parakkum

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[info]nowhun
2004-03-17 08:16 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreen Select
That would be an interesting feature for Memento: see the movie in reverse, see it forwards, see it in filming order. If you applied that feature to Lord of the Rings, however, can you imagine having to sit through twelve hours of disorganized shots? It might be too much.

Also, when you're rich, will you also make the Star Wars I and II, and probably III, not suck? (as we are on the topics of things you would do to movies if you were rich)

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[info]parakkum
2004-03-18 09:18 am UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreen Select
I actually like Phantom Menace, more or less. As for fixing the movies...Episode II is a problem because one of its major flaws is not in plotting, pacing or anything like that, but in the absolute woodenness of much of the acting.

Though I'm told that the omnimax version, which pretty much cuts it down to only the action sequences, is pretty cool.

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[info]nowhun
2004-03-18 09:37 am UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreen Select
My complaint about Phantom Menace is that the heroes accomplish their goals through complete luck (Jar-Jar, Anakin), i.e. I prefer characters that fail while trying their best, than characters that succeed while doing their worst.

My complaint about Episode II (besides the terrible acting and an unconvincing love story) is that Lucas is trying to put too many, developing storylines together in parallel. There is nothing propelling the movie forward other than the audience's knowledge that there will eventually be a big fight. The only theme in the storyline seems to be that Lucas is intent visiting as many planets as possible to show off the CGI; the locale takes precedence over the story.

When you're terrifically rich, you can do a Brandon Lee/Crow thing and reshoot the wooden acting scenes with clever video/audio manipulations :).

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[info]parakkum
2004-03-19 11:06 am UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreen Select
I have to agree with that comment on Phantom Menace. Why couldn't Anakin have just had a moment where he said "I think I should go here, and I feel as if I need to fire my ship's guns...NOW." I'd be cool with the Force directing his actions. Of course, Phantom Menace is also odd inasmuch as of the four final conflicts, success in any one of three of them would have "won" for the good guys:

Gungans vs. Droid Army -- If the Gungans won, that would pretty much be it for the occupying force (of course, they weren't supposed to have good odds of winning, bu...)

Padme et. al vs. Droids left in the palace -- They won this one, and by holding the Viceroy hostage were able to secure his force's retreat

Naboo spacefighters vs. Droid control ship -- Again, winning this one ends the occupation.

Now, while redundant success scenarios is good operational design, it doesn't necessarily make for good tension and drama. I think this is why I tend to really just pay attention to the fight with Darth Maul. There's no backup plan there.

Thoughts on the movies and plotting made me want to outline each one...I'll do that in an actual post.

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[info]nowhun
2004-03-19 11:19 am UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreen Select
Thanks for reminding me about the redundant storylines from Episode I. I, too, mostly pay attention to the Darth Maul scene, for reasons outlined before (I'd rather see characters fail during doing their best, like Qui-gon).

Another dramatic tension note: Episode II also has what I would call a "Simpsons Opening," in which the opening part of the movie has very little to do with the rest of the movie, other than to setup an completed tangential course of events, i.e. the assassination attempt on Padme and subsequent attempt to catch the assassin is completely irrelevant to the actual movie plot. For me, at least, this means that any dramatic tension built up in the assassination plot is immediately lost when the plot switches course.

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[info]parakkum
2004-03-19 01:10 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreen Select
So it would have maintained dramatic tension for you if discovering the identity of the assassin, and who hired him, were critical to keeping Padme alive through the entire film?

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[info]nowhun
2004-03-19 01:44 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreen Select
Not necessarily "critical to keeping Padme alive," but at the very least relevant to the plot. Padme's assassination was not important to the antagonists, and only through coincidences ("Simpsons Opening") does it cause major plot points to occur. Here are some examples of what would be relevant:
- "Padme needs to be assassinated so that the Senate can be compromised"
- "Padme's assassination was ordered by Count Dooku (not sure why he would want that, but at least there would be a consistent villain)"

Instead, the assassination creates a tenous tie to Jango Fett, but by the time we get to Jango Fett you don't really care about the whole assassination bit anymore. Not even Obi-Wan is really caring about the whole assassination thing -- the minute the mystery of the missing Kamino is introduced, investigating assassination is no longer part of the plot.

The "Simpsons Opening" also conveniently places Anakin and Padme together, but it's clear that Padme's protection is no longer really part of the plot anymore.

The last domino it sets up is that it puts Jar-Jar in charge of the senate seat, which makes us believe that Padme has the IQ of a lemming, and is about as convenient for George Lucas as little Anakin suddenly firing missiles into the precise weak point of a starship.

These all make Padme's assassination attempt as relevant as, "a butterfly flaps its wings in Asia..."

I learned this by searching online: "While serving as Tyranus' enforcer, Jango was approached by Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation. Gunray wanted to eliminate Senator Padme Amidala, who had long been a thorn in the Viceroy's side. Fett subcontracted the job to an assassin named Zam Wesell, and armed her with poisonous kouhuns to finish the job."

The only part of that paragraph you really learn during the movie is that Jango is involved. Nute Gunray? Irrelevant to the movie. The motivation for the assassination? Irrelevant to the movie and also quite bland ("She was annoying. Just look at how poor her acting is. Clearly she has to be killed").

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[info]parakkum
2004-03-19 06:03 pm UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreen Select
That was why Jango was involved? Geez. I'd assumed he'd been assigned by Tyranus to go off/threaten Padme to get her off Coruscant, since she, apparently, was the driving force opposing formation of a Republic army.

Would have been cool if Jean Reno had been a bounty hunter hired to kill her, though.