 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
93.194.230.3
Can one tell something anything from a preview?
As far I can say:
Frankenstein meet star wars meet lotr meet matrix meet....
It seems that Hollywood has become the junkyard.
Follow Ups:
From the trailer it looks like it could be a 'cool' movie to me so I'll definitely go see - there's films out there for every taste just like there is music or books and this looks like harmless sci-fi/sword n sorcery escapism.
After watching the 3D opening to the latest Harry Potter film I was also very impressed with how far the technology has come and the glasses are no more a hindrance then having a bag of popcorn on my lap.
Regarding film as an art form with every new creation pontificated over is bound to lead to dissatisfaction in 99% of cases so better to regard it as entertainment, sometimes quite mindless entertainment.
Throw big money at a movie and the backers want something to appeal to the broadest customer base, and of course the experienced theatre goer will already know what to expect broadly - there are only seven stories to be told and retold after all.
From the trailer and the target audience we can assume there's going to be a clear distinction between good guys and bad guys, and the good guys will win the day because that's what Hollywood demands.
I accept what the destination is and hope that the journey is made as entertaining as possible. If all movies were of the same ilk even I'd have cause to moan, but there's plenty of more serious, more thoughtful, more rewarding movies out there which have to rely on story and narrative for an audience so bring on Avatar 2, although it is a little disquieting when Cameron says he'll be consulting with the guys who developed the Avatar video game when making the sequel.
Best Regards,
Chris redmond.
Well everyone his pick.
"From the trailer and the target audience we can assume there's going to be a clear distinction between good guys and bad guys, and the good guys will win the day because that's what Hollywood demands."
I am not so sure that it is Hollywood demand, but I am quite confident that it is OUR demand.
The public, the industry comply.
Happily for us life is depressing enough without bas ends..You will conceit to me..
Now as far for the ...Avatar let meet us after the opening...
So long,
P.
"I am not so sure that it is Hollywood demand, but I am quite confident that it is OUR demand.
The public, the industry comply.
Happily for us life is depressing enough without bas ends..You will conceit to me.."
The money men of Hollywood demand as big a payback as possible so in that respect what Hollywood demands and what the public demands are one in the same - the money they throw at a movie, the more payback they require.
With Titanic, Cameron bucked to happy ending somewhat when Jack sank to his watery grave, though we all knew that the ending of a story about the Titanic was never going to be 'feel good' so the audience were prepared for tragedy. :0)
I'm not expecting anything more than a good big-budget, block-busting pop-corn movie with Avatar and if the 3D works like I expect it should be a thoroughly predictable but entertaining blast.
Best Regards,
Chris redmond.
You can also feel good with a half tragedy ( the girl with the big boobs survived )--
It is all in, as you said in the presentation...
I don´t for much more, but if you take the time to read BB, I am NOW entitle for more.
So do you....to O:-)
The evil technological humans destroying the beautiful, pure, unspoilt native culture.
Whatever.
PAINTING: "Optical Experiment with "g" (Newton)
Patrick,
I believe Avatar will be an epochal movie for technical reasons as the -3D digital video is amazingly innovative, something Cameron has worked on continuously since about 2000. The two "cameras" for both live action and as virtual p.o.v.'s are set apart the same distance as a person's eyes and as they focus on objects, the angle between them changes- narrows as distance reduces, thus creating a realistic shift of depth of field in 3D. Trust me, when you see this in full effect you will be astounded and reality will seem flat and uninteresting!
The story has been left quite an unknown, but in my view may have an emotional depth beyond previous Cameron movies. As far as I understand the plot, it moves from a person having a vicarious experience to a sublimation of personality into an alien personality and establishes an an empathy for a political struggle. In this sense, the attempt seems to me, a portrayal of "living in another's skin" as a way of assuming empathy and demonstrating the way personality may be shifted and blurred in virtual realms. This seems like a potentially interesting sci-fi version of such films such as "Black Like Me": James Whitmore poses as a black man, and "Gentleman's Agreement" in which Gregory Peck poses as a Jew and they both are drawn into the emotional world of conflict and oppression based on prejudice. There may be unique insights into the lines between reality, fantasy, and the virtual world.
However: My expectations have been very high, but if the trailer I saw contains actual footage from the movie, it appears really artificial and as cartoon-like as Spiderman and the other heavily CG movies. However, the trailer in a tiny window on a computer monitor can't be used to pre-judge it. Seen on the large screen and in the innovative 3D video format may be as dramatic as the shift from silent to "talkies" and I'll wait to see it. For sure, it will not translate to the television machine!
