The Student Room Group

Film Fanatics - Chat Thread II

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Original post by zjs
True in terms of the allegations of racism and domestic violence, but filming was completed in November 2009; by which point his anti-semitic remarks (of July 2006), his alcoholism and his homophobic comments had all been aired.


Well yes, but the sheer fact that it made the black list and then had two other leads considered before him should show that it's not a vehicle for him. If anything, I would say that it was a promising film that has been ruined by Gibson because it's impossible to view it out of the real-world context. I also really dislike the way the film has been marketed and the trailers cut to play on his personal life.

Original post by TheMagicRat
The Melies film, A Trip to the Moon? They spent those 13 years painstakingly colouring in the film. From what I have seen of his work, he is a genius. An early master of special effects. I absolutely adore this. Brilliant editing for it's time, or any time.



Sorry, forgot to reply to this. :colondollar:

You are correct. :biggrin: I find it mental that they spent that long restoring it (even if a lot of the time was waiting for technology to catch up). Mind you there's a lot of things about the film which are mental, like the fact that Edison's boys pirated the film and then distributed it themselves, bankrupting the poor guy.
Reply 2701
Original post by Phalanges
Well yes, but the sheer fact that it made the black list and then had two other leads considered before him should show that it's not a vehicle for him. If anything, I would say that it was a promising film that has been ruined by Gibson because it's impossible to view it out of the real-world context. I also really dislike the way the film has been marketed and the trailers cut to play on his personal life.


Well, quite. Except the reality of the situation is that it has morphed into a vehicle for him, given the superimposition of his life onto the story.

Original post by zjs
Well, quite. Except the reality of the situation is that it has morphed into a vehicle for him, given the superimposition of his life onto the story.


I would say quite the opposite; if he wasn't such good friends with Jodie Foster I suspect this film may never have seen the light of day.
Reply 2703
Original post by Phalanges
I would say quite the opposite; if he wasn't such good friends with Jodie Foster I suspect this film may never have seen the light of day.


Well, if Mel Gibson is a vehicle for the film - as I assume you're implying - then my original point stands. :pierre:
That's me done with ShadowConspiracy. I never thought I'd meet someone so [Censored] 'till this day. There are so many things in his new post that I just want to dissect and have a laugh at (Gary comparison, failure to see the purpose of a bank and a random gaming website, and think that spending wages is equivalent to wasting tax money).

I have an itch but I'll be the better man. :pierre:

Watched Pirates 4. Terrible. And there's something wrong with Sparrow's character. He doesn't have that drunken stupidity with sort of genius anymore. He's sort of been watered down to your typical swashbuckling hero except the drunken swagger remains intact. The whole father-daughter thing was poor, the mermaid and the secondary hero sub-plot was also poor - well the whole plot was poor.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 2705
Original post by Ape Gone Insane
That's me done with ShadowConspiracy. I never thought I'd meet someone so [Censored] 'till this day. There are so many things in his new post that I just want to dissect and have a laugh at (Gary comparison, failure to see the purpose of a bank and a random gaming website, and think that spending wages is equivalent to wasting tax money).

I have an itch but I'll be the better man. :pierre:

Watched Pirates 4. Terrible. And there's something wrong with Sparrow's character. He doesn't have that drunken stupidity with sort of genius anymore. He's sort of been watered down to your typical swashbuckling hero except the drunken swagger remains intact. The whole father-daughter thing was poor, the mermaid and the secondary hero sub-plot was also poor - well the only plot was poor.


Someone so f*ckable? :teehee:

The genius of his drunken stupidity all but evaporated after the first film, tbh. This film was by far the most bland. The opening sequence was absolutely ridiculous, even for a POTC film. Likewise, the action that actually happened in the film felt like the last three films had been put into a melting pot, with the plotline receiving a similar treatment.

