Land of the Lost

[terry78]

This actually is having midnight screenings tomorrow night. Is it supposed to be that wanted?

 

[DDS]

There's a positive Armond White review for this, which is basically the kiss of death. Yeah, not a good sign for this movie...

 

[dark_b]

There's a positive Armond White review for this, which is basically the kiss of death. Yeah, not a good sign for this movie...

this guy is really a joke

 

[Agent Z]

Ebert rolls with it.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Land of the Lost
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Release Date: 2009[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] Ebert Rating: ***
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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Jun 3, 2009[/FONT]

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] by Roger Ebert

"Land of the Lost" is a seriously deranged movie. That's not to say it's bad, although some of its early critics consider it a hanging offense ("a pot of ersatz dinosaur piss" says Peter Keough of the Boston Phoenix). Marshall Fine even apologizes for prematurely predicting that "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" would be "the most witless, humor-challenged movie of the summer." "Land of the Lost" inspires fervent hatred, which with the right kind of movie can be a good thing. Amid widespread disdain, I raise my voice in a bleat of lonely, if moderate, admiration.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica] The film involves a gloriously preposterous premise, set in a series of cheerfully fake landscapes which change at the whim of the art director. How else to explain a primeval swamp within walking distance of a limitless desert? Or to explain a motel sign from another dimension that appears there, with all of the motel missing, but plenty of water still in the pool? And dinosaurs walking the earth at the same time as early man, just like in Alley Oop and "The Flintstones"?

Will Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall, a scientist who assures Matt Lauer of NBC's "Today" that he has discovered a way to solve the energy crisis by importing fossil fuels from a parallel dimension. Lauer informs him that respectable scientists think he's mad. Like who? "Stephen Hawking," Lauer says. Dr. Rick goes nuclear: "You promised you wouldn't mention that!"

Marshall has in fact invented a machine that will transport him to one of those other worlds and is encouraged to try it by the only scientist in the world who agrees with him, Holly Cantrell (Anna Friel), who was thrown out of Cambridge for saying so. For reasons far too complicated to enumerate, they are joined in their journey by Will (Danny McBride), a fireworks salesman and part-time guide to a mysterious cave. Their cave tour strangely includes a river that seems to originate in thin air and flow into an artificial mountain before sucking them into a vortex and depositing them in -- the Land of the Lost.

There they become friends with Chaka (Jorma Taccone), who belongs to a tribe of Missing Links and offers convincing evidence that in his land the straightening of teeth had not been developed. Luckily, Holly speaks his language. Yes, speaks his language, indicating that the movie will do anything to get to the next scene.

There are many jokes about dinosaur manure, dinosaur urine, dinosaur intelligence, dinosaur babies, and dinosaurs' hurt feelings. Also blood-sucking insects, carnivorous trees and the soundtrack from "A Chorus Line." The use of the songs is utterly wacky, of course, which is why I liked it.

The movie is inspired by the 1974 TV series, and has the same producers, Sid and Marty Krofft. The show and the film will never be confused, but they share one thing in common: deliriously fake locations, props and special effects. The dinosaurs are so obviously not really there in shots where they menace humans that you could almost say their shots are about how they're not really there. Confronted with such effects, the actors make not the slightest effort to appear terrified, amazed or sometimes even mildly concerned. Some might consider that a weakness. I suspect it is more of a deliberate choice, and I say I enjoyed it.

I guess you have to be in the mood for a goofball picture like this. I guess I was. Marshall Fine says it's worse than "Night at the Museum," but I've seen "Night at the Museum," and Marshall, this is no "Night at the Museum.[/FONT]

 

[The Lizard]

Ebert rolls with it.

There were parts of the movie that were indeed funny and weird in a cool way. It wasn't all bad. But the sloppy, lame, half-assed comedy ended up ruling the day, so I can't give it the benefit of the doubt like Ebert did.

(Plus, Ebert has gotten soft and a bit squirrely in his old age.)

 

[Agent Z]

(Plus, Ebert has gotten soft and a bit squirrely in his old age.)

Or maybe less uptight and more free to admit what he likes. Just saying. We can flip that either way.

 

[The Lizard]

Or maybe less uptight and more free to admit what he likes. Just saying. We can flip that either way.

Maybe. I'm just reminded that Ebert also liked Shyamalan's The Happening.

There's a positive Armond White review for this, which is basically the kiss of death.

And here's a quote from that Armond White review:

"Instead of shouting, “Eureka!” Rick Marshall (Will Ferrell) exclaims, “Capt. Kirk’s nipples!” Is that enough to ride the coattails of the much-inferior Star Trek movie?"

I'm really starting to wonder if Armond isn't just a huge joke to troll the movie critic world.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Or maybe less uptight and more free to admit what he likes. Just saying. We can flip that either way.

He did like Borat and most of the Apatow movies.

