I can't ever hate on Tom Cruise. Top Gun and Risky Business were the two movies that I modeled my entire life on. Not kidding. Haven't seen this one yet. I think much of the magic might be gone having done it for a living. Do they blow up any towelheads? I'll go for that.
Uhh, when you were being thoroughly screened to be a moderator, you told me this show made a man out of you.
One of my dads had a brief cameo at the end of the original, as he was working the flight deck the day they filmed the final scene. Or at least that's what he tells us, as it's just a bunch of guys in helmets rushing the planes. For this reason, and because awesome, I finally introduced my kids to Top Gun just last week. Daughter instantly got bored. Son LOVED it.
I got to thinking about it afterward, and--homoerotic volleyball (NTTAWWT) aside--it was pretty much a perfectly executed movie. There was cheese and tropes and Durka Durka Jihad galore, but the plot made sense, pacing was spot on, characters were developed, good story arc, redemption story for the main character was well executed. I really think were Plinkett to review this movie, he'd be left with nothing but poking fun at the cheesy details.
Huge omission from the movie bracket challenge. I keep repeating "good execution," but that's what this one really comes down do: It has to be one of the better executed simple popcorn movies of all tim.
completely unrelated but i often tell people i had a cameo in the 1990s classic, Dante's Peak. i tell people i was in the scene where the town is meeting in the high school gym and the volcano erupts. i also say you can see me jump up and grab the net of the basketball hoop.
almost bit me once, back in my big 4 days was at a company offsite training. as an icebreaker (fuckin corporate trainers LOVE those) we played 'two truths and a lie.' so my turn comes up and i go:
'here are my two truths and a lie; i wear a size 12 shoe, i played in the arena football league, and i was in the movie dante's peak'
we go on, people pick, laughs had, yadda yadda yadda, people are pickled on the football/dantes peak.
the plot thickens the next day....
instructor comes back and goes 'oh, i rented dante's peak on dvd last night, what scene were you in?' side note to this, speakin of plot thickens, this instructor lady, oooh doggie, she was good an thick, but thats besides the point at the moment. and i mildly panic (or it might have been hangover sweats, you really drink a lot in the big four and you really really drink a lot at those offsites) but i think fast and go 'oh, did you say you got the dvd? they actually made a few more cuts to get all the info on the dvd so they cut a bunch of that scene but you can see me on the vhs version.' 'oh, dang!'
oh dang indeed, oh dang.
Big 4? You're young. In my big 8 days (I worked for the most prestigious). I was an extra in Hand That Rocks the Cradle. I wear an 8.5 and ran D1 track. 3 of 3 are true.
Or maybe 0 of 3.
Oh Dang is a Vietnamese guy I worked with in 1989.
I'm almost done with 21 straight 12-hour night shifts, so Tuesday is supposed to be the day. I've got "Top Fucking Gun" written right on the wall calendar. I wake up today to both of the ladies of the house passed out on the couches sick, COVID tests strewn across the table, thermometer, etc.
If I have to be a total looserer and go to the theater my damned self, it just might have to come to that.
I'm almost done with 21 straight 12-hour night shifts, so Tuesday is supposed to be the day. I've got "Top Fucking Gun" written right on the wall calendar. I wake up today to both of the ladies of the house passed out on the couches sick, COVID tests strewn across the table, thermometer, etc.
If I have to be a total looserer and go to the theater my damned self, it just might have to come to that.
They looked at the bloat of shitty cgi comic book action movies that placate to China and knew they'd make a killing.
China has the worst taste in everything whether it's movies or sports ball (NBA).
It's funny that he mentioned placating China, anyway, as that's exactly what TG:M was set to do. When the international trailer was released, Maverick's jacket had the Taiwanese and Japanese flags from the original movie swapped out for fictional flags in similar colors. This was when the film was being financially backed by Tencent. When they backed out over fear of the Chinese government dropping the hammer on them for promoting a pro-US-military movie at all, the movie's producers no longer had China to appease and put the original patches back on the jacket. They got to the right place in the end, but it's not like it was some kind of principled stand.
They looked at the bloat of shitty cgi comic book action movies that placate to China and knew they'd make a killing.
China has the worst taste in everything whether it's movies or sports ball (NBA).
