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New Hinda
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
Israel
469 Posts |
 Posted - 02/11/2008 : 02:51:18 AM
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There are two recent films whose plot premises were so stupid I didn't want to see them. In DOUBLE JEOPARDY, the whole plot turns on the idea that the constitutional protection against double jeopardy means that you can't be tried twice for the same offence. That applies if you are found NOT guilty. But the heroine was found GUILTY, so it wouldn't apply in her case. Also, the crime she was convicted of (her husband faked his own murder and framed her) happened in Los Angeles, I think. The crime she is planning to commit-killing her husband-is going to be committed SIX YEARS LATER in LOUISIANA. Now that's hardly "the same offence," now is it, people?
But a few reviewers did point that out.
The other film I didn't see because of its ridiculous plot premise was RUMOR HAS IT. (my apologies to the scriptwriter and director if the film IS set in the 1980s.) The plot of the film turns on the idea that the heroine, Jenifer Aniston, is the product of one of the love affairs in the novel and film THE GRADUATE, or so the gossip in Pasadena has it. First of all, I don't believe the people in Pasadena are so bored and stupid that that's all they can find to talk about. Second of all, the NOVEL The Graduate was first published in 1963. The film RUMOR HAS IT came out in 2005. So, assuming the love affairs in the novel actually happened, even if the novel was written WHILE THE REAL "ELAINE" WAS PREGNANT WITH THE REAL "BEN'S" CHILD, THAT CHILD WOULD BE 42 YEARS OLD WHEN RUMOR HAS IT WAS RELEASED. Jenifer Aniston is not 42, people.To my knowledge, not critic of the film pointed that out. |
Edited by - New Hinda on 02/11/2008 04:54:57 AM
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Ericb
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
648 Posts |
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Ericb
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
648 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 06:52:09 AM
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Well, no, Roy Scheider didn't live in 10,000 B.C.
This is more like it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10%2C000_BC
"I reserve the right to look as well as be boring." - Robert Fripp |
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Maxtype
Minister of the Sacraments of Jabootu
USA
26 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 07:40:32 AM
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Actually,a movie about the late Roy Schieder living in 10000 BC would be better then this epic from the anti-talented Emmerich.
This final mission will decide the fate of the human race.This is Operation:Final War |
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R. Dittmar
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
420 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 09:34:39 AM
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I’m not sure this falls entirely under the rubric of plot, but at least it’s the flat-out stupidest conceit I’ve ever seen. There’s an older movie called Suture that for you “24” fans stars President Palmer himself:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108260/
I’ve long forgotten the details, but the plot involves some attempt by President Palmer’s brother to kill him and make it look like it was the brother that actually ended up dead. The scheme goes awry and President Palmer survives and everyone starts confusing him with his brother. Here’s the thing, however. Dennis Haysbert is black and the guy playing his brother is white! Not even some café au lait Barack Obama-looking guy! The guy is some blonde blue-eyed Aryan-looking dude! Once everyone starts confusing Haysbert with his white brother, all you can do is sit there and wonder if either everyone in the movie is a moron and/or completely blind! I’m sure the people who made it were trying to make some artsy-f@$tsy statement with this, but it’s so absolutely ridiculous that you can’t take the movie the least bit seriously. |
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Capt. Nemo
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
630 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 10:09:13 AM
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I could take the cowards way out and say any movie staring Rob Schnieder or Pauly Shore. But I've never been one to take the easy way out.
Before I move off, I will say that I include Demolition Man in that category. It is a fun film. But the premise that you freeze criminals so they don't age and pass them down generation to generation for someone else to handle is ridiculous.
Other films would be like The Truman Show. Even though the film was good, the idea that people would build a large studio that could be seen from space for a reality show just seemed a little far fetched.
Another premise that wasn't realistic was On The Beach. Radiation levels are usually down to safe in two weeks. I know Shute in his novel used the premise of [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt_bomb"]cobalt weapons [/url]. But that would have used radioactive particals that would settle out over the ground. Air can be made radioactive but it would loose that property very quickly.
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"Ward, the Beaver blew up the 7-11 again."
"I'll have a talk with him Dear" |
Edited by - Capt. Nemo on 02/11/2008 10:11:17 AM |
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Sardu
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
1126 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 11:00:02 AM
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Uh, Face/Off. I like a silly John Woo flick as much as the next guy but being asked to buy into a plot like that is just insulting. True Lies is rather ludicrous but the movie itself was entertaining enough to get a pass. Flatliners is silly.
"Meeting you makes me want to be a real noodle cook"
--Tampopo |
Edited by - Sardu on 02/11/2008 11:01:03 AM |
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Culfy
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
United Kingdom
113 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 12:12:08 PM
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The movie 'The Gift' featured a plot whereby Cate Blanchett's psychic manages to find the location of a body of a murder victim. A large part of film featured a scene where the defense council tried to destroy Blanchett's credibility.
But why would destroying her credibility affect anything? Either the body was found in the location or it wasn't, surely wherever or not someone led them there was irrelevant?
