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LOOPER - 1/2/2013 9:59:54 PM

rich

Posts: 4131
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe

Despite some dodgy makeup effects and a few too many thriller clich�s I liked this a lot, particularly the direction and characters. The not-quite but near future designs were nice too. Very predictable in a few places but still pretty slick. Thoughts?

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RE: LOOPER - 2/2/2013 10:34:05 PM

KnightofZyryab

Posts: 5767
Joined: 26/12/2005

Just finished watching it and I thought it was superb. Really cleverly plotted, keeps you guessing up to the end and played on the time travel sci-fi subgenre with originality. Johnson's imagination of the future as a dystopia was a refreshing one, with time travel used as an illegal practice to assassinate gangsters instead of more benevolently; loved the neo-noirish shades of the film with JGL's voiceover as well, carrying across the DNA of his name-making film, Brick. Excellent performances from JGL, Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt with character very much at the forefront of the film, not letting the Sci-fi overbear, and it felt more like a melange of genres rather than a straight up Sci-Fi. Definitely demands a rewatch from me, and just affirms that Rian Johnson is one of the best talents working in the industry right now.

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RE: LOOPER - 2/2/2013 11:07:55 PM

Hood_Man

Posts: 11270
Joined: 30/9/2005

I loved this film until they turned up at Emily Blunt's house. Still some great moments after that, but I lost patience at that point.

My favourite part of all was the conversation where the director is effectively asking the audience bluntly, "Look, do you really need time travel explained to you again?"

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RE: LOOPER - 2/2/2013 11:23:04 PM

KnightofZyryab

Posts: 5767
Joined: 26/12/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: Hood_Man

I loved this film until they turned up at Emily Blunt's house. Still some great moments after that, but I lost patience at that point.

My favourite part of all was the conversation where the director is effectively asking the audience bluntly, "Look, do you really need time travel explained to you again?"

Agreed - that was a clever self-reflexive nod I thought, and kind of has fun with the way the time travel sub genre is usually accompanied by constant exposition, the flipside being the humour of the Doc's time travel warnings in BTTF. And Bruce Willis is the perfect actor to essentially say 'shut the fuck up about time travel!'.

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RE: LOOPER - 2/2/2013 11:27:03 PM

DONOVAN KURTWOOD

Posts: 7658
Joined: 6/10/2005
From: PLANET G

A bit of a disappointment for me unfortunately. I had heard such great things about it and it didn't deliver for me personally. Some excellent moments for sure but i also lost interest as the story moved to the farmhouse and the whole young child with scary powers thing has been soooo done to death. I have no interest in those kinds of stories,l whereas i was very interested in everything going on before it arrived at that. Some terrible FX too. However, i'll reiterate that there are some fantastic moments in there, particularly the sequence where we follow the main character through time as he arrives at being Bruce Willis.

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RE: LOOPER - 2/2/2013 11:32:18 PM

rich

Posts: 4131
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe

Yeah the middle section was the big drag for me, could have done with cutting down. But it's a interesting movie version that old "would you go back and kill X to change history" quandry. Highlights were probably the future flash forward sequence as you said along with the bit where Old Joe kicks ass at the syndicate and the intro to the world with the whole night life segment.

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RE: LOOPER - 2/2/2013 11:44:45 PM

DONOVAN KURTWOOD

Posts: 7658
Joined: 6/10/2005
From: PLANET G

I need to rewatch it as i bought the blu blind, and have only watched it once. I usually get a more accurate assessment on my 2nd viewing of a movie weirdly. I think i was slightly misled by reviews and general feedback as i was expecting more of an action sci fi thriller, whereas it's more of a sci fi drama, with action taking a backseat.

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RE: LOOPER - 2/2/2013 11:50:51 PM

MonsterCat

Posts: 6208
Joined: 24/3/2011
From: St. Albans, Hertfordshire

I honestly didn't mind the change of pace when JGL made it to Emily Blunt's (

) farmhouse.

I think if you start to scrutinize the plot mechanics a little bit more closely you can see some holes, but it's a really fun flick.

< Message edited by MonsterCat -- 2/2/2013 11:58:43 PM >

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 12:06:38 AM

theoriginalcynic

Posts: 6517
Joined: 10/4/2007

I was really looking forward to this, but sadly the critics have gone overboard ...again. Looper is slow, overlong and worst of all boring. It's also incomprehensible, as time travel films tend to be. What makes Older Willis think he's gonna get his life back? Younger Willis will just make different decisions. None of the characters were likeable (not that they need to be), but I didn't care about any of them. I didn't care whether they lived or died.

