Movie Talk (was Questions for Jason)

[mrk]

I'm not arguing with you if the film series is bad or not. I'm just disputing what you said about the budget. They had $200 million dollars to make just about any type of film they wanted and they came up with THAT. Fine, so be it. Only I and many other fans wish those who were invovled making those films cared enough about the characters and the material like the people who made the Spiderman series and Iron Man.

Then you don't. I still don't think it was a particularly bad movie, especially given the chaos around its production and filming, nor did it do that bad a job with the franchise in my opinion. Other people are welcome to disagree, but since some of them didn't like any of the three films, I can only shrug; people who disliked the second one I can't see liking any X-Men movie that would be at all likely to actually get made.

Edited July 20, 2008 by mrk

[Jason D]

I'm REALLY looking forward to Watchmen! :happy:

As am I.

And to bring it remotely back to the topic of this forum, I actually ran a few sessions of an adventure I wrote using the Watchmen back in the day, using Super-World (the Worlds of Wonder version).

The most fun was when the players realized how fragile they were once fisticuffs began, and how outside their comprehension Dr. Manhattan was (he was a "guided" NPC I let the player handling Silk Specter handle).

It probably wasn't very good (it concerned someone trafficking in illegal aliens being used for medical experimentation, a suppressed cure for cancer, and was set during the Summer of Love). I pitched it to Mayfair only to learn they'd just lost the license for DC.

Ah, good times.

I wish those writeups and the adventure itself were even remotely accessible.

As it is, I suspect they're on some 5.25" floppies in Apple II format. I may have a printout of it somewhere. I'll have to check.

[FunGuyFromYuggoth]

Jason, I was wondering if you knew about the status of game statted characters from the DC and Marvel etc. Universes? I notice the thinly guised Alien, Jedi Knight, etc. templates in the BRP book, but that's a book sold as an enterprise whereas this web site is clearly not making anybody any money. Does presenting their statting create a problem or does that fall under the nebulous rubric of "fanfic" (shudder)? (Entertain me please, copyright baffles me.) :confused: Were those to appear here, would that be a problem?

[FunGuyFromYuggoth]

That was a boy, actually..

I really must've ceased to care at that point! (Looking at watch probably.)

I was looking forward to the Watchmen, but now I'm starting to have my doubts after viewing the trailer. I like Zack Snyders' commercial work and his remake to Dawn of the Dead, but I wish he would of taken a different cinematic approach to making the Watchmen from what I've seen so far. Hopefully it will be great and will do justice to the Graphic Novels.

Yes, 300 had a certain painterly epic quality to it. DotD remade had ferocious energy (though not as good as the original). The look of the heroes in the new Watchmen movie seems strangely flat. I was hoping for some filtering so they wouldn't look like a bunch of guys standing around in costume in front of Hollywood and Highland entertaining tourists. Still, I'm sure he's getting an earful from the fans, so I'm sure somebody got the memo. Don't give up hope.

Edited July 19, 2008 by FunGuyFromYuggoth

[Jason D]

Does presenting their statting create a problem or does that fall under the nebulous rubric of "fanfic" (shudder)? (Entertain me please, copyright baffles me.) :confused: Were those to appear here, would that be a problem?

To the best of my knowledge, and I am admittedly not a lawyer, posting writeups for copyrighted characters on a not-for-profit fan site is one of those "it is unsanctioned use of IP but not harmful or for profit" issues.

For Chaosium to put such writeups on their site would be a strict violation of IP law, because it could be construed as them using copyrighted materials to profit from. If this forum had a subscription fee, it would be a similar matter.

In a case like this, it is essentially fanfic, and it is extraordinarily unlikely that the copyright holders would bother to pursue the issue with more than a cease-and-desist letter.

But again, I'm not a lawyer.

[mrk]

Actually there's a lot of filtering going on from the footage, I can tell it was heavly modified in the DI process. It's too bad, because I really did like those 6x4.5 stills of the characters from a few months ago and thought he might of nailed it...Now I'm not too sure. Ah well, it's too late now.

I really must've ceased to care at that point! (Looking at watch probably.)

Yes, 300 had a certain painterly epic quality to it. DotD remade had ferocious energy (though not as good as the original). The look of the heroes in the new Watchmen movie seems strangely flat. I was hoping for some filtering so they wouldn't look like a bunch of guys standing around in costume in front of Hollywood and Highland entertaining tourists. Still, I'm sure he's getting an earful from the fans, so I'm sure somebody got the memo. Don't give up hope.

Edited July 19, 2008 by mrk

[FunGuyFromYuggoth]

Actually there's a lot of filtering going on from the footage, I can tell it was heavly modified in the DI process. It's too bad, because I really did like those 6x4.5 stills of the characters from a few months ago and thought he might of nailed it...Now I'm not too sure. Ah well, it's too late now.

I didn't care for the stills at all, but you say there's footage? (Opens up another tab in Google to search for it.) I was speaking about the stills! (Searching... searching...)

Wow! It's beautiful man! To the contrary, I love it! It's been over two decades since I first read it and I can't believe what I just saw. (Imagines another run of t-shirts with with the bloody bullet hole through it.)

