Percy Jackson Prince of Persia Robin Hood Clash of the Titans This Harry Potter Probable Narnia movie.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
Damn those teaser trailers. I want more!
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
The two minute trailer is being attached to Percy Jackson starting on Friday.
The fact that they included shots almost lifted directly from the show, it encourages me. The very brief shots of Appa and the Blue Spirit also have me excited.
[ February 08, 2010, 12:17 AM: Message edited by: Shanna ]
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
It looks good so far, and hopefully Smahalan won't try to change the story and mess that up, so it has potential. I'm cautiously optimistic.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
That review says it's the "...first of a trilogy"? Oh no...
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
The series was split into three parts. It makes sense to me to do the same with the movies.
And I still have enough faith in M. Night. Probably against my better judgment.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
We've known that for a while. Three movies, one for each season of the series. Doing any other way would have failed.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
I admit I haven't seen the series at length, so I stand corrected.
Anyway, we'll see.
Posted by daventor (Member # 11981) on :
Oy, I really need to pick up the DVDs and watch the show. But, yeah, mighty fine visuals in that little teaser. M Night's movies always have great cinematography but this is the first time seeing him do "epic." Now if we can just see some clips of actual acting and dialogue.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
And I swear, at the end, when a boat gets hit by a big wave or something like that, I swear I hear a scream straight out of StarCraft. I hear it in a lot of trailers. Is this some sore of inside joke?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
That didn't sound like the Starcraft scream to me, but I know what you're talking about. That, and the sound byte of children laughing that used to play at the end of Power Rangers when the Banzai logo pops up, seem to be a stock sound effect that is used repeatedly in trailers, games, and other things.
Trailer looks good though. It looks like they're making Aang a little less playful/unserious than he is in the cartoon. I've never actually watched the thing all the way through, I've only seen bits and pieces, but the three kids always seemed a lot more playful and joking than they appear in this. I wouldn't mind seeing it taken more seriously, and feel free to correct me if that's how it is in the show overall.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
And yes, I've read that the characters are not as funny as in the show, and Sokka isn't at all what he is in the show (Sokka the Mean and Sarcasm Guy). But I think a serious movie of this story can be quite good. I think. And hope.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Originally posted by The White Whale: But I think a serious movie of this story can be quite good. I think. And hope.
Whereas I will be so surprised if its good that I will eat a hat.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Dude, this is now the third time you've made a promise of that sort (that I can recall), and I distinctly remember your refusal to actually eat a hat when promised. Don't tease me like that.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I was going to say, I'm getting a deja vu feeling.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
All the times I can think of where Sam promised to eat a hat were in direct reference to this movie, so it's not time to pay up yet unless there was something else I missed.
Edit: This is the first time I've felt actively bothered by the white-ness of the cast in a direct, visceral way as opposed to a lofty intellectual way.
I'm not sure what I think about the seriousity. When it comes down to the math, the original three seasons were about 7 hours each, and if you were to cut all of the jokes and extraneous filler episodes you're left with 2.5 hours of actual plot, which is basically perfect. So I can't blame them if they decided to cut out all the penguin sledding scenes so that they have time to finish the damn movie.
They also might have plenty of humor but be hyping the "adult" elements because it's a lot easier to market to adults and then throw out some McDonalds toys to grab the kids then to market the silliness and then suddenly say "Oh by the way this actually has a pretty serious plot, trust us."
Thirdly, humor's a lot funnier if you're not expecting it. So they might be playing up the seriousness so that when Aang says "Hey will you go Penguin sledding with me" it's actually funny. In the show it was so blatantly telegraphed I didn't actually find it funny at all.
[ February 10, 2010, 10:44 PM: Message edited by: Raymond Arnold ]
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
I feel obliged to say that I would boycott this movie. However, as full disclosure I would have to acknowledge that my chances of watching it either way would be pretty low. So all I can really do is say the extent of my advocacy is that I participated in a pirated screening of DragonBall Z in a "let's mock how bad this is, could it be so bad it's good?" movie night (answer was no).
Karmically, it might work out some day if I consistently do this Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
My husband is particularly put out by the obvious lack of hair loopies.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
I was pretty sad when her hair was redone without them for the "Fire Nation Garb" and then when she got them back she had the new "maternal" look that made them not nearly so prominent.
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
I've heard that scream as far back as 1995, from the PC game Star Wars: Dark Forces. It was the sound your character made if he walked off a cliff or the edge of a platform. It must be part of an industry sound effects catalog.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Aw, I miss Star Wars Dark Forces. I used to play that on my Nintendo 64 all the time.
