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Re: Survival, Dark Times 2 « Result #1 Yesterday at 2:58pm »
Marlena
I slowly made my way into the Church. As Declan and I went through the bustling crowd, I wondered if I really should be here, if I even had the right to be here. I had met both Padme and Sonas, but I didn't know either extraordinarily well, and I wasn't sure how Sora would react. Everyone said he had calmed down but I still worried, and everyone knew that he wasn't in the perfect mood.
However, Declan had insisted that we come, and it seemed that he was allowing everyone to attend. I just didn't want to cause a scene...not today, not here. This should be about Padme.
"It'll be alright." Declan whispered, probably feeling my unrest through the Force.
"I know," I said with a nod "I know."
Soon, we decided to sit beside Han and Leia...at least those were some friendly faces that we knew wouldn't have an outburst.
As Declan and I sat down, I smiled at them. "Han, Leia, its good to see you, I hope you both are doing well..it seems like its going to be a full house." I said, still slightly nervous. "I just hope we all hold up alright."
"Alot of people loved Padme, and its good that they've all gathered here today." Declan commented.
Trika
I walked into the Church beside Caleb, and looked around at everyone. Alot of people were here, and most of them I recognized. A few I hadn't seen since I first met Padme, but alot of the regular faces around Coruscant were here, except for a few.
I sighed heavily and began to walk through the crowds, and even saw that Jedi Xandyrr Fox and his friend Janet. "Didn't they vanish on a picnic?" I whispered. "Meh, nevermind."
I saw Sora up at the front, and he didn't look happy. He just seemed...solemn, and he was slowly greeting some of the guests. Sora hadn't really been himself lately, and that worried me. Sora was usually so controlled, but now, he wasn't. I knew he lost Padme to his evil blasted devil daughter that he never knew about, and that had a huge affect on him...I just didn't want him to become the type of person that he had always fought against.
But that would never happen. I knew my brother.
"Poor Sora," I said to Caleb "I still can't believe this all happened."
Allison
I walked through the halls of Xizor's palace...I hadn't seen Mona, Xizor, Athren, or Jenn for awhile, but they had all been on my mind. Specifically, Mona. I was okay and all, but I was getting more and more uneasy around here...it seemed like the more I got to know her and what she had done, she got more disturbing.
I was a bounty hunter, and had seen the worst of the worst. Hell, I killed people myself, and I didn't care, but Mona and what she did was a new level of disturbing. I didn't mind at first, because what she was doing wasn't that horrible, but now it just seemed like it was getting out of control...but who was I to judge?
However, now I at least wanted to talk to Jenn about it, to see what she thought.
"Jenn..." I said, finally finding her "I want to talk to you about something...its about Mona. Its nothing big, and I probably shouldn't be opening my mouth, but its about everything she's doing. Its starting to creep me out."
Rain The Boss's Boss H A N G M A N Round 1 - 2Winner![M:0] member is offline
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Re: Survival, Dark Times 2 « Result #2 Yesterday at 8:14am »
ooc: Ultimate w00t!
Han
Han fixed his posture as he saw Leia walk back down towards him. He shifted over slightly as she sat down, but she leaned against him.
"How is he?" Han asked.
"Not good." She replied, "Under the circumstances his grief is understandable, but he's keeping it all inside. That will only lead to more pain in the end."
"Maybe I could talk to him?"
"No... no I don't think you should." She replied as she grasped Han's hand with he rown. "It's nothing personal, but Sora isn't in the mood for talking to anyone right now. I don't think he appreciates all this sympathy, and I have a feeling that if one more person offers their condolences he's going to crack. I'd rather not have you be the person he takes out his frustrations on."
Han simply nodded.
"Uh, excuse me..." A voice came from behind them. "Senator Organa, I just want to say how sorry I am for your loss." said Xandyr Foxx, who was sitting behind them with his girlfriend Janet.
"Thank you." Leia replied with a weak smile. "I appreciate your support."
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,501 Karma: 6
Re: Survival, Dark Times 2 « Result #3 on Dec 18, 2009, 5:38pm »
OOC: Just writing up a sorta big post just because its been so long and I want to get things rolling again.