Hm, cheeky edit eh? :naughty: The mermaid plot was an attempt at providing a love interest after the absence of Keira Knightley. Didn't work though. About the only truly positive thing I'd heard about the film before going to watch it was that Penelope Cruz played a good role and was a nice addition to the series. I thought she was fairly bland and certainly nothing inspirational.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Ape Gone Insane
That's me done with ShadowConspiracy. I never thought I'd meet someone so [Censored] 'till this day. There are so many things in his new post that I just want to dissect and have a laugh at (Gary comparison, failure to see the purpose of a bank and a random gaming website, and think that spending wages is equivalent to wasting tax money).


:five:

Good job brah!
(edited 12 years ago)
Fancy watching a film this afternoon. Any suggestions? Needs to be one I have, other than that I'm open to any ideas.
Original post by zjs


That's the problem though; they criticise companies for churning out titles year after year (i.e. FIFA) that are only marginally improved etc, then go on to list enough improvements to suggest that a purchase may be worth it if you're a real fan or, of course, don't own the previous title. The problem is that a lot of people are devotees to the series, so the criticism is hardly damning or even opinion-changing.

Graphics are either good or they're not, though. Game reviews will praise innovative graphics, i.e. cel-shading used in Jet Set Radio Future back on the original Xbox was hailed as fantastically innovative and "great" graphics. The point is that graphics are graphics. They rarely rate to the storyline, unless it's something like a dark, crime, game set in a dreary 1930s setting. At this point, muted tones and dark colours should be lauded as conveying the tone of the game well. However, for the most part, graphics are just a case of how well the pixel producing capabilities of the console are implemented in rendering the characters and environments to look as realistic as possible.


Yeah, some really great points there. I do wish that Battlefield 3 will change some of that tradition of blind buying and lack of innovation within franchises that are annually milked (Call of Duty). Call of Duty itself seems to get pretty high scores (undeservedly). Modern Warfare was a great game but since then the franchise has went a little downhill. Yet consumers love it. Breaks sales records every year, breaks DLC records as well... :iiam:

Battlefield 3 looks really promising, and I'm hoping it's a huge success commercially and critically. It will really push Activision (if CoD sales are somewhat damaged) to better innovate and work on their franchise. Developers only become lazy when there's little competition. I'm buying both, but am only truly excited for one.

But of course, like you rightly said, it's really down to the preferred style of play.

I would say graphics are becoming less important. There's a bar and they're aiming for uncanny valley, but it's really more about content than aesthetic appeal. For me, anyway.
Original post by zjs
Someone so f*ckable? :teehee:

The genius of his drunken stupidity all but evaporated after the first film, tbh. This film was by far the most bland. The opening sequence was absolutely ridiculous, even for a POTC film. Likewise, the action that actually happened in the film felt like the last three films had been put into a melting pot, with the plotline receiving a similar treatment.

Hm, cheeky edit eh? :naughty: The mermaid plot was an attempt at providing a love interest after the absence of Keira Knightley. Didn't work though. About the only truly positive thing I'd heard about the film before going to watch it was that Penelope Cruz played a good role and was a nice addition to the series. I thought she was fairly bland and certainly nothing inspirational.


inb4 someone compares that to hacking. :pierre:

It did. I enjoy the first film. And on a guilty pleasure note, I enjoyed the second film but the third film was a cluster****. Too many nonsensical plot threads and quests at the expense of any real development. Or wait, things actually making sense.

But he still retained that hidden genius behind his actions. There was none of that in this film. The opening sequence was, I agree. I don't see the point in any of it. It also seemed like the budget took a hit. There was a court room scene, two boat scenes, jungle and a cave. And lots of mist. Didn't feel like the previous Pirate films.

Yeah, they tried to substitute the Will/Elizabeth dynamic and it was rather dry and lacking. It actually made me miss those two. Blackbeard was a hit and miss villain, and the whole relationship between father and daughter wasn't compelling as it could have been.

Didn't really get how the fountain worked anyway. Seemed to have been brought in only so ... the ending would happen as it happened.

They should have ditched all the characters except Jack. Then they should have worked on the plot. Why must we go through so much pain for a decent swashbuckling film?