Cameron is one of the most brilliant- and volatile people- I've known. He has a genius for technology coupled with a pervasive interest in expressing the- I hate to use this word but it fits here- interface of humans and technology in different and dramatic ways. The irony of a technological tour de force used to express the ways in which technology is reshaping individual personality and society is enough to get me in line to see it!
I think Avatar will be an important movie technically at the very least.
Cheers,
Bambi B
...but that doesn't mean Avatar won't.
What I've seen and read so far about it doesn't give me much confidence, but I would never prejudge the movie from trailers and previews.
We shall see where he takes these technological advances.
...a needle in his eye during his studies on Perception...
Am I right?
BF
Am I right?
Sir.
The thirty nine steps.
PAINTING: "A visiting Bishop"
orejones,Yes, the painting, "Optical experiment with "g" is (fairly closely) based on the drawing of his arm and hand Newton made in his notes while doing his optical experiments at Cambridge in the early 1660's. This was part of the extensive research for his "Opticks"- there was a lot of working with prisms as well.
Newton found that by pressing on the eyeball, he could stimulate colours- and he was so enthusiastic about this effect he actually poked a stick hehind his eyeball. The stick in Newton's drawing is labelled "g". In Westfall's excellent biography of Newton, Never at Rest he includes this drawing and muses that it seems impossible Newton wasn't blinded by these experiments. I used this episode in Newton's life to try and theatrically depict an aspect of the detached relation to mind to body image. I only expanded the drawing to include Newton's body and the room and a faux picture frame.
You must be a scholar to have recognised this scene- are you especially interested in the history of science and/or technology/social? In the late 90's I did a series of 35 paintings that were intended to illustrate a book on Natural Philosophy. As some may know, but which is counter-intuitive to popular knowledge, Newton was an enthusiastic Alchemist for far longer than he was a mathematician and physicist. My theory is that he, like Goethe later on, found Natural Philosophy more easily inclusive of what seemed as miracles (scalar and super-complex systems) than strict Science and Mathematics could then explain.
Has there ever been a good movie or docu-dramaticated-infotainment series on Newton?
SCENE: Outdoors in an orchard. The young Isaac Newton is lying against a tree, carefully studying the centrefold of the latest issue of Playpuritan magazine
Damon as Newton:
"Oy, An appel just gone off and rapped me noggin! Ow! Now what made 'er do that?"
Cheers,
Bambi B
Edits: 08/31/09
Now that big big book on Newton Biography laying " parreseusement " on my good night self, will come alive at least!
I got the curiosity for that one more thing now!
P.
Bambi,
Nice picture. I like it.
I hate to repeat myself in such a short span so I will after the debacle of my lost post try out my patience who is very limited.
I think 3D will only be able to establish itself when freed of any kind of glasses to be wear.
Even Hitchcock was not enough to realize that goal.
A fade is just a fade. But the future will bring us this realistic viewing sooner or later, no doubt.
I look at Cameron filmography and could not detect any of his films having an important impact.
Lately I had a TV encounter with his " Titanic " and I was shocked to see how much this film got old, the most beautiful scene of the camera going from death to like is remaining intact and very poetic.
When I think at the film I saw yesterday for the x time " Key Largo " and every time discovering a new angle, even with a Bogart making the same face as in " The Cane Mutiny " partly so.
I understand your will of justice and equity, but is Cameron the man for it?
He certainly has courage and in real life fighting the right fight.
But his films ...
PS: Only a bad uncompleted answer prior to my first..,Pardon-
Patrick
PAINTING: "Double Portait of Henry Ford"Patrick,
Yes, the glasses are a disadvantage,and probably a drag on 3D acceptance but as I wear glasses when watching movies, it is not too distracting. And, if my intuitions and reports are correct, once we're watching " Avatar " we will immediately forget them. Decades from now, the 3D glasses and virtual reality goggles will probably be seen as a cumbersome interim technology to some form of holography.***
*** And, as has been true for every communication technology from cave painting to fresco to printing to film to video to computers, within 6 months of the invention of that holography, it will be used for porno!
James Cameron in my view has more the mind of an engineer and craftsman than artist, but he is more complex than I think his target audience understands, and this complexity creates an air of irony around his movies.