Sora
Although initial emotions and reactions felt like Leia was wrong, the better side of me, the sensible side that everyone knew so well, tried to come through and listen to her words. Deep down, I knew she was right, but it didn't feel that way...not on the outside.
It had been so confusing lately...since her death, a part of me felt like a different person, and I even had brief moments of anger...such a strong anger that I never had in my life before. Like how I treated my son, Caitlin, or heck everyone...a part of me wanted to stop and go back to how I was, but another part of me resisted, and sometimes that last part won.
I felt like I had lost a part of me, and I had never felt like that before. I had dealt with so much, so when I really snapped into reality and thought about it, why did all of this affect me so much? However, that didn't stop how I felt...initial feelings still won out at times, and I definitely wasn't the same as I had been.
Where had the Sora Trok that everyone knew gone?
I didn't think like this until recently, until I spoke to Rachea in the dream...but it didn't heal things. It didn't fix things. I still wasn't happy with any of this, and still felt like something needed to be done about all this chaos...but I did realize, as much as a part of me hated it, that the outbursts at people had to stop...at least, for now.
But that didn't change alot of what I thought, and the fact that I wasn't the same...and I still felt alot of malice and anger that I didn't know it was even possible to feel.
"I suppose you're right." I told Leia, looking around as more people piled into the Church. Alot of old friends, and new friends, were here. Only a few were missing. "I'm going to, uh, see the other guests."
It was still hard not to lash out in anger at people...everyone, anyone. In a way, I felt like I wanted to just punch a wall as hard as I could, but that wasn't exactly me...which was sorta worrisome, but everything with Mona and Padme caused me to ignore that aspect. However, I at least knew that Padme would want me to remain calm...even with all the people I was angry at, and how confused I was when it came to Mona and how exactly that huge scheme managed to be pulled off and I never noticed a thing.
I saw Marlena and her new husband, Declan, enter...I didn't fully want her here, but I decided to just hold back as best I could and let it slide, let it just go by without a word...for now.
Caitlin
I stood near the front of the Church, but I wasn't by Padme's coffin...I was beside a very small coffin, with what remained of my father: His head. Unlike Padme's coffin, his was closed...while Padme's body was still intact, my father's was not, obviously...and it helped keep the memory of how he died quelled as much as possible if the coffin was closed.
My siblings had yet to arrive, and I didn't know if they'd even be able to make it. We all had rocky relationships with Sonas, and if one of them skipped it, I wouldn't be surprised...it may be hard to get here anyways, considered we are all spread out across the universe.
Then there was my mother...since the deaths of Padme and my dad, I had reunited with her and tried to get a hold on her sanity..it was obvious that she hadn't fully come out of that catatonic state, and for awhile she just went on about killing that "slut, whore, bitch"...slowly, however, she was coming out of it. Now, she was almost out of it all the way, or at least close to that point, but she had to be confined. Not in prison or a jail, just in a comfortable insanity ward.
I didn't like it, but as a doctor myself, I knew that it was the best thing. I hated to admit it, but my mother had kidnapped a woman and watched my father died...she practically condemned him to his death, even if she wasn't in her right mind. She just needed help...I knew she wasn't evil like Mona was.
I looked down at my father's small coffin. Maybe even I didn't want to do this, considering what a troubled relationship I had with him, but I knew that he deserved to be laid to rest, and I was the one family member that could definitely attend this service, so I had to. It was only right.
And...and...
Despite his horrific and wrong actions, I did still love him in a way...he was my father, and he raised me...I resented him, but I still loved him...and he should have been brought to justice properly, not cut up into a million pieces, even though I had some degree of sympathy for Mona...but my feelings on her were confusing too...she was definitely evil, and never should have killed Padme. Never. I didn't understand how she could do that to someone who was completely innocent and unrelated to all of this.
In fact, my uncle was completely innocent in all of this, too...that is until he started acting out at everyone, including me. But we had...sort of mended our fences, and at least he let us have a joint funeral. That was probably all he'd ever give Sonas.
I turned around, and saw someone approaching: Cyan Feros, a friend of mine. I didn't see him often, but I did see him from time to time.
"Hello, Caitlin." he said, smiling for a brief moment.
