What was the last film you watched?

[Ruth]

First Wives Club.

Very therapeutic.  I want to be Bette Midler.  She's gorgeous.

[mrcharly-YHT]

With some irony, the CGI gives the apes a more human story than ever before.

Well, they aren't hundred-percent CGIed. Reskinned human actors.

[red marley]

Sure, as indeed is most CGId anthropomorphic content in films these days. My upstairs flat mate is a casting agent for body-tracking actors for this kind of thing. Apparently it's a big growth industry for jobbing actors.

[Kim]

Sure, as indeed is most CGId anthropomorphic content in films these days. My upstairs flat mate is a casting agent for body-tracking actors for this kind of thing. Apparently it's a big growth industry for jobbing actors.

Taken to its logical conclusion, it could mean that one day stardom will be more about acting ability than physical appearance...

[Jakob]

With some irony, the CGI gives the apes a more human story than ever before.

Well, they aren't hundred-percent CGIed. Reskinned human actors.

According to Andy Serkis the CGI is only digital make-up. But then Serkis is a jerk
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/motion-capture/andy-serkis-does-everything-animators-do-nothing-says-andy-serkis-98868.html

He's tried this line before. Initial mutterings was after Return of the King and he was outright begging for an Oscar after King Kong.
The worst thing is, that while many directors, who are relatively clueless about the amount of work that goes into VFX, Serkis knows. He was around Weta often enough and knows what's going on.
Randall Cook then stepped in and in polite way, spanked him:
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/motion-capture/lord-of-the-rings-animation-supervisor-randall-william-cook-speaks-out-on-andy-serkis-99439.html

He has since then changed his tone a bit (as in denied he ever said that and it was taken out of context although there's several videos of him and the context is very clear)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/10956372/Andy-Serkis-interview-Audiences-are-moved-by-acting-not-effects.html

Motion capture helps. It helps a lot. But it's no different than the old Disney animators using real life footage for rotoscoping and then animating on top. It's a template and one that the director/VFX-sup will often change, even to the point that the original performance is irrelevant.

Did I mention that Serkis is a jerk?

[clarion]

Andy Serkis is most certainly not a jerk.

[Jakob]

Andy Serkis is most certainly not a jerk.

Taking credit for other peoples (very) hard work ranks pretty high on the jerk-dom list, in my opinion.
Can I ask why you think otherwise?.

[clarion]

I've worked with him.

[Jakob]

So, what if he said that the quality of the lighting (or whatever you did) was all down to him. Would you still think he was a non-jerk?

[clarion]

Having read the articles and around the subject, he didn't say what is imputed about the animators, so it's a silly question.  Andy had the greatest of respect for fellow performers and other workers in the industry, was keen to learn about the various trades, and helped out when he could.

Doesn't sound like the 'jerk' depicted to me.

[Jakob]

Whatever. It's been going on for about 10 years now.
He was clearly told by the studios to backtrack due to the negative press and also the fact that he's about to direct a version of the Jungle Book, where he'll need animators. Digital Make-up Artists. We did a straw poll around the office and would you care to guess how many wanted to work on that?

[Ruth]

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

I thought it was shit.

[Steph]

On the planes, Dallas Buyers Club and Captain Phillips.

Shouldn't weep in public...

[fuzzy]

On the tellybox this evening- The China Sydrome. late 70's wonder stuff.

[spesh]

Couldn't sleep Saturday night, so I ended up watching Apocalypto, followed by The Odd Angry Shot (on even later than the last time the BBC showed it).

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

La Grande Vadrouille.

Very amusing French war spoof starring Terry Thomas.  Recommended.

[tiermat]

Just to add to the Andy Serkis derailment, Mrs T says he most definitely is not a jerk, in fact he is a lovely, thoughtful man. He was one of the clients at her previous job, they had good control subjects in John Thaw and Sheila Hancock!

[ian]

Guardians of Galaxy. Comic-book adaptations don't get any better. Marvellous pulp sci-fi palette, a gun-toting sarcastic raccoon with issues, and a Sony Walkman soundtrack. Plenty of laughs (at a few points the entire theatre was in hysterics) and it earned an a deserved hearty ovation at the end.

Hollywood, this is what happens when you have a script to go with the special effects.

[mattc]

Guardians of Galaxy. Comic-book adaptations don't get any better. Marvellous pulp sci-fi palette, a gun-toting sarcastic raccoon with issues, and a Sony Walkman soundtrack. Plenty of laughs (at a few points the entire theatre was in hysterics) and it earned an a deserved hearty ovation at the end.

Hollywood, this is what happens when you have a script to go with the special effects.

Are you sure about this Ian?!?

I've just watched another trailer, and it still looks like noisy rubbish. Chris Pratt looks like the one good thing in it. I didn't laugh at all.

It all seems very odd. You've got an actress agreeing to play a character called "Gamora" - what was she thinking?!? - and Karen Gillan isn't even in the trailer (I think). And Vin Diesel is in it - well-known comic talent, not.

I generally don't "get" Marvel adaptations, I fear this will be the same. Probably wait for the small screen debut ...

[ian]

I'm sure. I've never been knowingly been blasted by the comicbooknerdilizer (it's a thing) but it's just a good old-fashioned actioneer. Of course it's noisy, they gave a raccoon with an attitude a large calibre weapon and a spaceship. Americans have been wanting to arm bears for a while, so this is a step in the right direction. There's a purposeful homage to the bit of Star Wars that was good (basically the scenes in the first two movies with Han Solo in them). It's a joyful mismatch of characters and riffing dialogue. The scene about the 'plan' is pitch perfect. Like Tarantino before the fateful potholing expedition up his own rear-end from which he's never returned. It's more likeable because it doesn't take itself too seriously, so romps happily along on a completely incongruous soundtrack. It made the Imax laugh and it's been a while since I'd seen a movie where the audience applauded at the end (at least not out of relief that it has finally ended).

[simonp]

Kill Bill vol. 2

I'll leave it up to the reader to work out what we watched before that.

Before that, Master and Commander.

[mattc]

Ian, you have very nearly sold it to me. I can only think the trailer was made by a completely different team!

Despite this, I think our summer cripplingly expensive real cinema trip will be to
http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/production/2014/07/nt-live-broadcast-young-vics-streetcar-named-desire/
(cos we're both big Gillian Anderson fans)

[redshift]

Like Ian I'm not a comicbook graphic novel nerd, but I've been to see most (all?) the Marvel films.  The best one was Iron Man - a character about whom I knew nothing before seeing the film.  On that basis, I went to see Guardians and rather enjoyed it.  That surprised me, as I usually like to have more to think about in a movie, but it does carry it off with a certain flair.  Not perfect by a long chalk, but I enjoyed it more than the last X-Men. It is, as Mr Gates has said, completely batshit crazy, so don't go expecting art.

[Jakob]

Total Recall, the remake.
Much better than I expected!. Still preferred the Mars setting in the original, though.

[LEE]

"Under The Skin"

Sci-Fi/Alien film which I found mesmerising.

I could totally understand if others found it too slow and too weird to enjoy however.

Reminded me very much of "The Man Who Fell to Earth".