PD TMNT what's relatable?

[plastroncafe]

I disagree with the notion that good writing makes for a good movie.
Great movies can come from mediocre writing, I'm thinking of Fight Club just as an example. The book? Nothing special. The movie is phenomenal.

And a good chunk of that is due to the director.
You can take the greatest script written, but give it to a bad director with no vision and who doesn't know how to get a great performance out of his cast and you'll get garbage.

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Will they pay for the wall to keep themselves out?
Anyhow... how 'bout them relateables. Or lack there of.

Back on topic.
I didn't find a whole lot to relate to with the PD 2014 movie, which...isn't all that surprising given that I'm the furthest thing from the target audience.
Not that I need to relate to a movie to get enjoyment out of it...

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

I disagree with the notion that good writing makes for a good movie.
Great movies can come from mediocre writing, I'm thinking of Fight Club just as an example. The book? Nothing special. The movie is phenomenal.

And a good chunk of that is due to the director.
You can take the greatest script written, but give it to a bad director with no vision and who doesn't know how to get a great performance out of his cast and you'll get garbage.



Back on topic.
I didn't find a whole lot to relate to with the PD 2014 movie, which...isn't all that surprising given that I'm the furthest thing from the target audience.
Not that I need to relate to a movie to get enjoyment out of it...

Easier for a good script to be in the hands of a poor director than a poor script in the hands of a good director, methinks.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

I didn't find a whole lot to relate to with the PD 2014 movie, which...isn't all that surprising given that I'm the furthest thing from the target audience.
Not that I need to relate to a movie to get enjoyment out of it...

Yeeep...

I can relate to wanting a cool lair like the one they have, & being motivated by pizza, I guess? I'm reaching, but it's an honest effort.

It's also not anything close to exclusive to this version. That's just me relating to the TMNT in general, I guess.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I think only a hoarder could relate to having a wall-to-wall block of stereos. What, did the Turtles rip off an entire electronics store? There's got to be at least one hundred stereos on that wall. Maybe even 150 or 200.

Glad to say, I don't relate to people who have seventeen dead cats in their apartment.

[IndigoErth]

Ok, I relate to Leo's button. If I saw it somewhere I'd probably pick it up too. Oh, and blue-eyed club.

I also wear shoes like 3 out of 4 or them.

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

I think only a hoarder could relate to having a wall-to-wall block of stereos. What, did the Turtles rip off an entire electronics store? There's got to be at least one hundred stereos on that wall. Maybe even 150 or 200.

Since the Turtles were not even allowed outside of the house, I want a montage short of Splinter dragging all that stuff - including the irrational amount of boom boxes - home, because it had to be him. lol

Giant rat finding and rolling a disco ball home... I wish to see this. But how'd he agree to keep bringing home boom boxes. You're a parent, it's ok to say ENOUGH.

[ToTheNines]

I ride a hover board.

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

I disagree with the notion that good writing makes for a good movie.
Great movies can come from mediocre writing, I'm thinking of Fight Club just as an example. The book? Nothing special. The movie is phenomenal.

And a good chunk of that is due to the director.
You can take the greatest script written, but give it to a bad director with no vision and who doesn't know how to get a great performance out of his cast and you'll get garbage.

I agree with everything, except for the part where you suggest the book was nothing special. It was an almost flawless translation to the screen of Palahunick's writing. Unless you read the book first, it was hard to not endure a sense of Deja-vu.

Cylon - Writers always feel writing is the most important component. No surprise there.

The reason I always stick up for Bay, no matter what anyone says, is his understanding of visual storytelling. Yes he has poor taste, yes, the writing is base, but he get's camera language. He knows how to cut a scene. He's a master of visuals.

It's a hard point to argue without getting roasted, but if you take the time to actually watch what he's doing and how he's cutting shot's together, it's symphonic. There are heaps of similarities between Mad Max's action and the Bay's action. The language is the same.

But we didn't get that - ANY of that in TMNT. We got flat out garbage. In fact, any film Bay has Produced, is garbage.

It's hard to give the devil his due, but you really shouldn't paint people with one stroke. For all his Crimes, Bay does one thing well; big action-sequences and set pieces.
TMNT is made for amazing action - but the action needs to mean something. Bay could have delivered on that. Instead Liebseman took us for a sleigh ride, and taught us physics are for chumps.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Ok, I relate to Leo's button. If I saw it somewhere I'd probably pick it up too. Oh, and blue-eyed club.

I also wear shoes like 3 out of 4 or them.