The film changes in the second half, it might as well be a different film. The ending is satisfactory but it twists the tale into an even bigger plot hole. So glad I rented! It's worth watching but not owning.

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 12:19:29 AM

MonsterCat

Posts: 6208
Joined: 24/3/2011
From: St. Albans, Hertfordshire

quote:

ORIGINAL: theoriginalcynic

I was really looking forward to this, but sadly the critics have gone overboard ...again. Looper is slow, overlong and worst of all boring. It's also incomprehensible, as time travel films tend to be. What makes Older Willis think he's gonna get his life back? Younger Willis will just make different decisions. None of the characters were likeable (not that they need to be), but I didn't care about any of them. I didn't care whether they lived or died.

The film changes in the second half, it might as well be a different film. The ending is satisfactory but it twists the tale into an even bigger plot hole. So glad I rented! It's worth watching but not owning.

But what did Amy McDonald think of it?

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 6:07:28 PM

Rgirvan44

Posts: 18874
Joined: 10/3/2006
From: Punishment Park

quote:

ORIGINAL: theoriginalcynic

I was really looking forward to this, but sadly the critics have gone overboard ...again. Looper is slow, overlong and worst of all boring. It's also incomprehensible, as time travel films tend to be. What makes Older Willis think he's gonna get his life back? Younger Willis will just make different decisions. None of the characters were likeable (not that they need to be), but I didn't care about any of them. I didn't care whether they lived or died.

The film changes in the second half, it might as well be a different film. The ending is satisfactory but it twists the tale into an even bigger plot hole. So glad I rented! It's worth watching but not owning.

He doesn't, but it is the only chance he has - he doesn't expect to live once the future has been changed. A new timeline goes into place and he lives happily ever after.

The movies main problem is that you can't have both BTTF and Terminator time travel rules at the same time.

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 6:27:30 PM

Darth Marenghi

Posts: 2944
Joined: 10/10/2010
From: Manchester

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rgirvan44

The movies main problem is that you can't have both BTTF and Terminator time travel rules at the same time.

Yeah, paradoxes and contradictions abound unfortunately. I think it could have survived all that, but the ending fell like a lead weight for me. Still an easy 4 stars regardless - everything up to that was really well done. JGL and Bruce are both excellent.

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 7:24:11 PM

rich

Posts: 4131
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rgirvan44
He doesn't, but it is the only chance he has - he doesn't expect to live once the future has been changed. A new timeline goes into place and he lives happily ever after.

The movies main problem is that you can't have both BTTF and Terminator time travel rules at the same time.

Well he wants to save his wife, its unclear if he really believes that killing the Rainmaker will actually mean he still meets her if his younger self no longer does exactly all the things he has. I don't think they are using the Doc Brown version of things though, since the scarring transfers over and the memories change. My problem with the ending was I saw it coming a mile off. The way things happen in Twelve Monkeys is vastly more satisfying.

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 7:39:32 PM

Scott_

Posts: 3480
Joined: 26/6/2008
From: Leeds

One my favourite films from last year, so good. The whole Looper idea is cool as fuck! Time travel confuses me (it's not hard to confuse me, mind you...

) so I just took Bruce Willis' advice and didn't think about it too much, just went along for the ride. It could have done with a big, crazy action sequence in the middle when the film does start to drag a little. The kid almost lost me, I found him really annoying and as DK said, the kid with issues story has been done to death but the positives far outweigh the negatives.

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 8:21:35 PM

rich

Posts: 4131
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe

Oh nothing makes a lot of sense under scrutiny, I just don't care that much. Just don't try and start saying that Joe is Cid

If Old Joe caused the Rainmaker, how did he come to exist in the version of events Old Joe left behind him when they never met?
If Old Joe has a different life behind him, how can he fade away at the end, and wouldn't he fade away instantly when Young Joe stops does just about anything?
How can Seth have amputations that appear instantly instead of having them affect his entire older life?

Maybe this is all just a ploy to keep every talking about it...

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 8:27:03 PM

DONOVAN KURTWOOD

Posts: 7658
Joined: 6/10/2005
From: PLANET G

I didnt understand the scene with the guy who started dissolving away. I must have missed something. Could someone explain that please? It was visually very cool and creepy.

