# Veronica Mars Movie - SPOILERS INSIDE



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

I just got back from one of the 8pm fan event showings. It was a lot of fun. I brought a friend who had not yet managed to watch any of the series and so far he seems to have enjoyed the movie and is looking forward to watching the series.

One thing I was wondering about, and I suppose I could find it by hunting around online, but maybe someone can answer -- the basis of the mystery in the movie came from the death aboard the boat... was that something ever brought up in the series or was that new backstory created for the movie?


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

I rewatched most of the series right after the Kickstarter reached its funding goal -- i.e. about a year ago, so my memory on it isn't the freshest. But I'm fairly confident the boat backstory is new for the movie.

I'm glad I went to the screening. It was fun seeing the movie with fellow fans. The theater was energetic and everyone enjoyed hooting at the nods in the movie to us, laughing at the jokes, and so on.

As for the movie itself -- this is the Internet, so let me get my (mild) complaint out first.

All throughout, I kept feeling like I was watching a TV show on the big screen. This may be because it actually was a TV show, but something about it felt kind of small. I don't mean in terms of the budget -- the money was obviously well-spent -- but plenty of low-budget movies have felt quite at home in cinemas and this one didn't quite. I wanted the presentation of it to say, "This obviously deserves to exist in this context", and it didn't, not really. Now that I've seen the movie and am reading reviews, I see many national film critics saying something similar. So I don't think it was just me. (None of which means I recommend against seeing it in a theater. It's a good-looking movie and a real thrill seeing these characters shown large.)

I almost wish Rob T. had gone with his preference and not made the fan-wish-fulfillment version of the movie. I totally get why he did, and can only imagine I would have done the same thing. I enjoyed the result immensely, but suspect that grounding it so firmly in its TV roots kept it from becoming something more. For example, I never cared for Veronica's relationship with Logan (or Piz) one bit, so it did nothing for me for the movie to put them together again. That just felt rote. Going a different way might have been more interesting.

All that said, there is lots of good stuff here and I'm quite satisfied overall. KB is so good, as expected; I could watch her as this character in really any story that Rob T. wants to tell. The trademark VM repartee is in good form -- the audience laughed so hard at several lines that it was often hard to hear the next bit of dialog -- and the rhythms of the actors working together so well just felt right. The murder story was a bit trite, but then the mystery wasn't really the point. I loved that the movie made the point that the version of Veronica we want -- the private eye (and for most people, with Logan), rather than the lawyer (with Piz) -- is actually the one that is worse for her in many respects. That's dark. And the class struggle stuff in Neptune felt even more apropos today. Everybody obviously was having a great time. It was infectious. 

This movie is not going to win an Academy award. It may not even win a sequel. But I'm a satisfied backer. Knowing how it came out, I'd pledge all over again, probably for even more.


----------



## Peter000 (Apr 15, 2002)

I rented it last night from iTunes. Looked good, was a good VM story, and had lots of fun, familiar faces. But I don't feel I missed anything by not seeing it in the movie theater.


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Saw it last night at the 8pm showing in Boston with my wife and kids. There were two theaters full of fans (they added a second when the first sold out in minutes). Everyone was very pumped; as with cmonty I definitely missed some lines due to laughter etc. but that's OK since I can watch it again.

I agree it's not a must-see-on-the-big-screen movie (although for me, at the prices they are now (grump grump), very few movies are). However I was glad I went to the fan event; it was fun to see it with people who were so excited.

The movie itself was pretty good, although I agree with my son who said it felt like a season plot arc from the TV show, with all the "extra stuff" around it removed to fit into a movie. RT brought the funny with many great lines, and the inside jokes were not too deep for the most part...I don't think it required any familiarity with the TV show to "get" the movie. Some jokes were even outside the show (Leo's reference to Veronica joining the FBI for example: "maybe in another life" ). I confess I really jumped when Gia got shot... he got me and it's rare that happens anymore (I thought Cobb was running around to the door). The entire plotline with Eli seemed odd to me though... why does he go back to the bikers at the end? I didn't see a lot of motivation for that. I thought he'd given all that up for his wife and baby.

There were a lot of possibilities for future adventures left open, although I'm not sure how that will happen. I just don't think they can go back to the Kickstarter well again--it would probably work at least one more time, but seems kind of lame. I'll be very interested to see what kind of money the movie makes on its own.

Having the plot include Veronica coming back after a long time away was very smart: you could see a lot of genuine emotion from the actors getting to work together again, and it translated well into the plot.

The product placement was a _leeeetle_ over the top, but whatever.

James Franco was a riot: loved is little eye-roll when his assistant was "acting" on the video. Also, Max Greenfield's scene with Kristen was really fantastic... that was one that might not have worked so well if you weren't familiar with the show, though.


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

madscientist said:


> The product placement was a _leeeetle_ over the top, but whatever.


What product placement? I can't think of anything that stood out right now.


----------



## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

dswallow said:


> I just got back from one of the 8pm fan event showings. It was a lot of fun. I brought a friend who had not yet managed to watch any of the series and so far he seems to have enjoyed the movie and is looking forward to watching the series.
> 
> One thing I was wondering about, and I suppose I could find it by hunting around online, but maybe someone can answer -- the basis of the mystery in the movie came from the death aboard the boat... was that something ever brought up in the series or was that new backstory created for the movie?


Like cmonteburns said I'm confident that boat backstory was new for the movie.

Now we _had_ briefly seen the girl, Susan Knight, who died on the boat; she was the one who was pregnant with Mr. Rooks baby (Veronica's favorite teacher) back in season 1 (ep: Mars vs Mars). (Hence the passing reference to her talk on the boat about having had to up a baby)

And Cary Bishop (aka Bonnie DeVille) was Susan's friend and the one who pretended to have had an affair with Mr. Rooks to get him in trouble (becuase Susan didn't want to come forward).

So new backstory, but with recurring characters. 
(And I hadn't realized all this while watching the movie; this was courtesy of some quick googling last night)


----------



## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

dswallow said:


> What product placement? I can't think of anything that stood out right now.


Logan's Jag? That's really the only thing that came to mind.

Although tangentially I did wonder at Veronica being happy to use a 9 year old digital camera (and without a comment; unlike the old analog bugs). Yeah, the optics are still top notch; but wouldn't sensors have significantly improved in that time?


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Jonathan_S said:


> Logan's Jag? That's really the only thing that came to mind.
> 
> Although tangentially I did wonder at Veronica being happy to use a 9 year old digital camera (and without a comment; unlike the old analog bugs). Yeah, the optics are still top notch; but wouldn't sensors have significantly improved in that time?


A car has to be some brand. It's not like we had exposition like Logan talking about his great deal on a Jag. "product placement," at least in the derisive sense which seems to be the only thing ad execs comprehend when buying product placement, has to stand out unnaturally in a story or scene.

Silliness ensues with anti-product placement, where obvious logos are blacked out -- like when obvious Sony TVs have the "SONY" logo blacked out in way it really couldn't say anything but "SONY" under the blackout. Or when Coke is obviously being consumed but of 300 different shots with a Coke can every single one of them has the ingredient label pointing at us.

But a luxury vehicle being driven by Logan? Nothing unnatural there, really.

I really was expecting her to reminisce about the camera/lens then start using something like a Lumia 1020, but that never happened, either.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

Samsung was the obvious one.


----------



## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

cmontyburns said:


> Samsung was the obvious one.


Was that who made the tablet Gia had? Or was there some Samsung placement I totally missed. (In any case I don't recall features or branding getting played up much...)

Kind of like Doug said with the car, it's probably be more obtrusive to make up a fake tablet company than to just use a real one. (I guess you could have had a Kane Software tablet; but that's a bit of a stretch)


----------



## SteveD (Oct 22, 2002)

Jonathan_S said:


> Was that who made the tablet Gia had? Or was there some Samsung placement I totally missed. (In any case I don't recall features or branding getting played up much...)
> 
> Kind of like Doug said with the car, it's probably be more obtrusive to make up a fake tablet company than to just use a real one. (I guess you could have had a Kane Software tablet; but that's a bit of a stretch)


They did mention that the tablets were galaxy, "the small ones". Samsung also was the laptop brand in the Vinnie Van Lowe's van.


