Double Feature Duel (Final Four): Rise of the of the Apes Planet vs. Super 8

Double Feature Duel (Final Four):
Rise of the of the Apes Planet  vs. Super 8 

One and a half of the more enjoyable surprise movies I’ve seen in the past year take on each other for a chance to challenge The Nines in the championship. Can Super 8 continue its run based on the charms of Elle Fanning and the standard JJ Abrams opening 20 minutes?

Title: I don’t have a lot of actual criteria for this thing here, but titles that give marquee changers carpal tunnel syndrome lose. (Point, Super 0-1)

Funnier: As much as I want to include the clever homages to the original POTA in this, they weren’t exactly funny. Super 8 was. (Point, Super 0-2)

Better Turn: I do love both of these turns, or at least what I’ve decided the turns are. The train derailing scene is quintessential JJ Abrams (which means he did it in Lost too) and Caesar closing the jail cell and opting to stay with the apes in captivity were both awesome. But I’ll go with the scene that drove the plot along better than the other. (Point, Rise 1-2)

Better Ending: Super 8 may have beat Adjustment Bureau in this category. But none of the other 62 movies. Including this one. (Point, Rise 2-2)

Better Message: Super 8 does make a decent statement about xenophobia, while Rise warns of the dangers of animal testing and makes a subtle statement (for those that weren’t paying attention) about classism. I favor subtlety. (Point, Rise 3-2)

Better Acting: Golem vs. Dakota Fanning’s little sis. I have been very vocal (to my 3 blog readers) about how I think Andy Serkis should have gotten an Oscar nomination for his work as Caesar. Or at least how it would have been cool. I have also said how much I enjoy Elle Fanning and the rest of the supporting cast of Super 8. As much as I enjoyed Serkis, I am really impressed with the comedy the new kids were able to create in Super 8. (Point, Super 3-3)

Poster: Super 8 is not going to lose this to many movies. This one included. (Point, Super 3-4)

More Creative: This is where I’ll give Rise its due for all the homages to the original. The name Caesar, the nickname Blue Eyes, the model of the Statue of Liberty, the first word he spoke, etc. etc. And in the end, Super 8 just turned out to be another misunderstood alien movie. (Point, Rise 4-4)

Watch again: These are two of the few movies in this contest I actually saw twice since the tournament began. And this is a tough call. I watched Super 8 twice before returning the DVD because I wanted Jenn to see it and I watched Rise in the theaters and again on DVD because I wanted Jenn to see it. So if I had to pick one to show my 18-year old daughter, I’d have to go with Rise. Congrats. (Point, Rise 5-4)

Overall: I know it seems like I make these close on purpose sometimes and I really know who’s going to win, but that is not the case my friend. I thought Super 8 might have pulled it out. And now, onto the finals. Winner: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (5-4)

Double Feature Duel: The Final Four Begins

Double Feature Duel:
The Final Four Begins

So there’s definitely an underdog but not necessarily a clear favorite. Of the three favorites, Big Fish has the distinction of being the only 10+ bug film at 10.5 and also carries with it a tradition (I watch it every year for Father’s Day) and the distinction of being occasionally called my favorite movie, and always one of my Top Five. Also, I had seen it before. Both The Nines and Rise of the Planet of the Apes were first-time views, though both got a 10-bug rating. I’ve also seen Rise of POTA another time since the first view because I like to make Jenn watch things I know she’ll hate I really enjoy. And then there’s the misfit Super 8 that has some sort of magic formula to keep winning this game. Like George Mason of 2006. And no, there was no storybook ending for them. And they were quite boring to watch actually. But anyway, let’s take a look at the paths of these movies before we get stated.

Big Fish (10.5): This movie won the Philadelphia Quadrant, which had the highest QBA (Quadrant Bug Average) of 6.31. It easily shut out the atrocious Storytelling and dodged An Inconvenient Truth with a little help from narrative-favored criteria. It shut down Body of Lies in the Sweet 16 and barely escaped with a one-point victory over Stranger Than Fiction, outscoring its first four opponents 27-9. Of the 9 points it lost, 3 of them were strangely in the category of “Watch Again,” which probably speaks to the fact that I watch this movie a lot. The other 6 points were in 6 different categories and the only two categories it won every time were “Best Ending” and “Most Creative.” It’s also due to get watched again in 2 months.

