Let's forever kill the "eye-candy" debate.

Paper and McG, please allow me to recommend J.J. Abram's "Star Trek" (2009). It has a 94% on the Tomatoemeter, and I can't tell you how many people I've spoken to who were definitely not Trekkies, were dragged to the movie against their will, and ended up loving it. It's a really universally appealing Summertime Action Adventure, and a lot of fun.

If you like it, then you might consider moving on to "Voyage Home" or "Wrath of Khan", but at the very least, I think it a pretty safe bet that you'll enjoy the most recent take. And, they were really faithful to the originals, so you're not watching some bastardized version -- it's legit.
 
Paper and McG, please allow me to recommend J.J. Abram's "Star Trek" (2009). It has a 94% on the Tomatoemeter, and I can't tell you how many people I've spoken to who were definitely not Trekkies, were dragged to the movie against their will, and ended up loving it. It's a really universally appealing Summertime Action Adventure, and a lot of fun.

If you like it, then you might consider moving on to "Voyage Home" or "Wrath of Khan", but at the very least, I think it a pretty safe bet that you'll enjoy the most recent take. And, they were really faithful to the originals, so you're not watching some bastardized version -- it's legit.

I also agree with the new Star Trek being fantastic. I watched the behind the scenes and it was just so interesting how they found solutions to problems on set. Apparently Abrams said they needed to (paraphasing) "make it more like Star Wars". But it worked

I've watched the first 3 films and I hated one, 2 was good, and 3 wasn't bad. I really think they had the right idea but they couldn't seem to ever execute them correctly.
 
I also agree with the new Star Trek being fantastic. I watched the behind the scenes and it was just so interesting how they found solutions to problems on set. Apparently Abrams said they needed to (paraphasing) "make it more like Star Wars". But it worked

I've watched the first 3 films and I hated one, 2 was good, and 3 wasn't bad. I really think they had the right idea but they couldn't seem to ever execute them correctly.

Skip all the odd-numbered ones. 5 is the worst of the entire lot. 4 is sweet.
 
Apparently Abrams said they needed to (paraphasing) "make it more like Star Wars". But it worked

I've watched the first 3 films and I hated one, 2 was good, and 3 wasn't bad. I really think they had the right idea but they couldn't seem to ever execute them correctly.

Yea, Abrams did say that. If you watch the director commentary, at the beginning he says he's not a Trek fan, and he turn to Star Wars for a "how to" model. Or something to that effect. Which I don't agree with but hey it was still a good movie.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is for super fans only. You have to really be into ST to be able to watch this movie. Even to me it's boring.
 
I think you could both be wrong.

Ben Burtt who did Star Wars was the biggest Star Trek fan on the planet and used to LISTEN to the shows in college because he didn't have a TV - his dad would send him reel-to-reel tapes of the show's soundtrack.

Abrams brought Burtt on because 1) Burtt is the most well-known Sci-Fi movie sound designer and 2) Burtt knew the original soundtrack of the Star Trek show by heart.

Watch this awards speech where Abrams tells you all about it himself:

http://soundworkscollection.com/ben_burtt_jj_abrams_hpa09
 
I think you could both be wrong.

Ben Burtt who did Star Wars was the biggest Star Trek fan on the planet and used to LISTEN to the shows in college because he didn't have a TV - his dad would send him reel-to-reel tapes of the show's soundtrack.

Abrams brought Burtt on because 1) Burtt is the most well-known Sci-Fi movie sound designer and 2) Burtt knew the original soundtrack of the Star Trek show by heart.

Watch this awards speech where Abrams tells you all about it himself:

http://soundworkscollection.com/ben_burtt_jj_abrams_hpa09

Maybe Abrams is talking out of both sides of his mouth. But I knowwhat he said on the commentary. I did try and watch the vid but the opening speech killed me. I believe you anyway.
 
Watch it! It's a great speech by Abrams!

Abrams brought Burtt on because the sound designers/mixers weren't cutting it and it was a disaster in the mix room and Abrams wasn't satisfied.
 
