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MadGez
Dont Mess with the Gez
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 9:54 am Posts: 23386 Location: Melbourne Australia
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 Re: Looper
Gopher wrote: trixster wrote: My only real complaint is that this was a lot simpler and smaller than I was expecting, both plot- and theme-wise. It's a smaller movie than I was expecting in terms of scope, but it didn't make the film any less compelling. Looper is a movie about cycles and how hard it is to break them. It took me until the ending (which was beautifully executed) to realize that. And the impact one life has on another, sow as ye shall reep etc. Also loved how the younger and older versions of the same character have different needs and goals and dont really work together.
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 7:22 pm |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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 Re: Looper
I found this more cool than thought-provoking. It didn't leave me pondering age, fate, identity, time, etc. so much as saying, "Neat way to tell a run-and-gun story with a curious time-travel twist." Which is fine because meat and potatoes are what's most important.
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 7:26 pm |
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MadGez
Dont Mess with the Gez
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 9:54 am Posts: 23386 Location: Melbourne Australia
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 Re: Looper
I think it is still thought provoking but not where it completely overpowers the film. The beauty of this film is that it perfectly balances a bit of everything, leaving many of us wanting more of one thing or another.
Indeed it very cool though, which again limits it from being too thought provoking.
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 7:35 pm |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48678 Location: Arlington, VA
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 Re: Looper
Loved this one. Stylish and thought-provoking. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis are easy to believe as the same person (leaving aside the makeup issue, which has been delved into enough), and Emily Blunt is terrific too. It could have been more "epic" than it was, but I actually appreciated the smaller scope as the film progresses. It kept the film more grounded in reality, which served as an interesting contrast with the sci-fi technicalities of time travel. A-
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Sat Sep 29, 2012 11:59 pm |
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zingy
College Boy Z
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm Posts: 36662
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 Re: Looper
Dr. Lecter wrote: Those who have seen it... I've had a discussion with a friend of mine who has seen it with me...he is convinced that the little boy (who grows up to become the Rainmaker) is also the young version of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character. I don't agree with tht at all and I don't see anything in the iflm that points towards that. However, as it turns out, some of our press colleagues have seen it that way as well. What do you think? Is this theory solely based on the last two scenes, showing Joe dead and Cid sleeping? Because I don't see any basis, lol. But anyway...this is great stuff. Nothing mind-blowing or anything, but interesting plot with some great performances.
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 1:42 am |
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Thegun
On autopilot for the summer
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:14 pm Posts: 21896 Location: Walking around somewhere
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 Re: Looper
Only major plot hole I had a problem with "It's impossible to get rid of a dead body in the future" They kill willis wife without hesitation. Very solid movie. Willis is the strength of the film, him fighting to remember the life he had is at times heartbreaking and powerful. Deformed JGL is good, but not nearly as interesting. Inception Sid is kind of hilarious at times but effective. I thought Kid blue was Jeff Daniels, the way he looks at his hand after he breaks it Honestly I admire the film a lot, but it's one time travel film I was completely involved in the process and wanted to know more.
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 2:13 am |
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BJ
Killing With Kindness
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:57 pm Posts: 25035 Location: Anchorage,Alaska
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 Re: Looper
BJs Grade: A Awesome stuff, Blunt stole the show, without her the film would have been a fail fo sho. I have a friend that thought Joe was Sid as well, but I straightened that up quick by pointing out that future Joe was not the Rainmaker and Joe had no TK abilities in the least.
My favorite part was Joe realizing it was all a circle and closing it without a moments hesitation, classic stuff.
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 3:44 am |
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publicenemy#1
Extraordinary
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:25 am Posts: 19444 Location: San Diego
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 Re: Looper
I loved it. Really want to see it again.
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 4:51 am |
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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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 Re: Looper
Thegun wrote: Only major plot hole I had a problem with
"It's impossible to get rid of a dead body in the future" They kill willis wife without hesitation. That was clearly accidental.