"Hey, Cyan, nice to see you here today." I said simply, swallowing hard. Not because of Cyan, just because of how hard all of this was.
"Yes...I came here because I was an...aqcuaintance, or a distant friend, of the Troks...and since two of them are being laid to rest today, it was only right that I attend..." he said distantly, staring off at Sora for a moment.
"Cyan, are you alright?" I asked, glancing at my uncle, who was greeting many guests.
"Yes...I just was thinking about Captain Trok and all that he has been through. It truly is horrible, but how is he?" Cyan asked slowly, looking back to me. "Is he still lashing out at those around him."
I raised an eyebrow. "How did you know about that?" I asked, though it wasn't like this fiasco had been kept from anyone. After Padme died, all the secrets came out and it affected everyone.
"I know alot of people around here, and I see Sora from time to time...so I just see and hear various things." Cyan replied.
"Well, he's better, kinda. I think he just needed to take a minute to calm down...but he's still rather withdrawn, and I think deep down, he's probably still angry about alot of things. Not that he shouldn't be...I just wish he would handle it better, though I don't know if I have the right to say that...and its weird, Sora has always been the calm one in situations like this, and even though he lost his wife and got a huge shocker, its weird to see him like this...almost worrisome." I said, thinking outloud for a moment.
"Yes, yes indeed...Sora Trok has been a hero for many years now, someone to rely on...I only hope that doesn't cease." Cyan said, still looking at Sora from time to time, and a concerned tone was in his voice.
But perhaps he was just worried for him, like the rest of us.
"You know, I kinda want to sit down...want to sit with me? It seems like alot of my family isn't going to be here so I'm probably going to have some free seats next to me, and it looks like that is sorely needed. " I said, changing the subject.
"Sure." Cyan answered, then we turned and headed for some seats.
Nack
It had been a rough time since Mona put her plan into action and murdered Padme...my dad, my own father had angrily attacked me...and it seemed like he may hate me, but he hadn't really talked to me since then. Not like I had the courage to approach him, though, even though I still hung around here, because I didn't really have a home, and I refused to go back to my evil, heartless sister.
No one had arrested me for anything involving the deaths of Padme and Sonas, which I really thought would happen. It made me wonder if my dad had calmed down, but if he ever saw me on the streets, he just looked at me for a minute.
I felt so much guilt over what happened...I hated it. I never really was a willing participant, but Mona had forced me and tried to turn me against my family and their friends...I had stayed with her, as her accomplice, for so long. Now it seemed more disgusting than it did then.
I walked into a psychtriactic clinic. One not far from the Killer and the places that my dad and his various friends seemed to live...my aunt, Lynn, was here. She was the only other person that had been held right in Mona's clutches like I was, and the only other one that really helped her, not counting Xizor and those Black Sun people that I never really met. Of course there was Sem Estaire, who Mona used by bribing her with deathsticks and used the girl's addiction to her advantage, but Lynn was a family member. Lynn's situation was ten times different than mine, and she wasn't even fully competant, but maybe I could talk to her.
I walked up to her room...there was a small glass window beside the door, so we could see each other. I nervously sat down in the chair there, and pressed a button so she could hear me. "Um...Lynn?" I said.
Lynn had been laying on her bed, and she looked up at me, approaching the window so she could talk back. Once she activated the comm, she spoke. "You...you were the boy on Mona's ship...the boy at that other place where so many people were when I killed...when I killed or...captured....whoever I captured. You are Sora's, my brother in law, son...correct?" she asked.
It seemed Lynn was still trying to get the details of reality straight, but this was the first time I heard her realize that she didn't kill Ivy Trok like Mona made her unstable mind believe...she really was getting better, she just hadn't fully come out of that weird state yet. "Yes, I am the one that worked with Mona...kinda willingly, kinda not." I told her, gulping.
"What do you want?" Lynn asked.
"I wanted to talk to you...you are the only other one that helped Mona in all of this, even if you didn't really realize what you were doing. And if you don't want to, thats fine...I just really need to talk to someone." I answered, hoping she'd be alright with this.
