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imported_Eve
Jan 26th, 2002, 09:50:54 PM
Is this supposed to be from H.G. Wells' "Time Machine"? If so, who is the lady in the tribal bikini. I don't think she looks like an Eloi. Still, that looks pretty close to the book.

Anyone know the official site so I can check it out and answer my questions?

ReaperFett
Jan 26th, 2002, 10:46:27 PM
Her name is Samantha Mumba, she is an Oirish singer. Apparently she is doing okay over in the US :)

Jedi Master Carr
Jan 27th, 2002, 12:45:56 AM
I am guessing she is an eloi, I guess they don't want to go with the blond hair blue eyed look for this movie. Actually I don't think Wells ever really described them. My biggest question who is Irons playing the head of the Morlocks? That is the only thing I can't figure out.

imported_Eve
Jan 27th, 2002, 11:44:02 AM
Well the Eloi are suppossed to be short, very fair skinned, very light hair, and kinda stupid. I mean they couldn't even communicate with the Time Traveler.

Samantha Mumba can NOT be an Eloi. But if it's Hollywood and they need a sexual interest to make the movie flow, the Eloi that Wells described, just isn't gonna do it.

Jedi Master Carr
Jan 27th, 2002, 01:13:43 PM
I haven't read the Time Machine in a long time, so I have no idea if Wells described them or not, I do know Wells Grandson directed and adapted the film so I would think he would be somebody who would know something about his grandfather's work.

Mu Satach
Jan 29th, 2002, 09:39:10 PM
Originally posted by Eve
Well the Eloi are suppossed to be short, very fair skinned, very light hair, and kinda stupid. I mean they couldn't even communicate with the Time Traveler.

Samantha Mumba can NOT be an Eloi. But if it's Hollywood and they need a sexual interest to make the movie flow, the Eloi that Wells described, just isn't gonna do it.


Ummm... I think the Eloi in the book are described as brown skinned, dark hair, dark eyes.

The 1960's movie with Rod Taylor had the fair skinned, blonde Eloi.

I'll grab my book tonight and find out for certain. :)

Mu Satach
Jan 29th, 2002, 09:42:14 PM
Originally posted by Jedi Master Carr
My biggest question who is Irons playing the head of the Morlocks? That is the only thing I can't figure out.

Yes, Jeremy Irons is playing the Uber Morlock. :)


and here's a teaser site...

http://www.countingdown.com/timemachine/


The "Official" site isn't up yet.

Jinn Fizz
Jan 29th, 2002, 10:25:00 PM
They had a really impressive display for The Time Machine at last year's Comic Con in San Diego. The display even included the time machine itself. And that was one pretty awesome prop to see.

I have high hopes for this movie, knowing that HG Wells's grandson (or is it great-grandson?) directed it, and the previews have looked very promising. For me, the test will be the whole Eloi/Morlock part of the story. I love the first part of the Rod Taylor version up until the Eloi/Morlock point, and then for me, it gets pretty boring. |I

foxdvd
Jan 29th, 2002, 10:48:54 PM
I have bad feelings about this one. True, Simon Wells shares some directing credit along with Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt).....but just because he is the Great-grandson of HG, does not mean he is a good director....heck his other movies include We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story and Casper 2....

Darth23
Jan 29th, 2002, 11:21:48 PM
The trailer had a definite Planet of the Apes (the new one) feel to it.

Jinn Fizz
Jan 30th, 2002, 03:50:45 PM
The fact that Simon Wells is HG Wells's grandson definitely does not automatically mean he's a good director, very true. My point is that since he's a blood relative of the author, then perhaps he'll show a little more respect for the source material. Granted, I may be being naive and Pollyanna-esque about it, but I hope it's true. :)

Mu Satach
Jan 30th, 2002, 05:12:58 PM
Alrighty... I figured out why I thought the Eloi were dark...

incidently... he goes into much greater detail regarding what the Morlocks look like. SCARY! :D

ok... here goes... just sporatic bits of description... if you want the full effect... READ IT!!!

