The Adjustment Bureau (Nolfi, 2011)

[Spun Lepton]

Another attempt at a Philip K. Dick adaptation. Trailer looks pretty cool. *crosses fingers*

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/the-adjustment-bureau/trailer

[eternity]

Yeah, I don't think she's worth it, Matt.

[Barty]

Looks great.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Judging from the trailer, seems like she's gonna be in on it in some way.

[monolith94]

Looks like they've taken the short story and expanded it out into something that actually looks kind of cool. Still, I'm going to wait for reviews before I venture out to watch it.

[Morris Schæffer]

Encouraging!

[D_Davis]

Goddammit, linger on an image for more than .5 seconds. I just can't watch modern trailers anymore. They actually make me feel sick.

Hope this good - sounds like is has potential.

[Qrazy]

Is this a good Dick story D?

[D_Davis]

Is this a good Dick story D?


I've never read it. I'm not a big fan of his short fiction, although soon that will be all that's left to read.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I think it looks good. I want to see it.

[monolith94]

Is this a good Dick story D?
I've read and enjoyed it, although it is a bit "odd". It starts off kind of odd, and ends oddly, but iirc, it has some nice images. It's not nearly got enough material in it for a feature film, so you can probably read it without worrying too much about spoiling the movie, as they appear to have changed things around.

[MadMan]

I finally saw the preview for this, as its in front of Robin Hood. I'm not really sure what to think, but I've liked most of the Philip K. Dick adaptions I've seen, and the cast should certainly result in something promising.

[Spun Lepton]

I finally saw the preview for this, as its in front of Robin Hood. I'm not really sure what to think, but I've liked most of the Philip K. Dick adaptions I've seen, and the cast should certainly result in something promising.

Even Paycheck? Oof.

[MadMan]

Even Paycheck? Oof.Haven't seen that one, but I was referring more so to the great, underrated 2006 movie A Scanner Darkly. As well as Blade Runner and Total Recall. I own a copy of Minority Report, but I have't bothered to watch it.

[Spun Lepton]

Haven't seen that one, but I was referring more so to the great, underrated 2006 movie A Scanner Darkly. As well as Blade Runner and Total Recall. I own a copy of Minority Report, but I have't bothered to watch it.

Screamers is watchable and fun for a while, but it's marred by some cheap effects and a stupid ending. I can't help but wonder if the ending was changed at the last moment.

Paycheck was terrible.

[[ETM]]

Interesting trailer (any excuse for using music from Sunshine is a-ok with me), but it bothers me that the men from the Bureau look and act too much like the Observers from Fringe.

[megladon8]

Wow, that looks really neat.

I hope the movie lives up to the clever concept in a similarly clever way. It'd suck if it just turned into another "fight the man, the government's evil!" story.

[Rowland]

;261805'](any excuse for using music from Sunshine is a-ok with me)I dunno, I find myself a bit peeved knowing that many people experience the score for their first time outside of the movie, which I worry may diminish its impact. For instance, I liked Kick-Ass, but its recycling of themes from the 28 <insert> Later series and Sunshine felt lazy, regardless of how kick-ass the themes are.

[[ETM]]

I know, I was being selfish.

[Morris Schæffer]

I own a copy of Minority Report, but I have't bothered to watch it.

Get on that buddy. It's totally fab.

[Spun Lepton]

I dunno, I find myself a bit peeved knowing that many people experience the score for their first time outside of the movie, which I worry may diminish its impact.

I think you overestimate how closely people pay attention to these things.

[MadMan]

Screamers is watchable and fun for a while, but it's marred by some cheap effects and a stupid ending. I can't help but wonder if the ending was changed at the last moment.

Paycheck was terrible.I've heard about Screamers, but I've never seen that one. Paycheck on the other hand does appear to be rather craptastic. Knowing myself, it wouldn't surprise me if I appreciated it on some level...


Get on that buddy. It's totally fab.I have a stack of DVDs that I haven't watched, and yet I'm still out using Netflix and renting movies from the library. Which I don't watch, either. I fear my laziness has invaded my movie viewing.

[Raiders]

Release has been moved back to March 4, 2011.

[Morris Schæffer]

Good God:

http://www.empireonline.com/images/image_index/hw800/46691.jpg

[Rowland]

Dark City?

[Dukefrukem]

This seems like a really campy uninteresting idea.

[Ezee E]

This seems like a really campy uninteresting idea.
BUT they stole his future!!!

[DavidSeven]

Doesn't this movie just seem like one of those movies with a respectable actor in a suit being chased around with a clueless respectable actress by some larger-than-life conspiracy that no one ends up remembering a year later?


http://l.yimg.com/eb/ymv/us/img/hv/photo/movie_pix/universal_pictures/the_interpreter/theinterpreter_bigposter.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41SCzBSYQfL.jpg

Or is that a stretch?

[Spun Lepton]

Black and light blue appear to be the colors of conspiracy.

I'll still see this. Dick adaptations tend to be bad with very few exceptions, but I'm always willing to give them a shot.

[Henry Gale]

Doesn't this movie just seem like one of those movies with a respectable actor in a suit being chased around with a clueless respectable actress by some larger-than-life conspiracy that no one ends up remembering a year later?