"I remember...talking to my, um, children at times, when they had something on their mind. My sweet daughter, Caitlin, helped me remember that...I'm not the best one to talk to, especially right now, but fine." Lynn said.
"I want to ask you...how do you feel, now that you can...uhh, think, more? How do you feel about everything that happened? With Padme and...Sonas?" I questioned slowly.
Lynn just stared at me for what seemed like forever. She was silent, and for a second I wondered if I caused her to have a gigantic relapse, but finally she responded. She was just in deep thought. "I...I'm not sure. I sorta feel bad, you know...I didn't even know that girl...that girl that I thought was...nevermind. I sorta feel bad, but at the same time, I don't...I almost feel cold towards everything, like my feelings haven't really come back after I woke up or whatever happened to me. I feel anger towards Sonas and that evil woman that he worked with...I still feel so furious, the anger eats me up...but.." she said, stopping.
"But?" I slowly asked.
"I feel really angry and bitter...but...I did love Sonas...even when I let him die...I loved him, but the anger overpowered me at the time...I don't know if I regret it, but I can say that I love him, but I guess that doesn't exactly matter now, does it? He died, and I am still here, barely able to describe my feelings outside of venomous resentment towards everyone." Lynn explained. I thought I saw a tear form in her eye, but it went away...in this state of mind, she was rather cold.
"I know how you feel, sorta...about resentment." I muttered.
She gave me a look. "Do you? Do you really know how this feels?" she asked, a hint of offense in her voice.
"M-maybe not, but I've just struggled with resentment towards my father...all my life I have, but it really grew when Mona played on it. For a long time, she held me prisoner, and played on my emotions heavily. She tried to turn me against him and everything else...and...she sorta succeeded. Thats how she got me under her control...she let her hatred for Sora and the Galaxy bleed into me." I said, talking longer than I originally planned.
For the first time, I was actually opening up about what Mona did to me and that recurring resentment I had towards my dad.
Lynn looked like she was thinking for a moment. "I see...so are you saying you are like her, and have those same feelings? Because obviously, you worked with her for a time." she said.
"No, my feelings were never as horrible as Mona's are...I don't think I could ever hate my dad that much, even though I have spent the bulk of my life without him and my mom. But still, there was some that I've tried to make go away...I know my dad is a good man, and really tried to tell myself that when Padme died...and I tried to stop it, even, I did...but it was too late." I replied, going into deep thought myself for a minute about what I felt on everything.
"So, what are you saying? Despite how you worked with Mona and helped her in all of this, and hated Sora, you really don't feel that way?" Lynn queried, not quite understanding this.
"I'm not sure..." I answered nervously.
"Hate is a strong thing...a very strong thing. That sl-Ivy hated Sora and that woman, Marlene or whatever, for what they did...she tried to bleed it into Sonas, and he agreed to work with her and because of that, both Mona and I were filled with enormous hatred...then Mona tried to bleed it into you. Hate is a vicious cycle, Nick." Lynn told me.
"Its Nack," I corrected gently "And here's the thing: I-I don't know if...I don't know if I really hate my father, or if I even ever wanted to hate my father and all of my other family and friends...I don't want to be like Mona. I want to stop the hate...stop it before it spreads anymore."
As I looked away, lost in confusion about the situation, Lynn scowled. "Ha. Don't make me laugh...I've begun to learn that the hate can't stop, and it can't leave you...it obviously has yet to leave me, and you may end up hating your father just as much as your sister does. Don't have stupid dreams that you can stop the cycle...I tried and it didn't work. Just get out of my sight if you plan on continuing with that...it makes me sick. Hate may be something we just have to live with."
I slowly stood, silent after Lynn's sudden burst of frusteration at me...I didn't know what to say or think, because part of me knew that she was still trying to get her mind together and that was bound to create some frusteration, especially with all the anger she had boxed up at Sonas and Ivy, that she only just was able to unleash.
Before we could continue, two orderlies came and slowly got Lynn out of her cell. "Come on, Lynn, time for your appointment with the shrink." one said.
They began to lead her away, and I watched her leave until suddenly, I blurted something out. "I'm...I'm sorry for what Sonas and Ivy did to you, Lynn. You didn't deserve your family being ripped apart like that...you never did anything, and it didn't even concern you."