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/07/watchmen_trailer_who_are_these.html

Edited July 19, 2008 by FunGuyFromYuggoth

[mrk]

Yeah, I always thought the way to go with Watchmen was to make less in hyperreality and more in reality, like how "Seven" was made. Anyway, I think Apple has a better trailer for Watchmen in their trailer section.

Edited July 20, 2008 by mrk

[FunGuyFromYuggoth]

Yeah, I always thought the way to go with Watchmen was to make less in hyperreality and more in reality, like how "Seven" was made. Anyway, I think Apple has a better trailer for Watchmen in their trailer section.

The challenge is presenting the alt-1980s vibe. I am have having a hard time visualizing Se7en for superheroes. What aspect of that would you like to see? Alan Moore's art has always been hard to get across, though visually the costume design of the Swamp Thing from the 1980s got closest--the rest of the movie didn't make me happy. "V for Vendetta" as a movie (which I liked) seems to split the fanbase. Of course, Alan Moore hates all of the films based on his work...but he's a curmudgeon and I think enjoys the attention.

[Jason D]

Of course, Alan Moore hates all of the films based on his work...but he's a curmudgeon and I think enjoys the attention.

I'm an avid reader of anything Moore writes, and a fan of much of it.

I agree completely with the above statement, though. Though Moore has many rightful reasons to be critical of film adaptations, he's an incredibly intelligent man and he obviously profited quite a bit when he originally sold the options to those properties to film studios.

Hollywood has had almost a century of history screwing up adaptations of literature. It's unlikely that Moore thought things would be different.

It's sad that now, years later, when those options he sold are actually being made into films, the entertainment press is so desperate for a fresh "angle" for the story that they inevitably go talk to Moore just so they can get him doing his curmudgeon routine.

"Look, he's English! He's very tall and hairy! He wears many rings! He says he's a magician! Oh, and he's peevish!"

I've seen the exact same approach taken for articles covering From Hell, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, V for Vendetta, and am fully expecting to see it happen when Watchmen comes out.

[GreatBear]

I don't think I've enjoyed any of the live Superhero/comic derived movies as much as I like Pixar's The Incredibles. Sure it's a "family" movie and it's animated but where else can you see a super team fight a giant robot and demolish a city? Not in the X-Men movie....

And the music is great too. Same guy is scoring the new Star Trek film. Which BTW is my main target for BRP - Adventures in the Final Frontier!

[Aycorn]

I don't think I've enjoyed any of the live Superhero/comic derived movies as much as I like Pixar's The Incredibles. Sure it's a "family" movie and it's animated but where else can you see a super team fight a giant robot and demolish a city? Not in the X-Men movie....

And the music is great too. Same guy is scoring the new Star Trek film. Which BTW is my main target for BRP - Adventures in the Final Frontier!

Though I've liked several of the superhero movies a lot - I have to agree that "The Incredibles" beats the pants off of them.

I'm a huge fan of the Jack Kirby-era "Fantastic Four" (and a huge fan of Kirby period), and I think "The Incredibles" captures the spirit of the 60's-era FF better than any of the films or any of the various animated series. I consider it to be the "real" FF movie.

On another note:

I don't want to see another "Conan" movies unless someone does it MY WAY. To me, the Howard "Conan" stories aren't about some musclebound clod swinging his sword around - they're dark, heavily atmospheric fantasy/horror stories in which Conan, who's perhaps musclebound but never cloddish - merely a simple, direct, but not stupid, guy becomes a protagonist.

Buy I may be alone in thinking that...

[mrk]

I'm not necessary saying it should look like Seven, just I think the style would of been in the right direction for Watchmen in the same way Seven derived it's photographic asthetics from the early 70's thriller "Klute"...Sure, I can understand why Alan Moore disliked all his adaptations. I mean, they've been pretty shallow compared to his original work. I hoping though, he might take the jump into TV or films as he said recently in a interview he thinks the " The Wire" is the best TV series he's seen to date and would like to do something in that medium. The Wire is indeed great, but I wounder if he's ever watched " Breaking Bad?". Now that might be the best TV show ever!

The challenge is presenting the alt-1980s vibe. I am have having a hard time visualizing Se7en for superheroes. What aspect of that would you like to see? Alan Moore's art has always been hard to get across, though visually the costume design of the Swamp Thing from the 1980s got closest--the rest of the movie didn't make me happy. "V for Vendetta" as a movie (which I liked) seems to split the fanbase. Of course, Alan Moore hates all of the films based on his work...but he's a curmudgeon and I think enjoys the attention.

