tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post2031241501293337826..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Mixed FeelingsJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-56382479217688995402012-04-12T14:10:18.580-04:002012-04-12T14:10:18.580-04:00trialtrialllesintoplusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-19059925141502469912012-04-04T11:10:17.221-04:002012-04-04T11:10:17.221-04:00I subscrive Aaron's rant.
Peter Jackson (damn...I subscrive Aaron's rant. <br />Peter Jackson (damned be his name!) makes a point of portraying every character as the polar opposite of his book self. Thus Pippin and Merry are not smart but retarded, Gandalf is no longer an old wise man but an histerical fool, Frodo is a chickenheart, Arwen a virago, etcetera. Sauron is wearing a *shining* armor and bursts in a flash of *pristine white* light when defeated!<br />The movie audience thinks they know LoTR when all they got was a Monty Python parody of the books. Michael Moorcock himself couldn't do it worse.llesintoplusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-33513298591869355272012-03-26T11:42:16.548-04:002012-03-26T11:42:16.548-04:00More's the pity, as stories are /inspirational...More's the pity, as stories are /inspirational/ they really should feature someone to be inspired by. Someone should tell them that stories form the bedrock of culture and therefore they should be handled responsibly; they need to be interrupted in their rush to make a hoard of gold as they're incapable of thinking like this on their own.Pete Kinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03438651595079082035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-23283032816930791022012-03-26T10:15:52.072-04:002012-03-26T10:15:52.072-04:00Having recently seen this myself, and knowing your...Having recently seen this myself, and knowing your views of such adaptations, I was curious as to your reaction. I am glad to hear that you felt it was a somewhat worthy movie.<br /><br />Since I have never read the stories, I went in with no real expectation other than a fun movie. I got that, in spades. I also got the desire to go and buy as much Burroughs as i could find collected under a single cover.<br /><br />In this way, i feel the movie is a success despite ant nits to be picked or money to be lost. It inspired me to want to read the original stories.The Pretentious Foolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16735230941952160631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-76533012711685622112012-03-24T17:06:20.166-04:002012-03-24T17:06:20.166-04:00If your daughter has seen LOTR and similar movies,...If your daughter has seen LOTR and similar movies, JOHN CARTER should be no problem for her at all!Finarvynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798730645810799962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-71033407691879974682012-03-24T14:17:45.524-04:002012-03-24T14:17:45.524-04:00Personally I would love to see an Edgar Rice Burro...Personally I would love to see an Edgar Rice Burroughs biopic where the writing and action of Princess of Mars serve as the central conceit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21472504735365319042012-03-24T14:14:51.560-04:002012-03-24T14:14:51.560-04:00Your post inspired me to Google Books the Princess...Your post inspired me to Google Books the Princess of Mars. After a few chapters I am struck by the thematic depth of the work, which flew over my head completely as a pre-adolescent twenty years back. Indeed, ERB treated the issues of violence, chivalry, and honor at a depth where Hollywood drowns. I am not surprised you found the movie somewhat disappointing, although you tout it as "a fun movie and ... a surprisingly old fashioned one in terms of the story it <em>tried</em> to tell". Of course the trouble is that half or more of the story is ERB wrestling with how Modernism (including women's suffrage and emancipation) upended the expectations of his upbringing. Bringing that struggle to the screen would have made the movie historical science fiction, which is so far from being in a pigeonhole that it is simply unimaginable except as an outside-shot Oscar nomination.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-70543346216811508242012-03-24T10:14:15.281-04:002012-03-24T10:14:15.281-04:00Thanks James (having gotten your reply under separ...Thanks James (having gotten your reply under separate cover). :)Timothy Stonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12591260547388059848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-62743057135700953742012-03-24T09:42:07.196-04:002012-03-24T09:42:07.196-04:00This hits one of my gripes with the whole John Car...This hits one of my gripes with the whole John Carter movie's chances of success. I don't think JC is a bad movie, yet critics are ready to give it a beating while letting the Hunger Games get a pass because "it touches on real-life concerns in our society" (to quote some reviews).<br /><br />Please explain to me how a teen drama about reality-TV bloodsports set in a destitute future America is any more "real" than a action-adventure movie about a man lost on another world fighting against a despot and his personal loss?