Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

[Raguleader]

Just saw Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World. Anybody wanna geek out with me?

"Hey! Coins!:D

[DanBlather]

Fucking awesome. The "young Neil" joke didn't hit me til later.

[jackdavinci]

AWESOME movie. OK ignore that, pretend it's a HORRIBLE movie, so that your expectations will be lowered and you'll end up enjoying it. :D

Seriously though. I hadn't read the graphic novels, but I knew the basic premise, so I was looking forward to it. My brother hadn't heard anything about it so he was of lukewarm anticipation. But he greatly enjoyed the film. Spoilers ahead...

The very beginning is a little wobbly. I wasn't sure yet whether this movie was going to rock or be mega lame.

I'm thinking, well, these characters are kind of lame.

Then, I'm thinking, well, they cast Cera, maybe they are *supposed* to be lame.

Eventually I realize, this is a romantic comedy about lame ass losers who still manage to KICK ASS in a "video game" slash "indy comic book" style.

Once I really "got" what it was about (or in what ways it was going to succeed), I was able to fully immerse and enjoy myself.

It definitely works on both the 'slacker comedy' and 'video game kick ass' levels.

I hear it's not kicking ass in the box office yet, but hey it's only FRIGGIN FRIDAY still, and it's up against the UBERMALE Expendables and UBERFEMALE Eat Pray Love. It probably hasn't had a chance yet to spread word of mouth, or overcome genre confusion.

"You think you have a future with her?" "You mean, like, with jetpacks"?

[norinew]

I did not read jackdavinci's post because I haven't seen the movie yet (nor read the graphic novel; hell, I didn't even know it was a graphic novel!)

The hubby and I saw previews for this movie when we went to see The A-Team. I thought it looked hilarious, hubby thought it looked completely lame. But then, it's not his kind of humor.

I am going Tuesday or Wednesday, all by myself, to see it. Looking forward to it, too. I loved Cera in Juno, and he looks awesomely well-suited to the roll of Scott Pilgrim!

[Ranchoth]

I missed the last five minutes...had to hit the bathroom. I held out as long as I could. First time that's ever happened.

Boy, and this is from someone who withstood The Return of the King. I guess I'm not as young as I used to be. :(

Anyway, my only complaint? That you can't actually pull of a drama with the same kind of over-the-top epicness that this movie had. :D

An utter delight. I give it Four Skulls—Joe Bob Ranchoth says "check it out." :cool:

[Equipoise]

My husband and I are so not the demographic for this, but we enjoyed the hell out of the movie! It's fun, funny, charming, clever, and, like the even more wonderful Kick-Ass, and the two will make a GREAT double-feature, it's just very simply a good time. I think maybe curmudgeons won't like it, but who care what curmudgeons think anyway*?

We have to see it again just because we missed so many spoken lines and text because we were laughing.

As Ranchoth says, an utter delight.

[gaffa]

Once I really "got" what it was about (or in what ways it was going to succeed), I was able to fully immerse and enjoy myself.
I was giggling like a fool from the opening credits with how they treated the studio logo.

I have to see it a second time. Wright has put so many things in there that I'm sure it will reward repeated viewings.

[RandMcnally]

Is it a movie where the main character is put in many embarrassing situations? I hate feeling embarrassed for a character.

I want a, not necessarily a feel good movie, but something that's not going to depress me. Is this it?

[gaffa]

Is it a movie where the main character is put in many embarrassing situations? I hate feeling embarrassed for a character.
I know the type of thing you're talking about, and I dislike it myself.
I want a, not necessarily a feel good movie, but something that's not going to depress me. Is this it?
He may be a twenty-something slacker with a mediocre band, but in the end Scott Pilgrim acquits himself quite admirably.

[kasuo]

This movie definitely spoke to those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s. Nice touch on the remix of The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past track and the fight scenes that were pretty much every fighting game published by Capcom.

[gaffa]

This movie definitely spoke to those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s. Nice touch on the remix of The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past track and the fight scenes that were pretty much every fighting game published by Capcom.
I don't play games and I'm going to be 50 this month, but it was still a very enjoyable movie. I get the distinct impression that the whole thing was filled with game references that flew past me, much like the opera references in the film Prizzi's Honor (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089841/).

I sure hope this finds its audience. I saw it and The Expendables, and despite an over-abundance of testosterone in the latter, Scott Pilgrim was a much better action movie.

[Taomist]

I really, really want to go play VirtuaFighter for hours now! (It was the only combat game I was any good at... >.<)

I enjoyed it thoroughly.


Edit to add: I predict many Halloween costumes coming out of this, but most predictably the Demon Hipster Chicks. :p

[Push You Down]

Edit to add: I predict many Halloween costumes coming out of this, but most predictably the Demon Hipster Chicks. :p

Ramona Flowers cosplay is already pretty damn rampant at any comic-con.

[matt_mcl]

Is it a movie where the main character is put in many embarrassing situations? I hate feeling embarrassed for a character.

I despise those kinds of movies, and I didn't have that feeling during Scott Pilgrim. He gets beat up a lot, not humiliated.

[Ephemera]

I liked it well enough, but thought Scott was a self-involved jackass through too much of the film -- I especially didn't like how he treated Knives -- so the ending was a little hollow to me. Other than that, though, I liked it.

[justafriend]

I wasn't a big fan of the ending, either. The book had a much more satisfying ending, with Scott realizing he's not much different from Gideon. "Scott has earned the Power of Understanding!"
Plus, Ramona is the one who ultimately kicks Gideon's ass.

That said, though, the movie was still awesome. I loved how Ramona was so obviously too cool for Scott. The mix of music and fighting was really well done. Overall, the movie pretty much lived up to my expectations as a great highlight reel of the books.

[Raguleader]

Is it a movie where the main character is put in many embarrassing situations? I hate feeling embarrassed for a character.

I want a, not necessarily a feel good movie, but something that's not going to depress me. Is this it?

He gets in a few awkward/embarrassing situations, but mostly due to his own stupid (typical guy) actions.

