Omni's Random Video Noise

Oh, well yeah, I figured that out. It's convenient that in most cases that he has revealing dialog that he's in loud environments where people might reasonably misunderstand him or the other person is drunk. Like I said, I like those scenes. They're just too few in my opinion and the stuff in-between them bores me to death.

That's a scene in my favorite movie too. However it was a lot more subtle, took much less of my time, and repeatedly seeing this guy's morning routine served the alternate purpose of showing change over time.

I thought that was kinda funny, actually.

Well, actually I liked those scenes. The whole "satire" angle I keep reading about makes the most sense when the guy is literally prepared to kill over a tiny slip of paper. I wished there were more extremes like that.

Yeah, well it's at this point that I think I should have worded my post a little differently. There are certainly clues to his delusions in the movie, they're just too infrequent for me. I might well have liked the movie better if all the filler wasn't bordering on a two-hour runtime.

I get that, I just wasn't impressed by it. It's nothing I haven't seen in movies NOT satirizing the upper class.

I thought Rat Race did that better.


I mentioned the book, actually.

Good to know I'm not the only one with effects artists going around and defaming my work.

Well, tell me why you like it. I just didn't get it. What am I missin'?

Did it make you laugh? 'Cause that would explain it. It wasn't entirely my brand of humor.

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Movie Reviews | Anime Reviews
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"Well, at least your intentions behind the UTTERLY DEVASTATING FAULTS IN YOUR LOGIC are good." - Captain Steel

WHY'D I WATCH IT?
The Gunslinger45 posted the "Are you talkin' to me?" scene to foster's Movie Quotes thread and it reminded me that I still haven't seen Taxi Driver. People also don't have enough reason to hate me either.

WHAT'D I THINK? *SPOILERS*
It's strange that a movie like Taxi Driver, with a reputation for "greatest movie of all time" nearing that of Citizen Kane (another movie I haven't seen yet), feels so... weak.

Taxi Driver has honestly got to be one of the weakest vigilante movies I've ever seen. Isn't the point of a vigilante movie supposed to be for me to root for an underdog character who takes the law into his own hands? How can I do that if I don't like the character?

Robert De Niro as a nearly unrecognizably young Travis Bickle comes across as... a self-righteous wannabe in a bad way.

Before we're even given any reason to think vigilantism might even be necessary, Travis monologues about "all the scum on the streets" as if he was Rorschach or something.



Thing is, Rorschach is already a vigilante. Travis isn't yet. So we have to see what provokes him to become one.

Apparently one scene in which a hooker stumbles into his cab and gets dragged out by a pimp is enough for him to buy multiple guns, design a fancy hidden-gun-esque device for his arms, and then idle until the end of the movie to confuse the **** out of me with his motivations.

He talks up one woman which is just agonizing to watch.

Why would any sane woman agree to a date with someone who creepily stalks and approaches you for you looks alone? RED FLAG.

Then once they're on a date, Travis admits that he has an irrational hatred for her friendly co-worker, likely out of jealousy. RED FLAG.

Then he convinces her to see a porno. OOOOHHH!!! Step BACK! THAT'S CROSSING THE LINE! And here I thought you actually liked me for my personality and political beliefs!

The woman actually works for a senator's political campaign and despite having what seems to be a pleasant exchange in his cab, Travis's first target seems to be the senator himself. Why? What possible excuse could he have to kill the senator? What, does he believe it might somehow allow him to see the woman if there's no candidate for her to work for? Where's the dialog for that? What, why, how, when???????

He talks to probably one of the nicest and most genial pimps I've ever seen and suddenly he comes away with "that guy is the sickest worst scum of the earth", WHYYYY??? Haven't you seen worse by now?

I read that Travis is supposed to be "mentally unstable" which seems to be only reinforced by the medicine he's taking. Without that he might as well just be some random douchebag. And I hate saying douchebag, but really what does it add to the story to make him "mentally unstable"?

Okay, so this is the story about a mentally ill taxi driver who's unrealistic standards provokes him to almost shoot a politician and kill a few thugs to help one girl and impress another who left him? Save his go-go-gadget guns, I'm not impressed.