----------



## SteveD (Oct 22, 2002)

Jonathan_S said:


> And Cary Bishop (aka Bonnie DeVille) was Susan's friend and the one who pretended to have had an affair with Mr. Rooks to get him in trouble (becuase Susan didn't want to come forward).


Was Carrie Bishop the only one played by a different actor? Leighton Meester was the original Carrie, but Andrea Estella was Bonnie/Carrie in the movie.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

Jonathan_S said:


> Was that who made the tablet Gia had? Or was there some Samsung placement I totally missed. (In any case I don't recall features or branding getting played up much...)
> 
> Kind of like Doug said with the car, it's probably be more obtrusive to make up a fake tablet company than to just use a real one. (I guess you could have had a Kane Software tablet; but that's a bit of a stretch)


Samsung was a sponsor. Their logo was all over some of the fan and press event stuff and they obviously also paid to be in the movie. Under the circumstances, I'm fine with that.


----------



## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

In the theater now. Movie starts in 20. Only 5 others in the theater.


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

StacieH said:


> In the theater now. Movie starts in 20. Only 5 others in the theater.


Probably about the norm for a mid-day weekday, isn't it?

--Doug.


----------



## Gunnyman (Jul 10, 2003)

Just rented it on Amazon. I really enjoyed it. Maybe Logan can pay Veronica's student loans :-D


----------



## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

dswallow said:


> Probably about the norm for a mid-day weekday, isn't it?
> 
> --Doug.


Probably. Though it is the end of spring break. There ended up being about 25.


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Samsung and Pepsi were obvious product placements.

My wife and I saw it this afternoon in Tyngsboro, MA. Yes, it's a movie-length TV show. Unlike with Serenity,it worked very well. My wife was a fan of the show and loved the movie, saying that all the characters and the dialogue were just as good as the show. I came into it not knowing much at all,having not watched the show, but I liked it too. I obviously didn't catch quite all the returning characters, but I didn't feel as if I was missing out.

Is this Oscar material? No. Is it solid entertainment? Yes. I don't know how well it will play to those who came in absolutely cold, but it's a good story.

In the early days of the KS campaign, one of the rewards was a speaking part, where the "actor" was play a waiter presenting a check. I didn't spot that in the film.

Nice cameos from Jamie Lee Curtis, Ira Glass and an unbilled James Franco.


----------



## deaklet (Feb 15, 2003)

We missed the Ira Glass cameo. We thought it got cut from the radio scene.

I don't buy Logan as a Navy pilot. Though Jason Dohring and a uniform was....STUNNING.

I was entirely pleased.


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

deaklet said:


> We missed the Ira Glass cameo. We thought it got cut from the radio scene.
> 
> I don't buy Logan as a Navy pilot. Though Jason Dohring and a uniform was....STUNNING.
> 
> I was entirely pleased.


I kind of had the feeling that they came up with the idea for the uniform and filled in the rest.

Plot wise I kept thinking back to Natalie Woods mysterious death when the boat plot came up.

I really enjoyed it. It definitely felt like a feature length episode of the series, which is a good thing.


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Samsung was the one I was thinking of. Not just the Galaxy pads but every mobile phone they showed, plus the van, etc.


----------



## deaklet (Feb 15, 2003)

Also, how SMOKING HOT was Tina Majorino? Those shoulders, man....


----------



## deaklet (Feb 15, 2003)

We went to a showing at 4:30 today. The theatre had about 25 people in it, all of whom, by the sound of it, were VM fans and loved the flick. 

We were discussing the questionable wisdom of allowing digital downloads at the $35 level, which will likely drive down box office revenue. I'm hoping the numbers support the film.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

stevel said:


> In the early days of the KS campaign, one of the rewards was a speaking part, where the "actor" was play a waiter presenting a check. I didn't spot that in the film.


The guy who "won" (bid) that reward is Canadian and they ran into issues with him working on location for a US-based film. They re-did the idea so he appeared in an on-screen video (e.g. he was on the TV or the phone screen or whatever -- I forgot to look for the scene) during the movie.


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Oh one thing that annoyed me... they said Mac was working for _Sun Microsystems_? WTH? Sun got bought by Oracle like 5 years ago... that's pretty lazy. There are a ton of hip tech companies they could have chosen.. and which are actually still in business. Sigh.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

madscientist said:


> Oh one thing that annoyed me... they said Mac was working for _Sun Microsystems_? WTH? Sun got bought by Oracle like 5 years ago... that's pretty lazy. There are a ton of hip tech companies they could have chosen.. and which are actually still in business. Sigh.


It was a joke. Keith is a little out of touch.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

The one AMC theater nearest the Milwaukee area, at Mayfair Mall, sold out the 7:00 showing. We ended up deciding to go out to the next nearest, at Johnson Creek (halfway between Milwaukee and Madison). Very sleepy little theater, next to no one there when we showed up. However, by the start time of 7:05, there was a decent audience of 40-45 or so, if I had to guess. I'd suspect nearly all were fans already, and a vast majority were Kickstarter sponsors.

For the movie, if I had to quibble with one thing, it's that it didn't really look like Neptune anymore. Even the Mars Investigations offices -- ESPECIALLY that, actually -- looked so much different. There was something so iconic about the set that they built for the TV show, and I don't know that they were able to recapture that look and feel. The upstairs tiny, dank offices with the colored glass and the neon filtering in is one of the things I remember the most. This Mars Investigations set looked too clean. It reminded me of a doctor's office (not a GOOD one, mind you).

(As an aside, I'd love to know where Keith managed to come up with the money to move out of the apartment and into a home, given that home prices are probably obscene in Neptune, unless you're on the wrong side of the tracks.)

One question: The Neptune High yearbook she picked up at "Ruby's" apartment looked as thick as a phone book. Are yearbooks really that freaking huge at schools? I went to a small school, so ours were maybe 1/10th that thick.

I'll probably have more thoughts tomorrow after I get some sleep and get another chance to rewatch it.


----------



## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

Just got done watching and I enjoyed it quite a lot. It definitely met or even exceeded expectations.


----------



## Peter000 (Apr 15, 2002)

deaklet said:


> We were discussing the questionable wisdom of allowing digital downloads at the $35 level, which will likely drive down box office revenue. I'm hoping the numbers support the film.


That's probably a drop in the bucket in comparison to actually selling the digital download for $20, and renting it for $7.

I don't think they're very worried about theater revenue.


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

cmontyburns said:


> It was a joke. Keith is a little out of touch.


Hm. I thought that when the question was asked, just because it was silly, but then the way Mac reacted made it seem like it wasn't. Maybe it just didn't quite work on screen as intended. Anyway, no big deal.


----------



## gilmoregirls102 (Dec 29, 2005)

cmontyburns said:


> Samsung was the obvious one.


Yup. I saw Samsung everywhere! Phone, tablet, laptop... I didn't mind it though.



**** Red said:


> Was Carrie Bishop the only one played by a different actor? Leighton Meester was the original Carrie, but Andrea Estella was Bonnie/Carrie in the movie.


Yes, RT explained in one of the updates that Leighton Meester was unavailable. I was a bit disappointed with that, but since she was dead the whole movie and only on video/pics, it wasn't HORRIBLE.

I just would have liked to see Blair from Gossip Girl with Gossip Girl's voice 



deaklet said:


> We missed the Ira Glass cameo. We thought it got cut from the radio scene. I don't buy Logan as a Navy pilot. Though Jason Dohring and a uniform was....STUNNING. I was entirely pleased.


This... Entirely.

