Posted on 09/15/2015 2:34:08 PM PDT by pabianice
We recently subscribed to Netflix and Amazon Prime, gaining access to hundreds or even thousands of movies and shows. I was surfing last night and cam across a small movie called “Fortress.” It is the familiar story of the World War B-17 bomber crew of mostly kids who fly harrowing missions over Italy in 1943. The acting is surprisingly good but the plot is old hat.
What is remarkable is that the only things that were actually filmed are things that could fit onto a sound stage – the actors, a B-17 fuselage, and small props. Everything else is generated by CGI, and what a leap it has made. The airplanes – hundreds of them, B-17s, Me-109s, P-40s – the battles, the explosions, the aerial view of the camp, even the trajectory and correct range of the machine gun bullets and the motions of aircraft in flight – even a pilot’s exploding head -- it all looks absolutely real.
A real eye-opener in film technology and movie possibilities.
Oh, my goodness.
Wait til you see it in 3D!
Yeah, probably not the detail needed to attract you to the movie.
The Private Ryan effect..... Since that film (excellent BTW) it makes Sam Pekinpah look like a kiddy garten teacher. Realism is ok as long as it is not gratuitous.
I do find even the best CGI is flawed, and the onus is you to suspend reality...but it is much better than a decade ago.
Sounds worth checking out!
I love 3D
Especially in IMAX
I saw “Evira’ and some nonsense movie she was in at IMAX in 3D
Let me tell you I never looked at Elvira the same way again....I dont remember the movie, but I absolutely will never forget her in 3D
“You’ll put your eye out with that thing.”
I pointed out that this was before CGI - someone had to actually jump the car over the bridge IN REALITY (even if it was a stunt man, not the actual actor).
Changed his attitude...
Private Ryan . . . Wow! Saw it in a high definition theater. First ten minutes I wanted to crawl under my seat to avoid the bullets.
Oldplayer
If you have Netflick.. I would suggest you watch the original 1948 version of “12 o’clock high”
And Millennials winder why we geezers laugh at them.
Heard about 25 years ago that the US Air Force at that time had 300 MILLION feet of film in their video archives. I thought that with some decent editors that recordings could be produced and sold to the public. Increased knowledge and some income for the Air Force could be generated.
Never has happened of course.
Thanks for the tip..happily, my libray has it.just reserved it..
This CGI stuff doesn’t look real to me..it lacks authenticity..the old films..using actual combat footage integrated into the movie..are far better..”Twelve O’Clock High” “The War Lover”...”The Battle of Britain”..when the last movie was being filmed, the production company had the 6th largest air force in the world at the time..
Fixed it...
Got *my* attention. My Dad flew as a gunner on dozens of those B-17 missions over Italy.
I’ll add it to my Netflix queue.
Thx
And Millennials winder why we geezers laugh at them.
As a pre greezer sometime I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch.....
We are not far from watching whatever the media want you to think happen right on your teevee, whether it did or not (If we aren’t there already).
Several years back, I found 16 DVD’s put out by a company named Timeless Media Group. They’re all chock-full of WW2 combat footage. It was quite the Big Lots find, they were $2 each, I snagged ‘em all.
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