Starting at the end of Chapter 3 and continuing into Chapter 4:

"I saw a group of figures clad in rich soft robes."

"He was a slight creature - perhaps four feet high - clad in a purple tunic, girdled at the waist with a leather belt. Sandals or buskins - I could not clearly distinguish which - were on his feet; his legs were bare to the knees, and his head was bare."

He struck me as a being a very beautiful and graceful creature, but indescribably frail. His flushed face reminded me of the more beautiful kind of consumptive - that hectic beauty of which we used to hear so much."

"But I made a sudden motion to warn them when I saw their little pink hands feeling at the Time Machine."

"And then, looking more nearly into their features, I saw some further peculiarities in their Dresden china type of prettiness. Their hair which was uniformly curly, came to a sharp end at the neck and cheek; there was not the faintest suggestion of it on the face and their ears were singularly minute. The mouths were small, with bright red, rather thin lips, and the little chins ran to a point. The eyes were large and mild;"

I... surrounded by an eddying mass of bright, soft-coloured robes and shining white limbs, "

and finally regarding Weena,


"I would watch for her tiny figure of white and gold so soon as I came over the hill."


Sooo... to sum up Eve was right... in the book they are described as fair skinned peeps...

but as they are also described as exquisitly beautiful... my mind made them what I think is beautiful...

dark hair, dark eyes... olive skin... mmmm... stop me now... :rollin
;)

but as a side note to why the production co has chosen darker complected people might be due to the fact that Wells also described the place as a lush warm almost tropical environment... and the Eloi spent a lot of time outside... so they may be going for more of a Hawaiian Island - undiscovered paradise feel. Cause really fair skinned people would be lobster red in that type of environment. :)

ReaperFett
Jan 30th, 2002, 05:46:09 PM
Hey, it's all the rage. Kingpin in Daredevil is Michael Clarke Duncan :)

Marcus Telcontar
Jan 30th, 2002, 06:12:31 PM
The eloi are hobbits!!!!

imported_Eve
Feb 2nd, 2002, 11:45:47 AM
See I read The Time Machine as subject matter in a college course. We analized the hell out of it - as one is forced to in college.

Still I think they should stay true to the book. The features of the Eloi could have been the product of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. Also, the Eloi and the Morlocks are both fundamentally human, as in they came from the same place and evolved differently, into different races over time. The Morlocks are very light skinned because they are nocturnal and live underground. The Eloi being light skinned link them more together with the Morlocks, and make that dynamic more interesting. That's just my opinion.

Secondly, it's better to keep them silent to the Time Traveler. There is no way that 800,000 years in the future that the Time Traveler would be able to communicate with the Eloi. Hell, we couldn't even communicate with people who spoke english a couple thousand years ago. It would sound like a whole different language (I took linguistic anthropology in college too). And having some knock-out present day woman who speaks with the time Traveler (who Hollywood gave a name - where he doesn't have one in the book I believe) just can't hold true to the realism of traveling to 800,000 years in the future.

They're taking all that is sacred about that book and throwing down the tubes. How's that for adapting your grandfather's book? Not so good I think.

I'll still go see it though. :smokin

Darth23
Feb 2nd, 2002, 01:04:18 PM
Good points, but I don't think English existed a couple of thousand years ago. ;)




The version with Rod Taylor back in the 60's (50's?) hat the Morlocks as blue-skinned. The Eloi all spoke English, of course, but that's Hollywood - pluss they had the 'talking rings' to teach them.



I never read the book (though it is really shor, I shoudl prolly read it some time) - but 800,000 years seems like a ridiculous amount of time.

Jedi Master Carr
Feb 2nd, 2002, 01:47:35 PM
Looks like they are coping the original film some too than, which isn't really a bad thing that movie is a classic. I still think it will be a good movie, at least I hope have to see it when it comes out.

imported_Eve
Feb 2nd, 2002, 04:05:59 PM
Well they didn't call the beginnings of english "english", but you know what I mean.

I'm up for a sci-fi movie anyday. I especially get excited when it's from a book I have read.

They have been talking about making Neuromancer (my favorite book) into a movie for some time now. I'd be excited to see that.

Darth23
Feb 2nd, 2002, 04:56:14 PM
"They have been talking about making Neuromancer (my favorite book) into a movie for some time now. " :D


Maybe with the success of The Matrix, Neuromancer and Count Zero and some other Gibson books could get made.

I'd like to see a Snow Crash movie too.

Unfortunately a lot of the cyber-punk elements ahve been seen in lots of other movies and tv shows, so the films might just look like carbon copies of stuff we've seen before.


It's too bad Jonny Mnemonic turned out the way it did.

Jedi Master Carr
Feb 2nd, 2002, 10:52:11 PM
Some people say that Neuromancer is unfilmable, if it is anything like Johnny Mneomic I think I would pass, I'm not really into cyber punk Sci-fi so I would probably not like it anyway but that is just my opinion.

imported_Eve
Feb 3rd, 2002, 01:20:48 PM
The problem with it is, that all it's great aspects have already been used, even though Neuromancer is the original cyberpunk story.

(1) The idea of the matrix - used in The Matrix
(2) A net junkie - :: yawn :: where isn't that used?
(3) A kick-ass street samurai chick - I think of Lucy Liu in Charlie's Angels, Rush Hour 2, etc.
(4) People who are full of enhancing implants - The Borg? This could be a fresh thing they way they do it in the book.
(5) AIs having god complex - The Terminator
(6) A half-baked battle to save the world (kinda) - I don't even need to say anything here.

I could go on. All of the book's content was mostly original, but other entities have overused it. I fear that this movie wouldn't get it's credit due. However, if they get the right director, and the right actors, it could be something. I'd go see it anyway.

It would be neat if they would make all of Gibson's stories into a series of movies, since they all mostly take place in the same world, with the same problems. Then they can sell 'em all together on DVD.

Marcus Telcontar
Feb 3rd, 2002, 05:53:52 PM
I remember someone saying a few years ago Lord Of the Rings was unfilmable. Now that's been proven wrong, I dont think any book is unfilmable

But I certainly wouldnt go see Neuromancer. The book I found was boring and a painful read. Altho the ideas were quite good inside it, I just found that it was not a book that leant itself to a nice Saturday afternoon on deck chair in the garden. Far too difficult to get into.

Champion of the Force
Feb 3rd, 2002, 05:55:17 PM
I remember someone saying a few years ago Lord Of the Rings was unfilmable.
Some poeple are still saying that. :)

JonathanLB
Feb 3rd, 2002, 08:45:31 PM
I believe this is going to be quite a good movie! The trailer is awesome and the final line in the trailer is tight. This is a DreamWorks movie, come on, it almost has to be good :)

Mu Satach
Feb 4th, 2002, 07:57:19 PM
Originally posted by Eve
See I read The Time Machine as subject matter in a college course. We analized the hell out of it - as one is forced to in college.

I read it for fun about 8 years ago.



Still I think they should stay true to the book.

To a degree... translating a novel into a film is like translating a piece of music into a painting... in my opinion... what ends up on the screen is ultimately a collective interpretation of the novel by the crew creating it. And as it's an interpretation... I'm open to discovering what someone else sees. :)
My personal interpretation had the Eloi bronze colored... it's kinda nice to see that someone else has the same idea.


The features of the Eloi could have been the product of hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. Also, the Eloi and the Morlocks are both fundamentally human, as in they came from the same place and evolved differently, into different races over time. The Morlocks are very light skinned because they are nocturnal and live underground. The Eloi being light skinned link them more together with the Morlocks, and make that dynamic more interesting. That's just my opinion.

Yeah, but based on how the human body has developed melanin to counter act the effects of sun radiation and that the Time Traveler thinks that either the sun is expanding or that the orbit of the earth is closer[chapter 5]... therefore there would be a greater exposure to UV rays, add in that the Eloi spend most of their time outside with just a few indoor gathering places for sleeping and eating, how would you rationally explain the light skin?

Unless you want to propose a theory that "light" skin is more evolutionally advanced than "dark" skin... and if you go there my friend you open up a whole other can of worms that has nothing to do with the story.



