PROMETHEUS Ridley Scott prequel

I watched AVATAR - shot in 3D - from a Christie projector and found myself too distracted by the stupid actions of characters to "fully" appreciate the 3D effect.
IOW, the 3D effect (and pretty colors) wasn't a magic salve for basic stupid story elements.

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I watched THE AVENGERS - retro-3Ded - also from a Christie projector and only 'noted' that some 3D was going on and perhaps mildly distracted by perpetually flinching against OBLIGATORY "sticking something out at the audience!" shots (which were mercifully few).


I don't really know 'what' it is that I expect from 3D.
I'm a glutton for story and logic.
Pretty lights and sparkly things hold no sway.

Maybe I'll stick to 2D. :(
 
Put me down in the 2d camp. I've seen good 3d. I've seen bad 3d. I've seen just passable 3d. I've seen movies where I liked the effect, and where I liked the movie in spite of the effect. I have come to the conclusion that it's just not worth paying for (for me).

That said, I'll probably see the Hobbit in 3d....but not the first time (or likely the second).
 
Ray, Josh, I understand where you're coming from, completely. And for what it's worth, though I actually do like 3D (when it's done well), I've recently begun choosing 2D, depending on the movie.

Ooh, The Hobbit! For me, that one is a must-see in 3D, not just for the 3D, but because I want to see how it looks with a faster frame-rate. Plus, they're using Cameron's fancy cameras, and that can't be a bad thing.

Out of curiosity, I took a look at my local multiplex's showtimes, in regards to 3D. Currently, there are only two 3D showtimes for Avengers, vs. seven 2D showtimes. And it's not a function of not having enough 3D screens. So, people are voting with their feet?
 
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Cracker Funk said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIgNinx_G_U#!


So, I read a review with a few spoilers, and it sounds like everything you need to know about the movie is in the trailer.
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Ha ha ha ha! I love it; everything in that is made of paper!


I've decided that I'll see PROMETHEUS in 2D. Every 3D movie I've ever seen has irritated my eyes. All this talk about improvements in the technology is B.S. to me. It's as bad as it ever was. I've only appreciated it in Disney short subjects, where it was used to full effect - CAPTAIN EO, HONEY I SHRUNK THE AUDIENCE and STAR TOURS.
 
sonnyboo said:
No they didn't. They used DUAL RED EPICS for THE HOBBIT, not the CAMERON-PACE 3D camera rigs.
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Oh, I wasn't aware they were different cameras. But weren't they built by Cameron? I thought I remembered reading an article that said Cameron pretty much begged Jackson to use them.
 
Cracker Funk said:
Oh, I wasn't aware they were different cameras. But weren't they built by Cameron? I thought I remembered reading an article that said Cameron pretty much begged Jackson to use them.
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James Cameron may have begged him, but it's pretty clear they are NOT using the Cameron-Pace rigs and James Cameron is not much if a fan of the RED cameras.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e-3i1ploR4
 
Huh. I did some googling, to try and find the "article" I thought I had read, but I think somewhere I got things jumbled up.

In retrospect, I think what I actually did read about was Cameron (successfully) convincing Jackson to shoot at a higher frame rate (can't confirm that, cuz I still can't find the article). Add to that the story about Cameron purchasing 30 Red Epics (to build 15 3D rigs), and my brain mistakenly filled-in the blanks.

That's an awesome video, by the way. Thanks for posting it.
 
Cracker Funk said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIgNinx_G_U#!


So, I read a review with a few spoilers, and it sounds like everything you need to know about the movie is in the trailer.
Click to expand...

Follow up:
Fan-Created 'Prometheus' Paper Trailer Impresses 20th Century Fox (Video)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/prometheus-fan-trailer-20th-century-fox-333445

"His reward so far -- more than 65,000 view on YouTube by late Tuesday afternoon, a mention on the official Facebook page for Prometheus and a tweet by Prometheus writer Damon Lindelof."

Tragedy.
If only we could get that kind of attention for any of our crowdfunding campaigns we could bring in... tens of extra dollars.
 
Prometheus is one that I'm really looking forward to seeing in 3D. I think it's a no brainer for those of us who have any positive feelings for the new 3D. Some critic, looking at those snippets down the page on Rotten Tomatoes, wrote that it's the best use of 3D since Avatar. I don't know, one of contemporary cinema's masters of the visual is Ridley Scott. I like to hear that having decided to shoot it in 3D, he chose to go all the way and shoot it natively(?...not like I quite understand such things...I'll leave that to you sharper folks to understand that stuff for now).

What's cooled my heels a bit is hearing the first reviews come in saying that it's not a great movie storywise...not a great movie as I, and I'm sure all of us had hoped it would be. Sounds like it's okay, but not a classic. If it had turned out otherwise, going to the midnight opening would have been a no brainer. As it is, I'm sitting on the fence. It sounds like I could wait a bit to see it. The clock is ticking. I better make up my mind soon if I want to buy a ticket. For all I know, it's already too late.

Presently, I'm sitting less on the fence when it comes to 3D. As I posted on another thread, when I saw the trailer for The Great Gatsby, when I and some family went to see MIB III, I was pretty wowed by how it looked in the trailer. And that's not some spectacular, it's a melodrama. And all of us, my family and I, all thought it looked pretty freaking cool that way. No, it didn't look quite natural. But I'm reminded of something I've heard Ebert (a noted foe of 3D) say repeatedly about black & white...one of the wonderful things about black & white is it's otherworldiness. That's sort of what struck me about the trailer of The Great Gatsby. Anyway.