Mainly, not having the testicular fortitude to actually break off his relationship with Knives before pursuing a relationship with Ramona, and on top of that, managing to double-book a date.

As others said, he does consistently get enough kick-ass moments of his own in throughout the movie to keep it from getting too much.

[Push You Down]

I liked it well enough, but thought Scott was a self-involved jackass through too much of the film -- I especially didn't like how he treated Knives -- so the ending was a little hollow to me. Other than that, though, I liked it.

....well.... you know that's the story. It isn't about "can Scott beat these evil exes and keep the girl.".. it's "can Scott grow the eff up and realize that he's been a dick and have a mature relationship."

[Taomist]

Is it a movie where the main character is put in many embarrassing situations? I hate feeling embarrassed for a character.



Yeah, don't go see Dinner For Schmucks.
That was PAINful, seriously.

[Ephemera]

I liked it well enough, but thought Scott was a self-involved jackass through too much of the film -- I especially didn't like how he treated Knives -- so the ending was a little hollow to me. Other than that, though, I liked it.

....well.... you know that's the story. It isn't about "can Scott beat these evil exes and keep the girl.".. it's "can Scott grow the eff up and realize that he's been a dick and have a mature relationship."

That doesn't mean I have to like the character. He realized he was being an ass, but he still improbably got the girl. Both I and the friend I saw it with liked the movie, but not the protagonist. When Knives told him that she was too cool for him, I smiled in agreement.

[Rocketeer]

Went to see this last night (my wife went to see Eat Pray Love :rolleyes: at the same multiplex) and, although I'm also not in the target audience, I loved it. I thought it had a nice sense of whimsey, and it also did what too few movies do: It showed me something I'd never seen before.

[kushiel]

If I don't like Michael Cera, and I don't like hipster movies (you know, Napolean Dynamite, Superbad, those kinds) will the video game references be enough to get me to see it? I was intrigued by the Zelda reference someone mentioned above.

[Taomist]

If I don't like Michael Cera, and I don't like hipster movies (you know, Napolean Dynamite, Superbad, those kinds) will the video game references be enough to get me to see it? I was intrigued by the Zelda reference someone mentioned above.

Well, I never saw Superbad, I never thought of Dynamite as being hipster, but...not sure. I would think...maybe not.

The trailers give an accurate enough feel for you to tell if you'd hate it, I think.

I really liked the comment further upthread about it being a better action flick than Expendables. During the whole movie I was thinking 'Ok, this is the first movie to show something DIFFERENT in a long time.' It's definitely original, though of course it's from a comic. All in all I'm enjoying the comic trend, as, again, they're somewhat original, which I appreciate. But if you don't...then you won't like it I don't think.

Watch as many trailers as you can and see if it makes you want to see more, or fling shurikens at Cera.

[JSexton]

That was incredible. Kieran Culkin knocked it out of the ball park. I would honestly pay full price to see a Wallace Wells spinoff movie.

[enalzi]

That was incredible. Kieran Culkin knocked it out of the ball park. I would honestly pay full price to see a Wallace Wells spinoff movie.

Agreed. The movie was a lot funnier than I was expecting, mainly due to Wallace. He really stole the movie.

[My Darn Snake Legs]

"You punched the highlights out of her hair!"

Man, we loved this movie. I'd actually never seen Kieran Culkin before, and I spent the beginning of the movie thinking "man, he kinda looks like Tobey Maguire...but that can't be right."

I was totally surprised at the end when the coins are really in focus. I knew that the movie was in Canada, but I thought "Hey! Toonies!"

My only problem was this:

My friend and I felt that the real climax of the movie was the fight against the twins. That was epic, and the rest of the movie was...not exactly a let down...but a different note.

[Raguleader]

"You punched the highlights out of her hair!"

Man, we loved this movie. I'd actually never seen Kieran Culkin before, and I spent the beginning of the movie thinking "man, he kinda looks like Tobey Maguire...but that can't be right."

I was totally surprised at the end when the coins are really in focus. I knew that the movie was in Canada, but I thought "Hey! Toonies!"

My only problem was this:

My friend and I felt that the real climax of the movie was the fight against the twins. That was epic, and the rest of the movie was...not exactly a let down...but a different note.

To be honest, I figured the final battle would start with Scott fighting all of the previous Exes again before he could fight the last Ex, but mostly because of the video game motif. I'm pretty sure I've played at least one video game where that happened. Instead we have a curbstomp fight between him and a bunch of mooks we've never seen before and will never see again.

[enalzi]

"You punched the highlights out of her hair!"

Man, we loved this movie. I'd actually never seen Kieran Culkin before, and I spent the beginning of the movie thinking "man, he kinda looks like Tobey Maguire...but that can't be right."

I was totally surprised at the end when the coins are really in focus. I knew that the movie was in Canada, but I thought "Hey! Toonies!"

My only problem was this:

My friend and I felt that the real climax of the movie was the fight against the twins. That was epic, and the rest of the movie was...not exactly a let down...but a different note.

To be honest, I figured the final battle would start with Scott fighting all of the previous Exes again before he could fight the last Ex, but mostly because of the video game motif. I'm pretty sure I've played at least one video game where that happened. Instead we have a curbstomp fight between him and a bunch of mooks we've never seen before and will never see again.

I thought that was going to happen too (but it would have taken way too long), but after it was over I realized they went with the other cliche:

The "Defeat the boss in a seemingly easy battle only to find out he's much more powerful and have to use combined powers to beat him."

[RandMcnally]

Well, I took the advice of the Dope and dragged the wife to the show.

We both loved it! It took a bit to find its footing but we liked how funny and original it was.

Scott was a douche-bag at the beginning and I still can't figure out why Ramona went out with him, but overall we greatly enjoyed the movie.

[Equipoise]

That was incredible. Kieran Culkin knocked it out of the ball park. I would honestly pay full price to see a Wallace Wells spinoff movie.