Cameron’s work has produced some astounding and memorable images: Governor Schwarzenegger as Terminator prying out his eye- (homage to Chien d' A?"), the "T2" morphing from the checkerboard floor to security guard clone, Big Mama Alien at home laying eggs, the erect stern of the Titanic against a star field, and many others, and his movies are visually stunning, but in addition to the wondrous level of technical achievement, what I believe is important in Cameron's work is the consistent, pervasive warning about the dangers of technology that seem to underlie all his work. Upon review, technology is always depicted as a kind of human arrogance, prone to spectacular failures, RE: the “unsinkable” Titanic, corruptions of use RE: “Abyss”, “Terminator”, and as a gateway- and entry point- for real nastiness, RE: "Terminator", "Aliens", and I believe, “Avatar”. Cameron in this regard is making modern versions of Chaplin's "Moderns Times"!
Cameron is not completely even-handed in this aspect as he is vehemently pro-space exploration and will never make that appear as unnecessary or too risky. Cameron would never have made "Apollo 13" even though the underlying theme of human struggle against technological failure is identical. Cameron would do a superb "Hindenberg", but the George C. Scott version probably covers it and of course, the flaming demise sequence couldn't be stretched out long enough! -"Oh, the Humanity!"
The problem is that Cameron in my view often has written better stories for the machines than the people- I find the characters often seem more an infestation to movies that yearn to be documentaries about technological potential. With "Avatar" though he may have found a way to create a CG "techno-human" style as the ultimate integration of his animal/machine first expressed in "Terminator". And, as I believe "Avatar" has a love story involving the remote, virtual animal/machine, perhaps we will see -ironically a more convincing, more realistic love story than DeCaprio, Winslett, and the Fabulous Blue Doorknob. -This is what I find intriguingly paradoxical about Cameron's movies. The strange layering of fantasy and reality within the technological warning agenda is really amazing.
It's also interesting that the important character- the hero and sensible, calm and capable is almost always female- Sarah Connor in "Terminator", Jamie Lee Curtis in "True Lies", Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as the female engineer and ex wife of Ed Harris, of the underwater drilling rig in "Abyss", Sigourney Weaver and "Newt", the plucky little girl in Aliens- a 22nd Century Shirley Temple", and the main "villain" in Aliens is Big Mama Alien- the Queen bee surrounded by male worker drones, "Dark Angel" in the series, and so on. Can you name the actor that played My impression of the alien main character in "Avatar" in fact to me looks far more feminine than masculine. I find this to be a general trend- look how many fantasy/action figures in movie are female now- how about "Lara Croft"? Well-, “relatively” female, as I see these characters as male personalities but with cleavage for entertaining the 13 year old boy in all of us!
I may seem an apologist to Cameron in trying to suggest an importance to his work, but I think the underlying existential theme of "be careful what you wish for" as it is embedded in technological fantasy for the younger teen is quite brilliant, the technical and craft aspect of his movies engineering genius and a sign of consistent, incredible discipline. After the $2,400,000,000 income from "Titanic", and by his intensely intellectually curious nature, Cameron is free to spend the rest of his career making patient, super-crafted movies and I think will continue to amaze us in many, many ways. And, as an explorer- more than 40 visits to the Titanic- and I'm guessing one of the first paying passengers into space on Rutan's taxi.
We’re living in an interesting age for movies, but not at one of the pinnacles- “Van Helsing” alone brings the average too far down !
Cheers,Bambi B
PS: My concept for a Broadway musical "Titanic 2" , story by Bambi B, libretto by Tom Stoppard, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Adams:
"Titanic 2":
The heartwarming, tender, five hour long story of a song and dance troupe from Liverpool living- and performing- in an air pocket in the Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic. The musical highlights include the songs: "Air Pockets, Diamond Lockets", "Decompressions of my Heart", "I got those 14,000 Feet under the Ocean Blues, and "White Star, Hopes Far".The surprise upbeat ending is said to be super-fabulous.
Edits: 08/29/09
You know, I admire *your* admiration for the man but I really think you're ascribing far too much to his artistic sensibilities. I don't think Cameron has made any reference to Bunuel or Chaplin in a movie EVER - at least not on purpose.But I hope the Avatar meets your expectations, since you have such high hopes for it. The only film of Cameron's I ever really truly enjoyed was The Abyss, which suffers from his habit of employing simplistic villains.
