Narrator: Although George Michael had only got to second base, he’d gone in head first, like Pete Rose.
Posted on 09/01/2010 1:50:17 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Dennis Weaver as a business man traveling by car cust off or passes and old beat up tanker rig and the driver of the rig gets pissed and chases him all over the countryside.
Yes I bought both movies not because of Shia. BUT, because I have enjoyed Shia in Holes, Both Transformers and Disturbia I will give a Movie a chance BECAUSE he is in it.
I enjoy his energy and he is a natural comedian. (He reminds me of a young Jimmy Stewart who was also very energetic and a natural comedian.)
Easy there big guy. I really wasn’t trying to lecture you and I apologize if that is the way it came across.
I’m a graphic designer and I love the special effects. I’ll even sit through a bad story just to see things blow up (and yes, transform.) Although my favorite movies are less the SFX extravaganzas and are the kind of films where the off-camera action is at least as important as the on-camera stuff. Movies that make me think. The Usual Suspects, Meet Joe Black, Mindwalk, Millions, Il Postino, Night Watch, and yes, Psycho.
But I still enjoy a good action flick with over the top SFX for the same reason I love roller coasters. It’s just a ride.
In fact, I agree with your take on storytelling in films. But I think the special effects issue is just a symptom. The disease is the fact that we have moved from a culture that could comprehend the spoken and written word to one that is so dumbed down its primary means of communication is visual. (I know, strange thing for a graphic designer to say.) For a full articulation of that problem, see ‘The Humiliation of the Word’, by Jacques Ellul.
And as for the rave about The Day the Earth Stood Still, it came out the year I was born and I didn’t see it till I was six or seven, at which point, anything about space aliens fueled my budding inner philosopher. How could I not love it.
Funny to talk about movie stars being underpaid, but these guys are going to get more money next time, so that they can join their overpaid peers.
In the Bourne Franchise I can think of two scenes, One, the Sniper Antagonist was stopped/killed and in the other, Bourne's Girlfriend was killed (Though it was a short chase...)
Other than that I can't think of any (Unless you wish to count the "Cannonball Run" Movies in which the Car Chase WAS the plot.)
Never saw “The Duel” by Steven Spielberg; but it sounds like the ENTIRE plot takes place behind the wheel, i.e. the entire movie was a chase scene!
But hey, at least there is ONE example out there where something major to the plot happens during a car chase!
Anyone got another? Or is there only one!
Well, at least the plot advanced and something changed!
Like I said, usually the characters arrive alive and unchanged exactly where they need to be when they need to be there.... so nothing really happened during the chase other than filler.
The effects in the original TDTESS were actually quite good. The score is one of the best ever. The acting is decent enough. It’s also a crashing bore. If you actually put yourself through the Keeanu Reeves version, you’ll never have to prove your bravery again.
To be fair there were a lot of old crappy movies also BUT they haven't stood the test of time and they weren't preserved. Now we have the ability to store ALL movies crappy and good and to do so cheaply. So it just seems like we produce a much higher ratio of crappy movies.
No doubt there are more Crappy movies produced now but there is also a much higher total number movies produced now. Hell the average American family has better movie production capabilities with a digital Camera, a computer and a copy of an $89.00 special effects software pack from Adobe than the best money could buy in the 40's and 50s. So its no surprise more movies are being made today.
I’m a big film music fan, and yet the very best ones can still work on me. It’s only later, after I’ve seen the movie, when I can pick them apart.
Another new film music cliche is called “wailing woman”—Gladiator, Troy, and generally any thriller movie that takes place in Eastern Europe or the Middle East will have this element. I’ll leave it to you to stumble on it yourself—once you hear it, it’s like an alarm going off in the thearer—”AAAHHHH, wailing woman!”
my problem with new version is it seems to me they just said "OK, I guess this is where we will stop the movie now." and they stopped.
I've noticed many modern movies seem like either the Director or the Editor either got tired of the project OR some suit said "pull the plug and get it in the theaters..." They start out decent then it seems the quality steadily declines till we get to a point when they stop. (Not end)
Historically, third act problems have always bedevilled movies. You get an idea, then you add problems to it, and then, uh...okay, we gotta bring this sucker home, so wrap it up. If I had to name ONE thing in common with movies that start out promisingly but end up being unsatisfying, it’s third-act problems.
Often a movie can start out shaky but you later realize the moviemakers were setting something up, or they were just clumsy in getting backstory to the audience—once they get into the action and story, they’re clear. I can name many movies that I love that have wobbly beginnings, but I can’t think of a single movie I think of as great with a bad third act.
I think in terms of what you’re talking about it’s what happens when movies come from people born in the video game era. Their idea of drama is SENSATION—when they get bored, they don’t finish the game, they just put it on hold and come back. If the game ends, they just start it right up again.
If you’ve just watched or read a great drama, though, you want to get away from the TV or theater and live your life, let the ideas and feelings settle. That’s not the case when the specatacle is ALL you’re going to the movie for.
I have a really awesome car chase for you. Watch Against All Odds. Heck no, they didn’t need to race. But for fun, they race their two sportscars around other cars on the best street, Sunset Blvd. It was extremely difficult to choreograph and it is fun to watch. Good film too.
Narration means that you have failed as a storyteller. It is a crutch for the lame.
I saw “Book of Eli” last night. They didn't waste one scintilla of a second talking about the end of the world, and how it ended, or why cannibalism gave you the shakes, or why people went blind during the disaster, etc, etc. It was “here it is... no explanation forthcoming. Deal with it.”
The only time narration was an asset IMHO was in “Arrested Development”, that narration was FUNNY!
Narrator: Although George Michael had only got to second base, he’d gone in head first, like Pete Rose.
I disagree, though Robert Mckee agrees with you. Narration is just as valid a storytelling device as any—it’s just misapplied.
I enjoyed Book of Eli, too, though I thought the ending was unsatisfying. One of MY pet peeves was in the climax though—the villain has someone he’s been trying to get for the last ninety minutes and DOESN’T fill him/her full of lead until there’s no sign of life. That really hurt this one for me.
I love post-apocalypse movies, can’t get enough of ‘em. The Road was a chore to get through, though—nice imagery, plodding, dull story (like the book).
What you put on screen makes no sense, let us add a voice-over to do an explanation so that it makes sense.
-or-
I don't have the time or effort to take the audience along with the characters to understand the situation; so I will add a narration to bring the audience up to speed.
I think “Book of Eli” was a good example of where someone might have thought that an explanatory narration was needed, but cooler heads prevailed.
I agree that a bit of a set up previously or in scene for why Gary Oldham left “Eli” alive and bleeding in the dust would have gone a long way, some fixation on the book or something - he has it - has eyes only for it - someone says “Should we kill him?” - he says “Who? Oh .... him. Leave him in the dust.”
Duel was a 90 minute car chase.
And I loved every minute of it.
Filmed for something like 200K when it was made, it is a fine example of what you can do with no money, no props, no special effects and a great script.
Cheers,
knewshound
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