[TylerMirage]

The xXx State of the Union DVD commentary with Farrar and DeQuattro is more entertaining than the movie itself.

Wait, so this movie gets a VFX-centric audio commentary, but 4 Jurassic Parks, 5 Transformers, 16 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and 5 Pirates movies don't?! Life's not fair.

I mean, I'm an audio commentary fool so I'll listen to anything - I wonder if I could find that commentary online anywhere.

Yes, Tamahori's use of CG for his films roundly stinks to Sommer's levels. Actually, some of the earlier The Mummy and The Mummy Returns was solid to very good with some stinkers and two God-awfuls for Returns(don't need to say it).

Although it's been a year or two since I've seen Sommers' first Mummy, I don't recall many shots that really stuck out as being poor. It's was all pretty great from what I remember. Returns...yeah...not so much. But then you also have Van Helsing, which is this weird (or should I say, Frankenstein-esque, amirite?) mix of fantastic, solid and cringe-worthy, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which seemed to have the same mix. Some scenes were great, and then suddenly you've got CG helicopters that look like they came out of a 2001 video game. It's like some sort of contest between them to see who can feature the fakest looking VFX.

[ShaneP]

The xXx State of the Union DVD commentary with Farrar and DeQuattro is more entertaining than the movie itself.

Wait, so this movie gets a VFX-centric audio commentary, but 4 Jurassic Parks, 5 Transformers, 16 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and 5 Pirates movies don't?! Life's not fair.

I mean, I'm an audio commentary fool so I'll listen to anything - I wonder if I could find that commentary online anywhere.

I'm not sure where you could find the commentary beyond finding a copy of the dvd. As for why this film getting a commentary and not others deemed more worthy, I think it just really depends. For instance, Spielberg refuses to do them so you wont hear him on his films. I think it's also a studio decision.

[TylerMirage]

I'm not sure where you could find the commentary beyond finding a copy of the dvd. As for why this film getting a commentary and not others deemed more worthy, I think it just really depends. For instance, Spielberg refuses to do them so you wont hear him on his films. I think it's also a studio decision.

Oh, there's dark, secret places on the internet for such things. That's how I listened to the Pirates 4 commentary, given that my Blu-Ray was faulty.

For sure, I know there's a lot of factors that go into which movies get commentaries, who participates, etc.. Availability of participants, interest of participants and so on. I'm just joking around by saying it's not fair that there's dozens of extremely VFX-heavy movies with no FX-centric commentary, but the movie with a moderate amount of VFX (of varying quality) gets one.

[ShaneP]

Rodriquez' Battle Angel Alita official trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj8mN_7Apcw

I'm not sure about the eyes.

[vfx fan]

Not to look like an idiot, but I'm a bit out of the loop, but is she entirely performance capture or just the eyes and arms?

[ShaneP]

Not sure. At one point way back when Cameron was directing this in the early 00s, she was going to be entirely CG. But I'm not sure if they went that route or not. Could very well be all CG.

[PaulILMFan]

Battle Angel looks terrible FX wise that and Avatar sequels are going to sink 20th Century Fox no wonder Disney are looking to buy them!

[vfx fan]

THE DISASTER ARTIST was a great movie. I highly recommend checking it out. One of the few good comedies to come out this year -- a good comedy is even rarer than a good horror movie.

[TylerMirage]

THE DISASTER ARTIST was a great movie. I highly recommend checking it out. One of the few good comedies to come out this year -- a good comedy is even rarer than a good horror movie.

Not that I wanted it to be longer, but I felt it could've been a lot stronger had they not condensed certain story points from the book. I mean, I totally understand why. I'm the first person who'll defend a movie by saying that a book and a movie are completely different mediums with completely different methods of being achieved, but... I dunno'. I guess this was just the first instance in my life where I went "Wha blah the book was better than the movie".

[vfx fan]

I want to see Cage and Travolta team up again, except in a buddy cop action comedy.

I got that idea from the cream in my pants from watching this trailer

How epic is this?!!!

[TylerMirage]

So, The Shape of Water is https://media.giphy.com/media/135E47VKw6TM6A/giphy.gif

Guillermo del Toro asks the important questions like “What does it mean to be human?”, “Why do we treat those that we view as less than us with such disdain?”, “How far would you go to be with the one you love?” and “What’s it like to have sex with a fish?”

It's not perfect, could stand to be a little tighter (which is strange, because del Toro's flicks are usually pretty lean), but is overall a great, fun movie. All of the characters are interesting and have something to offer, Michael Shannon plays an amazing villain, the Fish-Man design is fantastic and it's visually stunning.

I want to see Cage and Travolta team up again, except in a buddy cop action comedy.

