corellian77

TV's Frink said:

Honestly I had a lot of trouble with that scene.  There isn't much dialogue to work with.

I hope my comment didn't come off as sounding critical.  I actually think the repeated "she's been gone a month" line is hilarious.

The "four of us went out, thirty of us came back" line would be extra funny if a bunch of people could be composited into the background, just wandering around.

Wait, I'm confused... how long has Shmi been gone?

timdiggerm said:

Alien wasn't intended to portray an alternate future in which we never progressed beyond CRTs or regressed to CRTs or whatever; it's just that that's what was available (within budget, feasible, etc) to the filmmakers.

As a counter-argument, I'd point out that we have 3mm thin OLED TVs commercially available today, but we're not seeing any on-board any current space-faring vessels.  I think there's a difference between what's technologically possible versus what's technologically and economically feasible and reliable.

If you gave the Alien team easy access to flatscreens or CGI-holograms back then, I bet they would have used those instead. Maybe they would have had them flicker or whatever, to demonstrate that the Nostromo is a hulking rustbucket, but they would have picked whatever they could that would indicate to viewers "This is clearly taking place in The Future".

The difference between CRT monitors and CGI-produced floating holograms is that CRT monitors are real technology, and therefore create a feeling of realism in the film--the Nostromo feels like a real vessel because everything on-board is real.  The Prometheus, on the other hand, with is interactive holographic displays, only serves to remind me that I'm being asked to buy into yet another element of fantasy. 

All this aside, what I really liked about the look of the Nostromo in Alien was that it contributed to the atmosphere and narrative.  Everything just looked so cold -- the lighting, the computer systems... everything served to remind the viewer how uncaring and alone the crew members were.  I think Mother in particular serves to illustrate this point.  Here you have a machine with a name that should reflect a source of comfort, and yet, ironically, with its perfunctory responses and mechanical sounds, it really drove home the feeling of utter isolation and abandonment.  The look and feel of everything on-board the Nostromo just screamed "inhospitable," which in turn directly affected the entire mood of the film.  This is an element that will sadly be lost if the Prometheus looks too much like a luxury liner.

Akwat Kbrana said:

Seriously, dude, sometimes it seems like you're just looking for things to gripe about...

"Sometimes?"

And I'd agree with you about The Village -- it's one of my two favourite Shyamalan films (the other being Unbreakable).  I think what ruined it for audiences was that it was marketed as a horror/thriller, when in fact I'd categorize it as a romance (albeit set against a backdrop with elements of horror in it).  While admittedly the twist in this film was a little predictable and had become a cliché for Shyamalan by this point, unlike The Sixth Sense the film doesn't rely on the surprise ending to work.  I've seen it a number of times, and I've actually enjoyed it more with each viewing.

Are you ever happy about anything?

walking_carpet said:

-we all know about -'i love you' 'i know' - but i also like when chewie howls in protest and gets violent. han tries to calm him down telling him it'll be alright and talking sense into him. 

I agree- this is a great scene.  As a kid, when Han says, "Chewie!  Chewie, this won't help me... Save your strength.  There'll be another time," I remember thinking 'Hey, they're not getting out of this one this time.'  It's a powerful moment that, as a kid, really drove home the concepts of sacrifice, acceptance, and resilience in the face of defeat.

Gaffer Tape said:

It was Kirk that constantly pissed me the fuck off.  And the fact that he went from suspended cadet to captain of the flagship in the span of an hour shifts the movie from good time implausiblity to eye-rolling what the fuckery.

So... are we trying to do new things with these characters, or are we just trying to get them to exactly where they were in the original series as soon as possible?  Choose a direction, guys, because waffling somewhere in the middle led to all sorts of nonsensical screw-ups.  I'd much rather have had a completely true to canon movie or a completely rebooted movie than this lukewarm compromise.

Yes, yes... To Gaffer Tape you listen...

You expressed my thoughts exactly.

I'm always amazed when a self-professed Star Trek fan says he/she liked the last movie.  It's so far removed from what I think made the original and Next Generation Trek good (i.e., characters with depth, thought-provoking storylines that explored the human condition, etc.) that I can't fathom how any fan could have enjoyed this version, which was nothing but action-driven drivel with two dimensional characters.

I feel as though I should watch it again in order to give it a fair shake, but I can't help but feel I'll just come to the same conclusion.

The background blends seamlessly now, Harmy.  Very nice work.

Obi-Wan says:

This is not the demographic you're looking for.

I thought it was Transylvanian myself.

I thought Ady was going to stop using YouTube awhile ago.  Was there an issue with the embedded video player in Facebook?  Has he tried Vimeo?

The new colour palette looks nice OmegaMattman.  I only recently learned of and watched the Hyperspace Collection, and I thought it was great.  The colours there may not be what seems to be accepted as theatrically accurate these days, but it looked just like the VHS cassettes I grew up with, so I was very pleased.  That said, the examples above look more natural and would definitely seem to be an improvement.  I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.

darth_ender said:

the Death Star hangar bookshops only seem to carry magazines filled with Twi'leks (called Oola La!)

Jedi Knight Doc Brown said:

This is not the magazine you are looking for *waves hand*

Check your PMs.

I haven't seen Titanic 3-D yet, but going by this trailer, it looks amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJxj1mou03M&feature=youtube_gdata_player

You never notice the person hiding in the back seat of your car until after you sit down in the driver's seat and turn on the ignition.

Wow... that's a really nice entertainment unit.

I feel so honoured to have made the list.  Thanks doubleKO.

Great clip Frink!  I like Anakin's Jedi mind trick re: the sand.  The choice of scenes for the montage was perfect too... nice balance between Star Wars and non-Star Wars related clips.

Very nice work, Ady. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished shots in which it'll appear.

In The Phantom Menace, Padme says "our fate is in your hands" when asking Boss Nass for help.

timdiggerm said:

It's been stated, I believe by Scott himself, that "The Space Jockey" in Alien is just a space suit, not an actual fossilized body.

This is another thing that gives me feelings of slight trepidation.  I always loved not knowing exactly what I was looking at when seeing the space jockey in Alien.  Being uncertain about its physiology, of where the chair ended and the organism began, really made the space jockey seem alien in the truest sense of the word--it was something that was completely foreign to our technology and comprehension (I believe Giger himself would agree this was the intent, his art being focused on the seamless melding of the organic with the artificial).

Having the technology (not to mention the origin) surrounding the space jockey explained ruins that sense of mystery and wonder which Alien so expertly created.