Since the Turtles were not even allowed outside of the house, I want a montage short of Splinter dragging all that stuff - including the irrational amount of boom boxes - home, because it had to be him. lol

Giant rat finding and rolling a disco ball home... I wish to see this. But how'd he agree to keep bringing home boom boxes. You're a parent, it's ok to say ENOUGH.

Splinter may whup their shells for sneaking out of the lair, but he's totally cool with lugging home disco balls, Beatz headphones, Ghostbusters cosplay costumes, entire CRATES of Orange Crush, and 101 Dalma--sorry, stereos.

Y'know what would be even stranger? The Turtles sneaking out and stealing a stereo every night, and then somehow convincing Splinter they're NOT leaving the lair.

"we found another stereo in the south junction, Sensei!"
"What, another stereo, my son? This is... the seventy-seventh?"
"Yes, Sensei."
"And it's in perfect working order?"
"Uh... that's right, Sensei."
"... Extraordinary."
"So... is it okay if I leave the lair tonight?"
"YOU WILL NOT LEAVE!" <karate chop>

Originally Posted by ToTheNines

I ride a hover board.

I want a hover board.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Commenter 42

Cylon - Writers always feel writing is the most important component. No surprise there.

Absolutely 100% guilty as charged.

Originally Posted by Commenter 42

The reason I always stick up for Bay, no matter what anyone says, is his understanding of visual storytelling. Yes he has poor taste, yes, the writing is base, but he get's camera language. He knows how to cut a scene. He's a master of visuals.

It's a hard point to argue without getting roasted, but if you take the time to actually watch what he's doing and how he's cutting shot's together, it's symphonic. There are heaps of similarities between Mad Max's action and the Bay's action. The language is the same.

But we didn't get that - ANY of that in TMNT. We got flat out garbage. In fact, any film Bay has Produced, is garbage.

It's hard to give the devil his due, but you really shouldn't paint people with one stroke.

I'll agree he's actually capable of producing good movies. "The Island" still baffles me in that it was actually created by Michael Bay. Can't wrap my head around that.

However, I think if he were a true master of visuals, he'd have made the Transformers easier to tell apart other than "Bumblebee, Megatron, Optimus Prime, and... those two little racist robots. And the one with the beard."

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

However, I think if he were a true master of visuals, he'd have made the Transformers easier to tell apart other than "Bumblebee, Megatron, Optimus Prime, and... those two little racist robots. And the one with the beard."

Go back and watch it again man. it's such a bunch of bull. You can totally tell who's who. There's NO shakey cam in the first two TF films. he establishes the action well.

Don't let the internet revise history for you.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Commenter 42

Go back and watch it again man. it's such a bunch of bull. You can totally tell who's who. There's NO shakey cam in the first two TF films. he establishes the action well.

Don't let the internet revise history for you.

This opinion is my own. I watched Transformers 1, and it was enough for me. I could not tell any of the 'Bots apart whenever they were fighting. Having watched the CinemaSins videos on all four movies, I have seen enough of the other three movies to find that I personally still cannot tell any of them apart in action sequences.

When they're standing still, I can tell them apart as Jazz, Bumblebee, Megatron, and Optimus Prime. Those are the only ones that I, a casual audience who is not a TF fan, can identify.

But as far as shakycam, no, none that I recall. And his camera angles and work is quite cinematic and exciting; I can see the same style between Transformers, TMNT, and The Island. But in the Transformers films, I can't tell who the hell any of the 'Bots are.

[plastroncafe]

Transformers would have been a much better movie if it'd been a story about a kid and his car. Leave the other extraneous plots for sequels. It's a jumbled mess of tropes and caricatures. All flash, no bang.

Wish fulfillment.
Which in and of itself isn't bad, but in this case it had no depth. Unlike Fury Road, which was both gorgeous to look at and had people in it.

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

I can see the same style between Transformers, TMNT, and The Island.

You're allowed that opinion, but as you've admitted to only watching TF1 - I can say, having seen all 4 (4 being admittedly a huge waste of time) that there isn't ANY similarity between Liebeseman and Bay. I'll grant you the distinctions between bots is less obvious, but I guess I'm also the guy that wants all the turtles to look the same. We'll agree to disagree.

Liebsman does the upclose shakeycam thing - a crutch for someone who doesn't know how to film matching action. Bay rarely does.