Original post by cambo211
:five:

Good job brah!


> You implying I didn't do a bad job?

Thanks, brah.

Original post by Phalanges
Fancy watching a film this afternoon. Any suggestions? Needs to be one I have, other than that I'm open to any ideas.



Well, what do you have in your century spanning film catalogue? :pierre:

Crash (2004), Downfall and 3:10 to Yuma are some random suggestions.
Original post by Ape Gone Insane

Original post by Ape Gone Insane
Well, what do you have in your century spanning film catalogue? :pierre:

Crash (2004), Downfall and 3:10 to Yuma are some random suggestions.


I'd attempt to screenshot but it would take too long. :p: I've got about 250, and they spread quite a wide range of genres. Ironically I don't have any of those though (I do have a DVD of Yuma kicking around somewhere but I never ripped it and didn't bother bringing any DVDs with me).
Reply 2711
Original post by Ape Gone Insane
Yeah, some really great points there. I do wish that Battlefield 3 will change some of that tradition of blind buying and lack of innovation within franchises that are annually milked (Call of Duty). Call of Duty itself seems to get pretty high scores (undeservedly). Modern Warfare was a great game but since then the franchise has went a little downhill. Yet consumers love it. Breaks sales records every year, breaks DLC records as well... :iiam:


Bad Company was excellent, and Bad Company 2 was equally sublime, imo. The different options somehow "made" the game for me. Although the improvements weren't extreme, they were very good. The different weapons, and things like the defibrillator for the Medic, changed the entire dynamic of the game. COD has been milked excessively, now, what with MW, MW2, World at War and now another title. That said, World at War was obviously from a different developer. I haven't played MW2 online as I haven't had a chance to, seeing as my PS3's at home. However, I thought the single player was as good as always. It's a good series, it's just reaching the point where they're bringing out pointless editions: it's not that they're not good so much as that they're appearing too quickly.

Ape Gone Insane
Battlefield 3 looks really promising, and I'm hoping it's a huge success commercially and critically. It will really push Activision (if CoD sales are somewhat damaged) to better innovate and work on their franchise. Developers only become lazy when there's little competition. I'm buying both, but am only truly excited for one.


When's the new COD out? I'd like to play the previous title online, but haven't been able to in the last six months. There'll be little point if the new one's out soon-ish, as everyone will migrate there. :grumble:

The new Battlefield definitely looks promising. Given that the last one was released in early 2010/late 2009 (I remember playing it extensively on a flatmate's console last academic year), it's been a decent time between titles. COD seems to be releasing them every six months or so now. :emo:

Ape Gone Insane
I would say graphics are becoming less important. There's a bar and they're aiming for uncanny valley, but it's really more about content than aesthetic appeal. For me, anyway.


They're not that important. The graphics in GTA4, as an example, or the latest COD were sufficient for me to think they were fantastic. I still welcome slight improvements and tweaks for realism but not, as you say, at the expense of the enjoyability of the game that lies underneath.

Original post by Ape Gone Insane
It did. I enjoy the first film. And on a guilty pleasure note, I enjoyed the second film but the third film was a cluster****. Too many nonsensical plot threads and quests at the expense of any real development. Or wait, things actually making sense.


I thought the second one was a tad too ridiculous right from the point that putting one's heart in a box makes you Davey Jones was brought up. I did like the Kraken though. Always have done; the concept of it, at least. The third was awful, bar the fight sequence at the end. Not enough to save the film though. Wouldn't have watched this POTC if I hadn't been forced to. :colonhash: In all honesty, I've never wanted to see any of them at the cinema. The first one was a decent surprise when I was a kid and I think I ended up watching it twice. After that, it was a case of being the only film on when I went with mates, and the most recent was thanks to the girlfriend. :unimpressed:

Ape Gone Insane
But he still retained that hidden genius behind his actions. There was none of that in this film. The opening sequence was, I agree. I don't see the point in any of it. It also seemed like the budget took a hit. There was a court room scene, two boat scenes, jungle and a cave. And lots of mist. Didn't feel like the previous Pirate films.