I'm not so thrilled about the frame rate of the Hobbit. Initial reports say it's not so good. Hey, we're all of the same species, as far as I know. If the people who were privilaged to see that ten minute cut of the film say it's not so nice, I suspect that many of the rest of us at large are likely to feel similarly. I don't buy the argument that 24 frames per second is pleasing to the human eye and brain only because it's what we've been conditioned to. I suppose time and experimentation may tell. Anyway. In any case, I also want to see it in 3D.
 
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So, as the release moves closer, I'm learning more and more just how many people have no clue that this is a prequel to Alien. It came up in conversation twice today, with two different people. Both were clueless to the prequel aspect.

And then, in a third, and separate conversation, my coworkers and I were having a difficult time listing movies coming out this year that are not a sequel/prequel or remake. One person commented that Hollywood must be running out of original ideas. I replied that no, there is no shortage of original ideas, Hollywood is just smart enough to exploit a built-in audience.

And then it clicked -- wow, this is a really ballsy move (aka, stupid), for Fox to downplay the prequel aspect.
 
Cracker Funk said:
And then it clicked -- wow, this is a really ballsy move (aka, stupid), for Fox to downplay the prequel aspect.
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CF, I think that's because Alien 3&4 left a pretty bad taste in people's mouths. Plus, let's not forget how hated the Alien Vs. Predator movies are. The idea may be that it is better to make it a reboot prequel in the same vein as Planet of the Apes but with using a different name because too many now dislike the Alien franchise.
 
Cracker, when you put it that way, I think it's probably a mistake. If Hollywood movies are, bottom line, about giving a film its best chance to make money, why the hell aren't they exploiting that angle? I don't know what they're doing in your necks of the woods, but I think I've only seen one, that's only one preview on TV in my humble little backwoods of a geographic sector, or whatever. Of the recent films I've actually gone to see in the theater, and that's pretty much all of the big ones lately, I have seen maybe one Prometheus trailer.

I think Ridley is averse to doing sequels and doesn't want to be associated with them. Not sure where I heard that. I think he might say as much in his director's commentary on the Alien DVD.

Anyway, I guess I'm in the minority when I say Alien IV rocks. I think it may be the best one after the first one. =D
 
I have mixed feelings about A. Resurrection /#4.
It seemed to have two films intertwined: The dead serious Ripley/Call/hybrid story + the comic book everyone else from the Betty & Auriga.
The earnestness of the former could barely hold its head above water of the bafoonish latter; Joss Whedon bearing his creative strong suit.
Meh.
The two didn't shuckNjive for me. Plaids and paisleys. Becht. :no:
 
ALIEN ERECTION is okay. More popcorn-ish. I like it better than 3. Richy, have you seen the extended cut of ALIENS, with Newt's dad getting the Facehugger on him? Such a difference that director's cut is.
 
Scoopicman said:
ALIEN ERECTION is okay. More popcorn-ish. I like it better than 3. Richy, have you seen the extended cut of ALIENS, with Newt's dad getting the Facehugger on him? Such a difference that director's cut is.
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Oh yeah, definately. The extended version does add even more. I totally agree that Aliens is awesome. It"s a milestone in scifi cimema, no doubt about it. Maybe it's just because it got a little stale that allows me to consider Alien IV could be even better. Well, I love Whedon's work. That doesn't hurt. But I'm also a sucker for ensemble stories. Not that Aliens isn't an ensemble too. I'm just one of those few who really digs Alien Erect...er, Resurrection. ;) I don't know...I think Ripley is cooler than ever...with her superhuman, alien enhanced-ness etc. I like the cyborg subplot with Winona Ryder; I think she looks great in the film and brings something to it. I like the romantic relationship between Elgyn and Hillard(?). Dan Hedaya is excellant as the general. Aliens should probably get the silver in the series before Resurrection, but I don't get why more people don't love Resurrection too.

Okay, I just bought my ticket. Tonight!
 
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I understand, artistically, the "not a prequel" insistance. I've also had conversations with co-workers (who watch a lot of movies, but aren't film geeks like us). No one knew it had anything to do with Alien. This made one person (who was going to give it a pass until home release, saving money for all the other movies coming out this year) want to go see it, and another (who loves sci-fi but can't take horror) less interested in it. You don't need to call it Alien: Prometheus, but maybe letting people know there may be a connection isn't the worst thing in the world.

On the other hand, you put "Alien" in the title, and people then have preconceived notions of what the movie should or shouldn't be, which is never good for your movie.

richy said:
Anyway, I guess I'm in the minority when I say Alien IV rocks. I think it may be the best one after the first one. =D
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You are in the minority, but not alone. 3 could have been good, but dropped the ball (I think I've rewatched that the least in the series). Aliens is great of course...but it's mostly a great war movie. I don't care for those, so I'm not as crazy about it as most people. 4, however, is a great, complex and diverse film. It takes the concept of Alien and does something different with it. It's a discussion of free will and identity, wrapped up in a sci-fi action film that happens to be really funny. It's the sort of movie I like to watch over and over.

Interestingly enough, both Jenuet and Whedon hate the film, mostly because it's too much of the other. They have very different styles, despite doing similar things (serious stories with lots of quirky humor). I think the film sits well between them, and as a fan of both of their styles, it's better for it. I do get why people don't like it. And, hell, the humor in a lot of Whedon's work seems at odds with the story for a lot of people, unless it's in a genre they're already comfortable with (Avengers, for example).

Anyway, enough babble. I love Resurrection. I get why most others don't. And as a bonus, you can see the beginnings of the ideas that turn into Firefly!
 
Alien 4 is great! It's kinda B-movie-ish in it's execution, but I agree that there's much more there than people give it credit for. Nice analysis, Josh.

Anyway, today is the day! Woohoo!!!
 
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