<br /><br />I'm guessing it has more to do with demographics and one is a recent popular book and less to do with story or a movie's quality.Servohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16722280935789817607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-18632869318131192742012-03-24T08:14:38.889-04:002012-03-24T08:14:38.889-04:00Great review of /John Carter/. Thank you. My neigh...Great review of /John Carter/. Thank you. My neighbor and I are fans of EGB, and despite the departures and creative license, we hope to dampen the gap Disney has between the budget and box office! :)<br /><br />We will be taking our 9 y.o. daughters. Any thoughts on the intensity of the movie? <br /><br />Mind you my daughter has seen all the LOTR films, Lost Boys (which I never realized was rated R! -- I think it's a PG-13 by today's standards), and the Spiderwick chronicles (in the theater!)Timothy Stonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12591260547388059848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-22850568945755490582012-03-23T22:56:21.146-04:002012-03-23T22:56:21.146-04:00I'm re-reading the Barsoom series and am on bo...I'm re-reading the Barsoom series and am on book #4 at the moment so I can't recall exactly where I saw it, but I know I recently encountered a reference to Dejah Thoris having been trained with a sword. She shouldn't be better than John Carter, but in the movie they managed some fun banter when they first started fighting side-by-side.<br /><br />Today was my 3rd viewing of the movie and for the first time there were a bunch of kids in the theatre. It was interesting along the way to see where the kids laughed. They seemed to love Woola and some of the more comedic scenes entertained them as well. <br /><br />I saw a theatre of kids who enjoyed the movie. My sister (who has never read any of the books) enjoyed the movie. I think sometimes we get too hung up on "realism" or reinactment and forget that sometimes movies can just be fun.Finarvynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09798730645810799962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-87272176874235119242012-03-23T21:51:19.566-04:002012-03-23T21:51:19.566-04:00On Dejah Thoris: I completely agree. One of the th...On Dejah Thoris: I completely agree. One of the things I noted elsewhere was that, in the 1910s, there was a very different idea of what makes a woman "incomparable" than we have today. I was a little put out about making her a better swordswoman than John Carter was a swordsman (and that falls into the criticism of the Carter Backstory in the film), but other than that, the independent-minded, active Science Princess was an excellent choice for representing what she meant to the story, in my opinion.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-69690131634568376232012-03-23T17:00:14.134-04:002012-03-23T17:00:14.134-04:00I found JC to be solidly entertaining. For me, the...I found JC to be solidly entertaining. For me, the best part was seeing Barsoom visualized in a way that was quite different from my own imaginings, but still plausibly connected to the books. The worst part was the previously noted "backstory" for JC himself.<br /><br />I am fully on board with Science Warrior Princess Dejah Thoris. I confess I always found DT in the books to be weak sauce, constrained as she is by the the conventions of a 1910s romantic heroine. For me, Thuvia, with her independent spirit and can do attitude was always the much more intriguing female character. With the "Thuvia-ization" of Deja in the movie, along with being embodied by Lynn Collins, Dejah goes a big step toward reclaiming her title of hottest babe on 9 planets.<br /><br />As for the alterations to the Therns, I actually found that tweak intriguing. I would have like to see how it paid off in Gods of Mars, but with JC being (I feel unjustly) savaged in the press. I doubt we'll ever see that.<br /><br />Savagist, I have to say that re Hunger Games, we seem to have seen very different movies, as mine was well pace, excellently acted, and pitch perfect. Specifically, the look of the citizens of Capitol seemed straight out of the book to me. I am curious however if you have read the books, since I thought I might have been unconsciously filling in back story that wouldn't have been apparent to someone seeing the movie fresh. I know at least one person who did that and was significantly less impressed than I by the film. So that's a potential flaw.Rafialhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07077298546098373938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-28779803354272608902012-03-23T08:15:02.249-04:002012-03-23T08:15:02.249-04:00whatever the case is with this movie, it has to be...whatever the case is with this movie, it has to be better than The Hunger Games. which was one of the worst movies ive ever seen in my life. Deus Ex Machina until you vomit Willy Wonka aesthetics and The Running Man done lame.Karlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06816975649174987528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-51732893283389085252012-03-22T22:59:06.369-04:002012-03-22T22:59:06.369-04:00I agree. Whatever problems there are with the stor...I agree. Whatever problems there are with the story (and they are not insurmountable, nor are they all that numerous), the visual elements are beautiful and worth seeing in the large format.faoladhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03691952430041394614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-37384089631015985682012-03-22T22:53:05.380-04:002012-03-22T22:53:05.380-04:00To those of you holding off seeing John Carter (of...To those of you holding off seeing John Carter (of Mars): don't.<br /><br />Go see the movie. See it at the half-priced showing if you have to, but go see the movie. Waiting for Netflix to get it is a mistake (unless your home has a theater set up with attendant huge screen).<br /><br />Go see the movie - your money won't be wasted. James isn't happy with it and he plans on seeing it again.