I will admit the Titanic going down was pretty cool too, although the rest of the movie makes me twitch.
Edits: 09/02/09
Harmonia,
In their totality, I am not an apologist for Cameron's movies, but I remind myself that I am far and away from Cameron's target audience- smart and dangerous 13-year old loners.
My interest in Cameron's work is mostly to do with the instances of what I see as consistent and pervasive comments on the social impact of technology. And, with a delightfully paradoxical presentation of the subject. If I may summarize: Technology is both miracle cure and answer to all the important questions, but is also a potential tool for self-destruction. Arrogance and lack of discipline in the technological environment is fatal. People should get used to the idea that the technology we own is having more fun than we are.
And, in the presentation of this, Cameron advance techniques (designing and building ROV's, advance the technology the 3D digital video system. Some kind of modern film dictum is emerging: You must improve the technology to the level necessary to present the hazards of technology- McCluhan could fill volumes.
While I find some really astounding images in every movie, there are important areas of character- stereotypes and sentimentality, dialogue- forced naturalness, and plot- applied romantic conflict that bother me. And, it interests me that the focus of attention, the deeper characters, and often the heroes of the whole story are women, given that the subject is technology and often in military/combat conditions.
Where Cameron succeeds: Despite the applied quirkiness for demographic reasons, the internal logic is always impeccable as is every technical aspect and the putting together. When there are action sequences, they are cohesive and comprehensible, and have great continuity. Editing is very good and not overly cross -cut so that you can never understand the pov- this is why I found "Dark Knight" unwatchable- and in fact all the Batmen I've seen suffer from that 1/8 second per cut problem.
My expectation that "Avatar" will be wonderful to look at, has a story that works like a fine clock, and will seem well aimed to the 13 year old video gamer in all of us. There will be ethereal military disco music of the future and along the way, we will learn through the artifice of CG, the truth about the way technology ill-applied is forcing us to live in an artificial, virtual way.
We will not have to wait much longer to answer these important questions:
1. Am I a real person?
2. Was the precursor to Avatar "Total Recall"?
3. Could I ever fall in love with someone who is blue and may have a long tail? And can long distant romances succeed?
4. Should I fall in love with someone involved in dangerous political causes on another planet- and has a strict macro-biotic diet? Would I end up being shot at with ray guns while hungry? Plus all that virtual travel time and "hyper-space lag" from changing 977 Billion time zones.
Virtually yours,
Bambi B
Bambi B ( how is your first name,or am I too indiscreet?) but I is like talking to a phantom without the prejudice of a picture within a name-
The beast in us? Porno never really sublimate us, but is the very essence of our life, the main motor.
At least when you are young. But that it use every new technology comes hardly as a surprise...
What IS is target audience? The cleaning lady ( go on Patrick, be arrogant ) and the romantic soul of a "Drei Groschen Roman ? "
Or the brutal youth killing machine.
Irony, maybe if I think back I can contemplate the possibility, but to tell you frankly his personality shining through his films never gave me lust to go after any symbols or analogies nor parables.
Now I can more critical as I saw only a few films, , ( for one time I did dig his Abyss for his immortality as love being the vector )
True Lies, I hardly remember and as for Terminator I never care, nor for Titanic then and now it is a failure.
Comparing to both others main version ( The Stanwick and the English one ) it fall back.
Alien was inventive and very well made, but not a film I would really love.
" 13 year old boy in all of us " Well I believe then that I am an old man by now, may have lost the magic, who knows, but the magic for me go through my own fantasy and not through technical wizardry, on the contrary this effects tend to kill mine.
"I may seem an apologist to Cameron in trying to suggest an importance to his work"-
Yes...But I hope HE deserves you. Anyway I will see Avatar and try to watch it with the few feelings you sent overboard to me.
But please NO Titanic II.... (Even not with the brilliant distribution..)
Bises,
Patrick
On that old " T " Model is this a " Swastika" or do I have a optical / mental misconception?
Bonjour & a bientôt.
Patrick,
Henry Ford had a lot of proto-fascist in his makeup- part of his odd Mid-western utopian concept of social justice. He insisted immigrant workers shed their national dress and customs in their lives, they should have family values, Jesus, wanted to shoot union organizers, and that no employee should smoke or have alcohol on their own time, and other interesting concepts of social engineering- eugenics too.