Agreed. The movie was a lot funnier than I was expecting, mainly due to Wallace. He really stole the movie.I've liked Kieran ever since he played Ralphie Parker in It Runs In The Family (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110168/) (aka A Summer Story). I mean, who doesn't love Peter Billingsley as Ralphie, right? So Kieran got a lot of shit for trying to step into Peter's shoes. But if you take the movie as its own entity and not as a direct sequel to A Christmas Story, which, ok, it is, but still, it's really good. I think so anyway, I love it. And Kieran makes a wonderful Ralphie. And Igby (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280760/). And Wallace Wells.

[Raguleader]

Well, I took the advice of the Dope and dragged the wife to the show.

We both loved it! It took a bit to find its footing but we liked how funny and original it was.

Scott was a douche-bag at the beginning and I still can't figure out why Ramona went out with him, but overall we greatly enjoyed the movie.

To be fair to Ramona, did you notice a trend with her exes? Ramona seems to almost exclusively date douche-bags.

[Raguleader]

I thought that was going to happen too (but it would have taken way too long), but after it was over I realized they went with the other cliche:

The "Defeat the boss in a seemingly easy battle only to find out he's much more powerful and have to use combined powers to beat him."

Well, as for it taking too long, I figured that as strong and motivated as Scott had become by the end of the movie, he'd probably take about as long, we'd just get some cool quick shots of the various attacks playing into one quick action sequence.

Then again, I didn't write the story, who knows what I would have messed up instead. :D

Oh, speaking of the final battle, I had an epiphany this morning while driving my wife to work.

At the end, Scott has to face... Nega-Scott! And instead they just end up bonding and talking about having brunch. The reason the fight never happened wasn't because it was funnier that way, it was because Scott had already dealt with his dark side like five minutes previously. That was the whole point of his gaining "The Power Of Self-Respect".

[Rocketeer]

(slaps forehead)

[smiling bandit]

Heh. I I thought that at the very end,

Knives would go out and date Nega-Scott.

[Tortuga]

We saw it last night and enjoyed it. The first 45 minutes or so were pretty painful though in the style of Superbad-awkwardness, but it's redeemed when the action starts.

To those who've read the book(s), what's the deal with him living across the street from the house he grew up in? Anything more to that?

[Darth Panda]

Saw it last night - loved it. You had me at Bob-omb...

[Push You Down]

To those who've read the book(s), what's the deal with him living across the street from the house he grew up in? Anything more to that?

He's a loser who can't grow up.

[Raguleader]

Heh. I I thought that at the very end,

Knives would go out and date Nega-Scott.

Of course, the best possible ending would be if at the very end:

Knives would go out and date Ramona

Just sayin.

[Push You Down]

They cut the Knives/Kim Pine make-out.

[Rocketeer]

Heh. I I thought that at the very end,

Knives would go out and date Nega-Scott.

I thought that'd be a good resolution, too.

[Jonathan Chance]

Am I the only one who caught the multiple 'Flash Gordon' audio callbacks? At least a couple of the sounds and some of the music pulled directly from the 1980 version.

[Serenata67]

I can't wait to see it... I skipped past the other comments so I wouldn't see any spoilers... but I can't wait! Sounds awesome!

[Jonathan Chance]

And here's more from Adult Swim:

Scott Pilgrim vs the Animation (http://video.adultswim.com/promos/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-animation.html)

[BrassyPhrase]

I enjoyed it so much. A big goofy grin on my face for a lot of it. I liked the music too.
It's a fun movie about love with lots of action/fights, gameplay (I'm not a gamer, but it's cute). and also A BAND.
I've already told him that next datenite, he's seeing it :)

[WomanofScorn]

I watched it last night, thought it was ridiculously funny. I think it had a Napoleon Dynomiteness to it because it had one of those oddball "which time period is this movie set in?" kind of things. There was old stuff mixed with new down to the old-fashioned looking cell phones.

Every time someone commented on his hair, and he'd magically have a hat on, had me giggling like a loon for some reason.

And Kieran Culkin looks like the lovechild of Tobey Mcguire and Elijah Wood.

[Bryan Ekers]

Well, regarding the ending:
I figured the bit with Nega-Scott was a likely tribute to the original Prince of Persia in whichthe player ends up facing a mirror image of himself and the only way to end the battle is to put your sword away

And "You punched the highlights out of her hair!" nearly killed me.

[Khadaji]

I didn't finish it because of a screaming child (had I waited just 30 seconds, the family was ejected) but it wasn't good enough to go back to. I'll maybe rent it. It was trying much too hard.

[The Hamster King]

Am I the only one who caught the multiple 'Flash Gordon' audio callbacks?I laughed out loud when Gideon's ring made the sound of Ming's ring.

[runcible spoon]

Saw it tonight, and loved it. I loved the parts without Michael Cera better than the parts with him, though - I thought he was much more annoying than Scott in the comics. Sure, he's a slacker, and complains a lot, but somehow in the comics it seemed more like he was bantering with Wallace, instead of having a pity party for himself. Plus, it made the first date with Ramona really hard to swallow - this is the guy who's made one awkward first impression, and then stuttered through the whole date, and she's falling for him? Seemed forced.

All the rest of the characters were fantastic, though, and he wasn't so bad that the movie sucked - just a little tarnish on an otherwise fan-fucking-tastic movie. I third a Wallace spinoff, too.

[Cliffy]

I really loved it. I don't think it's a hipster movie at all in the style of Napoleon Dynamite. The humor isn't dependant on being uncomfortable or awkward, and although it's very funny, it's not primarily a comedy or farce; it's an action rom-com centered on a coming of age story.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a really good actress -- she was able to convey Romona's thoughts and emotions clearly even though Ramona isn't a demonstrative person. But I never would have thrown over Knives.

--Cliffy

[MovieMogul]

I liked the film a lot, so hate to be the bearer of bad news: It may not be a dud, but it certainly is a bomb (http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/scott-pilgrim-vs-box-office-how-something-so-good-did-so-bad-20335).