Watch it! It's a great speech by Abrams!

Abrams brought Burtt on because the sound designers/mixers weren't cutting it and it was a disaster in the mix room and Abrams wasn't satisfied.

NO, the opening guy that's explaining the award, or is that Abrams. If it is he looks different.
 
Ok, we had the whole 'eye candy' debate and as a result of your vehemence on that nobody goes around saying it's all visuals anymore...

You've decided to read into what I have said, to a slightly ridiculous degree. I said 'viewers' you read 'fans', I said 'purdy' you read 'it's all visuals'.

What do I have to apologise for? For you trying to decode a joke I made? Because you live and breathe Avatar to the extent where no one is allowed to mock it? Did you write to South Park after the 'Dances With Smurfs' episode to demand an apology?

I made a joke on a thread, not started by you and not directed to you, and I don't have to apologise for doing so.

Saying 'I'm not sensitive about the movie' somewhat contradicts your response to possibly the worlds most inocuous put down.

I think you've misunderstood the point of this thread I started. Dude, I'm perfectly okay with people hating on "Avatar". Everybody doesn't have to like what I like. That's fine. Why do I care what you like or don't like? I never said you can't mock "Avatar". But the joke you cracked isn't mocking "Avatar". The joke you cracked is mocking the people that like "Avatar". That's different.

The "South Park" episode was fucking hilarious. And the joke was that they basically said that "Avatar" was stealing the story from "Dances with Wolves". Uhhhh, that's true. It's basically the same story. But more importantly, the joke in "South Park" is poking fun of the movie. And that's fine. I laughed my ass off, watching that. I also laughed my ass off, watching the Rifftrax of "Avatar", and they tore the movie to shreds.

Dude, I'm not sensitive about the movie. I don't give a shit if you don't like it. That has no bearing on my opinion or feelings on the movie. What I'm offended by is being constantly ridiculed for my affinity for the movie. It's all the damn time, man. I get so many little jabs that are intended as good fun, but they get old (and I'm mostly talking about this forum).

Nick, if I misunderstood your joke, then please explain it to me. I don't feel like I had to do any deep decoding. The joke seemed rather straight-forward and obvious to me. If "purdy" wasn't being used mockingly, then how was it being used? And if it wasn't mocking people who like "Avatar", then who was it mocking? Honestly, I think you'll have a difficult time explaining how that innocent-enough joke wasn't targeted at people who like "Avatar".

As far as the visuals-only argument is concerned, I'm not sure that you understand why I started this thread. Look, it would be totally cool for someone to say something like, "For me, the movie has no worth, other than cool visuals". In that instance, you're just making a critique of the movie. But that's not what I hear, and that's not what I was reacting to, when I started this thread. What I've heard so often is more along the lines of, "People only like it because of the visuals". That kind of argument is fucking stupid, and offensive. First of all, why would you pretend to know what's in other people's heads? How do you know why they like it? Secondly, how does any commentary on your perception of the people who like it have any bearing on your opinion of the quality of the movie? Lastly, it's kind of insulting, because it's basically calling people like me stupid.

Explain to me how your "purdy" joke doesn't fit the classification of an argument against "Avatar" that doesn't attack the movie, but the people who like the movie.

And as far as mention of apology is concerned, I wasn't demanding or asking for one, but I was surprised that instead of doing the easy thing (making a token gesture), you chose to insult me. If you don't know that calling someone's argument "pedantic" is an insult, then you don't know the meaning of that word, and/or are just using it wrong.
 
Lets see if i can get my head bit off here...I checked out the website and my question is: isnt this going too far? Learning the language?! (i know that trekies have gone too far but theres no stopping that) Enjoying the movie and watching it again or discussing it but getting into their culture is too much!

As for the movie lovveedd the eye candy, liked the story but left with a disappointed feeling and loved it the second time watching (cant fight the universal archetypes).

As for star trek, i grew up with captain Kirk (repeats), neverwent further than that, watched a couple of next generation (liked them), enjoyed the movies as fun (wasnt into film that much then) but was blown away by the new star trek movie! (was ify when it started but come on! how cool is captain Kirks birth!!!)

