Last movie watched...

[CrazyFoxMachine]

I think Kermode put it best, 8 years ago Avatar hit the scene, grissed a record breaking sum of money, wowed audinces world wide...then vanished and left no mark on pop culture at all.

Yeah - look at the 10 highest grossing films of the moment:

10 - Iron Man 3 (Huge Marvel fandom)
9 - Frozen (MASSIVE IMPACT - huge Frozen fandom)
8 - Harry Potter's Deathly Halitosis - Part 2 (Enormous Harry Potter fandom)
7 - Avengers: Mage of Boltron (Marvel again)
6 - Furious 7 (I've met people who looooove this series, a fandom exists)
5 - The Avengers (Marvel)
4 - Jurassic World (A fandom building from an incredibly beloved original film)
3 - Star Wars: StormPilot <3 (Basically just a religion)

and then you have

2 & 1 - Titanic & Avatar

Titanic certainly made cultural waves (NO PUNS, STOP LOOKING FOR THEM) but for Avatar up til now there's been what? Aside from a Cirque du soleil stage show (true story) and a theme park that's not opened yet... no fandom, no conventions, no comics, no convention panels, no spin-off games. There's just, no yearning for it is there? Will the disturbing exception of AVATAR TATTOO MAN:

[Smith]

[CalHab]

It's nothing compared to my Waterworld tattoo.

[HdE]

Aside from a Cirque du soleil stage show (true story) and a theme park that's not opened yet... no fandom, no conventions, no comics, no convention panels, no spin-off games. There's just, no yearning for it is there? -

Not to correct you, dearest chum (and by the way - belated happy returns!) but I DID find out something fairly interesting a while back.

I was tasked to write a feature about Avatar video games for a Youtube venture that now isn't happening. I was actually pretty surprised to find out how much merchandise there IS for the movie. Excluding things liek mobile games and tablet apps, I found three pretty meaty and actually pretty good games on different home console platforms. One on PS3 (which may be on PC and XBox-able as well - I didn't get as far as checking) another on the Nintendo Wii and one for the Nintendo DS. To my shock and amazement, they're all actually pretty well regarded.

Before finding out about these, I was previously under the impression that no effort had been made to merchandise Avatar in any meaningful way at all. I do take the point (and have been vocal about it before) that the movie seems to have absolutely no momentum behind it, though. It's like it came and went and there was about as much appetite for it as a plate of hors d'oeuvres at a swanky dinner do. They look bright and tasty, and they get gobbled up quickly enough... but then everyone moves on looking for something more satisfying.

[Andy Lambert]

I just watched The Frame  - an independent film from Jamin Winans who brought us Ink which I've talked about in another thread.
Mr Winans is a real talent - that's two movies he's made without any major film company funding, and both have been fantastic. At just over two hours long, it may be a bit overlong - but the creativity, poignancy and thought-provoking story telling is well worth sitting through. Again, Winans musical score is beautiful, and the mind-bending visuals are striking. It's a very clever film, it requires your patience and imagination and it will reward you with an extraordinary movie experience. The closest comparison I can make to a similar film maker is Christopher Nolan - if you enjoyed the weirdness if Inception, you should enjoy The Frame - and Ink for that matter.

Trailer 1 (don't watch if you're prone to seizures)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUm04OmjZMA

Trailer 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXh8ARkkwAo

[Dark Jimbo]

The Drop - Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and a poignant final screen outing by James Gandolfini anchor this taut and tense little crime drama, rendered a bit different from the usual fare by revolving mainly around an adorable little pit bull puppy called Rocco. Great performances all round and enough twists in the plot to keep you interested. It isn't going to change your life but there are far worse ways to spend an hour and a half!

[CrazyFoxMachine]

no spin-off games. There's just, no yearning for it is there? -

Before finding out about these, I was previously under the impression that no effort had been made to merchandise Avatar in any meaningful way at all. I do take the point (and have been vocal about it before) that the movie seems to have absolutely no momentum behind it, though.
[/quote]

Yeah - fair point there are computer games and I knew that, I just misstyped in a flurry of what I like to call "twat-handedness". I agree though - essentially what I was saying was that it doesn't have what other big sci-fi/fantasy movies have in that list and that's a massively exuberant and wildly creative fandom despite its spectacle and visual beauty. It just doesn't seem to have grabbed people in that way.

[Apestrife]

Saw Alien Covenant last week. Weyland TED speech short, Prometheus, The Crossing short before it.

While not perfect, I really enjoyed them. Especially thanks to David's journey. Really creepy, really fascinating. Even feel sorry for him now and then, bit like Roy Batty.

Far away from being up there with Alien or Blade Runner (just mentioning that just in case), but I still enjoy it for what it is. Couple of stupid scientists trapped between some old ancient aliens and a damaged android.

Ridley has said he has 2 more Alien films he wants to make. Regardless how well or not it ties into the first Alien film, I'm quite sure I'll enjoy them as their own thing.

Btw, what year does the first Alien take place? Haven't seen a set date other than speculation based on tie in books and guessing based on the sequel Aliens.

[sheridan]

Btw, what year does the first Alien take place? Haven't seen a set date other than speculation based on tie in books and guessing based on the sequel Aliens.

57 years before Aliens

[sheridan]

Btw, what year does the first Alien take place? Haven't seen a set date other than speculation based on tie in books and guessing based on the sequel Aliens.

57 years before Aliens

Slightly more useful answer: Aliens takes place in 2179 so Alien takes place in 2122.

[sheridan]

Btw, what year does the first Alien take place? Haven't seen a set date other than speculation based on tie in books and guessing based on the sequel Aliens.

57 years before Aliens

Slightly more useful answer: Aliens takes place in 2179 so Alien takes place in 2122.

Potentially there's nothing in the main films and Incubus that contradict themselves, so the films could almost take place in the same universe as JD (the first film taking place entirely in space during the run of Judge Dredd and the second taking place in the time of Strontium Dog).

[Mattofthespurs]

That fingering line though...

When I originally read this comment I had no idea what you were talking about despite only having just seen the film. I was in a theatre with at least 20 other people and there was no reaction to the line and I barely even registered it.
Saw it again just now and again, no reaction from the audience or myself.
Seemed a perfectly normal line.
You pervs have dirty minds.

[Apestrife]

57 years before Aliens

Slightly more useful answer: Aliens takes place in 2179 so Alien takes place in 2122.

Thanks

Potentially there's nothing in the main films and Incubus that contradict themselves, so the films could almost take place in the same universe as JD (the first film taking place entirely in space during the run of Judge Dredd and the second taking place in the time of Strontium Dog).

Ha, brilliant. Alien: Convenant/Awakening/Incubus.

[Apestrife]

Saw Sorcerer and Endless poetry last night.

Sorcerer (1977) to me is quite akin to Apocalypse now and Das Boot. People (all dead on the inside) on a slow moving death/road trip towards their goal/doom. Everything about the film feels outright dangerous, in a good way

Endless poetry is a great follow up to Dance of reality. Probably the least mental film I'v see by Alejandro Jodorowsky. Still magical. His retelling of when he started writing poetry. A joy to watch. I very much hope I get to see the rest of the films he wants to make about his young years.

[Mattofthespurs]

Sorcerer (1977) to me is quite akin to Apocalypse now and Das Boot. People (all dead on the inside) on a slow moving death/road trip towards their goal/doom. Everything about the film feels outright dangerous, in a good way

I love Friedkin's Sorcerer but unfortunately it suffered by being a remake of the fantastic Wages of Fear and coming out around the same time as Star Wars.
Great film though.