ok i saw this on tv the other day and my brother and i were hysterical over this line delivered by keanu when he gets to the observatory the first time. "tell me you didnt do it, eddie." he stares at her blankly and says, "i didnt do it." we spent the rest of the day repeating that back and forth. oh keanu the matrix rescued your career (or lack there of).
shareI totally agree.
shareKeanu's deadpan in the observatory is a thing of artistic genious compared to the Senator's indignation at the committee hearing scene. Oddly enough, I found the "what did you do with the billions of dollars we gave you?" line to be quite possibly the worst dialogue (and delivery) I've ever heard or seen on film. The actor (Allen Hamilton?) just butchered it. I do not watch movies to feel THAT uncomfortable.
On the other hand, despite some extremely bad dialog in spots (stilted, overwritten ... who cleared this script?), the film has one of my all-time favorite Keanu lines. Spinning around on the iceboat, Lily screams, "What are you doing?!!", Eddie pulls down his jacket and screams back "The best I can!". (Classic nerd response)
Other decent moments:
Following the first onscreen try to initiate fusion, Alistair consols the team with "we've found another way that didn't work" (This is a scientific truism, rarely enunciated in film or popular press, perfect in context and delivered with just the right emotional tone.)
Then again, there's:
"Sardines?... Or sardines?" (a great old nerd joke, fits ok for a U-of-C'er, but there just wasn't enough backstory for Keanu support it).
Then again, there's:
"Sardines?... Or sardines?" (a great old nerd joke, fits ok for a U-of-C'er, but there just wasn't enough backstory for Keanu support it).
hehehe...isn't that a bit of a keanu reeves trademark? when i heard it i coulda sworn keanu reeves has delivered similar lines like that before...and funnily enough...that's one of the things he IS good at lol
Oh my goodness, I agree. We were watching this movie in science class (Why? I dunno.) And we jsut bursted out laughing upon hearing that part...the whole class was laughing for at leats five minutes afterwords.
shareI find that little scenario more unbelievable than the dialog in this film. Watching Chain Reaction in science CLASS?! Then people laughed for FIVE MINUTES? I haven't seen an audience laugh for five minutes in my life, and I've seen quite a few films at the theater.
The dialog that Freeman delivers during the ENTIRE FILM is quite good, as a matter-of-fact it is excellent at times.
"Who'd be interested in this technology?"
"Cheap, clean, abundant energy... Who wouldn't?"
"Your Dr. Chen is missing. Any idea where he might be?"
"He may be dead."
And the list goes on. Perfect. Concise. Succinct.
Now, if you knew someone very well, perhaps you loved this person once, and then you see on T.V. that he is accused of some pretty horrific stuff. Suddenly he walks in the room and what do you say?
"Gee, how are you Eddie? Wow, sounds like you're having a bad time out there in Chicago."
"Yea, I know. How are you? I wondered if I could spend some time at your place?"
Riiiiight. No. What you would say when he called is, "Eddie! Tell me you didn't do it!" "I didn't do it!" What the hell else would you expect them to say?
I get SOOO tired of the Keanu-hating crybabies who find ANY excuse to rail on the guy. Look, just deal with it, he is rich, famous, and you never will be. I swear, you punks just can't deal with the fact that this guy is liked, working, and not an a-hole I imagine you p*ssies are also on the "Hate Ethan Hawke" bandwagon. Any guy who is nice, friendly, good-looking, famous and younger than 40 just PISSES YOU OFF.
Chain Reaction is a fun movie. It is a great Saturday afternoon, popcorn movie. No, it isn't Citizen Kane. It is simply a PLAUSIBLE, exciting, action movie that poses some very interesting questions about scientific research and how it's discoveries should be handled, but I guess you dorks can't stop bashing Keanu long enough to see that.
And by the way... it's not only "nerds" who answer, "The best I can" when someone is asking, "What are you doing?" Pretty much everyone says, "Whatever I can", or "I have no idea", "The best I can" when asked that question. Well, unless you are an as*hole and then you say, "WHAT?! You wanna TRY?! Could you do any BETTER?!" Maybe you think *that* would be better dialog.
Grow up. Face the fact that you are a lame-o who is jealous of Keanu and DEAL with it. Stop whining and making fools of yourselves.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
You tell'em Bladerunner!
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I get SOOO tired of the Keanu-hating crybabies who find ANY excuse to rail on the guy. Look, just deal with it, he is rich, famous, and you never will be. I swear, you punks just can't deal with the fact that this guy is liked, working, and not an a-hole I imagine you p*ssies are also on the "Hate Ethan Hawke" bandwagon. Any guy who is nice, friendly, good-looking, famous and younger than 40 just PISSES YOU OFF.