[/nostalgia]
Posted by Ginol_Enam (Member # 7070) on :
Off topic:
Dark Forces was never released on the N64. You may be mis-remembering playing it on the PlayStation, or you could be thinking of Shadows of the Empire which was an N64 game.
Posted by umberhulk (Member # 11788) on :
I'm less excited because of the seriousness, but it still looks kick ass.
Best thing about Avatar was tsuko's uncle.
Like how uncle was the best thing Jackie Chan Adventures, y'know?
[ February 11, 2010, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: umberhulk ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Ginol_Enam: Off topic:
Dark Forces was never released on the N64. You may be mis-remembering playing it on the PlayStation, or you could be thinking of Shadows of the Empire which was an N64 game.
Shadows of the Empire, that's what I was thinking of. And, now that I think of it, I think I did play Dark Forces on my computer. I think I misremembered because Dark Forces was the only first person shooter (it was, right?) I've ever played on my computer. Generally I don't like them on the computer.
Thanks for clearing that up.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by umberhulk: I'm less excited because of the seriousness, but it still looks kick ass.
Best thing about Avatar was tsuko's uncle.
Like how uncle was the best thing Jackie Chan Adventures, y'know?
I do agree about that, from what little of it I have seen, I liked Tsuko's uncle's comedy. I didn't appreciate it as much in the three kids.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I've heard that scream as far back as 1995, from the PC game Star Wars: Dark Forces. It was the sound your character made if he walked off a cliff or the edge of a platform. It must be part of an industry sound effects catalog.
I remember it was something like 77mb in size when it came out and I thought, "Crap, this thing is a monster!"
But it was so worth it. Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Well, its official. M. Night just couldn't control himself. After casting an all-white principle cast, he decided to play the "I'm Indian" card by changing three major character names into order to make them more "authentic." Silly me thinks that "authenticity" is a funny idea when the source material is a fictional world.
"Aang" will now be pronounced "Ong." "Iroh" will be pronounced "Eer-Row." "Sokka" will be pronounced "SOH-ka."
He also decided that "Avatar" will be pronounced "Of-atar" which I still can't say myself since the letter V seems to be missing.
I'm trying to resist the urge to rant but its not easy. I'm not a purist. I didn't get upset when he announced that only master Firebenders would be able to create fire. I tried to forget when he implied that the show copied its fight sequences from martial arts films rather than the truth, which was that they had a martial artist on payroll who designed the sequences and even assigned different fighting systems to each element (even individual characters.)
But having to hear "Ong" over and over again for two hours is going to be like nails on a chalkboard.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Wait, where is coming this from?
Posted by Marek (Member # 5404) on :
please tell me you are making this up.
I mean I guess I can understand the master firebender thing since none of the benders of other nations can actually create their elements. Still, it's primary (possibly only) audience is going to be fans of the show so they should really try to stay true to the show, and Sokka should be pronounced with an "okka".
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Too many syllables, bub.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
I wish I were making it up. I'd even forgive him if it was just an early April Fools joke, but alas..,
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Reading it I actually think I agree with him. It is a little silly to worry about pronunciation when you've already cast all white people, but the fact is that probably WASN'T something he had control over. My only concern with the pronunciation is that they're going to pronounce the names "right" but that the rest of the dialogue will be done in American accents, which WILL be pretty lame.
I'm actually largely agreeing with the "firebenders need a source of fire" thing. I think it makes the story more cool, not less. Assuming that Zuko counts as a master bender or has become one by the end of the first movie, I don't think that even really changes the plot at all, since all the main firebending characters would be masters anyway and the soldier-grunts rarely do much anyway.
As for the humor... I honestly agree with that as well (though I'd have to see how they execute it to be sure). There's a definite difference between what you can get away with in a cartoon and what you can get away with in a live action film.
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
He's changing pronunciations because he wants them pronounced with an ostensibly Indian accent. Except none of the Avatar Nations are based on India. The Fire Nation is inspired by China and, to an extent, Japan. The Water Tribe is inspired by the Inuits. He's just changing pronunciations to suit his own ego.
He's also abandoned the martial styles each bending style was based on.
It makes me sad, really. Because it would have been awesome to see Samprimary eat that hat. I never really expected it, but I guess some part of me held out the hope that M. Night Shamwow wasn't the total hack he seemed to be, and he would somehow manage to pull off a great movie.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
You guys, the movie isn't out yet.
