Slashdot Mirror


Equilibrium

The_Hiro writes ""Farenheit 451 - meets - Brave New World - meets - Matrix" (minus the overdone wire work). Created on a limited budget, Equilibrium combines the best of sci-fi with the action genre. Unfortunately, the marketing droids at Dimension have neglected to promote the film (release date: Dec. 6th). Chud.com has a glowing review of the film and some pretty pictures. Check out the trailer also."

114 of 269 comments (clear)

  1. Trailer by Trusty+Penfold · · Score: 5, Funny


    I watched the trailer ... very professionally done.

    But its a film about tooth whitening? Sounds boring to me.

    1. Re:Trailer by Fweeky · · Score: 5, Informative
      Can I have my "no 5 funny posts" filter

      Er, yes?

      Preferences -> Reason Modifier -> Funny

      Set to -2 or so, and Funny mods will never get above +3.
    2. Re:Trailer by The+Bungi · · Score: 2, Informative
      Dude, a word of advice - don't let this "moderation" thing get to your head. It's really not a position of power, nor is it the most important thing in the world. Take a deep breath, and most importantly, stick your mod points and stick them where the sun don't shine.

      People like you (moderators on crack) are one of the reasons why /. has been going down the drain lately.

      And I expect this to be modded to heck, but I hope you read it (since you're too goddamn chicken to post as yourself and burn some "precious karma") and try to understand what I'm saying.

      Trust me, the last thing I need to hear is why you people moderate as bad as you do. I'd rather you keep your opinions to yourselves and just get on with playing god from afar. It's so much cleaner and painless that way.

  2. The Only Thing Stronger Than The System... by ungulation · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Only Thing Stronger Than The System
    Is The Man Who Will Overthrow It
    Wow... It would be kinda hard to overthrow it otherwise.

    1. Re:The Only Thing Stronger Than The System... by kriploskman · · Score: 2, Interesting

      is it me or has this theme recently been done in minority report... an enforcer of a allknowing allpowerfull org. finds that the system is "flawed" when it turnes on him.... seems to be a mishmash of themes from mr, 1984... not sure about if the matrix comparison makes alot of sense.... but hey maybe i should see the movei first

  3. seems cool.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Obligatory Internet Movie Database and MovieTickets links (although showtimes, if any, will undoubtedly only be posted closer to next Friday). The movie poster looks cool.

    It seems cool, I'll try to see it if it ever plays anywhere in Colorado. From scanning the article, it seems cool, but the article has that fanboy edge to it that seems like it's going to give too much away if you actually *read* it.

    1. Re:seems cool.. by DarkZero · · Score: 2

      Go ahead and read the article. I read it first, became really excited about the movie, and then watched the trailer and thought, "Well, damn. That spoiled way too much."

      This doesn't seem like The Matrix or any of those other "the experience is drastically changed after you know 'The Secret'" types of movies. The article just outlines the environment, but not the plot, which is absolutely fine.

  4. why waste money... by skydude_20 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...on trying to promote a sci-fi film anyways? just let the folks at slashdot know about it! instantaniously all your advertising to your target group is done for you

    --
    Jesus saves souls and redeems them for valuable cash prizes
    1. Re:why waste money... by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      "just let the folks at slashdot know about it! instantaniously all your advertising to your target group is done for you..."

      And given our track-record so far, I'd say ur gonna end up with a cancelled flick.

    2. Re:why waste money... by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      "You have an O and a U key. USE THEM. Fucking IRC wanker."

      Okay, I'll give it a go:

      fUck yOu.

      :)

    3. Re:why waste money... by NanoGator · · Score: 2

      "Lame - the guy used a 'phoneticism'. Plus, what is your definition of shorthand then? If '4u', 'ur', and '2' aren't a form of note taking shorthand then what is? For kids taking their GCSE's we teach them to do this - vital revision skills."

      Wish I had a mod point for that comment. Best I can do is use my +2 to give it some visibility.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    4. Re:why waste money... by Osty · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Actually it's called phonetics.

      I disagree. "Ur" (pronounced "ur") is not phonetically equal to "you're" (yew-ur) or even "your" (yore). "2" is not a phonetic symbol, it's a number. Same goes for "4". And while we're at it, "u" is just a letter (pronounce it phoneticaly and you get "uh" or "oo").


      I agree with the AC -- it's called "being a fucking illiterate". There once was a time when children would lose points for misspelling words, especially simple ones like "you", "your", "you're", "to", "too", "two", etc (depending on the grade level, they may or may not have lost points for using the incorrect word, since that kind of thing isn't easy to grasp in first grade). These days, kids are lucky to be able to read by the time they graduate high school. I guess all of these similar-sounding, different-spelling, different-meaning words are just too difficult for today's kids (not necessarily homonyms, though I guess they can be difficult too).

    5. Re:why waste money... by NanoGator · · Score: 3, Funny
      "Using crapola like "ur" and "2" and "4u" isn't called "internet shorthand". It's called "being a fucking illiterate".

      That is all."


      The nice thing about the English language is its flexbility. New words are introduced all the time. Give up that capability of our language, and you make English an extinct language.

      I'd suggest you and everybody else be tolerant instead of acting like common use of a shorthand word will result in an embiggening of illteracy.
      --
      "Derp de derp."
    6. Re:why waste money... by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 2

      Wanker. :P

  5. The Matrix? by NineNine · · Score: 5, Funny

    Are you there god? It's me, Nine. As you know, people keep making Matrix-esque movies. And also, as you know, I'm a big movie fan. I like to see most movies just for the hell ooop...heck of it. Why, god, do people continue to make Matrix-like movies? Why? The first one was terrible. I tried to leave the theater when I was subjected to the first one, but unfortunately, I was riding with others and I couldn't get my hands on their keys. I really, really tried to enjoy it, but the acting, well, you know. Keanu Reeves was in it. Lawrence Fishburne. I know you never meant for them to be actors. I know that they were meant for other things... like workers in fish canneries, but still, they were in it. And the script. Well, the script actually made me cry. I laughed so hard I cried. It wasn't a good cry either, since part of why I was laughing is because I spent money on admission to hear lines that sounded like they were written by a second grader who ate too much paste. And the story, god. God, the story. Why is a re-hashed version of ancient Western Philosopy, a philosophy that's been around for thousands of years, considered innovative and fresh? Why god, hasn't anybody studied even basic philosophy enough to know that this story is actually ancient? And the plot. Oh god, you didn't spare me on the plot either, you vengeful being you. The plot barely made sense. But why should I tell you that... you're omnipotent. But, since you're omnipresent, you probably had to watch it too. I'm sorry god. I'm so sorry for everything I've done. Please, god, please smite down with terrible wrath and anger all who attempt to make Matrix knockoffs. Are you there god? It's me, Nine.

    1. Re:The Matrix? by autopr0n · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why is a re-hashed version of ancient Western Philosopy, a philosophy that's been around for thousands of years, considered innovative and fresh?