I went to the theater to see it last night. Very cool, I'm glad I did. The energy was awesome. Every time a new/old character (like Deputy Leo!) came on, people would cheer/clap. Cool.

I liked the movie. I have some of the same opinions/questions (Weevil...Celeste Kane being the one to shoot him?!...Officer Sachs dying...Keith's new house/office...) but other than that, I liked it.

During Veronica and Logan's sex scene, I leaned over to my husband and said, "This is what we paid for" and he called it the five million dollar sex scene 

I hope there is more to come. I bought it on iTunes, even though I'll get the Blu-Ray and got the Flixster code (yuck, Flixster).


----------



## Shakhari (Jan 2, 2005)

I just got back from what is apparently the only theater in the entire state of Maryland showing it. 

I liked it a lot. As feature film sequels to cult TV franchises go, it's no Serenity, but then again, what is?

A few nits to pick ... the bit about Weevil was a bit of WTF randomness that could have been cut completely. Also, I would have liked to know who was in the truck in the car crash bit. 

My biggest complaint is that whatever chemistry Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring had back in 05 and 06 is completely gone. I could have bought that she would have stayed because it was the right thing to do, but staying because of him ... no.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

Shakhari said:


> A few nits to pick ... the bit about Weevil was a bit of WTF randomness that could have been cut completely. Also, I would have liked to know who was in the truck in the car crash bit.


I think the bit with Weevil was really just to set up his return to the motorcycle gang, a reminder that he had been living a life that didn't really reflect who he is. That, of course, parallels Veronica's story.

The car crash bit definitely wasn't clear. I assume the implication was that it was someone from the sheriff's office who knew Sachs was about to turn on them. But I don't know who Sachs saw in the mirror, how he knew they were being watched, and how the hit-and-run was really intended to work.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

I get the sense that RT deliberately included those seemingly loose threads -- the bit with Weevil, and the bit with Sachs -- to provide openings for other Veronica Mars stories, whether they are the books that he is writing now, or possibly another VM series or movie.

This movie sort of felt like a cross between a movie (the fact that the main story was begun and concluded here) and a pilot episode of a TV show, in that respect.


----------



## wedgecon (Dec 28, 2002)

I suspect budget and actor availability issues forced them to film in LA instead of Oceanside like the TV series. 

It did make the show look very different.


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

Rob Thomas wrote in an early KS update how thrilled he was to be shooting in LA.

I think I found a minor goof. At the beginning of the film, Veronica and Piz are in New York, where she is interviewing with the law firm, yes? And she visits Piz where he works at the studio of This American Life (which is where the Ira Glass cameo is.) Piz is shown speaking into a microphone with the WBEZ logo, which is of course the radio station where it is produced. In Chicago.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

stevel said:


> Rob Thomas wrote in an early KS update how thrilled he was to be shooting in LA.


Mostly because the alternative was making Vancouver look like LA.


----------



## gilmoregirls102 (Dec 29, 2005)

Love Justin Long and Dax Shepherd in the club. 

And the only F bomb came from Ms. Bell telling Long to "F--- off."

Awesome.


----------



## gilmoregirls102 (Dec 29, 2005)

Also...in the "In Memory Of..." video at the reunion didn't show Lily Kane...? 

They showed Felix Tomb, so why not Lily?


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

gilmoregirls102 said:


> Also...in the "In Memory Of..." video at the reunion didn't show Lily Kane...?
> 
> They showed Felix Tomb, so why not Lily?


Lilly was a year ahead of Duncan, Veronica, and Logan (she was a senior while they were juniors). (Source: http://marsinvestigations.net/media.php?media_id=172)

The In Memoriams would only be looking at those actually in the class of 2004 that died.


----------



## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

gilmoregirls102 said:


> Love Justin Long and Dax Shepherd in the club. And the only F bomb came from Ms. Bell telling Long to "F--- off." Awesome.


What was with the other two guys behind Madison and Shelly? That was creepy. BTW, was that supposed to be Shelly Pomroy?


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

StacieH said:


> BTW, was that supposed to be Shelly Pomroy?


According to the shooting script, yes. Not sure if if was the same actress who played Shelly Pomroy during the show (who only appeared once in a non-speaking role, during "A Trip to the Dentist.")


----------



## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

LoadStar said:


> According to the shooting script, yes. Not sure if if was the same actress who played Shelly Pomroy during the show (who only appeared once in a non-speaking role, during "A Trip to the Dentist.")


I believe there were two or three Shellys in the series.


----------



## Zevida (Nov 8, 2003)

I loved it! Far exceeded my expectations, which were low. I wasn't sure they could pull it off but they did!

I agree it was more like a TV show on the big screen, but I don't care. I think you either kept the same show and just made it feature length or you changed it to something different. I'm glad they returned to the Neptune of the small screen. I thought it worked great. Seeing all this characters again makes me miss the show so much - I wish there was another three seasons for me to watch (six seasons and a movie!). 

One thing I missed was the bit of dialog when Ruby was in the talent show - she said something on the video after she started getting booed and they said she had to take her exams at home and wasn't allowed back at school. I didn't hear what she said and it didn't seem like anyone else in the theater could make it out either - a lot of confused whispers. 

And of course, I am a diehard Logan-Veronica 'shipper, so I loved how that worked out. The uniform - YUM! And when he referenced the our love is epic speech - awesome. I thought their chemistry was fine - he's a little more grown up and a little less smoldering, so it was sizzling, but it was plenty hot enough for me. I felt bad for Piz though. Chris Lowell did a great job with that scene. 

I knew I recognized Cobb but thought I should remember him from the show, didn't realize it was Martin Starr!


----------



## gilmoregirls102 (Dec 29, 2005)

LoadStar said:


> Lilly was a year ahead of Duncan, Veronica, and Logan (she was a senior while they were juniors). (Source: http://marsinvestigations.net/media.php?media_id=172) The In Memoriams would only be looking at those actually in the class of 2004 that died.


Ok. That makes sense!

I always thought it was the other way around for some reason.


----------



## gilmoregirls102 (Dec 29, 2005)

StacieH said:


> What was with the other two guys behind Madison and Shelly? That was creepy. BTW, was that supposed to be Shelly Pomroy?


I think those guys were supposed to be their husbands. Which is why when Madison said Veronica didn't have class, it was ironic because HER HUSBAND was the one without class. I assumed that was Shelly Pomroy...


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

just finished the movie. I quite enjoyed it. I watched at home so there was no "tv show on the big screen" factor. I watched it on the same screen I rewatched the show on the last few weeks.

Had I not just rewatched I wouldn't have remembered Leighton meister was Carrie Bishop. The recast was distracting.

It was good of Piz to break up with Veronica so she was free to bang Logan. :-D

Speaking of Piz, is anyone actually "Team Piz"? It seems like everyone is either "Team Logan" or "Team Neither".



LoadStar said:


> (As an aside, I'd love to know where Keith managed to come up with the money to move out of the apartment and into a home, given that home prices are probably obscene in Neptune, unless you're on the wrong side of the tracks.)
> 
> One question: The Neptune High yearbook she picked up at "Ruby's" apartment looked as thick as a phone book. Are yearbooks really that freaking huge at schools? I went to a small school, so ours were maybe 1/10th that thick.


Maybe Keith wrote another book.

My HS yearbook ('95, 400 students in my graduating class) was just a little smaller.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Robin said:


> Speaking of Piz, is anyone actually "Team Piz"? It seems like everyone is either "Team Logan" or "Team Neither".


I am a bit on "Team Piz," if only because of how toxic Veronica's relationship is with Logan. As I noted in the other thread, I binge watched my way through much of the series. By the end, I was so over Logan and Veronica. Every week Logan (and occasionally Veronica) would do something stupid, the two would nearly have a knockdown drag out fight about it, they'd break up, then they'd get right back together, all while Piz watches and occasionally gets treated as the show's kicktoy. It got old, fast.

