Archive through Oct 2003
The Lev Forum: General Discussion: Movies and Animation:
Archive through Oct 2003
Here's a Topic for the discussion of movies new, old, or upcoming! Know something about T3 or the Indianna Jones sequel? Post it here! Rented a great or possibly obscure video? Let us know about it!
I saw a great movie today on Scifi in the form of Bakshi's WIZARDS.
DUDE!!
OK, I'll admit I had my doubts, but I just saw the newest episode 2 trailer tonight... I got chills. You need quicktime 5 to watch it, but go to starwars.com and watch "clone war" Anakin fights with 2 lightsabers, there are victory class star destroyers, a battle scene with thousands of battle droids and alien thingies, with a circle of Jedi making a big pile of dead things around them... It looks ABSOLUTELY unbelievable, and I dinna see Jar Jar in any snippets, so that in itself makes me happy. I am gonna see it may 16th, and I shall report back afterwards.
Whoah. 
I saw that trailer sunday nnight on Fox and I am more excited about this ine than I was about episode 1.
Hey, where'd all my Lal images go? What a schock!
Sol
Hey Sol, go check your email. I sent you something
Hey Nat,
Could you tell me about center-of-gravity for posing figures? I am just interested in the topic and wondered what you might know! If anyone else knows something about it, I would likewise be really interested in hearing about it. In short, the effect of gravity on a figure, when does it fall down and how, and when is it balanced? Ideas, comments?
A very crucial lesson you are requesting, hmmm? =) I will have to post some pics for you like the last time. Give me a little while, I'm sort of swamped at work for the moment.
Yes Master! I listen and obey!
Pupil Sol
Ohhhhh, so sorry Grasshopper, master is busy for the time being so the lesson will be late
-Master Nat
Ooooooohhhhaaah! Master Nat is sooo busy! Busy busy busy!!!!
Sorry sol, but that lesson is gonna be late, late late =(
Until then, I though I'd post today's render of the same model I've been working on for a while. It hasn't progressed much since I never really have any time to work at it.
wow. kewl. is the ear supposed to look like that?
Yup, she's not supposed to be human. She's an alien chicky my boss wanted me to create. Most of the face is done, I just have to work on the neck and shoulders and the rest of the body.
I went to see Lord of the Rings again on Friday and it was as good the fourth time around. But the main reason I went was to see the trailer for the Two Towers which looks awsome.
Nat, she's unbelievable. You are truly the master! Huaah!
Thank you, Grasshopper =)
Hola. My boss had me put up a small portfolio site of some of the creative stuff I've been working on. Check it out and give me some feedback.
Winpro Portfolio
Oh, I forgot. Our servers will be back up by monday. We had to shut down everything for the weekend because the building management has to cut the power to do some electrical repairs.
Yoda made the cover of time magazine!
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020429/
Great Star Wars Movie Spoofs
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/spotlights/starwars/
Only 13 days to go till Episode II!
The latest news from the Lucas frontlines: cast interviews at skywalker ranch.
The cast finally gets to see the completed movie and they tell us what they thought of it, as well as what they hope for episode 3 and stuff. Also, if you don't want anything about episode 2 revealed, don't read here, because there are some snippets about who does and doesn't die etc etc etc. (just lookin out for ya Sol). Suffice to say, I was pleased to hear which individuals would be surviving into episode 3...
Yah, thanx Fred! What can I say? I just love...
*SurprISES!* hehe
Sol
Yah, my work on Lal has progressed somewhat since last we spoke. I have the hair working, it even looks OK. I still need to import the facial model I created into OpenGL (tricky). Lal is also now capable of moving under her own power, although her gyrations are completely random for now.
I'm not so much of an artist, and manipulating points in 3D is tricky, so the face (although quite adequate, thank you very much) is somewhat basic. I need a better one! There are sites all around the web that let you download free .3DS files (my chosen format) and with any luck, I can find a really nice head and face to use. Adding the hair to a bald female head will not be too tough for me.
Hey Nat, do you know of any sites that provide free models? If yes, let me know. I will post you some pictures of my progress when it is all put together.
Tonight and tomorrow I'll be working on a Genetic Algorithm that will help Lal learn how to achieve certain poses through experimentation. This is early thinking work, and although I have a long way to go before I develop the core AI, hey! I did need a major project for my GA class, and why shouldn't I be able to take the opportunity to develop Lal?
Anyway!