      Well, I don't remember many people saying the philosophy backing the matrix was anything particularly revolutionary, just that the film was incredibly refined visually and beautiful. I also don't remember anything about living inside giant computers and robot overlords in eastern phil. Maybe I took the wrong class, or maybe illiterate morons such as yourself ascribe any kind of 'deep' thought to 'eastern philosophy'.

      What eastern phil you might be referring to is beyond me. What does the matrix have to do with the Dao or natural way of the universe which should be followed? What does it have to do with reincarnation or karma? What does it have do with meditating and given up earthly desires to reach enlightenment?

      The only 'eastern' thing about the matrix was the bad-ass fight choreography. That, along with it's visual style was what was 'revolutionary and fresh.' Not it's scatterbrained philosophical underpinnings. It's an enjoyable light movie, and as such, it succeeds widely.

      But what am I talking to you for? You wouldn't know a Zen koan from a Confucian saying, from a <p> tag.

      --
      autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
    2. Re:The Matrix? by NineNine · · Score: 5, Funny

      Oh yes god... and while you're at it, please smite those who get easily confused between eastern and western philosophy. Those heathens deserve to be smitten. Especially those heathens who know nothing about Decartes, Plato, or even Hegel. God, why do these people exist to torment me with their ignorance? Why god? Please, take pity on my poor soul and deliver them to the everlasting fires of hell on bolts of lightning. And if the don't know anything abuot Dante, don't you think that they deserve to be thrown into the seventh ring? Are you there god? It's me, Nine.

    3. Re:The Matrix? by abhinavnath · · Score: 5, Funny

      This is beautiful. Slashdot's two greatest pr0nographers are flaming each other about philosophy. Doesn't get any better than that.

      --
      My other sig is also a .Porsche
    4. Re:The Matrix? by cybercuzco · · Score: 5, Funny

      Nine-
      One of my commandments is "thou shalt not commit adultury" Pornography is considered adultury. Not only are you committing this sin, you are helping others commit it. Part of MY PLAN (tm) included having Keanu Reeves and Lawrence Fishburne become actors specifically so that they could make the Matrix (and sequels) in order to punish you for your sins. Have a nice day.
      -God

      --

    5. Re:The Matrix? by GlenRaphael · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Why is a re-hashed version of ancient Western Philosopy, a philosophy that's been around for thousands of years, considered innovative and fresh?

      What eastern phil you might be referring to is beyond me. What does the matrix have to do with the Dao or natural way of the universe which should be followed? What does it have to do with reincarnation or karma? What does it have do with meditating and given up earthly desires to reach enlightenment?

      He said western philosophy. And even though I loved Matrix, saw it a dozen times and worked as an extra in the sequels...the guy is right. The notion that we might be "living in a dream world" and unable to trust the evidence of our senses is a very very old idea. And to answer the original question, the important thing isn't what a movie is about so much as how it is about it. Matrix took a few good ideas and made a great looking, kick-ass action film which advanced the state of the art in moviemaking. The directors took visual ideas that had only been tried before in japanese animation and made them work in a live action film by inventing new filming techniques (eg, bullet time) and paying extra attention to shot framing. The look of the Matrix was a bold and expensive experiment that paid off, and techniques that work well tend to be copied by others.
      --
      I play Nerd-Folk!
    6. Re:The Matrix? by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 2

      Jehovah, is that you? You've been out drinking and carousing with Allah again, haven't you? You good-for-nothing lowlife. Quit picking on pornographers, they are my chosen people, after all. I'm warning you....

      -Grunjnak, All-farting God of the Troll-people.

      PS Anyone have any objections if I tweak the speed of light a little, or perhaps the charge of the proton? 5/32's of +1 charge would be kinda cool, would it not?

    7. Re:The Matrix? by lactose99 · · Score: 3, Funny

      From the Firm of Lipshitz, Altoona, and Poo

      God--

      Good day. I represent the www.MyPlan.com Corporation. I am writing you to inform you on my client's existing trademarks on "MY PLAN", "MYPLAN", "MYPLAN.COM", "WWW.MYPLAN.COM", and "WWW.MYPLANSUCKS.COM". In occordance with existing Trademark Law in the lower 7 planes of existence, my client has an obligation to enforce his trademark ownership in order to protect it. My client has signed agreements with groups in competition with yourself, and my client does not want your name associated with their trademark.

      -You must IMMEDIATELY stop any and all references to "MY PLAN". All assets utilizing the "MY PLAN" trademark must be destroyed or exchanged with my client.

      -You must reverse the flow of time and remove your references to "MY PLAN" from any and all Slashdot (tm) postings.

      Failure to comply will result in legal action. Thank you for your prompt assistance in this matter.

      Sincerely,
      Leo Fleckmeyerhofferstern
      Partner, Lipshitz, Altoona, and Poo

      --
      Fully licensed blockchain psychiatrist
    8. Re:The Matrix? by blincoln · · Score: 2

      Lawrence Fishburne. I know you never meant for them to be actors.

      Dude, how can you diss Jimmy Jump? Do you have a pathological hatred of root beer or something?

      --
      "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
  6. Heh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "In the near future, freedom is a thing of the past."

    They should have called the movie "Palladium."

    1. Re:Heh... by rmohr02 · · Score: 2

      There's already a movie similar in concept to that: Antitrust. I watch it once a week, sort of like attending mass.

    2. Re:Heh... by the+gnat · · Score: 2

      There's already a movie similar in concept to that: Antitrust. I watch it once a week, sort of like attending mass.

      This is a weird comparison to make. . . what, were you molested by a priest or something?

      Casting Ryan Philipe as a genius computer programmer is probably the most offensive thing Hollywood has done to the geek population so far.

    3. Re:Heh... by rmohr02 · · Score: 2

      Yea, he wasn't cast very well, but the rest of the movie is pretty good.

  7. Another movie that this reminds me of by rock_climbing_guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Personally, the idea of a film about a man who battles the system reminds me of the movie Rollerball ( the original, not last year's remake ). Those of you who have seen it may remember that the hero's boss wanted him to retire from the game because they feared that he would rise above the deadly game, which itself was meant to be an analogy to show everyone that no one was greater than the system. Hence in the end, the rules of the game were changed ( no time limit ) so that the game of rollerball was changed from a more violent soccer like game into a deathmatch.

    --
    Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
  8. Wow, by delmoi · · Score: 2, Interesting

    That certanly looks cool :P. Visualy stunning to say the least. The only real problem I see is that so much of what was done (and was new) in the matrix has become cliche. I mean I remember seeing the trailers for the new matrix films and thinkng "I've seen all this before..."

    Definetly a flick I'll have to check out.

    --

    ReadThe ReflectionEngine, a cyberpunk style n
  9. Yeah.. I'll go see it... by TribeDoktor · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I love these crazy plotless action films.

    On my my favorite has to be the movie HARD BOILED.

    I think it has a 10 minute long unedited action gunfire scene in it... it was beautifully done.. brought a tear to my eye...

    1. Re:Yeah.. I'll go see it... by c13v3rm0nk3y · · Score: 5, Insightful
      favorite has to be the movie HARD BOILED

      This was my introduction into Hong Kong gangster films done by a master of the oeuvre. Must be one of my all-time favourites. The show-down gun-battle you mention is truly beautifully done.

