This is topic xXx in forum Film Handlers' Movie Reviews at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=000372
Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 08-08-2002, 11:55 PM:
 
Regardless of the potential draw of Vin Diesel, this film sucked.
Only two lines stick to memory, "Bitches, come" and "You're thinking police station.. you need to be thinking PlayStation and blow some shit up"

Aside from that... in the words of Joe Redifer, This film BLOWS....
 

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-09-2002, 12:16 AM:
 
Actually, I thought Vin Diesel would be the worst part about the movie. From the sounds of it, the rest of it is as bad as he is.

No, I have not seen this movie, and no you cannot pay me to watch this movie. This is hands down the second worst looking movie I think I have ever seen a preview for. (Sorry, "Country Bears" is still my reining champion for worst all time trailers for films I will refuse until the end of time to watch.)

Let's all observe a moment of silence for all of the projectionists around the country who are having to screen this horrid movie as I type this.

To all of the projectionists who are about to screen this movie, remember those golden words heard at the IMAX theater: "if you start to feel light headed or sick, just close your eyes and it will all go away." ...well, at least the image will go away. There's still Vin's terrible acting and bad dialogue you will have to continue to endure.

I would rather drink a cup of Diesel gasoline than watch Vin Diesel on screen for 2 hours.


 

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 08-09-2002, 12:43 AM:
 
Vin Dissel (rhymes with "imbecile") looks like he is always stoned. Just look at his eyes and listen to his voice. Yes, I am judging a book by its cover, but that's how ALL books should be judged! I'm sure he is a highly educated, articulate human being with much goodness to offer the world. The fact that he has tattoos proves that he doesn't believe image is everything. The real beauty is within.

The dialog Jason quotes above sounds like it was written by The Bard himself. It is so well thought out and classy, sure to be remembered seconds from now in the future. I hope the rest of the dialog in the movie is as well versed and poetic.

I did see a few seconds from the movie where Vin Dissel (rhymes with "imbecile") was grinding on some stair rails with his phat board. You could tell he was moving slow as molasses, but the camera kept shaking all around like he was riding a rocket at 900mph. It looked baaaad!


 

Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 08-09-2002, 10:37 AM:
 
Yea the movie was pretty bad what stood out the most was the filming errors. You could almost tell that they shot different camera angles on different days. The picture quality would change from clear to grainy and back again in the same scene depending on the camera angles. However bad plot and dialogue aside the stunt work on this film is some of the best I have ever seen. The stunt men deserve the millions not Mr. Diesel.
 
Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 08-09-2002, 01:04 PM:
 
Before I begin, let it be known that I am not trying to defend the picture. I have not seen this picture. I will not prejudge this picture. I will not prejudge Vin Diesel. When I see this picture, I will judge it then.

"The stunt men deserve the millions not Mr. Diesel."

Stunt men do what they do and the high profile ones get paid well. They do it for love of it. Who the hell would get into this line of work for money? In fact, the key stuntman for Mr. Diesel died on one of the stunts. Stuntment die doing this all the time. It's a very dangerous job. Mel Gibson uses them, Arnold uses them, Keanu uses them. ALL ACTORS USE THEM. The insurance companies will not insure a production if they feel that thier insurable interest is in harms way. They would rather kill off a stuntman and pay out a few million dollars than to kill off a star and pay out a hundred million dollars. Remember that Brandon Lee died because of a stunt sequence. To say the stuntmen deserve more money than the main profile actor is fine and dandy, but unrealistic. If you ran out of production money because you paid the stuntmen first, you would never get any of the A list actors to do any films, or you would have nothing but dramas with no stunts.

Stunt oriented movies do more than just sell tickets, they sell popcorn and drinks. ACTION BABY ACTION. People want action, they want sex, they want PORN. They want it at whatever the cost. The majority of the people do not have the same mentality level that most of us technically inclined people do. The lowest common denominator wins out all the time. That is why digital movies are becoming popular, because most people just dont care, they just want sex and violence, all in two hours or so. In the great words of Barnum "a fool and his money are soon parted" (I think it was barnum, but could have been bailey, or franklin, or maybe it was diesel).

It has been said that "If someone is willing to pay you, that is what you are worth, no matter the sum, be it four dollars or forty million dollars. If you only settle for four dollars, that is what you are worth."

As for Vin Diesel and other action stars, his time is now, and his time will end, as do all action stars. And thank the lord for that.