Sol
So, it is official. I have pre-ordered my Episode 2 tickets for Friday, May 17th. I tried to get tickets for thursday, but alas, they were sold out ALREADY. The count-down continues with only 3 days left to go...
Alright, I can't stand it, I GOTTA speak my mind...
Why, oh WHY does everybody have this overwhelming adoration for Boba Fett? He was never meant to be anything more than a bit character. Granted, he's the bounty hunter who brought in Han Solo, but so what? I was just on the star wars site, and there was a recent poll taken "which new character-related tv spot do you like the best?" 27% of people chose Jango Fett. Yeah, he's cool, but I've SEEN the tv spots, and by FAR the best one is for Mace Windu. And I'm sorry, one-on-one, ANY jedi could take out a bounty hunter. Granted, the concept behind bounty hunters is the fact that pound for pound, they are the best you can get who AREN'T JEDI. Oh, well. I suppose the mass of disillusioned fans will have to have their reality checked by Episode 2 when Jango Fett gets... Oh, wait--I don't wanna ruin the fun for anybody.
Go see episode 2 and find out what happens for yourself...
I dunno Fred. You'll have to let us know how Star Wars is. I'm gonna try and see Spiderman (which I hear was really, really good).
I have acquired a midnight ticket for tonight.
Yeah, Spiderman was pretty good too. It kept true to the comic, with only slight differences to allow it to be adapted to the big screen. If you like the comics, you'll love the movie.
And Nat, you might just recognize a few places since it was filmed on location...
I was just reading the critics review of Episode 2 and they ripped it appart. When not tearing apart the script they are going after Portman and Christianson's acting abitlity. As I have said before critics suck.
Most excellent fortune Fred.
And Spiderman was definitely a good movie.
Not all the critics tore Episode 2 apart, none so far as I've found have said great things about the entirety of the movie
As for Portman's acting ability, I've seen some of her early acting and she kick's a$$. Anyone seen "The Professional" with her and Jean Reno? She was a better child actor then what's his name (the one in the 6th sense and AI).
Well, without ruining the movie for you all, let me just say this:
There are moments where I wanted to crawl under the seats cuz of the stupidity of the 'attempted' humor. But, I'd say that only accounts for about maybe 20 total minutes. The movie actually has a plot, not like TPM where it's like "The trade federation is BAD. Sidious is BAD. We have to beat them. OH NO! Sidious is Palpatine!" nuh-uh.
This movie is like 2 mini-movies wrapped together, where you have the love thing going on with Anakin/Amidala and you got Obi-Wan doing like an old-style detective thriller, tracking down her would-be assassin(s). You get to see serious glimpses of darkside in Anakin, and my expectations were fully met by Hayden's performance. As I've been saying for some time now, he is the perfect choice for the role. The whole movie leads up to like, a 45-minute long action sequence on Geonosis. It starts small, then snowballs into a full-scale battle. Not only that, but it isn't just like "let's just throw 2 armies against each other" like it was in TPM.
One thing I found throughout the movie was that I was feeling bad for Anakin. I was like, "no, don't do it man." It wasn't until the movie actually ended and I sat and thought about it for a minute that I was like "DUH! Of COURSE he's gonna do that. He's VADER." I had to keep reminding myself this character that you're rooting for is gonna become vader.
SPOILER POINTS:
IF YOU DON'T WANNA RUIN THE MOVIE DON'T READ ANYMORE!
I MEAN IT!!!
OH WELL, DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU:
Jar-Jar only has like 5 minutes of screen time and only like, a couple lines of gunganspeak. Unfortunately, he's responsible for Palpatine gaining 'emergency power' This movie is all about the seeds of the Galactic Empire being sown... Bad Jar-Jar. Lucas made you too important YET AGAIN.
C-3PO is actually working at the Lars family moisture farm, and recognizes Anakin as "the maker" when he sees him. Apparently, he has not yet had his memory wiped. I hold out hope that something traumatic will happen in episode 3 that will erase 3PO's memory of tatooine and Anakin, or else the whole thing just doesn't make sense.
