The Avengers (2012)

[Blir]

I feel lost in this discussion.. I take it you're basing all this stuff about Nolan on things he's said in interviews and stuff, right? I find the dude boring as hell when he talks so I've never made it through a single one.

 

I do think it's a bit daft to judge a movie before it's out on your perception of the director as a person though.

[lumpenprol]

after watching the trailer for the Dark Knight Rises, i can safely say that it has no chance in hell of being a better 'comic book' movie than the Avengers, it might be a better movie for totally different reasons but at this point Wheedon needs to be hollywood's go to script puncher for any future super hero movie, Nolan needs to get the fuck out of dodge and never touch any DC comic or comic property again after Rises, please god. He did something wonderful in the first half of Batman Begins with Batman's orgigin story, the movie resembled a quadriplegic falling out of an airplane as soon as Nolan told Bale to do a forced gruff Bostonian accent in his batman costume and imitate (without giving proper respect to, in fact the oppositem Nolan talked a lot of shit) Burton's Batman down to the look of the costume and actual lines from Burton's movie, what a fucking hack honestly. It's one thing to rip someone off, but then to back hand them at every opportunity and act like your vision is superior, pretty low if you ask me. I think the last time i saw Nolan say something that made me cringe was 'Burton's biggest mistake was killing the joker' why is that? Because you think your shitty unfunny Drug addled Heath Ledger version is better somehow? Is that why you shoe-horned in Two Face into the 3rd act of a movie only to have one of the most anticlimactic and amateur filmmaker death scenes in movie history? fuck off dude, I'd take a Joel Shumacher Riddler any day over your desperately bad attempt to do a 'realistic' Two face for 15 minutes takced onto the ending.

 

I hope Nolan and Bale enjoy eachother's company, they both seem like highly pretentious cunts

 

nice post

indeed, rant on brother.

[Guest zaphod]

haha, thanks Gary. Does anyone remember how 'hard' Nolan tried to act like his visually bland and boring looking representation of batman was 'good' because he's putting batman in the real world? I feel like when Batman Begins really started being marketed, at least to the geeks who watched the behind the scenes stuff and early interviews, they hyped the 'real world batman' stuff to shit, literally hinging the entire movie itself on this premise. It seems like a case of over extending yourself because you're just not confident in what you've done creatively for your vision of the one of the most iconic super heroes of all time. Admittedly some of that stuff is cool, i liked parts of it. I just find it painful that people actually take seriously the 'nolan verse' rules when nolan himself is inconsistent in his portrayals of realism in the batman films.

 

it's total horseshit. his stuff is no more realistic than the avengers or any other comic movie, and it suffers from being grandiose and weighted in pretentious philosophical babble. that isn't what makes batman a good character. i normally find alan moore to be a bit of a pretentious cunt in interviews but i read one recently where he said the whole need to be dark and gritty basically stems from his work with watchmen, and he doesn't feel like it makes sense for comics to follow that particular path of deconstruction and self seriousness. basically what he was saying with irony has become very earnest. and nolan's batman movies are a good example of the film analogue to a lot of the post dark knight returns/watchmen comics that came out in the 80's and 90's. they're ridiculous by nature and the whole idea of a superhero is not about exploring hackneyed psychological issues, it's about using the superhero as a template for stories that can explore whatever narrative path you want, and the best superhero stories are not realistic at all. i'm really happy that the vision for the marvel movies is going to be cosmic in scale. that's what it needs to be.

[Atop]

you guys!

 

have opinions!

 

I think Bane is gonna rock the new film.

 

but whatever!

 

Opinions!

 

 

Robbie, your love for the Ang Lee Hulk amazes me, I guess I need to watch it again. I really enjoyed the Norton Hulk. What do I know???

 

and the 'Wonder Woman' dc animated film really impressed me. We agree at least on the fact that the DC animated films are usually damn good. The Marvel ones are not very good and then it is the opposite with the DC films vs Marvel films. DC studios will never catch up after the release of 'The Avengers', unless they atart emulating Marvel Studio's style....The new Superman film will suck I think. Zack Snyder? No..........

 

okay, here is a question: Johnny Depp as Doctor Strange??? maybe Adrian Brody?

 

I really want an amazing Silver Surfer film, with a giant green Galactus up in it.

[Kanakori]

Well, you know, trying to make an hommage to the comics instead of taking it to another level might be ok for fanboys but, in my personal case, I'm not 12 years old anymore and I need something more spicy, build up and realistic specially in therms of characterization. The Dark knight is one of the very few superhero movies I enjoyed.

[Kanakori]

Also something without nickleback or similar music on the trailer....That immediately turns me off.

[Guest Gary C]

Batman Begins is the best comic book movie ever.

[Blir]

Watchmen is mine. I know it's quite polarizing but I thought it was fucking great.

[Guest Gary C]

Watchmen is mine. I know it's quite polarizing but I thought it was fucking great.

A little too long for me*. Stylistically perfect, but despite sticking rigidly to the source material it deviated wildly on the ending.

 

*Apparently I've only seen the extended directors cut though.

[Blir]

I actually liked the deviation. I think it worked, although it's worth noting I saw the film before the graphic novel. So I didn't have prior expectations, but it really worked for me when I found out the original ending.

 

I liked the length too (lol) and I watched the Ultimate cut which was 3 and a half hours with the animated segments cut into it.

[awepittance]

the ultimate cut of Watchmen is the best way to watch it, i enjoyed it much more than the theatrical version.

Robbie, your love for the Ang Lee Hulk amazes me, I guess I need to watch it again. I really enjoyed the Norton Hulk. What do I

 

well first of all, i don't 'love' it. I think it was previous to Avengers, one of the only attempts to actually make an interesting and semi artistic comic book movie. It doesn't follow the generic template of other super hero movies. His father is the villain, played by a grizzled nick nolte.

 

The edward norton one was definitely more of a popcorn film, and i could see how to some people it would be more entertaining, it's just lacking heavily in interesting film-making or weight. Even though the CGI is dodgey in Ang Lee's hulk, watch the scenes again of Hulk running through the canyons in the desert, it's like a ballet. IT's like the hulk we see in the comics, who essentially can fly by jumping thousands of feet into the air. In the Edward Norton one he's just an excuse to show generic action scene after action scene, that aren't even particularly interesting to watch.

 

but at the same time i only marginally like Hulk better than Punisher War Zone, which is marvel's only attempt at a Hard R. It's actually quite a fucking silly movie, with Mcnulty from the Wire playing Punisher villain Jigsaw.

[syd syside]

Avengers was very entertaining and the action was fantastic. Best comic book movie maybe... Definitely felt like a comic book come to life. Where as Nolan's Batman as Awepittance said feels like everything "Batman" is secondary to this overly serious dull story/action.

[Guest zaphod]

the escalation of action in the ang lee hulk was what made it interesting to me. it mirrors his anger very well. and i found the overacting in the warehouse really engaging, with nolte literally chewing scenery. i was extremely entertained. the ed norton movie was just very generic and could have been anything. it wasn't really hulk. the ang lee version at least attempted something interesting, and even if it failed, it did it somewhat gracefully. i liked what he was doing with comic panel framing during some of the scenes. and i liked how it was essentially an old school monster movie taken to a really massive scale.

[Atop]

the ultimate cut of Watchmen is the best way to watch it, i enjoyed it much more than the theatrical version.

Robbie, your love for the Ang Lee Hulk amazes me, I guess I need to watch it again. I really enjoyed the Norton Hulk. What do I

 

well first of all, i don't 'love' it. I think it was previous to Avengers, one of the only attempts to actually make an interesting and semi artistic comic book movie. It doesn't follow the generic template of other super hero movies. His father is the villain, played by a grizzled nick nolte.

 

The edward norton one was definitely more of a popcorn film, and i could see how to some people it would be more entertaining, it's just lacking heavily in interesting film-making or weight. Even though the CGI is dodgey in Ang Lee's hulk, watch the scenes again of Hulk running through the canyons in the desert, it's like a ballet. IT's like the hulk we see in the comics, who essentially can fly by jumping thousands of feet into the air. In the Edward Norton one he's just an excuse to show generic action scene after action scene, that aren't even particularly interesting to watch.

 

but at the same time i only marginally like Hulk better than Punisher War Zone, which is marvel's only attempt at a Hard R. It's actually quite a fucking silly movie, with Mcnulty from the Wire playing Punisher villain Jigsaw.

 

So I rewatched Lee's 'Hulk' and I did enjoy the action sequences a lot, Jennifer Connelly is gorgeous in it. I am not sure if I ever finished the film the first time. The ending seemed brand new to me. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Nolte freaking out and trying to get Bruce to change was kind of painful to watch, til he turned into a giant electricity monster! Which was way cool. I guess my main problems are the reworking of the origin story, the editing was very 'Creepshow 1' style as well. I know he was going for comic book panel style but it was distracting I thought, although expertly spliced together. A lot of overacting on everyone's part. Nick Nolte was ridiculous, as was Sam Elliot. It drags on in many places, too much time between Hulk scenes. It had some very strange moments that felt out of place in a Hulk film. I didn't particularly like Bana either and I am a fan of several of his films. The last sequence was pretty amazing though with Hulk jumping around the desert and destroying tanks. There are elements I would take and cut from both Hulk films and make a better version. I liked Norton more as Bruce Banner but you are right about the Hulk scenes in Lee's version, very unconventional and cool. Fucking mutant dogs??? Nutty decision there but entertaining. So all in all I like both films for different reasons. Now we will get a Ruffalo Hulk film hopefully. Fuck it, the more Hulk the better. I don't think I said HULK enough times in this paragraph!

