Everyone Go See "Elysium".It Hits On All Cylinders!!!!!! Must See And Make It A Box Office Success.

[TheMastersNemesis]

It is an awesome metaphor and Matt Damon has been involved in a social and economic justice masterpiece. It may not be perfect but it hits the RW from every angle right between the eyes. It is a near perfect symphony that slams the results of Reaganomics and "tinkle down". It reveals the true intentions of what plutocracy and oligarchy is about.

The subconscious and symbolic messages are powerful. We need to make this movie a big success. I now know why the right wingers are having a near heart attack over this film. It is a modern version of the silent film "Metropolis" by Fritz Lang nearly 100 years ago. It is remarkable how we are fighting the same battle an earlier generation fought.

I saw it this afternoon and was just blown away.

[elleng]

1. Thanks!

My S.O. just suggested we do the same, discovered its playing on the way to my new 'cottage!'

[agent46]

31. You are strong

and you know why.

[PoliticAverse]

2. So you liked it? n/t

[TheMastersNemesis]

3. Yes I Did. It May Be A Bit Trite In Some Ways. But It Definitely Delivers A Message About Power.

The same director who did "District 9" did this film. It has many of the same themes about suppression and persecution. And if you watch "Elysium" more than once it will be more powerful. It is absolutely loaded with stark symbolism.

This film need to go viral in a sense and blow away the box office. Right Winger are crapping their pants over this film. It is one of the most hard hitting films in the last 30 years.

[JaneyVee]

11. It definitely touches on immigration and universal healthcare.

[LongTomH]

23. " Right Winger(s) are crapping their pants over this film."

Yeah, I kinda expected that!

[Brigid]

80. If Blomkamp really wanted that . . .

He should have had a bunch of people from earth hijack a few of those transports and and invade Elysium. They had the numbers. I wonder if Blomkamp considered that idea and the producers nixed it.

[kardonb]

69. Elysium

got generally poor reviews .

[Ed Suspicious]

70. 72% of audience liked it. Not unanimous but also not exactly what I would call generally poor.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/elysium_2013/#audience_reviews

[Brigid]

4. Sounds great.

But I think I'll wait until it hits Redbox. Movie prices are just insane nowadays.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

25. It's not the movie, it's the snack bar.

[Brigid]

30. Oh, the concession stand prices are even worse.

But here ticket prices have jumped to $11. That's just nuts.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

38. I put it in perspective here in Vegas...

We routinely drop $20 in video poker.

[woodsprite]

43. Family of 4 - $51

That's just tickets. Add 2 small shared drinks, two bags of candy and a small popcorn, and we're up to $71 total before gas. If you want to see something on IMAX or in 3D, it's closer to $100.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

44. I guess it depends on the age of the kids too....

If they're old enough to understand they won't DIE without food and water for two hours.

Chewing gum helps.

[mimi85]

45. We rarely go to the movies

but when we do we take our own munchies - big handbags come in handy sometimes. It sounds good, although kinda preaching to the choir. I'm just not a SciFi fan anymore. I read a bunch of it when I was really young. I somehow just drifted away from it.

The pic of Matt Damon in the paper seems kind of off. He has a babyish face, although he pulled off action in the Bourne movies - only saw the first one. So-so. And they aren't Sci-Fi anyway. Think I'll wait on this one. I agree with whoever mentioned Jodie Foster, one of my favs also!

We're not old enough (quite) yet, but my husband has tons of wonderful gray hair, so he buys a couple of senior tickets and we go during matinee time prices. Hell, the kids are so young that work there you could probably be 30 and get away with that. Yep, we're cheapskates.

[woodsprite]

49. We'll go about 3-4 times a year for big releases or

while on vacation (if we hit a real rainy spell when we're camping).

We'd probably get away with just the popcorn and drinks, except
the kids both have dental appliances and can't have popcorn. Oh well,
more for hubby and I . We did splurge to see Avatar in 3D
IMAX and will probably do it again whenever the sequel comes out.
I had never been to an IMAX theater and they just built one
in the next town. Neat experience.

