I saw "Evan Almighty" In the end it wasn't a horrible movie (I enjoyed the fact that it was all about washington D.C. politics and they used zoning laws to try and stop the ark from being built) but for a movie that was supposed to be a comedy it wasn't THAT funny but it was heart warming (even to my atheist heart) ;-p Today I get "The Spirit" from Netflix's, that should be fun (apparently I'm watching movies that bombed this month ;-p)
Thread carefully, I liked "The Spirit" and everything points to the fact that I enjoy really bad movies.
Re-watched Kung-POW yesterday while knitting, awesome flick.
I saw "Evan Almighty" In the end it wasn't a horrible movie (I enjoyed the fact that it was all about washington D.C. politics and they used zoning laws to try and stop the ark from being built) but for a movie that was supposed to be a comedy it wasn't THAT funny but it was heart warming (even to my atheist heart) ;-p Today I get "The Spirit" from Netflix's, that should be fun (apparently I'm watching movies that bombed this month ;-p)
Thread carefully, I liked "The Spirit" and everything points to the fact that I enjoy really bad movies.
Re-watched Kung-POW yesterday while knitting, awesome flick.
Hey, Kung Pow isn't a bad movie. It's so bad, it's good.
With respect, why you are wrong [slight spoilers below, I suppose]:
Listen to the score. Some of it is astonishingly similar to music in David Lynch's Dune.
Unobtainium, according to Word of God, is pretty much THE thing that sustains Avatar's human civilization, as it can power reactors, drive ships, and is a room-temperature supercondutor. This is akin to Melange, which allows for instantaneous space travel, the training of human supercomputers, and grants massive life extension and limited prescience--not to mention "he who controls the Spice controls the Universe." Both are equally fantastic compounds.
Unobtainium and Melange are both incredible hard to harvest. Carryalls in Dune disappear in Coriolis Storms, have their CHOAM crawlers devoured by sandworms, or lose contact with base and the entire team dies in the Death World environment of Arrakis. Similarly, Unobtainium can only be mined in a place where territorial bulletproof hammerhead-rhinos can destroy mecha, blue catpeople with arrows snipe you from the trees and the backs of pterodactyls, the atmosphere is toxic to humans, and the entire planet is conspiring to kill you.
Paul Atreides is put on Arrakis as the heir to House Atreides control of the spice operation, but becomes a Kwisatz Hadarach Fremen native. Jake Sully is put on Pandora to spy and gather intel on the Na'vi, but becomes a superbird-riding blue catperson native.
Both books contain botanists fascinated by the alien ecology of the planets they were sent to in order to facilitate said planet's dominion by outsider humans. The only difference is that, in Dune, Pardot Kynes is long dead by the events of the first novel.
Furthermore, both botanists at least attempt to go native. Only Pardot succeeds.
However, both botanists do have their dreams realized by others: a human-free Pandora and a green Dune.
Both main characters (Muad'dib and Sully) are hailed as messiahs by their tribes.
Both works were intended as anvilicious ecological author tracts, much as Ferngully was.
DAMN! Almost forgot about this: both Paul and Jake need to prove themselves by riding giant, incredibly dangerous lifeforms on their new planet.
I can easily continue. Point being, as a Dune fan whose read most of the books, I could easily see where Cameron paralleled/outright lifted Dune ideas that came before his movie. He is even on public record as having said that Avatar is inspired by "every single science fiction book [he] read as a kid." Dune was published in '65, making Cameron 11 years old at its publication. That alone leaves little doubt in my mind that Cameron was influenced by it for his own work.
I stand corrected! I was going to say that the other two pretty much covered it, but you're right. Also I've never seen the Dune movie. It's one of those movies that's one good for camp value, isn't it?
All Lynch movies are pretty camp and silly, but that's part what makes them really fun and interesting experiences. I hear his Dune is just plain boring, not even enjoyable on an ironic level.
All Lynch movies are pretty camp and silly, but that's part what makes them really fun and interesting experiences. I hear his Dune is just plain boring, not even enjoyable on an ironic level.
To me, I felt that Lynch tried to do too much with the movie.
To me, I felt that Lynch tried to do too much with the movie.
It's a bit of both; I still enjoy it for the camp though. There are definitely things he changed in order to get the movie taken more seriously, which ultimately ended up making it even more ridiculous. The "weirding modules" are a good example. He claimed he didn't want high-speed desert "kung fu," but the he replaced the Weirding Way with Weirding Modules that let people shout "MUAD'DIB!" and detonate boulders. Both a gross misinterpretation of what Paul means when he says "I can kill you with a word," and a crazy piece of phlebotinum that makes NO sense in the Dune universe.
Is it Masamune Shirow who Scrym sometimes mention as a writer who only puts out good product when working under strict creative confinement? I think Lynch works in a similar way. Blue Velvet is my favorite film of his because his craziness was contained in a structured noir story.
Is it Masamune Shirow who Scrym sometimes mention as a writer who only puts out good product when work under strict creative confinement?
