What Movies Have You Seen Lately?

July 18th, 2017 at 8:08:32 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling, aesthetic traditions and filmmaking techniques, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural appeal.

Quote: rxwine
So, what you're saying is we are the "Godzilla" makers of the 21st century.


Yes, but USA is also the new Hong Kong action film maker. The Fate of the Furious made only 18% of its box office revenue from domestic theaters.


Most of the highest revenue films make much more than 50% of box office revenue from foreign theaters. A few films like Wonder Woman, and "Get Out" are a bigger hit with domestic audience.

Foreign Revenue %
60.1% Beauty and the Beast (2017)
81.8% The Fate of the Furious
55.0% Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
50.3% Wonder Woman <=======================================
77.5% Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
69.7% Despicable Me 3
63.3% Logan
70.3% Kong: Skull Island
75.8% Transformers: The Last Knight
65.0% The Boss Baby
55.6% Spider-Man: Homecoming
79.7% The Mummy (2017)
69.8% Fifty Shades Darker
98.6% Your Name. (Japanese animated film)
87.0% xXx: The Return of Xander Cage
86.4% The Great Wall
91.4% Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
43.5% The LEGO Batman Movie <=======================================
93.2% Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
50.1% Split <=======================================
99.9% Kung Fu Yoga
30.5% Get Out <=======================================
99.6% Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back
68.1% Alien: Covenant
37.3% Cars 3 <=======================================
77.1% Smurfs: The Lost Village
66.9% A Dog's Purpose
76.1% Ghost in the Shell (2017)
45.8% John Wick: Chapter Two <=======================================
64.9% Baywatch
July 18th, 2017 at 11:34:39 AM permalink
Evenbob
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 146
Posts: 25010
Quote: Pacomartin
For The People vs. Larry Flynt and The Messenger, Harrelson earned Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, ,


Whoopsie Goldburger won an AA for
Ghost. what's your point. They give
awards to talentless hacks all the time.
If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose.
July 21st, 2017 at 12:30:46 AM permalink
Ayecarumba
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 89
Posts: 1744
Saw "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets".

This $208 million USD production, based on a french graphic novel from 1967, is loaded with cgi characters, creatures, costumes, and space ships. There's chases, shooting, swords and ROBOTS!

Unfortunately, there are three key problems with this Luc Besson written and directed production:
1- The lead actor and actress, especially the lead actor, are pretty bad. The guy really sounds like a recent graduate of the Keanu Reeves Acting Academy. The movie seems directed at teens, and the casting reflects an eye toward Asia, with various pop idols in China getting small roles.
2 - American audiences are unfamiliar with the story and actors.
3 - Besson's script. It is not easy to tell when he is serious or playing for laughs.

If you enjoyed the original "Star Wars", you might think of this film as an homage.

I give it 5 pearls out of 10.

Edit: One important thing to know: If you enjoy the spectacle (and don't mind the spectacles), this is a great 3-D FX movie! The 3-D is thought through and executed much better than the 3-D in "Avatar" (which was a pretty good 3-D FX movie).
July 21st, 2017 at 2:17:51 AM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
Saw "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets".

This $208 million USD production,.....OUCH.
> based on a french graphic novel....danger sign right there.
>loaded with cgi characters, creatures, costumes, and space ships. There's chases, shooting, swords and ROBOTS!
Sounds like its aimed at twelve year olds

> Luc Besson written and directed production:
Wasn't he second banana in The Ronin?
July 21st, 2017 at 2:17:51 AM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
Saw "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets".

This $208 million USD production,.....OUCH.
> based on a french graphic novel....danger sign right there.
>loaded with cgi characters, creatures, costumes, and space ships. There's chases, shooting, swords and ROBOTS!
Sounds like its aimed at twelve year olds

> Luc Besson written and directed production:
Wasn't he second banana in The Ronin?
July 21st, 2017 at 2:17:51 AM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
Saw "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets".

This $208 million USD production,.....OUCH.
> based on a french graphic novel....danger sign right there.
>loaded with cgi characters, creatures, costumes, and space ships. There's chases, shooting, swords and ROBOTS!
Sounds like its aimed at twelve year olds

> Luc Besson written and directed production:
Wasn't he second banana in The Ronin?
July 21st, 2017 at 3:53:30 AM permalink
Pacomartin
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1068
Posts: 12569
Quote: Ayecarumba
If you enjoyed the original "Star Wars", you might think of this film as an homage.


The problem was the characters were first published in 1967 and were actually the acknowledged source of much of the inspiration of "Star Wars".


Twenty years ago the Fifth Element had a budget of $90 million and grossed $63 million in the USA & Canada and $200 million in foreign markets. But the go ahead for this project was secured by the film "Lucy" which had a budget of $40 million and grossed $126.7 million in the USA & Canada and $336.7 million overseas.

But reviews for the Fifth Element and Lucy were better than for Valerian.
July 21st, 2017 at 6:38:06 AM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
I ain't seen Dunkirk but understand its doing very well so far.

I wonder if they depict grossly unseaworthy vessels braving the short steep seas of the English Channel.
I wonder if they show lifeboats being used to take troops from the beach to waiting destroyers and corvettes but every man getting out and no one staying behind to tke the boat back to the beach for another load.
I wonder if it will show a physically tough company that could make the march to Dunkirk being ordered to stay behind as a rear guard while some very flabby outfits were allowed to trek toward Dunkirk.
Do you think WC's order 'Only the Able Bodied' will be depicted. Consigning the wounded to certain capture would not sit well with handicappe groups these days, Britian needed soldiers not hospital patients.
July 21st, 2017 at 6:38:06 AM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
I bet the uniforms are all neatly pressed and French and Belgium troops are depicted as being heroic.
Will German troops be depicted kicking water buckets left for the prisoners that had to march to captivity?
Will it be made clear that German airplanes bombed civilians who took non-military roads but did not concentrate their bombing on civilians who stuck to military roads?
July 21st, 2017 at 10:21:04 AM permalink
Ayecarumba
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 89
Posts: 1744
Quote: Pacomartin
The problem was the characters were first published in 1967 and were actually the acknowledged source of much of the inspiration of "Star Wars"...


It is a problem, probably similar to the issues Disney had with "John Carter of Mars".

While the same source material inspired both "Star Wars" and the current "Valerian" movie, a generation has passed with only the "Star Wars" story and characters. "Valerian", while telling the original story, appears to be the derivative since the audience can't help but compare it to an iconic film.

Even though, and perhaps because, it is based on 50 year old source material, the film is derivative. There are elements of "Blade Runner", "Avatar", "Indiana Jones", "Bourne Conspiracy", and even "Cabaret" contained within.

1972 "Cabaret"

2017 "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets"