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Post by Amanda on Mar 4, 2007 20:59:00 GMT -5
Like Armageddon?
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Post by punctuator on Mar 4, 2007 22:41:30 GMT -5
He's gonna sacrifice himself out of practicality: he'll be the only one who can make the stupid thing work. Likely while luring The Evil Pinbacker away from Cassie and Mace and the remaining functional parts of the ship.
(Which in itself is kinda dumb, because it implies that no one was bright [ha!] enough to come up with a set of emergency instructions for Da Bomb-- i.e., In Case of Dead Physicist, Break Seal.)
What's bugging me-- WHAT'S BUGGING HER NOW? WE ASK-- is that this is a Twentieth Century-Frog picture, and obviously not one of the Icarus II crew has seen "Alien." You're on a mission to save the Earth. The whole Earth, not just the cool parts like Duluth. You're out of radio contact with said Earth. You receive a mysterious transmission (in "Alien"-speak, a "transmission of unknown origin") from a ship that for all intents and purposes should be lifeless (I don't know about you, but when I'm going into space, I usually don't bring along an extra six years' worth of food, water, air, and TP). So... what do you do?
If you're me, you say, "Catch ya on the flipper, Icarus I. If we're still in one uncharred piece after we set off Da Bomb, we'll stop by, 'kay?"
But-- I'm thinking that maybe the Icarus II suffers some big bang-age before they reach the Icarus I. Which means they might need to stop for repair stuff. (They are out of radio contact with Earth, after all. No Triple-A for Captain Kaneda & Co.) In which case, you tell the computer: "You only let Icarus II folks back on board. None of this 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' Prince-Harold-and-the-dumb-guards crap. The Evil Pinbacker shows up and says 'Swordfish,' and you send his charred butt packing. (Why the hell did we ever install Vista, anyway...?) You DO NOT LET HIM ON BOARD."
Oh, and when your resident physicist who can't write out a set of emergency bomb instructions says, "I think two bombs'd be better than one," refer him to Volume Four of the McGruder Readers for Children from 1909. There he will find a dandy article on dynamite that will explain for him (and the viewing audience) why doubling up on explosives is not necessarily a wise thing. Example (as provided in said reader): I need to blow up a stump in my back yard. Blowing up the stump takes one stick of dynamite. If I double up to two sticks of dynamite, I may blow up my house, too. So I'll stick with my one, uh, stick...
... and the Evil Pinbacker will stay on the Icarus I where his pants-free burnt backside belongs...
... and we'll all live happily ever after. Well, those of us who aren't in martyr-mode, anyway.
And there ya have it. Gee, a nice margarita can be a very good thing....
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Post by Amanda on Mar 4, 2007 22:59:20 GMT -5
See, I know exactly what you mean, and the only reason I'm not like, "ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUS?" is because I love The Crazy. I love it when there are crazy characters who are so thoroughly gone and enveloped in The Crazy that they can't see the way out, and I'm hoping that this is one of those films.
If it were a regular horror flick, like, oh, say, The Hitcher, then when they got Mysterious Transmissions I would be pissed off if they even thought about going to "check it out." People in scary films NEVER learn. When the projection booth at work starts making funny noises, I run away! I'm not going to investigate! Screw it! I've already seen this film and it gave me nightmares!
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Post by kagerou on Mar 4, 2007 23:42:21 GMT -5
But-- I'm thinking that maybe the Icarus II suffers some big bang-age before they reach the Icarus I. Which means they might need to stop for repair stuff. (They are out of radio contact with Earth, after all. No Triple-A for Captain Kaneda & Co.) In which case, you tell the computer: "You only let Icarus II folks back on board. None of this 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' Prince-Harold-and-the-dumb-guards crap. The Evil Pinbacker shows up and says 'Swordfish,' and you send his charred butt packing. (Why the hell did we ever install Vista, anyway...?) You DO NOT LET HIM ON BOARD." Off topic, but let it never be said that you weren't up on your pop culture refs, punctuator. ;D And now back to your regularly scheduled program.
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IIC
Doctor
Someone please justify my childhood!
Posts: 112
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Post by IIC on Mar 5, 2007 0:41:57 GMT -5
My musings, they check out the beacon from Icarus I. When they're told they need to lose two more those two say on the Icarus I?? And the rest try to carry off the rest of the mission but Pinbacker(burnt scary guy) sneaks on and tries to stop the mission. For whatever reason.
In the Chris Evans interview video they talk about the scene you see very briefly in one of the trailers that he's under water. he's repairing something.
my humble two cents.
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Post by darkellipsis on Mar 5, 2007 2:55:38 GMT -5
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Post by darkellipsis on Mar 5, 2007 3:22:59 GMT -5
What's bugging me-- WHAT'S BUGGING HER NOW? WE ASK-- is that this is a Twentieth Century-Frog picture, and obviously not one of the Icarus II crew has seen "Alien." You're on a mission to save the Earth. The whole Earth, not just the cool parts like Duluth. You're out of radio contact with said Earth. You receive a mysterious transmission (in "Alien"-speak, a "transmission of unknown origin") from a ship that for all intents and purposes should be lifeless (I don't know about you, but when I'm going into space, I usually don't bring along an extra six years' worth of food, water, air, and TP). So... what do you do? If you're me, you say, "Catch ya on the flipper, Icarus I. If we're still in one uncharred piece after we set off Da Bomb, we'll stop by, 'kay?" Hey! I noticed the similarities to Alien too. Annoying lady computer that tells you "yer gonna die" (thanks "Mother") Hmmmmmm.... I wonder if anybody [*cough* Capa *cough*] is maybe a little androidish? And the mystery transmission that we just have to check out.... I just do not understand why, if your mission is to save the earth, you'd allow anything to distract you from your mission. I mean, it's like "Hey! There's a 7-Eleven!" Unless there's something you ABSOLUTELY need from the Icarus I, you have no business stopping there. It's like they're gonna fall for the oldest trick in the space book: "Hi, I am NOT a scary space monster. Really I'm not. Could you please answer my absolutely harmless not-a-trap legitimate-- HONESTLY-- emergency signal?!? Thanks: I reaaaally appreciate it. Owe ya one, buddy!"
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Post by chero on Mar 5, 2007 10:55:58 GMT -5
Minus the return trip to Earth.
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Post by Amanda on Mar 5, 2007 13:08:12 GMT -5
That does seem to be the general consensus whenever I make people talk about the film...
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Post by punctuator on Mar 5, 2007 15:35:19 GMT -5
I am more and more realizing how I don't need to see this. It's really kinda cool. Going back to the "original" Danny Boyle intro about how he hopes that people will feel "more alive" when they come out of the theatre than when they went in: naw. No thanks, Danny. If this whole thing hinges on optimism arising from the saving of humanity, then you and Alex Garland have missed my boat. Humanity in general isn't worth saving. We're a dirty, destructive virus of a species. So I really can't buy into a message of hope 'n' optimism that seems to go something like this: "Oh, look at my 'life-affirming' movie. We kill off Cliff Curtis and Benedict Wong and Hiroyuki Sanada and Troy Garrity and Michelle Yeoh and Cillian Murphy-- or we leave him behind with Da Bomb to become the all-new-and-improved Not-Quite-As-Evil Pinbacker while his 'touching' final message to his sister plays before the 'soul-searing' (do I smell bacon...?) end music-- while Chris Evans and/or Rose Byrne sail back on home (and she's got the cutesie nickname, so we're thinkin' she'll look good whimpering her way back to Earth while Cillian's message plays in DUBLY 5.1 MONOTONE), but, hell, why let ANY of 'em get back? After all, cargo options for a spaceship built IN space are essentially open-ended, so why would we allow 'em enough gas for the return trip...? Oh, I'm sorry: did I forget about the Random Accident or Pointless and Completely Avoidable Act of Sabotage that destroys their extra fuel and oxygen...? Ooops. But, hey, humanity is saved to finish murdering off every other species on Earth, so this is hella 'life-affirming,' dammit." Sure.
So: here's my latest thought. I finish "Sleeper," which was gonna be my last fanfic anyway (see, I don't see any point in writing prequel stuff after the fact [i.e., after the film opens-- anywhere], and-- let's face it-- the sequel options for "Sunshine" are gonna be pretty much zippo-nil), and then I'm outta here. I'd like to say exactly what I think of Fox and their marketing of this thing (last time I checked, Fox was still an American company, so why Fox is pushing the American release date clean off the calendar is so deep an act of corporate idiocy that my nightshift-pragmatic head really can't comprehend it), but the Word Cop would have to kill the whole message then and not just random bits.
One more thing, slightly back on-topic: Monsters are scarier when they keep their f**king mouths shut. The creature in "Alien" was elegant, efficient, amoral, and SILENT. The true horror of "Alien," in fact, came not from the monster itself but from the idea that a corporation would casually send its employees to die. (Not the military, mind: a simple corporation). An extraordinarily chilling message, and (for anyone who works for a major corporation) a sadly realistic one. Now we have a burn victim with a bad accent playing the BWA-HAR-HAR Hand of God to the tune of "And Then There Were None-- IN SPACE"-- and a whole crew of able-bodied men and women won't be able to stop this guy. Doesn't really seem like progress to me.
So, my fellow Americans: You guys wait while Fox continues to jerk and jack you around. I'll finish my story and get my novelization from Amazon U.K. and my bootleg from wherever (just so I can verify my powers of precognition). I don't want to see this movie in a theatre. I really don't want to see it at all any more. But you know how it is: You get dug in so d**n far, what with the itchy curiosity about the plot twists (that will turn out to be Standard-Issue Stuff, but we just keep on hoping, don't we...?) and emotional investment in characters whose actual "life" will amount to less than a reel of screen time, that backing out is just as hard-- or harder-- than moving forward. Kinda like having a job in a big corporation. Which might have polite enough simply to send you to your doom back when monsters kept their f**king mouths shut.
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Post by Amanda on Mar 5, 2007 15:39:22 GMT -5
And that is what I've been afraid of happening...
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People are just getting fed up with the whole situation all together.
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Post by punctuator on Mar 5, 2007 15:56:34 GMT -5
Aw, don't worry. It's just me. I've been operating in "Should I shoot myself now (even though it is but a .22-calibre pistol and hasn't been cleaned for thirty years) or wait until after we see the Minnesota Orchestra tackle Mahler's Second in June--?" mode for so long that it's becoming a personal joke. But, yeah, I think Fox has managed to bump me out of the lifeboat on this one. Way to go, Fox! They oughtta give out awards for acts of Sheer Corporate Tittage like this.
Actually, I think they do. Doesn't Business Week have a Boobs of the Year issue or something...?
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Post by chero on Mar 5, 2007 16:10:54 GMT -5
I am more and more realizing how I don't need to see this. It's really kinda cool. Going back to the "original" Danny Boyle intro about how he hopes that people will feel "more alive" when they come out of the theatre than when they went in: naw. No thanks, Danny. If this whole thing hinges on optimism arising from the saving of humanity, then you and Alex Garland have missed my boat. Humanity in general isn't worth saving. Well, that's you're own opinion there... I think the "monster" (i.e. burnt human) you're talking about is not only there to scare (rhyming is fun!), but to send a message to the Icarus II crew (hence the talking). We don't know why Pinbacker the burn victim is preventing the mission in the first place. Once we know that, then it will be easier to disregard the whole film (like what you are doing). Progress is what you make it to be. If the burnt victim thinks that he is on the "good side", well, that's progress to me if he is successful in killing off the crew members. Also, don't associate Sunshine with Fox marketing. Sure Fox is getting us all mad, but that doesn't mean that the film is now ruined. Maybe it's my fault for making a US-based fansite so early in the game. Americans shouldn't even have so much media from the film now that it has been pushed back. In fact, I refuse to put up "spoiler" images in the SFO Gallery. I suppose forum members here are just fuming your fire with so many links to foreign sites. If you're really that annoyed with everything, then maybe you should step back for a while until these juicy media stuff is properly released on American movie sites. My own complaint: Sunshine better win some awards or this whole thing will be embarrassing. (I have no reason to doubt, but Fox is really selfish...in my opinion.)
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Post by punctuator on Mar 5, 2007 16:33:48 GMT -5
Whooooa.
It's a British film produced by an American company. Americans should have everything the rest of the world has. Especially the movie.
But-- as I know from long and ultimately pointless and thoroughly frustrating personal experience-- one should never underestimate the power of corporate inefficiency.
Yep: I'll back off now. Sorry, chero.
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Post by marilyn on Mar 5, 2007 16:34:56 GMT -5
Humanity in general isn't worth saving. We're a dirty, destructive virus of a species. Punctuator, baby, I agree with you wholeheartedly with your second point here, but cannot, in all consciousness, agree with your first point. Come back to me with your thoughts on saving humans and humanity when you or someone you love has endured a life-threatening illness or loved someone near death under any circumstance. I can assure you that you will change your mind about life and what is worth living. Funny how death and near-death changes one's perspective. Just my two cents, k?
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