      A must-see for anyone who digs Tarantino (though, of course, he had a wide range of influences). Highly recommended, as is The Killer.

      The key to this type of film is that they must be extremely character driven, and we have to care about the characters (note the plural) while at the same time be made unsure of the main character's direction. As you say, this genre tends to be relatively plotless, or plot figures less than the dialog and character development.

      --
      -- clvrmnky
    2. Re:Yeah.. I'll go see it... by the+gnat · · Score: 2

      Actually, I thought Hard Boiled had a lot more plot than some of the incoherent rubbish Hollywood churns out, and stands up very well compared to some of the incoherent rubbish to come out of China/HK as well. Both Chow and Tony Leung are actually good actors.

      The problem with most action movies is that they fall apart as soon as the shooting stops. Woo partly avoids this by rarely letting this happen, but the movie always feels more crisply plotted and engaging without feeling totally plotless. Over-the-top doesn't necessarily equate to nonsensical- very few directors (or actors) understand this.

      Damn, I gotta buy that DVD.

  10. The Giver by Stinson · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm not sure if anyone else noticed, but the premise of the beginning of this movie seems quite like in the book, "The Giver" by Louis Lowry. In the book, everyone has no real emotion, and has to conform into their spots in society, all emotions are kept by The Giver, i'm not going to go farther into the book, for fear of spoiling, but there definitly seems to be some similarities. Definitly a recomended book to check out

    1. Re:The Giver by CBNobi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sorry if this comes out as a flame (no pun intended), but, that's quite similar to the premise of F451 and Brave New World.

    2. Re:The Giver by SuperCal · · Score: 2

      Who is that girl in red? Book joke... If you have never read the book you won't get it. If you have read the book then... ok fine, its not funny.


      i hope i'm not mixing this up with some other book... it must have been more then 7 or 8 years sence I read it.

      --
      Business News and Resources: www.usasource.net
    3. Re:The Giver by Faizdog · · Score: 2, Informative

      The Giver went a lot deeper than that. Due to there being no emotion, people couldn't even see color. Everything was grey scale. Kinda like Pleasentville.

      That's just one example of how The Giver was different from F451 and Brave New World. It was a similar genre/type of book though.

      --
      -"Those who fought today will die tommorow."-
    4. Re:The Giver by Nintendork · · Score: 2

      Wow, I read that about 5 or 6 years ago. Pretty good book. Although a society fixed by drugs and therapy reminds me more of Greg Bear's, Queen of Angels and its sequel, Slant.

    5. Re:The Giver by GMontag451 · · Score: 2

      Not only that, but IMO one of the best things about The Giver is that it is written by Lois Lowry, and therefore far more accessible to younger kids than Fahrenheit 451 or Brave New World are. I remember reading The Giver in either 5th or 6th grade and just being blown away. I consider The Giver to be a perfect introduction for kids into the genre of socially commentative sci-fi.

  11. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  12. Sounds interesting enough... by rgoer · · Score: 3, Insightful
    From the review:
    ...mankind has become a race of self medicating drones who live their lives under constant supervision. The advent of the drug Prozium has helped erase war, murder, and all of the other things that the oppressive powers that be determine is forbidden and each member of society injects the drug to suppress their moods and stave off that hideous thing known as emotion.

    Their enemies are known as "Sense Offenders", people who feel and take in music and art into their lives...
    Sounds like somebody thought about where this current Bush-Ashcroft Ministry of Truth/Thought Police thing was going, listened to 2112 a few times (and maybe a few times too many), watched Fellowship and realized what a good actor Sean Bean is, and started putting 2 and 2 and 2 together. In any case, it will give me something to do next weekend besides pine over The Two Towers...
  13. another... ripoff? by ak_hepcat · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When i first read about it, i thought it was just another matrix/minority-report/apocolypic-genre rip-off film.

    Now, after having seen the trailer and read the article, i can't say that i've change my mind much, but i'm probably more likely to see the film now.

    It almost makes a person wonder -- how much of an influence does the internet have on the film industry? Does it make it easier to get crappy ideas on film, because there's an easier access now? If so, i've got this great idea for a horror flick or two....

    --
    Support FSF: Stop thinking with your wallet, and think with your imagination. (cc/non-commercial)
  14. matrix and all that. by mkoz · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sure another movie like the matrix, and yes the matrix popularized a bunch of types of special effects...

    But really people...

    The matrix was not the first time these things had been done. Check a little film history and get out and look at some less Hollywood movies once and a while. It does not make any of these movies better or worse, almost all movies build on previous work and copy some of the effects from previous movies. Get over it.

    1. Re:matrix and all that. by lactose99 · · Score: 2

      I think he made the reference to The Matrix because, after watching the trailer, it does look AMAZINGLY like The Matrix. Another guy wearing an all-black overcoat (yet it appears he dons white at some point in this flic), with 2+ guns in each hand, shootin' and flippin' all over the place. I would have thought it to be a very very very similar movie to The Matrix, until I read the review, which only sounds very familiar.

      He made the reference to quickly distinguish between the two, not to say that The Matrix was the first in the line of Orwellian thought.

      --
      Fully licensed blockchain psychiatrist
  15. No Promotion? by USC-MBA · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I have a feeling the reason for this film's lack of promotion is that there is a sense the central theme is played out. Totalitarianism just doesn't sell.

    Considering how long ago and under what circumstances the classics of totalitarain sci-fi (1984, Brave new World, Animal Farm) were written, it can be seen that fears of the all-powerful state are in fact a product of the Fascist (1930s-1940s)and Cold War (1946-1992) eras.

    With the fall of communism, fears of totalitarian states have eased, and at present, the most immediate threat in people's minds is of course terrorism. As President Bush's "National Security Strategy Of the United States" puts it: "(our biggest threat) is less from conquering states than from failing ones". Evidence that Americans, and hence the movie-going public, agrees with this assessment can be seen in the widespread acceptance of the PATRIOT act's intrusive extension of law-enforcement's powers. It seems Americans want more government, not less.

    My point, however, is not a political one. Whatever one might think of present attitudes toward government, the fact remains that marketing is an objective science, and marketers need to react to present attitudes as they exist. Therefore, given today's pro-government climate of public opinion, it was a rational decision not to spend too much money promoting a movie that is at odds with present attitiudes.

  16. Re:No hires quicktime? by ErikZ · · Score: 2


    Probably becuse it's hard to copy RealPlayer and Windows streaming, where making a copy of Quicktime is built into the player.

    --
    Democrats or Republicans. They are both taking us to the same place and they are not afraid of us anymore.
  17. Oh, someone explain to me by Inf0phreak · · Score: 5, Insightful

    WHY THE H*** THEY WON'T LET ME DOWNLOAD A HQ TRAILER TO MY HARDDRIVE!! I just don't get their logic. It's a commercial for them; something they put there because they want people to know about their product, yet they don't want me to see it in anything but shitty quality? I "only" have 256k (and there are still a lot of modem users out there!) and I don't get to see that trailer in all it's (potential) glory.