 

HULK!!!!!!!

 

[syd syside]

 

 

[syd syside]

The Avengers Demonstrates Piracy's Overstated Effect on Ticket Sales:

 

here’s one story that’s getting overlooked as The Avengers continues to set records left and right at the box office. The film is also allegedly the most widely pirated cam release in torrent history.

 

An early copy of The Avengers actually leaked out onto the internet a week ahead of release, and Disney was subsequently flipping out about the prospect of the full film being released on the web. Shortly after, the camcorder version had been downloaded a half million times, likely a record for the format.

 

However, despite setting piracy records, all that’s really happened is that this has shown how much illegal downloads of in-theater movies really does not effect box office tallies. Even if you’re using the skewed math that says every download is a lost sale, the pirates would only make up 0.5% of the revenues of the film so far.

 

Of course, that’s not the case, and anyone passionate enough about The Avengers to download it a week early more than likely had a desire to see on the big screen as well. Even if pirates are “cheapskates” the way they’re portrayed, cam copies of movies just aren’t remotely in the same league as seeing a movie in a theater. An apt comparison is that piracy of music does not prevent people from showing up to concerts. It’s just not a true alternative, especially for a film as epic as The Avengers. It’s not a full experience watching a low quality variant on your laptop.

 

Cam piracy does come into play to a larger degree overseas where it can affect box office totals more significantly. Films are often harder to find in different parts of the world, and a staggered release schedule can lead to there being high quality DVD rips of a movie that’s still playing in theaters.

 

 

In short, a film leaking onto the internet early has almost no impact on receipts in most areas, as the theater still offers an experience piracy cannot. But with unruly patrons and rising ticket prices, that may not be the case forever.

[azatoth]

Who would even watch shitty CAM versions. I don't get it, I remember seeing a CAM version or two in the early days of DivX and hated them, they looked and sounded like shit.

[Guest Gary C]

What, in your view, have been the great superhero movies?

 

I still think the first two “Spideys” were unmatched. I think they captured the comic and found some cinematic extensions of that that were purely cinematic. Again, I think “Watchmen” was slavishly adherent to the comic, and that sometimes is almost as bad as completely ignoring the comic and just using the title. I think “Batman Begins” is certainly my favorite Batman movie I’ve seen.

 

Huh, not “The Dark Knight”? Most people would say “The Dark Knight.”

 

“The Dark Knight,” for me, has the same problem that every other “Batman” movie has. It’s not about Batman. I think Heath Ledger is just phenomenal and the character of the Joker is beautifully written. He has a particular philosophy that he carries throughout the movie. He has one of the best bad guy schemes. Bad guy schemes are actually very hard to come up with. I love his movie, but I always feel like Batman gets short shrift. In “Batman Begins,” the pathological, unbalanced, needy, scary person in the movie is Batman. That’s what every “Batman” movie should be.

 

Whedon prefers Begins to TDK, thinks Watchmen is admirable in it's intent and that the first two Spiderman films captured comic book action the best.

 

Man knows his shit. Maybe I should see Avengers.

[Guest Gary C]

http://a.blip.tv/api.swf#huARgva0QQA

Half in the Bag (the guys who made the Star Wars reviews).

[wahrk]

 

Best scene. Hands down.

[Hautlle]

 

Best scene. Hands down.

 

Yeah, I saw this yesterday and everyone cheered/laughed at that part. Over-all it was pretty good, I was kind of bored at the start too, but once it got going it was a fun watch. My only complaint is how damn fast the action is in new movies. IDK if I'm getting old but with the quick cuts and lightening fast movement it might as well just be one big blur... Add to that the fact that if you tilt your head even slightly to one side or the other and the image starts getting blurry thanks to how the polarized glasses work for 3D and it becomes even more of a blur fest.

[Joyrex]

Who would even watch shitty CAM versions. I don't get it, I remember seeing a CAM version or two in the early days of DivX and hated them, they looked and sounded like shit.

 

I think it's more about impatience than anything else - I watched a few cam versions, and they were all pretty much unwatchable. About the only one that was halfway decent was Matrix: Revolutions (the third one) that was made from a telecine machine and featured Chinese subtitles, and even then it was about VHS quality. Not to mention the movie sucked.

 

 

Best scene. Hands down.

 

I LOLed heartily at that scene

[wahrk]

It reminds me of that scene from The Mist. You know what I'm talking about if you've seen it. I love those kind of moments.

[Guest zaphod]

yeah i LOLed heartily at the end of the mist too

[Guest Mirezzi]

Tried to secure a date night with wifey to go see this at the weekend. No babysitter. No dice. FML.

 

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