Paycheck....good blind buy?
05-17-04, 11:53 AM
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I'd say it is. The movie has top notch action and has good rewatchability. If you're a fan of sci-fi action flicks, I think you could do a lot worse than Paycheck. I'll be picking it up on tuesday.
MATT
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05-21-04, 07:59 AM
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I watched it the other day. Picked it up just because it was a John Woo movie. It really is not too bad and didn't deserve to bomb the way it did in theatres. Lots of cool things throughout, Affleck is tolerable (I do think he has given better performances) enough to be enjoyable. Hell, even Uma Thurman was watchable (up until this point the ONLY movies I could stand watching her in were the KILL BILL movies, I think she is a terrible actress). The only problem I had with the movie is that all the big twists were visible fairly early on, but it did not detract too much from the fun factor.
05-22-04, 04:08 AM
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I hate to be the one who casts the desenting vote but I picked up Paycheck as a blind buy and was extremely disappointed in it. There was very little of John Woo's style in the movie, the acting was forgettable, little in the way of special effects and last and worse was the script. It took a very interesting idea and dumbed it down for the blockbuster mentality audience. I cannot imagine getting much in the way of replay value in the movie, I was bored during most of it. With all that said, it doesn't surprise me that it tanked at the box office. If you want a decent Phillip K. Dick adaption, check out a film called "Imposter". While not a classic, it certainly was 10x more entertaining and cost probably 1/10th of the budget.
05-22-04, 11:57 AM
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Originally posted by litza
I hate to be the one who casts the desenting vote but I picked up Paycheck as a blind buy and was extremely disappointed in it. There was very little of John Woo's style in the movie, the acting was forgettable, little in the way of special effects and last and worse was the script. It took a very interesting idea and dumbed it down for the blockbuster mentality audience. I cannot imagine getting much in the way of replay value in the movie, I was bored during most of it. With all that said, it doesn't surprise me that it tanked at the box office. If you want a decent Phillip K. Dick adaption, check out a film called "Imposter". While not a classic, it certainly was 10x more entertaining and cost probably 1/10th of the budget.
I hate to be the one who casts the desenting vote but I picked up Paycheck as a blind buy and was extremely disappointed in it. There was very little of John Woo's style in the movie, the acting was forgettable, little in the way of special effects and last and worse was the script. It took a very interesting idea and dumbed it down for the blockbuster mentality audience. I cannot imagine getting much in the way of replay value in the movie, I was bored during most of it. With all that said, it doesn't surprise me that it tanked at the box office. If you want a decent Phillip K. Dick adaption, check out a film called "Imposter". While not a classic, it certainly was 10x more entertaining and cost probably 1/10th of the budget.
05-23-04, 01:44 AM
#6
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How can you say there was little of John Woo in this movie?
There were two (2!) scenes of two guys with guns pointed at each other's heads while they talked for a while. Where else could you see that? Oh yeah, now I remember.
And I'm thinking that broken windows must be the new Woo signature effect. After all, over a dozen major broken window incidents must be there for a reason other than just to bore the audience and test out their tweeters.
It's worth a rent at best.
There were two (2!) scenes of two guys with guns pointed at each other's heads while they talked for a while. Where else could you see that? Oh yeah, now I remember.
And I'm thinking that broken windows must be the new Woo signature effect. After all, over a dozen major broken window incidents must be there for a reason other than just to bore the audience and test out their tweeters.
It's worth a rent at best.
05-23-04, 05:03 PM
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Originally posted by litza
If you want a decent Phillip K. Dick adaption, check out a film called "Imposter". While not a classic, it certainly was 10x more entertaining and cost probably 1/10th of the budget.
If you want a decent Phillip K. Dick adaption, check out a film called "Imposter". While not a classic, it certainly was 10x more entertaining and cost probably 1/10th of the budget.
MATT
05-23-04, 07:16 PM
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I'd say go for it. I saw it at Christmas and got the dvd. It is a really neat film, as it doesn't rely solely on action. It does have Woo style, just in a different way. Overall, the movie is very good and I like the way they did the action, music, and editing of the film. The dvd is also solid in a/v and extras.
05-25-04, 07:25 PM
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This is John Woo mimicking Wolfgang Peterson or Richard Donner. Do you know those guys? They're very competent Hollywood studio directors, but their work lacks the extra flair which identifies it as their own. Look at stuff like Conspiracy Theory (Mel Gibson), Lethal Weapon 4, In the Line of Duty, or Air Force One. They're just straight forward and slick without being amazing. Well, that's exactly what Paycheck is like. It may have some guns and a single dove, but it totally lacks the feel of a Woo film because it lacks the extreme emotions and ultra stylish visual flourishes.
But I liked it because it still entertains about as well as those aforementioned Hollywood films. And it still has a little bit more flair than them. To be honest, I didn't think Woo was a capable of making a movie like this, so I was pleased in a perverse kind of way. Definitely worth a rental, maybe a buy if you like those other movies I mentioned. The action at the end is quite good and the story is interesting.
But I liked it because it still entertains about as well as those aforementioned Hollywood films. And it still has a little bit more flair than them. To be honest, I didn't think Woo was a capable of making a movie like this, so I was pleased in a perverse kind of way. Definitely worth a rental, maybe a buy if you like those other movies I mentioned. The action at the end is quite good and the story is interesting.
05-26-04, 05:36 PM
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Originally posted by John Spartan
This is John Woo mimicking Wolfgang Peterson or Richard Donner. Do you know those guys? They're very competent Hollywood studio directors, but their work lacks the extra flair which identifies it as their own. Look at stuff like Conspiracy Theory (Mel Gibson), Lethal Weapon 4, In the Line of Duty, or Air Force One. They're just straight forward and slick without being amazing. Well, that's exactly what Paycheck is like. It may have some guns and a single dove, but it totally lacks the feel of a Woo film because it lacks the extreme emotions and ultra stylish visual flourishes.
But I liked it because it still entertains about as well as those aforementioned Hollywood films. And it still has a little bit more flair than them. To be honest, I didn't think Woo was a capable of making a movie like this, so I was pleased in a perverse kind of way. Definitely worth a rental, maybe a buy if you like those other movies I mentioned. The action at the end is quite good and the story is interesting.
This is John Woo mimicking Wolfgang Peterson or Richard Donner. Do you know those guys? They're very competent Hollywood studio directors, but their work lacks the extra flair which identifies it as their own. Look at stuff like Conspiracy Theory (Mel Gibson), Lethal Weapon 4, In the Line of Duty, or Air Force One. They're just straight forward and slick without being amazing. Well, that's exactly what Paycheck is like. It may have some guns and a single dove, but it totally lacks the feel of a Woo film because it lacks the extreme emotions and ultra stylish visual flourishes.
But I liked it because it still entertains about as well as those aforementioned Hollywood films. And it still has a little bit more flair than them. To be honest, I didn't think Woo was a capable of making a movie like this, so I was pleased in a perverse kind of way. Definitely worth a rental, maybe a buy if you like those other movies I mentioned. The action at the end is quite good and the story is interesting.
