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The "Look Out For This Movie" Thread

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on
Forum

There are quite a few of us that are here that seem to be rather big movie buffs, so I decided to start this thread because of that. Basically you can tell people if there have been any movies that you have seen recently and whether it is worth watching or if we should avoid it like the plague. It doesn't have to be a new release cinema viewing either. just any movie that you have seen recently and want to warn people to look out for.

Try not to insult each others tastes. We all have our views and opinions :)

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I have seen three new movies in the past week or so. I will descibe them from worse to best (to finish on a happy note :) ).

Underworld
I love vampires as much as the next self respecting computer nerd (hell, I have a few Vampire Source books and I don't even play it). I wasn't expecting much going into this movie, and boy did it deliver.

Good Points - Kate Bekinsale looks really hot and plays a hero quite well. The costumes kick arse. The scenes where Salene jumps off a high building, lands on the ground and just keeps on walking casually look really sweet :) Some of the characters were quite cool, but...

Bad Points - ...They went no where. The vampires were presented as nothing more than humans with guns and pointy teeth :( The post production work was really badly done, and the colour correction has been changed to give everything a blue tint. This means that every time you see an outfit that should be a really nice crimson colour, it ends up as some terrible desaturated purple colour. The story was crap and they shouldn't have done what they did (trying not to give away too much).

This movie is probably worth seeing if you aren't a big vampire fan. Vampire fans will probably end up pissed off. Not really a cinema watching. Wait for a DVD version to come out.

Battle Royale 2
For those who have never heard of Battle Royale, you are really missing out. It is one of the most contriversal Japanese movies to have come out in recent years. It is one of my fav movies of all time and not because of the extreme amount of violence in it, or the many attractive school girls. The first one revolves around a class of Year 9 students who are kidnapped and sent to a deserted island to kill each other off. They recieve a random weapon and provisions to last for three days. At the end of the three days, there can only be one student left alive. If there are any more, then everyone who is left is killed instantly and there is no winner. They also have electronic tags around their necks to track their life signatures and pin point their position. The colars also have little explosives in them. In the three days, you get to know some of the students and how they deal with being told they have to kill their friends. It has a great story line and really leaves you thinking at the end.

Number two takes place after it, and has slightly updated rules. You now have a partner, and if they die, you die. It is team based as well. Weapons aren't random this time. Overall it is a good movie but doesn't touch the original. Seeing as many Western viewers didn't see into the sub plots, they explain everything flat out and leave you with nothing to think about. The characters aren't as cool as in the original (although actress Kou Shibasaki makes a welcome return :) ). I recomend seeing number one, but this one is cool as well.

The Returner
Another Japanese film. This time it is a Japanese take on a holywood style action flick. The basis of the story sounds really cliched, but here it goes. The movie is about a Returner (merc for hire) called Miyamoto. He is on a mission when he accidently shoots a young girl. He takes her back to his house and finds out that she has come back from the future to save the human race (Terminator anyone?). So, dressed in his leather pants and full length leather thrench, Miyamoto teams up with the young girl to save the future. As the movie progresses, the story line becomes more original -and quite frankly- very cool. For an action movie, there is very little violence and not too many action sequences. When there are action scenes though, they are quite well done, and have some effects that have the ability to show the Matrix up quite nicely. The Returner also has effects by Robot (the company responsible for the awesome Onimusha 3 intro). The effects are cool, but the compositing isn't extremely well done (although that could have been because it was on VCD). The characters are cool and actually look like they could kick arse. The bad guy is arse hole and really makes you want to see him die. I really recomend this film.

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Has anyone seen Once Upon A Time In Mexico at all? I would like to know what it is like before I go and see it in the cinema.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Wed, 16/06/04 - 5:01 AM Permalink

yeah known about this one for a while, hope it isnt a bodge job (i know a resident evil guy is like a lead writer or something and im told that was crap).

Submitted by DaMunkee on Fri, 18/06/04 - 2:53 PM Permalink

Well, went to Chronicles of Riddick last night.... yeah... um.... don't expect much.
Saw Stepford Wives last weekend.... yeah... on a scale of 1 to 10, i'd give it a -12.

AVP trailer though looked freak'n sweet on the big screen :)

This friday, going to see Dodgeball! Oh man, that looks like a riot!

Submitted by souri on Sun, 20/06/04 - 12:07 PM Permalink

I just saw Dawn of the Dead. It's not that bad actually if you're not expecting toooo much [:)] There weren't that many scary moments really. I think I would've loved it if I were 12 or so...

The queue for Shrek 2 was shocking [:0]. Needless to say, we didn't watch it.

I've read some non-spoiling reviews of Riddick. I think I'll be watching that just for the eye candy. [:)] And yeh, can't wait for Alien vs Predator!

Submitted by MoonUnit on Mon, 21/06/04 - 8:10 AM Permalink

Saw shrek 2, its a bit more... bizzare then the first but its a great laugh, top film.

fiiiiinally saw day after tommorow, i actually really enjoyed it even though there were some pretty dumb moments.