I do wish we'd gotten the designs from 1984 - but that's probably my nostalgia talking

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

Splinter may whup their shells for sneaking out of the lair, but he's totally cool with lugging home disco balls, Beatz headphones, Ghostbusters cosplay costumes, entire CRATES of Orange Crush, and 101 Dalma--sorry, stereos.

Y'know what would be even stranger? The Turtles sneaking out and stealing a stereo every night, and then somehow convincing Splinter they're NOT leaving the lair.

"we found another stereo in the south junction, Sensei!"
"What, another stereo, my son? This is... the seventy-seventh?"
"Yes, Sensei."
"And it's in perfect working order?"
"Uh... that's right, Sensei."
"... Extraordinary."
"So... is it okay if I leave the lair tonight?"
"YOU WILL NOT LEAVE!" <karate chop>

A lot of stuff in those sewers. So many tv/computer monitors just slip right through the storm grates. Surfboards, too. (Hell, they own a bumper car - I want answers. lol)

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

Transformers would have been a much better movie if it'd been a story about a kid and his car. Leave the other extraneous plots for sequels. It as a jumbled mess of tried and caricatures. All flash, no bang.

Wish fulfillment.
Which in and of itself isn't bad, but I'm this case it has no delete levels. Unlike Fury Road, which was both gorgeous to look at and had people in it.

TF1 wasn't so much about the boy and =his car, as it was about bringing TF into the real world - it was as much spectacle as Mad Max, maybe more as, at that time, giant robots in live action, at that level of realism, was pretty novel.
Beyond that though, it had nothing to offer. It WAS wish fulfilment of every kid who owned those toys. Optimus was suddenly real.

Now, if they'd taken more of The TF lore, it's weird political musings, and included more of the actual story from the cartoon, it could have been something really special. There should never have been a story about a boy and his car, or possibly even a boy.

I loved the hell out of Mad Max - But the story fell apart at the mid point. I was locked in, loving all the crazy, gorgeous visuals, grotesque creatures, the hyper adrenaline - trying to keep up with the breakneck pace. My problem, is that it doesn't really pay off properly. It was this awesome set up, then we drift for a bit, then the entire thing in reverse, then the end. I'm aware the originals are similar, but still, I would have sat there for another hour, to get some sort of plot development, have it go some where. For what it was, it was beautiful, great storytelling, higest calibur of difficulty - but missing some follow through.

[Candy Kappa]

Damn, rewatching that fight scene from TF2. How can you make giant robots fighting so boring?

[Technogeek29]

Originally Posted by Candy Kappa

Damn, rewatching that fight scene from TF2. How can you make giant robots fighting so boring?

I like the scene where Optimus died......Did I just admit I like the scene when the fighting was over as opposed to the actual fight itself?

[MsMarvelDuckie]

That's odd, I had no trouble telling them apart, except for one or two of the minor characters, and the fact that Starscream did NOT look (or sound) like he should have. But most of the rest did. Decepti-balls notwithstanding.

And I will agree with CKD that writing IS if not THE most important part of a good movie, it's at least in the top three. Without the story, there IS no movie, since cinema is story-telling, at its heart. A good story may suffer in the hands of a bad director (gods know that plenty of book adaptations have suffered from this) but a BAD story, even in the hands of a good director, is STILL a BAD story. It just LOOKS pretty.

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

And I will agree with CKD that writing IS if not THE most important part of a good movie, it's at least in the top three. Without the story, there IS no movie, since cinema is story-telling, at its heart. A good story may suffer in the hands of a bad director (gods know that plenty of book adaptations have suffered from this) but a BAD story, even in the hands of a good director, is STILL a BAD story. It just LOOKS pretty.

I completely disagree. Reason? Shakespeare.

Proof it's how the story is told, not the quality of the writing.

Originally Posted by Candy Kappa

Damn, rewatching that fight scene from TF2. How can you make giant robots fighting so boring?

It's lost some of it's luster since I saw it in IMAX, for sure - but remember, at the time EVERYONE argued the fight scenes was too frenetic and spastic. It's all relative.
Still beats the impossibly boring Pacific RIM.

Best sequence of all the TF films are still these:

[TheSkeletonMan939]

I'm with Commenter 42. You can have a great story for your film, but it's all moot if you can't communicate it effectively to your audience.

I enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Most people, I understand, did not. That I believe is because the film's plot is very thick, with layers and layers of information and subplots. Very detailed and thought-out. Good story? Yes, I suppose. But the pacing was a little too fast (even for a 2-and-a-half hour film!) and if you left the room for a few minutes you could easily become lost, and it's that much harder to enjoy the film.