...i am a virgin, be gentle...
 
Well said.

It's funny because this kind of movie really invokes that kind of response. Whether people liked it or not, it was really rich in a lot of ways. Not the least of which was the "eye-candy". I think of it a little like pop music. There is pop music that's simply carefully produced plastic sounds. Then there is pop music, that while it sounds very similar, actually has a lot more heart and artistry behind it. For example, I would say a performer like Ke$ha belongs to the former category, while an artist like Lady Gaga belongs in the latter. But at the end of the day, they're lumped together.

I don't think film is too much different.
 
Lets see if i can get my head bit off here...I checked out the website and my question is: isnt this going too far? Learning the language?! (i know that trekies have gone too far but theres no stopping that) Enjoying the movie and watching it again or discussing it but getting into their culture is too much!

As for the movie lovveedd the eye candy, liked the story but left with a disappointed feeling and loved it the second time watching (cant fight the universal archetypes).

As for star trek, i grew up with captain Kirk (repeats), neverwent further than that, watched a couple of next generation (liked them), enjoyed the movies as fun (wasnt into film that much then) but was blown away by the new star trek movie! (was ify when it started but come on! how cool is captain Kirks birth!!!)

...i am a virgin, be gentle...

Yeah, learning the language is a bit much for me, too. I know some words and phrases, but that's just from seeing the movie a bazillion times. I gotta say, though, that the people on that website -- I admire their passion. Some people are really passionate about playing video games, some are really passionate about knitting sweaters, some are really passionate about cooking, but most people aren't really passionate about anything, and kinda just go about their "normal" lives, never doing anything fantastic. At least these nerds have something they're passionate about, and I can appreciate that. Also, they helped me by translating a few lines for my movie, so I owe 'em.

petruzzo, I think your comparison to pop music makes a lot of sense. This is a pop movie, basically.
 
Why are you taking it so personally haha? Who cares if people just think. I like David Lynch films, I understand that lots of people hate them, which makes me like them even more.

Also, Avatar really is just eye candy. I've seen so many other films where the government start wiping out indigenous tribes to mine their land etc. It's not an interesting film, just eye candy.
 
Also, Avatar really is just eye candy. I've seen so many other films where the government start wiping out indigenous tribes to mine their land etc. It's not an interesting film, just eye candy.

You're really going to start this off again, full circle?

facepalm2.gif


I'm gonna throw in my two cents here, but my opinions are not strong about the film. I was very entertained by the film. The fact that the story was based on classic archetypes did not bother me one bit, as I am used to seeing them in stories 95% of the time, and Avatar still did it well. In science fiction, the plot is often a vehicle for conveying the 'concepts' or displaying a new world. What's wrong with that.

I also thought the film was visually stunning, but I only see how this adds to the experience, and don't really understand how someone can say that a film being easy on the eyes is a bad thing.
 
Why are you taking it so personally haha? Who cares if people just think. I like David Lynch films, I understand that lots of people hate them, which makes me like them even more.

Also, Avatar really is just eye candy. I've seen so many other films where the government start wiping out indigenous tribes to mine their land etc. It's not an interesting film, just eye candy.

No, you're missing my point. I'm honestly not the slightest bit offended when someone says they don't like the movie. Seriously, it's cool, I don't care. I'm just tired of being poked fun of for liking it, or being told that I was tricked into liking it, because I fell for the visuals.

It is totally cool with me that you think the movie is nothing more than eye-candy. I only ask that I not be told that I like it because it's eye-candy.

Nick, sorry if I over-reacted in that other thread. I just grow weary of the little jabs here and there. Cheers!
 
Well i loved Avatar, you can't really fault the visuals can you? beautiful.

anyway, although it is frustrating when people can't see the real beauty of the film and i guess in some aspects it could be classed as eye candy for dumb people who don't understand film.

But don't let it bother you, cause at least you know you're not one of them people. It's great you're passionate about the film and appreciate what a cinematic masterpeice it truely is :)
 
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