the story, but oddly, it didn't go there at all....despite all the setup.
I personally thought the story mostly worked fine, but was there for the sake of the visuals, which were awesome.
It must be said that the action scenes were pretty darn cool as well.
My full review is over here:
http://cinematropolis.wordpress.com/2009/09/10/now-playing-apocalypse-is-feast-for-the-imagination-in-9/
I'm curious to see what the general public thinks about this. I smell another Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, but I hope I'm wrong.
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And $3.1m for its Wednesday night opening? Not bad at all...
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If you saw the short then the movie is kind of lack luster, but if you didn't then I think you'll really enjoy this. Still, the story could have been a million times better than it actually was.
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...but not its ending. It just fell flat on its face.
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