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A Review of A SOUND OF THUNDER

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01 September 2005, 05:28 PM
grasstains
A Review of A SOUND OF THUNDER
http://www.cedarhillsentinel.com/
01 September 2005, 08:15 PM
Nard Kordell
2 stars. That's exactly what I figured. I never liked the original trailer since the beginning, many months ago, and voiced my opinion back then.

Since Franchise Pictures went bankrupt during post-production of this movie, perhaps we can all blame it on the cutting editors, who were probably working with highly- cut salaries.
02 September 2005, 12:10 PM
patrask
Oh well, I am off to see the flick this weekend, and if I don't like it I can always re-read the short story. I know I like that. I guess they didn't just tear out the pages and stuff them into the camera, as Ray has said in the past is the best way to shoot his stories. We'll see.

[This message has been edited by patrask (edited 09-02-2005).]
02 September 2005, 10:24 PM
ravenswake
Two weeks ago, my "local" (hour away) theater's online page showed Thunder opening tonight, and I was looking forward to going. But I checked this morning, and Thunder vanished. Next nearest theater is 1.5-2 hours away that's showing it. Guess I'll sit this dance out and wait for the dvd. Never did see a tv ad. . .
03 September 2005, 07:28 PM
X-Evolutionist
I saw the preview today. I'm very disappointed with what I saw.

It is apparently supposed to be the same story (the butterfly gets stepped on and everything changes). But, the reason they go back in time is to hunt dinosaurs!! But, they are still supposed to stay on the path so as not to change the future!

If they were hunting dinosaurs I think that would have had some impact on the future!! ..................

I am most always disappointed when books and stories are made into movies. Grrrr.


==============================================
See my site for evidence that God exists.
http://www.x-evolutionist.com/



[This message has been edited by X-Evolutionist (edited 09-03-2005).]


See my site for evidence that God exists<br />http://www.x-evolutionist.com/
05 September 2005, 03:36 PM
patrask
Saw the movie. Then re-read the short story - in Golden Apples From the Sun. I think if they just let Bradbury be Bradbury and not special effects the thing to death, it would have had a greater impact on the audience.

However, if you are looking for an action movie with lots of loud noises and chase sceens, in other words, just like every other current movie that hollywoood turns out, this one is ok and will satisfy your lust for that sort of thing. They completely missed the irony of the original story, the subtle changes that occur when the hunters return to the present, such as the spelling of the company's name on the wall. It just too much to ask holywood to understand how irony works. There are too many people who make (or made) their careers from special effects, so that any movie that wants to get made will have to have the usual assorted crashes and such. I thought the first half of the movie was done pretty well, but the second half, which was never in the short story, is of the usual genre aimed at the teenyboppers who are brainwashed to expect their nerve endings to quiver from the bombardment of sight and sound.

I can only hope that seeing the movie will inspire some young fan, as yet not familiar with Bradbury in print, to go and READ THE SHORT STORY!
27 September 2005, 05:15 PM
Valor D
You know, I don't care what the critics have to say about "A Sound of Thunder". I really liked it!

Perhaps it helped that I was already a fan of the story and the ep. from Ray Bradbury Theater. But, even had I not, I'de still think it was pretty good!

My favorite scenes were the giant eel creature chasing the hero in the subway station. That thing was wicked! As well as on their first trip back to 65 Mil. Just seeing them walking through the jungle like that-- gave me the shivers. I almost felt like I was really there! Then, when they had to wait till the dino was within breath's distance from them before they could shoot-- simply brilliant on the part of the Director! Talk about your 'edge of the seat' scene! Loved it!

The only thing which didn't seem to make much sense (or was ever explained) was how the team was able to go back in time over and over again to the exact same time and place, and kill the same dino over and over again. Wouldn't they meet themselves, if so? Then, in the end of the film, the hero goes back again, and DOES meet the team, in order to prevent the guy from stepping off the path. That part really made no sense to me. Anybody care to offer their own P.O.V. on that?
28 September 2005, 12:02 AM
Nard Kordell
X-Evolutionist:

Hey, your site looks interesting. Once I spend some time on some of the things you have there, I'd like to comment. Tis an endless subject, of course.
An eternal subject.