    Bitch/moan++: even if I had 768k, I still wouldn't be able to see it if I didn't have IE... well SCREW THEM! If they don't even want me to see their trailer, I don't want to spend any money on their movie.

    I see this as somewhat akin to gamespot's move to a pay-to-see-video business model. It surprises me that anybody has signed up, because all they (essentially) get is commercials for games. That's right! They pay to see commercials! It would be ironic if it wasn't such a damned tragedy that someone went ahead and actually bough into that.

    --
    ________
    Entranced by anime since late summer 2001 and loving it ^_^
    1. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by Cruciform · · Score: 2

      I can see them using these limitations as a method of guaging interest in a product by tracking the number of visits to the trailer from unique IPs. While this would allows them to see how much market penetration they're getting from advertising, it comes back to bite them in the ass when it comes to friends sharing trailers with their friends, not to mention the bandwidth costs that could be saved by the host.

      Either way, after reading the review and watching the trailer, I'm going to see this movie... but probably not for the 13 dollars CDN the local theatre charges, when it's more comfortable (and less distracting) to watch in the privacy of my own home.

    2. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by Bishop · · Score: 5, Informative

      Annoying as hell isn't it. The following seems to work:

      mencoder -o equilib.avi -oac copy -ovc copy "mms://a1919.v7287f.c7287.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/ 1919/7287/v0001/hollywood.download.akamai.com/7287 /windows/equilibrium_t_300.asf"

    3. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by Bishop · · Score: 2

      Why because Real Player dosen't spy on you?

      Mencoder is part of the Movie Player for Linux project.

    4. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by zaren · · Score: 2

      Bitch/moan++: even if I had 768k, I still wouldn't be able to see it if I didn't have IE... well SCREW THEM! If they don't even want me to see their trailer, I don't want to spend any money on their movie.

      Umm... what? I viewed the trailer just fine with Chimera .6 - unless you're talking about that download link from one of the previous posts. That one's fubared for sure, but there's other trailers that I was able to download from the site. I grabbed a few to send to my dad, who's still stuck on 28.8 dialup - it's his fault I got into comic books. so I grabbed a Daredevil trailer for him :D

      --
      Come to the University of Mars! Classes starting soon!
    5. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by Bishop · · Score: 2

      view source, view source, and some more view source.

    6. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by pyrrho · · Score: 2

      because, why should language be predictable when it can be pedantic! I vote for consistency over historical rules. Especially consider there ARE NO RULES of language. As if we all went to the english teachers and said, could you make us a language? No, the language was there, and they deduce the rules. Well, one of the rules they never learned was, "we reserve the right to change the rules and speak however we like, fnard!"

      And to think I swimmed all the way across the oceon for this!

      Language is changing. And now the Oxford Dictionary says I can end a sentence a preposition with. Also, if to merrily split infinitives I wish, allowed am I.

      Thank goodness too, otherwise we'd be speaking Old English.

      --

      -pyrrho

    7. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by SailorBob · · Score: 2
      mencoder -o equilib.avi -oac copy -ovc copy "mms://a1919.v7287f.c7287.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/ 1919/7287/v0001/hollywood.download.akamai.com/7287 /windows/equilibrium_t_300.asf"

      Is there a windoze util that will allow someone to d/l these damn asf mss streams and the annoying quicktime ones also?

      --

      Woopty Doo Basil, what does it all mean?!

    8. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by Fweeky · · Score: 2
      The 700Kbps trailers don't seem to be available atm because their links are for "javascript:void(0)".

      They probably use onclick. The *cough* webmaster *cough* probably isn't aware you can do onclick="dostuff();return false;" to stop the href being activated, and so uses the braindead javascript:void(0) method to avoid an error being raised when you click on it.

      The 700kbps one worked fine here, for small values of fine; I had to use ASFRecorder just to get something I could play without the video stopping dead after 3 seconds. Streaming sucks.
    9. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 2
      And for those who use RealPlayer w/ Mozilla on Linux, run realplay and use this URL:

      http://www.hollywood.com/asplocal/redirector.ram?f sname=equilibrium_t_300.rm&contentid=1701124

      watch the space!

    10. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by Jano-r · · Score: 2, Informative

      Is there a windoze util that will allow someone to d/l these damn asf mss streams and the annoying quicktime ones also?

      yes, StreamBox VCR

    11. Re:Oh, someone explain to me by Bishop · · Score: 2

      mplayer -dumpstream

      stupid me!

      Thank you. I knew that, and have used these options before, but this time I couldn't find the options as I was searching for '-o' and 'output' in the manpages. And I think that the option '-dumpstream' works better then 'mencoder -voc/aoc copy.' I couldn't get the 700.asf stream and mencoder to work with sound.

  18. Re:F451 by hobbs · · Score: 2

    That's why this is a movie about art and emotion, because we all know that Hollywood is the font of all art and a reflection of the world's psyche ...

  19. Re:Judging from the trailer by 0x0d0a · · Score: 2

    I dunno. The description sounds good. I *hate* wire work...:-)

  20. Oh wow... by autopr0n · · Score: 2

    You said western philosophy, not eastern. What an odd mistake for me to make.

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  21. Ah, Hard Boiled... by autopr0n · · Score: 2

    Blood splattered across a babies face. How can you beat that?

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  22. Re:F451 by Codifex+Maximus · · Score: 2

    I dunno. I kinda liked Farenheit 451. Don't judge it by today's standards. Think early Dr. Who style cinema.

    Look mummie! There's going to be a fire.

    --
    Codifex Maximus ~ In search of... a shorter sig.
  23. Why oh why? by SensitiveMale · · Score: 2

    Do these Goverment Agencies/Ultra-companies/Secret societies ALWAYS create the ultimate weapon then invariably decide to turn against him?

    They try to arrest him with 3 people. Or send 2 people to kill him when they DAMN WELL KNOW that the ultimate weapon was trained to go against an army an win?

    Oh when will these govt agencies learn?

    1. Re:Why oh why? by kingkade · · Score: 3, Funny

      Do these Goverment Agencies/Ultra-companies/Secret societies ALWAYS create the ultimate weapon then invariably decide to turn against him?

      They try to arrest him with 3 people.


      Yeah, like that Saturday Night Live skit where they show a clip of black-clad ninjas attacking two karate masters and then the ninjas are all sitting in their locker room at their hideout nursing their injuries and talking about how they could have done better.

      "Why do we always attack one at a time?!"

      "And when we do attack at the same time, let's try not to do a running attack directly opposite each other, because the guy always just moves out of the way and we clunk our heads together..."

      Funny stuff.

    2. Re:Why oh why? by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 3, Funny

      They've obviously never read the "how to be an evil genius" book.

      I for one, will make damn sure to not make my daring last minute escape via a helicopter with its rope/chain ladder.

  24. Yeah, yeah... by autopr0n · · Score: 2

    Actually, I somehow read 'eastern' rather then 'western', making my rant rather foolish in retrospect. In any event, my main point, that the matrix was praised for it's visual beauty, not it's philosophical underpinnings, is still valid.

