The catch-all movie/TV comment thread .

[Busyman]

So I've watched the first ten or eleven of Person of Interest.
I'm really enjoying it but teh missus isn't. Which isn't a surprise because Reese hasn't yet got together with Carter and she'll just refuse to get invested in something unless there's a tangible love interest.

I find the whole concept about the machine intriguing and love the gradual uncovering of plot developments. The pace isn't frenetic, and I'm quite glad about that because too many dramas try to do too much too soon. The story arcs are just kicking in, which is great because as good as the stand-alone episodes are; that format would have got stale pretty quickly. The episode where we discovered who the new crime boss is was absolutely fantastic. Even though I said to teh missus that I thought it was the history teacher, it was written so well that it was only a guess.

The only real negative point I have is the intonation which both main protagonists seem to favour. I guess that Michael Emerson did the same thing as Ben in Lost, so it's annoying that he's taking the same distant and aloof approach to diction in this series, too. What's worse, though, is that for some reason I don't quite understand, Caviezel seems to be emulating him.
It's one of those things that once you've noticed, you can't stop noticing.

I think you are right on with the Finch/Ben link in acting. However, Reese sounds nothing like him in any way. He's more Harry Callahan.

On a side note, I like how bad ass Reese is. The music when he busts in with night vision shooting everyone is very satisfying.

[manker]

You don't think the intonation is similar?
The way they both kinda hang onto the last word in a sentence. I can only describe the rest of their parlance as duotone with a kind of melancholic staccato.

Emerson did it in Lost and he's doing it now, it's quirky, and I can't help but notice that Caviezel is also doing it - although mostly in conversation with Emerson.

[IdolEyes787]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Reacher

Reacher is 6' 5" tall (1.96m) with a 50-inch chest, and weighing between 210 and 250 pounds (100–115 kg)

Best casting evar.The World has need for a great tiny ,gay hero.

Until this clip overpowered me with dumbness the last time I found Cruise believable in a fight or even vaguely threatening was in Taps.

[clocker]

Best casting evar.The World has need for a great tiny ,gay hero.

Hey now, every clique deserves an icon.

Until this clip overpowered me with dumbness the last time I found Cruise believable in a fight or even vaguely threatening was in Taps.

Which is going to be a problem because in the books- yes, I've read all of them- about 90% of the time, Reacher just flat out bare knuckle whomps on his adversaries.
Mostly while absurdly outnumbered.
Basically, Reacher doesn't think even knives are personal enough, if he isn't groping your speen, he's phoning it in.
Also, he has no car and hitchhikes everywhere...doesn't even carry clothes, preferring to shop as necessary in hardware and farm supply stores.

Reacher is possessed of the ability to instantly analyze entire communities, identify the bad guys and eliminate them without qualm or backup.
Essentially he is deus ex machina personified in nondescript clothing.

It'd be easy to think of say, Timothy Olyphant in this role.
He has the projected confidence and intelligence to make the character believable but lacks the physical stature as described in the books.
Also, it would be absolutely unbelievable that every female character didn't jump his bones and that never happens in the books.
Reacher is too Zen and driven (although driven by what is always conveniently left unexplained) to attach to any of them girl-things, he has highways to hike and evil to face.
You know, man stuffs.

If Olyphant is out- and I've automatically disenfranchised anyone connected to professional wrestling- I'm not sure who works.
The Statham might except he's also pretty short and doesn't exactly sound like America personified (although I can't think of anything more intrinsically American than the willingness to attach electrodes to your nipples).

Erm, maybe Tom Cruise?

*crickets*

See, this is what's wrong when stars pick projects instead of the other way around.
Tom may drift off at night thinking he's Jack Reacher and wake up with sticky Underoos but not a single other person anywhere shares his vision.
I'll grant his action star credits, he's just not this action star, it's not personal.

It will be interesting to see what this ends up being.

[manker]

I certainly don't want to watch this film. Tom Cruise in that clip reminded me of any given vampire hero hamming it up while pounding several werewolves or whatever.
That's a good thing in some contexts, but certainly not this one.

I do, however, quite fancy reading those Jack Reacher books. I'd not heard of them before. I shall steal them forthwith.
Thanks, clockster.

[IdolEyes787]

Besides abject illiteracy I would like to know why I have never heard of these books either. Clearly Jack and I think a lot alike about justice and the proper length of time to wear the same pair of underwear.

I think Statham or whatever his fucking name is(get a pronounceable name like Jones , Communist ) would work if he stood on Alan Ladd.
Other than that Thomas Jane played the same role in The Punisher so why not him as he wouldn't have to be re-trained or even paid probably.

Sadly in terms of under 60 white Americans (I agree no WWE cunts) that's basically all I got.

[clocker]

I do, however, quite fancy reading those Jack Reacher books. I'd not heard of them before. I shall steal them forthwith.

Also get Redshirts by John Acalzi.
You'll enjoy the conceit.

[manker]

I searched for it and the only hit was this thread. I wondered what kind of obscure deep-net literature it was that you were reading nowadays.
Anyway I persevered for the couple of seconds it took for Google to re-jig his surname to Scalzi and, to my surprise and delight, it's sci-fi.

Noice

[clocker]

Sorry.
It's a federal holiday over here and my proofreader has the day off.

She will pay however, oh yes, tomorrow she will pay.

[Artemis]

I searched for it and the only hit was this thread. I wondered what kind of obscure deep-net literature it was that you were reading nowadays.
Anyway I persevered for the couple of seconds it took for Google to re-jig his surname to Scalzi and, to my surprise and delight, it's sci-fi.

Noice

If you are after specific results, google is not always the best search engine I have found, sadly in the middle of all the 'paid for' results researching literature in particular or obscure media, be it music or movies, the results are often obscured or buried several pages back. For these searches amongst others I use another engine with the truly outlandish name of Duck Duck Go. Since this engine doesn't accept advertising from companies on it's website, it at the moment isn't a corporate mouthpiece. I've always been a fan of the little guy that gives the giant conglomerates the finger and says 'no' I can actually offer the same service at a fraction of the price without all the addon shit that you have piled into the deal: with no advertising, no scanning of your mail, no directed marketing, just the results you were after fast and efficiently without any padding to the results from paid for advertising.