Movies in General

TerraN_EmpirE said:

edge of Tomorrow.... Its fitting that they released this movie on the anniversary of D-Day. Because that was it was. They replaced Nazis with these Aliens called Mimics'. Replaced the alies with the United Defense Force. Then set to D-day Normandy but with Hitler... Or rather ET knowing where the troops were coming and when. The slaughter ensues.
our boy Tom Cruise plays.... Himself at the beginning, well not literally. He plays a Major in the US UDF contingent press office. A spineless Talking head who apparently got his posting because the war closed his advertising agency and he had been ROTC. Upon being offered to play Ernie Pile and break news of New Operation Overload, he ticks off the commanding British Overweight General, who promptly busts his arse to Private hands him a rifle with a powered exoskeleton attached and send him to the front. Because apparently you need no training to serve in the military or especially the Infantry.
yeah Hollywood... I mean they have one of Tom's new Squad mates go into the Invasion wearing his exoskeleton armor and a teddy bear taped to his armor. That's it.we are spared most of him... Because he is a riot armor type. All except a but check shot we could do without thank you very much. Seems the General is very much a grudge type as he assigned Tom the dumbest squad in the history of Hollywood War Movies.

anyway so our Private Tom is sent to the front of Omaha beach where everything is going to hell and after having his squad killed well still trying to figure out where the safety is and what end the bullets come out of he stumbles on the alien general and in desperation manages to kill it and himself with a Claymore mine, some how the alien Goo... That come from the Alien general sets this all in motion.
Groundhog Day.
he starts it all over again from being busted to Private.
on second time around he encounters our Heroine the "Angel of Verdun" aka Full Metal B----.
they die.
reset.
boy meets Girl girl meets Boy Boy shows off his skills at figuring out there the safety is and killing aliens until they die...
eventually after more game overs then I can count you figure out she had the same Deja'vu thing at Verdun and knows what it is. See the mimics come in three flavors your basic grunt, the commander Alpha and the stationary Brain Omega and when you kill a Alpha the Omega hits the reset button as its a poor looser. But if you get slimed by Mr. Alpha as he dies it trips up Omega into thinking your Alpha. So if you KO... Reset.
mission goal? Kill the Omega. Because if Normandy fails there is no more continues for the Human Race.
the movie was fair the action and FX were top marks acting was okay but there military advisers should have been Shot. The writer never spent a single day in uniform and was terrible.
Speaking of uniforms... Soup sandwiches everywhere it looked like the Crye Precision outlet store had a clearance sale and the costume designer was all about it.
Tropical Multicam for that guy, regular for them black for her. There was no rhyme or reason. Stuff that is normally subdued was bright stuff that's normally bright subdued.
Tom spends part of the movie in a bustardized United States Marine Corps Class A, they had no clue what they were doing. As the Uniform is all wrong.
they seem to have half a brain for the British uniforms.
mechanical design gets good marks. But they screwed something's up. On the right arm of the exoskeleton is mounted a FN SCAR-L with the stock and pistol grip removed yet Tom fires it all the time minus the suit. No sights no stock just spray and pray.
The Angel of Verdun goes in swinging a Hybrid Cricket Bat/ sword.

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Edge of Tomorrow...I watched that with my Old Man (60+ years old and totally not into games of any kind) and at the end his regard to the movie could be summed up to the "WTF" words...well as it seems to actually get what this movie is about, you need to grow up with playing RPG games because the whole "save & reload" mechanism is what drives the movie - alas first used by the "Mimics" aliens and then 2 humans, with Tom being the 2nd one.

So for us it can be understand as such: started off at Lv.0, went through Round 1 got busted but Lv Up, bump back to checkpoint as New Game+, keeping your Lv and skill set; more rounds, more Lv Up and advanced further to meeting the Heroline, more reload at New Game+...more progress, more Lv Up, more dialogues and criteria collected...finally, either Lv Max or made all the right dialouges and actions, no more New Game+ and final mission unlocked! The rest...well you know the drill.

For the "The Angel of Verdun goes in swinging a Hybrid Cricket Bat/ sword." and why, according to the original novel that's because it was actually more efficient to kill mimics with melee weapon than firearms, alas it takes more time to Lv Up to use one well...and the other "NPCs" are only low Lv NPC so...you know what I mean.

MwRYum said:

Edge of Tomorrow...I watched that with my Old Man (60+ years old and totally not into games of any kind) and at the end his regard to the movie could be summed up to the "WTF" words...well as it seems to actually get what this movie is about, you need to grow up with playing RPG games because the whole "save & reload" mechanism is what drives the movie - alas first used by the "Mimics" aliens and then 2 humans, with Tom being the 2nd one.

