TV/Movies Megathread

[viper37]

Did the Warcraft movie trailer get posted? It looks terrible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rxoz13Bthc

It looks like a WoW cinematic, but with real actors playing the human characters. All the rest is bad CGI.

Looks nice to me

[Martinus]

I didn't hate it either.

[Habbaku]

What's the least terrible videogame film? (I'm not sure the term "best" applies here). Prince of Persia? The first Tomb Raider flick? Silent Hill? I'd say those three are on par with your run-of-the-mill dumb summer blockbuster/horror flick.

Silent Hill is actually decent.  I thought the first Resident Evil was worth a shit, too, but just barely.  They're all pretty dumb.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Resident Evil.  Silent Hill sucked. 

[celedhring]

Silent Hill. Resident Evil sucked.

[garbon]

I didn't hate it either.

And you liked to claim you have taste.

[Grey Fox]

Speaking of Star Wars.

Saw the "new" trilogy on sale at HMV so decided to pick it up on Blu Ray. Haven't watched any of them  since their theatrical release.

So 16 year old girl manning the counter asks me if I'm "excited" about the new movie. And I sez "yes...was 12 when the original came out, looking forward to this."

So then, I ask her "have you seen any of them."

And she says "No not yet. But I got my tickets for the movie. I'm so excited."

Which I didn't get. But I guess this new Star Wars is going to be the "hot item" sort of like a Justin Beiber concert. Sort of the "in thing to do for teens?"

Well, yes. Have you been to a ToysRUs lately?

[Savonarola]

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1927)

This is an unusual telling of the story.  The director Harry Pollard was a southerner, and wanted to tell the "True" story of the south.  Consequently the film presents a romanticized version of the antebellum south, but at the same time depicting the evils of slavery.  It didn't convince southerners, and the film was a bomb on release.

The story takes some liberties with the novel (at least I don't remember the Civil War occurring in the book... ) In any event there's three things any adaption of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" should be judged upon.

1.)  The crossing of the river:  In this version it was spectacular.  I had no idea there were water falls on the Ohio River near Cincinnati.

2.)  The death of Little Eva:  thicker is better and they laid it on pretty thick. 

3.)  Whipping:  In this department the film really delivers.  I doubt that even if CdM were director of the film it would contain more whipping. 

[Sophie Scholl]

Did the Warcraft movie trailer get posted? It looks terrible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rxoz13Bthc

It looks like a WoW cinematic, but with real actors playing the human characters. All the rest is bad CGI.

I'm not expecting much, but I still want to see it.  I have fond memories of the Warcraft franchise dating back to a summer vacation as a kid when I got Orcs vs. Humans up through WoW today.

[Tonitrus]

Starcraft would make for a much better film, even if it just adapted the basic plot from the original game.

[Razgovory]

You know, the Valve guys have put on pretty funny shorts with their Team Fortress characters.  I think there is a potential to make something longer that wouldn't be bad.  They are insanely violent and absurd, but they work.

[jimmy olsen]

There's never been a movie based on a video game that was worth a damn. 

Why is that though? You'd think at least one would be an exception to the general rule.

[Admiral Yi]

"The Good Lie."  Pretty engaging story about Sudanese refugees coming to the States.

Reese Witherspoon is put to good use as the trampy employment agency employee who befriends them.

[celedhring]

There's never been a movie based on a video game that was worth a damn. 

Why is that though? You'd think at least one would be an exception to the general rule.

I'd say that it's the same story as in superhero flicks (except Superman) before the X-Men movies in the 2000s showed you could make millions if you treated the subject seriously. Before the X-Men movies all superhero material was treated as B-movie material, with terrible budgets (and in turn terrible writers and directors), looking to make a quick buck with nerds that didn't know any better. The same has happened with videogame movies.

Thanks to the Tomb Raider flicks, videogame movies sort of earned the chance of getting out of the B-movie hole, so now you have stuff like Prince of Persia, Silent Hill, and the upcoming Assassin's Creed movie - which has a lot of great talent attached to it. Warcraft is pretty expensive too. You show Hollywood you can make money for them, and they will give you money.

Now, I don't think Hollywood really believes in the genre yet, it still carries a big stigma and big budget videogame flicks haven't been too successful besides the first Tomb Raider. But they see the billions in the videogame industry and want a piece of that cake.

[Scipio]

The Assassin's Creed short film was pretty good.