    Can you name one quality, intresting film based on modern philosophy? I mean, I suppose you could call Austin Powers post-modern, but that's beside the point.

    And eastern or western, I still don't see any giant robot overlords in anything 100 years old or so.

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  25. Oh come on by geek · · Score: 2

    This is such a rip off of Minority Report it's pathetic.

    The only real difference is this one is low tech while Minority Report actually introduced some sci-fi ideals. This is just wanna be matrix-minority report nonsense.

    Maybe it will be good, Christian Bale is a fine actor, so is Tay Diggs, but honestly, the movie is unoriginal.

  26. Nah by autopr0n · · Score: 2

    Actualy, I think a good title would have been "Operation TIPS". Cleric was a meter-reader, and you could dress the black guy in a UPS outfit.

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  27. Observations by limekiller4 · · Score: 2
    Three observations:

    If this movie is 1/3rd as good as the trailer looks, it's gonna be amazing. And we all know that movies are quite capable of being less than 1/3rd as good as the trailer looks.

    Finally! I get to see a movie that looks really good within 1.5 years of finding out about it!

    Pardon me stating the obvious, but the way technology and the Bush administration are rolling along utterly without any reigns -- either external or internal -- this might be nothing short of a documentary. Yes, I realize I'm being bombastic. And yes, I really think we're heading toward this.

    --
    My .02,
    Limekiller
    1. Re:Observations by the+gnat · · Score: 2

      Pardon me stating the obvious, but the way technology and the Bush administration are rolling along utterly without any reigns

      Except that the supreme court, even packed with Republican appointees, has been steadily expanding your freedoms for most of the past 50 years, and many of the rights we take for granted and bitch about today were unheard of for much of our nation's history (ahem, abortion). Sure, Bush would love to change the makeup of the court, but people seem to spend more time bitching than doing anything about it.

      Don't forget, too, that the (failed) Clipper Chip scheme was Clinton's fault. We also have much stronger- and 100% legal- cryptography now, that the NSA won't be able to break, and there's no practical way this can be supressed. Carnivore is essentially a joke, because my sense is that we could easily defeat it with ubiquitous strong encryption but the apps just aren't there yet.

      The only thing that I'm really worried about is this program Poindexter is heading. But I'm not worried about Bush, per se, but some of the people who'll be in charge. (I didn't vote for Bush and don't like him very much, but I'm annoyed that liberals speak about him in the same tones that conservatives used to speak about Clinton.)

  28. Minority Report.... by antdude · · Score: 2

    Is it me or does the trailer remind me of MR movie?

    --
    Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  29. TV Promotion for Equilibrium; compare "The Giver" by markwelch · · Score: 2
    I'm not sure about the claim that there is little promotion of the film. I've seen quite a few ads for the movie on TV, probably all in the past week. The ads are not really very good -- they make this look like a low-budget cheesy rip-off of "The Matrix."

    On the separate topic mentioning "The Giver" versus F451 and Brave New World -- I recently read "The Giver" for the first time (I'm looking to change careers to become an English teacher) and it was quite clear to me that Lois Lowry's goal in writing "The Giver" was essentially to address many of the same issues as in "Brave New World" (and to a lesser extent, some of the issues in "Farenheit 451"), but for a young-adult audience. "The Giver" is a book frequently used in 8th and 9th grade classrooms.

    I also just watched the movie "The Handmaid's Tale" (based Margaret Atwood's book of the same title, which I haven't yet read), and some of the same issues come up there, too. The issues of forced conformity and censorship are recurring, and nobody can claim to "own" them. As I think about it, my head is swirling with all kinds of plots from books, short stories, and TV episodes (especially Twilight Zone and Outer Limits) that offer variations on these same themes.

    --
    -- http://www.MarkWelch.com/ Pleasanton California
  30. HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE TRAILER LOCALLY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Ignoring your question, here's how you can actually CAN download it:

    Clicky for ASFRecorder!.

    Point it at:

    http://mfile.akamai.com/7357/asf/hollywood.downl oa d.akamai.com/7287/windows/equilibrium_t_700.asx

    ...and you're set. As I pointed out in another thread (trying to get this to play under FreeBSD), you can also save using 'mplayer -dumpfile eq.asf -dumpstream [url]'

  31. Smite right by MacAndrew · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Neo, are you there? I want to rat out an unbeliever. An unbeliever in our midst. One who will never comprehend the Matrix, the question that haunts the believers.

    Out of pretense, and in blasphemous contempt of The One, this unbeliever goes by the name "Nine." Please, thou who art The One, smite this heathen at your earliest opportunity. Disconnect the phone of NineNine first to prevent escape. Then grind the sucker up into that nutritious, gelatinous fluid that we all still need to consume since Liberation because we have absolutely no other source of food, having laid waste to Earth over a century ago in a bizarre Pyrrhic effort to "win."


    (Anyone else notice this? If humans were powered by humans, and their heat powered the machines, wouldn't you run out of calories in a jiffy? Humans don't run on solar or nuclear power. Well, I suppose the machines could be doing some sort of protein synthesis, but if they had the energy to do that why not skip the whole "power plant" thing? And another thing...)

    *

    I do have a point! Movies like these normally require a healthy suspension of disbelief, and Matrix was remarkable because it really caused disbelief. It had certain plot and continuity problems, but not glaring enough to ruin the fun, and the sense of being transferred to a world with screwed-up tint control. It's pretty easy to pick apart, but there's a fine line between being insightful and irritating.

    The philosophy was not new, but the packaging was. I had a little fun with my atheist friend who liked the movie by pointing out, "You realize that Neo was Christ, didn't you?" ;-) The religious theme went right on by him, but left the important question of existence (which i identify with existentialism -- existence precedes essense, and in the Matrix even existence was debatable).

    The acting -- I thought everyone did fine, except for Reeves, who had mercifully few lines and mostly stood looking around stunned, until he become a gun-toting sunglass-wearing matrix rebel.

    And the effects were great. We're getting tired of them now because of all the imitations and parodies (even Shrek!). But the Matrix set a new standard for viewer immersion. And the sum of its parts made it a good movie, one of my top ten futuristic movies along with Bladerunner and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.

    I can only hope this one is as good. Trailers are tough to read. FWIW I think Bradbury was better at coming up with ideas than writing about them. The script would have to be quite creative to make it work on the screen.

    1. Re:Smite right by Joey7F · · Score: 2

      Yup I love that "futuristic" flick "The Empire Strikes back"

      I love have misread "A long time from now in a galaxy far far away" all 120 times I have seen the movie.

      --Joey

  32. Philip K. Dick Nod/Reference by limekiller4 · · Score: 2
    From the review:
    "The advent of the drug Prozium has helped erase war, murder, and all of the other things that the oppressive powers that be determine is forbidden and each member of society injects the drug to suppress their moods and stave off that hideous thing known as emotion."

    Sounds like Philip K. Dick's " Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep "?

    "My schedule for today lists a six-hour self-accusatory depression," Iran said.