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 8:35:25 PM

rich

Posts: 4131
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe

To make the escaped Old Seth return to the mobsters, they cut parts off Young Seth, which are in turn the same parts of his older self.

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 8:40:43 PM

DONOVAN KURTWOOD

Posts: 7658
Joined: 6/10/2005
From: PLANET G

Ah i'm an idiot, i dont know why that didn't register

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 8:45:09 PM

rich

Posts: 4131
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe

It's very implicit I guess. The problem is that the young version with no hands or whatever, can't grow up to be the older guy who escaped...

Thinking about it, this never made sense in Back to the Future either... Marty is surprised when his parents are rich and successful, but they should have always been that way since he changed the whole past...

< Message edited by rich -- 3/2/2013 9:01:00 PM >

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 8:51:06 PM

DONOVAN KURTWOOD

Posts: 7658
Joined: 6/10/2005
From: PLANET G

Ha ha very true. I've always wanted to write a really good time travel story. I believe there is so much scope for another excellent one. This was a good try but by the 3rd act it felt like the time travel aspect took a back seat (even though it was still relevant to the goings on). For me, BTTF is the bar. The Terminator ones are cool enough but they're really just time travel for the set up. Mind you, i suppose one could say the same about BTTF.

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RE: LOOPER - 3/2/2013 9:18:22 PM

rich

Posts: 4131
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe

Yeah Terminator is screwy as well. Like I said, the more I think about it, the more it seems they're written that way just to be annoying. And, like I said Twelve Monkeys does it better. The problem with Looper is that they've got a link between the two Joes and at the same time have them as having separate lives, multi-verse style. Along with the fact they have more than one Looper but they don't bother sending the older versions back to different younger guys....

I feel like I have tried to work stuff like this out before just thinking about it... quantum physics is a pain in the arse to try and figure out. Has anyone ever tried to think about the infamous Double-Slit Experiment? What a fucking headache.

Version 1
Joe 1 is a low-life without the time travellers, grows old to 30 years later when they invent it
(Rainmaker appears because of mommy issues, so is he still closing the loops for revenge?)

Version 2
Joe 2 is a low-life and the time travellers come back and make him a Looper.
Kills Joe 1 who is sent back after being old and is killed
(by the Rainmaker for revenge?)

(timeline 1, a life before time machines is cancelled out)

Version 3
Joe 2 goes through the lifetime montage ending with a wife, gets sent back and escapes
Joe 3 goes through the movie's events, kills himself after growing as a character and erases both Joes
(Rainmaker gets over his issues because of farm scenes?)

(timeline 2, a life as a killer who gets married is cancelled out)

We never see the version of events that made the kid become the evil future mafia-Hitler or whatever, and it's never explained if his future motivations or his described prosthetic jaw are even a direct cause of Old Joe. Is the loop itself part of Joe no.3 making a different choice in another version of events... or did he just have a change of heart at this is the only time he met Cid? Is the Rainmaker not actually evil at all, and just getting rid of murderers and scumbags, leading to the same future regardless? They told me not to draw diagrams...

< Message edited by rich -- 3/2/2013 11:36:24 PM >

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RE: LOOPER - 4/2/2013 11:20:06 PM

arsenal4ever

Posts: 4
Joined: 2/2/2013

Got this on Blu ray after seen it in the cinema two times last year .Still think its one of the best action films with well written characters to come out from Hollywood in years and it has Bruce Willis's best performance in many a year. Emily Blunt and Jeff daniels are great in their roles as is the little kid who is pretty scary in places. Paul Dano gives a great performance in a small role.Joesph Gordan Levitt steals the show (yes some of the face fx stuff doesn't work) he's a scumbag who sells out his friend but you start to feel for him as the movie goes on. I see this been more of a cult film as the years go on making the lower half of the best films of all time polls in Empire and other film magazines.

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RE: LOOPER - 13/2/2013 11:56:49 PM

rich

Posts: 4131
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: Neo Kobe

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RE: LOOPER - 15/2/2013 11:59:09 PM

ElephantBoy

Posts: 7314
Joined: 13/4/2006

You could pull the plot apart, but I think it is better to applard a modern Sci-Fi with more depth and with characters you can really engage with, it was stylish and it was nice to see Bruce return to his action roots (but in a far more convincing way that the recent Die Hards).

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