Secondly, it's better to keep them silent to the Time Traveler. There is no way that 800,000 years in the future that the Time Traveler would be able to communicate with the Eloi.

We haven't seen the movie yet, we don't know what all the "language" aspects of the initial contact are. Also the Eloi do talk. The Traveler just doesn't understand them... but he does develope a bit of communication with them after a fashion.


Hell, we couldn't even communicate with people who spoke english a couple thousand years ago. It would sound like a whole different language.

True, true... middle english sounds incredibly foreign... however what lasting effect technology is going to have on our languages has yet to be seen. Who knows if 500 or a thousand years from now our language will have changed that much when we are constantly reinforcing our speach patterns through movies, music and television... since the invention of the press our written language hasn't gone through as many transformations as it use to. Example... the King James Bible and Shakespear's work are still readable after 500 years. Whereas books a few centuries earlier are basicly unreadable by most educated people.

I'm not saying in 800,000 years there wouldn't be an incredibally substantial difference... but it may not be as drastic a difference as say us and the neaderthals.



And having some knock-out present day woman who speaks with the time Traveler (who Hollywood gave a name - where he doesn't have one in the book I believe) just can't hold true to the realism of traveling to 800,000 years in the future.

She has a name in the book, Chapter 5 paragraph 23
"Then I tried talk, and found that her name was Weena, which, though I don't know what it meant, somehow seemed appropriate enough."

And so Hollywood changed her name, so what?... in Frankenstein they made Henry be Victor and Victor be Henry. :D

"A rose by any other name..." ;)


They're taking all that is sacred about that book and throwing down the tubes. How's that for adapting your grandfather's book? Not so good I think.


I wouldn't say that... The Time Machine is not about skin color, or language, physical evolution, or even names. It's an adventure about what can happen when one part of society over rules another part of society. It's about the dual nature of man in an extreme situation.

There are mass instances where books have been completely butchered by Hollywood so much that the two stories bear little resemblence to one another. For me I'm going to be looking at whether or not the movie stays true to it's essence, not it's surface.

Like the distilling of grapes into wine... I'll taste it and then see if it's pleasing or bitter.

As I said earlier... it's an interpretation of the story... and interpretations are just that... interpretations. You have yours, I have mine, the movie is someone elses.

imported_Eve
Feb 4th, 2002, 08:56:16 PM
Mu:

The skin thing - don't put racial context where I haven't put any. You have made reference to me making conotations about skin color being a prominent thing. I propose no theory. If you follow your argument, then (given the deterioration of ozone) people would have stayed out of the sun, due to its effects, or perhaps would have developed a system for UV protection. We have already begun to stay out of the sun more, and all cosmetic products now come with some sort of UV protection, including sunblocks. We have learned that it is harmful, and the methods to protect ourselves are ever increasing.

Communication - Lingistics haven't worked that way. Languages influence languages. American english, for instance, uses many spanish words, which we have integrated into our culture, that may sound foreign to... foreigners. It is not likely, with past language evolution as evidence, that any type of communication used in 800,000 years would be conceivable to the Time Traveler. Our language now is the sum of many others, and it goes on. Hell, who is to say our brain usage wouldn't increase and we would become telepathic? It's a long time from now, more than we can even fathom.

The Time Traveler didn't have a name, and that's who I was referring to when I said "he".

You're not granting me enough credit to believe I care about surface structure before essence. But then again, your post doesn't grant me credit at all, and takes a reference to the true nature of the book, into an argument about opinions. Why do people ever argue about that?

We were also told earlier in the thread that the director being related to the author meant that he may know something about what he is presenting here. I disagreed and responded. That's what my post was about. Not a rant to get everyone not to see it.

The book is a great read, and its attributes are there for a reason. I believe all these "little" things have to do with the essence, and I worry that the version it is turning into will ruin its essence. The Eloi and Morlocks are MEANT to be so different. What else would you expect 800,000 years in the future? It makes it MORE of an adventure.

I believe I already stated I would be seeing this movie, so it is not like I was boycotting the "interpritation", as you call it. I'm open to it.