So for us it can be understand as such: started off at Lv.0, went through Round 1 got busted but Lv Up, bump back to checkpoint as New Game+, keeping your Lv and skill set; more rounds, more Lv Up and advanced further to meeting the Heroline, more reload at New Game+...more progress, more Lv Up, more dialogues and criteria collected...finally, either Lv Max or made all the right dialouges and actions, no more New Game+ and final mission unlocked! The rest...well you know the drill.

For the "The Angel of Verdun goes in swinging a Hybrid Cricket Bat/ sword." and why, according to the original novel that's because it was actually more efficient to kill mimics with melee weapon than firearms, alas it takes more time to Lv Up to use one well...and the other "NPCs" are only low Lv NPC so...you know what I mean.

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Some of us who grew up with video games might make this connection between them and the movie, but I'm really not sure one needs to have this in order to "get" the film. Did he really need video game experience to understand the implications of reliving the same day over and over?

That said, I do love knowing that I'm not the only one who sees that same connection with video games. .

MwRYum said:

For the "The Angel of Verdun goes in swinging a Hybrid Cricket Bat/ sword." and why, according to the original novel that's because it was actually more efficient to kill mimics with melee weapon than firearms, alas it takes more time to Lv Up to use one well...and the other "NPCs" are only low Lv NPC so...you know what I mean.

Click to expand...

Yes in the Original All you need is Kill Hand to hand was the best choice, but in Edge of Tommarow you could kill a Mimic with a 5.56mm. the Mimics in All you need is Kill were Bosses compared to the ones in Edge of Tomorrow. Heavily Armored beasts took light small arms fire and did not even realize they were being shot at And in the light novel It's not a Sword it's a Freakin Battle Ax.

Will a New Report on China's American Film Fatigue Change Hollywood?
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Will a New Report on China's American Film Fatigue Change Hollywood?

A new report says that Chinese audiences are growing tired of the repetitive nature of imported films, which bodes poorly for Hollywood's penchant for sequels, remakes, and special effects-driven blockbusters.

While China's box office is growing at a rapid rate — 2013 was up 27.5% from 2012 — the majority of that money is going to homegrown Chinese films and not American imports. Chinese films grossed 2.06 billion of the box office in 2013, which is up 54.3 percent over 2012 and makes up 58.6 percent of the total. Imports, on the other hand, only saw 2.3% growth — the lowest since 2007.

Compare the top-grossing movie, the local comedy Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, to the only American movies in the top ten. Journey to the West made $196.7 million. The only American movies to crack the Chinese top ten were Iron Man 3, which came in second with $121.2 million, and Pacific Rim, which was fifth with $111.9 million.

An Entgroup survey found that part of the reason for this slowdown was "the lack of variety in recent imported films, many of which are sequels and re-releases, and heavily driven by special effects. In contrast, local films, such as 'So Young,' 'Seeking Mr. Right' and 'Tiny Times' are more diverse and relatable."

If the survey is right, that's bad news for Hollywood. The Chinese market has been the saving grace of many an under-performing film in the past. The aforementioned Pacific Rim's domestic box office was "tepid," while simultaneously doing gangbusters in China. If a sequel is actually made, it's going to be on the back of the film's international, not domestic, success.

More recently, Edge of Tomorrow's domestic take was $29.1 million. This put it in third place over its opening weekend, losing to The Fault in Our Stars's massive $48.2 weekend and Maleficent's $34 million second week. But in China, Edge of Tomorrow's $6.7 million opening day gave it the fourth biggest opening of the year and allowed it to supplement its total box office by $25 million at the end of the weekend.

The amount of money in the Chinese market has already led to some changes in how Hollywood makes its summer tentpoles. Iron Man 3 was technically an American-Chinese co-production, with an alternate Chinese version of the film including added scenes of Iron Man in China. Looper also had an alternate Chinese version. And the upcoming Transformers 4: Age of Extinction is also an American-Chinese co-production and has included a fair amount of the film in China.

If the survey is right about the way Chinese film tastes affects the box office, and the grosses for American films in China continue to trend down, that could be a real problem. Hollywood's been consistently turning out more and more remakes, reboots, sequels, and special effects spectacles. And when these expensive films fail to make money domestically, the studios need the Chinese box office returns to break even.

If growth in China continues to slow, or even stops, how will Hollywood react? They could cut back on the potential blockbusters and do more medium- and small-scale films. What's interesting is that the not-sequel, not-reboot Pacific Rim and Edge of Tomorrow did do well in China. But so did Iron Man 3, which also managed to make money domestically. Hollywood may not abandon the current conventional wisdom that reboots and sequels of existing franchises are sure bets. But it could abandon making expensive original works and fledgling franchises like Pacific Rim.