By the way, I have no trouble with the evolutionary theory. There was one time, however, when man was breathed a soul...by God. That's an earth shaking event.

That there are those that rides horses as judgment, in Revelation, intrigues me.

I lean to a local Big Bang. Since we can now SEE magnificent universes colliding and birthing because of modern techonolgies, it's all local to them out there. Why not here? One of my favorite verses is in chapter 1 of Ephesians, where it says that all of creation will someday ...resume, thru Christ. Where it came to a stop because of sin, it now resumes. From where it stopped, now to continue because of Christ's work. You can think and meditate on that one for a long while and get goose bumps everytime.

Thanks for your site. Let me have some time to wander about...
_

Valor-D

If anyone ever invents time travel, I lean to the idea that you can change a lot of things back there, but when you return, everything here has remained the same. Not exactly alternate or paralel universes, but all things just too vast and complicated. Simply put, you can't change the 'now' by going back and changing the past. It won't have any effect.

Then again, I'm more a Calvinist. That is to say, I strongly believe that everything has ALREADY been set in stone. And nothing you can do to change ANYTHING.
To think we are robots because of that kind of thinking is not thinking at all. The world, the universe, all that is, is far more vast and wonderous than thinking we are puppets because everything is set in unchangable fashion. What has taken place to come to this place of things unchangable, is a vast and incredible series of actions that are beyond imagination. We are all responsible for our actions, and at the same time, are actions are predetermined.

Unless you see the wonder and the love behind all this, then all is very frightening and depressive.

_

___



[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 09-27-2005).]
02 April 2006, 02:00 PM
ravenswake
Been gone for a bit. Youngest wanted to ice skate for her birthday. Drove an hour and a half to Evansville (IN) ice rink to do that. Now wife has titanium rod and screws in her right leg. *sigh* So--

While wife's chillin' in the la-z-boy, I'm checkin' out dvds by the sack full. And came across this, "Thunder."

Though I completely agree with patrask above that the nuance of the story's gone, the show isn't nearly as bad as the reviews had led me to believe.

Somewhere around here, I have Harlan Ellison's script treatment for Asimov's "I, Robot." It was great. Then, there was the Will Smith movie, so different from Ellison's version, but excellent in its own right. For me, "Thunder" is a good, watchable movie--but still, it just isn't Ray. That definitive RB movie is yet to be made.
03 April 2006, 01:16 AM
Braling II
"The Electric Grandmother" and "Any Friend of Nicholas Nickelby" aren't bad. In fact, I get kinda misty at the end of the former.
These weren't made for the beeg screen, though, so you're right about the "definitive Bradbury movie".
03 April 2006, 03:52 AM
Chapter 31
Yup. It boils down to those two, so far.
03 April 2006, 09:36 PM
Nard Kordell
Okay you guyzs!

Here is the trailer to that short Bradbury movie made in Chicago few months back. Still isn't completed... with all the editing, etc. "The Small Assassin" will probably be finished completely by end of June, '06 at the latest. I posted this trailer on the..'other'...'Ray Bradbury website. I had to download an new upgrade to QuickTime on my computer. See how it works on yours!!

======TRAILER LINK FOR THE SMALL ASSASSIN:=== http://64.38.8.67/~mwga0320/justmcg/music/thesmallassassin.htm
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[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 04-03-2006).]
04 April 2006, 02:54 PM
ravenswake
WOW! Thanks, Nard. This looks sooooo good.
04 April 2006, 04:54 PM
grasstains
I loved Disney's treatment of "Something Wicked". I remember most of the really cool stuff being included in the movie, except I can't recall wether or not The Dust Witch sweeping the town and the boys' killing of the old balloon was part of the movie. Mr. Dark's search for the boys in the library was a great scene. Great movie. I think even if I wasn't a fan I would have loved that movie, and for that reason, it's surprising that it's not a more popular movie. Maybe the "Disney" name prevented some older kids and adults from watching it. If made today they would probably issue the film under one of their other studio labels, like Viacom, or whatever.
05 April 2006, 05:11 AM
dandelion
The balloon did not make it into the "Something Wicked" movie. There was a shot of a ball of paper burning which looked so like a balloon I thought it was going to be in, but, it wasn't.