    "What? Why did you schedule that?" It defeated the whole purpose of the mood organ. "I didn't even know you could set it for that," he said gloomily.

    --
    My .02,
    Limekiller
  33. Re:The Matrix and Eastern Philosophy by mkweise · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What does the matrix have to do with the Dao or natural way of the universe which should be followed? What does it have to do with reincarnation or karma? What does it have do with meditating and given up earthly desires to reach enlightenment?

    The parallel between The Matrix drew from Eastern (more specifically, Vedic) philosophy is the belief that the world we think we live in is an illusion, which affects us only insofar as we believe it it. And of course, if one becomes enlightened - whether by meditating for many lifetimes or by the grace of a scriptwriter - one may gain mystical powers that will really impress the viewing public.

    While The Matrix is vastly overrated IMHO, it does have its merits in that it made many people think.

    --
    Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!
  34. Trailer download! by TeknoHog · · Score: 2
    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  35. Re:anagram by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 2

    Duh. A telegram. Anagram is a message delivered by someone in a monkey suit.

  36. The other way around by lommer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Actually, I believe that the very fact that this film even got made is what is significant. You mention that the last time that orwellian predictions were brought up on a regular basis was during the cold war. I doubt that this was because we could see the opression in Soviet nations, but more because these were the times when western society felt threatened and gave extra powers to their governments in order to stay safe. It is at times like these when those who can see the trend towards an orwellian society feel that they must voice words of caution about the dangers involved in absolute governement power. That is why we saw these movies and books in the cold war, and that is why we are seeing them again now.

    1. Re:The other way around by Jonathan · · Score: 4, Informative

      Well, perhaps the best way to look at this was to see what the original source (Orwell's novels) actually contained. It is a cliche to say "Orwell wasn't talking about the Soviet Union; he was talking about where Western society was headed". But that just isn't supported by the books.

      In both 1984 and Animal Farm, all the main characters were exact analogies for Soviet figures. Big Brother and Napoleon were obviously Stalin, and Goldstein and Snowball were obviously Trotsky. The problems of Western society, as real as they are, just didn't enter into the equation.

    2. Re:The other way around by Gumshoe · · Score: 2
      Well, perhaps the best way to look at this was to see what the original source (Orwell's novels) actually contained. It is a cliche to say "Orwell wasn't talking about the Soviet Union; he was talking about where Western society was headed". But that just isn't supported by the books.


      Orwell himself said that Animal Farm was meant to be a satire of revolution in general, and how the ideals of the original founders of the revolt could be usurped by evil men.

      "On 2 December, Dwight MacDonald, editor of the American journal Politics, and a fried on Orwell's, wrote saying the assumed Animal Farm applied only to Russia and that Orwell was not making any larger statement about the philosophy of revolution. Orwell replied that though Animal Farm was 'primarily a satire on the Russian Revolution' it was intended to have wider applications." -- Peter Davison, Animal Farm foreword, 1987 Penguin Edition.

      The problems of Western society, as real as they are, just didn't enter into the equation.


      You have to put the books in historical context. Western society at that time (mid to late 40s) was not the society you see today. Communist revolution in Britain for example, was a very real possiblity...

      It's important to realise that Orwell, if anything, was a communist himself (he was certainly a socialist) and was not attacking communism (in the Marxist sense of the word) *. Although, the revolt at the start of Animal Farm is certainly a communist revolt, it is quite plain that the villains of the piece are the Pigs, who aren't communists but fascists. Animal Farm then, is intended as a warning to the proletariats of Britain that the revolution could go seriously wrong, as it had in Russia.

      Apart from anything else though, there is a very loud clue that Orwell intended to highlight the possiblity of revolution gone awry [Animal Farm] and future totalitarianism [1984] in Western society -- he set both books in England.



      * Read "Keep the Aspidistra Flying" for his thoughts on materialism.
    3. Re:The other way around by Jonathan · · Score: 2

      Yes, yes, I *know* Orwell was a Trotskyite and fought in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the socialists -- that's why the Trotsky analogs in his books are always favorably protrayed, and the Stalin analogs are Satanic.

      The problem with saying "the pigs aren't communists but fascists" is that Orwell beats the reader down with Soviet analogies. In real life, Trotsky introduced the concept of the five year plan and Stalin opposed it. Later Trotsky was exiled, and Stalin suddenly was in favor of the five year plan -- the opposition was just to get rid of Trotsky. The story of Snowball's windmill and exile is of course really the story of Trotsky's five year plan. The humans running the neighboring farms are the fascists; the ending where the pigs are hard to distinguish from humans is a reference to Stalin's treaty with Hitler.

      And as for 1984, if it wasn't really about the Soviet Union, why is the opposition leader (Emmanuel Goldstein) described as a Jewish intellectual who once was influenential in the Party but had since fallen out of favor -- exactly like Orwell's hero Leon Trotsky?

    4. Re:The other way around by Gumshoe · · Score: 2
      I don't dispute that Animal Farm and 1984 are satires of the Soviet Union (as you point out, the parallels are rife), I do however believe that they were intended to be read in a wider context.
      The problem with saying "the pigs aren't communists but fascists" is that Orwell beats the reader down with Soviet analogies.


      I think we've confused each other. For the record, I don't consider the Soviet Union to be a communist regime but a totalitarian one, probably fascist. To describe it as communist merely perpetuates the Stalinist double speak that Orwell brilliantly satirises.

      Paradoxically, the western world, the USA in particular, also used "communism" in a form of double speak -- by equating an economic system with murder and oppression they effectively obliterated any possibility of opposition, whether in thought or deed, to their own favoured econonmic system.
  37. Oh, they explained that by autopr0n · · Score: 2

    They combined humans with 'a special kind of fusion'. Why they didn't simply use 'a special kind of fusion' and skip the humans is beyond me.

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
    1. Re:Oh, they explained that by MacAndrew · · Score: 2

      Yeah, I typed nuclear power when I meant fusion -- but fusion is a form of nuclear power.

      Why did "they" do it? To sell tickets! A movie without humans in it just wouldn't have been the same... :)

  38. Re:reviews in chud by zephc · · Score: 2

    You could sit thru the original Solaris without you head caving in? *applauds*

    --
    "I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
  39. what on earth are you talking about? by autopr0n · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Other then that the main character is in law enforcement, and it takes place in 'the future' I don't see much similarity at all. I guess you could say they were both fathers, but one still has his kids and the other does not. You could say they were both on drugs, but in MR drugs are looked down oppon, while in this they are required. They are hugely diffrent movies.

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
    1. Re:what on earth are you talking about? by geek · · Score: 2

      Both super cops, both betrayed by their perfect systems, both out for justice and go against the system.

      Wash rinse repeat. Same crap different title.

    2. Re:what on earth are you talking about? by WEFUNK · · Score: 2

      Both super cops, both betrayed by their perfect systems, both out for justice and go against the system.

      Wash rinse repeat. Same crap different title.


