Keith Houchen Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 18 minutes ago, BomberPat said: When you end up with a George Lucas or a Peter Jackson at the helm, where they're so successful that no one dares tell them that something's a bad idea, it gets even worse, because they just have carte blanche to throw any old shit on the screen. As you say, their special effects work was amazing when they were limited by budget and technology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted December 20, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted December 20, 2018 Limitations can often lead to the best art. We all went to see complete and total artistic freedom, and artists being able to make the pieces of work that completely fit their vision. Then again, 2001: A Space Odyssey is still arguably the most visually impressive film ever made and it's 50 years old. And on a non-technical point, look at some of the movies that were made under the Hays Code restrictions. They still made some pretty good stuff back then even though they weren't allowed to show a bare tit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted December 20, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted December 20, 2018 2001 is pure witch craft. I watched it at the cinema a few months back and I was in awe at how well most of it has aged. There is also something to seeing an effect on screen you know isn't CGI and had to be achieved using smarts and innovation. 2001 is full of that. Even something as simple as the pen floating (they stuck a pen on glass using that space age double sided sticky tape invention) is beautifully done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members WeeAl Posted December 20, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted December 20, 2018 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Lee Marvin is fantastic as the lead villain in this. Ever since watching The Dirty Dozen as a nipper, I always had him down as a good guy, but he's golden here as the Outlaw terrorising the town of Shinbone. James Stewart, as Marvin's polar opposite, a blue eye to the very core, is also excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted December 20, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted December 20, 2018 4 hours ago, Loki said: The worst VFX moment of all time in a major movie has to be in League Of Extraordinary Gentleman, near the start where that building blows up.  Here it is http://www.cap-that.com/league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/images/lxg(2013)_0785.jpg It's like something out of Ray Harryhausen.  I dunno, I'd say the scenes showing the armies of Hell in Spawn were pretty fucking awful - I don't know the technical terms, obviously, but the phrase "cut and paste" comes immediately to mind.  3 hours ago, Keith Houchen said: As you say, their special effects work was amazing when they were limited by budget and technology.  3 hours ago, Devon Malcolm said: Limitations can often lead to the best art.  Agreed. A case in point for me is Clash Of The Titans. The remake was shit, and I think a big part of it was how the use of CGI in it was pretty much masturbatory. The most representative of this was the Medusa scene. One of the reasons the original was so much better was that the monster scenes were differently paced, and the Medusa scene in that was done as a tense, slow-burning, skin-crawling sequence, whereas the new version's one was just as high-speed as the rest of the fucking film, completely missing the most horrific parts of Medusa turning people to stone via a slow, horrifying, agonising death, instead just "flashing" her face at them and they're petrified instantly. Bollocks. Also, the Kraken in the remake just looked like a generic video game boss monster - it could've been a scene in Halo or Mass Effect or something. In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw a boss just like it in Parasite Eve 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Houchen Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 4 minutes ago, Carbomb said: dunno, I'd say the scenes showing the armies of Hell in Spawn were pretty fucking awful Outside of Nu Metal club nights, I don't think anyone considered Spawn to be a major movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted December 20, 2018 Share Posted December 20, 2018 4 minutes ago, Carbomb said: I dunno, I'd say the scenes showing the armies of Hell in Spawn were pretty fucking awful - I don't know the technical terms, obviously, but the phrase "cut and paste" comes immediately to mind. Thanks for that.  I have literally managed to forget I ever watched this film, and now it's come flooding back to me.  The second worst film I've ever seen in the cinema, after this one (also because of terrible use of CGI):  This is the culmination of everything that we've been talking about.  This is what happens when a special effects director makes a whole film, and forgets that films are meant to have life, story, characters, soul.  It's completely dead inside, this film.  One of the only films I've ever walked out of, and with only about 1/2 hour left.  When they get to the magical island or whatever shit, Mrs Loki just looked at each other and thought "enough". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted December 20, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted December 20, 2018 Just now, Keith Houchen said: Outside of Nu Metal club nights, I don't think anyone considered Spawn to be a major movie. Seemed to get a fair bit of press, to the point where I was shocked that something that publicised would have such shit VFX, but I take your point. It wasn't a massive blockbuster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted December 20, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted December 20, 2018 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Loki said: Thanks for that.  I have literally managed to forget I ever watched this film, and now it's come flooding back to me.  The second worst film I've ever seen in the cinema, after this one (also because of terrible use of CGI):  This is the culmination of everything that we've been talking about.  This is what happens when a special effects director makes a whole film, and forgets that films are meant to have life, story, characters, soul.  It's completely dead inside, this film.  One of the only films I've ever walked out of, and with only about 1/2 hour left.  When they get to the magical island or whatever shit, Mrs Loki just looked at each other and thought "enough". Sky Captain & The World Of Tomorrow was such a big disappointment. I was really looking forward to seeing that sort of 1920s, Flash Gordon-meets-Allan Quatermain-meets-Metropolis-style sci-fi pastiche, with giant, gunmetal robots out of The Day The Earth Stood Still, and it just ended up being such a load of bollocks. Great idea, terribly executed. Edited December 20, 2018 by Carbomb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted December 20, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted December 20, 2018 Darkest Hour - pretty much what I'd expect, really. Gary Oldman's done more interesting roles than this. Joe Wright should be busy on Hanna 2, not doing this sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted December 21, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted December 21, 2018 Bird Box - Another quality Netflix original from this year. The central idea is quite flawed and the time-splitting gimmick doesn't really do much for it, but it's lots of fun and Sandra Bullock and Trevante Rhodes are dead good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted December 21, 2018 Awards Moderator Share Posted December 21, 2018 45 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said: Bird Box - Another quality Netflix original from this year. The central idea is quite flawed and the time-splitting gimmick doesn't really do much for it, but it's lots of fun and Sandra Bullock and Trevante Rhodes are dead good. Good to know. I loved the book when I read it recently but haven’t been sure how well it might translate to screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted December 22, 2018 Author Paid Members Share Posted December 22, 2018 Mississippi Grind - Just Ben Mendelsohn and Ryan Reynolds cruising round, shooting some craps, betting on horses, being good mates. Simple, engaging stuff, one of Mendelsohn's best roles too. Analeigh Tipton is lovely. Warm Bodies - Loved this. Glosses over some plot points but it's really charming and Nicholas Hoult is brilliant. Analeigh Tipton's in this too, swoon. The Strangers: Prey at Night - Not quite as totally shit as the original but still really shit. Johannes Roberts needs to be stopped. Why was Christina Hendricks in this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted December 23, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted December 23, 2018 9 hours ago, Devon Malcolm said: Why was Christina Hendricks in this? Sadly she doesn't seem to have got many good roles following Mad Men which is a fucking travesty considering how talented and ridiculously hot she is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobra_gordo Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 (edited) I loved Mary Poppins Returns. It’s probably got its negatives but I was so enthralled I didn’t really care. I had a smile on my face from start to finish and spontaneously burst in to tears when Angela Landsburys song started. Was transported to being 5 years old again. It’s what cinema is all about surely? Edited December 24, 2018 by cobra_gordo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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