[The Hamster King]

I liked the film a lot, so hate to be the bearer of bad news: It may not be a dud, but it certainly is a bomb (http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/scott-pilgrim-vs-box-office-how-something-so-good-did-so-bad-20335).Huh ... that explains why it was so easy to get tickets last weekend when it was nigh-impossible the weekend before.

I'm perversely glad. I hate it when stuff I love becomes popular.

[MovieMogul]

[QUOTE]I'm perversely glad. I hate it when stuff I love becomes popular.Far better that they die on the vine so nobody wants to make similar things, eh? :dubious:

As far as mash-ups go, Scott Pilgrim vs. The Matrix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RsZErYEXz8) is pretty damn good.

[The Hamster King]

Far better that they die on the vine so nobody wants to make similar things, eh? :dubious:Popularity usually destroys what made me like it in the first place. Sequels and knock-offs tend to lose the quirky charm of the original.

[elfkin477]

So...if I'm a fan of Kieran Culkin and Mary Elizabeth Winstead does that make up enough for thinking Michael Cera is unlikable to watch it?

[Miller]

Far better that they die on the vine so nobody wants to make similar things, eh? :dubious:Popularity usually destroys what made me like it in the first place. Sequels and knock-offs tend to lose the quirky charm of the original.

Except that when original works don't make any money, the people who finance these sorts of things are more likely to invest in more sequels and knock-offs. Every time a Scott Pilgrim fails to make money, that means another Scary Movie sequel is going to get greenlit instead of taking a chance on something else quirky and original.

[AndyPolley]

So...if I'm a fan of Kieran Culkin and Mary Elizabeth Winstead does that make up enough for thinking Michael Cera is unlikable to watch it?

Yes. Culkin simply steals every single scene he's in & Winstead is a treat. For that matter, even though Micheal Cera is playing Michael Cera, it's a different brand of Michael Cera, so you might not even totally hate him here either.

Plus, many awesome fight scenes. And great music. Scott's band's songs were written by Beck.

[Quimby]

I liked the film a lot, so hate to be the bearer of bad news: It may not be a dud, but it certainly is a bomb (http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/scott-pilgrim-vs-box-office-how-something-so-good-did-so-bad-20335).

Jeez the studio exec they interviewed is a little harsh. You would think Michael Cera banged his wife or something.

[Maggie the Ocelot]

Just saw this tonight. Loved it. If anyone hasn't seen it, GO!

[Raguleader]

I liked the film a lot, so hate to be the bearer of bad news: It may not be a dud, but it certainly is a bomb (http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/scott-pilgrim-vs-box-office-how-something-so-good-did-so-bad-20335).

Jeez the studio exec they interviewed is a little harsh. You would think Michael Cera banged his wife or something.

Maybe the exec was one of the evil exes of Cera's current beau?

[Cisco]

Saw it last night. Liked it a lot. It fell just short of "loved it,", though. Since what I liked will be "everything else," I'll just point out what I didn't really care for:

Thought the gay roommate thing was weird and unfunny and almost uncomfortable at times. I didn't even realize he was gay until a good 30 minutes in (did I blink and miss something before they explicitly said he was gay?), and then I spent the rest of the movie trying to figure out who this character was. Mack-daddy? Nice guy? Wise sage? Empty container to store gay jokes in?

I thought Sex Bob-Omb could've rocked or sucked more. They were just . . . ok.

Everything about Scott's relationship with Knives was weird and awkward. I mean, why was he dating a 17 year old? And they were never fully committed, never fully broke up . . . it was just a little weird.

For that matter, I would've liked to have seen a little more reason for him and Ramona to like each other. I hate this Hollywood "it was written"* copout for not being able to write a convincing romance that is trending so big lately.

I would've liked a little tighter editing/pacing. It wandered a lot, even when it got deep into the plot, and most of the time it was for unnecessary scenes that weren't really funny or endearing or cool or redeemable in any way IMO.

I know you guys are going to say about a lot of my complaints, "oh you just can't appreciate subtlety." That's not true. I love subtlety in a story. I love ambiguity, and unanswered/unanswerable questions, when done right. This didn't feel like that, though, to me. It felt like there was a guy fighting for it to be a romcom, and another guy fighting for it to be an action movie, and another guy fighting for it to be a coming-of-age story, and they never really reconciled with each other. Without even looking at IMDb, I'm going to guess it had a bare minimum of 2 screenwriters, and probably more like 3 or 4. Where some might've seen subtlety, I saw conflict-- and not in the good "drama is conflict" way.

Some of you might also ask why the hell I'm complaining so much about a movie I claim to have liked. Well, I expect a lot of movies :D, and I can like something quite a bit yet still see much room for improvement.

8.0 out of 10



*(see Slumdog Millionaire)

[Cisco]

I liked the film a lot, so hate to be the bearer of bad news: It may not be a dud, but it certainly is a bomb (http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/scott-pilgrim-vs-box-office-how-something-so-good-did-so-bad-20335).

Jeez the studio exec they interviewed is a little harsh. You would think Michael Cera banged his wife or something.

I read that this morning and also thought the studio exec was way too hard on Michael Cera, and I don't really like Michael Cera. He pretty much got personal.

[Ranchoth]

For that matter, even though Micheal Cera is playing Michael Cera, it's a different brand of Michael Cera, so you might not even totally hate him here either.

I wouldn't say I'm his biggest fan or anything, but I still don't get the hatred for him playing Michael Cera-oid characters. I mean, it's like hiring John Wayne to play a cowboy; or Peter Lorre to play a wormy, creepy guy. It's what he's supposed to be doing! :smack:

[Miller]

Everything about Scott's relationship with Knives was weird and awkward. I mean, why was he dating a 17 year old?

You really have to ask why he was dating a 17 year old Asian Catholic schoolgirl? C'mon, man. Some questions answer themselves.

[Raguleader]

For that matter, even though Micheal Cera is playing Michael Cera, it's a different brand of Michael Cera, so you might not even totally hate him here either.