We kind of grade our movie choices - 1) must be seen on
the big screen, 2) wait till it comes out to On Demand,
3) wait till it comes out on DVD because we want to buy
it, and 4) wait till it comes on regular TV.

[WolverineDG]

52. check for online/email deals

if your local theater is part of the Cinemark chain, you can make out like a bandit if you join their "club" & opt to get weekly email coupons (which you don't have to print out; you just show it to them on your phone).

Have a smart phone? Get the Cinemark app & put your phone in "Cinemode" during the movie. The rewards are great! Most are "get any size popcorn with purchase of a large drink" or similar. The coupons are about the same offers too, although they sometimes include hot dogs & nachos.

Regal also has an app, but I haven't seen the kind of deals that Cinemark has.

[csziggy]

53. If you can go on a weekday afternoon you can get matinee prices sometimes

Both AMC and Regal Theaters here charge $5 per ticket for weekday afternoon showings.

[WolverineDG]

57. wow, that's awesome

we don't get those deals here, but the $1 theater is just as good as the first-run. Sometimes, I just wait until the movie moves over there.

[csziggy]

61. We do have one of those $1 theaters here but I can't go there

They have had some problem with their vent system and the mold really aggravates my asthma. I complained the last two times we went, but they don't seem interested in fixing it.

You can check Fandango for the matinee deals - I wasn't sure if AMC had it or if the Regal theater still offered it but Fandango listed it for both.

We used to go to matinees often when my husband worked nights. For the last five years or more he's been working days so we don't get to go very often. We went last year while he took time off to help after my knee replacement. Maybe I'll take him to Elysium since he's now laid up due to a foot operation. He's been off work for a month and he's really bored so that would be a treat!

[JDPriestly]

63. It will, hopefully, be available on Netflix very soon.

[niyad]

68. playing at the picture show right now (reg. price $1.75, tuesdays $1) and the dollar store is

three doors down for snacks.

[randome]

5. Have you seen that Canadian series Continuum?

It's shown occasionally on the Sci-Fi channel but with the 'naughty words' censored.

Anyways, it has a lot to say about corporate power and the extent to which people will go to be free of it. Another very topical theme.

The second season ender was surprising.

Thanks for the recommendation on Elysium!
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[Cheap_Trick]

24. I stopped watching during the first season.

To me, it seemed they were making the ones fighting against the corporations the bad guys.

[randome]

37. To a certain extent, yes. But there are a lot of ambivalencies and subtleties.

I think it very much captures the conflict between security and freedom. The terrorists are still terrorists but the Corporation is not as benign as at first glance so you start to understand why some want to lash out.

A lot of it is fairly standard cop-looking-for-the-bad-guys stuff but there are a lot of undercurrents, as well. And that second season ender changes the direction a lot.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[joshcryer]

48. Love that show. Love the concept.

The cool part is that the corps are more seen in a positive light.

[randome]

50. They are by some -by most, even- but others are clearly not happy about their control.

Which makes it a perfect reflection of society today. Both sides have cogent points.

I read that Simon Barry and his writers decided on the 'rules' to use for this version of time travel. If they have a firm idea of where they are going with this, my hope is that it won't spiral out of control like Battlestar Galactica.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[joshcryer]

76. I'm hoping it's a closed time loop.

So far there hasn't been any inconsistency that forbids it (Maddy is maybe questionable, but it can be explained away).

I'm hoping that Kira makes it back home and convinces elder Alec one thing, that he couldn't have changed the past without causing a paradox, unless his efforts to do so failed. And that changing the future has always been in his ability, he was just too fixated on changing the past to realize it.

Alec then disbands the corps and gives employees full profit sharing, etc.

[hunter]

6. I posted the trailer in the Lounge.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018453785

I think it would be cool if the political aspects were discussed in GD.

[Jamastiene]

46. Thank you for the link.

I just went and watched the trailer. I wish there was a movie theater closer than 32 miles away from where I live. Maybe Netflix or somebody will have it up sometime in the future. I would love to see it.