Even if they didn't say that, it's true. George Lucas is the exact same way, but without greasy centaur sex.
I think Lynch works in a similar way. Blue Velvet is my favorite film of his because his craziness was contained in a structured noir story.
The Elephant Man is really good too. Campy, but very good. However, Lynch otherwise operates on this bizarre plane that is incomprehensible to most people. Mullholland Drive is supposed to be hopelessly obfuscated and bizarre, but I still haven't seen it. Eraserhead is what happens when someone sits down and sets out to make a film that will torment you with Mind Screws for years to come.
I just watched 9 and I wasn't impressed. When the movie ended, I was like "Meh." I can't see what about it got so many people raving about it. The animation felt weird and I couldn't make any sort of connection with the characters. The machines the big bad built were cool, though, and rather clever. Other than that, Meh.
I heard some people talking about 9, and it took me a minute that the 9 with Elijah wood was not a musical. At that point my interest in the movie plummeted, and unfortunately Nine doesn't look so hot either. If only we could put these hands together...
Dear god yes. I have the Star Wars trilogy DVD box set, which includes a bonus disc containing a "making of" documentary. When you watch it, it becomes painfully clear that George Lucas has no idea how to write or direct.
EDIT:
I just watched 9 and I wasn't impressed. When the movie ended, I was like "Meh." I can't see what about it got so many people raving about it. The animation felt weird and I couldn't make any sort of connection with the characters. The machines the big bad built were cool, though, and rather clever. Other than that, Meh.
9 made a far better trailer than a movie. I really like the animation style, the setup was great, and I loved the concept, but the execution was extremely bland. They could've done a lot more with it, but instead chose to tread very safe and unoriginal ground. It's a lot like Avatar in that regard.
Dear god yes. I have the Star Wars trilogy DVD box set, which includes a bonus disc containing a "making of" documentary. When you watch it, it becomes painfully clear that George Lucas has no idea how to write or direct.
Or you could just watch the most epic movie review in existence.
Watched Black Dynamite the other day, after seeing the poll on the AWO blog.
Lots of kung-fu, naked women, conspiracies, and eye-bulging. It starts off pretty surreal, but I did not at all anticipate how bizarre and over the top it would get. Very good movie.
Comments
Re-watched Kung-POW yesterday while knitting, awesome flick.
- Listen to the score. Some of it is astonishingly similar to music in David Lynch's Dune.
- Unobtainium, according to Word of God, is pretty much THE thing that sustains Avatar's human civilization, as it can power reactors, drive ships, and is a room-temperature supercondutor. This is akin to Melange, which allows for instantaneous space travel, the training of human supercomputers, and grants massive life extension and limited prescience--not to mention "he who controls the Spice controls the Universe." Both are equally fantastic compounds.
- Unobtainium and Melange are both incredible hard to harvest. Carryalls in Dune disappear in Coriolis Storms, have their CHOAM crawlers devoured by sandworms, or lose contact with base and the entire team dies in the Death World environment of Arrakis. Similarly, Unobtainium can only be mined in a place where territorial bulletproof hammerhead-rhinos can destroy mecha, blue catpeople with arrows snipe you from the trees and the backs of pterodactyls, the atmosphere is toxic to humans, and the entire planet is conspiring to kill you.
- Paul Atreides is put on Arrakis as the heir to House Atreides control of the spice operation, but becomes a Kwisatz Hadarach Fremen native. Jake Sully is put on Pandora to spy and gather intel on the Na'vi, but becomes a superbird-riding blue catperson native.
- Both books contain botanists fascinated by the alien ecology of the planets they were sent to in order to facilitate said planet's dominion by outsider humans. The only difference is that, in Dune, Pardot Kynes is long dead by the events of the first novel.
- Furthermore, both botanists at least attempt to go native. Only Pardot succeeds.
- However, both botanists do have their dreams realized by others: a human-free Pandora and a green Dune.
- Both main characters (Muad'dib and Sully) are hailed as messiahs by their tribes.
- Both works were intended as anvilicious ecological author tracts, much as Ferngully was.
- DAMN! Almost forgot about this: both Paul and Jake need to prove themselves by riding giant, incredibly dangerous lifeforms on their new planet.
I can easily continue. Point being, as a Dune fan whose read most of the books, I could easily see where Cameron paralleled/outright lifted Dune ideas that came before his movie. He is even on public record as having said that Avatar is inspired by "every single science fiction book [he] read as a kid." Dune was published in '65, making Cameron 11 years old at its publication. That alone leaves little doubt in my mind that Cameron was influenced by it for his own work.EDIT: 9 made a far better trailer than a movie. I really like the animation style, the setup was great, and I loved the concept, but the execution was extremely bland. They could've done a lot more with it, but instead chose to tread very safe and unoriginal ground. It's a lot like Avatar in that regard.
Lots of kung-fu, naked women, conspiracies, and eye-bulging. It starts off pretty surreal, but I did not at all anticipate how bizarre and over the top it would get. Very good movie.