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The Films You Watched Thread V: Dead Men Watch No Movies

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    I honestly couldn't say and in most cases it feels like that's how it should be. We should be hitting a point where the viewer doesn't think about the VFX because they're so seamless though it's staggering how often they also seem to be in decline of quality as well as the end of Black Panther or some of the shots in the Jurassic World films highlight.

    I was retroactively impressed by the Crooked Man in The Conjuring 2 though. When you watch the film the sequence sticks out like a sore thumb because it feels like they've jammed horrid CG into the film. I could at least give it some nod for performance though as it later turned out it wasn't CG but an actors physical work:
    There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile. That is the beginning of the children's nursery rhyme that paves way for a frightening appearance

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      Originally posted by QualityChimp View Post
      Arnie rocking the Harrier in True Lies. That really blew my mind. A proper 'how did they do that ?' moment.

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        I'm still impressed by visual effects. I think 3D helps sometimes, though.
        I was watching Jurassic World last night and constantly wowed at things like the Indominus Rex chomping on the hamster ball, or the camera sweeping out over the park or the massive croc one chomping on a shark.

        I need to do a full write-up, but I was watching John Carter and I was agog at how good the alien CGI was. Just flawless.

        Also, things like Inception and Doctor Strange's folding cities were great. The latter also has the pretty translucent magic effects.

        Ironically, I'm impressed more when you don't see the VFX or it's only enhancing the action like Mad Max: Fury Road.
        People think it's all practical, but there's looooads of trickery going on!

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          Originally posted by QualityChimp View Post
          Ironically, I'm impressed more when you don't see the VFX or it's only enhancing the action like Mad Max: Fury Road.
          People think it's all practical, but there's looooads of trickery going on!

          I'd never even considered digital effects with Fury Road, which backs up your point 100%

          I remember the same point was made about Interview With The Vampire: digital sfx so subtle you're never taken out of the moment.

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            Originally posted by Atticus View Post
            I'd never even considered digital effects with Fury Road, which backs up your point 100%
            It's crazy how much there is, but how you don't notice!
            An Inside Look At The Visual Effects Of Mad Max: Fury Road, 18 photos in Others category, Others photos











            Last edited by QualityChimp; 20-09-2019, 09:48.

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              That's the genius of Fury Road, if you told the average person that it used CG and to guess where it was used they'd probably presume it was on the vehicles and stunts rather than on a bit of cliff face.

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                The thing about the Fury Road examples is that all of the stuff you focus on during the action is absolutely real. And it's the stuff that some CG still struggles with to this day, in particular gravity and weight. Those vehicles feel heavy and real because they are heavy and real. Whereas with a lot of movies, the CG is the element that you are focusing on (especially when it's a character) and it's the part that needs solidity and weight and, often, it just doesn't have it.

                Visual effects in themselves have hit a point where they shouldn't impress. Like Fury Road, we shouldn't notice them. However what can still impress is visual design. Like does anyone really get impressed by Marvel movie CG (which feels like it has been getting worse)? Probably not but some of the Doctor Strange visuals are very cool to look at and it's got some great visual design. And it doesn't have to be expensive - Dredd's slow-mo sequences are gorgeous in a movie that probably has a tiny fraction of a blockbuster's effects budget.

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                  Marvel effects, they're probably technically impressive in many ways but I can't recall ever noticing any in any film and thinking it looked good. The noticeably CG elements in Marvel films always look like blatant CG. Dredd is a great example, it's often the films with tighter money that go the extra mile - like how recent Fast and Furious films look visually worse than past ones because of the lazy use of poor quality CG

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                    Originally posted by Superman Falls View Post

                    Beauty and the Beast
                    A while since I last saw this too and unlike it's grating remake, Disney firing on all cylinders.

                    [
                    They don't make them like this anymore I remember this being the only film my dad took us to watch in the cinema twice!

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                      We watched the Special Edition with the extra song and it's a sign of how perfectly finely tuned it is that the extra song almost spoils it a little.

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                        Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                        The thing about the Fury Road examples is that all of the stuff you focus on during the action is absolutely real. And it's the stuff that some CG still struggles with to this day, in particular gravity and weight. Those vehicles feel heavy and real because they are heavy and real. Whereas with a lot of movies, the CG is the element that you are focusing on (especially when it's a character) and it's the part that needs solidity and weight and, often, it just doesn't have it.
                        It makes me think of practical effects and learning where to use them.
                        Tom Savini talking about how producing a fake arm is hard to make convincing, so make the machete cutting it off fake.