Sure he's done some silly things, but he's also done some awesome things. I'm willing to give him a chance on this one.
Why is there this need to reject a movie before you see it? Is it a defense mechanism? Does it make you feel better?
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Financially, a boycott wouldn't make much sense if people watched the movie first before rejecting it since most people only see a movie once anyways.
Rejection has to occur based on prior information. (Also, what are we at now? Fifth time's the charm?)
Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
White Whale, I actually have enjoyed most of his movies. I even found Lady In the Water enjoyable for pete's sake. Not necessarily good, but I didn't regret watching it.
But I'm a big fan of Avatar the show, and every indication so far is that he's going to butcher it in order to make it "his," i.e. to satisfy his raging ego. That saddens me.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
The person who linked that interview to me was deriding M. Night as an Uncle Tom who didn't get Avatar at all, but honestly I either agree or at least understand everything there. You can read ego into it if you want, but so far the only thing that strikes me as remotely "ego" related is the pronunciation thing, and even there... it's really obvious that the the show is done in an American accent. For all the talk about whitewashing it, in that respect it was already whitewashed.
And that's fine, because it needed to be understood by an American audience. But it's an area where I don't think you're "betraying" anything by shifting the accent to something more asian (and while I'm not sure exactly how it varies from region to region, I'm pretty positive there is nowhere in the Asian world where "Aang" would actually be pronounced so that it rhymed with "Bang").
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
It looks beautiful. It seems that M. Night Shalmayan might have a movie there with an actual plot. I'm thrilled - I definitely want to see it.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
I can't remember, Kath: are you speaking as one who has seen the show or not?
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
In response to Raymond, `1 think the pronunciation thing is crossing a line for me. With the racial controversy, I respect the idea that he would cast with an eye towards whoever best portrays the "spirit" of the character even if the race was different than the show. I've always gotten the vibe that the Fire Nation was a blend of Japanese and Chinese influences, but I'm completely okay with using Indian/Arab actors for that nation because I believe Dev Patel will be a great Zuko. If Rathbone Jackson manages to pull off Sokka, it'll be the biggest surprise for me but I'll even take it on faith if M. Night said he was cast for his ability regardless of skin tone. However, considering M. Night's insane praise for the actress who plays Katara, there is good reason to believe Rathbone was cast for his resemblance to Nicola and his attachment to "Twilight."
The same goes for the martial arts. If he were to say that the changes were made to accommodate the actors' abilities and personal skills, I'd understand. Dev Patel and Noah Ringer have martial arts background, however, not in kung fu systems. And Nicola is a complete beginner so i can imagine how it'd be necessary changes things around, especially since Tai Chi as actual combat is very difficult. Yet, to my knowledge, M. Night hasn't said anything along these lines aside from a few condescending throw-away comments.
Give me a good reason to show me that changes were made in vain, and I'm all aboard. It reminds me of a few moments from the Harry Potter movies where important scenes will be dropped from the movie to make room for events that never happened but rather came from the mind of the director/screenwriter. Its this attitude of "We know better than the creator(s) who is responsible for this incredibly successful book/movie/tv show."
To complicate the names issue, some early promotions are showing "Appa" spelled as "Aapa." Personally, I'd rather see the names spelled differently that have the pronunciation altered. I've already seen some people suggest "Airou" as a replacement for "Iroh," in order to keep the original pronunciation and maybe allude more to the Japanese inspiration for the Fire Nation. And on a funnier note, I'm curious whether anyone has heard Ang Lee pronounce his own name. Not to mention, this means the end of the "boomerAANG" and "gAang" jokes. *sigh*
Anyway, I will nod my head understandingly if changes are made because of the limitations of film. The guy who delivers the best performance may not always look the way he should and makeup and hair can only do so much. But if Shaun Toub can't say "Iroh," then the answer is to take out the lines in which he says his own name not change the character's name.
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
I haven't heard anything about the martial arts, one way or another. So I have no comment on that. In general I do think it'd have been awesome if they kept the styles from the show, but as you mentioned, animating martial arts is a lot easier than actually learning them.
With the pronunciation... honestly I just don't care. I can see why others might, but in the long list of things that will change in the translation to 2.5 hour movies, it barely even registers a blip for me. The characters were not defined by the pronunciation of their name, the story is not contingent on the pronunciation of their name, and "boomerAANG" was one joke in one episode that probably wouldn't have made it into the movie anyway.
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