I think we knew that Shyalaman was Indian
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I think we knew that Shyalaman was Indian
Of course you know Shyamalans Indian but I was suggesting that he would therefore, as non-white, have a kiinship with African-Americans. This thread is talking about too many things at once!
I have posted my review of AFTER EARTH, which I guess you also know.
I have finally seen Oblivion, and there are elements that I enjoyed and others that were just beyond me.
I feel it's a solid sci-fi film, with very cinematic images- really tremendous CGI.
The story just didn't grab me hard enough. I wish I could call it a masterpiece as some reviews have dared to call it, because it has the foundation for it. It was just too maudlin and un-involving for me. The visuals are pretty fantastic, but I'm not sure if the story lives up to striking a new mould for sci-fi films. We've seen the same quality of CGI in the Star Wars prequels, so nobody was slacking off on the LOOK of the film. It's just that story....could anybody watch it over and over and be wowed? Maybe a 15-year-old kid would. Kids might Marvel at it. I certainly would have in my youth. We've come a long way from Ed Wood's pie plates as flying saucers...
At first I thought I might have to see it again to grasp the whole concept, but by the time Morgan Freeman arrived I realized that I didn't need to see it again. It would be a great silent screen saver for my computer, to be honest. Beautiful eyeball Joseph Kozinski has, and this is only his second film, so he should do some mind-blowing stuff in the future.
The attacks of the battle droid-type "balls" that pivot and fire at will was very well done and eye-catching, and yes, Kubrick can be mentioned in reference to this movie because that "eye of Hal 9000" was everywhere. That red eye was dropped into many scenes, and cinephiles may feel satiated by it. I knew the reference and I didn't jump for joy. There is no Star Child "wonder" here, just an interesting vision of what this planet may encounter in 2077. Like I say, this could be a masterpiece if it was worked on a lot more. If Kozinski took a few more years and REALLY perfected it, he'd have an AVATAR on his hands. No joke. It aims that high.
I guess my only real complaint is with the maudlin tone.
If being maudlin is the only way to put distance between you and other blockbuster sci-fi films, then Man we're hurting over here.
There are lots of (aerial) scenes with fast pace, with great professional production design, but for the most part, those action scenes merely give the viewer a jolt, not deliver any feeling that a viewer desperately needed to see them. They seemed to me to just break up the maudlin delivery of the story.
I thought that bubble (sperm) ship was pretty neat actually- the way it could flip and reverse on a dime was cool!
And the Elvis bobblehead on the dash was just enough humour and humanity for a film with this tone.
The Led Zeppelin song was nice, and so was Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale"- Jack Harper's favorite song, apparently.
I think that was only the second time Zep has been used in a movie (the first was Linklater's School of Rock).
Joseph Kozinski can meld humanity, the future and technology pretty good, but that maudlin tone....it makes me feel that seeing Oblivion multiple times would be a chore.
I'm seeing MAN OF STEEL tonight. Got a ticket to see it early in 3-D.
Will post about it tomorrow.