I wouldn't say I'm his biggest fan or anything, but I still don't get the hatred for him playing Michael Cera-oid characters. I mean, it's like hiring John Wayne to play a cowboy; or Peter Lorre to play a wormy, creepy guy. It's what he's supposed to be doing! :smack:

Well, would it kill The Duke to try a role just a little out of type? Like.. maybe if he played a Mongol warrior of some sort!

Something I realized last night: Kieran Culkin, the guy who played Wallace, Scott's gay room mate is Macaulay Culkin's brother. Seems he also played the main character's cousin in Home Alone.

Oh, and Cisco, Wallace's gay-ness was alluded to a few times early on "Does this mean we have to stop sleeping together?" "Do you see another bed here?", and I think it gets mentioned in passing during one of Scott and Wallace's conversations earlier on, but I'm not sure if it's stated outright until Wallace meets Knives (at which point Scott mentions that Wallace is gay about three or four hundred times in one awkward run-on sentence.)

[Equipoise]

Something I realized last night: Kieran Culkin, the guy who played Wallace, Scott's gay room mate is Macaulay Culkin's brother. Seems he also played the main character's cousin in Home Alone.Advance notice tip: Rory Culkin (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0191412/) is Macaulay's brother too.

Kieran (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001085/) was 8 in Home Alone and has been in a lot of movies since then (my favorites being It Runs In The Family and Igby Goes Down) and it's about time he and Rory started getting some attention, even through supporting roles.

[AndyPolley]

I wouldn't say I'm his biggest fan or anything, but I still don't get the hatred for him playing Michael Cera-oid characters. I mean, it's like hiring John Wayne to play a cowboy; or Peter Lorre to play a wormy, creepy guy. It's what he's supposed to be doing! :smack:

Oh...I'm a Michael Cera fan. I only made the point to elfkin477 who stated a distaste for him.

I agree with Cisco in that I'd like to have seen a touch more development between Scott & Romona...but there was the great Pac Man scene at the party. Maybe she was simply charmed by him there.

[lavenderviolet]

I wouldn't say I'm his biggest fan or anything, but I still don't get the hatred for him playing Michael Cera-oid characters. I mean, it's like hiring John Wayne to play a cowboy; or Peter Lorre to play a wormy, creepy guy. It's what he's supposed to be doing! :smack:
Yeah, that's how I feel too. I don't have anything against the guy. I think he is a good choice for playing this kind of character.
I'm disappointed that Scott Pilgrim isn't doing better. Though I'm not its target audience either (I play some video games but I'm not a hardcore gamer, and I had never heard of the comic book before the movie came out) I think it's very fresh and funny. I'd love to see more creative and quirky movies like this.
This movie's poor showing makes me fear that when studios put out crappy movies they really are just giving the public what they want. :(

[Cisco]

This movie's poor showing makes me fear that when studios put out crappy movies they really are just giving the public what they want. :(
If you're just now figuring that out, you haven't been paying attention.

[Raguleader]

Popularity usually destroys what made me like it in the first place. Sequels and knock-offs tend to lose the quirky charm of the original.

Except that when original works don't make any money, the people who finance these sorts of things are more likely to invest in more sequels and knock-offs. Every time a Scott Pilgrim fails to make money, that means another Scary Movie sequel is going to get greenlit instead of taking a chance on something else quirky and original.

Incidentally, Cieran (and Macaulay, as mentioned before) Culkin's brother is going to be in Scre4m, the 4th Scream movie. I haven't seen the Scream movies, but I have heard they tend to be on the more intelligent end of the horror movie spectum at least.

[Cisco]

Incidentally, Cieran (and Macaulay, as mentioned before) Culkin's brother is going to be in Scre4m, the 4th Scream movie. I haven't seen the Scream movies, but I have heard they tend to be on the more intelligent end of the horror movie spectum at least.
The first one was kind of a satire of horror movies before every horror movie was a satire of horror movies. The sequels . . . yeah . . . the less said about them, the better.

[Khadaji]

[quote=Ranchoth;12853728]<SNIP>
This movie's poor showing makes me fear that when studios put out crappy movies they really are just giving the public what they want. :(
I have never understood the general public's tastes. I don't expect everyone to have my tastes (which are admittedly very simplistic) but the fact that The Saw series for instance, makes enough money to keep being made continues to amaze me.

[Raguleader]

I have never understood the general public's tastes. I don't expect everyone to have my tastes (which are admittedly very simplistic) but the fact that The Saw series for instance, makes enough money to keep being made continues to amaze me.

Incidentally, a lot of the quote tags seem to be getting mangled in here lately. If you see a hanging {QUOTE=Someposter} tag hanging up at the top of a post, maybe add another {/QUOTE}tag at the bottom. (only, with the square brackets instead of the squiggily ones)

[shy guy]

I'm not the biggest Michael Cera fan in the world, but I appreciated him in this role specifically because Scott is a giant tool for most of the movie. You may sympathize with him to varying degrees (I didn't, really), but he's not supposed to be likable.

I'm not surprised the movie is a bomb. I liked it a lot, but it's weird. I can see it having huge appeal to a very small subset of people and hardly any outside that group.

[lavenderviolet]

This movie's poor showing makes me fear that when studios put out crappy movies they really are just giving the public what they want. :(
If you're just now figuring that out, you haven't been paying attention.

I guess I naively assumed that crappy unoriginal movies get made because people are willing to put up with them than because they actively prefer them. :smack:

[Khadaji]

[quote=Raguleader;12861327]

Incidentally, a lot of the quote tags seem to be getting mangled in here lately. If you see a hanging {QUOTE=Someposter} tag hanging up at the top of a post, maybe add another {/QUOTE}tag at the bottom. (only, with the square brackets instead of the squiggily ones)[quote]

Thank og you're here!

[Brynda]

I am NOT the demographic for this movie, but my boyfriend is. We both loved it. One of the better movies I have seen lately.

