You have touched on one my pet peeves. Overuse of the handheld camera! EVERY action movie is using that technique now because they can, and it is annoying and hard to look at. I understand the need to draw the audience into the action, but when its shaky and panning to the point where everything is a blur it just isn't cool.
> > --- In scifino...@yahoogro > ups.com<http://mc/compose?to=scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com>, > Keith Johnson <KeithBJohnson@ ...> wrote: > > > > You like "GI Joe" better??? Wow. > > > > I liked "Joe" okay, but found it to be a frankly brain-on-hold film. Not > a thing wrong with that: i enjoyed it, laughed a lot, and it had some good > action. I just expected "District 9" to be seen in a different light, since > it's a "serious" movie, as opposed to Joe. > > > > By the way, my one major complaint with "G.I. Joe"? it's the same one I > have with other movies Sommers has directed, like "Van Helsing", the same > complaint I have with a lot of directors nowadays: the camera work! What is > it about directors now, especially younger ones, that makes them think the > camera jumping all over the place is a good thing. I get trying to convey a > sense of frenetic action. There are times when using a steadycam or whatever > works: chase scenes, for example, when the camera's shaking and moving > around, making the audience feel the intensity of being the pursued or the > pursuer. Some moments of battle: right after an explosion, in the middle of > a firefight when guys are so confused and terrified and angry they're all > over the place. Used well, it enhances the action. The third Bourne movie > did a good job of that. But with "Joe", I literally couldn't follow the > fights. The girlfight? Just a bunch of one-second cuts where I couldn't see > who was kicking whom and couldnt even tell who had the better fighting > style. Snake Eyes and his evil "brother" in the martial arts showdown? > too-fast shots of weapons flying and kicks, with me completely unable to > tell what was going on. > > > > I really, really, hate the direction directors in Hollywood are going. > Again, I get action. But when I literally can't see a sword stroke, to savor > the skill of the wielder, because the scene is shot from six inches away, > and the camera only holds for two seconds, it becomes simply a overhyped > mess that does nothing more than confuse, anger, and dizzy me. These > directors need to study Hong Kong action films, martial arts films taking > place in ancient China, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and any American > action film shot before 1980, where directors and cinematographers > understood the concept of the wide shot, the pan, and how to shoot and > incredibly intense fight scene from a distance. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Augustus Augustus" <jazzynupe_007@ ...> > > To: scifino...@yahoogro > > ups.com<http://mc/compose?to=scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com> > > Sent: Saturday, August 15, 2009 8:38:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to "District 9" > > > > > > > > > > > > > > well Keith i saw it yesterday, and i am not going 2 say anything about it > until a few more people see it. i had a few issues with it, but it was an > o.k. sci-fi picture..... ......liked g.i. joe better though (but that is > just the Marine in me). Although they did show a very nice trailer for > 'Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief' movie due in february of next year. i > originally bought the books 4 my son. he enjoyed them so much that he asked > me 2 read them, and they are actually quite good. > > > > Fate. > > > > --- On Sat, 8/15/09, Keith Johnson <KeithBJohnson@ ...> wrote: > > > > > > > > From: Keith Johnson <KeithBJohnson@ ...> > > Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to "District 9" > > To: scifino...@yahoogro > > ups.com<http://mc/compose?to=scifinoir2%40yahoogroups.com> > > Date: Saturday, August 15, 2009, 12:22 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > He's white, right? Not surprised though: I think even Peter Jackson and > his friends are from New Zealand, South Africa, etc., and probably have a > circle of friends and acquaintances that are mostly like them. > > > > I hope to see the movie tomorrow, but also want to see the new Miyazaki > film! > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "George Arterberry" <brotherfromhoward@ yahoo.com> > > To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 4:22:17 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to "District 9" > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I've been following this for months.I'm just glad to see my favorite > vacation spot (South Africa] in a so-called major Hollywood movie. > > Still even though filmed in south Africa the major hero/star of the movie > is of what color??? > > > > --- On Thu, 8/13/09, C.W. Badie <astromancer2002@ yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > > > > > From: C.W. Badie <astromancer2002@ yahoo.com> > > Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to "District 9" > > To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > Date: Thursday, August 13, 2009, 10:23 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > Oh well...That kills my speculations about District 9 going to be a > tongue in cheek comedy... > > > > --- On Tue, 8/11/09, Keith Johnson <KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net> wrote: > > > > > > > > From: Keith Johnson <KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net> > > Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to "District 9" > > To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > Date: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 11:04 PM > > > > > > > > > > > > I knew about it, but never made the connection until I heard it on Slice > of SciFi. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Martin Baxter" <truthseeker013@ lycos.com> > > To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:00:28 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to "District 9" > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks for that, Keith. I really didn't know about the Halo movie. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------[ Received Mail Content ]---------- > > Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to "District 9" > > Date : Tue, 11 Aug 2009 04:41:07 +0000 (UTC) > > From : Keith Johnson <KeithBJohnson@ comcast.net> > > To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > > > I heard on the podcast "Slice of SciFi" a fan call in and say how > District 9 reminded him of ID4 and the videogame "Halo". The hosts said, > "yeah it looks a lot like 'Halo', down to the aliens". They said that this > is the case because, if you remember, Peter Jackson was initially engaged to > do a movie version of "Halo". Ultimately that project fell through, but the > rumour is he was so far into planning for "Halo", he decided to do a > different concept, and gave the project over to another guy to direct as > "District 9". Not sure if this is true, but I do remember Jackson was > working on a "Halo" movie. So i guess it's not a big stretch to think that > the production setups he might have had in place for that were then moved to > this flick. > > > > I need to do some research for the truth of this... > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Martin Baxter" > > To: scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > Sent: Saturday, August 8, 2009 7:51:36 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > > Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Looking forward to "District 9" > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Keith, I'm hyped for it as well. I've been avoiding any websites that > hawk it in anyway, primarily because of my aversion to critics. All but one > person I've spoken to regarding it are keen to see it as well. (That one > refers to it as an " 'Alien Nation' ripoff".) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------[ Received Mail Content ]---------- > > Subject : [scifinoir2] Looking forward to "District 9" > > Date : Sat, 8 Aug 2009 06:55:00 +0000 (UTC) > > From : Keith Johnson > > To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com > > > > The "District 9" flick has me really intrigued. with its locale of South > Africa (so different from usual Hollywood story locatons), it's gritty look, > and the fact that it's a Peter Jackson joint, i have high hopes. Indeed, I'm > actually looking forward to it more than I have any other movie so far this > year, including Star Trek. Anyone heard any early buzz? I did find favorable > reviews via jumping from Rotten Tomatoes (something I loathe to do, but as > local newspapers fire more critics, I'm having to venture further afield to > even find real critics). > > > > http://www.rottento matoes.com/ m/district_ 9/ > > > > ************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* > ********* > > http://boxoffice. com/reviews/ 2009/07/district -9.php > > > > > > > > District 9 is about the apartheid struggle in South Africa. For those > under the age of 35 or so, apartheid was the system of racial segregation > legally established by the government of South Africa between 1948 and 1994. > No matter what else it seems to be about, District 9 , a film made a young, > white, South African director, is about apartheid. Co-writer/director Neill > Blomkamp spent his formative years living under the system of apartheid and > has conscientiously insinuated the issue into his film. The attitudes, > ideals and actions of the characters, from everyday citizens to government > officials and those in business, reflect those that were common during the > apartheid regime. The filmmakers, including producer Peter Jackson, have > stealthily laid the artifacts of these dark days beneath the guise of an > Alien invasion movie that is intense, graphically novelistic (though it’s > an original story) and just funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained, > even while the s! ! ubtext is of a very serious nature. Buzz and an also > clever marketing scheme suggest this should be worth a few bucks at the box > officeâ€"especially if the audience is mostly under 35. > > > > The film is told using a number of cinematic modes including documentary > footage, mockumentary footage, newsreel accounts, surveillance cameras and > the standard story elements of narrative fiction. This is actually less > chaotic than it sounds and serves to move the narrative along at a brisk > pace. There’s little need here for filler. The filmmakers can justify any > narrative exposition by putting a camera on the action (any potential > camera) and just showing us, or having the characters explain the action to > the cameramen. When all else fails Blomkamp inserts a movie moment and > presses on. Lovely. Mister Blomkamp is a fine director who cut his teeth on > commercials and music videos, and at the knee of director and special > effects guru Peter Jackson. Between the two of them (Jackson’s company was > employed for the effects) they’ve come up with the best CGI effects film > to date. The spacecrafts, the cityscapes, the weapons effects and the aliens > themselves (which we are! ! told are 100 percent CGI) are all exceptional. > But the best thing in the movie is lead actor Sharlto Copley, a long time > friend of the director and fairly novice actor. Copley is pitch perfect, > delicately straddling the line between ordinary Afrikaans racist and > empathic hero. > > > > The narrative of District 9 revolves around a giant alien spacecraft that > came to rest above downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, some 20 years before > the story began. Inhabited by one million crawfish-like, cat food and raw > meat eating, humanoid aliens, little can be discerned about where the ship > came from or who the creatures are. They are simply here. They are strong > but without direction or purpose, mostly docile and apparently of little use > to humanity. So we warehouse themâ€"in District 9. Then, we decide to > forcibly move them to a different, shoddier, interment camp. > > While other nations are far from guiltless of such cruelties, the > emphasis here is on the South African history. Still, the structures the > film employs are incisive and direct and, if you’re over 35, they might > piss you off. > > > > Distributor: Sony Pictures > > Cast: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt, Sylvaine Strike, > William Allen Young and Robert Hobbs > > Director: Neill Blomkamp > > Screenwriters: Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell > > Producers: Peter Jackson > > Genre: Science Fiction > > Rating: Rated R for bloody violence and pervasive language. > > Running Time: 113 min. > > Release date: August 14, 2009 > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds > > > > > > > > http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=JQdwk8Yntds > > > > > > > > > -- Bringing diversity to perversity for 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