The Nines (10): This movie won the Baltimore Quadrant with a QBA of 5.94. This movie had by far the toughest road to the Final Four, having defeated (in order) Cars, The Cove, Planet of the Apes (1968) and Source Code, who had an average bug rating of 8. It was beaten 3 times in the “Poster” category but undefeated in “Better Acting” and “Watch Again,” the latter of which happens to be its next opponent’s biggest flaw. I think I see one point already.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (10): This movie didn’t really see too much resistance on the way here, having its toughest match against a 7-bug Definitely, Maybe, thought this was indicative of the Cincinnati Quadrant, which was the only one to come in below average (4.91). It shut out the battle of the Planet of the Apes movies by shutting out the Battle of the Planet of the Apes in the second round. And it also got behind 0-2 in all other three matches by losing the “Title” and “Funnier” categories. It only lost 2 total other points – “Acting” to Definitely, Maybe and “Message” to Bucket List. It remained undefeated in the other 5 categories.

Super 8 (7): Proof that anything can happen. It took care of the top half of the DC Quadrant (which had an overall QBA of 5.44), beating a 3.5 (Pirates of the Caribbean 4) and two other 7s (Swimming to Cambodia and It’s a Wonderful Life). Meanwhile, the bottom of the bracket was doing battle with each other with 4 movies of an 8.5 or above and eventually put Midnight in Paris up to face Super 8. Somehow, Super 8 managed to squeak out four victories, despite never scoring more than 6 points. It lost every single “Best Ending” and “Better Message” point, but won all “Title,” “Better Turn” and “Poster” points. It has its strengths, I’ll give you that.

And now it’s time to get the Final Four underway. Can Super 8 do what George Mason couldn’t? Or will Big Fish finish its #1 overall seed Kentucky-style? Or will one of the two surprise new 10-buggers take it all? Tip-off in approximately 24 hours.

Double Feature Duel: Super 8 vs. Midnight in Paris

Double Feature Duel:
Super 8 vs. Midnight in Paris 

A movie by the creators of Lost against a guy who married a chick 35 years younger than him for thelast spot in the Final Four. I’m not sure who I’m rooting for.

Title: Super 8 once again for alluding to a time period while cleverly foreshadowing at least two scenes in this movie. All in 6 characters. (Point, Super 1-0)

Funnier: Midnight in Paris certainly has its funny moments, but I’ll go with the dialogue the kids have with each other over the more difficult-to-interpret Woody Allen-isms. (Point, Super 2-0)

Better Turn: The more I think about it, the more ridiculous that train scene was. But it was still just as awesome. (Point, Super 3-0)

Better Ending: By default and by design. (Point, Midnight 3-1)

Better Message: I really like that Midnight in Paris actually had a message, let alone a good one. One of Woody’s deathbed confessions of sorts. (Point, Midnight 3-2)

Better Acting: Sorry, Owen. I will pick Elle Fanning over you every time. Even in The Nines, when she doesn’t talk. (Point, Super 4-2)

More Creative: I like that we’re never really sure if Owen Wilson is dreaming all this or if it’s really happening. (Point, Midnight 4-3)

Poster: And you kinda knew Super 8 had this category in its back pocket. And it looks like it needed it. (Point, Super 5-3)

Watch again: This is a bit of an unfair question because I watched Super 8 twice in the span of 2 nights. Fortunately it doesn’t matter. (Point, Midnight 5-4)

Overall: And we have our first non 10-bug movie in the Final Four. Which makes sense since there weren’t any in this bracket. And so you know what an accomplishment this is, it’s like the 6 seed making it to the Final Four. In case any of you care. Winner: Super 8 (5-4)

Double Feature Duel (Rd3): Super 8 vs. It’s a Wonderful Life

Double Feature Duel (Rd3):
Super 8 vs. It’s a Wonderful Life 

A movie without an ending vs. a movie with only an ending. Could go either way.

Title: Trying to compare movie titles with a movie icon is a recipe for failure. But Super 8 has just the proper amount of spices to overcome that taste. (Point, Super 1-0)

Funnier: It’s a Wonderful Life surprisingly still had a few parts funny by today’s standards. But mostly, it didn’t. (Point, Super 2-0)

Better Turn: I do appreciate the stock market crash and the cancelled honeymoon, but the Final Destination-type train crash scene was borderline epic. (Point, Super 3-0)

Better Ending: No contest. (Point, Wonderful 3-1)

Better Message: Another no contest. (Point, Wonderful 3-2)

Better Acting: I think I like Elle Fanning more than I should. (Point, Super 4-2)

More Creative: Super 8 was super creative, but it shot itself in the foot with the alien reveal. It’s a Wonderful Life is so wedged into the culture that it’s hard to see as creative anymore. But it still holds up after 65 years and that’s got to count for something. (Point, Wonderful 4-3)

Poster: Again, I can’t say enough about the Super 8 poster. Brilliance. (Point, Super 5-3)

Watch again: Not that it needed this point, but I’m itching to watch Super 8 again. At least the first 75% of it. (Point, Super 6-3)

Overall: The battle of the 7s goes to the one that was supposed to have taken place 40 years ago, and yet that’s still 40 years more recently than the one it beat. Or something like that. Winner: Super 8 (6-3) 