                        Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                        Visual effects in themselves have hit a point where they shouldn't impress. Like Fury Road, we shouldn't notice them. However what can still impress is visual design. Like does anyone really get impressed by Marvel movie CG (which feels like it has been getting worse)? Probably not but some of the Doctor Strange visuals are very cool to look at and it's got some great visual design. And it doesn't have to be expensive - Dredd's slow-mo sequences are gorgeous in a movie that probably has a tiny fraction of a blockbuster's effects budget.
                        I think there were some rushed CGI in Infinity War - Banner in the HULKBUSTER armour and Thanos walking up some steps, for example.

                        I watched Dredd again last week and you're so right.

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                          This weekend I watched the latest entry into a long running series that somehow keeps getting made.

                          Studio Mandate: The Movie Episode XIV

                          Apparently, in some circles this was also called Men in Black: International. Yes, the latest in the long line of Sony made films where their studio Execs get to put together all the pieces of a checklist for success to make a corporate led attempt to create a successful franchise rather than simply let filmmakers with good ideas make a good film that accomplishes the same (aka Spiderverse). So, we have Emma Thompson appearing (because that will provide a fan pleasing nod to the previous three films) along side Liam Neeson (because he's popular right?) in a new entry directed by F. Gary Grey (because he just made Fast 8 and that made a lot money yeah?). We are then introduced to the humoured Thor like lead Chris Hemsworth (coz he's in those really popular Marvel films) and who should we pair him up with? Yeah, Tessa Thompson (because she was in a hit Marvel film with him so that makes sense!). Right, check all those boxes have been ticked... oh, we need another villainous character to appear... what about her from the recent most popular Mission Impossibles? Yep - We're good to go.

                          Oh s---! We need a story *phew* almost forgot that for a minute! Erm...

                          I know! Let's just barrel roll through a similar set up to the first film only this time the existing agent is the wise cracker and the one joining is the straight laced one. Bit simple? Bah, audience survey numbers suggest that's a small factor so we'll just get through the set up as fast as possible and get to the pew-pew action before they realise.

                          What could go wrong?

                          Well, here are again. Another film that has Hemsworth gamely going through the film never really capturing why Thor works, Thompson who is either ill suited to playing such a straight cut role or her soul slowly curled up and died during filming leaving her with no screen presence at all for some reason. Direction that is dull and simply does the job (not that shocking after Fast 8 tbf) and a film that is almost a studio in by the numbers film making. It's like it's insanely bad by not being actually outright bad, it's just kind of there like a void in film space time sucking precious lifeforce from the viewer. It's remarkable in how unremarkable it is. Zero passion for the franchise, zero ideas, zero future either.

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                            We needed a comedy, so I watched 22 Jump Street with the wife last night.
                            It was really weird how meta is was, wanting to be a detective drama, but also making it clear at every opportunity that they know they're in a movie sequel.

                            I laughed throughout, but I think the end credits is probably the best bit. Good, easy-watching fun.

                            There is a wealth of quality television and film on Prime and Netflix, but I'm finding myself drawn to some real tat on there!
                            I found myself watching Moon 44, which is a sci-fi drama directed, written and produced by Roland Emmerich.

                            "The film is set on a futuristic mining site on an unspecific moon, where convicts and teenage technicians are partnered. An undercover agent (Paré) must discover what has happened to missing corporate shuttles."

                            It's quite the curiosity and something I think [MENTION=4892]base[/MENTION]ly09 would also be intrigued by. Malcom McDowell is tucked away in this as a badass not to be trifled with. It's trying to be its own thing, but steals a load of stuff. There's a scene where all the mining company bigwigs are all having a meeting and it's lifted wholesale from Aliens where Ripley is getting debriefed.



                            It also steals from a load of other sci-fi films like Outland, Blade Runner, even a bit of Blue Thunder.

                            I was trying to work out where I've seen this guy on the right before:

                            He's Brian Thompson and I know him from Highlander, but he's been in loooooads of films like Cobra, Terminator, 3 Amigos, Alien Nation, Dragonheart, AWOL, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and a bunch of forgotten films.

                            The story is quite strange, because it's set up around an undercover agent as a convict and is sent in to find out who the traitor is on a mining planet where they're teaming up prisoners and techs to stop the pirate attacks.
                            This plot strand is forgotten about after about 20 minutes and a large chunk of the film is about the strained relationships between the prisoners and the techs as they train them to fly attack ships and try to live in the same space.
                            This goes on for about an hour and is quite maudlin, before remembering the traitor plot and it winds it all up again.

                            It's easy to see why it was forgotten, but an interesting watch as in insight into 90s films that didn't make the grade.

                            Fair play, on a fairly low budget, there are some pretty impressive models effects and sets:










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                              The thing is, I'm really drawn to these 80's/90's films more than recent ones and there's some real tat that's calling me like a Siren's lure, even though I know the poster is going to be better than the film!







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                                If you've not seen it, set the timer on your toploader!

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