      Both have a protagonist (man), both have a source of conflict (society), both try to make a plot out of it by providing an interesting backstory for both that provides irony and a certain amount of surprise (authority figure waking up and rebelling against the authoritarian society he defends).

      Man versus... Man, Nature, Society, or Self. Sounds like you've limited yourself to enjoying about four movies (if you're lucky) before they start repeating themselves.

      --
      My next sig will be ready soon, but friends can beat the rush!
    3. Re:what on earth are you talking about? by autopr0n · · Score: 2

      Both super cops, both betrayed by their perfect systems, both out for justice and go against the system.

      Tom Cruz's Character wasn't a super-cop, he was just a regular cop that happened to be pretty good at what he did. And 'the system' in the two movies is totally different. In MR, the system was designed to prevent murder, in this the system is an evil orwelian system designed to suppress emotion.

      --
      autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
    4. Re:what on earth are you talking about? by geek · · Score: 2

      quit splitting hairs. it's the same fucking story get over it

  40. New trailer by zephc · · Score: 3, Funny

    He's been an animal.
    He's been a girl.
    And on December 6th,
    Rob Schneider is: the Cleric

    Watch him try to bring justice to an unfair world, all the while trying to make his way through blahdiddy blah blah blah.

    Rated G, for high-adrenaline sexual innuendo and some drug references.

    --
    "I would say that 99 per cent of what my father has written about his own life is false." - L. Ron Hubbard Jr.
  41. Re:The Giver Try Logans Run by puto · · Score: 2

    Here is what I see.

    1. Costumes from the Highander 2, from the planet zeist.

    2. Farenheit 451, burning stuff.

    3. Take his family, Oh my God Hi-Tech Gladiator.

    4. Logans Run - Contacting the resistence.

    5. Pink Floyd The Wall- Everyone all conforming wearing the same stuff.

    And 100 other stolen ideas from sci fi classics.

    The matrix had good effects and a decent story. One of the better of the sc fis in the past decade, althought not the best are even that good.

    But this one has good cheese effect so we will check it out.

    Gice me John Carpenters The Thing, good stuff that one.

    Puto

    --
    The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
  42. Unpromoted? Shock. by Angst+Badger · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No wonder this film isn't getting any promotion. The idea of drugging a society into obedience probably sounds pretty reasonable to a population spooked by an isolated terrorist attack that killed almost three-quarters as many Americans as died of heart disease and cancer every day, 365 days a year.

    Of course, you don't get as many votes by waging war on heart disease and cancer as you do by vaporizing foreigners with exotic bombs.

    Yeah, I'm totally off-topic. The movie sounds cool. Mod me into oblivion. I was just feeling cranky and wanted to add to my PATRIOT Act dossier.

    --
    Proud member of the Weirdo-American community.
    1. Re:Unpromoted? Shock. by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 2

      The war on disease is being fought everyday by larger numbers of people than are in the military. Funny how you over look that fact to push your self righteous liberal agenda.

      Somehow I think heart disease and cancer will prove harder to vanquish than say, Iraq.

    2. Re:Unpromoted? Shock. by the+gnat · · Score: 2

      The idea of drugging a society into obedience probably sounds pretty reasonable to a population spooked by an isolated terrorist attack that killed almost three-quarters as many Americans as died of heart disease and cancer every day, 365 days a year.

      Right, and we know how pro-drug the current administration is.

      To make your analogy work, you'd have to imagine heart disease explosively wiping out a quarter of the stadium during the Superbowl all at once. (okay, perhaps that isn't so far out...)

    3. Re:Unpromoted? Shock. by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 2

      Yeah, that was my point.

  43. Re:How much time by Zebbers · · Score: 2, Interesting

    hardboiled has 3 of the best action sequences ever filmed. The opening teahouse scene, ending when chowyun slides through flower and blows a guy away pointblank is incredible. The warehouse scene is fast and furious. The ending hospital shootout is a masterpiece as well which took 35 days to film.

    A few facts: over 100K rounds were fired during filming.

    Over 300 people die in the movie, one of if not the highest movie bodycounts.

    Very good movie...John Woo's first westernstyle film really. The Killer, as mentioned is a much better film plot wise.

  44. Re:F451 by Steve+Franklin · · Score: 2

    Keep in mind that these same guys think Solaris is a good movie, whereas it is arguably the second worst movie ever made. Last Year at Marienbad will forever remain the worst. There are actually some strong similarities between the two. It is almost as difficult to figure out what the heck is going on in Solaris as it is in Marienbad. There is a bit more characterization in Solaris. A very little bit.

    --
    Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam rexque futurus.
  45. It's Jeb and it's brother was Re:Three Strikes by Joey7F · · Score: 2

    Jeb Bush is W's brother not his son

    --Joey

  46. Trailer Download: Working Link (for now anyways) by Kowh · · Score: 2, Informative

    Like the parent comment suggested, using asfrecorder does work, but the provided link to the trailer didn't.

    "mms://a1919.v7287f.c7287.g.vm.akamaistream.net/7/ 1919/7287/v0001/hollywood.download.akamai.com/7287 /windows/equilibrium_t_700.asf" does work (for now anyways) and runs about 12.4 MB (be sure to delete the space after the /7/).

    Note that I obtained the URL by changing 300 to 700 in a link mentioned in another comment, and you can likely access whatever format you prefer by changing the URL accordingly.

  47. "robot" -- another literary connection by dpletche · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Karel Capek, an Czech author from the 20's and 30's, wrote several stories about man being stripped of his human essence in order to change him into an efficient and manageable working machine. The word robot was first coined in his best-known novel, "Rossum's Universal Robots", which was about this very same subject:

    "Young Rossum invented a worker with the minimum amount of requirements. He had to simplify him. He rejected everything that did not contribute directly to the progress of work. He rejected everything that makes man more expensive. In fact, he rejected man and made the Robot. My dear Miss Glory, the Robots are not people. Mechanically they are more perfect than we are, they have an enormously developed intelligence, but they have no soul. Have you ever seen what a Robot looks like inside?" (from R.U.R., 1920, trans. by Paul Selver)

    Before this, he wrote a humorous short story about a crafty businessman who rounds up all of society's undesirables, purges them of all emotion through lack of artistic and sensual stimulation, and turns them into a phenomenal working force. But his design is put in ruins when the keepers inadvertently leave the light on during a working man's monthly conjugal encounter. That man is so inspired by her beauty that he breaks out in song during work, and the domino effect continues as within days the men have organized debating societies, newspapers, amateur theater troupes and the like. Before the week is out, the men rebel against their oppression and lay the entire operation to waste.

  48. Re:No hires quicktime? by GMontag451 · · Score: 2

    You're an idiot. It is in fact quite easy to make a hard to copy (nothing's impossible) Quicktime movie. All you do is put a link in the movie file to the real movie stream. Nearly all of the trailers on Apple's site are that way. Of course it makes you require Quicktime 5 or higher, but that really shouldn't be a problem.