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Bladerunner, you're aaaaaaall right! :)
No seriously..we watched it, because we were doing a science unit on the environment..and we just finished a class project on an alternitive fuel source. We had a supply teacher, so our teacher left us with this movie. And, as for five minutes, yeah. You know the peope who keep laughing, or repeating stuff? yeah. Those people kept laughing..on and on.
shareUh, Bladerunner: no... those of us who can't stand Keanu don't feel that way because he's young, good-looking and rich. it's because, since the Bill & Ted movies (which were terrific fun), he's never NOT been Ted in a movie. that's the extent of his range: Ted.
"Danny's not here, Mrs. Torrance"
Oh, that's just bullsh!t. Total bullsh!t. People are doing the same thing to Shia LaBeouf. It is because he is young, rich, successful and a celebrity, not because he can't act. He did a fantastic job in The Gift with Cate Blanchett and he wasn't anywhere near being "Ted" in Bill and Ted. His voice is very distinctive and he can't change that, but he doesn't need to, because he is a fine actor. The reason why he does so many movies, and they make money, is because he is good at what he does and only whiny wannabes have a problem with him.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
People are doing the same thing to Shia LaBeouf.
Shia is making it on his own. Every actor needs a boost. No actor makes it "on their own". That is bunk. Shia is a good actor and has a powerful onscreen presence. That is proven in each new movie he is in that does well. The backlash is jealousy, pure and simple.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
Now, if you knew someone very well, perhaps you loved this person once, and then you see on T.V. that he is accused of some pretty horrific stuff. Suddenly he walks in the room and what do you say?
"Gee, how are you Eddie? Wow, sounds like you're having a bad time out there in Chicago."
"Yea, I know. How are you? I wondered if I could spend some time at your place?"
Riiiiight. No. What you would say when he called is, "Eddie! Tell me you didn't do it!" "I didn't do it!" What the hell else would you expect them to say?And by the way... it's not only "nerds" who answer, "The best I can" when someone is asking, "What are you doing?" Pretty much everyone says, "Whatever I can", or "I have no idea", "The best I can" when asked that question. Well, unless you are an as*hole and then you say, "WHAT?! You wanna TRY?! Could you do any BETTER?!" Maybe you think *that* would be better dialog.
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rotflmao! Bladerunner*, I laughed for nearly five minutes at that, you're right and I agree, sometimes when he says something even if it doesn't sound funny, people diss or clown him on it, what else would he say? Seriously, that was funny, bladerunner*, just imagining him saying what you did at that point of the movie would be so out of character for him.
bemorecynical2001, I agree, I don't get how that 'Keanu is Ted' arguement is still being used, after seeing The Devil's Advocate, he certainly wasn't Ted in there he proved he could hang with Al Pacino in that flick, probably his all time best and underrated performance.
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit' me!" Hudson in Aliens.
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Haha! Funny little interpretation, there!
I love the movie, but I approach it as I do The Hunt For Red October, Six Days and Seven Nights and The Relic... just good escapist fun. I'm not looking to Chain Reaction for shades of The Bicycle Thief. However, I do have to disagree about the dialog, there are some good lines in the film... NOT Shakespeare, but some good line (see also those I mentioned earlier in the thread).
Hero looks masculine and yet sensitive. Girl paws at his chest
Two pages of back and forth and no one has touched on the title of this thread?!?!
"quite possibly the worst lines of dialogue ive ever seen"
Speaking of terrible writing, how do you see dialogue?
(Picky, I know, but come on, I had to.)
Moving on, this movie didn't work for me, I just found it unexceptional, the dialogue I found ran hot and cold, some of it worked, some of it felt awkward, it happens.
But the Keanu is Ted argument really needs to be retired, it's not at all clever. For just two examples, there was not a whiff of Ted in Devil's Advocate or The Gift.
"Why would a banana grab another banana? Those are the kinds of questions I don't want to answer."
Probably the reason why no one "touched on" that is because, as you yourself admitted, it's picky and not important. Kind of like people that become grammar police, it simply isn't important and it often hijacks a thread and derails it from it's true purpose.
I agree concerning your comments about Keanu, that stuff gets so old and as you noted, he is capable of delivering a performance that doesn't include "Ted".
I also agree that the movie does run hot and cold in the quality of the dialog, but really, who cares? I mean, the movie is a fun ride, a action picture that delivers what it sets out to deliver. I respect your opinion, I just disagree, It think it's a good little movie.
"...nothing is left of me, each time I see her..." - Catullus
Hero looks masculine and yet sensitive. Girl paws at his chest.I just bought this movie today and I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that.
You're amazing. You can see dialog. Or maybe you're just high on acid.
Prof. Farnsworth: Oh. A lesson in not changing history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!
And that's bad because of what again?
http://www.rateyourmusic.com/~JrnlofEddieDeezenStudies
I'm going to see it again just to see the line you're talking about.
share