Dave
 

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 08-09-2002, 01:12 PM:
 
Uno sciocco e il suo denaro son presto separati .

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
e-mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion
 

Posted by John Daily (Member # 1362) on 08-09-2002, 01:37 PM:
 
I agree with everything you've said about stuntmen, Dave, except for "ALL ACTORS USE THEM." This is simply not true anymore.

Of course, Jackie Chan is the obvious one who pops into mind, as are many other Asian actors who are making American films now, but even Americans are hopping on board the realism wagon. Angelina Jolie did all of her own stunts for Tomb Raider, for example. If I need to do further research I will, but right now I'm outta coffee.
 

Posted by Michael Gonzalez (Member # 593) on 08-09-2002, 02:49 PM:
 
I was being movie specific with my stunt man comment. Basically my point is that the only entertaining part of this movie was the stunts (and some of them were amazing) and in a perfect world, the people who actually entertained me should be the ones who got my money (figuratively speaking of course) but I do acknowledge that it is very unrealistic but I was just making a point about this movie and Vin Diesel's performance.
 
Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 08-09-2002, 04:45 PM:
 
Whenever you see that someone performed ALL of thier own stunts, don't believe it all of the time. I have seen that said before, and still seen a stunt double for that actor.

It is said that Jackie Chan does all his own stunts, and he has the broken bones to prove it. As for anjelina jolie, they said she did all of her own stunts, and maybe that is true...

...SOOOO.. when I said ALL ACTORS USE THEM, yes there are a few exceptions to that rule. As I have said before, there are exceptions to EVERY rule. I have also said many a time I am not always right either.

That bieng said, MOST actors use them, even when they perform all of thier own stunts. Anytime the insurance company that has bonded the production feels queezy about the stunt, the double is moved in. So wether or not one is actually used in a movie, they are there, in case the stunt may cause harm to the actor or actress involved.

I sure am glad that we got that issue of semantics out of the way. Grammatical lesson learned, assimilated, and stored for future reference.

Not having seen the movie yet, I cannot of course comment on how horrid the movie apparently is. Now that just about the whole world of Film Tech has signed off on this bieng one of the worst movies ever, whether it was seen or not, I have nothing to look forward to. SO I MIGHT ACTUALLY GET TO ENJOY MYSELF...

YIPEE!!!

I have to wonder why the hatred of Vin. I can see it, he is a nobody that makes gobs of cash for no reason. Makes me want to cry. THATS MY MONEY!!!


Dave


Dave


 

Posted by Josh Kirkhart (Member # 1046) on 08-09-2002, 05:34 PM:
 
Heres my REVIEW and not my opinion of the trailer or word of mouth.

Its a bland, sometimes fun action, popcorn movie. It is sad that they went into this looking for the franchise it could be and forgot a lot of things that hook people into them.
Score, Randy Edelman had the potential to blow this one out of the water, it looks as if he was not given the chance. We are bombarded with tired techno, and rap-rock that everyone has heard on the radio for 12 months. The title sequence is after the film, from the looks of it besides the brain thing it could have propelled me into the action frame of mind, and could have set up the theme of the movie using pieces of it during action sequences to give you a franchise sound. Something you can sell in the next trailers and spots instead they are going to depend on Diesels head to sell the next one.
Directing, not gonna dwell on this, its a popcorn movie. It was ok.
Acting, same as above.
Cinematography, could have been so much better, but it had a good foundation.
Package, as a whole could be broken up re-edited and rescored to make a good foundation and origin for the teenie-bopers bond.
Bond in my hopes will trash this thing, Cohen and the makers missed thier mark and just the package of a Bond film(world is not enough not included in this opinion) should kick its ass.

2 reels out of five, heavilly disappointed.

------------------
I believe comic heroes walk the earth
 

Posted by Mike Schindler (Member # 1309) on 08-09-2002, 06:05 PM:
 
This thing has a stupid premise. It almost works in spite of it. But every time it almost starts to become good, another layer of stupidity is added, forcing the film back down into mediocrity. It really does almost work at times, but never quite makes it. One thing I will say, though, is that Dario Argento's daughter is hot.
 
