Monday, July 11, 2011

Unstoppable: A Stream of Consciousness Blog

I am about to watch a movie. It is called Unstoppable. It’s about a train that doesn’t stop. And it is going to be bad.

This is what I imagine the movie will be like. Except it won’t be funny.


I will write this blog as I watch it. It might get a little long, and will probably have spoilers.


1:06- They want me to know that this movie is “Inspired by True Events.” They are also trying to make me afraid of trains. So far, it’s not working.

2:17- Unnecessary Chris Pine crotch shot.

2:59- Now Pine is trying to reach a wife(?) girlfriend(?) on the phone. There has been no talking in this movie yet. Lots of dramatic music, though.

4:10- Hey, that daycare center/retirement home quip from the SNL parody was actually in the movie. Yikes.

5:08- Now they’re talking about how a track needs to be cleared because some school children are coming to ride trains. Maybe SNL didn’t make anything up. Here’re the kids. And the dramatic music builds.

6:10- They just announced that the train doesn’t have brakes. Danger is brewing!

7:20- “Railroading” was used as a verb. Oh man, a real life train is going by right now! I hope it has brakes.

8:30- The plot thickens. Pine has received a call from his friend(?) saying that he can come in for a trial and then go home. I suspect this has something to do with the lady from earlier. But now the train has left the station, and we all know that it is not going to stop. The personal drama must be set aside for the train drama.

10:25- A minor character named Dewey just deserted a moving train with no brakes (and now it’s driving itself). I’m confused because I thought it was Denzel and Pine’s train that wouldn’t have brakes. The music is pretty dramatic still.

11:25- DEWEY JUST GOT RAN OVER BY THE TRAIN WITH NO BRAKES!

11:40- False alarm. He just didn’t catch up to it (because after deserting the moving train, he realized that was probably a bad plan. Dewey’s pretty dumb.) Now it’s a runaway train. Dewey couldn’t stop it. You might say it’s unstoppable.

12:30- We’re getting a look at Denzel’s personal life now. He’s got some good looking daughters, but I sense there’ll be some trouble there. They seem to be having a party that Denzel was supposed to attend. Instead, he’s on a train.

14:25- Denzel and Pine are having a heart-to-heart about being old and young.

15:19- I think Dewey is my favorite character of this movie so far. They’re giving him a hard time about letting a train with no brakes drive itself. I guess he deserves it. A line: “It’s a train, Dewey, not a chipmunk.”

17:22- They’re calling the runaway train a “coaster.” I keep thinking they’re talking about a roller coaster. You know, a runaway train might make a good rollercoaster—is that what Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is at Disney?

18:44- More heart-to-heart between Pine and Denzel. We learn that Pine is “sort-of” married and Denzel’s daughters work at Hooters.

20:08- A safety inspector is here to talk to the kids. What an unfortunate day to have a “coaster.”

21:28- Some incompetent railroad employees are arguing, oh, hey, Dewey’s with them. We’re learning that they don’t have a “coaster” because the train is going fast.

23:19- The runaway train is approaching the children’s train. They aren’t going to kill them off this early (or really at all, I don’t think). …And they’re safe. The trains just quickly pass each other.

24:45- Things aren’t so good for Pine and his lady trouble. His restraining order is continuing for at least another 30 days. Wonder what he did.

25:50- I haven’t written about Connie, the lady in charge of the trains. She’s kind of boring.

26:47- Dewey’s incompetent friend is trying to jump on the train. I don’t think it’ll work, since there’s still an hour left. Oh man. He just ran into a sign. Is he dead?

28:13- Now Pine and Denzel are fighting. Their relationship is confusing. Pine seems to have some kind of family relationship with the railroad. Their train is also too long. I bet the runaway train will complicate that problem.

30:52- Oh man, they just announced on the news that Dewey will be held accountable for the runaway train. Poor, stupid Dewey.

31:37- And now we find out that the train is carrying some kind of scary glue chemical.

33:10- The Chrysler Building line just came up. Ha!

34:32- A trailer of horses just got knocked into the path of the runaway train. First kids, now animals—they are trying to get us scared from any angle they can. Don’t worry, the horses make it.

37:19- I’m really impressed with what good impressions Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam (the SNL actors) did of Denzel and Pine.

40:00- A 22 year old Afghanistan War Vet is now trying to stop the train (by a helicopter? I don’t quite get it). He’s not going to make it.

44:47- The soldier tried to parachute down on the train. He couldn’t do it, and got injured. And now the other train that was trying to stop it fell of the tracks AND IT’S EXPLODING! I think we’ve reached the first casualties of the movie.