Mu Satach
Feb 5th, 2002, 01:22:13 AM
Originally posted by Eve
Mu:

The skin thing - don't put racial context where I haven't put any.


No, no, sorry it came across that way... that's my own personal pet peeve with the story and the Rod Taylor flick. I know it's not intentional (the movie and story), but for me the idea that evolution would wipe out dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin irritates me, greatly... I must admit that the reasons that it irritates me so much are personal and due to the lack of civility of certain persons I've personally known... unforutnately the after effect is that sometimes I come across as less than civil to others. For that I am truely sorry, please accept my appology.


Communication - Lingistics haven't worked that way. Languages influence languages.... etc.

Okily dokily... I yield. :)
Never taken a linguistics class, hell I think I never even did that well in English class. :D
Was just musing how technology would affect the spoken language in 500 years.


The Time Traveler didn't have a name, and that's who I was referring to when I said "he".

Sorry, I missunderstood your sentence... you started off talking about the Hollywood babe and I assumed that your second "who" was still refering to her and the "he" was a typo for "she"...


You're not granting me enough credit to believe I care about surface structure before essence.

Sorry again that I was reading that into your post. I guess I took the comment "all that is sacred" a bit too literally.


But then again, your post doesn't grant me credit at all,

Again, I'm verry sorry it seemed that way. That was not my intention. Looks like the Mu-ster has miss fired.

I just got a bit of a wrong impression and in turn gave you a worse one. Thank you for setting me straight. :)

Who knows... if it turns out to be a stinker we may both be bashing it like hell next month!!! :D

Friends? :)

JonathanLB
Feb 5th, 2002, 07:56:52 AM
Let's hope it is not a stinker. I really want this movie to do well, for DreamWorks and for me, haha. :)

It's going to be cool I think....

imported_Eve
Feb 5th, 2002, 08:59:46 PM
No worries Mu. All is well.

So when does it (the movie) come out?

Mu Satach
Feb 5th, 2002, 09:29:10 PM
March 8th, I believe.

Darth23
Feb 6th, 2002, 09:38:44 AM
When does it close? ;) :D

Jedi Master Carr
Feb 26th, 2002, 01:52:16 AM
There is a great article on the Time Machine here
http://actionadventure.about.com/library/weekly/2002/aa022402a.htm
I am interested in seeing the changes I do like when the director Wells joked that, "Screw this one up and a large number of people in my family will never talk to me again." I found that funny since he is the great grandson of H.G Wells. Its pretty good article and makes me more hyped to want to see the movie.

JonathanLB
Feb 28th, 2002, 06:24:19 AM
Man, next to the films I suffered through in February, this film is looking more and more like an absolute masterpiece.

I need to see a good movie soon or I swear I will forget what one looks like.

I'm seeing Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (my DVD) tomorrow, after not getting to it Tuesday or Wednesday, argg, but that'll be nice anyway. One good film, hehe.

Jedi Master Carr
Feb 28th, 2002, 02:06:13 PM
I think it will be a great movie, I can't wait to go see it.

Shawn
Feb 28th, 2002, 03:11:51 PM
Just to toss my stone in the pile:

I really liked the original Time Machine, and I'm still a bit iffy about this new one. I forget who mentioned it, but I get a definite "Planet of the Apes" feel from this remake.

Jedi Master Carr
Feb 28th, 2002, 03:36:43 PM
I think the Stargate Soundtract didn't help it any ;) The more recent trailers look better IMO and plus I liked all the articles I have read on it so that is what I have been judging my opinion on so far.

JonathanLB
Feb 28th, 2002, 07:26:32 PM
I loved the music they played in the Time Machine trailer, if that is what you are referring to.

I loved Planet of the Apes, so who cares if I get a "POTA feeling from this movie," LOL. If so, great, then Time Machine will also be a four star film.

Jedi Master Carr
Feb 28th, 2002, 09:59:32 PM
Do you mean the newer trailers or the first one (not the teaser that was a great trailer) in the first one they played the theme from Stargate, which has been played in front of lot of trailers I have no clue why. But in the newer trailers it is a different score that I like a lot better.