[ToeJam]

I hope a lot of you who liked the Movie but had issues with the pacing/quickness of it take the chance to pick up the books themselves. That's what amazed me- they basically took a 6 part series, and combined it all into a 2 hour film. So coming in as a fan, I knew there was going to be no sequel, and that basically this was my one shot of somehow seeing around 1000+ pages of a series compressed down into 2 hours, and hope it would be okay.... And Edgar Wright pulled it off quite well. So even if the movie HAD succeeded, there wouldn't really have been a way to create a sequel for it, unless O'Malley (the Canadian Manga's writer) wrote a new story basically afterward for the characters.
And that's not very likely to happen. But for those who want more Scott Pilgrim love, they should definitely check out the manga series, there's 6 books, with the story basically taking place over a year or more, and each of the boss fights happening several months apart and waaay more character buildup and explanations there. Plus, it's got a different ending than the movie, so something else to have (Though I preferred the Movie's ending to the books, but watching the movie's ending made me like the book's ending a little bit better, though I still prefer the movie ending).

[Cisco]

I hope a lot of you who liked the Movie but had issues with the pacing/quickness of it take the chance to pick up the books themselves. I've been in the hold queue at the library since April. Should have it soon, though.

[Illuminatiprimus]

Just came back from seeing this after giving up on finding anyone else to go with me.

This movie was fucking AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe this is dying at the box office, it's fantastic! I spent a huge amount of time watching it actually saying in my head "this movie is brilliant!" which doesn't happen often. In fact I'll go as far as to say I think this film just resuscitated by flatlining interest in anything produced by Hollywood as it seems that nothing but unmitigated shit is being churned out at the moment.

I don't get the Cera hate personally, maybe because I'm so used to him in Arrested Development which I loved so have positive associations. Also I haven't got burned out on slacker movies as I tend not to watch them, so seeing this one was fine.

But man, this was incredible! The characters were great, the acting was extremely good (I nth the Wallace spin off, I'd watch that shit), the story engaging, the humour perfectly delivered and the special effects were just out of this world. I'm torn between what my favourite moments were, can't decide if it was the vegan police busting in on Todd to strip him of his powers, or the fight between Ramona and Roxie (fuck that was intense!).

Anyway, enjoyed it massively, way more than I expected to (in fact it reminded me very much of Kick Ass in that respect which was very similar).

10 out of 10

[jackdavinci]

Just came back from seeing this after giving up on finding anyone else to go with me.

I would have gone with you ;-)

[Illuminatiprimus]

Just came back from seeing this after giving up on finding anyone else to go with me.

I would have gone with you ;-)It would have been fab! Unfortunately there's the matter of 5 timezones between us.

[jackdavinci]

It would have been fab! Unfortunately there's the matter of 5 timezones between us.

Feh! let a little thing like that get in our way LOL

[runcible spoon]

If one of you was vegan, it wouldn't be a problem.

[jackdavinci]

If one of you was vegan, it wouldn't be a problem.

Those vegan police are too damn strict!

[ToeJam]

hee...
"Crimes against Veganity"
It's the little lines that I just randomly recall and chuckle over. THAT's a sign of a great film there.

[Martini Enfield]

Despite never having heard of the comic, I went to see this last week and absolutely loved it- I agree with the poster earlier who suggested a double feature with Kick Ass; they're both fun, quirky films which don't even try and take themselves seriously.

As soon as I saw the Universal logo done in the style of an early '90s computer game graphic (complete with 8-bit synthesiser music!) I knew it was going to be my sort of film, and it was.

Interestingly, all people I know who have seen the film loved it, but the reviews haven't been especially good and it really does look like a lot of the reviewers just didn't "get" the film or the quirky video game/comic-book universe it's set in.

I'm definitely looking forward to the DVD release, that's for sure!

[Raguleader]

I just finished reading the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels, and yeah, highly recommend them. They give you a lot more insight into the other characters (the movie is basically entirely from Scott's POV, while the comics switch around with the other characters from time to time, so you pretty much miss out on what the others are up to).

Basically, this movie-ization is to the comics what Flight of the Intruder was to the book it was based on (also called Flight of the Intruder, incidentally). Same plot, same characters for the very most part, but a lot leaner, with a lot of the details and depths smoothed over a bit (as opposed to, say, Starship Troopers, which took the concept of the book, and otherwise had very little to do with it).

I do once again recommend any fans of the movie to read the books, they give Scott's character a lot more depth.

[Kiyoshi]

I thought it was pretty "meh". I started off thinking "what the hell have I paid to see here?" (I was actually considering walking out after about 20 minutes), but it did get better as it went along. There were a few moments that made me laugh a little, but overall it was just trying ridiculously hard to be quirky, self-aware and hipster-ish.

Most of the characters were entirely unsympathetic -- actually, I'm not even sure whether we were meant to sympathise with the main character, but anyway, I hated him from the get-go because of the way he treated his first girlfriend. The love interest was equally unpleasant. I was also offended by the stereotypical depiction of the gay flatmate as a promiscuous "sexual predator." The only characters I liked were the first girlfriend and the drummer.

I also didn't understand the ending: surely he ended up with the wrong girl? Unless the point was that these two nasty characters deserved each other (presumably he got dumped by the slut a couple of weeks later) and the first girlfriend could do a lot better. Other questions questions that popped into my mind were: "If the characters are unemployed, how do they afford to go to these parties and clubs?" and "Is it just me, or is Michael Cera the spitting image of Harpo Marx?".

So overall, as a fan of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, I was very disappointed. I wasn't expecting this film to be a rehash of Edgar Wright's previous stuff, but having seen it now, I can only presume that he just did it for the money.

[Illuminatiprimus]

I was also offended by the stereotypical depiction of the gay flatmate as a promiscuous "sexual predator." The only characters I liked were the first girlfriend and the drummer.Why? We are all promiscuous sexual predators!

[Raguleader]

I thought it was pretty "meh". I started off thinking "what the hell have I paid to see here?" (I was actually considering walking out after about 20 minutes), but it did get better as it went along. There were a few moments that made me laugh a little, but overall it was just trying ridiculously hard to be quirky, self-aware and hipster-ish.