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-09-2002, 07:12 PM:
 
For those making snide cracks regarding the postings from people who have not suffered through the anguish and torture of watching this entire movie from start to finish, the postings are quite clear and upfront about that aspect. The disclaimers are there and in plain English, and or course anything posted in this forum automatically must be taken as opinion. There is no such thing as "fact" about a movie review or comment. However, everyone has that one actor or actress they simply despise, and Vin Diesel is mine. This guy is just the worst actor in Hollywood today. After watching the trailer, I can honestly say that this movie simply HAS to be worse than even Fast and the Furious, which was one of my top picks of the worst of 2001.

Remember, there ARE people who loved movies like Glitter and Freddy Got Fingered. No two people's tastes are the same and nowhere on the forums does it say that someone cannot make a posting regarding their thoughts on an upcoming movie, or a trailer, or part of a movie they saw. There is no requirement that you HAVE to screen a film in it's entirity before commenting, but common courtesy requests you make a notation if you have not. If there was such a rule, then people who watched a movie that was so terrible that they had to walk out of it wouldn't be able to put out the warning to others. That being said, the only time a disclaimer is needed and desirable is if someone is posting a comment who has not sat through the entire movie. Otherwise, it is always assumed that you have.

To the ever-growing Spaniards, give whatever review you desire, but please speak English on these forums. I am going to start deleting all future non-English posts. It's kinda like talking behind people's backs.



 

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 08-09-2002, 07:18 PM:
 
Brad, are you calling me snide? ME? SNIDE?

How sinful!!!


Love, Dave
 

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-09-2002, 07:21 PM:
 
Nope, everyone BUT you Davey.

xoxoxoxo


 

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 08-09-2002, 08:17 PM:
 
"Uno sciocco e il suo denaro son presto separati"

Rough translation from Italian:

"A fool and his money are soon separated"

Vin Diesel was on the Today show yesterday. He was articulate, humble, and generally seemed like a regular guy. Of course, he is an actor. Or maybe not.


 

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 08-10-2002, 12:02 AM:
 
VIN DIESEL SAYS: "I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV."

Dave
 

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 08-10-2002, 03:46 AM:
 
National Amusements Showcase Cinemas Woburn Aud #14, 8/9/02 10:30pm Very nice and well maintained building spotless lobby and auditorium excellent sound and large screen. The only problem was the big ball of dust in the top of the gate. I had to go out twice and complain before they fixed it.

Crap! this was the worst movie I have ever seen. Solar powered sub??? WWTF!!! the worst line in the whole movie was "Get ready to enter the danger zone" or something stupid like that even Vin Diesel looked like he knew it sounded stupid. Why did I waste my time to see this!!!
The whole movie was just stupid. Why do they make movies based soley upon popularity of actors and speial effects? There needs to be good stories too!!!
 

Posted by John Daily (Member # 1362) on 08-10-2002, 11:27 AM:
 
Interesting. I found the solar powered sub to be one of the more plausible ideas, as we've had solar powered submergable systems and pumps for years. Remember, panels store energy for later use, and there are already subs that are solar/electric hybirds.

Anyhow, this isn't meant to be any more than a pumped up Bond film and, by those measures, succeeds enormously. Insipid, loud, brash, exciting, testosterone-driven, ridiculous, mindless fun. We knew from the trailers what kind of film this was going to be, so anyone sitting down expecting realism is just asking for trouble.
Think about it: nobody judges a Bond film against anything other than other Bond films and even the worst of them are still pretty damn good (except Man With the Golden Gun perhaps).

What's really telling is that I haven't seen a film with critics this divided since Blair Witch. Rotten Tomatoes has critics (as of this morning) split 49/51%, and Ebert gave it 3.5 stars out of 4.

I liked it and, IMO, this is exactly what a summer film should be. It needs to be seen on the big screen, and it brings people into the theaters. I reserve judgement on Vin Deisel's 'acting' as he's played the same character in every movie, but it has worked every time.

Dave, I apologize. I figured that since you bothered to capitalize every letter in that statement, it meant that you were emphatic about it and meant what you said. I didn't realize that it was just a general statement that meant something else, so I'll know better next time. Lesson learned, assimilated, and stored for future reference. My apology is sincere, and the issue is dropped.


 

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 08-11-2002, 12:22 AM:
 
HEY NO PROBLEM....

I actually yell a lot, mostly at teenagers on skateboards.. You know I would be a millionare by now, if not for those pesky kids...


