I like his films apart from that crap one he made about some ocean liner that sank.
Having said that I don't really like him as an individual, read IMDB or any of the DVD special feature bits and the list of stuff that he takes credit for on his films is effing huge, the Ego has landed.
Avatar will either make him or break him I think, the funding and development time he asks for between films is becoming bigger and longer and sooner or later it will bite him on the arse when he turns out something that flops. The Abyss very nearly did for him, he got away with that one with the skin of his teeth because it was an OK film that certainly had its moments. It was hugely expensive though and it took a very very long time to get all the money back, making a mostly non CGI film set under water was never going to be cheap.
Aliens was old SFX! ;D
I like his films apart from that crap one he made about some ocean liner that sank.
To be fair to Michael Bay - he knows exactly what he churns out and makes no claims otherwise.
I bet he doesnt lay claim to his SFX teams work either.
I heard someone say the story is more or less... 'Dancing with smurfs'. :)
Hot smurfs.
But the bluefellas say "woah" and fall in lurve (awwww), the faun was a right little bastard.
My feeling was that this could have been done as an animated film for a fraction of the cost and it wouldn't have been any worse for it.
Hot smurfs.
...er...
No. reaally no.
I heard someone say the story is more or less... 'Dances with smurfs'. :)
Watch this space
I'm going to see it on Tuesday, 12:15, in 3D.
Watch this space
They story is an old one (and a more recent one), it's Europeans' colonization of <insert name of country here> meets the battle for Iraqi oil.
When, when, when are SF films going to approach even half the intelligence and imagination of good SF writing? Much like George Lucas, Cameron can't do characters, narrative or dialogue so you are left with 'concept', cliches and (amazing) visuals.
I thought it was beautiful crap. I want more out of cinema that just pretty pictures.Probably the day after the literary world takes the books seriously.
When, when, when are SF films going to approach even half the intelligence and imagination of good SF writing? Much like George Lucas, Cameron can't do characters, narrative or dialogue so you are left with 'concept', cliches and (amazing) visuals.
But in any case, whether or not you regard Star Wars as sci-fi, it's an error to use Star Wars as a yardstick by which to judge sci-fi films as a genre. Intelligent, imaginative sci-fi films do exist.
I think I made that pretty clear.
And yes, of course Avatar is SF. It may be many other things as well, but none of those rule out its being SF, just as Alien is a Horror pic (well a haunted house story) as well as an SF pic.
And there really aren't that many intelligent, imaginative SF films compared to the number of intelligent, imaginative SF novels - which was my original point really. They also tend to be low budget and not much seen like...
In contrast look what happened to William Gibson's work. Keanu Reeves in Jonny Mnemonic... I rest my case! ;)
If Avatar isn't Sci-Fi then what is Sci Fi?
Define Sci Fi then.
Avatar has:
Space Travel (hypersleep involved as per many Sci Fi films)
Technology that is fictional (including Aliens type Powerloaders)
Organically grown replica lifeforms (as per Blade Runner Nexus 6)
Fictional biology (a networked planet)
Seeing through someone else's eyes (many films)
Sorry, me not making myself clear now... it was a genuine question. I've not seen Avatar so I really don't know whether it's genuine sci-fi or just space opera.
Well, you could say that about films generally, not just SF.
By the way, Total Recall is a truly great film
And I think you rather underrate Brazil, which is better than "moderately clever" - it's totally brilliant.
Gibson is partly responsible for that himself, since he wrote the screenplay. But surely all that proves is that his books don't translate well into films. Which probably explains why it's taken so long to make Neuromancer. Yet Blade Runner, which has many similarities to Neuromancer, is generally regarded as the best sci-fi film ever. Also look at the superb and rather Gibson-esque Videodrome. (I know Cronenberg isn't generally considered sci-fi, but I'd argue that much of his work has far more right to be called sci-fi than anything George Lucas has done.)