Submitted by Discmage on Mon, 21/06/04 - 8:21 PM Permalink

Recently I have seen Day after Tomorrow, Harry Potter and Shrek 2. All very good I found...although Day after's tomorrow's plot was as thin as the effects were thick :) But there's nothing wrong with that :)

I'm a bit cautious about Alien VS predator. The new(ish) trailer seems OK, more Alien than Predator in atmosphere...but I just feel there's a lot to live up to to make it good. Hopefully they can pull it off cos it COULD be a killer movie...err, 'scuse the pun.

One movie I'm interested to see the REACTION for, is The Polar Express. The last mainstream 'drama' CG film (albeit sci-fi) was Final fantasy which didn't go down to well at all unfortunately (as a mainstream movie, I loved it!). And although Final Flight on the Animatrix did OK for it's Fan base, I think having a more serious (and realistic) approach to a CG movie should be interesting to see if it is accepted by the mass market. I'm hoping so, otherwise it could be another detrimental hit to photorealistic/hyperrealistic CG movies in any other genre apart from comedy/fantasy (Shrek etc.) But that's another topic.

Also looking forward to all the future CG stuff of course...The Incredibles, Robots, Shark Tale (although it doesn't look much in comparison to Shrek 2)...even Chicken Little by Disney (their first without Pixar I believe) looks pretty funny.

Chronicles of Riddick LOOKS cool...although I won't hold my breath on actual story/script etc. Throw xXx and Sci-fi together, and you might be close perhaps? :) Last time I thought a movie would be cool was Van Helsing and was let down majorly...I thought hugh Jackman would bring it up above par...evidently not. Still, it LOOKED cool :) If I see it again knowing what to expect I might enjoy it second time around :)

Submitted by palantir on Mon, 21/06/04 - 11:24 PM Permalink

Somewhat off topic, but Discmage?s post got me thinking about the masses perception of CG movies.

//begin crazed rant

It?s interesting what you say about CG movies and their appeal (or lack of) to the masses in any other genre besides comedy. I think that most people just have this attitude that entirely CG movies should only be comedy, which is a shame. Even live-action films with CG effects tend to get treated with a light-hearted nature by the majority of filmgoers (to a certain degree, anyway). I?ve heard people say stupid things like Gollum is a funny character (no, he?s not the comic relief), or the Hulk wasn?t very funny (er, it?s not a comedy), all because it?s CG and I think they expect everything that?s CG to be amusing. This odd mindset could be the reason films like Final Fantasy do so poorly (then again, the whole story wasn?t very mainstream with that one).

I suppose it?s only the uneducated (or dumb arses [:P]) that have this mindset, but those people seem to count for the majority of the movie watching masses.

Hmmm, maybe Pixar are responsible for this? Well, let?s hope that Weta digital (or whoever makes the next non-comedy CG movie) can forever change peoples perceptions of the CG animated film!

//end crazed rant

P.S.
*Sings to old Spider-man theme*:
Spider-man,
spider-man,
only one week (and a bit),
until the new spider-man. [:D]

Submitted by MoonUnit on Mon, 21/06/04 - 11:52 PM Permalink

i know fans of the original tale of "i, robot" will have a hard time execpting the movie with will smith and all but after seeing the trailer i personally cant wait for the movie, looks like a great film and the whole eery feeling of cybernetic conspiracy and the questioning of a robots "morals" and so forth (that made the book a classic) should bring it above just a thrash and bang special effects film and into something much more... well fingers crossed anyway hey :P

one thing that im not looking forward to... catwoman. Theyve just totally cashed in on a character in the super-hero film blitz with total dis-regard for anything besides the fact that its a chick with cat like mannerisms. Its not like theres a shortage of super-heros to pick from if youre going to make a film on one of them (btw i realise this kinda looks at the other side of the fence to my i, robot rantings but oh well).

btw palantir i agree with you totally on the CG comedy thing.

Submitted by Aven on Tue, 22/06/04 - 12:04 AM Permalink

I agree with you Palantir. It mainly stems from the history of animation in western society. We have grown up with Disney and Warner Brothers. We are used to funny little animals blowing themselves up and then being fine in less than 2 seconds time. People have difficulties letting go of those memories. A lot of people still can't enjoy anime for that reason. When you have an animated character that can act better than a real life person, people feel very scared. Maybe when the more serious animation has been injected into our culture for a decade or so, people will be more willing to see it for what it is. It is just unfortunate that the more serious atempts at realism will only be appreciated by a select few until then.

On that topic... I finally saw Tokyo Godfathers. Damn cool anime. For those who don't know if it, it is the story of three homeless people who find a new born baby dumped in the trash. Being a few days until Christmas, the three of them end up trying to return the child to it's parents. The problem is they don't know who the parents are. It is a really heart felt story that has a quirky sense of humor thrown in for good measure. If you like your anime with a slightly different style, then it is worth watching.

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Tue, 22/06/04 - 3:39 AM Permalink

Shrek 2- Definitely better than the first one, looks a treat, some jilty animation though (especially in the background). Puss in Boots was the standout.

Anyone else figure out the voice for Captain Hook in that dingy bar? I think it was Nick Cave at one stage and Tom Waits at another, that made me laugh (kind of awkward when no one else did though).

I, Robot, don't know a thing about the movie version but I don't see why they called it that as the book was a collection of short stories. Just hope they don't bugger it up like Bicentennial Man, another Asimov adaptation.

Disc Mage- Van Helsing was a great romp, what are you talking about?

Submitted by Discmage on Tue, 22/06/04 - 7:43 AM Permalink

Indeed, I think it is the grounds of growing up with Disney and Looney tunes that restricts our way of thinking...but with the growth of things like Yu-gi-oh and duel masters and a lot of other 'action' cartoons...it wouldn't surprise if the next batch generation takes a more serious approach to animation. Get em hooked young I say :)

In regards to Van Helsing, I think I was expecting something a little more erm, intellectual? or just plain smarter. Yes I agree it was a good 'romp' but that's about it. The character could have been given SOOO much more depth :) I think it was Hugh that made me expect more though...his efforts in Xmen really made that movie.

Submitted by souri on Tue, 22/06/04 - 10:49 AM Permalink

The things that really got to me with The Day after Tomorrow..

1. They're in a library with TONNES of wooden tables, chairs, shelves etc... yet they're all standing around debating and stressing out on which books to burn for the fire.. [:o)]

2. Racing against a tidal wave... running to beat a cold snap.. [:0]

3. Buildings aren't that strong! The statue of liberty would've been easily overcome and pushed over with the force of that wave..

4. Crazy ass wolves..

About Spiderman 2, I wonder if the whole thing about Stan Lee getting screwed over with Spiderman royalties was sorted out..

Submitted by palantir on Tue, 22/06/04 - 11:54 AM Permalink

I guess the Disney and Warner Brothers stuff has indeed shaped our way of thinking, however, even Disney did some great character animation in their time, some of which was pure drama (though aimed at children). And I can remember all the sci-fi and fantasy cartoons that I grew up watching as well, which certainly had a wide variety of character animation, and which was mostly not comedy. So I don?t really understand how some people end up ?getting? digital animation, while others automatically think that a CG character is supposed to be funny.

Now back to keeping this thread on track:

I thought Van Helsing was very good. It didn?t try to be more then it was: a simple but exciting adventure. Pure entertainment.

LOL Souri [:D] Yep, Day after tomorrow had some great effects, but I thought everything else was a bit dodgy. It was certainly entertaining though.
I really liked how we got to see the astronauts in orbit watching the weather. That was a smart touch.

Might go see Shrek 2 tomorrow. Hope the queue isn't too bad.

Submitted by DaMunkee on Tue, 22/06/04 - 12:51 PM Permalink

Well we went an saw dodgeball last night, i have to say, that was the funniest movie I have seen in quite some time!!!! I mean, sure they showed a lot of guys getting hit in the nuts, but each time was just as funny as the first :) Hehe when it comes out in Australia, I'll go see it again!

I, Robot, looks like it could be interesting, as long as you ignore everything about the short story it's based on :) Well, everything except the three laws that is :) In any event, I'll see it when it comes out on July 22nd.

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Wed, 23/06/04 - 1:16 AM Permalink

Discmage, come on, how could you expect a movie about Frankenstein, vampires, werewolves and DRACULA to be serious or contain 'intellectual stimuli'? It was a comic book film with a comic book plot and comic book characters. I found it a great diversion to the recent deluge of 'intellectual' action movies. I'm not saying it's a classic, just a great big screen flick.

Van Helsing never touted itself to be anything more than an action romp, so why do people complain when it doesn't deliver something it was never supposed to?

Submitted by ScORCHo on Thu, 24/06/04 - 12:41 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Wizenedoldman


Anyone else figure out the voice for Captain Hook in that dingy bar? I think it was Nick Cave at one stage and Tom Waits at another, that made me laugh (kind of awkward when no one else did though).

Its great when you laugh at things that are cool and noone else finds funny ...make you look more intellectual shows u r an individual.
I found so much cool stuff in shrek2 to laugh about. :)

Submitted by Discmage on Thu, 24/06/04 - 1:14 AM Permalink

I don't actually know why I expected Van Helsing to be more than it was (intellectual wise etc.)...I just did.

Sometimes if you expect things from a movie in a position it doesn't fit, you just can't enjoy it...no matter how good the movie is on it's own merit.

Although I can pretty much assume I'll enjoy it for it's mind numbingness next time :) hehe

Submitted by Aven on Thu, 24/06/04 - 2:30 AM Permalink

Just saw Dawn Of The Dead last night. It was better than what expected. I was just expecting a gore fest filled zombie romp for one and a half hours. Don't get me worng, that's all it had, but it did it pretty damn well. The sniper scene was just hilarious :D The ending was also really cool.

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Thu, 24/06/04 - 3:21 AM Permalink

Speaking of zombie flicks, anyone else seen the Aussie flick 'Undead'? If not do it this weekend, it's a great film for such a small budget.

I could seriously talk movies all day, anyone else been catching the Kubrick films SBS has been showing? Can't wait for 'The Shining' and 'Dr. Strangelove', absolute classics. I was really knocked back with how good 'Lolita' was too, didn't expect a thing from it and came away laughing.

Submitted by bullet21 on Sun, 27/06/04 - 8:50 PM Permalink

I saw Shrek 2 last night and it is an absolute pisser, please if you haven't seen it yet do yourself a favour. Best CG movie thus far. Puss in boot was a riot.

Submitted by palantir on Sun, 27/06/04 - 11:38 PM Permalink

Yeah, shrek 2 was great.
I liked the TV show they were watching called ?Knights? ? a piss take on the reality show ?Cops?. Donkey got busted with a small stash [:D]
I also loved the fast food drive through, how the medieval meal comes with a battle-axe. [:D]

- Three days until Spider-man 2 -
* Climbing the walls like spidey in anticipation *

Submitted by palantir on Wed, 28/07/04 - 7:20 AM Permalink

I saw I, Robot today. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I?d give it a review ? for no particular reason :P (though reviving this thread could be a good thing [;)])

I?m not sure if the facts that I went in with low expectations and that I love most sci-fi effected my judgment much, but god damn, what a cool movie! All the previews led me to believe that the effects and animation were going to be average, but watching the whole movie, I realise that they are simply brilliant. The main robots facial animations are animated in a very subtle way, but they really give off an effective emotional performance. They also move completely realisticly, but I suppose that?s what motion capture does for you. And apart from the robots themselves, there are some really great designs in there. One thing I really loved was how the cars all have spherical wheels, enabling them to rotate and move in any direction. Very cool.

As for the movie itself (besides the effects), very well done. It keeps you interested the whole way through, and wondering what the outcome will be. Personally I think the climax could have been better, but the ride was very enjoyable. The biggest possible flaw could have been Will Smith, but fortunately he did a great job. Despite the couple of typical Smith jokes we saw in the preview, there was none of that in the movie ? the only jokes were those bits from the previews, which weren?t Smith trying to be funny, but the character trying to intimidate the villain. Not once through the film did I feel like I was watching the fresh prince (for a change!) [:P]. They actually managed to do justice to the original Azimov works, with a degree of sci-fi robotic philosophy thrown in for the observant filmgoer. I was particularly impressed that one of the main characters was an A.I. physiatrist ? not the kind of level of thought usually put into a big Hollywood production.

So yeah, I was pretty impressed by it all. Hopefully it wasn?t my low expectations that caused me to enjoy it so much, because then anyone who reads this review will get their hopes up and come back and tell me it?s crap! [:P]

Submitted by Kalescent on Wed, 28/07/04 - 9:10 AM Permalink

I second all of the above Palantir - I saw it today also, and enjoyed it muchly [:D]

***The following may contain spoilers!***

Some really trippy camera shots at the climax battle, and some strangely eerie and creepy parts in the film:

1) When hes walking through the old robot graveyard and they are all peer out from the containers looking at him.

2) When the narrator was describing in the graveyard sequence how old robots cluster together rather than stand apart from one another, almost like they are huddling together for warmth and closeness.

All round good film [:D] 8 / 10 for me.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Wed, 28/07/04 - 7:19 PM Permalink

I third that :)
great movie and i loved the animation, robot fighting = win

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Thu, 29/07/04 - 12:27 AM Permalink

Yeah it was a darn sight better than what I thought it would be, but I just wish they hadn't called it 'I, Robot', the movie had so little connection to the book that it just didn't make sense to call it that. The film had tinges of System Shock 2 and also Flight of the Osiris from the Animatrix, just so glad that they didn't make the robots the killers, just the tools of the villain, cause killer robots is nonsense (when connected to an Asimov story anyway).

Hazard- Did you like those camera moves? I found them way too disorientating and felt they pulled me out of the story when I needed to be in it the most.

Yeah I really enjoyed that part when James Cromwell was giving his speech about the evolution of robots, my favourite part.

Did anyone else find Susan Calvin hot? :D

Submitted by adie on Wed, 04/08/04 - 6:17 AM Permalink

Is tha I robot movie based on the asimov book of the same title.. cos the robot looks the same as the one on the front cover

Submitted by ScORCHo on Wed, 04/08/04 - 8:25 PM Permalink

Wizenedoldman: I saw an interview with Alex Proyas( the director) He said it is not the book I,Robot..it is a different movie with the same title(borrowed of course), and has ideas from book put into it.

Thats why right at the end of the movie(the start of the credits) it says, "Suggested by an Asimov book".

Submitted by Kalescent on Wed, 04/08/04 - 10:35 PM Permalink

Wiz: Some got really disorientating yes! - not so bad when shots where focused on something in the distance but when a beam or things start to fly past right in the foreground it became pretty bad.

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Thu, 05/08/04 - 12:43 AM Permalink

Scorcho- I saw that interview with Proyas too (it was on the Movie Show), I guess he just wanted to use the title because it's quite well known as opposed to the original screenplay title. I missed that 'suggested...' part, didn't watch the credits.

Posted by Anonymous (not verified) on
Forum

There are quite a few of us that are here that seem to be rather big movie buffs, so I decided to start this thread because of that. Basically you can tell people if there have been any movies that you have seen recently and whether it is worth watching or if we should avoid it like the plague. It doesn't have to be a new release cinema viewing either. just any movie that you have seen recently and want to warn people to look out for.

Try not to insult each others tastes. We all have our views and opinions :)

--------------------

I have seen three new movies in the past week or so. I will descibe them from worse to best (to finish on a happy note :) ).

Underworld
I love vampires as much as the next self respecting computer nerd (hell, I have a few Vampire Source books and I don't even play it). I wasn't expecting much going into this movie, and boy did it deliver.

Good Points - Kate Bekinsale looks really hot and plays a hero quite well. The costumes kick arse. The scenes where Salene jumps off a high building, lands on the ground and just keeps on walking casually look really sweet :) Some of the characters were quite cool, but...

Bad Points - ...They went no where. The vampires were presented as nothing more than humans with guns and pointy teeth :( The post production work was really badly done, and the colour correction has been changed to give everything a blue tint. This means that every time you see an outfit that should be a really nice crimson colour, it ends up as some terrible desaturated purple colour. The story was crap and they shouldn't have done what they did (trying not to give away too much).

This movie is probably worth seeing if you aren't a big vampire fan. Vampire fans will probably end up pissed off. Not really a cinema watching. Wait for a DVD version to come out.

Battle Royale 2
For those who have never heard of Battle Royale, you are really missing out. It is one of the most contriversal Japanese movies to have come out in recent years. It is one of my fav movies of all time and not because of the extreme amount of violence in it, or the many attractive school girls. The first one revolves around a class of Year 9 students who are kidnapped and sent to a deserted island to kill each other off. They recieve a random weapon and provisions to last for three days. At the end of the three days, there can only be one student left alive. If there are any more, then everyone who is left is killed instantly and there is no winner. They also have electronic tags around their necks to track their life signatures and pin point their position. The colars also have little explosives in them. In the three days, you get to know some of the students and how they deal with being told they have to kill their friends. It has a great story line and really leaves you thinking at the end.

Number two takes place after it, and has slightly updated rules. You now have a partner, and if they die, you die. It is team based as well. Weapons aren't random this time. Overall it is a good movie but doesn't touch the original. Seeing as many Western viewers didn't see into the sub plots, they explain everything flat out and leave you with nothing to think about. The characters aren't as cool as in the original (although actress Kou Shibasaki makes a welcome return :) ). I recomend seeing number one, but this one is cool as well.

The Returner
Another Japanese film. This time it is a Japanese take on a holywood style action flick. The basis of the story sounds really cliched, but here it goes. The movie is about a Returner (merc for hire) called Miyamoto. He is on a mission when he accidently shoots a young girl. He takes her back to his house and finds out that she has come back from the future to save the human race (Terminator anyone?). So, dressed in his leather pants and full length leather thrench, Miyamoto teams up with the young girl to save the future. As the movie progresses, the story line becomes more original -and quite frankly- very cool. For an action movie, there is very little violence and not too many action sequences. When there are action scenes though, they are quite well done, and have some effects that have the ability to show the Matrix up quite nicely. The Returner also has effects by Robot (the company responsible for the awesome Onimusha 3 intro). The effects are cool, but the compositing isn't extremely well done (although that could have been because it was on VCD). The characters are cool and actually look like they could kick arse. The bad guy is arse hole and really makes you want to see him die. I really recomend this film.

--------------------

Has anyone seen Once Upon A Time In Mexico at all? I would like to know what it is like before I go and see it in the cinema.


Submitted by MoonUnit on Wed, 16/06/04 - 5:01 AM Permalink

yeah known about this one for a while, hope it isnt a bodge job (i know a resident evil guy is like a lead writer or something and im told that was crap).

Submitted by DaMunkee on Fri, 18/06/04 - 2:53 PM Permalink

Well, went to Chronicles of Riddick last night.... yeah... um.... don't expect much.
Saw Stepford Wives last weekend.... yeah... on a scale of 1 to 10, i'd give it a -12.

AVP trailer though looked freak'n sweet on the big screen :)

This friday, going to see Dodgeball! Oh man, that looks like a riot!

Submitted by souri on Sun, 20/06/04 - 12:07 PM Permalink

I just saw Dawn of the Dead. It's not that bad actually if you're not expecting toooo much [:)] There weren't that many scary moments really. I think I would've loved it if I were 12 or so...

The queue for Shrek 2 was shocking [:0]. Needless to say, we didn't watch it.

I've read some non-spoiling reviews of Riddick. I think I'll be watching that just for the eye candy. [:)] And yeh, can't wait for Alien vs Predator!

Submitted by MoonUnit on Mon, 21/06/04 - 8:10 AM Permalink

Saw shrek 2, its a bit more... bizzare then the first but its a great laugh, top film.

fiiiiinally saw day after tommorow, i actually really enjoyed it even though there were some pretty dumb moments.

Submitted by Discmage on Mon, 21/06/04 - 8:21 PM Permalink

Recently I have seen Day after Tomorrow, Harry Potter and Shrek 2. All very good I found...although Day after's tomorrow's plot was as thin as the effects were thick :) But there's nothing wrong with that :)

I'm a bit cautious about Alien VS predator. The new(ish) trailer seems OK, more Alien than Predator in atmosphere...but I just feel there's a lot to live up to to make it good. Hopefully they can pull it off cos it COULD be a killer movie...err, 'scuse the pun.

One movie I'm interested to see the REACTION for, is The Polar Express. The last mainstream 'drama' CG film (albeit sci-fi) was Final fantasy which didn't go down to well at all unfortunately (as a mainstream movie, I loved it!). And although Final Flight on the Animatrix did OK for it's Fan base, I think having a more serious (and realistic) approach to a CG movie should be interesting to see if it is accepted by the mass market. I'm hoping so, otherwise it could be another detrimental hit to photorealistic/hyperrealistic CG movies in any other genre apart from comedy/fantasy (Shrek etc.) But that's another topic.

Also looking forward to all the future CG stuff of course...The Incredibles, Robots, Shark Tale (although it doesn't look much in comparison to Shrek 2)...even Chicken Little by Disney (their first without Pixar I believe) looks pretty funny.

Chronicles of Riddick LOOKS cool...although I won't hold my breath on actual story/script etc. Throw xXx and Sci-fi together, and you might be close perhaps? :) Last time I thought a movie would be cool was Van Helsing and was let down majorly...I thought hugh Jackman would bring it up above par...evidently not. Still, it LOOKED cool :) If I see it again knowing what to expect I might enjoy it second time around :)

Submitted by palantir on Mon, 21/06/04 - 11:24 PM Permalink

Somewhat off topic, but Discmage?s post got me thinking about the masses perception of CG movies.

//begin crazed rant

It?s interesting what you say about CG movies and their appeal (or lack of) to the masses in any other genre besides comedy. I think that most people just have this attitude that entirely CG movies should only be comedy, which is a shame. Even live-action films with CG effects tend to get treated with a light-hearted nature by the majority of filmgoers (to a certain degree, anyway). I?ve heard people say stupid things like Gollum is a funny character (no, he?s not the comic relief), or the Hulk wasn?t very funny (er, it?s not a comedy), all because it?s CG and I think they expect everything that?s CG to be amusing. This odd mindset could be the reason films like Final Fantasy do so poorly (then again, the whole story wasn?t very mainstream with that one).

I suppose it?s only the uneducated (or dumb arses [:P]) that have this mindset, but those people seem to count for the majority of the movie watching masses.

Hmmm, maybe Pixar are responsible for this? Well, let?s hope that Weta digital (or whoever makes the next non-comedy CG movie) can forever change peoples perceptions of the CG animated film!

//end crazed rant

P.S.
*Sings to old Spider-man theme*:
Spider-man,
spider-man,
only one week (and a bit),
until the new spider-man. [:D]

Submitted by MoonUnit on Mon, 21/06/04 - 11:52 PM Permalink

i know fans of the original tale of "i, robot" will have a hard time execpting the movie with will smith and all but after seeing the trailer i personally cant wait for the movie, looks like a great film and the whole eery feeling of cybernetic conspiracy and the questioning of a robots "morals" and so forth (that made the book a classic) should bring it above just a thrash and bang special effects film and into something much more... well fingers crossed anyway hey :P

one thing that im not looking forward to... catwoman. Theyve just totally cashed in on a character in the super-hero film blitz with total dis-regard for anything besides the fact that its a chick with cat like mannerisms. Its not like theres a shortage of super-heros to pick from if youre going to make a film on one of them (btw i realise this kinda looks at the other side of the fence to my i, robot rantings but oh well).

btw palantir i agree with you totally on the CG comedy thing.

Submitted by Aven on Tue, 22/06/04 - 12:04 AM Permalink

I agree with you Palantir. It mainly stems from the history of animation in western society. We have grown up with Disney and Warner Brothers. We are used to funny little animals blowing themselves up and then being fine in less than 2 seconds time. People have difficulties letting go of those memories. A lot of people still can't enjoy anime for that reason. When you have an animated character that can act better than a real life person, people feel very scared. Maybe when the more serious animation has been injected into our culture for a decade or so, people will be more willing to see it for what it is. It is just unfortunate that the more serious atempts at realism will only be appreciated by a select few until then.

On that topic... I finally saw Tokyo Godfathers. Damn cool anime. For those who don't know if it, it is the story of three homeless people who find a new born baby dumped in the trash. Being a few days until Christmas, the three of them end up trying to return the child to it's parents. The problem is they don't know who the parents are. It is a really heart felt story that has a quirky sense of humor thrown in for good measure. If you like your anime with a slightly different style, then it is worth watching.

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Tue, 22/06/04 - 3:39 AM Permalink

Shrek 2- Definitely better than the first one, looks a treat, some jilty animation though (especially in the background). Puss in Boots was the standout.

Anyone else figure out the voice for Captain Hook in that dingy bar? I think it was Nick Cave at one stage and Tom Waits at another, that made me laugh (kind of awkward when no one else did though).

I, Robot, don't know a thing about the movie version but I don't see why they called it that as the book was a collection of short stories. Just hope they don't bugger it up like Bicentennial Man, another Asimov adaptation.

Disc Mage- Van Helsing was a great romp, what are you talking about?

Submitted by Discmage on Tue, 22/06/04 - 7:43 AM Permalink

Indeed, I think it is the grounds of growing up with Disney and Looney tunes that restricts our way of thinking...but with the growth of things like Yu-gi-oh and duel masters and a lot of other 'action' cartoons...it wouldn't surprise if the next batch generation takes a more serious approach to animation. Get em hooked young I say :)

In regards to Van Helsing, I think I was expecting something a little more erm, intellectual? or just plain smarter. Yes I agree it was a good 'romp' but that's about it. The character could have been given SOOO much more depth :) I think it was Hugh that made me expect more though...his efforts in Xmen really made that movie.

Submitted by souri on Tue, 22/06/04 - 10:49 AM Permalink

The things that really got to me with The Day after Tomorrow..

1. They're in a library with TONNES of wooden tables, chairs, shelves etc... yet they're all standing around debating and stressing out on which books to burn for the fire.. [:o)]

2. Racing against a tidal wave... running to beat a cold snap.. [:0]

3. Buildings aren't that strong! The statue of liberty would've been easily overcome and pushed over with the force of that wave..

4. Crazy ass wolves..

About Spiderman 2, I wonder if the whole thing about Stan Lee getting screwed over with Spiderman royalties was sorted out..

Submitted by palantir on Tue, 22/06/04 - 11:54 AM Permalink

I guess the Disney and Warner Brothers stuff has indeed shaped our way of thinking, however, even Disney did some great character animation in their time, some of which was pure drama (though aimed at children). And I can remember all the sci-fi and fantasy cartoons that I grew up watching as well, which certainly had a wide variety of character animation, and which was mostly not comedy. So I don?t really understand how some people end up ?getting? digital animation, while others automatically think that a CG character is supposed to be funny.

Now back to keeping this thread on track:

I thought Van Helsing was very good. It didn?t try to be more then it was: a simple but exciting adventure. Pure entertainment.

LOL Souri [:D] Yep, Day after tomorrow had some great effects, but I thought everything else was a bit dodgy. It was certainly entertaining though.
I really liked how we got to see the astronauts in orbit watching the weather. That was a smart touch.

Might go see Shrek 2 tomorrow. Hope the queue isn't too bad.

Submitted by DaMunkee on Tue, 22/06/04 - 12:51 PM Permalink

Well we went an saw dodgeball last night, i have to say, that was the funniest movie I have seen in quite some time!!!! I mean, sure they showed a lot of guys getting hit in the nuts, but each time was just as funny as the first :) Hehe when it comes out in Australia, I'll go see it again!

I, Robot, looks like it could be interesting, as long as you ignore everything about the short story it's based on :) Well, everything except the three laws that is :) In any event, I'll see it when it comes out on July 22nd.

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Wed, 23/06/04 - 1:16 AM Permalink

Discmage, come on, how could you expect a movie about Frankenstein, vampires, werewolves and DRACULA to be serious or contain 'intellectual stimuli'? It was a comic book film with a comic book plot and comic book characters. I found it a great diversion to the recent deluge of 'intellectual' action movies. I'm not saying it's a classic, just a great big screen flick.

Van Helsing never touted itself to be anything more than an action romp, so why do people complain when it doesn't deliver something it was never supposed to?

Submitted by ScORCHo on Thu, 24/06/04 - 12:41 AM Permalink

quote:Originally posted by Wizenedoldman


Anyone else figure out the voice for Captain Hook in that dingy bar? I think it was Nick Cave at one stage and Tom Waits at another, that made me laugh (kind of awkward when no one else did though).

Its great when you laugh at things that are cool and noone else finds funny ...make you look more intellectual shows u r an individual.
I found so much cool stuff in shrek2 to laugh about. :)

Submitted by Discmage on Thu, 24/06/04 - 1:14 AM Permalink

I don't actually know why I expected Van Helsing to be more than it was (intellectual wise etc.)...I just did.

Sometimes if you expect things from a movie in a position it doesn't fit, you just can't enjoy it...no matter how good the movie is on it's own merit.

Although I can pretty much assume I'll enjoy it for it's mind numbingness next time :) hehe

Submitted by Aven on Thu, 24/06/04 - 2:30 AM Permalink

Just saw Dawn Of The Dead last night. It was better than what expected. I was just expecting a gore fest filled zombie romp for one and a half hours. Don't get me worng, that's all it had, but it did it pretty damn well. The sniper scene was just hilarious :D The ending was also really cool.

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Thu, 24/06/04 - 3:21 AM Permalink

Speaking of zombie flicks, anyone else seen the Aussie flick 'Undead'? If not do it this weekend, it's a great film for such a small budget.