Most of the characters were entirely unsympathetic -- actually, I'm not even sure whether we were meant to sympathise with the main character, but anyway, I hated him from the get-go because of the way he treated his first girlfriend. The love interest was equally unpleasant. I was also offended by the stereotypical depiction of the gay flatmate as a promiscuous "sexual predator." The only characters I liked were the first girlfriend and the drummer.

I also didn't understand the ending: surely he ended up with the wrong girl? Unless the point was that these two nasty characters deserved each other (presumably he got dumped by the slut a couple of weeks later) and the first girlfriend could do a lot better. Other questions questions that popped into my mind were: "If the characters are unemployed, how do they afford to go to these parties and clubs?" and "Is it just me, or is Michael Cera the spitting image of Harpo Marx?".

So overall, as a fan of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, I was very disappointed. I wasn't expecting this film to be a rehash of Edgar Wright's previous stuff, but having seen it now, I can only presume that he just did it for the money.

To be fair, in the graphic novel, if anything, Scott is made to be even less likeable than he is in the movie. In fact, the revelation of exactly how much of a jerk he has been to pretty much everybody is actually a plot point in the later books (You know the term "Unreliable Narrator"? Let's say Scott might end up being the picture in the Wikipedia article). The movie also didn't cover a lot of the stuff with Ramona and Knives (and Kim, and Lisa) dealing with their own issues.

As far as the token gay being a sleaze, it's again worth noting that the movie trimmed stuff from the books, like two or three other gay supporting characters (either periphery characters, or non-plot-central traits of some of the supporting characters)

Then again, this only helps you so far since you watched the movie, and didn't read the book, and your opinion is based on what they DID decide to put in the film, the stuff that they presumably felt would make for the strongest movie (and not just the movie for those in the audience with the strongest bladders).

[Raguleader]

I've got a question, I've seen folks complain because the film is a "Hipster Comedy", and I've seen others defend it saying "It's not a Hipster Comedy, it's a Hipster Satire!", but I have no idea what a Hipster is. I'm pretty sure it's not the guys in the turtlenecks and berets snapping their fingers in coffee shops while listening to beat poetry or whatever.

Anybody able to explain to me what a Hipster is, and what Hipster Comedy is? I thought this was basically a geek movie, what with the video game world it takes place in and such.

[Cisco]

Haven't you been paying attention for the last 10 years (and especially the last 5)? Geek is in. It's cool to be a geek now.

Ask a million different people what a hipster is and you'll get a million different answers, but it's basically someone too "cool" for their own good. They spend and unbelievable amount of time and effort trying to make it look like they don't really care about anything. They wear expensive designer clothes painstaking made to look cheap. They usually listen to indie rock. They liked your favorite band before you did, and they hate them now. They drink "ironic" beers like Pabst Blue Ribbon. The specifics change from generation to generation, but I figure these types have been around forever.

[Raguleader]

Haven't you been paying attention for the last 10 years (and especially the last 5)? Geek is in. It's cool to be a geek now.

Ask a million different people what a hipster is and you'll get a million different answers, but it's basically someone too "cool" for their own good. They spend and unbelievable amount of time and effort trying to make it look like they don't really care about anything. They wear expensive designer clothes painstaking made to look cheap. They usually listen to indie rock. They liked your favorite band before you did, and they hate them now. They drink "ironic" beers like Pabst Blue Ribbon. The specifics change from generation to generation, but I figure these types have been around forever.

So... what you are saying is that Scott Pilgrim isn't a Hipster comedy at all then?:confused:

[Cisco]

So... what you are saying is that Scott Pilgrim isn't a Hipster comedy at all then?:confused:
I don't know. I never called it one. But the clothes, hairstyles, video game references, and general club-scene setting of the movie all lean towards hipsterism.

[Raguleader]

So... what you are saying is that Scott Pilgrim isn't a Hipster comedy at all then?:confused:
I don't know. I never called it one. But the clothes, hairstyles, video game references, and general club-scene setting of the movie all lean towards hipsterism.

Actually, the only folks I can think of who might fit the "Hipster" definition would be some of the Exes. Gideon definitely (Scott also calls him out as pretentious in the climax), Envy and Todd to a lesser degree. Maybe some of the minor characters, but not Scott and his crew (they're not presented as nearly cool enough to be hipsters, just some geeks in a band)

[Bosstone]

Haven't you been paying attention for the last 10 years (and especially the last 5)? Geek is in. It's cool to be a geek now.Well, we geeks really want to believe that, anyway. (http://www.cracked.com/funny-4739-scott-pilgrim/)

[Martini Enfield]

So... what you are saying is that Scott Pilgrim isn't a Hipster comedy at all then?:confused:
I don't know. I never called it one. But the clothes, hairstyles, video game references, and general club-scene setting of the movie all lean towards hipsterism.

Really? I thought it was "Twentysomething Slacker/Uni Student-ism". I'm pretty sure that Knives describes Ramona as "That American Hipster Chick" at some point, which I thought was odd because I categorised Ramona as "Alternative".

To me, Hipsters dress like Napoleon Dynamite (or at least get their clothes from the same Op Shop as him) and make stupid "faux-thoughtful" faces in front of cameras at parties. But I digress.

FWIW, I loved the film purely as a very strange comedy- I'm not sure if I'd call it a "romantic" comedy but I think there's something in it for most people under about 40 to relate to somewhere.

[Raguleader]

I don't know. I never called it one. But the clothes, hairstyles, video game references, and general club-scene setting of the movie all lean towards hipsterism.

Really? I thought it was "Twentysomething Slacker/Uni Student-ism". I'm pretty sure that Knives describes Ramona as "That American Hipster Chick" at some point, which I thought was odd because I categorised Ramona as "Alternative".

I don't remember Knives calling Ramona a hipster, but she does call her a "Fatass" a couple of times. She's not exactly a reliable litmus paper by which to judge Ramona.