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Notes from a small cavy
www.culfy.blogspot.com |
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RossM
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 12:51:36 PM
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In the james Bond movie A View to a Kill the bad guy is plotting to blow up the santa Clara Valley in order to corner the market on computer chips. These companies actually make the software that the chips run. Thus he would be blowing up his customers, not his competitors. An odd choice for an evil genius.
rossM |
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Ericb
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
648 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 1:53:58 PM
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Maybe he's not after a profit but is doing it just for the EEEEEEEEEVILNESS of it. True villains don't care about mundane things like making a living.
"I reserve the right to look as well as be boring." - Robert Fripp |
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Citizen Carrier
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
322 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 7:42:12 PM
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Actually, that sort of silliness turns up in many movies.
My favorite example is the movie Goldeneye. Steal millions of dollars, then trigger an orbiting electromagnetic pulse to wipe out all the electronic banking information (and everything else electrical) in London.
Um, guys, if you "destroy" one of the most important financial centers in the free world, you will likely plunge the entire world into an unprecendented depression. The entire global market would collapse.
In other words, the money you just stole wouldn't be worth a whole lot. Have fun spending $20 for a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. |
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zombiewhacker
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1475 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 8:35:31 PM
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More of a stupid subplot: Total Recall. Build a colony on Mars, encase it with standard glass windows, then hand all your security people machine guns.
Oh, and if you're a meglomaniacal villain and your colonists develop psychic abilities, don't put them to work for the company stealing government and corporate secrets and predicting stock futures on Wall Street. Hire them to dig for rocks.
(I'm beginning to sound like Peter's Evil Overlord list.) |
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RossM
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 8:48:57 PM
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| Goldfinger has a similar plot problem. Overall I love both he novel and movie but in the movie Goldfinger is plotting to irradiate the gold in Fort Knox, thus making his gold worth many times as much even cornering the market. The gold in fort Knox is not used for general circulation but as a store of value, and so it makes little difference whether its irradiated or not. That would just make it a big pain to store. As Bunker Hunt discovered when he tried to corner the market on silver, when there is no market your own holdings become worthless. Even so the U.S. has not used a pure gold standard for monetary value for nearly 100 years. Thus Goldfinger's nefarious plan would have actually done little to upset world currency markets, or to change the value of his own holdings. |
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Capt. Nemo
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
630 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 10:04:13 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by RossM
Goldfinger has a similar plot problem. Overall I love both he novel and movie but in the movie Goldfinger is plotting to irradiate the gold in Fort Knox, thus making his gold worth many times as much even cornering the market. The gold in fort Knox is not used for general circulation but as a store of value, and so it makes little difference whether its irradiated or not. That would just make it a big pain to store. As Bunker Hunt discovered when he tried to corner the market on silver, when there is no market your own holdings become worthless. Even so the U.S. has not used a pure gold standard for monetary value for nearly 100 years. Thus Goldfinger's nefarious plan would have actually done little to upset world currency markets, or to change the value of his own holdings.
You're sorta right. At the time, we were under the Bretton Woods Agreement where we would exchange gold for federal reserve notes. But only for foriegn institutions. When the government starting printing up money with wild abandon, it became increasingly clear that we were not going to back our notes with anything. The system was dropped by Nixon and we've had fiat money ever since.
I guess in the end, Goldfinger might as well have set off that bomb.
[url="http://mises.org:88/Fed"]Click Here to Learn about the Gold Standard.[/url]
________________________________________________________________________
"Ward, the Beaver blew up the 7-11 again."
"I'll have a talk with him Dear" |
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CDiehl
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
361 Posts |
Posted - 02/11/2008 : 10:04:47 PM
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My pick would be Wild Wild West. Loveless' plan in that movie is unbelievable. It hinges on two insane ideas. First, there's the idea that a bunch of foreign diplomats will happily sign on to a plan devised by some embittered nut with no obvious support. Even if they did, would their governments accept suddenly receiving a lot of new territory that they now have to secure, and whose population will almost certainly revolt? Second, there's the idea that Loveless' inventions would intimidate U.S. Grant into signing a treaty that dissolves the United States. The President can't ratify a treaty by himself; the Senate has to agree to it too, and it's not likely they'd ratify a treaty dissolving their offices. I also doubt that blowing up a few buildings or threatening the lives of some government employees would intimidate a veteran of the Civil War.
You know Grand Funk, don't you? The wild, shirtless lyrics of Mark Farner? The bong-rattling bass of Mel Schacher? The ... adequate drumwork of Don Brewer? |
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Gristle McThornbody
Preeminent Apostolic Prelate of the Discipleship of Jabootu
Germany
186 Posts |
Posted - 02/13/2008 : 1:33:44 PM
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Last year's Sunshine.
Astronauts fly to our dying sun to detonate a bomb inside it in order to re-ignite it. Murderous drama ensues.
The whole plot becomes ridiculous when you realize that there's no reason to send a manned expedition; in fact, sending a manned expedition makes the whole endeavor much more difficult, expensive, and dangerous.
"Hi, I'm Bob Evil!" |
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