Double Feature Duel (Rd2): Swimming To Cambodia vs. Super 8

Double Feature Duel (Rd2):
Swimming To Cambodia vs. Super 8

What if you took 3 hours worth of random scenes and told them in story form in about 80 minutes vs. what if Lost was condensed from 200 hours down to 2…

Title: Two favorites here, but I’ll go with the one that evokes thoughts of an era. (Point, Super 0-1)

Funnier: Very funny, but only if you’re in the mood for highbrow stuff. (Point, Swimming 1-1)

Better Turn: It’s a little tough to discern a turn in the sojourn Spalding burned. (Point, Super 1-2)

Better Ending: Maybe it wasn’t much for theatrics, but it didn’t ruin the movie. (Point, Swimming 2-2)

Better Message: To those paying attention, a lot was to be learned in that monologue. I think. (Point, Swimming 3-2)

Better Acting: I still don’t think that a word was misplaced in 8 straight minutes of monologue. (Point, Swimming 4-2)

More Creative: Bold, yes. But is sitting in front of a desk talking for 80 minutes creative? (Point, Super 4-3)

Poster: I think Swimming’s poster was done by Spalding Gray in the back of his car on the way to the DVD release. (Point, Super 4-4)

Watch again: There is another Spalding Gray monologue out there that I’d like to watch someday. And because of that, this loses. (Point, Super 4-5)

Overall: The most unique movie (if you believe that those two words can be put together like that) in this bracket almost pulled off the upset. But it didn’t. Go Elle Fanning! Winner: Super 8 (5-4)

Double Feature Duel: Super 8 vs. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stanger Tides

Double Feature Duel:
Super 8 vs. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stanger Tides

Bout #26: J.J Abrams’ follow-up to Lost vs. Johnny Depp’s latest paycheck.

Super 8: Substitute the plane for a train and this movie is basically the pilot of Lost. J.J. Abrams is very good at drawing you in with really exciting and well-edited action sequences, alluding to a supernatural threat to the human race, painting himself into a corner and over-revealing said creature to disappointment the audience in the end. But he also paints some great characters. I know my dating history should preclude me from saying this, but I really like Elle Fanning. Purely in a young actress kind of way, of course. And the witty banter between the young film wannabes was brilliant, and I don’t often say that about dialogue. All the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed. It’s just a shame he can’t figure out how to tackle the pesky plot issue. 7 bugs (out of 10)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: Well, it’s better than the third one. I think. They always manage to sneak in some weird, interesting magic-type stuff, but this is starting to look like Johnny Depp’s day job. I really like Geoffrey Rush as Barbosa, but Penelope Cruz and whoever that new goodie goodie was were no match for Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom. The franchise has been content with the same recipe that has made for its Blockbuster success, critics be damned. And as long as they keep putting them out, I get to keep wearing my Capt. Jack Sparrow hat, so I’m content. 3.5 bugs (out of 10)

Title: Brilliantly simple, intriguing, foreshadowing and you don’t have to go to a second hand in charades. (Point, Super 1-0)

Funnier: There was some very well written and acted dialogue in Super 8 by the four main adolescent characters that is worthy of note. (Point, Super 2-0)

Better Turn: This movie made its money on the turn. Maybe the train crash rivaled the ridiculousness of Final Destination 2, but it didn’t feel like it at the time. (Point, Super 3-0)

Better Ending: Truth time. I was unable to pay much attention to Pirates. But I know the ending of Super 8 sucked, so congratulations. I guess. (Point, Pirates 3-1)

Better Message: Super 8 is another one of those stereotypical flicks teaching people not to stereotype using aliens. I forget how Pirates ended, but I know it had something to do with people looking for the Fountain of Youth. But it did have a Christian/mermaid love story in it. (Point, Pirates 3-2)

Better Acting: Geoffrey Rush is always outstanding. You can’t picture Johnny Depp without picturing Capt. Jack Sparrow. But those four kids are terrific in the conversation scenes. Penelope Cruz didn’t ruin the movie for me. But I added like 3 movies to my Netflix queue with Elle Fanning because of Super 8. (Point, Super 4-2)

More Creative: It’s tough not to pick Pirates in this category with the three-team race to get to the Fountain of Youth. But having the camera pick up the footage was a fun move I haven’t seen since Blowout. However, they really bunked it up in the end with the alien reveal. Epic fail, as they say. (Point, Pirates 4-3)

Poster: For those that don’t know, the Super 8 camera fell sideways, which is why the poster is sideways. Brilliant, right? (Point, Super 5-3)

Watch again: I enjoyed Super 8 so much, I watched it on two consecutive nights. I liked Pirates so much, I don’t even remember watching it once. (Point, Super 6-3)

Overall: A film with half as many bugs scored half as many points. Funny how that works out. Winner: Super 8 (6-3)