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 10:57 am |
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Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm Posts: 92093 Location: Bonn, Germany
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 Re: Looper
trixster wrote: Thegun wrote: Only major plot hole I had a problem with
"It's impossible to get rid of a dead body in the future" They kill willis wife without hesitation. That was clearly accidental. See that was my issue with it as well, though. Okay, it was accidental...so what's gonna happen now? Is their mob empire going to go down because of that? Why did they not even seem to try to send the corpse back in time so it can be get rid of in the past? (I suppose they'd just say that only live material can be sent back or something).
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:09 am |
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Johnny Dollar
The Lubitsch Touch
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 5:48 pm Posts: 11019
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 Re: Looper
Magnus wrote: The premise is flawed to begin with.
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 12:08 pm |
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Bluebomb
Veteran
Joined: Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:53 am Posts: 3028
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 Re: Looper
David wrote: 1. Is "Kid Blue" (cringe) Jeff Daniels' character's son? I really hope not. I interpreted Jeff Daniels' character to be a kind of father figure to Kid Blue, similar to how Joe was brought in.
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 3:24 pm |
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MadGez
Dont Mess with the Gez
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 9:54 am Posts: 23386 Location: Melbourne Australia
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 Re: Looper
All time travel premises are flawed. Hence you either go with it or you dont.
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Sun Sep 30, 2012 7:41 pm |
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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am Posts: 34865 Location: Maryland
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 Re: Looper
I've always thought 12 Monkeys' plot comes together very soundly.
I'm no expert, though.
_________________   1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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Mon Oct 01, 2012 12:44 am |
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Magic Mike
Wallflower
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:53 am Posts: 35248 Location: Minnesota
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 Re: Looper
The movie was terrific. Though Emily Blunt is a huge reason why I loved it. She was excellent here and I really cared about her character. She is the heart of the film. The kid was also great. I greatly prefer the second half to the first part of the film, though that was still good too. Loved the showdown at the end.
A very satisfying film.
9/10 (A-)
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Mon Oct 01, 2012 3:02 am |
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Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm Posts: 92093 Location: Bonn, Germany
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 Re: Looper
Timescrimes is actually a film that comes together really well as far as time travel is concerned. Mainly because it keeps the scope very small. Anyone seen it?
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Mon Oct 01, 2012 5:45 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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 Re: Looper
Unfortunately, Looper thinks it's a lot smarter than it actually is.
...another poseur flick.
1 out of 5.
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Thu Oct 04, 2012 1:10 am |
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erikdean
The Dark Knight
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:59 pm Posts: 721 Location: Different places!
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 Re: Looper
Bradley Witherberry wrote: Unfortunately, Looper thinks it's a lot smarter than it actually is.
...another poseur flick.
1 out of 5. 
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Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:20 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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 Re: Looper
This thread doesn't yet contain a review by you, erikdean. Call me old fashioned, but a person who either hasn't seen a movie or hasn't had the courage of their convictions to state their own opinion on it, doesn't have the right to laugh and roll their eyes at the review of someone who has. This is a trite little movie dressed up in serious garb to hoodwink the same rubes that line up over and over again for Christopher Nolan movies. If you want to see an original and thought provoking time travel movie from 2012, go watch Safety Not Guaranteed. In the meantime, write a review or shut the fuck up.
