National Treasure Sequel...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

So, I'm watching this right now. It's one of my favorite movies. It's on Encore. Anyway, I googled it for shits and giggles, and guess what? They're going to start shooting the sequel soon, called National Treasure: The Book of Secrets and it should be out after Thanksgiving!! This is one of my favorite movies, and I'm so freaking excited! I love Nicolas Cage and Harvey Keitel! Anyone else pumped about a sequel?!
Here's a shot from one of my favorite scenes in the first one..

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0465234/

[The Traveler]

1. A fun movie

What I loved about it was how love of history and appreciation for the words of that remarkable document was the foundation for every scene.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

2. Absolutely agree...

[jobycom]

12. Yes. And it was proud of the things about America we should be proud of

It's sometimes hard to remember those things with the current media pimping the murdering traitor in the White House.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. Ugh.

I remember watching the first one, I got to the scene where they board an old sailing vessel stuck in the arctic pack ice. It's also, not coincidentally, the first scene.

Can you tell me why it is that every square inch of the interior was covered in ice, except for the big open barrel of gunpowder?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

4. It's a movie...

Suspend disbelief. That's the point of movies. To take you away from reality. So they got something wrong. Who cares? The premise is a good one, and it was thrilling. Why such a negative nancy tonight?
Duckie

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. It's like they didn't even try.

I'm sure someone on the set said, "hey, how come we got this ice all over everything, but the gunpowder still works." And then their boss said, "ah, it's a pain to rewrite. Who cares? The audience won't notice."

[YellowRubberDuckie]

6. I didn't really notice.

I was too interested in the fight between Nicolas and Sean Bean. :shrug: The plot got in the way of my noticing a mistake.
Duckie

[dysfunctional press]

7. 200 year-old gunpowder wouldn't even go 'BOOM'...

not to mention the 200 year-old oil in the big wooden chandelier towards the end.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

8. But it made for a really awesome story...

did it not? SUSPEND BELIEF!!! It's fun. Surely you don't watch Harry Potter and go, "Oh my god! THAT Would never happen! This shit is so unreal!"
Duckie

[Richard Steele]

21. Actually, it easily might, assuming it had been well-sealed.

The old "black powder" doesn't chemically deteriorate over time
the way modern nitrocellulose propellants do. As long as it stays
dry, it's good to go.

The chandelier oil _is_ a bit of a stretch, though.

[jobycom]

9. Name a movie without an equally glaring incongruency in it.

There ain't none. Nowhere. Whatever your favorite movie is, there is something ten times dumber in it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

10. Hey...

even Roadrunner cartoons has more respect for physics than that movie.

[jobycom]

11. That's silly. Anyway, the movie wasn't about physics, it was about

the political philosophy this nation was founded on, as well as the history of that founding, with an entertaining tale to wrap the discussion around. It treated history with a lot more respect than Road Runner cartoons treat physics.

Good movie. Lighten up, Francis. :rofl:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. OK, OK.

It treated history with the same respect Armageddeon treated space science.

There, we happy?

[jobycom]

14. Dunno. Never saw Armagedon. Somehow

I am suspicious of your comparison, though. :rofl:

Question: If you didn't make it past the first scene, how do you know how it treated history?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. That's a good question.

It's based on conjecture.

Based on history.

In particular, the history of Jerry Bruckheimer.

[jobycom]

16. Bruckheimer is a movie producer

Worrying about his history is like, well, like, worrying about Hollywood's historical accuracy in general.

I, on the other hand, majored in history, earned an advanced degree in history, and came damn near getting a PhD in the thing. And the movie literally gave me goose bumbs at parts. So, Bruckheimer or not, the movie did what it tried to do.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. So is Mel Gibson.

But there's a pretty good bet that if makes a history movie it'll involve the Spanish Conquistadors burning down Jesus at the Battle of Lexington and Concorde.

And a giant steam powered robotic spider.

So no. I didn't expect him to treat his history with respect, anymore than he respected his audience's intelligence.