[jackdavinci]

Really? I thought it was "Twentysomething Slacker/Uni Student-ism".

Are they mutually exclusive? Seriously though, some people may have tried to narrow down the definition of hipster to something useful, but for the most part, people are using 'hipster' as a fairly broad pejorative. And there are definitely large portions of the population for whom hipster means "anything involving Juno, Michael Cera, Napoleon Dynamite, ironic tshirts, or indy music/film".

[Raguleader]

Really? I thought it was "Twentysomething Slacker/Uni Student-ism".

Are they mutually exclusive? Seriously though, some people may have tried to narrow down the definition of hipster to something useful, but for the most part, people are using 'hipster' as a fairly broad pejorative. And there are definitely large portions of the population for whom hipster means "anything involving Juno, Michael Cera, Napoleon Dynamite, ironic tshirts, or indy music/film".

Man, if you gotta define what a Hipster is, then you must not be a Hipster!:D

[ToeJam]

Hipster is basically that which has replaced the "Gen-X" stereotype of the 90s/Alternative movement. So the late teens to early 30s period currently seems to be where the hipster label is applied and it's used in so many different variations and labels, all basically to say "Alternative" or "Not the mainstream", but to the point, where Hipsterism seems so prevalent, that it almost feels Mainstream.
Good examples of "Hipsters" would be seen by the webcomics "Questionable Content (http://www.questionablecontent.net/index.php)" and "Diesel Sweeties (http://www.dieselsweeties.com/)". They are filled with a variety of characters, all of which could in some way by different people be described as "Hipster" (another similar term "Indie").

Themes in Scott Pilgrim that could be considered Hipster: "Gay/Metrosexual" culture, "Geek" culture, Veganism, Garage Rock, the exclusive club for hipsters to go and hang out at, the techno/club scene, the "retro" feel of wearing T-shirts of old bands and references to 80s culture even though the people wearing them would have been less than 10 years old in the 80s (Though I did love the "Plumtree" shirt Scott wears at the first party- it's a nice reference to the 90s female grunge band that inspired Brian O'Malley with their song "Scott Pilgrim"), hell, the term is so over used that it's just silly, and almost anything in the film could be pointed out as being "indie" or "hipster" when most of the time it doesn't take itself seriously enough to actually be condoning it. "Crimes against Veganity" isn't exactly condoning an element of hipster culture, but then again is scott pilgrim being a 20-something with no job, but going to clubs, and trying to be in a garage rock band really condoning the "hipster" lifestyle anymore?

The fact that the comics are done in a manga style, yet have warning on the very last page of them telling readers "Hey, why are you trying to read this book like some sort of Japanese manga?!? Go to the front of the book, and read it like a normal person" at times just gives support to the idea that though Scott Pilgrim may have a ton of references to "hipster" culture, it's pretty tongue in cheek at times, and with a good enough sense of humor to laugh at itself enough that you can't really tell if it's fully anti-hipsters (Which would comprise certainly a large part of its audience) or if it's being "ironic" in a hipster way and just poking fun at itself.

Personally, my opinion is that the book pokes fun at those who take themselves and their culture too seriously, and anyone who actually feels the need to try to pin down what the book's "message" is, is sort of missing the point- which is: it's fun, and it's enjoyable, so why care what it is? It simply is what it is. :D

[Spoke]

This movie has cult hit written all over it. As if to emphasize the point, it is presently playing to happy hipster crowds at the same local theater which shows Rocky Horror.

I got a giggle from the throwaway Seinfeld musical reference.

[Bosstone]

This movie has cult hit written all over it. As if to emphasize the point, it is presently playing to happy hipster crowds at the same local theater which shows Rocky Horror.

I got a giggle from the throwaway Seinfeld musical reference.I've heard that too, that the studio greenlighted the movie with the expectation of a huge return on DVD sales as it becomes known as a cult hit, rather than any real success at the box office.

[Raguleader]

It does occur to me that if they decide to do a sequel, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The Universe" is a ready-to-use sequel title. That said, Scott's story pretty much seems done here, barring Gideon having an extra life somewhere.

[orcenio]

Very Canadian/Torontoian. I loved the cycle of t-shirts that Scott wears...

'CBC'

'SARS'

:D

[DigitalC]

Haven't you been paying attention for the last 10 years (and especially the last 5)? Geek is in. It's cool to be a geek now.Well, we geeks really want to believe that, anyway. (http://www.cracked.com/funny-4739-scott-pilgrim/)

It's depressing how right on target that is.

[Little Nemo]

Just saw this movie today. I enjoyed it. It was certainly different (always a plus) and well made.

I liked the characters. I have no problem with Michael Cera playing Michael Cera roles.

The only issue I have was that the climax was a little vague. I think the point was that Scott "won" by growing up. But it could be equally argued that he won by winning all the fights he was supposed to. I think I would have preferred an ending where Scott refused to fight Gideon, thereby proving that he was different than all of Ramona's exes.

Haven't read the books but I probably will now based on enjoying the movie.

[Quimby]

Haven't read the books but I probably will now based on enjoying the movie.

I would recommend it. I bought the series because I liked the movie and I wasn't disappointed. They were very funny and well done.

[Tanbarkie]

Haven't read the books but I probably will now based on enjoying the movie.

I would recommend it. I bought the series because I liked the movie and I wasn't disappointed. They were very funny and well done.

I also bought the books after seeing the movie. I'm generally not a comics person, and I really don't care for manga, but I loved the books. They go into a lot more detail on some of the characters surrounding Scott, and there are some fantastically funny and/or poignant moments that aren't in the movie at all.

In retrospect, Kim Pine in particular gets the short end of the stick in terms of movie screentime. She's one of the cornerstone characters in the books, probably the second-most important person in Scott's life after Ramona herself. While Allison Pill did a wonderful job with what she was given in the movie, the time constraints of film meant that, sadly, she wasn't given much. But what was there was great.

"WE ARE SEX BOB-OMB! ONE TWO THREE FOUR!!"