Althouse: "If the bunny from Donnie Darko turned into a snap dragon and opened up to reveal Mickey Rourke’s face..."

April 30, 2011

"If the bunny from Donnie Darko turned into a snap dragon and opened up to reveal Mickey Rourke’s face..."

It's "Immortals," the new Tarsem Singh movie, about Theseus.

I'm very resistant to seeing movies these days, but the director's previous movie, "The Fall" was my favorite movie of 2008, a year in which I saw 17 movies. (Here's my last-night-of-2008 post that contains my official ranking.)

I truly appreciate Singh's avoidance of CGI (in movies that would seem to require CGI). I hate CGI. Viscerally.

15 comments:

rhhardin said...: I've resisted seeing movies since the 70s, a trend that apparently will continue.; 4/30/11, 6:07 PM
Eric said...: I hate CGI. Viscerally.

CGI is like plugs or boob jobs. You hate it because you can tell it's CGI. The state of the art stuff, done right, is almost impossible to detect at normal speed if it's something that could be real.

How many people realized Natalie Portman's head was CGI'd on to a professional dancer's body for the non-trivial sequences in Black Swan?; 4/30/11, 6:11 PM
tim maguire said...: I hate CGI because it takes the "WOW!" factor out of special effects. Part of the joy of spectacle used to come from "how'd they do that?" but now...who cares? It's a cartoon.; 4/30/11, 6:20 PM
Anonymous said...: I loved 'The Fall', it was so incredible, visually, and the story was so sad. Plus, the little girl did a great job.; 4/30/11, 6:22 PM
Larry J said...: For many years now, CGI is very often used as a poor substitute for a plot. Done properly, it enables directors to film things that would otherwise be impossible (e.g. sinking the Titanic). Done improperly, it's a waste of millions of dollars on scenes that only last a few seconds and really contribute little to the story.; 4/30/11, 6:37 PM
Lucius said...: Ah, the elusive Althouse Luddite strain!

I don't think the movie epic has recovered yet from CGI. Imagine "Apocalypse Now" with CGI (I mean, presumably, in hands less respectable than Coppola's, who could've hit up the Redux with cgi if he wanted to be a goofball). We'd have 200 helicopters and "POV" shots of rockets shooting straight into a screaming Viet Cong guy's throat.

And all those endless armies.

I'm not sure we're surprised in the "Black Swan" case either. No different really than what was done with Kate Bosworth's head in the surfing climax of "Blue Crush", a bit more crudely (or perhaps the editing was slower).

Rumour has, btw, Darren Aronofsky is the actual "baby daddy" of Portman's expected, no CGI (just a big dirty lie) required.; 4/30/11, 6:46 PM
edutcher said...: Hmmm...

I'm reminded of Raul Julia's appearance in "Mortal Kombat" (it's astounding what you'll sit through when you're sick in bed).

He died right after.; 4/30/11, 6:53 PM
Anonymous said...: Edutcher,

Raul Julia took the role because his kids were fans of the games. He wanted them to see him in a role that they would enjoy before he died...; 4/30/11, 7:06 PM
Anonymous said...: And it was "Street Fighter" not Mortal Kombat.; 4/30/11, 7:07 PM
Jose_K said...: Theseus? Really? aman so wicked that he was one of the few in the Tartarus? The man that left behind the poor Adriadne?
Idont see how can they do a good version without makiung him a caricature like Disneys Heracles( in the mithology his nemesis was woman in the movie a man); 4/30/11, 7:10 PM
edutcher said...: that-xmas said...

Edutcher,

Raul Julia took the role because his kids were fans of the games. He wanted them to see him in a role that they would enjoy before he died...

He should have passed. he looked ghastly.

And it was "Street Fighter" not Mortal Kombat.

I distinctly remember the good guys yelling, "Mortal Kombat", at the end.

But I was ill.; 4/30/11, 7:24 PM
Anonymous said...: You see CGI all the time, you just don't notice it. From minor makeup touch ups, removing labels from clothing, signs they don't want, it's there. It's when it's the focus (unless it's an animation) that it's bothersome.; 4/30/11, 7:42 PM
Known Unknown said...: I'm still utterly captivated by the finale of Steamboat Bill Jr.

That's as CGI-free as you can get.; 4/30/11, 11:16 PM
Known Unknown said...: I will see this.

Why?

Freida Pinto.; 4/30/11, 11:31 PM
Quaestor said...: The classic myths could be a rich source of blockbuster movies, if the screenwriters knew just a bit more about the subject beyond just names.

Oh, well. The Greeks didn't know much about it either.

wv: fundiate - OK, Elmer, just go in the bank and fundiate yourself.; 5/1/11, 1:58 AM