I could seriously talk movies all day, anyone else been catching the Kubrick films SBS has been showing? Can't wait for 'The Shining' and 'Dr. Strangelove', absolute classics. I was really knocked back with how good 'Lolita' was too, didn't expect a thing from it and came away laughing.

Submitted by bullet21 on Sun, 27/06/04 - 8:50 PM Permalink

I saw Shrek 2 last night and it is an absolute pisser, please if you haven't seen it yet do yourself a favour. Best CG movie thus far. Puss in boot was a riot.

Submitted by palantir on Sun, 27/06/04 - 11:38 PM Permalink

Yeah, shrek 2 was great.
I liked the TV show they were watching called ?Knights? ? a piss take on the reality show ?Cops?. Donkey got busted with a small stash [:D]
I also loved the fast food drive through, how the medieval meal comes with a battle-axe. [:D]

- Three days until Spider-man 2 -
* Climbing the walls like spidey in anticipation *

Submitted by palantir on Wed, 28/07/04 - 7:20 AM Permalink

I saw I, Robot today. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I?d give it a review ? for no particular reason :P (though reviving this thread could be a good thing [;)])

I?m not sure if the facts that I went in with low expectations and that I love most sci-fi effected my judgment much, but god damn, what a cool movie! All the previews led me to believe that the effects and animation were going to be average, but watching the whole movie, I realise that they are simply brilliant. The main robots facial animations are animated in a very subtle way, but they really give off an effective emotional performance. They also move completely realisticly, but I suppose that?s what motion capture does for you. And apart from the robots themselves, there are some really great designs in there. One thing I really loved was how the cars all have spherical wheels, enabling them to rotate and move in any direction. Very cool.

As for the movie itself (besides the effects), very well done. It keeps you interested the whole way through, and wondering what the outcome will be. Personally I think the climax could have been better, but the ride was very enjoyable. The biggest possible flaw could have been Will Smith, but fortunately he did a great job. Despite the couple of typical Smith jokes we saw in the preview, there was none of that in the movie ? the only jokes were those bits from the previews, which weren?t Smith trying to be funny, but the character trying to intimidate the villain. Not once through the film did I feel like I was watching the fresh prince (for a change!) [:P]. They actually managed to do justice to the original Azimov works, with a degree of sci-fi robotic philosophy thrown in for the observant filmgoer. I was particularly impressed that one of the main characters was an A.I. physiatrist ? not the kind of level of thought usually put into a big Hollywood production.

So yeah, I was pretty impressed by it all. Hopefully it wasn?t my low expectations that caused me to enjoy it so much, because then anyone who reads this review will get their hopes up and come back and tell me it?s crap! [:P]

Submitted by Kalescent on Wed, 28/07/04 - 9:10 AM Permalink

I second all of the above Palantir - I saw it today also, and enjoyed it muchly [:D]

***The following may contain spoilers!***

Some really trippy camera shots at the climax battle, and some strangely eerie and creepy parts in the film:

1) When hes walking through the old robot graveyard and they are all peer out from the containers looking at him.

2) When the narrator was describing in the graveyard sequence how old robots cluster together rather than stand apart from one another, almost like they are huddling together for warmth and closeness.

All round good film [:D] 8 / 10 for me.

Submitted by MoonUnit on Wed, 28/07/04 - 7:19 PM Permalink

I third that :)
great movie and i loved the animation, robot fighting = win

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Thu, 29/07/04 - 12:27 AM Permalink

Yeah it was a darn sight better than what I thought it would be, but I just wish they hadn't called it 'I, Robot', the movie had so little connection to the book that it just didn't make sense to call it that. The film had tinges of System Shock 2 and also Flight of the Osiris from the Animatrix, just so glad that they didn't make the robots the killers, just the tools of the villain, cause killer robots is nonsense (when connected to an Asimov story anyway).

Hazard- Did you like those camera moves? I found them way too disorientating and felt they pulled me out of the story when I needed to be in it the most.

Yeah I really enjoyed that part when James Cromwell was giving his speech about the evolution of robots, my favourite part.

Did anyone else find Susan Calvin hot? :D

Submitted by adie on Wed, 04/08/04 - 6:17 AM Permalink

Is tha I robot movie based on the asimov book of the same title.. cos the robot looks the same as the one on the front cover

Submitted by ScORCHo on Wed, 04/08/04 - 8:25 PM Permalink

Wizenedoldman: I saw an interview with Alex Proyas( the director) He said it is not the book I,Robot..it is a different movie with the same title(borrowed of course), and has ideas from book put into it.

Thats why right at the end of the movie(the start of the credits) it says, "Suggested by an Asimov book".

Submitted by Kalescent on Wed, 04/08/04 - 10:35 PM Permalink

Wiz: Some got really disorientating yes! - not so bad when shots where focused on something in the distance but when a beam or things start to fly past right in the foreground it became pretty bad.

Submitted by Wizenedoldman on Thu, 05/08/04 - 12:43 AM Permalink

Scorcho- I saw that interview with Proyas too (it was on the Movie Show), I guess he just wanted to use the title because it's quite well known as opposed to the original screenplay title. I missed that 'suggested...' part, didn't watch the credits.