I got that idea from the cream in my pants from watching this trailer

How epic is this?!!!

1.) My butt would be in the theatre for another Cage/Travolta team-up.
2.) That looks like a cool movie.
3.) Decently epic.

[ShaneP]

Watched Lone Scherfig's Their Finest about the British Ministry of Information's filmmaking team assigned propaganda films during WW2. The film stars Gemma Arterton as one of the writers responsible for a film dealing with the British evacuation at Dunkerque.

Great film. Sharp writing and acting. Bill Nighy also stars as an veteran actor brought in to star. Jeremy Irons has a small role as a British minister.

The film features a hanging matte but it is intentionally made to look studio bound as are the sets for the war film they are shooting. The film within a film they are making reminds me a bit of the Hitchcock movie Lifeboat.

Their Finest is a great film that didn't get much attention last year, but really deserves some.

Give it a look if you enjoy witty dialogue and solid acting and filmmaking almost completely devoid of vfx.

edit: Fixed "Dave" Nighy to Bill.

[Kmart]

Was really interested in this one based on trailer, will give it a look for sure now.

Actually finally saw DUNKIRK last night - totally engaging, didn't notice the stick people everybody talked about, coldln't tell what was an effect and what wasn't, except for shots of Hardy's plane after it ran out of gas (the prop looked funny as it was gliding around.) THEIR FINEST will be a good followup ... except first I have to watch ATOMIC BLONDE (they had a 2 for three bucks on blu-rays at redbox yesterday.)

Saw some really nice still from ANNIHILATION come through for my VFX VOICE article on same ... really hoping this is an awesome flick, the last act promises to be a 'trip' in the best sense of the word ...

[ShaneP]

I really liked Ex Machina. Be interesting to see what Garfield does with his followup.

[ShaneP]

Gemini Man is rolling again. And Lee has been working on it the past year or two. This film has a long history in development. ILM was working on it at one time and did some vfx tests for it. Harrison Ford was also attached to star at one point.

Now we have Will Smith. Clive Owen will also star.

http://variety.com/2018/film/news/clive ... 202663393/

[ShaneP]

Testament of Youth. Watched this movie adaptation of the book of the same name. It stars Alicia Vikander(Ex Machina) and Kit Harrington(Jon Snow!) as two lovers who are torn apart by the Great War. The book was published in 1933 and written by Vera Brittain. It covers the period of her life leading up to WWI and immediately after. She became a outspoken pacifist following the war and wrote a follow up Testament of Experience, published in 1950. The movie is great. See this on rental if you like slowly developing character films. David Heyman of the Harry Potter franchise is the producer. It is directed by James Kent, who has directed tv series' and documentaries for the BBC.

A Star Wars connection: Dominic West stars as Vera's father. He had a small role as a Naboo palace guard in The Phantom Menace before he would rise to stardom starring in David Simon's tv show The Wire.

[ShaneP]

Mudbound is directed by Dee Rees. Netflix bought this picture after it screened at some festivals. It stars Garrett Hedlund(Tron Legacy), Carey Mulligan(Never Let Me Go, Suffragettes), Jason Mitchell as Ronzel Jackson(Eazy E in Straight Outta Compton), and Jonathan Banks(fans of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad will know him as Mike)as the racist patriarch of the white Southern farming clan. Mary J. Blige also stars.

The film is about black and white families of sharecroppers/owners who live in the Mississippi Delta during and after WW2.

Tremendous film about some of the tensions existing along color lines in a Jim Crow, segregated, South. Also the tension that existed across all boundaries with Mother Nature forcing its way into their lives with floods, pests, and intense heat.

Very violent in some spots but necessary to convene the brutality of events of WW2 veterans and their PTSD(before that was even a diagnosis)as well as the white supremacy of the KKK and broader society at that time.

There's a bit of vfx, done by Mr. X Gotham, including one really great shot of a Tuskegee Airman, Red Tail squad, out the cockpit window of a American bomber flown by Garett headland's character.

[ShaneP]

Lion. Wow. See it. I can't remember Nicole Kidman being in a better film. Terrific movie.

Mudbound's cinematographer, Rachel Morrison, was nominated this morning by AMPAS for her work on the film. This is the first nomination for a woman cinematographer. Well-deserved. The film looked amazing.

[ShaneP]

Trailer for Soldado, the sequel Sicario, one of the best movies of recent years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pymm6cmE9uQ

I dislike the whole Sicario 2: Saldado and would have preferred just Sicario: Soldado but I understand they have to tie it in as a sequel with Sicario for marketing.

[PaulILMFan]

Mission: Impossible Fallout- trailer is also coming very soon probably Superbowl Sunday again!
https://www.empireonline.com/movies/new ... e-fallout/