No matter what they do, this isn't good news for Hollywood.

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I gladly celebrate this news because it increases the likelihood of films like the next NuTrek movie to bomb badly and ruin the careers of everyone involved.

I really, really want to see the current crop of generic, creatively bankrupt, third act splosionfest, Orci controlled drivel finally come to an end, i want to see the collective idiots of Bad Robot and Platinum Dunes exposed as the talentless hacks they are and i want hollywood to just stop with the current state of nonsense idiot films they've been churning since at least 2008-2009.

No more mystery box, no more third act problems, let's just get back to good cinema.

Or let the whole collapse under the weight of this bubble and let's see a new film industry take all existing IPs and do something good with them.

Player 0 said:

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I gladly celebrate this news because it increases the likelihood of films like the next NuTrek movie to bomb badly and ruin the careers of everyone involved.

I really, really want to see the current crop of generic, creatively bankrupt, third act splosionfest, Orci controlled drivel finally come to an end, i want to see the collective idiots of Bad Robot and Platinum Dunes exposed as the talentless hacks they are and i want hollywood to just stop with the current state of nonsense idiot films they've been churning since at least 2008-2009.

No more mystery box, no more third act problems, let's just get back to good cinema.

Or let the whole collapse under the weight of this bubble and let's see a new film industry take all existing IPs and do something good with them.

Click to expand...

I don't think the article even identifies the real issue here: Chinese audiences like American sci-fi films which involve a lot of CGI, but that might be it. This makes sense as China's or even Asia's film industries including Japan's are not good at making sci-fi films with a lot of CGI.

When it comes to other types of movies Chinese moviegoers already have a big supply from China's own film industry and the rest of Asia's which probably are more culturally relatable than those from the US or Europe.

Don't forget that China also has a quota system in place for foreign films, which according to the following article is going to increase. There has also been an increasing number of US-China co-productions and joint venture type deals, including some movies with alternate versions for each market, so there are lots of different ways the film industries in both countries can develop. Interesting times!

Player 0 said:

I gladly celebrate this news because it increases the likelihood of films like the next NuTrek movie to bomb badly and ruin the careers of everyone involved.

I really, really want to see the current crop of generic, creatively bankrupt, third act splosionfest, Orci controlled drivel finally come to an end, i want to see the collective idiots...

Or let the whole collapse under the weight of this bubble and let's see a new film industry take all existing IPs and do something good with them.

Click to expand...

Wow...why not tell us how you REALLY feel?

But..it ain't going to happen.

The film industry is rolling in dough. They know they cannot please all of the people all of the time...so they shoot for their genres and markets and make the best they can.

Some do flop...for example the rediculous Tom Cruise movie where he tried to play a rock star. But that is a part of the industry.

When you go international and try and address the various cultures and customs...it's easy to not hit on what they want. All in all though, I think they do a pretty good job.

With all of the rich culture and the unbelievable material available, I would be shocked if the Chinese film industry within China was not out pacing what Hollywood tries and bring there. That is why you are seeing more and more collaboration...and it works both ways.

Jeff Head said:

Wow...why not tell us how you REALLY feel?

But..it ain't going to happen.

The film industry is rolling in dough. They know they cannot please all of the people all of the time...so they shoot for their genres and markets and make the best they can.

Some do flop...for example the rediculous Tom Cruise movie where he tried to play a rock star. But that is a part of the industry.

When you go international and try and address the various cultures and customs...it's easy to not hit on what they want. All in all though, I think they do a pretty good job.

With all of the rich culture and the unbelievable material available, I would be shocked if the Chinese film industry within China was not out pacing what Hollywood tries and bring there. That is why you are seeing more and more collaboration...and it works both ways.

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Honestly, people have been saying those things about Hollywood since I started watching movies 20 years ago. At any moment in time, 90% of the content output by any entertainment industry will be crap. This holds for the movie industry as easily as it does for TV, gaming, music and even literature. Just go to any used book store and you can see how true this is.

solarz said:

Honestly, people have been saying those things about Hollywood since I started watching movies 20 years ago. At any moment in time, 90% of the content output by any entertainment industry will be crap. This holds for the movie industry as easily as it does for TV, gaming, music and even literature. Just go to any used book store and you can see how true this is.

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Why do you think Hollywood is sticking with Marvel, DC or comic book based movies? Everyone loves superheroes regardless of race, culture or creed. Hollywood is definitely adapting. They know it much better than you and me and are marketing genuises. A lot of the scenes nowadays and background shots are filmed on location in Asia.

