"Without fear or hesitation"
Dec. 29th, 2003 09:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jakebe
So yes, this weekend was very interesting.
ToobOtta came down for a one-day-only appearance that rocked all worlds. He was awesome. :) Come down anytime, eh?
Raph also showed up on Sunday, right after Toob left. So we went out for dinner at Chili's and a movie. Saw stupid amounts of movies, come to think of it. "Brother Bear" twice, "Paycheck" and "Peter Pan." I think out of all of them, "Paycheck" was the most disappointing. It occurred to me when I was watching that what makes for a good exciting book and what makes for a good exciting movie are two different things. I mean, I seriously doubt reading about a 30-minute car chase in a Dick novel would have been the epitome of boring. Come to think of it, seeing the actual car chase in the movie wasn't that exciting, either.
I've become increasingly jaded on this need Hollywood has to throw in things just because they look better. Turning "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" into a popcorn flick was the biggest affront...well, next to "The Cat in the Hat." But really, doesn't Hollywood trust us to get a good idea that doesn't involve one-liners and guns and explosions? Why *aren't* there more movies like "Memento"? Yes, movies are a very highly visual medium, but I don't need sounds and lights and explosions to make me interested, *especially* when it hurts the story. I'd much appreciate it if it were faithful to something that wasn't so cliche.
My two most favorite sequences this year in movies were the transformation scene in "Brother Bear" and Billy Bob Thornton being gunned down in "Bad Santa". While the first would have been the equivalent of a special-effects money shot in live-action film, it was one of the most beautifully realized and faithful scenes I've seen in a while. They didn't muck it up with unnecessary CGI, they didn't slap a syrupy-banal Phil Collins song over it (I wish I could say the same for the rest of the movie) and they didn't feel the need to add more bells and whistles than were needed to get the point across. And with "Bad Santa," it was just a perfect amount of irreverence and care. Wonderful, wonderful movie.
But with every "Bad Santa," there's an "8 Crazy Nights," "Elf," "The Cat in the Hat," "Cheaper By The Dozen," and the list goes on. I just don't get the need for movie studios to dumb everything down. I'm not the smartest person in the world, mind you, but explosion after explosion after dove after explosion gets awfully...boring after a while. More is not *always* better with movies. "Charlie's Angels 2" for example. :P
I've been thinking seriously about movies for a bit now, and I wish I had the eye and eloquence Seph does when he's talking about them. I'm very interested in seeing what makes things tick. As it stands, everything I know, a lot of my reactions to things are comprised of elements I have no words for. It's like I know what I like, but I don't know how to communicate it. You'd figure being an aspiring writer and everything I'd be past this by now, eh? but alas, I'm not. :) I do believe more learning is in order.
If I go back to college, it won't be the U of A, that's for sure. Any school that will shut down its art museum because they 'don't have the money' but can tear up streets for useless gates for their busses, or more student housing, or a JUMBOTRON for their stupid sports team has seriously misplaced priorities. I'd rather not see my tuition money going to some 300-pound idiot who can barely spell the name on his jersey.
I do believe I've been hanging around 2 for too long. :) I've been in gadfly mode for a little bit, bear with me, it should burn itself out by year's end. Mmm, I can't wait for Wednesday.
ToobOtta came down for a one-day-only appearance that rocked all worlds. He was awesome. :) Come down anytime, eh?
Raph also showed up on Sunday, right after Toob left. So we went out for dinner at Chili's and a movie. Saw stupid amounts of movies, come to think of it. "Brother Bear" twice, "Paycheck" and "Peter Pan." I think out of all of them, "Paycheck" was the most disappointing. It occurred to me when I was watching that what makes for a good exciting book and what makes for a good exciting movie are two different things. I mean, I seriously doubt reading about a 30-minute car chase in a Dick novel would have been the epitome of boring. Come to think of it, seeing the actual car chase in the movie wasn't that exciting, either.
I've become increasingly jaded on this need Hollywood has to throw in things just because they look better. Turning "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" into a popcorn flick was the biggest affront...well, next to "The Cat in the Hat." But really, doesn't Hollywood trust us to get a good idea that doesn't involve one-liners and guns and explosions? Why *aren't* there more movies like "Memento"? Yes, movies are a very highly visual medium, but I don't need sounds and lights and explosions to make me interested, *especially* when it hurts the story. I'd much appreciate it if it were faithful to something that wasn't so cliche.
My two most favorite sequences this year in movies were the transformation scene in "Brother Bear" and Billy Bob Thornton being gunned down in "Bad Santa". While the first would have been the equivalent of a special-effects money shot in live-action film, it was one of the most beautifully realized and faithful scenes I've seen in a while. They didn't muck it up with unnecessary CGI, they didn't slap a syrupy-banal Phil Collins song over it (I wish I could say the same for the rest of the movie) and they didn't feel the need to add more bells and whistles than were needed to get the point across. And with "Bad Santa," it was just a perfect amount of irreverence and care. Wonderful, wonderful movie.
But with every "Bad Santa," there's an "8 Crazy Nights," "Elf," "The Cat in the Hat," "Cheaper By The Dozen," and the list goes on. I just don't get the need for movie studios to dumb everything down. I'm not the smartest person in the world, mind you, but explosion after explosion after dove after explosion gets awfully...boring after a while. More is not *always* better with movies. "Charlie's Angels 2" for example. :P
I've been thinking seriously about movies for a bit now, and I wish I had the eye and eloquence Seph does when he's talking about them. I'm very interested in seeing what makes things tick. As it stands, everything I know, a lot of my reactions to things are comprised of elements I have no words for. It's like I know what I like, but I don't know how to communicate it. You'd figure being an aspiring writer and everything I'd be past this by now, eh? but alas, I'm not. :) I do believe more learning is in order.
If I go back to college, it won't be the U of A, that's for sure. Any school that will shut down its art museum because they 'don't have the money' but can tear up streets for useless gates for their busses, or more student housing, or a JUMBOTRON for their stupid sports team has seriously misplaced priorities. I'd rather not see my tuition money going to some 300-pound idiot who can barely spell the name on his jersey.
I do believe I've been hanging around 2 for too long. :) I've been in gadfly mode for a little bit, bear with me, it should burn itself out by year's end. Mmm, I can't wait for Wednesday.