It's funny that he mentioned placating China, anyway, as that's exactly what TG:M was set to do. When the international trailer was released, Maverick's jacket had the Taiwanese and Japanese flags from the original movie swapped out for fictional flags in similar colors. This was when the film was being financially backed by Tencent. When they backed out over fear of the Chinese government dropping the hammer on them for promoting a pro-US-military movie at all, the movie's producers no longer had China to appease and put the original patches back on the jacket. They got to the right place in the end, but it's not like it was some kind of principled stand.
Money is money.
China chose wisely backing off, the movie releasing in China could singlehandedly collapse the CCP
The movie is massive and unapologetic pro America advertisement.
Alright, finally drunk enough to bother posting a ]semi-spoiler] review:
1.) What is the difference between IMAX and any other theater viewing? I couldn't tell.
2to2343434weretaken.) Movie was pure cheese, plot was as ludicrous as Logjammin', I laughed out loud at how corny many of the callbacks were.
3.) Fuckin' loved it. 5-stars, would watch again.
The movie opens with a nice rendition of the original score, crossfading right into Highway to the Danger Zone. Two minutes in, and you know what this is all about. The adult side of me was laughing at the cheese, the six-year-old in me was stooooooked. I seriously played Highway to the Danger Zone for the kids on the way to the theater. As a joke. This movie leaned right in.
Tom Cruise' Xenu shit unquestioningly qualifies him as a trash human being, but he can make a fucking movie like none other, to the point where a principled stand just isn't worth it. The practical flying, realistic butthole clenching techniques (the very same that made @Swaye so popular around here), and top shelf production value make this a movie that legitimately had my heart thumping in a worrying way (I post at Hardcore Husky, so I'm definitely in a demographic that's at risk for heart disease) leading into the third act. Which, to me, is the sign of a good movie. I've gotten shit about not liking most mob movies, but it's because I've seen very few that make me actually care about any of the characters. Leading up to the final scenes of TG,M (ILTCIT), though, I was thinking, "Shit, they're going to kill off a few of these fuckers, aren't they?..."
That being said, I can't wait for the Orkin man to see this movie and chime in, as the entire plot seemed laughably silly: "The F-18 Super Hornet is the ideal plane for this mission. Now here's why just about any other modern plane would be better..." There's also a Death Star ventilation shaft angle that somebody's going to have to explain to me. Let alone why the entire mission couldn't be accomplished with a cruise missile or bomb dropped from space or something.
Beyond all of that, there's just a geopolitics problem. Ironically, the new movie has all of this amazing camera work and effects budget and everything modern Hollywood can do, but the old movie is the better one because the plot is believable: Nobody would bat an eye at the idea of naval fighter pilots dogfighting Dirka Dirka Jihadists in 1986, but nowadays it would be insane for the US military to engage in a direct strike on (what was clearly) a Russian puppet state. Hell, we have a recent example of Iran enriching uranium, and not only was it not happening in a Dr. Evil style hollowed out volcano lair, but we went in with diplomacy instead of jets and bombs. Former Soviet nations would be even more sketchy!
Anyway, totally awesome movie (plot and cheesy callbacks be damned), but I'd appreciate these answers from @Swaye after you see it:
1.) Is it absolute bullshit that this would "need" to be done with Navy F-18s instead of, say, satellite-guided bombs from space? If it absolutely had to be done with jets, could they not have just done it with "better" jets if the enemy 5G jets are so superior? 2.) Don't we(?) have bombs that can blow something up like a half-mile underground? Are your eyes rolling just as hard about the whole "we have to land one direct hit to open the Death Star's ventilation shaft, then another hit to blow it up" bullshit plot angle? 3.) Have you ever seen a Mig-28 do a 4G negative dive?
Holy shit, I rambled on...
One of my complaints:
I think only @swaye will understand this but the enemy ADA is mapped yet they didn’t do a SEAD mission.
Comments
Or maybe 0 of 3.
Oh Dang is a Vietnamese guy I worked with in 1989.
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@Swaye
Sad.
The McMenamins place was good and Timbers, across town, was surprisingly good the one time I slummed it on Old 93.
Deschutes tap room was a big disappointment, considering how many great beers they brew. C'mon guys. Spend some money. It's a WAR!!
PS: But there is only one Tumalo Feed Co. Double whiskey sours and a good steak always hit the spot.
Turns out this Top Gun instructor had a hand in assisting with the script.
Money is money.
The movie is massive and unapologetic pro America advertisement.
Emperors are Fags.
I think only @swaye will understand this but the enemy ADA is mapped yet they didn’t do a SEAD mission.