Movie News, Reviews, & Reactions 2010

[MilitiaJim]

I get irritated when the editing cuts around so fast I cannot enjoy the work of the stunt and camera crews.  A Quantum of Solace was particularly bad about this.  I want to call the opening chase scene's camera work shenanigans, but it completely ruined what should have been a sweet chase.   

[Nepenthe]

Quantum of Solace was particularly bad about this.  I want to call the opening chase scene's camera work shenanigans, but it completely ruined what should have been a sweet chase.   

Again, YES! It always gets me in such a bad mood, that it tends to ruin the whole movie for me. The rooftop chase (I wish I didn't sound like I was recapping Bourne...) is just as bad, if not worse in this regard. I don't think it exactly gets better during the rest of the movie, but I think that my problem with it is that it gives the impression that cutting is used to hide cheap stuntwork - something that the movie definitely doesn't have! 

The fact that the script is kind of License to Kill, but worse, doesn't exactly help. But yeah.

[Wolverine]

UGO's thoughts on the first fourty minutes of Cowboys and Aliens (spoiler free, too).

Back on the shakey cam topic, I went and saw the latest Narnia movie last weekend and my biggest complaint was their (over)use of hand held camera. There were a couple of moments where I just wanted them to put the damn thing on a tripod (or find a better Steadycam operator).

[mathey]

Cinema verite has been around for a long time. The Battle of Algiers, a fictional depiction of the Algerian War which featured  battle scenes that some people thought was real newsreel footage, came out in 1966.  Heck, they even used a little of it in Dr. Strangelove!

As far as fast editing ruining one's enjoyment of stuntwork and camera crews, I think it depends on the subject matter and its presentation.

A lot of the best kung fu films had long, steady shots with long takes so we could admire the choreography of the participants. Its more about the athleticism of the participants and the inventiveness of the moves than anything else. They want to impress you with their staging and even their aesthetics.  

On the flip side, the chases in the French Connection and Bullitt both have fairly stable cameras but do a lot of cross-cutting as things get more intense. They also have dashboard-view shots that sort of put the audience in the driver or passenger's seat. They want to get you nervous for the safety of the participants and feel the hazardous speed of the chase.

Greengrass' visual style for action in the Bourne franchise is handheld documentary-style and close to the participants most of the time. When there's a cut, however, its in the same environment and follows immediately upon the last instant. The action is almost never "pretty", either; Bourne and his opponents emphasize practical violence over aesthetic violence. I personal feel the clarity doesn't suffer much, however; Bourne and Desh are trying to kill each other with everything they've got, and I can tell which objects and maneuvers they are using in sequence and where they are relative to one another.

Michael Bay's action scenes are - like the music videos he comes from - all about impressions over specifics; the camera whip pans in a close-up, there's an edit to something blowing up, an edit to a different place, some slo-mo, hails of sparks, and lots and lots of noise, both auditory and visual. Space and time become a muddle as we see repeated shots of the same explosion/stunt intercut with things happening before or after it, and aside from his occasional God's eye view shots, the placement of giant robots, Marines, and annoying teenagers is pretty haphazard. He's a little like the kung fu filmmakers in that he wants us to admire the technical - its just that the technique he's about is prop and special effects related, not character or story-based. "Look at this pretty Bruckheimer kerosene explosion", he tells us. "Don't concern yourself with how or why its there."

Personally, I'd prefer to be able to understand what the Hell is going on AND feel caught up in the momentum of the action. I don't know that every proponent or example of Shaky Cam does this, but I KNOW Bay never accomplishes either or both for me personally. All flash, no substance.

[Wolverine]

One more thing....

The first trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 4

Aww yeah!

[Aldus Vertten]

As a spanish,  i've been suffering Cruz for a long time... and now she is ruining american blockbusters movies. Seriusly, i can't understand how she is so famous...

apart from that, it doesnt look bad, though the director doenst inspire me much confidence...

[RusVal]

Real Steel

Looks interesting.

[Desertpuma]

It's definitely different and not Robot Jox.

[Mister Andersen]

Real Steel

Looks interesting.

Strikes me this is likely one of the "board-game" movies

[Desertpuma]

There may have been some inspiration there but really it is more about Hugh Jackman's ex-boxer/robot builder/trainer/promotor trying to succeed.

You should watch the trailer.

[Crafty_Pat]

As a spanish,  i've been suffering Cruz for a long time... and now she is ruining american blockbusters movies. Seriusly, i can't understand how she is so famous...

apart from that, it doesnt look bad, though the director doenst inspire me much confidence...

You and me both, brother. I don't see the appeal. At all.

[Mister Andersen]

There may have been some inspiration there but really it is more about Hugh Jackman's ex-boxer/robot builder/trainer/promotor trying to succeed.

You should watch the trailer.

I have, which is why I made the connection: that plot line is pretty much the only way'd you get anything other than a SyFy Friday Night movie out of the concept of robot pugilists.

[Desertpuma]

One more thing....

The first trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 4

Aww yeah!

The trailer looks good but Rob Marshall (a Broadway musical director) as the director of the film? ... Kudos for Ian McShane, Depp, and Rush. They should have found a better director and instead Cruz, I'd rather have seen Michelle Rodriquez.

[Desertpuma]

There may have been some inspiration there but really it is more about Hugh Jackman's ex-boxer/robot builder/trainer/promotor trying to succeed.

You should watch the trailer.

I have, which is why I made the connection: that plot line is pretty much the only way'd you get anything other than a SyFy Friday Night movie out of the concept of robot pugilists.

I think Hugh is producing this one himself in Australia.

[Nepenthe]

As a spanish,  i've been suffering Cruz for a long time... and now she is ruining american blockbusters movies. Seriusly, i can't understand how she is so famous...

apart from that, it doesnt look bad, though the director doenst inspire me much confidence...

You and me both, brother. I don't see the appeal. At all.

Same here.