I don't think it will take until 2154 for our lives to be like that, with the 1% living at least on a space station while the rest of us suffer here on the hell they are making of Earth. Didn't they say things will reach critical stages with global warming within 50 years recently? So, that's about 91 years sooner, right? The 1% would love nothing more than to do exactly that. That is why when I first heard the song, "Kill The Poor" all those years ago, I wasn't sure if it was sarcasm or not. I mean, that is how the 1% really think.

[JDPriestly]

65. And here is an easier link.

[TheMastersNemesis]

7. Everyone Needs To Put The Word Out To See This Film.

When the DVD comes out there needs to be "Elysium" viewing parties. And I can say that what you see on earth is what the GOP plans for the 99% in the US. I was at DOL for 24 years where I could see the erosion developing and the media has lied and covered up for the GOP and sanctified Reagan all these years. Average workers have been betrayed and screwed in the very worst way.

The media, particularly FOX Noise, has to be criticized and challenged for its continuing betrayal. The media is a dishonest and deceitful broker and has to be stopped.

Jake Tapper is a Republican and phoney stupid ass. He always seems to slant things toward the GOP and conservatives.

[cherokeeprogressive]

8. Knowing beforehand that a movie is nothing more than a political statement makes me LESS likely to

see it.

I like stories. I like fiction. I like make believe. I read books and instead of words I see pictures... scenes if you will. Knowing beforehand that the story is simply a metaphor for a current political stance completely destroys the anticipatory enjoyment I get from reading. The same goes with movies.

I might watch it when it winds up on Netflix. Otherwise, I feel like I've already seen it based on what I've read in the last 24 hours from both sides of the political spectrum.

Know what? Political division is fucking up my enjoyment of just about EVERYTHING...

[randome]

17. I hear you. Escapism is necessary, too.

But maybe Elysium is a combination of both. I have to see it with my daughters because they're in love with Matt Damon!
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[cherokeeprogressive]

75. Yer a good Pop. So how was it? n/t

[Blaukraut]

9. Saw it this afternoon. Liked it, but didn't love it.

The entire premise needed to be fleshed out more, imo. 20 more minutes would have been enough to go into more detail about both worlds. Maybe even 25 to 30, if they had cut some of the action scenes.

[TheMastersNemesis]

13. I Moved Really Fast In Some Ways. But It Could Not Be A Dr. Zhivago.

Could have had more revelation but it got the message across.

[DebJ]

67. You are SOOOO right there. Just came home from seeing it.

There was about 15 minutes of context, with the rest all being action scenes. Fight scenes bore
me to death, and some of them went on and on.

Movie has a great premise but it wasn't explored in any depth at all.
No character development to speak of at all.

[truebrit71]

72. For all of the reich-wing squealing about this flick...

...i think TPTB got off easy in this one. I too would have liked some more on the back story about how the rich fucked the planet over and then buggered off to the ultimate gated community in the sky...

But I loved the movie and plan to see it again..

[Brigid]

79. That would make a fantabulous prequel.

They should do it. I think also that setting of Elysium itself should have been more fully developed; we didn't really get to see the mindset of the average wealthy person living there; we only saw the Jodi Foster character's viewpoint.

[Kingofalldems]

10. Kick and Rec for all the Cave people visiting

[uponit7771]

12. NPR review: Makes powerful social statement then blows things up...I'm in, putting it on the list

[TheMastersNemesis]

14. I Don't Think Our Modern Audiences Get It Unless Things Are Being Blown Up.

I watched the restored copy of "Metropolis". It has the same message from nearly 100 years ago but it has a flawed ending. Plus that film is too "cerebral" for modern tastes. It's theme is exactly the same and is a real masterpiece for its time. Sadly we are now fighting the same battles we fought in the early 20th century. We have a new class of "robber barons" who will just as cruel as the earlier one.

People are not being outright murdered like they were then. But I think events could be repeated in this era.

[lupulin]

21. Thanks for the heads up

I generally haven't been too impressed with remakes. I'll look for Metropolis first and see how I like that.
Older folk seemed to have had better and more subtle ways of telling stories.

[uponit7771]

26. I think blowing things up is generational, CG can make it easy so it's done but yeah. It can be

...used to put a fine point on a story and hopefully that's the case here.

