In the News:
- Find our more about the origin of “Night of the Living Trekkies.”
- Aaron Douglas discusses his time of “Battlestar Galactica” including when he found a certain SPOILER…
- Ice caves have been discovered on Mars.
Multiverse News: Nigel Blackwood is back with an update from the multiverse.
Movie Talk:
- Ridley Scott reveals a bit more about the “Alien” prequels.
- 3-D Rage: “Time Bandits”
Con Report: Susie the Southern Geek offers her report on DragonCon.
TV Talk: Find out more about season two of “The Vampire Diaries”
Interview: This week, we talk to director Paul W.S. Anderson. Anderson has helmed the “Resident Evil” series, the recent “Death Race” remake, and talks about using 3-D more in his upcoming projects.
In the Future:
- Summit wants to make “The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner” into a movie.
- Could the Fantastic Four be losing a major character?
Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know. Keep your comments brief, or funny, and maybe you’ll hear your message on the voicemail show! See you next week with fresh new content.
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Disclaimer to start. I’m not a fan of anything Paul W.S. Anderson has done. In my opinion his best work is derivative of better film makers. He can film great action scenes but elements like plot and character development seem beyond him. Of the Resi Evil films; I find the first one to be entertaining, the second one to have some good elements and the third to be Phantom Menace bad.
That said I think the fourth Resident Evil movie might be a real test case for long term viability of 3D movies. Anderson used the best technology to film the movie, so it should look really good. The Resident Evil movies were all financially successful but none were a true blockbuster. So the question is whether the use of 3D will help Resident Evil 4 grow beyond its current fan base.
If Resident Evil 4 breaks out and does really big numbers then 3D may be here to stay. If RE4 does just OK at the box office then what will have been the point in taking the extra time and money to film it in 3D? Don’t think movie execs aren’t doing a cost-benefit analysis with every 3D movie that comes out. A movie that is more then just an up-convert from normal 2D to 3D will probably receive more scrutiny then its cheaper made cousins. If Resident Evil 4 looks as beautiful as promised it might be seen within the industry as a better test case for the long viability of 3D; then say, Clash of the Titans.
@Kurt: not a fan of anything he’s done? High points for me: Mortal Kombat, Event Horizon, and the Death Race remake.
You’ve heard me gripe about Event Horizon many times (and I will do so forever), but I don’t think we can blame him for that one because he didn’t write it. That heinous cop-out weak cheese ending ruined what could have been a new scifi-horror classic. So as long as I block that ending out of my mind, I can remember enjoying the movie up until then 🙂
Mortal Kombat did nothing for me. I’m not saying it’s terrible, I just don’t remember much about it. I might have to give that one another look. Event Horizon was half to two thirds of a good movie; I will give you that. I will also give Anderson credit for not remaking Death Race 2000 into; I don’t know, Death Race 3000. However, if Death Race is on TV I don’t watch the entire movie. When I have been flipping channels and seen it was on, I have enjoyed watching one or two of the better actions scenes; especially the giant truck of destruction, or whatever it was called, but I never cared enough about any of the characters to sit through the entire thing a second time.
Like I stated above, Anderson can create great action scenes, characters not so much. If I had to grade him, Paul W. S. Anderson would receive an A for Action, C for Plot and an F for Characters.
I haven’t seen RE4 or read the reviews this weekend, I went to see Machete again. I would bet a $100 to 1 that most reviewers will say RE4 looks beautiful, has great action, a muddled story and characters; perhaps I should caricatures, that are generally flat and uninteresting. I will be really surprised if Anderson has managed to raise his game up to T2 level, which is what he claimed he was aiming for.
I’ve always enjoyed the Resident Evil movies for what they are: mindless popcorn movies with zombies. I don’t get involved in the engineering of whatever superwoman Jovovich’s character seems to be or the machinations of the omnipresent Umbrella Coporation. I don’t even care that the movie series and the video games don’t mesh.
That said, I won’t be seeing this in theaters. It’s not worthy of spending that much cash on in my book. I’ll Netflix it instead, which means the 3D element is completely lost on me. I’m not even excited about the scare factor because I don’t get scared by the shock-scare tactics. That type of “ROAR!” movie is far too predictable anymore.
I only turn on the RE movies if I want to get lost in action and ‘splosions with zombies and Milla Jovovich. Not worth the trip and cost of a theater run.
After hearing the teaser about “not pulling punches” and “taking him to task regarding 3-D”, I was fairly disappointed the above statements referred to two mild comments about the hosts not being particularly enthralled by 3-D.
I did not hear arguments mentioning 3-D for the sake of 3-D (per the trailer shot of the axe coming at the screen), or comments on how making a 3-D offering often overshadows the main purpose of the film, to tell a story.
The comparison Anderson drew between the advent of sound and eventual evolution to immersive aural experiences should have been called as bogus. You can add sound to a crappy story, and it does not all of a sudden make it a classic.
I’ll grant the presentation in the whole can be affected by the various parts if we are talking about those parts enhancing the whole. The problem is 3-D right now takes center stage, whereas a good sound track, or good audio effects, are often almost transparent to the viewer, and only serve to augment the impact of the story.
Having an axe fly at you on the screen does not advance or augment anything, especially when I will be sitting at home and it takes me out of the story because it is such an obvious gimmick shot.
Well what we consider pulling punches and what you consider are two different things as we have seen. We LIKE getting guests who will talk to us. Pissing them off and being complete jackasses gains us nothing.
The point of the interview was to talk about RE4, not to have an in depth conversation about 3D and its flaws and merits. We took a small detour into the realm but if you get too far off topic or be a jackwagon their rep will kill the interview and blackball you.
So yeah.. I don’t think we’ve ever claimed to be 60 minutes in EXPOSING whatever. Mike may EXAGGERATE a smidge.. but you should expect that now shouldn’t you?
Merely providing feedback, not indicting you guys for any journalistic failure.
Wait . . . did you just call me a jackwagoning jackass? Man, that’s harsh!
LIES! I REFUSE TO SIT FOR THIS! Er.. Wait.. it’s hard to type and stand! 😉
No but really point is taken. I wish we COULD sit down with some of these directors and put the serious questions about the validity of 3D to them. Of course most of their handlers/agents don’t want them too. 😉 So yeah..
No..no! I would never call you a jackwagon or jackass. I’d can user MUCH better terms..that aren’t really… safe… to print… here…