 

[zeptron]

Has anyone been to imdb? Because Will Ferrell's name isn't listed among the actors for this movie and this movie isn't even listed on his imdb page now.

 

[Drizzle]

This actually is having midnight screenings tomorrow night. Is it supposed to be that wanted?

If they had midnight screenings for "Angels and Demons", they can have midnight screenings for anything.

 

[chaseter]

Well wow...where to begin.

I thought this film might be good with funny and action with dinosaurs mixed in but within the first 10 minutes they were throwing convenience right in your face, contrived and lame convenience. This has the skimpiest plot ever and the non explanations and how fast they throw things at you is horrible. The girl speaks Chaca's language!? The dinosaur can understand English!? The vines hold prey for the T-Rex!? Ugh...it goes on and on. And, the point and when this film turns into a huge cluster **** is when we meet the pseudo leader of the Sleestaks. That is where the film went down hill. Had they just discovered the time hole, went into the Land of the Lost and tried to survive and find a way back home would have been just fine. Instead we get a lame plot twist with a big WTF and then the climax is probably the lamest thing I have ever seen concerning the T-Rex. Will Ferrel and Danny McBride were funny but it doesn't save this film. It looks pretty and it has some moments but damn is it a train wreck. Once you see what I am talking about concerning the captured leader then you will roll your eyes too. The best scene in this entire movie is when Ferrel runs from the dino's in the desert and they have an ice cream break.

The girl who plays along side Ferrel and McBride was horrible. I don't care to look up her name because I would rather forget. A forgettable movie that I seriously hope does not make its budget back. Wow what a let down. I laughed probably for the first 20 or so minutes and then I got dead silent and so did my theatre. Seeing The Hangover tomorrow will get this bad taste out of my mouth.

5/10

 

[Batman713]

I love how Armond always ends up insulting other movies in his reviews. What a prick.

 

[Sawyer]

I love how Armond always ends up insulting other movies in his reviews. What a prick.

Who?

 

[zeptron]

Who?

I think he's talking about Armond White. A film critic.


To give you an example of his taste, here's a bunch of movies he hates:

-Wall-E
-Slumdog Millionaire
-Milk
-The Wrestler
-Man on Wire
-The Dark Knight
-Iron Man
-Hellboy 2
-There Will Be Blood
-Sweeney Todd
-Children of Men
-Pan's Labyrinth
-The Lord of the Rings trilogy
-The Nightmare Before Xmas

And here's some things he actually likes:

-Twilight
-I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
-Norbit
-Dance Flick
and his absolute favorite: Transporter 3

 

[Sawyer]

I think he's talking about Armond White. A film critic.


To give you an example of his taste, here's a bunch of movies he hates:

-Wall-E
-Slumdog Millionaire
-Milk
-The Wrestler
-Man on Wire
-The Dark Knight
-Iron Man
-Hellboy 2
-There Will Be Blood
-Sweeney Todd
-Children of Men
-Pan's Labyrinth
-The Lord of the Rings trilogy
-The Nightmare Before Xmas

And here's some things he actually likes:

-Twilight
-I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
-Norbit
-Dance Flick
and his absolute favorite: Transporter 3

Good God...

 

[roach]

I actually enjoyed this movie.

 

[Bunker]

White also panned Up and liked Next Day Air.

 

[Prison Mike]

I think he's talking about Armond White. A film critic.


To give you an example of his taste, here's a bunch of movies he hates:

-Wall-E
-Slumdog Millionaire
-Milk
-The Wrestler
-Man on Wire
-The Dark Knight
-Iron Man
-Hellboy 2
-There Will Be Blood
-Sweeney Todd
-Children of Men
-Pan's Labyrinth
-The Lord of the Rings trilogy
-The Nightmare Before Xmas

And here's some things he actually likes:

-Twilight
-I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
-Norbit
-Dance Flick
and his absolute favorite: Transporter 3

so...he likes ****?

 

[Dr. Evil]

It couldn't be any worse then the 90's TV show could it?

 

[Prison Mike]

I loved the 90s tv show

 

[Dr. Evil]

Land of the Lost does not do well:

http://www.imdb.com/chart/

 

[Prison Mike]

what was the studio expecting? was the budget really big for this movie?

 

[Dr. Evil]

what was the studio expecting? was the budget really big for this movie?

According to IMDB.COM, the budget was $100 million.

 

[Prison Mike]

oh...well then it was a flop I guess.

 

[K.B.]

I actually ended up enjoying the hell out of this movie and give it 4 out of 5.

I 'm a big fan of the original Sid and Marty Kroft show and there were the massive changes they made that I wasn't keen on (Will and Holly now adults and not related to Marshall etc) but by the end credits I really didn't mind any of that (though it was a bit creepy for Holly and Marshall to make out lol)

This was just a fun ride of a film that unfortunatly we don't get much of these days.