I haven't seen it yet

[JDPriestly]

66. It's a sad fact that blowing up things in a movie draws crowds.

We try to avoid movies in which things get blown up, but it isn't possible to avoid all of it.

Maybe the fascination with movies that feature blowing things up is part of the frustration of the limitations on self-realization through action that our society is imposing on most of us. We are hampered in our lives.

It's interesting to observe that a lot of the crime on our streets occurs around the overcrowded "low-income" apartment houses in our area. It's really sad. People who are crammed into tiny spaces, too tiny for anything but watching TV, washing up and eating begin to feel aggressive after a while. Not surprising.

Our area is not the worst. There are still lots of single family houses. But it's unhealthy to copp kids up in small apartments.

[stillwaiting]

55. They seem to be getting arrested these days. Left wing protesters that is. For now. nt

[socialist_n_TN]

73. The fact that we go through this over and over........

under capitalism is one of the main reason I believe that revolution and a total systemic change is the only way to save us all. Including the wealthy.

[Nancy Waterman]

15. Just saw it and highly recommend it!

It was great and unbelievably timely. The issues of immigration and health care were
masterfully covered in allegory form, as was the huge economic discrepancy between the 1% rich and everyone else
and the total sense of entitlement and lack of empathy of the privileged. Very well done!

[Phlem]

34. Excellent!

I havne't seen it yet but..
As a person working in the 3D art field, I was hoping the special effects didn't overshadow the message. It almost seems the technology represented is awkward and rough so as to contrast the the story equally.

Looking forward to it.

Thank You.

-p

[jimlup]

16. Yes - I saw it this afternoon too.

I would expect the right to criticize it openly - it was pretty obviously an allegory for the current political situation.

Fox News will probably have a kitten about it. (Or they may be too stupid to realize that it does accurately reflect today - hard to tell.)

Spoiler Alert - stop reading if you have not seen it yet.

I turned to my wife as the medical units were landing on Earth and whispered "Obama-care" (it was a joke obviously but...)

[Nancy Waterman]

19. I had the same thought.

I was thinking of how just today Obama said that the GOP wanted to hold the country hostage so that it could deny health care to 30 million people. That this movie just came out seemed amazing synchronicity to me.

[RedCappedBandit]

18. Loved it.

Echoes the reality of our wealth inequality here on earth very well.

[pacalo]

20. Thanks for the heads-up!

Here's the trailer:

[another_liberal]

36. Sweet . . .

A classic film is born.

[Triana]

22. Holy sh1t it's got Jodie Foster

She's one of my favorite actresses.

EDIT: It's showing at a theater right near my house. Going to see it tomorrow!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

27. Now all we need is an optomistic view of the future as an alternative....

That USED to be Star Trek before it became a shoot em up thing.

[TDale313]

28. Going tomorrow night. Excited to see it.

[ZombieHorde]

29. Thanks for the review!

I wanted to see it, but now I really want to see it.

[Phlem]

32. I hear the ending

is not close to realistic expectations but I'm going to go see because I want to. Also I like Matt Damon and what he stands for. Social Justice, high on my list of requirements for being a fucking human.

-p

[another_liberal]

33. I heard Glenn Beckkk slamming it earlier today.

That alone is reason enough for me to buy a couple of tickets.

[JimDandy]

35. Trailer looks interesting-I'd go to see it. n/t

[Graybeard]

39. I liked the director's 'District 9'.

The writer and director of this film, Neill Blomkamp, also did District 9 (2009).
I thought that film was brilliant. Sci-Fi, comedy, great special effects and meaningful social commentary.

Matt Damon has said the same in an interview and couldn't wait to work with Blomkamp on this film. I'm glad to hear he has another winner.

Can't wait to see it.

[DebJ]

56. District 9 bored me incredibly. I usually like Sci-Fi but all I remember

about District 9 was thinking this was really stupid, and then, "Is it over yet?"

[truebrit71]

71. Me too...still don't understand the hype about District 9...

...Elysium however, was excellent...

