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DuracellEnergizer said:

It's definately some kind of Alien knockoff. The horrible acting and story kept me from noticing any styrofoam boxes, though. ;-)

 Apparently I was thinking of Forbidden World...

It was really funny when the actors got too close to the flimsy walls. Roger Corman's studio cranked out more than one woman being violated by slimy alien creature movie. Because of this, the lead actress in Android was actually pleasantly surprised her character wasn't scripted to have such a scene.

Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

Roddy McDowall was the man...uh...ape.

One of these days, I want to visit Century City, (where Conquest was shot) and see if I can spot the actual locations used. Some of it must look the same four decades later?

 I was there a few years ago doing that very thing. The most recognizable areas I found from "Conquest" are on the outskirts and inside of the outdoor shopping mall and the grounds around the adjacent office buildings located at the corner of Avenue of the Stars and Santa Monica Blvd. There is the pedestrian foot bridge and plaza from the ape riot scenes that spans Avenue of the Stars.  It's still there, the bridge where the Ape Control riot police have a stand off with a huge mob of Apes. You do get that instant recognition when you go to certain areas, and see the exact same office buildings that burn at the end of the film. Some of the same lamp posts and path stone work had been there from the early 70's. You better hurry, they have been doing updating and renovations on the other side of the mall area recently. 

“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison

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Well, so long as apes aren't being forced to do the work. ;)

I did pass through the area once, and the buildings were unmistakeable.

Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

Well, so long as apes aren't being forced to do the work. ;)

I did pass through the area once, and the buildings were unmistakeable.

 

“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison

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Nice! Are those your pics?

Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

Nice! Are those your pics?

 Nope, just found them online...

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes filmed at the University of California, Irvine's Social Science Lab

“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison

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Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)

I can accept that the actor they hired to play Merrin looks and sounds nothing like Max von Sydow, I can tolerate the stupid CG hyenas, but I cannot -- cannot -- suffer that abysmal, braindead, born-from-the-hemorrhoidal-rectum-of-Satan abomination of an ending. This here, right here, is the reason why I cannot stand modern Hollywood anymore.

Luckily for me, I had low expectations going into the movie, so I wasn't devasted, merely disappointed and annoyed.

Why did I bother to watch this movie, you ask, if I suspected it wasn't going to be any good? Well, hearing that there were two different versions of this movie made by two different directors, I was interested in watching them in order to compare and contrast the two. Now, however, after seeing this version and reading that the other just has more of the same problems, I won't bother finishing my little experiment. 

Oh, well -- perhaps I'll find better examples of similarily different movies (if that makes any sense) to compare and contrast some another day.

Oh, yes, and before I forget -- Exorcist II is better than this movie, far better. Of course, I liked Exorcist II to begin with; its surrealness appeals to me.

5.6/10

Gwai wik AKA Re-Cycle (2006)

Let's just say this film affected me in the polar opposite way Exorcist: The Beginning did; I expected an average-to-slightly-above-average film, but I got something that, while not a masterpiece, certainly comes close to being one. Maybe I'm just biased, though; this is exactly the type of film I would like to make -- incredibly surreal, with themes dealing with spirituality, life after death, and multiple layers of reality.

9/10

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DuracellEnergizer said:

Oh, well -- perhaps I'll find better examples of similarily different movies (if that makes any sense) to compare and contrast some another day.

 What about the American and Mexican versions of Dracula? Superman II ended up being directed twice as well.

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I've actually seen both versions of Dracula. I haven't seen the alternate version of Superman II, though -- perhaps it's time I did.

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Re the Apes photos ^. It must make an architect's heart just swell with pride when a location scout says "Can we shoot our movie in your building? It's perfect for the look we are after... a dystopian nightmare police state"

VIZ TOP TIPS! - PARENTS. Impress your children by showing them a floppy disk and telling them it’s a 3D model of a save icon.

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I imagine a similar reaction ensued when the makers of Die Hard found their Nakatomi Plaza.

There's no such thing as bad publicity though. The hotel used for the location shots in The Shining, and the one the interior sets were modeled on have both warmly embraced their connection to the film. ;)

Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

I imagine a similar reaction ensued when the makers of Die Hard found their Nakatomi Plaza.

There's no such thing as bad publicity though. The hotel used for the location shots in The Shining, and the one the interior sets were modeled on have both warmly embraced their connection to the film. ;)

Just this week I was at the hotel and diner they filmed "Twin Peaks" at. The hotel was already a $500 a night place, so they dont care, but the diner really embraces the "Twin Peaks" thing up and down.