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Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:13 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm Posts: 15197 Location: Planet Xatar
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 Re: Looper
David wrote: I have a few complaints. One has concerned me since the first trailer, and it does not fly in the film either: Joseph Gordon-Levitt's face, tightened and transformed in a failed bid to resemble a youthful version of co-star Bruce Willis. The alien result is unpleasant and serves more to limit Gordon-Levitt than recall charismatic, macho Moonlighting era Willis. In a way, this misguided creative decision, this unusual nod to the stars' physical divergences, is indicative of the film's main flaw, one not too surprising considering its writer/director: it feels a shade self-satisfied on the whole, its obvious love for its own clever construction threatening to becoming a hindrance. The entire enterprise has a bit of a strange rhythm and an inconsistent scope. (Don't read this as savage criticism; I just found it challenging now and then to settle in.) David wrote: I'm not sure I ever entirely invested in one of the core plot elements: the whole idea of this international crime syndicate, headquartered in Shanghai and Amish country, allowing their former elite hit men to go wild for 30 years (traveling the world even) and then finding them when they are old farts to go through the belated, "YOU KNOW TOO MUCH! DIE!" motions. Forget time-travel paradoxes; this contrived, extended, arbitrary way of dealing with past employee goes against a certain common sense and indicates a very dysfunctional organization. And can't dead bodies just be incinerated in the future? Your analysis above is spot-on - - accurate and damning. You were willing to forgive all of that to permit yourself to give the film a good review. I was unwilling to dismiss Looper's fatal shortcomings.
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Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:24 am |
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BK
Forum General
Joined: Sun May 13, 2007 8:30 am Posts: 7041
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 Re: Looper
I think it's overrated.
Certain elements work very well and could well have lead it to be an 'insta-classic" but there's a lot of it which is also pretty ordinary.
Unlike most, I don't think Blunt did anything different. She hasn't had a stand-out role, and this wasn't it either. I'm sure she can do it, but unless a movie/script/director gives her that, I'm getting annoyed with her basically replaceable performances since she doesn't have the 'it' factor that helps others overcome shortcomings in the story/script etc.
The latter half, most taking place on a farm, was ordinary. Either than the one or two scenes of Sid going mental, it felt like a TV show with a limited budget. I mean, yeah, it's not smart to go all Total Recall/Battleship but for a film touted as an 'insta-classic' it lacked establishing more of the world inhabited and creating its own vision. The relationships between Sid, Blunt, JGL and Willis could be tweaked into a normal drama. I guess, in some ways it's a strength to create a similar story but in a different world, but here, it felt disposable. There were standout stunning scenes, without a doubt, but you can't help but leave feeling that something major was missing.
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Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:02 am |
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erikdean
The Dark Knight
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:59 pm Posts: 721 Location: Different places!
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 Re: Looper
Bradley Witherberry wrote: This thread doesn't yet contain a review by you, erikdean. Call me old fashioned, but a person who either hasn't seen a movie or hasn't had the courage of their convictions to state their own opinion on it, doesn't have the right to laugh and roll their eyes at the review of someone who has. This is a trite little movie dressed up in serious garb to hoodwink the same rubes that line up over and over again for Christopher Nolan movies. If you want to see an original and thought provoking time travel movie from 2012, go watch Safety Not Guaranteed. In the meantime, write a review or shut the fuck up. I laughed at your 'review' because I wholly disagreed with it. It's fine that you didn't like it or want to be contrarian to the majority, I don't care. I loved the movie and found it lean and smart and never too clever for its own good. Some of the best work Willis has ever done, Blunt was better than I've ever seen her and that kid was amazing.
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Thu Oct 04, 2012 11:22 am |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm Posts: 48678 Location: Arlington, VA
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 Re: Looper
erikdean wrote: Bradley Witherberry wrote: Unfortunately, Looper thinks it's a lot smarter than it actually is.
...another poseur flick.
1 out of 5.  I see you're new to the contrarian ways of Bradley Witherberry, who is KJ's Trolling version of Armond White.
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Thu Oct 04, 2012 2:51 pm |
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trixster
loyalfromlondon
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:31 pm Posts: 19697 Location: ville-marie
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 Re: Looper
Chill out, Bradley.
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Thu Oct 04, 2012 3:44 pm |
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Shack
Devil's Advocate
Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am Posts: 40592
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 Re: Looper
It's a good sci-fi film. At times though I felt like it wasn't sure whether it wanted to go deep into some interesting moral ideas, or if it just wanted to be a cool/clever action film. Blunt gives the best performance in the film and that entire half of it definitely gave it more heart.
Pretty good. Not a classic.
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Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:06 pm |
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