[Marr]

74. The guy who played the protagonist in that movie is the villain in this one.

I never would've recognized him if my friend hadn't pointed it out. He's really good, whoever he is. Made a great villain.

[CJCRANE]

60. District 9 was great! It blew the other action movies of that summer out of the water.

The action and violence was quite intense and reminded me a little of 80s sci-fi movies like Robocop.

The same summer I saw Wolverine Origins which was okay but nothing new in terms of direction and Transformers III which is possibly the worst movie I've ever sat through (I was just too polite to leave).

DAMN YOU MICHAEL BAY!

[octoberlib]

40. Thanks for the post . Can't wait to see it.

I grabbed this off of Facebook. 7 Things to Know About Elysium

Elysium, director Neill Blomkamp’s follow up to District 9, hits theaters today. Here are a few things to know about the film.

1. THE FILM IS SET IN 2154—AND BLOMKAMP THINKS HIS DYSTOPIAN VISION OF EARTH WILL COME TO PASS.

In the film, the have-nots live on a polluted and overcrowded Earth, while the have-lots live in an idyllic space station called Elysium, where there's no sickness or poverty. When Max—a blue-collar Earthling with a criminal past—has an accident on the job that gives him just five days to live, he makes it his business to get to Elysium and get cured.

The disparity that Blomkamp portrays in Elysium isn't all that far from reality—many cities around the world have pockets of wealth surrounded by slums. And Blomkamp thinks it will only get worse. His vision of Earth is "a total step backwards, compared with where people think we're going," he told io9. "It's just diseased. It's like a complete lack of technology, and Third World. ... But I think that's where we're going."

Read the full text here: http://mentalfloss.com/article/52153/7-things-know-about-elysium#ixzz2bXFmFvyJ
--brought to you by mental_floss!

[airplaneman]

41. Thanks for sharing ill be sure to see it.

A good sci-fi and a good political message. Couldn't ask for a better film.
-Airplane

[Bjorn Against]

42. I will be going on Sunday, if the teabaggers are throwing a fit I must see it

[Zorra]

47. You sold me on it, will see it ASAP. Sounds great. nt

[reformist2]

51. The logical conclusion of a mindset that doesn't care about what happens to anyone but the 1%.

They already live in gated communities, send their kids to exclusive schools, they even shop at different stores now. There are already some that want to live on tropical island utopias - with high-tech security, of course. It's only a matter of time before they start dreaming of Elysium.

[ctsnowman]

54. Thanks for the post.

[liberal_at_heart]

58. I guess I will have to go see two movies this week. I already promised my son we would go see

the new Percy Jackson movie, but it has been a while since my husband and I have had a date night. Maybe I can convince him to go to the movies with me to see this. Of course I'll have to get my tickets from Costco and sneak in my own snacks. Seeing two movies can get expensive.

[IDemo]

59. Haven't seen it yet, but "Children of Men" struck me as a quite believable future scenario

The dispossessed hordes are kept away from the workers by chainlink fence and heavily armed police. The threat of terrorism is omnipresent. Anyone presenting a threat to The Powers that Be can simply be chased down and eliminated by the police without due process.

[valerief]

62. Good idea. I saw a clip of it on Colbert and it looks good. nt

[Omaha Steve]

64. Marta and I saw it yesterday in IMAX

Loved it!

K&R!

[riderinthestorm]

77. Went to see this today on your recommendation! Three thumbs up!

from me, my daughter AND her boyfriend...

I love seeing movies like this with like-minded folks.

Thanks for the rec and a kick for your thread! Everyone should see this. It really is all about the 1% v the 99%....

[SomethingFishy]

78. I can't.

Matt Damon said something bad about Obama.

[Orrex]

81. I have to put you on Ignore because you referred to Matt Damon

And now I have to put myself on Ignore.


Doh!

[liberal_at_heart]

82. I just saw it. I have to say I cried a little at the end. It brought up pent up emotions I have been

feeling about my children getting cheated out of a good education and our family not being able to afford the kind of medical care we need, and I cried a little. It was a great movie. It was both meaningful and entertaining.

[Marrah_G]

83. I saw it last night

I was impressed.