Lynn whirled around, stunned. "What?!" she exclaimed. She fell silent for a moment, before lowering her tone. "You're...you're the first person to ever say that to me..in all of these years."
The orderlies began to pull Lynn away, but it was like something snapped in her brain, and she looked right at me. "Nack, Nack, wait, wait, I was wrong! You don't have to hate...you can break the cycle here...don't stop...never give up...never give up!" she screamed as she was led away.
Erin
I stood in my room in my fancy apartment, getting all dressed up and beautiful for the day. Everyone had been so sad around here lately...even Niat, but I was going to cheer my sweetums up! It had been so long since Niat and I spent quality time together...so last night, I had one of my butlers spy on him and see where he went for the night, so I could go surprise him today!
And he went to the perfect place: Juicekia's apartment!!
"I'm coming for you, Niat!" I yelled happily as I left my apartment and walked on the streets of Coruscant, fluffing my hair. "Oh, Niat, you will just love me forever and ever...because, after all, who couldn't love me? I am thin, blonde, beautiful, and I just have the best attitude about everything!"
Soon, I got to Juicekia's apartment, but the door was locked!
"Good thing I've learned how to unlock doors, because people always accidentally lock me out of places!" I said to myself, quietly getting out a neat little tool to pick the lock.
I then entered the apartment, and found the bedroom...Niat was already in bed. Awww!
"Honey, I'm HOME!!!" I yelled, before jumping right onto the bed. "WEEEEEEEE!"
The film is set in the year 2012 and is based on the Mayan prophecy of the end of the world on December 21st 2012. There are several key plot lines in the film.
The first details the story of a limo driver and struggling author Curtis Jackson (John Cusack) and his desperate struggle to get his ex-wife Kate (Amanda Peet) and two children Noah (Liam James) and Lilly (Morgan Lily) along with Kates new boyfriend Gordon (Thomas McCarthy) out of California and to safety.
Upon getting a map from a slightly odd hermit conspriacy theorist named Charlie (Woody Harrleson) he discovers that there are several arks being made within the Himalayas in China. After escaping the eruption of the super volcano at Yellowstone the group makes for China, but they have to stop soon after in need of a bigger plane.
Here they encounter Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric), who is Curtis' boss, his two sons, his girlfriend Tamara (Beatrice Rosen) and the pilot of Yuri's private plane Sasha (Johann Urb) whom Tamara truly loves. Sasha presses that they need a co-pilot, and when Curtis tells them that Gordon is a pilot Yuri agrees to let them on board.
The group then make their way to China but have to drive out of the back of the plane in one of Yuri's cars, whilst Sasha tries to stabilize the plane, ultimately sacrificing himself whilst the others survive.
Some time later the group notices helicopters flying over head carrying various animals to the arks. One of the helicopters pilots notices the group and lands besid ethem. He asks for their boarding passes (tickets for the ark) and Yuri says he has a pass for himself and his two boys, before departing in the helicopter leaving the group along with Tamara behind.
The second plotline focusses on the scientific advisor to the President Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who is one of the few who have read Curtis' novel, and has been inspired by the selflessness of the characters, often exhibiting this humanitarian attitude in his own actions. After visiting his good friend Satnam (Jimi Mistry) an Indian scientist who is the first to discover the Earths core heating up, Adrian takes the news to Carl, the Presidents Chief of Staff, who then appoints Adrian Scientific Advisor.
The President (Danny Glover) then informs the other world leaders, and work on the arks begins. When the cataclysmic events begin to unfold, the Whitehouse is evacuated, with most going on Air Force One which is bound for China, including Adrian, Carl and the Presidents daughter Laura (Thandie Newton). The President stays behind however, and makes the public aware that the world is ending. He, along with those who have sought refuge inside the Whitehouse die when a the U.S.S John F. Kennedy, which is riding on a tsunami, crashes into the building.
After saying goodbye to his father for the last time, Adrian organises for Satnam along with his wife and son to be picked up. This never happens however, and the three die in an embrace when a tsunami hits India, much to Adrian's dismay.