48:26- Pine and Denzel’s train is heading towards the runaway one. Are they going to make it? (Yes. My guess is yes.)

48:45- And cut to Hooters…

51:23- After they closely pass the train without getting hit, Denzel decides to chase it in the engine of the their train (they’ve ditched the cars). You know, he really is looking old. I guess Remember the Titans was a long time ago.

55:52- I am watching a movie where the villain is a train.

56:00- Oh man, we just learned that Denzel is being forced to retire. Drama!

1:00:05- We’re getting Pine’s backstory, and I don’t even care anymore. Something about pulling a gun on a cop. I’m bored of this movie. The novelty of making fun of it as I watch has been lost.

1:02:00- They are shooting at the train. It is a movie where the bad guy is an object, and they’re still shooting it.

1:04:00- Oh my gosh, there’s still half an hour of this left. How much longer do I have to watch some guys chase a train?

1:05:51- Denzel is trying to impart some life lessons. We’ll see if they stick.

1:08:38- I accidentally stopped paying attention and wikipedia’d Taran Killam. I have a little crush on him, I think.

1:09:31- Oh my gosh, Killam was Spaulding on The Amanda Show. Weird. In Unstoppable they are still chasing the train. Pine’s wife is trying to call him now. How the tables have turned…

1:10:52- What!? Killam is engaged to/has a baby with the lady who plays Robin on How I Met Your Mother! Whoa! Meanwhile, they are still chasing the train. Debris is hitting the train like hail. I’m not sure where it’s coming from because I stopped paying attention for a couple minutes.

1:13:20- I just learned that Chris Pine’s character name is Will. He’s fallen between cars on the runaway train. They’re saying his name a lot. Maybe they should’ve said it more early on, and then I might’ve cared about him more than I care about Dewey—who, by the way, has been missing from the movie for a long time.

1:14:26- They attached the two trains, but Will’s foot is hurt. He’s fixing it with duct tape, though.

1:15:32- They are now pulling at the runaway train in the opposite direction (I guess that’s why they’re chasing it?). I hope it works so this movie can end already. You know, this two trains thing feels a little like a math problem

1:17:24- This drawn out tension reminds me of the end of reality shows…”There are only two more photos in my hands…”

1:20:37- This movie doesn’t have enough talking to keep me interested. On the other hand, I just learned that Denzel’s character name is Frank. Also, the brakes on the train Frank is driving (the one that could be stopped) have broken. Now they have two unstoppable trains. (Though they’re connected, so I guess it counts as one train)

1:26:39- With ten minutes left, I’m trying to figure out if there has been any character development in this movie. I don’t think there has. Will’s wife cares about him now, and Frank’s daughters care about him, but that seems to be the only change. And I guess Will and Frank are friends now.

1:28:44- Inspirational music has started playing. Will is climbing into the engine of the runaway train. People everywhere are cheering. Hey, a shot of Dewey; he’s pretty happy.

1:30:00- And the train has stopped. So much for that unstoppable business.

1:31:12- Will is reunited with his family, and all marital problems are solved.

1:31:50- And Frank gets to keep his job. These guys really owe Dewey. What if he hadn’t deserted that train?

1:32:59- And here we are at closing credits. Enjoy your 1/5, Unstoppable. Wait, guess who got the last "where is he now" feature? It’s Dewey—he’s now working in the Fast Food Industry. Poor Dewey.


Watch Jon Stewart's interview with Rosario Dawson (the one who plays Connie, the boring character)


Did you like this style of post? Was it funny? Obnoxious? Too long? Let me know. I have more terrible movies ahead of me, and could certainly do this again if it works.

6 comments:

  1. THIS WAS MY FAVORITE POST SO FAR (deserving of all caps). I literally laughed out loud at each of your posts. I think that you should do another one in this style, but don't over do it. What other terrible movies do you have lined up? If they are as ridiculous as this one, you should try it again; I think that it is a perfect fit for action movies, not just stupid ones.

    Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I second Theresa's comment. This is my favorite Daily Shill review and I hope you do more of the terrible movies in the same style.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "We’re getting a look at Denzel’s personal life now. He’s got some good looking daughters, but I sense there’ll be some trouble there. They seem to be having a party that Denzel was supposed to attend. Instead, he’s on a train."

    I literally laughed out loud and scared the Coraline dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so glad Edith posted about your blog on fb! :) Keep it up, Emily!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loved it!

    Also, Emily, could you send me an email? I'd like to talk to you about cross-posting your reviews on another site.

    kate at mynameiskate dot ca

    Cheers .. Kate

    ReplyDelete
  6. Emily, this was hilarious! I was laughing out loud at KPL.

    ReplyDelete