  49. BNW and TPD... by MegaFur · · Score: 2
    It is a cliche to say "Orwell wasn't talking about the Soviet Union; he was talking about where Western society was headed". ... In both 1984 and Animal Farm,

    You're right about 1984 and Animal Farm, those two are definitely aimed at the Stalinist form of oppression. But have you read Brave New World or (the much less well known) This Perfect Day? Those two seem to be aimed at the Western way of doing things. In these worlds, people are kept in place not with "disappearings" and shock troops, but with condiitioning and drugs. People are kept helpless and happy by having all their needs fulfilled. Is this beginning to sound familiar? :-)

    Note: BNW (Brave New World) has a main character who's suppsed to represent the reader (sort of). He's a person from outside the BNW society, so the normal BNW inhabitants call him "Savage". IMHO, he's sort of outdated now. When I read the book, he seemed like kind of a prude. I take this as evidence that society (the one I'm in) seems to have more in common now with the ordinary inhabitants of the BNW than with the society of the story's author, Aldus Huxley.

    --
    Furry cows moo and decompress.
  50. Uhm Matrix meets Fahrenheit451 meets Brazil meets- by theolein · · Score: 2

    This looks like it has elements of the Matrix (cinematographic effects: action freeze, duotone colouring, short hair), Fahrenheit451 (let's burn those O'reilly originals), Brazil (Men in black breaking down doors and carting away those Bad Pirates- but the wrong ones of course, total state control a la Microsoft Palladium, DRM and EULAs, Ashcroft, Rumsfield and Cheney) and Alien Resurection (The guns popping snazzily out of the ends of the sleeves).

    My critique: It is very relevant in todays world with state organs basically above the law and increasing their control all the time (There is a difference inbetween declaring someone an enemy combatant - even if he's a citizen - and this?) and as usual has to use a science fiction context to put the message across, which will make most people miss the point entirely.

    Ray Bradbury must be turning over in his grave.

  51. So what... by borgboy · · Score: 2

    Cliched? Perhaps. Prior Art? Certainly. Matrix-like? Yes.

    So what? If you don't want to go see it, don't. All sorts of painters painted flowers, after all. Its all been done.

    Sure looks worthwhile to me, though.

    --
    meh.
  52. Re:u r abbreviating pointlessly by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 2

    I don't normally contribute to threads like this one, but...

    I help out on a few technical boards for software developers. Most people who post there are quite literate, but obviously if beginners are asking for help, they tend not to know the subject very well yet, and consequently have trouble describing exactly what their problem is. Generally, they do well enough for the more experienced guys to work out what they're looking for and help.

    However, occasionally someone tries to be clever, and writes some incomprehensible shorthand rubbish. These people not only come across badly, it's also almost impossible to help them. Often someone points this out, politely and fairly, and gets some sort of rant like several in this thread about how the responder isn't L337 enough to be there, yada yada.

    I only mention this to point out that while it's true that language evolves, there's a reason for literacy, and it's to make you understood. If u r 2 k00l n u write L337 SMS sp33k and not good, clear English, then you will not be understood, and people will just ignore you at best, or, more likely, get irritated and ask you to write in English.

    --
    If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
  53. According to local cinema site... by alexandre · · Score: 2

    they say it is to be released on april 2003... that may explain why you aint seeing no preview :-)

  54. Re:reviews in chud by Seehund · · Score: 2

    You can imagine a Hollywood rape^H^H^H^H remake of Solaris(!) featuring George Clooney(!!) without either bursting into tears or laughter?

    Applause!

    I mean, hey! Solaris! The Solaris! You just don't touch things like that. It's as if Disney would get their hands on H-C Andersen stories or A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh"... Oh...

    --
    Help savingAmigaOS and a free PowerPC market
  55. Re:u r abbreviating pointlessly by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 2

    "*shrug*, use them if you like, just don't expect me to read your comments, or reply to your mail, or mod you up, or take you seriously."

    I typed 1(one) word that way. If you're not going to reply to my mail, mod me up, or take me seriously for that, then the problem is 100% yours.

    Intolerance is not a virtue.

  56. EVERYTHING IS THE SAME!!!! by autopr0n · · Score: 2

    bleh, well it really dosn't seem like 'the same story' to me. Anyway, why is this the copy? It was made long before MR came out.

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  57. Re:u r abbreviating pointlessly by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 2

    <sigh> I knew there was a reason I usually ignored these threads. My sentence is grammatically correct UK English, although I elided the formally correct word "be" before "understood" as is the common usage.

    Of course, if you'd actually read and understood my post instead of instinctively flaming, you would have realised that that wasn't my point at all anyway. As long as something is readable, I have no problem with it, and I was neither replying to the original post nor criticising it. My point was simply that if you get too "clever" with the shorthand, it ceases to be readable to many of your audience and projects a bad impression, and this is a point in agreement with the spirit of the parent post.

    Of course, since you're posting as an AC and your flame itself contained several spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, you make the point about credibility and projecting a bad image more beautifully than either I or the poster to whom I responded possibly could.

    --
    If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
  58. Re:F451 by Steve+Franklin · · Score: 2

    Hey, this is a film that was sold as science fiction. I went to see it as science fiction. I didn't go to see an "art movie." But assuming it is in fact an art movie, it is in my estimation the second worst art movie ever made. And this is not trolling. You can read my other posts if you have any doubt as to my seriousness. I could care less about your stupid reaction. How's that for a non sequiter? You don't suppose you may just not understand the connection?

    I didn't "pepper" anything with Marienbad. I mentioned it because it is the worst movie ever made. I don't look at it often for obvious reasons, but as I remember it it's a series of disjointed camera pans of what appears to be an estate somewhere in central Europe. There's no plot, no characterization, the camera work stinks (I know, that's not a technical term), it is in fact missing everything that makes a movie a movie, except that it was made with a movie camera and presumably edited in some way.

    The reason Solaris comes in second is that there is actually something happening. Some guy who should know better (he's a psychiatrist after all) is having these hallucinations that turn out later not to be hallucinations but visitations from Stanislaw Lem's Soviet Era version of angels. This is why Lem wrote "science fiction," so he could write about stuff that he couldn't in any other media under Communism.

    Most of my other criticisms of Marienbad apply to Solaris. There's no plot beyond some silly transformation of a psychiatrist into an angel, little characterization beyond a nut job who turns out to be another angel and a cosmonaut who thinks she's in a battle with aliens. The visuals are as dull and boring as Marienbad: a floating metal tin can orbiting over something the author can't quite decide is a planet or a star, images of Solaris that could have been done by a third year cinema student, and a 5 foot high image of George Clooney's ass.

    The worst part of all is the dumb look on the face of this supposedly educated psychiatrist. Maybe it's just Clooney's inability to act very well, I don't know, but I kept thinking to myself, "this guy looks like Phil Michelson trying to figure out how to catch up to Tiger Woods." All he needed was a golf club. It would have made the movie more interesting.

    Ascribing the film's badness to my inability to think deeply is an old ploy. "You just don't understand the intricacies of the bathometric accelerator." It's not that the guy's a quack or anything. There's an old children's story that deals with the same syndrome. It's called The Emperor's New Clothes.

    --
    Hic iacet Arthurus, rex quondam rexque futurus.