I liked the noir elements of the movie, the music and attention to detail really helped set the mood, but I was so distant from the characters that everything felt unnecessarily drawn out. Travis's "death scene" is followed by a nearly 3 MINUTE collection of pan shots away from his body which just goes to serve as probably the most egregious example of padding.

He doesn't even die either, which is sorta good. At least the vigilante lives to vigilant again... I guess?

I can think of a bunch of movies that did a better job of giving me reason to empathize with the vigilante:

The Brave One
Falling Down
Taken
Kick-Ass
The Crow
Batman Begins
V For Vendetta

Hell, friggen' DARK MAN, as stupidly cheesy and hilariously over-the-top as it is, did a better job making me feel bad about the hero and want him to beat the bad guys.

I find it bizarre, highly original, and yes, pretty damn funny. I find the story really engaging and - even though they're not exactly likable - Jonze manages to make me care about the people in it. It also has some really memorable imagery, particularly with the marionettes and the scene where Malkovich enters the portal.



I will admit though that I did not like it the first time I watched it.

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Gotta give it that.

Likability is pretty important for me to care. Even if they're total bad guys.


I'd actually heard "Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich" referenced before, but I didn't know what it was referring to. Now I know, and it makes sense given the context of the joke was a total mind**** nightmare sequence.

Well now you know you were completely wrong not to like it.

I can't think of... any movies that completely turned around my opinion of them. I can think of a couple movies that grew on me after a while, but I already kinda liked 'em.

My friend has never seen Taxi Driver, and until you've seen Taxi Driver you're living a life of sin, so I'm hoping to get him to watch it one of these days.

You'll come to understand why Taxi Driver is a masterpiece.

Go watch more movies, experience more corners of cinema, come back and be like "wow, what was I doing not loving that film!?"

Shazam.

Your rating of Taxi Driver isn't gonna go over well with many of the members here. It's pretty much the most loved movie on MoFo.

The concept of subjectivity of taste escapes most people. I also didn't care about many well regarded novels, films, animation and manga. Thing is besides being good/well made it has to contain stuff that I might find interesting. Casablanca, for instance, put me to sleep with its 1940s American melodrama aesthetic style.

It lost to the Godfather in the 70s poll though.

Well at least he gave it 3/5, Madoka which is the Taxi Driver among animation fans he have it 2/5.

I dunno about that... I've seen a lot of "classics" by now. I tend to hold unpopular opinions in general.

Good to know. >_>

I agree, Casablanca was not my thing.

I never finished The Godfather. I only got about 10 minutes in before I got bored. That was quite a few years ago though.

Madoka isn't THAT popular is it? Taxi Driver's more like... Akira. I think.

WHY'D I WATCH IT?
I keep seeing Mean Girls mentioned on here, most recently from CiCi who mentioned it as the movie he's got best memorized. I've seen Mean Girls before, but despite vaguely pleasant memories I have it down as [Meh...], so it's time I reassessed my thoughts on it.

WHAT'D I THINK? *SPOILERS*
Hmmm... Taxi Driver, "one of the greatest movies ever made."

Or Mean Girls, "that one Lindsay Lohan movie with Tina Fey."

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Holy Mother of God, you dislike Taxi Driver, Casablanca, AND The Godfather!?

Now it's just getting ridiculous...

- And this is just one random page in your thread. I don't even wanna ask what you think of some other cinema milestones. I might die of pure shock.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I'm not a fan of Taxi Driver or The Godfather either, but I like Casablanca.

And don't even ask me what I think of Pulp Fiction or A Clockwork Orange.

Yes, GB, I know. But it's a wrong opinion he got!

There's no such thing as a "wrong opinion". There are only "different opinions".

Well, your opinion on opinions is wrong.

(C'mon GB, you know I'm just kidding!)

I know. I'm just giving you a hard time about it.

Hey! I haven't finished The Godfather yet.

Wasn't a fan of Pulp Fiction. Haven't see A Clockwork Orange.

I would say don't bother, but I think they'd run me off the board if I told you that. I don't even think they'd let me finish the song tournament first.