I've forgotten the details, but Ford had a kind of company magazine and over time published substantial anti-Jewish material: the international Jew was running all the world's banks, degenerate art, the works. Hitler had this material translated and reprinted in, I think 35-40 volumes.
Supposedly, Ford's very public and published rants and the laissez-faire, ultra-conservative attitude of the English aristocracy led Hitler to some degree believe that the UK and US were sympathetic to Nazism and would not oppose him in his lebensraum land grab in Europe. At the same time, Ford was a pacifist and made hundreds of millions from war despite his earlier promise that he wouldn't take any war profits, had the highest wages in the car industry and some of the better working conditions/ benefits for his workers of the time. -Interesting fellow!
So, yes, the arrows make a proto-Swastika,- but the caring, Mid-Western, friendly, salt of the Earth, family style of Swastika.
The section/perspective of the car by the way is a copy of a contemporary Ford illustration of the 1930 Model A Standard Coupe.
Cheers,
Bambi B
Your premise sounds a little like the TV movie "Goliath Awaits". Given James Cameron's penchant for waterlogged stories and propensity for plagiarism, I wouldn't rule it out...
Edits: 08/29/09 08/29/09
Merde.
I wrote you a long long answer and before posting it it vanished somehow.
I feel very frustrated.
It looks like a scifi fantasy geared toward a younger audience than his past movies like Abyss and Aliens. The trailer does not look all that impressive and was getting a sound thrashing by at least 90% of the posters on the imdb the day it was released.
This cost $300 million to produce - much of that cash to make the aliens look "photorealistic". But these animated blue cat-people look like they could have been easily portrayed by humans in makeup for a lot less. Aside from Sigourney Weaver, there are no known actors in it. This has the appearance of a vanity project by a director enamored more with the technology of the film than the story. It has the potential to be one of the biggest box office disasters of all time while having little upside potential given the huge cost. This won't get the broad demographic audience or repeat teenage girl viewers that Titanic got.
All that said, I have nothing against a well-made childish fantasy from time to time. Not every film has to take a stab at the meaning of life. If ever there were a time for good escapist entertainment, this is it. I might see it if it gets good reviews in its 2D form. No way I am going to deal with 3D glasses though. So it will have to have a good story and not just be barely watchable as a technical exercise in 3D cgi.
At what we do not agree in this case?
I wonder.
You seem to have made up your mind not to see it. I'm still willing to see well-made escapist entertainment.
Well I try to have an open mind.
I do not intend to see it, but my curiosity after Bambi B response maybe be a little more alert.
If I may say so.
Now to Bambi B..
Just because you have an opinion doesn't mean that it's well informed and merits posting. No one has seen this film yet, but those fortunate enough to preview the 3D version in a theater have almost unanimously come away impressed if those interviewed are to be believed. That's encouraging (from my perspective; not from yours, apparently), but it isn't a review of the final work and shouldn't be given more credulity than any pre-release teaser.
Is Avatar going to be the next Tvarsky's[sic] Solaris? Apparently not, (thank goodness!), but it's too early to be expressing subjective opinions about James Cameron's new film especially when those opinions are based on a rapidly cut trailer.
BTW, your opinion of Hollywood is pure Grey Poupon (the tasteless variety)...
Cheers,
AuPh
This once in a lifetime event should not pass without celebration ;)
nt
;O)
nt
,
nt
Remember what I sad about King Kong?
You like that film.
The worst film in the decade.
Now get adult.
> > > "Remember what I sad about King Kong? - You like that film." > > >
By far better than the De Laurentiis version, but no raves. Your opinion of Peter Jackson's King Kong, OTOH, was excessively critical in that bizarre Grey Poupon-it manner that you're known to excel with when trolling for responses.
Cheers,
AuPh
Even Laurentis film as with the years back, more charm that this terrible shit.
The fact that you're opinionated and like to call popular movies "shit" doesn't make your analysis more 'enlightened' or credible.
Food for thought.
AuPh
So don´t worry you never will.
Yes, you do fit that description, but I suspect that it provides you little solace even if it impresses Victor.
AuPh
..
What was its deep philosophical underwear?
BTW, with some freshly churned cream and Tvarski's Snorlaris Vodka patrick should be able to whip up a wicked White Russian. ;O)AuPh
Edits: 08/27/09
...and read about it
nt
to "The Legend of the Blue Donkey Boy".
We're chasing terrorists in the wrong place...they're on Wall St.
Post a Followup:
| FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]