After some bonding between Adrian and Laura, the grup finally arrive at the arks. Adrian and Laura are disgusted to find that only the richest of the rich have been allowed on board, with even those who constructed the arks not being allowed onboard. Adrian is further angered when he discovers that his room alone could hold at least ten people. After seeing a live feed of the hundreds of people trying to get on to the ark he along with Laura helps convince the leaders to lower the gates and allow the people on board.
The third plotline ties in with the other two. It involves a Tibetan family. At the beginning of the movie, a buddhist monk name Nima (Osric Chau) and his grand-parents are taken out of their village, leaving behind Nima's brother Tenzin (Chin Han) who then becomes one of the welders in the construction of the arks.
Tenzin discovers what the governments are hiding and informs his brother Nima, who then visits the Dalai Lama who imparts some wisdom and gives Nima the keys to an old vehicle he owns. Tenzin forms a plan to get Nima and his grand-parents on one of the arks.
As Nima and his grand-parents travel to Tenzin they encounter Curtis, Kate, Gordon, Noah, Lily and Tamara and decide to bring them along. When they arrive, Tenzin says his plan will not work with so many people, and Kate proceeds to beg him to take her children, and he is eventually convinced by his grandmother to let them all on board as she says, "They are all children of the Earth."
They sneak through a maintenance tunnel at the back of the ark, and see the hoards of people trying to get on, that are unable to because the gates are closed. Tamara spots Yuri and his sons in the crowd, and her dog Caesar. She stops, whilst the others continue on, and the hatch begins to close. She whistles and Caesar hears her, running from the crowd and travelling across a pipe to reach Tamara, who then makes it inside just in time.
The group continues along the tunnels which are below the animal cages, but the gates begin to open (thansks to Adrian and Laura convincing the G8 leadrers to let the people on board). Due to this the platform shifts and Tenzin and Gordon fall down, spotted by Curtis. Tenzin's foot gets crushed to pulp in the gears but he manages to hoist himself up. Curtis tries his best to save Gordon, but he falls into the gears and dies.
Meanwhile as the gate sbegin to close again and the platfrom rises, Yuri helps one of his sons onto it. He then sturggles to get his other son up, but eventually manages to, sacrificing himself in the process. The gates then begin to close, but are stopped from closing fully due to a drill that Tenzin dropped getting caught in the gears. Thus the ships engines cannon start.
When a tsunami eventually hits, the ark begins to flood and each section at the back of the ark seals off one by one. Curtis manages to get Tenzin back to the group but then one of the doors seal, causing Tamara and Lilly to be separated from the rest of the group. Another doors behind them begins to close. Tamara helps Lilly over, then, realizing that she herself will not make it over, saves her dog Caesar by throwing him over just before the door closes. She then drowns as the water floods the compartment. Adrian and Laura find Lilly, who enforms them that her family is trapped two sections away. Adrian establishes contact with the group via video link and as their compartment is rapidly flooding, Curtis decides to dive down and try to remove the drill.
As Nima, his grand-parents and Kate are busy trying to prevent Tenzin from losing too much blood, Noah siezes the oppertunity and swims down after Curtis. Curtis cannot dislodge the drill, and it is only when Noah discovers a section of cabling that they manage to dislodge it. The arks engines can then start, and they reverse just in time to stop the ark from crashing into the peak of Mt. Everest.
One month and 27 days have passed and, still aboard the ark, Laura has finished reading Curtis' book. She then tells Adrian that she liked it, and which point he asks her out on a date. The two then share a kiss.
On the bridge Carl is informed that the waters are receeding much faster than expected and that whilst the rest of the world sunk, Africa actually rose, and thus was not affected by any of the catastrophes. The arks captain announces that there are clear skies for the first time (similar to the ending of The Day After Tomorrow), and the hatches are opened for those on board all three arks to go outside. We see Nima and his grand parents, along with Tenzin who had survived despite his rapid blood loss. Also present are Curtis, Kate, Noah and Lilly, along with Yuri's sons and Caesar,
The captain then reveals they are setting course for the Cape of Good Hope, and the film closes with a view of th Earth, in which Africa is the only visible continent.