Probably a case of the producers sitting round saying "you know what? Everyone's going to watch this film anyway, so let's just spend less on the SFX and the script, and then our profit margins will be even higher".

I agree, the beginning was pointless. Not to mention that there's no way that could ever, ever, happen in any context. The problem was that it defied the laws of both physics and history (though mainly history) with a segment that wasn't supernatural. A lot of people say "well, course it wouldn't happen, the film's supernatural", but that defence only works, imo, in relation to supernatural elements of the film.

Ape Gone Insane
Yeah, they tried to substitute the Will/Elizabeth dynamic and it was rather dry and lacking. It actually made me miss those two. Blackbeard was a hit and miss villain, and the whole relationship between father and daughter wasn't compelling as it could have been.


I never liked that dynamic in the first place, either.

For someone so famously 'bad-ass' I was expecting him to be a lot more fearsome than he was. Probably the disadvantage of it being a Disney movie, though. I thought his voodoo-magic-thing was alright though.

Ape Gone Insane
Didn't really get how the fountain worked anyway. Seemed to have been brought in only so ... the ending would happen as it happened.


I'd be interested to compare that ending sequence, with the fountain, to the ending sequence with the treasure chest in the first film. I imagine that around 90% of it would look painfully similar.

Ape Gone Insane
They should have ditched all the characters except Jack. Then they should have worked on the plot. Why must we go through so much pain for a decent swashbuckling film?


The return of Barbosa was a poor decision. Blackbeard could've been made much better, as could the mermaids and Penelope Cruz's character. The plot needs to actually be original in the next, rather than the formulaic "Jack sets compass for place noone thinks exist. Jack has trouble reaching said destination. Jack eventually reaches said destination. Fighting ensues. Jack eventually just fails to get what he was really looking for, but ultimately succeeds".
Reply 2712
Original post by Phalanges
Fancy watching a film this afternoon. Any suggestions? Needs to be one I have, other than that I'm open to any ideas.


As if any of us know what's in your collection. :colonhash:
Original post by Ape Gone Insane
That's me done with ShadowConspiracy. I never thought I'd meet someone so [Censored] 'till this day. There are so many things in his new post that I just want to dissect and have a laugh at (Gary comparison, failure to see the purpose of a bank and a random gaming website, and think that spending wages is equivalent to wasting tax money).

I have an itch but I'll be the better man. :pierre:

Watched Pirates 4. Terrible. And there's something wrong with Sparrow's character. He doesn't have that drunken stupidity with sort of genius anymore. He's sort of been watered down to your typical swashbuckling hero except the drunken swagger remains intact. The whole father-daughter thing was poor, the mermaid and the secondary hero sub-plot was also poor - well the whole plot was poor.


Yeah some people have commented on how it doesn't even seem like a sequel, rather like a stand-alone film or something, however bad Potc 4 is, Jack Sparrow still managed to bring in audiences

The only thing that's surprised me about Pirates 4 has been its' relative success at the box office, it's not actually done too bad somehow...
It hasn't done bad because it has Pirates and Carribean in the title and because Johnny Depp is still a pirate.
Reply 2715
Original post by cambo211
It hasn't done bad because it has Pirates and Carribean in the title and because Johnny Depp is still a pirate.


It certainly doesn't have Carribean in the title. :fyi: :colonhash:
Original post by zjs
It certainly doesn't have Carribean in the title. :fyi: :colonhash:


Shurrup.
Reply 2717
i cant wait for twilight breaking dawn!!!!!!
I can wait for millennia :pierre:

/filmsnobbery
Reply 2719
Original post by cambo211
I can wait for millennia :pierre:

/filmsnobbery


Ad infinitum. :moon:

I have, unfortunately, had the misfortune of watching two of the films out at the minute. If melodrama, angsty teenage decision-making and relationships are your thing, in the context of particularly feeble-looking vampires, then you'll love it.

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