[jobycom]

19. You have mastered the art of diversion, my son.

The original point was that National Treasure has a touching presentation of America's history mixed in with a good movie, and neither is diminished by minor incongruencies that have little to do with the plot or the theme. I made the further point that no matter what your favorite movie is, it contains incongruencies equally as bad, and therefore not even you would condemn all movies based on incongruencies. Mel Gibson's movies nor giant steam powered robotic spiders, even if I understood either reference, have nothing to do with National Treasure.

It's a damn good movie--a lot of fun, rolled together with an image of America's history that we can be proud of. The lack of ice on a barrel of gunpowder doesn't change that. Watch the whole thing, maybe you'll understand.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

22. Ha.

The original point of National Treasure was to make a shit load of money without doing much work on things like a script. And dialogue. And characters. And plot.

"The lack of ice on a barrel of gunpowder doesn't change that."

No. The lack of ice on a barrel was just one item in an opening scene filled with ridiculous characters, spouting horrible dialogue, in a ridiculous set up.

"Watch the whole thing, maybe you'll understand."

I understood from the opening scene. Maybe watching the whole thing would change my mind. But I doubt it.

[jobycom]

23. Ah.

The characters were strong, the opening scene clever, and the barrel of gunpowder without ice was barely noticeable--if in fact that's an accurate representation. I'll look for it next time. And the script was as good as anything else on film these days, and better than most. Watch the whole film, you'll understand.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

24. Yeah, alright. I'll take a gander.

As soon as I get through the works of Uwe Boll.

[jobycom]

25. Never heard of Uwe Boll

Was that sarcasm or is this someone I should care about?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

26. No, no.

I think you'd like him. You should check him out.

[jobycom]

28. Note to self--avoid Uwe Boll

I IMDB'ed him. If you like Uwe Boll and not National Treasure, you have taste that is quite disparate from mine.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

29. What's the difference between Boll and Bruckheimer?

I'd think that if you like one, Joby, you'd like the other.

[jobycom]

30. If you have to ask, you may not be able to understand the answer.

:shrug:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

31. It was a rhetorical question.

Boll, Bruckheimer- it's all the same shit.

[jobycom]

32. Kind of reminds me of the people on American Idol

Who really can't tell that they are bad singers. The reason they can't tell is because they can't tell the difference between good singers and bad ones. Britney Spears, Aretha Franklin, all the same shit, to them.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

33. Oh, the people on American Idol know they're bad singers...

they do it to get on TV, not that they think they'll win. The dupes in American Idol are the ones who watch it and sit through commercials.

[jobycom]

34. No, that's not right, actually

Studies have shown that people who appear on shows like this often believe they can sing as well as, say, Aretha Franklin. They lack the ability to distinguish between what they are doing and what someone of true talent does.

As for the show and its commercials, I'll take your word for it. I don't watch it.

Point remains. Many people found "National Treasure" to be a good film. Almost no one thought "Blood Rayne" was any good. The fact that you can't tell the difference in the level of quality of the two films indicates a perception problem.

[HughBeaumont]

18. I actually visited the National Archive in November -

What were most of the kids visiting (including my 11 year old son) talking about while viewing our sacred documents? National Treasure.

Hey, if it gets kids interested in and talking about history, I'm all for it. I watch it every time it's on Encore. That and Pleasantville.

[jobycom]

20. Yep. And maybe those kids will grow up with a love for the Constitution

that will inspire them to defend it, the way my generation recites the Preamble by singing it to a Saturday morning cartoon.

[ikojo]

27. I really like this movie...

I don't know why but it's a good and fun movie.

[sakabatou]

35. Ugh

That movie stunk!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

38. Thanks for your reply...

Makes me love it all the more though. I know when the DU movie snobs hate something I'm going to love it.
Duckie

[InvisibleTouch]

36. Very cool!!

I loved that movie, and I'm definitely looking forward to the sequel. Same characters and actors, I hope?

Thanks for the info! :)

[Hosnon]

37. Wonderful! I was thoroughly entertained the whole time. National Treasure ranks

up there with the likes of Spiderman 2 as a great summer movie.

I can't wait 'til the sequel!