Edited July 20, 2008 by mrk

[mrk]

The Incredibles is a lot of fun. But for live action Iron Man is my top comic book film at the moment. I thought it had the perfect blend of action and comedy and I never seen a better camero for Stan Lee ever!..I'm afraid, I've never been a big fan of Conan movies ( I do very much enjoy the soundtrack!) and am hoping the new films will be closer to the tales. One movie that I thought did a pretty good job of capturing the style of Frank Frazetta artwork is "Pathfinder" and has quite a bit of good FRPG ideas throughout the film

Edited July 20, 2008 by mrk

[FunGuyFromYuggoth]

The Incredibles is a lot of fun. But for live action Iron Man is my top comic book film at the moment. I thought it had the perfect blend of action and comedy and I never seen a better camero for Stan Lee ever!..I'm afraid, I've never been a big fan of Conan movies ( I do very much enjoy the soundtrack!) and am hoping the new films will be closer to the tales. One movie that I thought did a pretty good job of capturing the style of Frank Frazetta artwork is "Pathfinder" and has quite a bit of good FRPG ideas throughout the film

How was "Pathfinder"? It was savaged by critics. Is it worth a rental?

I think "The Incredibles" pretty much obviated the need for a Fantastic Four movie, but Jessica Alba needed a star vehicle and by the Gods of Chaos the studio gave her one.

[mrk]

When it comes to looking for inspiration and ideas, critics are the last people I pay attention too. Yeah, it's worth renting, especially if your a gamer!

Talking about inspiration; I just found a clip for Capcoms' Dead Space and it might be the I closest thing to Cthulhu set in far future I've seen in a video game. The end of which I found quite enjoyable

http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=927

Edited July 22, 2008 by mrk

[FunGuyFromYuggoth]

Talking about inspiration; I just found a clip for Capcoms' Dead Space and it might be the I closest thing to Cthulhu set in far future I've seen in a video game. The end of which I found quite enjoyable

Dead Space Hands-on Preview: Resident Evil 4 in Space - Shacknews - PC Games, PlayStation, Xbox 360 and Wii video game news, previews and downloads

Thanks for sharing that. I love "Dead Space." The PSN has been hosting it. I didn't realize it was elsewhere.

[mrk]

Resident Evil 5 looks like a lot of fun as well. Be a great idea to set a modern day BRP game in Haiti overrun by zombies.

http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=931

Edited July 22, 2008 by mrk

[Ars Mysteriorum]

Resident Evil 5 looks like a lot of fun as well. Be a great idea to set a modern day BRP game in Haiti overrun by zombies.

Resident Evil 5 Preview: Rock That Chainsaw - Shacknews - PC Games, PlayStation, Xbox 360 and Wii video game news, previews and downloads

About that, has anyone heard about the big hoo-hah about RE5? Many are accusing it of being a racist game.

Is anyone else's eyebrow quirked about this? I don't wish to start a flamewar.

I'll only say I would really like the world to not take itself so very seriously.

[FunGuyFromYuggoth]

I think the proof is in the final product, but the initial trailer was to my mind pretty horrendous, selecting out the parts most likely to provoke judgment.

But you know what, I'm willing to hazard that this was a deliberate move by their marketing department to stir the pot and to get people talking about it.

Like the conversation here... :ohwell:

[mrk]

About that, has anyone heard about the big hoo-hah about RE5? Many are accusing it of being a racist game. Is anyone else's eyebrow quirked about this? I don't wish to start a flamewar. I'll only say I would really like the world to not take itself so very seriously.

Actually, I was thinking a little bit about that when I was watching the trailer. Might be wise if they have an African American PC that you can play in the game to help ( or try to) balance it out. I still like the effects

But you know what, I'm willing to hazard that this was a deliberate move by their marketing department to stir the pot and to get people talking about it.

It's hard to say. If the game was originally created in Japan, they may not of even thought (or cared) how some Americans would feel about the connotations regarding race is being depicted in the game. Then again look at Grand Theft Auto, it was labeled racist as well, and yet it made $500 million dollars the first week it hit the stores!

Edited July 22, 2008 by mrk

[badcat]

It's racist because the zombies are negroes, but it wouldn't be racist if the shooter was a negro too?

[Ars Mysteriorum]

It's racist because the zombies are negroes, but it wouldn't be racist if the shooter was a negro too?

This is exactly the argument sited by too many to list.

Regardless, it looks like a wicked-awesome game!

[Nightshade]

I'm not arguing with you if the film series is bad or not. I'm just disputing what you said about the budget. They had $200 million dollars to make just about any type of film they wanted and they came up with THAT. Fine, so be it. Only I and many other fans wish those who were invovled making those films cared enough about the characters and the material like the people who made the Spiderman series and Iron Man.

On at least the first two films, I think they did. That's rather my point. I'm not going to deny there were real problems with the third one, but I'm simply not able to see too much to dislike about the first two, other than the bad choice of casting involving Halle Berry (and I don't know I'd have predicted that would be a bad idea; if there was any mistake made in the second film it was not cutting her loose, but reportedly she claimed she was going to try much harder to get the character the second time around).

[FunGuyFromYuggoth]

It's hard to say. If the game was originally created in Japan, they may not of even thought (or cared) how some Americans would feel about the connotations regarding race is being depicted in the game.

True enough, developers are typically very insular everywhere, but the marketing department decides which footage put out. They aren't as naive (and are typically very diverse and international) and I wouldn't put it past them to make hay out of it. Controversy sells.