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Just saw GI JOE: RETALIATION

A lot of fun...

...minus one scene so mind-numbingly sexist it makes me long for the egalitarianism shown by creepy Kirk in ST:ID.

While the main female action here is giving her backstory about her struggle to earn respect as a woman in the military, the other "hero" is secretly watching her get naked in a reflection. Jesus tapdancing Christ what is wrong with Hollywood.

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SilverWook said:

I imagine a similar reaction ensued when the makers of Die Hard found their Nakatomi Plaza.

There's no such thing as bad publicity though. The hotel used for the location shots in The Shining, and the one the interior sets were modeled on have both warmly embraced their connection to the film. ;)

Funny you should say that...

"Die Hard's" Nakatomi Plaze is right down the street from where "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" was shot in Century City. Fox Plaza in Los Angeles, portrayed "Nakatomi Plaza" in that film.

It's location is at

2121 Avenue of the Stars (at the corner of
W. Olympic Blvd.)

Century City, Los Angeles, California

The two filming locations are on the land that was once part of the 20th Century Fox studio back lot, and before that the area was the ranch of cowboy actor Tom Mix

In this historic photo (pre-1950) of the old 20th Century Fox studios, What would become Avenue of the Stars today (not shown in this picture), runs down the center of the photo from top to bottom. It's current location is just to the right of the top to bottom road that is shown in this photo.  What is today's W. Olympic Blvd. can be kind of made out as a winding dirt road cutting through the property from left to right about half way up the photo.    At this time it was nothing more then a 20th Century Fox studio back road. The only thing that still exists of the film studio today is all in the lower left hand section of this photo.  Santa Monica Blvd. runs from left to right at the top of the picture.

“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison

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As with MGM, somebody lacked the vision to see what a tourist goldmine the old backlot could have been.

Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

As with MGM, somebody lacked the vision to see what a tourist goldmine the old backlot could have been.

 20th Century Fox stockholders went nuts after the studio backed a number of box office disasters in the 1950's. The back lot was mostly used for Westerns, and the land value was shooting up in that area that is adjacent to Beverly Hills. By the early 1960's, Westerns had fallen out of favor, and T.V. was taking hold super fast. The studio needed cash fast to pay off debt and also finance new projects to please stockholders. The studio head refused good advice to take out loans, and the land developers were knocking their door down. Fox also had other location properties (such as Malibu Ranch), so they sold out about 75% of their Mix Ranch studio property with hardly any thought. If they would have been able to hold out with the advised financial loans until 1972, "Poseidon Adventure" would have revived the studio fully, and paid the loans off.

A 1988 photo of "Hello Dolly" street, with a very new Fox Plaza ("Die Hard's" Nakatomi Plaza) in the background. This street is the only remaining purposely constructed out door set piece to still exist at Fox's (Mix Ranch) studio.

Now with MGM, they wanted to get into the casino hotel racket in Vegas, and literally lost the farm.   

“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison

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Just got done watching Elizabeth ...... moving on to Elizabeth The Golden Age. I love historical movies.
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It's sad what happened to the MGM backlot, but it was the real star of a spooky tv movie from 1974, The Phantom of Hollywood, before it's total demolition.

Where were you in '77?

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

I found the movie very un-engaging and dull for the most part. The story wasn't very interesting, universe shrinkage was excessive, dialogue wasn't great, and those stupid droids were darn annoying. It would be more interesting if they actually acted like they were programmed, not like they were a bunch of children, armed and thrown into the fray.

Almost the only positive thing about it was the fact that the lightsabre fights weren't overdone, but were interspersed with dialogue, while the lightsabres actually made contact frequently (but not a hundred times per second).

4/10

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I liked it more than the prequels. ;)

Where were you in '77?

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The episodes they picked to mash together to make the movie were a terrible choice. The Malevolence trilogy that kicked off following the first episode would have made a great movie. I just don't get it.

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I think it's a fair bet George was calling the shots on that.

Where were you in '77?

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SilverWook said:

I liked it more than the prequels. ;)

As did I (which isn't really saying much). 

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Yeah, the episodes they chose to be the theatrical release of TCW were some of the worst of the series and are totally not representative of the quality of the show itself.

Keep Circulating the Tapes.

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