Lord Of The Rings has all those things. Except space travel. Does that make Lord Of The Rings sci-fi?
But no-one credible would seriously define LoTR as SF.
well it is an old story :)
(http://i.imgur.com/JmRmb.jpg)
I suppose I'm a bit of a "hard" sci-fi purist in that respect, so I don't look at it in that way.
I take it from what you've said that Avatar is more than mere space opera and has genuine sci-fi credentials.
There's a reason. No, I'll start that again, there are several reasons why I rarely go to the cinema and this evenings 2'1/2 hours of my life watching Avatar that I will never get back enforced several of them.
The film was visually stunning, but so what? So are computer games these days, we expect visually stunning and better cgi/effects. I got a headache from the 3D which was like watching a slightly blurry film with sunglasses on. If it's the future of film, I'm not interested. The Plot was weak, the dialogue amateur Pochahontas/Man called horse/Dances with smurfs. It could have been so much more... the eco-battle for the rainforest could have been in terms of hearts and minds rather than a big ole George W. Bush style kill em all battle. So much formula employed.... Dull really. The great thing about 3D glasses is that it makes it easier to sleep through movies.
The rest of the family loved it however, so I'm just some kind of misery guts.
Oh, we prebooked tickets over the interweb thing, but you then have to feed a machine your card to get the tickets... no human being in the box office anymore, they're all employed serving popcorn....
Popcorn, I F'in hate popcorn smell at the cinema, why oh why can't people watch a movie without some kind of sugar-fest going on (are the movies that unpalatable?). I confess to being somewhat abrupt to the (nice) chap who plonked himself next to me with his mega bucket and who thankfully put them aside until the movie finished, rustle-rustle, crunch-crunch, stink-stink.
So, I'm not going to the movies any more. I'd rather save my cash and go to the theatre or see something 'live' and non-Hollywood.
[EDIT] The new Sherlock Holmes movie might be an exception...
This isn't "The English Patient" we are judging.
[EDIT] The new Sherlock Holmes movie might be an exception...
Mr mac and I are going to see Avatar 3D at the imax in a couple of weeks, then have dinner out somewhere afterwards. We rarely go out these days, and I have never been to the imax or seen a 3D movie, even on the telly. I don't give two hoots if the story's a bit pants.
I do however agree about only eating during the noisy bits. :D
(http://nappefugl.dk/indretning/pics/004.jpg)
Indretning af biografen. (http://nappefugl.dk/indretning.php)
When will white people stop making movies like Avatar? (http://io9.com/5422666/)
(contains spoilers)
Fab Foodie : you could build your own :)
My mate in Denmark, got tired of the same thing as you and the cost of taking four people to the cinema, so he built his own :)
(http://nappefugl.dk/indretning/pics/004.jpg)
Indretning af biografen. (http://nappefugl.dk/indretning.php)
The site is in Danish, but click on the thumb nails to see the images in big. The seats he got from when one of the local cinemas closed down. We have been going to that one for at least 10 years so we knew that the seats were good. He built some of the speakers himself, the whole room is THX and dolby etc etc and a 122", 16:9 screen. Even the old "exit" (ud) sign is from the old cinema. And the door your see in room is direct out to the kitchen :)
Total cost 26.905 DNK around £3.250.
I'm going there to his birthday next week, guess what we are going to spend Thursday evening with :)
saw the title sand thought perhaps David was a member of this forum
George Monbiot seemed to like it, or at least, approve of its message.
"Best Drama" ?
When will white people stop making movies like Avatar? (http://io9.com/5422666/)
(contains spoilers)
If we think of Avatar and its ilk as white fantasies about race, what kinds of patterns do we see emerging in these fantasies?An unthinking assumption of white superiority, for a start. The (white, or in this case human) hero who joins the (non-white/non-human) natives always ends up as a leader.
a) And we score badly for the bio-USB port
b) Na'vi boobs
c) There's always the sequel.