Dave
 

Posted by Daniel Boisson (Member # 1027) on 08-12-2002, 11:59 PM:
 
For what it was (a summer action movie) I thought it was ok. It probably wont win any awards anytime soon. It was poorly made, and the acting wasn't great. Its a good movie to see in a digital theatre and crank up the volume.


 

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 08-18-2002, 11:42 PM:
 
I just got back from seein-- sorry-- walking out after watching an hour of this awful movie. I generally enjoy mindless popcorn movies with simple but entertainig plots with loud soundtracks and a lot of action because they are fun to watch. xXx was loud and filled with lot of action but the story was very b-o-r-i-n-g and I fell asleep couple of times. After sitting & sleeping through an hour of this dud, I felt that I had better things to do and left. It is not too often that I walk out of a movie. I felt like doing it when I saw "FULL FRONTAL" the other day but stuck that one out until the bitter end. THe last movie I walked out was the one about the Ya Ya Sisterhood. God, that movie sucked big time.
 
Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 08-19-2002, 12:34 AM:
 
I fell asleep after the first hour of xXx and upon waking 15 minutes later left the theatre. I just wasn't able to connect to any of the characters.
 
Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 08-27-2002, 01:16 PM:
 
Sorry fellas, but I thought it rocked!! Yeah, there was some pretty bad acting, the motorcycle chase scene went on a little too long, but it was a good summertime action movie.... especially at the drive-in where we saw it.

Sean, the bad line in the movie you refer to was "Get ready to enter the "Xander Zone" (the lead character's name was "Xander")

------------------
Barry Floyd
Floyd Entertainment Group
Lebanon, Tennessee

Stardust Drive-In Theatre
Watertown, Tennessee
 

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 08-29-2002, 07:41 PM:
 
Sorry, Brad. Vin Diesel is the new Ahnold! Not only that, he knows how to speak so you can understand him.

Why do you think The Fast and the Furious was pitched for Oscar nominations? The star, Brad, the star!

"Tired techno and rap-rock"? C'mon, you've never heard of Rammstein? Heavy metal sung in German -- the perfect language for hard rockin', ass-kickin' music!

xXx has art, romance, high drama, excitement, and pleasure -- all in one package.

See it -- it's GREAT!
 

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-30-2002, 01:44 AM:
 
Nah, I'll continue to pass. I saw 5 minutes of it at a theater I was servicing earlier this week and now I actually hate it more than I did before. I hold my ground: it's a piece of crap and Vin Diesel is the worst actor ever.

I wonder what it would've been like if Sodaburger had've directed it.


 

Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 09-11-2002, 12:54 PM:
 
It is what it is.

Two things which I liked about it: Dean Semler's razor sharp anamorphic cinematography and the sound mix, which has to be one of the loudest, most in-your-face mixes ever. Not thin-sounding like a Bruckheimer mix, but full-bodied, dynamic and uncompressed. Just the way I like it!

This will show you what your sound system is made of.


 

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 09-19-2002, 01:38 AM:
 
Ok I finally went and saw this.... film (I guess that's what you call it).

This is no cinematic masterpiece, in fact it doesn't even climb into my all time 5000 best films.

BUT...

I did enjoy it. It was pure evil fun. That's it. That's all it ever intended to be. The plot was as simple as the word "go", and the story was about as predictable as breathing in and out. The acting was atrocious, even from Sam Jackson, who can do A HELL OF A LOT BETTER than that.

BUT...

as I said, it was pure evil fun. The stunts are the only reason to watch this film. THE ONLY REASON.

Dave
 

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 01-12-2003, 11:59 AM:
 
<Bump>
 
Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 01-12-2003, 12:10 PM:
 
Sorry
Didn't see this thread on the page when I made mine. Maybe Brad will transfer it over here
 
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-12-2003, 12:18 PM:
 
Can't transfer, but you can repost and I can delete the other one.
 
Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 01-12-2003, 02:19 PM:
 
Don't waste your time unless you're about 15.
I like Vin but not in this movie. I liked him and I think he was cast the best (for the image he should(?) be generating) in Pitch Black.
I was shopping at Costco and saw the DVD (and about 4000 other copies) and thought I'd give it a try. Oh well.
The movie is little more than a slide show of "extreme" shots. Lots of explosions and car crashes. Big jumps from here to there and lots o fightin.
It will probably do well with the teenagers.
I didn't make it all the way through the disk.
 




Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM 6.3.1.2