Nice to see that poor Piz is the kicktoy in the movie as well. Actually, you know, I guess I might not be on Team Piz, because he deserves better than Veronica.


----------



## Graymalkin (Mar 20, 2001)

Damn Flixster crapped out on me during the credits, so I saw only James Franco's bit. I hear there were other tidbits in the credits. So spoil it for me, please!


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

Zevida said:


> One thing I missed was the bit of dialog when Ruby was in the talent show - she said something on the video after she started getting booed and they said she had to take her exams at home and wasn't allowed back at school.


According to the script



> RUBY (ON CELL PHONE SCREEN)
> Im going to burn this place to the
> ground.


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

LoadStar said:


> I am a bit on "Team Piz," if only because of how toxic Veronica's relationship is with Logan. As I noted in the other thread, I binge watched my way through much of the series. By the end, I was so over Logan and Veronica. Every week Logan (and occasionally Veronica) would do something stupid, the two would nearly have a knockdown drag out fight about it, they'd break up, then they'd get right back together, all while Piz watches and occasionally gets treated as the show's kicktoy. It got old, fast.
> 
> Nice to see that poor Piz is the kicktoy in the movie as well. Actually, you know, I guess I might not be on Team Piz, because he deserves better than Veronica.


Poor Piz.
Not only did he get his heart broken but his name _is Piz_.

The problem with Piz is that in spite of the dorky name, he's too good.
Logan is the far more interesting character.
(And to be honest, I detested the character of Logan at first. Until he had his breakdown when he came to terms that with the fact that his mother was really dead. That scene caused my jaw to drop and hooked me on the show.)

Nice to see that Dick is still a dick.


----------



## TriBruin (Dec 10, 2003)

Saw this yesterday in the theater and mostly enjoyed it. 

I can echo the same comments that most other have expressed that it felt "small". I understand it was a low budget movie, but it felt more like a made for TV movie than a big screen movie.

Some of the things I like:

The same witty dialog along with a lot of in-jokes (FBI in "another life" and Logan saying "Thanks for keeping it PG-13 after Veronica rattled of some alternate F words. Keeping the F-Bomb count to 1 in the movie

Seeing some of our favorite characters again. It was great to see characters as Sachs, Leo, Cliff, Principal Clemons and even Vinny again. (As an aside, every time a favorite character showed up on screen, there was a big "ahh" in the theater.)

The relationship between Veronica and Keith. More than the LoVe relationship, this was the relationship that keep the show moving. It was like they never left. Keith knows that Veronica is capable of so more in her life, but always wants her to be her own woman. I loved the scene when Veronica surprised Keith in his office. He knew immediately why she was in Neptune.

Veronica Job's interview. Just a fun scene (even though I had already watched the first 8 minutes, it was still fun to see.) Minor nit: Piz and Veronica did not actual have sex on the video tape according to Veronica, it was only make out session.

Dax Sheppards cameo. (Although I missed that it was Justin Long as well.) 

Things that bothered me:

I still have no idea who the killer was in the original series. I don't remember him at all. I just rewatched the series over the last couple of months and his name is unfamiliar (what episode was he on.) Although I remembered the name Carrie Bishop, I didn't remember what episode she was in until it was mentioned in this thread. I think they would have been better to maybe use such characters as Madison Sinclair and Shelley Palmory instead, since they had reoccurring appearances in the series.

I am not sure I buy Veronica and Logan hooking up again. I didn't feel they had the chemistry they may have once had.

The corrupt Sheriffs department. Even under Don Lamb, the Sheriffs department was never corrupt. They may have looked the other way on certain 09er activities and Don Lamb may have been a "clown", but, in the end, he did want to solve the cases (if only for the glory.) 

Speaking of Sheriff, we did not get resolution on the end of the Series and who won the Sheriff's election. With scenes with both Keith and Vinny, how hard would it have been to throw in a line telling us who was elected?

Neptune just felt wrong. It wasn't the Neptune in the series. The new sets didn't work for me.

Again, I enjoyed the movie and would probably rate it a solid B. However, as much fun this year has been, since the Kickstarter campaign kicked off, I can't see this going much farther. I know they set up another movie at the end and could maybe even pull it off. But, I don't see much beyond that. if they really wanted to continue this story, I could see a couple of Made-for-TV movies and a few books, but that's it.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

The killer wasn't in the original series.


----------



## Lori (Feb 20, 2000)

TriBruin said:


> However, as much fun this year has been, since te movie and would probably rate it a solid B. However, as much fun this year has been, since the Kickstarter campaign kicked off, I can't see this going much farther. I know they set up another movie at the end and could maybe even pull it off. But, I don't see much beyond that. if they really wanted to continue this story, I could see a couple of Made-for-TV movies and a few books, but that's it.


They have said that they want Netflix or Amazon to pick them up for a 4th season. In that way , the movie was more of a proof of concept for that. A back door pilot, of you will.  I don't ever think that the movie was intended to be the endgame.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

That would be amazing. As much as I liked the movie I'd vastly prefer TV. As long as KB can do both that and house of lies.


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

TriBruin said:


> The corrupt Sheriffs department. Even under Don Lamb, the Sheriffs department was never corrupt. They may have looked the other way on certain 09er activities and Don Lamb may have been a "clown", but, in the end, he did want to solve the cases (if only for the glory.)


 I agree with your assessment of Don Lamb, but why does that mean that the Sheriff's department in the movie bothered you? This is a different Sheriff, and it's 10 years later. I have no problem with this department being outright corrupt where the previous one wasn't.



TriBruin said:


> Speaking of Sheriff, we did not get resolution on the end of the Series and who won the Sheriff's election. With scenes with both Keith and Vinny, how hard would it have been to throw in a line telling us who was elected?


 I haven't rewatched for a while, but the way I remember it, it was quite clear that Keith lost the election.


----------



## Zevida (Nov 8, 2003)

Maui said:


> According to the script


Thanks!


----------



## The Spud (Aug 28, 2002)

madscientist said:


> I haven't rewatched for a while, but the way I remember it, it was quite clear that Keith lost the election.


I watched this episode this morning. Not clear, but probable. I am on my phone and not sure how to spoiler what happened so I will leave it at that.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

I don't think it's stated that he lost but it's pretty strongly implied that it's unwinnable.


----------



## TriBruin (Dec 10, 2003)

Robin said:


> I don't think it's stated that he lost but it's pretty strongly implied that it's unwinnable.


But, would anyone voted for Vinny? Seriously?

I agree it was likely he would have lost, but it would have been nice to have some closure in the movie. A simple line during Veronica and Vinny's exchange could have settled it. RT could even had some fun with it:

Maybe Vinny won the election but was removed from Office later for doing something stupid, like hooking up with a Prostitute in the Jail cell.


----------



## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

Speaking as a member of Team Leo (Or Team Mac, but that was never going to happen), I was a little disappointed to see Veronica falling into her rut with Logan again. That was always a toxic relationship and although they had chemistry, he was still a dbag even at his best. I get the redemptive arc they put him in with the Navy stuff but I don't feel it. 

Otherwise I thought it felt like what it was, a long-format TV movie / pilot episode. And I loved it.


----------



## mrmike (May 2, 2001)

Jonathan_S said:


> Logan's Jag? That's really the only thing that came to mind.


Crappy product placement then, 'cause he was driving a BMW (6 series, I think, though it could have been one of the Ms)


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

JYoung said:


> Nice to see that Dick is still a dick.


And Veronica.

One thing that always impressed me about the show was that they let the heroine be somewhat of a selfish, self-absorbed dick who would do anything and use anybody to get what she wanted. And trust Bell to make us like her regardless.

And that hasn't changed!


----------



## domat (Apr 16, 2007)

I am surprised this is getting such good reviews here. As much as I liked the series this movie was boring and ridiculous. Even as a tv episode it would be far below what we got during the series.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

domat said:


> I am surprised this is getting such good reviews here. As much as I liked the series this movie was boring and ridiculous. Even as a tv episode it would be far below what we got during the series.


Not sure what to say to that, other than that clearly you are in a very small minority. Rotten Tomatoes has it at a 75% critic rating, and 96% audience rating. *shrug* To each his or her own, I guess.


----------



## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

domat said:


> I am surprised this is getting such good reviews here. As much as I liked the series this movie was boring and ridiculous. Even as a tv episode it would be far below what we got during the series.


It dragged at times. The script certainly did not crackle.

That was the big disappointment. Low budget sure, but he had had plenty of time to be thinking out a compelling story.

Like the first Star Trek movie, it was nice to see the old folks together again. I enjoyed the experience and certainly don't regret putting in a few bucks that day a long time ago.

I'd love to someday see this edited down into a 2-parter. 86 minutes total, maybe as the first 2 episodes of a new TV series.


----------



## domat (Apr 16, 2007)

LoadStar said:


> Not sure what to say to that, other than that clearly you are in a very small minority. Rotten Tomatoes has it at a 75% critic rating, and 96% audience rating. *shrug* To each his or her own, I guess.


Average rating a 6.6. I would lean closer to 6 myself So I am not that far off. Considering the level of fanboishness of this show right now I don't think the audience rating at this point is meaningful.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

LoadStar said:


> Not sure what to say to that, other than that clearly you are in a very small minority. Rotten Tomatoes has it at a 75% critic rating, and 96% audience rating. *shrug* To each his or her own, I guess.





domat said:


> Average rating a 6.6. I would lean closer to 6 myself So I am not that far off. Considering the level of fanboishness of this show right now I don't think the audience rating at this point is meaningful.


Your assertion that the movie was worse than an episode of the TV show, coupled with your assertion that the high rating for the movie is driven by fans of the TV show, does indeed confirm that you are in a small minority in your opinion.


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

domat said:


> Average rating a 6.6. I would lean closer to 6 myself So I am not that far off. Considering the level of fanboishness of this show right now I don't think the audience rating at this point is meaningful.


The audience rating is meaningful for those of us who lied the show.

If I asked someone "Would I enjoy the Veronica Mars movie?" I would much rather hear the opinion of someone who enjoyed the show as much as I did than a critic who may have never seen it before.


----------



## DancnDude (Feb 7, 2001)

I rented the movie on XBox and found it pretty entertaining. Watched at home because it was way cheaper and easier than going to the theater, even though there is one close to my house. It wasn't mind-blowing or anything but it was good. I liked seeing some of the characters together again, but some of them felt like there wasn't much point of them being in the movie other than to tick the box saying they were there. 

They make you feel really bad about Piz. He is just too much of a nice guy and Veronica seems like she just can't handle being with one.


----------



## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

My wife enjoyed it a lot. She only scoffed at one or two moments. I, on the other hand, was fairly disappointed. And my disappointment grows as the excitement over seeing the characters again wears off.

It just felt really incomplete in places and really off in other places. The reunion was a disaster and I think it would have actually been WAY better if they hadn't met the stretch goal to pay for the fisticuffs.

A lot of dangling plot points ate into the meat of the story. The Weevil stuff was downright odd and should have been cut once she saw him all dressed up. A lot of the other cameos worked pretty well, and I don't know why they chose to dwell on the Weevil sub-plot.

One of the reasons the original series stood out for me was the quality of the mystery plot. It might have left us red herring after red herring but it still felt central to the story. In the movie, the plot was totally stupid and served no useful purpose other than as a plot contrivance to get her back home. The economy of character was a bit too obvious... did anyone expect those three to NOT be involved?

That said, I would support a netflix reboot 100%, because the core few characters are compelling. Especially if Vinnie Van Lowe gets to give people his hose.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

DancnDude said:


> They make you feel really bad about Piz. He is just too much of a nice guy and Veronica seems like she just can't handle being with one.


It's not just that he's nice, it's that he's boring.


----------



## Lori (Feb 20, 2000)

Veronica is too broken to be with someone like Piz.

Wounded birds recognize other wounded birds*. She and Logan are equally battered, and they understand each other.





*I totally stole that line from Kristen Bell.


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Piz's insecurity led to his relationships demise, not Veronica. Dinner so his parents could meet his fiance vs. helping a friend/former boyfriend prove his innocence over a murder charge, especially given Veronica's past experience investigating such things? Easy choice, and the answer is not dinner with the parents, BTW.  He should've been proud his fiance was willing to help in that way, not apologizing to his parents for her not being there for dinner. Piz was acting much like Veronica was a possession.


----------



## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

mrmike said:


> Crappy product placement then, 'cause he was driving a BMW (6 series, I think, though it could have been one of the Ms)


Yep. Definitely not a Jag. I wasn't paying close attention, but it was either an M3 or M6 convertible.


----------



## Shakhari (Jan 2, 2005)

dswallow said:


> Piz's insecurity led to his relationships demise, not Veronica. Dinner so his parents could meet his fiance vs. helping a friend/former boyfriend prove his innocence over a murder charge, especially given Veronica's past experience investigating such things? Easy choice, and the answer is not dinner with the parents, BTW.  He should've been proud his fiance was willing to help in that way, not apologizing to his parents for her not being there for dinner. Piz was acting much like Veronica was a possession.


Agreed, but there are obviously other problems in that relationship. They were together for 8 or 9 years and he's never introduced her to his parents before? Really?


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

Shakhari said:


> Agreed, but there are obviously other problems in that relationship. They were together for 8 or 9 years and he's never introduced her to his parents before? Really?


I don't think they were together the whole time. It seems they mentioned that at some point in the movie that they just recently got back together when she moved to NY.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

Maui said:


> I don't think they were together the whole time. It seems they mentioned that at some point in the movie that they just recently got back together when she moved to NY.


Yep, exactly. They had been dating again for a year before the movie started.


----------



## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

LoadStar said:


> One question: The Neptune High yearbook she picked up at "Ruby's" apartment looked as thick as a phone book. Are yearbooks really that freaking huge at schools? I went to a small school, so ours were maybe 1/10th that thick.


Don't know how big school Neptune High was suppose to be, but their yearbook looked about the size of each of my high school yearbooks (senior classes of around 350). Maybe just marginally thicker than mine, but maybe not.

In other words, like Robin already indicated, yes that's a perfectly plausible yearbook size.


mrmike said:


> Crappy product placement then, 'cause he was driving a BMW (6 series, I think, though it could have been one of the Ms)


I know the script called it an M6, but the rear at least really looked like a Jag to me. Oops <shrug>

But yeah, the samsung thing was a little more obvious. But even on a second watching, after it was pointed out here, it'd didn't bother me.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

Pepsi was the only one that jumped out at me.


----------



## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

Saw it today at a noon matinee with my wife (me with my Kickstarter backer shirt on, her with a Team Logan shirt that I got her on CafePress). Loved it. Yes, it was basically a XL size, PG-13 rated ep of the show, but I don't care. I just finished re-watching all 64 eps of the show, and it fits in there pretty seamlessly, which is pretty impressive considering 7 years have passed since all of those characters were together. 

I'm not the expert, but my wife is, and she thought the V-Logan chemistry was still there, in spades. Yes, Logan is bit less of a mooning smolderer now, but that's because he's matured now. 

Loved the Keith-V scenes, and I enjoyed the Deputy Leo scene too. 

Here's hoping that Netflix/Amazon decide to pick up a S4, or that WB is happy enough to look at a 2nd movie.


----------



## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

Jonathan_S said:


> Like cmonteburns said I'm confident that boat backstory was new for the movie.


If I'm not mistaken, they addressed that by Veronica mentioning that the boat accident had happened right after she left Neptune and transferred to Stanford.


----------



## whitson77 (Nov 10, 2002)

It was decent not great. C

Sad that no one grew up in 10 years and settled down except for Weevil. They are all about to be 30 and no one got married and had a kid except for one person in their circle. I found that kind of hard to believe. Hardly any of these characters even changed at all. Maybe Wallace was a little more mature, but he could not find a girl? Maybe Mac, they really did not flesh out her two best friends much at all. 

I hate saying this but it missed the mark. The dialog was there in parts. Loved her dad still. Wanted more of Wallace and Veronica teaming up. The James Franco cameo was funny and Dax.

But overall, the plot was really really thin for me and a huge stretch for most of the movie. Sheriff Dan Lamb now? Dick has not changed at all in 10 years. At what point does he become pathetic more than comic relief. Logan in the Navy, where did that come from?? It was just not believable to me. The 10 year blackmail thing. The most played out cliche of which guy will the girl choose. Piz or Logan. Seriously, if I was a woman I would start getting offended by the good guy vs. the bad boy storyline with almost every female character these days. Can someone not write that with the female lead? And the bad-ish (but still good guy) wins 95% of the time. It beats me down to no end these days. 

It juggled too many storylines and none of them were particularly well written or original. There were sparks of great dialog between Veronica and Keith. Some funny moments. But it never came close to greatness for me. Which is a shame, I expected more than I got.


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

TAsunder said:


> A lot of dangling plot points ate into the meat of the story.


 I think that was on purpose. They wanted to have a place to go in the future so they set up a bunch of unresolved plot points.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

whitson77 said:


> It juggled too many storylines and none of them were particularly well written or original. There were sparks of great dialog between Veronica and Keith. Some funny moments. But it never came close to greatness for me. Which is a shame, I expected more than I got.


Oddly, it was what it was because of what you expected. "You" the typical VM viewer, that is. Rob T. has said he made this "give the fans what they want" version of the movie, with the various character beats and the LoVe shipper stuff, because the fans paid for the film. He was right to do so, even if it means it was a little overstuffed. For this movie, at least, the mystery itself was a MacGuffin; what mattered was getting the characters back.

(As for the mystery, we need to avoid thinking it should have been as compelling as something like Lilly's murder. The big arcs from the show had literally 10 times as much screen time to play out. With all the character stuff this movie worked in, the main mystery here got scarcely more time than one of the mysteries of the week from the regular show. I thought it was reasonably-well handled under the circumstances.)


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

whitson77 said:


> Sad that no one grew up in 10 years and settled down except for Weevil. They are all about to be 30 and no one got married and had a kid except for one person in their circle. I found that kind of hard to believe. Hardly any of these characters even changed at all. Maybe Wallace was a little more mature, but he could not find a girl? Maybe Mac, they really did not flesh out her two best friends much at all.


Wanted to come back to this. From your other comments, I sort of wonder whether if the film had spent time on those details, you would have criticized it for doing so at the expense of the mystery.

Anyway, I know what you mean, but I thought this was fine. Thematically, the movie was more about whether you can escape your past anyway, than about looking forward. The characters with the best sense of self, like Keith and certainly Dick and even Wallace, are comfortable being exactly who they are and so are least likely to have changed. The entire movie was about Veronica trying to deny who she is and where she came from, only to get good with it by the end. Logan was so trying to escape his old self that he joined the service, but he still ended up being accused of murder again. His struggle goes on. Mac has gone legit in recent years, but by the end seems comfortable and happy returning to her old hacker self.


----------



## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

cmontyburns said:


> Rob T. has said he made this "give the fans what they want" version of the movie


I didn't know that. Just put down my money and hoped for something good to watch and never followed it from there.

Would have been pleased with just another episode. Instead I got this sentimental mess (admittedly enjoyable). But less enjoyable now that I know he threw the game on purpose.


----------



## Lori (Feb 20, 2000)

whitson77 said:


> Sad that no one grew up in 10 years and settled down except for Weevil. They are all about to be 30 and no one got married and had a kid except for one person in their circle.


I think that people with kids tend to gravitate toward other people with kids, and then they think that everyone has kids. 

Of my "circle" in college/grad school, exactly three have kids. Eleven don't. Among my current friends, the ratio is about the same: about 20% have kids, 80% don't.

So I don't think that it's completely unrealistic that Veronica and her friends are the kinds of people that just don't have kids. Like my friends and I are. 

Also, they want to write more movies/books/TV episodes, and they don't want this turning into a noir version of 'Full House'. A bunch of kids would drastically change the tone.


----------



## Lori (Feb 20, 2000)

Wil said:


> I didn't know that. Just put down my money and hoped for something good to watch and never followed it from there.
> 
> Would have been pleased with just another episode. Instead I got this sentimental mess (admittedly enjoyable). But less enjoyable now that I know he threw the game on purpose.


I'd say for many of us, he gave us the movie we hoped for. It wasn't perfect, but if there is never another frame shot, I'm OK with how it ended. That wasn't the case at the end of the series, which left me so verklempt that I couldn't even watch the finale until a couple weeks ago.

(I'm a spoiler junkie. I knew how it was going to end, and knowing how it was going to end, I just couldn't watch. I just pretended that it ended after "Show Me the Monkey." )


----------



## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

madscientist said:


> I think that was on purpose. They wanted to have a place to go in the future so they set up a bunch of unresolved plot points.


I did not think of it that way.  If this is what was required for more VM, then I guess that makes me happy. If this is the last we see of it, then it will have been a waste.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

TAsunder said:


> I did not think of it that way.  If this is what was required for more VM, then I guess that makes me happy. If this is the last we see of it, then it will have been a waste.


At the very least, it will be continued in book form. The first book is already written, and more are likely on the way.


----------



## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

LoadStar said:


> At the very least, it will be continued in book form. The first book is already written, and more are likely on the way.


I pre ordered the audio book using one of my audible credits.


----------



## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

Robin said:


> Pepsi was the only one that jumped out at me.


Bud, Bud Light, Old Grandad (thought that may have been just a comedic line), and of course Samsung.

-Andrew


----------



## ayrton911 (Sep 4, 2000)

Only the Samsung jumped at me until you guys mentioned the drinks. The drink names seem more realistic. I don't see all electronics with Samsung logo all day long, but I hear people say brand drink names. 

Funny, I didn't even think about re-watching series before the movie, and I'm glad I didn't. I think it made it feel fresh. I watched the movie a couple times now and will do it again when the Blu-ray comes out, I hope it has commentary, but it doesn't seem to list it yet.

However, watching the movie, got me wanting the series, and 10 years since S1, it feels fresh again. Sure you go "oh yeah," but it's fresh, which is nice. I didn't even remember Duncan. 

Also, I had never seen Season 1 in HD, and Amazon Prime has it free right now, once you finally load it up on PS3, the Prime stream comes through at some kind of 1080p, so it does look pretty nice for a 10 year old show, doesn't feel 10 years old besides the young looking actors.

Movie was a terrific idea.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

"Pepsi" is something I only hear in the context of:

"I'll have a coke. "

"We only have Pepsi." 

"ok, fine. Pepsi. "


----------



## Lori (Feb 20, 2000)

Robin said:


> "Pepsi" is something I only hear in the context of:
> 
> "I'll have a coke. "
> 
> ...




For me, it's:

"Can I get a diet coke?"
"Diet Pepsi okay?"
"How about an iced tea?"


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Lori said:


> For me, it's:
> 
> "Can I get a diet coke?"
> "Diet Pepsi okay?"
> "How about an iced tea?"


This is the correct alternate response. The correct primary response is to get up and leave and go somewhere else to eat.


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

Lori said:


> For me, it's:
> 
> "Can I get a diet coke?"
> "Diet Pepsi okay?"
> "How about an iced tea?"


For me it usually goes

"Can I get a Diet Pepsi"
"We only have coke products"
"Okay, i'll take a regular coke"

I like Diet Pepsi but do not like Diet Coke. Non-diet versions I am fine with either.

I did notice the Diet Pepsi when she ordered the drink. I never paid attention to the Samsung (Maybe because I have more than my share of Samsung products).


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Maui said:


> For me it usually goes
> 
> "Can I get a Diet Pepsi"
> "We only have coke products"
> ...


None of it really stood out as "product placement" to me, at least during the time I was watching it for the first time -- till I started reading the thread here . Samsung devices are all over the place, so it was not something I paid attention to. And I remember cringing a bit while thinking "yuck" when she asked for a Pepsi, but that's what I do when people ask for Pepsi. So that was normal, too. Now I can accept someone asking for a Pepsi, Coke, Diet Pepsi, or Diet Coke, even if I dislike one or the other, but what's unnatural would be to hear her ask for a "Cola". I'd have been fine even to hear her ask for a Pepsi (or Coke), being told they only have Coke (or Pepsi) and then her choosing something completely different. Though I probably would've passed out from excitement over movie dialog being natural about ordering a brand instead of unnatural or forced or silly.


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

There were multiple scenes where a Pepsi can was prominently visible.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

"How Veronica Mars Fans Ruined the Movie Reboot for Everyone Else"

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2014/03/veronica-mars-fans/

I can't decide whether I agree or not.


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Robin said:


> "How Veronica Mars Fans Ruined the Movie Reboot for Everyone Else"
> 
> http://www.wired.com/underwire/2014/03/veronica-mars-fans/
> 
> I can't decide whether I agree or not.


Wired's still around? Who knew.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

I didn't need to see Corny and his Etsy wallets, and as I've said, I didn't need the LoVe 'shipper stuff, because I've never cared for or about their relationship. But the movie was fine. If Rob had made the VM movie he might have preferred, and left most of the characters by the wayside, the fans who put up their money probably would have been complaining from the other angle.


----------



## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

Robin said:


> "How Veronica Mars Fans Ruined the Movie Reboot for Everyone Else"
> 
> http://www.wired.com/underwire/2014/03/veronica-mars-fans/
> 
> I can't decide whether I agree or not.


I agree with the essential thesis: as a standalone movie it isn't great. It has several flaws, and is written as a continuation of the series. Several elements didn't have room to develop, and instead felt forced. Compared to Serenity, VM relies more directly on the audience having seen the series.

Nonetheless, I found it immensely enjoyable. I bought and watched via iTunes/Apple TV, and tonight I'm going to a theater showing. I want to contribute $12 to the theater totals to further help more VM get made.

-Andrew


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

Drewster said:


> I want to contribute $12 to the theater totals to further help more VM get made.


:up:


----------



## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

Drewster said:


> I agree with the essential thesis: as a standalone movie it isn't great. It has several flaws, and is written as a continuation of the series. Several elements didn't have room to develop, and instead felt forced. Compared to Serenity, VM relies more directly on the audience having seen the series.
> 
> Nonetheless, I found it immensely enjoyable. I bought and watched via iTunes/Apple TV, and tonight I'm going to a theater showing. I want to contribute $12 to the theater totals to further help more VM get made.
> 
> -Andrew


I can somewhat agree with that. There certainly were thread left lose (and Weevils instant reversion to riding with the motorcycle gang seemed weird).

If you wanted to completely self-contained story those threads should have been wrapped up or removed. But they clearly seem to be leaving them around to tie into future movies, or mini-series, or books. And that works for me, even if those potential future stories never come to fruition.


----------



## johnperkins21 (Aug 29, 2005)

Robin said:


> Speaking of Piz, is anyone actually "Team Piz"? It seems like everyone is either "Team Logan" or "Team Neither".


I am. I can't stand Logan, and I can't understand why anyone would be on "Team Logan". He's a terrible, awful person, without a single redeeming quality. Although after this movie I can no longer stand Veronica either, so I guess it doesn't matter. Kind of a bummer. This was one of my favorite shows, but having Veronica dump Piz for Logan just made me no longer care about the main character. I knew it was coming, but I held out hope that she'd end up with Piz.


----------



## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

Actually, Piz dumped Veronica. Not that she didn't deserve it, but she definitely didn't want to break up with Piz. And it was only after they broke up that she allowed herself to get jiggy with Logan.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

Yep, I noted that it was nice of Piz to break up with her so she could be with Logan guilt free.


----------



## Wil (Sep 27, 2002)

Robin said:


> Yep, I noted that it was nice of Piz to break up with her so she could be with Logan guilt free.


Have you thought about becoming a successful writer of bad TV scripts?


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

We have had this discussion many times. Many guys (myself included) would be on Team Piz (If we care enough to pick a team). Most guys don't like seeing the normally smart herione end up with the bad boy because we all relate more to the good guy.

I have always disliked Veronica and Logan, as well as Buffy and Spike and any number of other such examples.


----------



## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

Veronica has a habit of making foolish and self-destructive decisions. Heck, she discusses to it in her job interview, and it's the underscoring them of the movie.

I've always viewed Logan as just one example.


-Andrew


----------



## Lori (Feb 20, 2000)

Maui said:


> We have had this discussion many times. Many guys (myself included) would be on Team Piz (If we care enough to pick a team). Most guys don't like seeing the normally smart herione end up with the bad boy because we all relate more to the good guy.
> 
> I have always disliked Veronica and Logan, as well as Buffy and Spike and any number of other such examples.


It would be interesting to see how this splits along gender lines.

Team Logan, all the way. Well, since Weapons of Class Destruction, anyway.


----------



## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

I am a man and would say neither would be the best choice, followed by Logan, followed by Piz. Piz is the worst choice. He seems judgy and naggy and was quick to dump VM for not being there for a parental visit because she was trying to save someone from unnecessary jail time.


----------



## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

I think Piz understands Veronica more than she realizes. Once Neptune, a case and Logan sunk in, he knew she was lost.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

I can completely understand team neither. I just can't understand him Piz.


----------



## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

Robin said:


> I can completely understand team neither. I just can't understand him Piz.


I'm more of a team neither. 
I see Piz as less self-desctructive for her to be with, but that's not at all the same as being good for (or with) her.

_Maybe_ Logan has matured enough by now, but we didn't really see enough of him in the movie to know. But back in school? Yikes!


----------



## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

I find Veronica most compelling when she doesn't have a beau, so I ride with Team None.

That said, I found the adult, more-centered Logan to be fascinating. He demonstrates having come to an understanding of himself, and of course being a military pilot has mastered some level of self-discipline. And he's a perfect gentleman with Veronica until she comes on to him.

But then he brawls at the reunion, so... Logan.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

I think we need to give team cmontyburns some consideration here.


----------



## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

The movie actually turned me around on Logan. Beforehand I was Team Neither, but he's mostly grown up and matured. Still has nagging rage issues, but he tries to do the right thing now.

And anyone who doesn't like that Veronica has self-destructive tendencies must not have watched the show. Because on my recent re-watch of all 64 eps, they were abundantly clear.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

DreadPirateRob said:


> The movie actually turned me around on Logan. Beforehand I was Team Neither, but he's mostly grown up and matured. Still has nagging rage issues, but he tries to do the right thing now.


Even during the series, he wanted to do the right thing, just in the wrong way; e.g. hiring a bodyguard for Veronica without her knowledge; getting himself arrested just so he could beat the snot out of people who posed a threat to her.


----------



## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

Yes, he certainly evolved from the pycho guy he was in the first few eps of S1. They had to redeem him somehow once they realized the crazy on-screen chemistry that KB and Jason Dohring had. 

And you're right - his heart was nearly always in the right place in the later seasons, it's just that he didn't know how to handle his emotions. He needed (and probably still needs it) intensive psychotherapy.


----------



## johnperkins21 (Aug 29, 2005)

LoadStar said:


> Even during the series, he wanted to do the right thing, just in the wrong way; e.g. hiring a bodyguard for Veronica without her knowledge; getting himself arrested just so he could beat the snot out of people who posed a threat to her.


I'm not sure how physically threatening her with a crowbar and smashing in her car is "doing the right thing", but ok. I don't have an issue with him being the "bad boy", it's more that he's a violent psychopath who should be in prison or a mental institution. There is zero difference between him and his father, and the way they've created the character is that he is absolutely capable of murdering Veronica at any minute the same way his dad killed Lilly.

I like Piz as a character and don't find him boring. He's smart, funny, and a good guy. I'm on Team Piz because I like Piz, but I'm not against Veronica being self-destructive. I think a relationship with Dick would be cool, or even Weevil. Logan is just a psychotic, wealthy through no effort of his own, d-bag that represents the absolute worst of humanity.

The only character on the show that is more evil is his father, who he is basically a carbon copy of.


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

Team Logan for the win.

Logan most definitely has grown considerably over the last 10 years. There wasn't a single time over the course of this movie that Logan wasn't holding Veronica with the utmost respect and decency anyone could hope for. He was truly grateful to have someone so special in his life, in any way. Their relationship had an underlying passion, even when there was absolutely nothing sexual going on. Some combination of their history, reasons for moving apart, growing up and experiencing life without each other around in the same way, and coming to understand the important parts of their history and where they did things wrong.

When Veronica is in investigation mode, she is most comfortable with everything. I'm not sure she could even operate within the confines of any role in law enforcement. And when it's happening to her friends or family, nothing can stop her. Anyone who knows Veronica, and anyone who loves Veronica has to accept that. They may wish she would choose something "safer" and they may have their own opinions about her choice of a partner based on their outside view of that partner, but she cannot be happy living to other people's expectations or dreams. She has a path. She follows it well.

Piz has many nice qualities, too. But there's really just no passion there between the two of them. And when push comes to shove, Piz doesn't respect Veronica. Piz can't understand her relationship to the world, to her friends and to her family. In a similar way he is trying to create a certain image of Veronica to his parents, he is looking for Veronica to place his needs first, however superficial, over her own choices. In the 10 years he's known her and the 1-2 years they've been dating, on or off, he hasn't really learned what drives Veronica, and what passions she has for things in life, and how she relates to people around her. He's more of a "at this age I should be doing this, then at this age I should get engaged and have this kind of job, and at this age we should have kids, et. al., and my fiance should defer to me, and my wife should cook a big family dinner for each holiday, and we have to start a family of 2.3 kids X years after getting married" type of person.


----------



## DreadPirateRob (Nov 12, 2002)

johnperkins21 said:


> I'm not sure how physically threatening her with a crowbar and smashing in her car is "doing the right thing", but ok. I don't have an issue with him being the "bad boy", it's more that he's a violent psychopath who should be in prison or a mental institution. There is zero difference between him and his father, and the way they've created the character is that he is absolutely capable of murdering Veronica at any minute the same way his dad killed Lilly.


There's a *significant* difference between the Logan of S1, Eps 1-10 or so, and the Logan of the rest of the series. Those moments that you mentioned all took place in the first half of S1. In the beginning, he was a crazy psycho teen, and everyone involved with the show admits it. They also admit that once they saw the crazy chemistry between KB and Dohring they basically retconned the character, and the Logan you see from the middle-end of S1 through the rest of the series is a much different character.


----------



## Zevida (Nov 8, 2003)

Yes, rewatching season 1 it is very hard to remember how I could have ever liked Logan because he seemed like an irredeemable as*hole. But somehow they managed to redeem him and so I just go along with the retcon.


----------



## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

I just checked the Audible app on my phone, and my preorder of the first VM book (narrated by KB) is there. Downloading it now!


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

I started reading it last night. A little odd to be "consuming" VM in this form.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

StacieH said:


> (narrated by KB)


Back up the bus.

I haven't listened to an audio book (other than David Sedaris) in years. May need to reconsider.


----------



## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

Wow! You intentionally listened to an audio book read by David Sedaris? You must have quite the constitution. I've always assumed Sedaris is some sort of Lovecraftian demon whose grating voice was sent to Earth to drive people insane with anger and revulsion.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

His voice makes his writing ten times funnier.


----------



## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

Robin said:


> Back up the bus.
> 
> I haven't listened to an audio book (other than David Sedaris) in years. May need to reconsider.


First five minutes is on YouTube as a sampler:





-Andrew


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

Robin said:


> His voice makes his writing ten times funnier.


This, plus x10! :up:


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

I loved "Me Talk Funny One Day".

There's an Entertainment Week "story" on Bonnie DeVille's 28th birthday party, with some backstory and clues.


----------



## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

cmontyburns said:


> I started reading it last night. A little odd to be "consuming" VM in this form.


I'm really enjoying it! The story is good, and KB (as I expected) is a wonderful narrator.


----------



## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

Robin said:


> His voice makes his writing ten times funnier.


Ten times zero is still zero.


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

ayrton911 said:


> Only the Samsung jumped at me until you guys mentioned the drinks. The drink names seem more realistic. I don't see all electronics with Samsung logo all day long, but I hear people say brand drink names.


Back on the subject of product placement in the movie (especially Samsung):

I was scanning the credits last night for something and noticed the usual disclaimer at the end of the crawl:

"Similarity to actual people, places, *and products* is not intentional." (emphasis mine)

That made me chuckle.


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

cmontyburns said:


> "Similarity to actual people, places, *and products* is not intentional." (emphasis mine)


Their lawyers assured them the technical difference between "similar" and "identical" covered them


----------



## Philosofy (Feb 21, 2000)

OK, my wife and I just finished 3 seasons of VM plus the movie. Where do we go for something similar? We're getting withdrawal already.


----------



## Lori (Feb 20, 2000)

Philosofy said:


> OK, my wife and I just finished 3 seasons of VM plus the movie. Where do we go for something similar? We're getting withdrawal already.


Have you read the book?


----------



## cmontyburns (Nov 14, 2001)

I got distracted by some things and put the book down, but I'll have it finished shortly. I'd like to discuss it somewhere here... I have a number of thoughts.


----------



## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

cmontyburns said:


> I got distracted by some things and put the book down, but I'll have it finished shortly. I'd like to discuss it somewhere here... I have a number of thoughts.


Please start a separate thread to discuss the book! I plan to read it, but haven't yet and don't want it to be spoiled. thanks!

ETA, oh, but do include a link here so folks can find it.


----------



## aadam101 (Jul 15, 2002)

Philosofy said:


> OK, my wife and I just finished 3 seasons of VM plus the movie. Where do we go for something similar? We're getting withdrawal already.


I just did the same thing. I re-watched the series and finally watched the movie last night. I turned on the TV today and realized I had nothing to watch.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

I just started the (audio) book. 

I'm only listening to it before I go to sleep so it'll probably take me a while.


----------



## sushikitten (Jan 28, 2005)

I just binged on the whole shebang over the last three weeks (and just today finished the movie). 

Wow. 

Why wasn't I watching this back then?! (Well, I wasn't watching Gilmore Girls, either, and I binge watched that in 2007-2008 I think it was.)

Comments:

I noticed Samsung immediately, if only because most shows use iPhones so I pay attention/notice when it's NOT an iPhone. And I even went back to look at the screen when Veronica ignored Logan's first call when she was waiting for her interview---because it really looked like she hit the green accept call button instead of the red deny call button. But anyway.

Logan in his uniform. I knew I'd come here to gushing over it, but my only thought was "It should have fit him much better." He looked WAY too scrawny--like he was wearing his older brother's uniform or something. But then, I have my own man in uniform that quite possibly skews my opinion. 

I understood Weevil going back to the bikers, but I felt it happened too quickly. But then, I've never been shot, so...

I want Keith's house. It was gorgeous. I'm surprised we didn't at least get one throwaway line as to how that came about. 

Now...about this book...??


----------



## stevel (Aug 23, 2000)

First book was just ok. Second one has been delayed to January 2015.


----------



## hummingbird_206 (Aug 23, 2007)

I enjoyed the book. Looking forward to the next one, though I didn't know it had been delayed.


----------