That bond is really bugging me. It's a monstrous vulnerability - there should be bonded parasites and things with fake-bond lures and diverse populations should have evolved away from a universal bond.
I can let motherbrain enforce the universality, but the rest? It's got to be artificial, either bred for or engineered -- and it looks to be common to all the six-limbed four-eyed creatures so breeding would be at the ur-level.
the Na'vi are not native to Pandora.
I think it was a holiday resort. Tropical climate, exotic animals you can play with - it's like Westworld for the technological ur-Na'vi. Then contact is cut off and they're on their own.
Just caught up with R5 Kermode pod-casts. the Quiffed Critic is convinced that Avatar is just as immersive in 2D, cos the effects are so good - the 3rd D makes no difference at all. (he is generally non-plussed by 3D, I should add - not anti, but not pro).
Just caught up with R5 Kermode pod-casts. the Quiffed Critic is convinced that Avatar is just as immersive in 2D, cos the effects are so good - the 3rd D makes no difference at all. (he is generally non-plussed by 3D, I should add - not anti, but not pro).
Doesn't 3D filming assume a certain distance between the eyes? So if you're as cycloptic as George W. Bush, it might look unnatural.
Doesn't 3D filming assume a certain distance between the eyes? So if you're as cycloptic as George W. Bush, it might look unnatural.
Just caught up with R5 Kermode pod-casts. the Quiffed Critic is convinced that Avatar is just as immersive in 2D, cos the effects are so good - the 3rd D makes no difference at all. (he is generally non-plussed by 3D, I should add - not anti, but not pro).
I have singularly failed to go to it twice now, on account of the booking system for our local cinema being one for non-humans.
(It's still selling out every screening here!)
There was a trailer for Tim Burton's new one in 3D - Alice returns to Wonderland or something similar. Looked great and I will be booking tickets :thumbsup:
this talk of 3d films has got me thinking;
does anyone remember those domes you stood in where they projected a film shot on a fish-eye lens so it filled the whole side of the dome and effectively your whole field of vision?
The other thing that has stuck in my mind was the sheer number of times that
the words "shit" and "fuck" were gasped out by the audience. ;D
"Oh Jesus f**k"
"Oh Jesus f**k"
I'll give one of those to that scene in "Jaws" where he looks through the hole in that sunken boat and the head pops up.
Gets me every time.
Some of the 3D + Live Actors + Rollercoaster rides in Universal Studios theme-parks are very good.
Terminator and Spiderman spring to mind but I imagine there are newer examples now.
Some of the 3D + Live Actors + Rollercoaster rides in Universal Studios theme-parks are very good.
Terminator and Spiderman spring to mind but I imagine there are newer examples now.
are there any in the one in Spain? been meaning to go there for a while as a less sugary alternative to Disneyland Paris
European equivalents always seem to be completely devoid of rules, attendants, orderly queues, responsible parents, well-behaved children and any nods to safety. I went to a French "Wet & Wild" waterpark and it resembled the opening scenes of "Saving Private Ryan".
Low point of the day was stepping on a discarded-but-still-burning fag butt in bare feet.
Do you want to add a translation for the benefit of our American readers?
Maybe it'll be style over substance - I'll be interested to see how good the 3-D is, but the story still has to be there.And there are references to Aliens in some of the animals. Too bloody obviously, as well.
My favourite Cameron film has to be Aliens - I notice Sigourney Weaver is in Avatar too.
...I have perhaps been harsh. It isn't a bad film, as long as you go expecting little but eye-candy. As I said, it is very pretty, but that's about it.
I suspect you may be thinking a little too deeply for this film! :D;D :thumbsup:
I was *really* disappointed by the complete lack of special features though; I had been very much looking forward to seeing some of the 'making of' stuff. I guess they'll have a new one for us to buy later in the year to watch that stuff. >:(
It is a pointless film without the 3d