Throughout the story we see mini relationships changing an unfolding. For instance we see Noah try to convince Curtis and Gordon to get along, and they eventually do reconcile shortly before Gordon's death. We also see the relationship blossoming between Laura and Adrian, and the development of Tamara as she reveals she loved Sasha and how Yuri forced her to have plastic surgery. All these little elements just add that extra bit to the plot.
ACTING:
Acting is one of the more important elements in a movie. A movie can have a rubbish story, but it is redeemable if the acting is good.
With 2012 I felt the acting was of a very high quality. Danny Glover done well, putting lots of emotion into his character, who was effectively the last ever President of the USA. Thandie Newton also was great as his daughter, Laura. Amanda Peet was good, and Thomas McCarthy provided some humour in his role as Gordon.
I do however think that John Cusack was a bit off at times and maybe wasn't the best choice for the lead role.
But for me, there were three stand out performances in this film:
The first of these is Chiwetel Ejiofor as Adrian Helmsley. His character is like the moral guide for the story, and sees everyone as being equal. Ejiofor (who also appeared in American Gangster) was relatively unknown to me, but he was outstanding in this film. He had this emotive quality that really pushed the story forwards, and Im sure that this will boost his career trememdously.
The second of these is the slightly loopy conspiracy theorist Charlie, who wa splayed by Woody Harrleson. I have always been a fan of Harrleson and he rarely gives a bad performance. 2012 is no exception, as he pulls off his character to a tee. He provides some comedy as well as a serious side, which adds a foreboding element to the film.
The third of these is the most surprising of all. One of the best performances of the film has to go to Liam James, who played Noah Jackson. For me, the child actors in big movies normally suck, and bring the film down *cough* Jake Lloyd *cough* but this kid definately pulled it off. He managed to get believable emotion into his character who desperately wants his father and his mothers boyfriend to get along. In many ways he was more believable than John Cusack IMO. He is definately one to watch in the future thats for sure.
VISUALS:
OK so this film maybe over-done it a bit in terms of the special effects, but said effects were some of the best I have seen. Again this ties in with acting, as the actors done a great job of making themselves believable with all that bluescreen.
There is one scene however, where the water begins pouring into the ark, that you can tell it's real water, and then when it contrasts against the digital water, it looks a little tacky. But other than that I thought the visual aspects of the film were excellent.
SOUND:
The sound was reasonably good. The film score itself wa sgood, but at times it was overwhelmed by the scenes themselves.
CONCLUSION:
Pros: ~ The stunning CGI ~ The high quality acting ~ The believability (is that a word? ) ~ The length (I feel the long length suited the film)
Cons: ~ Lilly constantly screaming (man she has the most annoying scream!) ~ The investment of lots of character development into certain characters e.g. Gordon and Tamara, when it turns out to be pointless as they get pretty crappy deaths.
Overall I feel it was a great movie, and one you should see in the cinema, or on a large (VERY large!) widescreen TV. The story was sufficient and the acting outstanding, with great special effects and a decent score it all added up to a great film experience. It has been slammed for being not very realistic, but come on, it's just a movie! A movie about the end of the world at that. Being realistic here wouldn't have worked.
I would give it 4 stars out of 5 and would recommend it to anyone. If you liked the Day After Tomorrow, you'll love this!
BTW this is just my opinion, so you will have to judge by your own preferences.
Re: OOC: Survival, Dark Times 2 « Result #6 on Dec 4, 2009, 6:15pm »
Oh. No prob, I remember. Prince Xizor hired Blades and Sticks to attack a Trandoshan pirate's compound, kill him and confiscate any "property" they find. Prince Xizor says property because he doesn't want them to know that their true objective is to steal some medical supplies that will assist in the creation of his secret clone army.
The reason I thought this up was because I needed something to change Blades' behavior and make him capable of romancing and marrying Navit. This is when he comes across a family of slaves and briefly considers "confiscating" them as well.
Re: OOC: Survival, Dark Times 2 « Result #8 on Dec 4, 2009, 2:02am »
Yeah. I think it should be noted just for nit-pick that it is both Blades and Sticks that enter the story. But something happens to separate them, so Blades joins Kurt to complete the mission. And I trust we all remember what the mission was supposed to be and who it was being done for?
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