<br /><br /><br />Just don't buy the popcorn...that's just crazy.PatrickWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02083947433803227063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-6230082967613712442012-03-22T19:51:16.539-04:002012-03-22T19:51:16.539-04:00I havent read the John Carter books but I did enjo...I havent read the John Carter books but I did enjoy the film enough to get me to start, so even if there were some seriously problematic issues(without reading the book though I didn't know!)with the film it was a win for me.<br />I love the first Conan movie. I have read all the REH conan, and half of a Robert Jordan story(Only half, I just couldnt cope with it!) and I would be the first to admit that the movie is far different from the stories. What possibly helps for me is that the movie story isnt an adaptation of a written story, more a borrowing of the character, to the point where he just might be a totally different Cimmerian by the name of Conan.<br />I enjoyed to Lotr movies, but......<br />I have to agree with James. The characters felt completely different for no apparent reason.<br />Merry and Pippin being stupid,<br />Aragorn, I dont want this destiny,<br />Treebeard, we arent getting involved, <br />Theoden, lets run and hide at Dunharrow,<br />Faramir taking Frodo to Osgiliath and nearly not showing his true character.<br />The ghost army wiping out the Orcs at Minis Tirith making the Riders of Rohan charge seem like a waste of time. ie if they had waited the ghosts would have done all the work!<br />The list goes on and on. What really ercked me was none of the heroes seeming to want to be heroes. They all had to tricked, cajoled or forced!<br />Sorry, rant overAaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13940306487312423592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-1858842014513175432012-03-22T18:12:12.770-04:002012-03-22T18:12:12.770-04:00True, but in terms of character, society and gener...True, but in terms of character, society and general temparement they were closer than I thought they'd get. They are far more anthropomorphised than I would've liked (I particularly miss the independent movement of each eye, too, that would've been a cool thing to see), but this is Disney, who anthropomorphise Dinosaurs in an otherwise hyperrealistic CGI movie.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-43624888131934831672012-03-22T18:08:17.153-04:002012-03-22T18:08:17.153-04:00I didn't say best part, I said it was not a go...<i>I didn't say best part, I said it was not a good thing.</i><br /><br />I did not mean to imply such, I was agreeing with you.Taranaichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02176999342965850175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-75449540088588657032012-03-22T18:08:08.914-04:002012-03-22T18:08:08.914-04:00Not at all :)Not at all :)Nagorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04934827653905274555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-55351348323889012582012-03-22T17:02:49.013-04:002012-03-22T17:02:49.013-04:00Point taken. "Contemptuous" was probably...Point taken. "Contemptuous" was probably too strong a word.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-42241063521242452972012-03-22T17:00:36.436-04:002012-03-22T17:00:36.436-04:00You have said that before, which is why this state...You have said that before, which is why this statement struck me as both unfair and in contrast with your previous opinion:<br /><br />"I am even contemptuous of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies...."<br /><br />'Contemptuous'? A bit strong, no? You might not be entirely satisfied with them, you might be disappointed in their textual accuracy, but to have *contempt* for arguably the finest fantasy films ever produced?cherryfunkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14813128543861436476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-87979721546618992292012-03-22T16:38:58.337-04:002012-03-22T16:38:58.337-04:00I've said before -- on this blog, no less -- t...I've said before -- on this blog, no less -- that I <i>do</i> think it's a miracle we got movies as good as we got. There's <i>a lot</i> to like in them, but very little of what's good comes from Jackson and his comrades' imaginations but rather from Tolkien's. The farther they strayed from the text, the worse the movies are in my opinion -- and they stray a lot more than I'd have preferred.James Maliszewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-84809358942190035992012-03-22T16:28:14.644-04:002012-03-22T16:28:14.644-04:00I read the original drafts of the scripts -- you w...I read the original drafts of the scripts -- you would not believe how much better the finished films were. There's no way in hell we were ever going to get a better trilogy of films out of Hollywood -- indeed it's an absolute miracle PJ managed to make them as true to the novel as he did.<br /><br />And even you, oh curmudgeonly one, must be impressed by the cast and their performances. Ian McKellen as Gandalf? Bernard Hill as Theoden? Tremendous performances.cherryfunkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14813128543861436476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-25101335313572284502012-03-22T15:53:12.811-04:002012-03-22T15:53:12.811-04:00The Disneyfied look of the Tharks from the preview...The Disneyfied look of the Tharks from the previews was my first clue that this wass not something I'd want to watch.<br />Unlike a lot of folks, if I really like a book I'd just as soon NOT see it made into a movie... especially the sort of corporate by-committee thing that $200 million basically ensures.Timmy Crabcakeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14737954661234574830noreply@blogger.com