Imagine Superman fighting his archnemsis in downtown Beijing or better yet have an American superhero team up with some Chinese mythological hero fighting some bad entity both cultures are familiar with. Even better have the 'white' guy play the antagonist and an Asian actor coming to save the day in concert with the American superhero. That'll be a hit since it satisfies the audience of both cultures! LOL

That would be a guaranteed hit although it may piss of a bunch of hardcore fanboys due to deviation from canon but at the end of the day Hollywood's primary focus is making as much $$$ as they can everything else is a distant 2nd.

I think the io9 article is spinning some. There have been long complaints of this very nature in general about Hollywood movies way before China was in the picture. I wouldn't be surprised if the author was using China for her own personal gripes on Hollywood. There was one Hollywood producer of hit comedies of the past essentially blaming China and foreign countries for why she couldn't make the movies today she was acclaimed for before. The so-called dumbing down of movies started domestically. Some say it's because corporations now own the studios and like a store product anything new is riskier and has a harder time selling to the public and cost more money to promote.

In regards to China, it just shows that there's a diversifying growing audience with different tastes. Hollywood hasn't made less money in China. It just doesn't dominate China like the year before. And some in Hollywood literally see that as a crime. Recently I saw a news story on TV charging China plays unfair to American companies when it comes to selling to Chinese consumers. One angle noted how American credit card companies are not allowed to set up in China looking to profit from the massive on-line retail business there. Spinning it that way it's true but take a step back and do we see a Chinese credit car company at all operating in the US? You in fact don't see Chinese companies having a presence in the US. Or yeah the lie of Made in China is what they're using in context. All are outsourced products for American and other non-Chinese foreign corporations. The majority of Americans believe just because it says Made in China it's a Chinese company and Chinese make all the money.

There's a culture in Hollywood where they're reluctant to include Chinese or non-Western actors. Including a familiar Chinese actor to Chinese in a Hollywood movie has proven to add more money to the Chinese box office and not negatively affect the domestic. Yet Hollywood is in the most part is still reluctant. Why? The simple fact is their primary audience is Western. No problem. Just don't expect non-Westerners to go watch those movies. What they're not telling you about China is the Chinese movie industry is more profitable than Hollywood right now. Most mainstream domestic movies in China which are attuned to Chinese tastes cost only $5 million to make and many gross $50 to $100 million at the Chinese box office. Most Hollywood movies are lucky to break even. Hollywood lusts for those kind of profits. The total US and Canada box office is about three times larger than China yet when Chinese movies make ten to twenty times more than their costs, the Chinese movie industry makes more money than Hollywood. Hollywood's dilemma is they want to get in that segment of the Chinese movie industry yet their culture holds them back. China doesn't need Hollywood money to make a $5 million dollar movie. Hollywood can't make those movies because they're trained to appeal to Western audiences. That's why you see a lot of co-production studios focused on Asia only audiences springing up.

I read that producer Tony To is now President of Development at Lucasfilm. I've heard of him for some noted projects he's done but to place him as President of Development at Lucasfilm? Not knocking his skills. I just think the reason why they put him in that position is because of China. Before this he held a significant role in collaboration between Disney and China. Not much of politics you hear about from George Lucas through the years but one thing that is known is he stood for a certain religious figure against China. It also doesn't help that Harrison Ford once mocked China when he was asked if he thought his support for this same religious figure would affect his celebrity in China. Ford said something like two cents a ticket didn't bother him. The Star Wars Phantom Menace rerelease was shown in China in the past few years and it didn't do that well and I think it was in 3D which is a big plus in China. It's free money on top so that wasn't a problem. I think Disney is afraid for the new Star Wars movies coming up and it's prospects in China. Another concern maybe during the whole Darfur scene, JJ Abrams thought he could call up the Chinese government and have them send someone to his house and explain to him and his friends why China was doing business with Sudan. The Chinese government did not send anyone to explain anything.

Player 0 said:

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I gladly celebrate this news because it increases the likelihood of films like the next NuTrek movie to bomb badly and ruin the careers of everyone involved.

I really, really want to see the current crop of generic, creatively bankrupt, third act splosionfest, Orci controlled drivel finally come to an end, i want to see the collective idiots of Bad Robot and Platinum Dunes exposed as the talentless hacks they are and i want hollywood to just stop with the current state of nonsense idiot films they've been churning since at least 2008-2009.

No more mystery box, no more third act problems, let's just get back to good cinema.

Or let the whole collapse under the weight of this bubble and let's see a new film industry take all existing IPs and do something good with them.

Click to expand...

Not always you'd come across good story like "The King's Speech" and it's not always managed to garner the needed investment.