Shawn
Feb 28th, 2002, 11:42:30 PM
Jon: Do you mean to say that you liked the new POTA better than the old one? Because I think the general consensus is that most people didn't (I, myself, though it was pretty good - but the ending spoiled it for me).

Jedi Master Carr
Mar 1st, 2002, 01:25:08 AM
The ending was horrible that is why I hated it, it made no sense to me at all, still there is one possible explanation that I thought of a while back. What if the planet they were on was Earth but in the distant past and that is why Apes dominated but still that doesn't explain how Thade was remembered 10,000 years later.

JonathanLB
Mar 1st, 2002, 03:27:08 AM
I love it how people say that. I love the ending :) I love it even more because it pisses so many people off.

I haven't seen the old POTA, but I doubt I'd like it as much. I will see it soon, but I tend to like remakes as long as they are well done because today's technology makes it possible to produce far better films.

Plus, the old one didn't have Estella Warren in it and it didn't have Tim Burton directing. 'Nuff said.

As for Time Machine, I am talking about the trailer that I have seen in front of a bunch of films lately.

I have seen Ice Age trailers seriously in front of almost every new release I have seen, and I have SEEN every new release! :)

I have been to theaters 8 straight days now, for 10 movies, tomorrow makes 9 days and 12 movies. I'll probably go Saturday night also, but I haven't decided where or to what. I'm still behind, though, that much I know. ALMOST caught up!

Jedi Master Carr
Mar 9th, 2002, 01:31:15 AM
Has anybody seen it yet? I am know question if I will see it unless a couple people say they liked it. Just about every review has bad things to say about it, and to me is a bad sign. I am very reluctant to see something when I fear that I might be disapointed.

Champion of the Force
Mar 9th, 2002, 01:45:43 AM
I know what you mean. Rotten Tomatoes currently has its tomatometer reading at only 25% for the film which isn't good. :\

I've just come from reading Ebert's review and he only gave it 1.5 stars out of 4.

JonathanLB
Mar 9th, 2002, 01:51:40 AM
Whatever, Ebert is such an idiot lately. I don't agree with hardly any of his recent reviews. Maybe 40%, if that...

I thought The Time Machine was really awesome. As you know, my average rating in the last 25 movies I have seen in theaters was only 2.14 stars, so it's not like I hand out great marks to any old piece of junk. I gave Time Machine a strong 3.5 stars, I thought it was awesome. What the hell is the matter with the critics?! Are they all just stupid and/or blind? This film was great! I don't see that many problems with it at all, besides the fact you cannot say it had an awesome screenplay, just a decent one, the effects were absolutely stunning, visuals were great, the story was strong, I thought, it was very interesting. A very good film.

Champion of the Force
Mar 9th, 2002, 01:57:14 AM
Hey Jon, have you seen the original 1960 version out of curiosity?

It's just that a large number of critics seem to refer to it when they critique this version, so I'm wondering if perhaps they've found something better in the earlier version that this new one is lacking in. :\

Jedi Master Carr
Mar 9th, 2002, 01:58:35 AM
I don't know I am still suspect I am going to wait and see what a few of my friends think they are seeing it this weekend, I might see it Monday if they liked it. My worry it that it will be terrible compared to the novel and the 1960 classic but that is just me.

Shawn
Mar 9th, 2002, 07:44:36 PM
I thought the original was very well done and I'm reluctant to see this new one. It's been a long while since I've seen it, but I don't recall the original one making any mention at all of his dead wife. Even if the new one is supposed to stay more true to the novel, I think the old one was perfect just the way it is.

JonathanLB
Mar 9th, 2002, 09:27:06 PM
I admit, I have not seen the original, but perhaps that makes my opinion a bit more unbiased because I don't know how good the original is, I just know how good the new one is. Same with Planet of the Apes, I loved the remake...

Well I will check out the original when I can, it's just that I have like 1,000 movies I have to see and that's definitely not an exaggeration.