Or is that a stretch?

Well, two things:

1. This doesn't start with "The Int..."

2. Clive Owen wields that squirt gun like quite the angry badass.

[Kurosawa Fan]

That might be the worst running pose I've ever seen.

[MadMan]

Terrible poster is really terrible.

[Dukefrukem]

Black and light blue appear to be the colors of conspiracy.

I'll still see this. Dick adaptations tend to be bad with very few exceptions, but I'm always willing to give them a shot.

Where was that awesome discussion about the colors of movie posters?

[Dukefrukem]

Tell me you guys read Armond White's review of this...

[Raiders]

Tell me you guys read Armond White's review of this...

Actually, in comparison to most of White's stuff, it is fairly lucid and on point. It is just a shame he acts as though treating angels and God as bureaucratic, company-men is "hispter" and "liberal" as though the two words were automatically a grave insult.

[Dukefrukem]

The man does not know how to use parentheses to his benefit.

[Fezzik]

I saw this on Saturday.

It's good. Not amazing or anything, but it was entertaining. Damon and Blunt have really good chemistry.

It's not groundbreaking, but its decent. And fun. Its the first movie I've seen in theaters this year, so I'm just glad it didn't suck. :)

[Barty]

I will echo the chemistry between Damon and Blunt, superb. However, I thought the tone of the movie was off, a little too whimsical in my mind, which a lot of blame should go to Thomas Newman's score which is completely mis-scored (which I don't day often).

[Izzy Black]

Black and light blue appear to be the colors of conspiracy.

I'll still see this. Dick adaptations tend to be bad with very few exceptions, but I'm always willing to give them a shot.

Really? I don't think so personally.

[Boner M]

This was dull and I've forgotten most of it already.

[Izzy Black]

I liked it.

[Sycophant]

Walter Chaw's takedown on this was entertaining.

[DavidSeven]

This was silly. Nolfi does not have the directing chops to sell the fantastical elements of this screenplay. It's engaging enough to kill a couple hours, but I'd reserve that viewing for late night cable, not the cinema.

[Sxottlan]

Eh, this was goofy. I agree the director never seemed to settle on a tone and too much seemed borrowed from other sources. There's a shot that seems reminiscent of The Conversation. Running through magic doors felt like Charlie Kaufman and the bureau guys seem to want to be the Strangers from Dark City. But there's never a real sense of existential dread from the bureau. They're instead portrayed as sympathetic pencil pushers. The ending lacked punch and felt like pandering.

And I don't believe I've ever seen a movie before that actually started with a music montage!

But Matt Damon and Emily Blunt had genuine chemistry and I enjoyed their scenes together.

[Mysterious Dude]

I hate the cameos. Instead of making the story more real, they just draw attention to its fictitious-ness. I mean, Matt Damon has actually been a guest on The Daily Show several times. In fact, I think they actually used clips from their 2009 interview (http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-september-15-2009/matt-damon) in the movie. Does The Adjustment Bureau take place in world where Jon Stewart exists, but Matt Damon does not? This kind of thing always took me out of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

[Mara]

I hate the cameos. Instead of making the story more real, they just draw attention to its fictitious-ness. I mean, Matt Damon has actually been a guest on The Daily Show several times. In fact, I think they actually used clips from their 2009 interview (http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-september-15-2009/matt-damon) in the movie. Does The Adjustment Bureau take place in world where Jon Stewart exists, but Matt Damon does not? This kind of thing always took me out of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Ah, the celebrity paradox. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CelebrityParadox)

[Dukefrukem]

Whoa I don't think I agree with all the criticism here. I liked how the movie hides just how sci-fi it actually is but I’m not seeing the tone change you guys are referring to. (my 5th movie I watched over the weekend)


Eh, this was goofy. I agree the director never seemed to settle on a tone and too much seemed borrowed from other sources. There's a shot that seems reminiscent of The Conversation. Running through magic doors felt like Charlie Kaufman and the bureau guys seem to want to be the Strangers from Dark City. But there's never a real sense of existential dread from the bureau. They're instead portrayed as sympathetic pencil pushers. The ending lacked punch and felt like pandering.

And I don't believe I've ever seen a movie before that actually started with a music montage!

But Matt Damon and Emily Blunt had genuine chemistry and I enjoyed their scenes together.



I don't see any Dark City references here.... are you referring to the fact that we know they are not "human" and referred to as angels? Would the Dark City folk let people get away?

[Robby P]

I kind of liked the movie, truthfully.

[Bosco B Thug]

If I could "adjustment bureau" the existence of a movie, it would be The Adjustment Bureau.

[Sxottlan]

I don't see any Dark City references here.... are you referring to the fact that we know they are not "human" and referred to as angels? Would the Dark City folk let people get away?

More that they were this anonymous group in the background who wore hats and had the ability to manipulate the environment around them.

But the Strangers were far more ominous.

[Ezee E]

Not sure I agree with the Keeper's idea of having the portals open up in CF of Yankee Stadium, and right in front of the Statue of Liberty.

Other then that, it's actually pretty good for sci-fi. Scaled back and character based, even if I never really understood the purpose of the Keepers selecting certain people. I think it could've used a better director. But still, Damon/Blunt make it worthwhile.