I want to see the AFI's three top 100 lists, each of which overlap somewhat, so that is still maybe 250 films. Then I want to see the 5 best picture nominees for every year the Oscars have been around. Then I want to see the other nominees from those years too, for instance if a film got a director nomination. Then I want to see all of the films by certain directors, such as Spielberg (I am missing a few, hehe), Kubrick, Kevin Smith, etc. etc.

It's sickening how many movies I have to see, haha. But in five years, I bet I can be through every one of them. My goal is 1,000 reviews in 2 years after my site's launch. I have 102 right now.

I talked to all of these film students at Loyola when I was there, before I came back home to pursue my own interests, and I was surprised how many of them, at least 75%, hadn't seen very many movies at all!!! I mean, my film partner hadn't seen many of the movies I consider absolute must-see material, and I haven't seen as many movies as I think I should have seen either. I obviously am a big film buff, but it just takes a lot of time. There are thousands of movies out there, it's not so easy to get through them all quickly. Then I talked to a senior who led my orientation group and he said, "Gosford Park? What is that?" I was like, "Uhh... the Oscar nominated Gosford Park, as in the movie nominated for Best Picture...!" "Hmm, haven't heard of it." I mean, this is a film student who is about to graduate and who is going into the movie industry, he should be paying attention to the industry he supposedly loves and wants to work in.

I think I'd have a better appreciation for how to make a good movie or write a good screenplay if I am first a critic and see and review thousands of movies, then if I want to get into filmmaking myself, I will have a major edge because I will at least know what I like and what I don't like, what has historically worked and what has failed. How can a good businessman by unaware of what troubles companies in the past have faced? How can a good general not have an excellent knowledge of military history and warfare? By the same token, how can a great filmmaker not have a vast appreciation for what makes a good film and what makes a bad film, and a knowledge of the film industry that outstrips nearly anyone else?

I am obviously not at that point, nor was anyone at LMU, and I'd just as soon pursue my writing and my business until such time as I feel I am ready to try filmmaking myself, and then I can come off the sidelines and onto the playing field, hehe, so to speak. Like that guy, Rod Lurie, director of The Last Castle and The Contender, a highly acclaimed film. He was a critic before he was a filmmaker and to me it is clear he learned a lot from his time reviewing because I loved both of his movies. Plus, I have a lot of respect for a guy who has the guts to try moviemaking himself and not just sit around passing judgment on other peoples' movies his entire life. He's a neat guy.

CMJ
Mar 9th, 2002, 10:41:01 PM
Lurie is fascinating Jon. :) I've thought so for a few years.

Wow...no one at LMU was a big film buff huh? Man at UNT's film school all we DID was talk movies. I miss "the gang" from back home to tell you the truth...though I know of at least 1 of my classmates who's moving out here soon. :)

Jedi Master Carr
Mar 9th, 2002, 11:37:05 PM
Well the Time Machine only made 7.2 million, Friday and it will probably do somewhere between 20-25, which may show that there is not huge audience out there, especially if its bad and drops 50% next weekend like POTA. In other news QOTD isn't even in the top 10 any more or top 11, FOTR is 11th and Crossroad (it only beat it by a 100,000 dollars I bet FOTR will bet it by weekend's end or at least I hope) I guess we will have to wait longer for that first 100 million dollar film I am betting on Ice Age.

Sanis Prent
Mar 18th, 2002, 04:28:11 AM
Time Machine Review:

Entire movie, minus last 10 minutes: Wow, pretty good stuff. A little slow to develop. C'mon, you're dragging in some parts, pick up a little bit...ah...better. I think I'm gonna like this movie.

Last 10 minutes: WTF? Is this Mystery Science Theater? That is the stupidest pile of horsecrap I've seen in my life! Bill & Ted's Time-hopping phonebooth made more sense than that garbage! Reverse-polarity TIME BOMB (Hehe, time bomb). Wow, and I calculate that it WON'T hit me and make me age a gazillion years...I'm such a genius har har har.

At any rate, the ending reeked of utter ass, and the movie can't get over the horrible conclusion.

Therefore the movie sucks beans.