At the end, there's a climactic lightsaber duel between count Dooku, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and eventually, YODA. This is the scene where we see the differing power levels of the jedi, and let me just tell you NEVER EVER mess with Yoda. Holy $H!T my mouth was open and my eyes bugged out when I saw the stuff he did. Count Dooku is BAD. Obi-Wan and Anakin together can't take him, and he fights Yoda almost to a stand-still before making a sneaky escape. Yes, the BAD GUY gets away. My assumption is that Palpatine uses Dooku to turn Anakin completely to the dark side. You know the whole "Now fulfill your destiny and take your place at my side" thing. Oh, and the Death Star Plans are ON THE MOVE. Have I said too much? Sorry. I warned ya... L8R...
Okay, I am about to describe my experience seeing episode 2...
Unlike the brainless moviegoers, I got my tickets through moviephone yesterday (and paid inhumane Manhattan prices), knowing well that all the shows would be sold out by noon today.
I was 30 minutes early and the theatre was PACKED. I could only get a seat in row 4, and the ambiance was pure Star-wars geek. Considering I was wearing nike sneakers, khakis (that I didn't bother to iron in the morning) a black shirt and my trusty sunglasses YET I STILL managed to out-dress everyone in the theatre says a LOT.
Everyone was chattering about "Jango Fett" this and "Yoda" that... Not that I minded, I was there to see Star Wars after all. Just when I though the ambiance couldn't possible get any thicker, some guy (I assume it was a guy) sat behind me after fetching some strofoam-esque popcorn. And with him he brought an aroma reminiscent of some freaky people I've known from RIT who forgo bathing in exchange to become glued to their computer. It was a horrible stench- body odor mixed with Tabasco sauce. Horrible, rancid, acidic, and THICK. Yes, indeed this was a crowd that would make George Lucas wince. The kind of people who have every line in the trilogy and book 7, 8 and 9 memorized just so they can shite-pick about episode 1, 2 and eventually 3.
Okay, lights dimmed. Everyone cheering during the matrix trailer, blah, blah blah....
Anywayz........ I think my point is:
Shhiiiiiiii!!!!!
Yoda is da man! OHMIGOD it's worth seeing the movie JUST FOR THAT SCENE!!!!!!!
Oh yeah... and... You know what I'm about to say regarding the cgi..... MAYA RULES!!!!!!! I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to learn the software.
Potential spoilers down below. Proceed at your own risk.
As for the acting.... Eehhhh.. I Agree with Phred that Hayden was perfect for the role. And I like, and have always liked Ewan as Obi Wan. As for Portman- I don't feel this is her fault- I think (IMHO) that Lucas directed her badly. I was not convinced of her love for Anakin. I saw the friendship developing, and I realize it is Amidala's JOB not to show her feelings- all part of being a senator- but because this "love" didn't shine through until the gladiator-style arena scene I was so unconvinced. That might have worked for a book, but not for a movie.
I accept that Portman was playing Amidala accurately, and in character. Lucas made a HUGE mistake by making Amidala so.. So.... Stonewall and fortress like when it came to what she was feeling for Anakin. Bad George, bad, very bad... There were plenty of opportunities for Amidala to reveal her feelings to the audience without having Anakin know. I really think he had Portman hold back Amidala tooo much. Once again, I saw the friendship develop between the two characters, but the electricity on Amidala's side came too late to convince me. That was purely Lucas' fault and I resent him for it.
Overall, I liked it and would see it again; it was definitely better than episode 1.
Oh, and I liked little Boba. He was cute. I actually felt bad for him when... Well, you know... I just have a soft spot for kids.
I'm seeing Spiderman today at 5:10 =) I just wish it wasn't $11 a ticket. Seeing a movie in NYC can get expensive.
Spiderman was awesome!
I liked it better than star wars. I heard through the grapevine from a VERY reliable source that Spiderman 2 and 3 will come out, spiderman 2 being in production NOW.
And Phred, u are right, I recongnized many of the places in the movie. In fact, that awesome building where Peter (and his rich friend) had that nice apartment (Broadway and Bleeker St. if I'm not mistaken) is two blocks away from my office building. Only a rich man could afford to live there =). The scenes where Peter was in high school were taken not far from where my Aunt lives in Queens.
Anyway, I can't wait for spiderman 2 & 3 to come out.
Saw Star Wars. Went back to read Spoilers from Fred and Nat. Much agreement. Well, back to RIT work, SW was a nice break!
Sol
The Two Towers trailer
'nuff said.
Went to see Goldmember this weekend. It was very funny. A lot of product advertizing and some cheezieness I must warn, but overall side-splitting. You'll LOVE the cameos.
I'd say I laughed about 80% of the time on that one. YEAH, baby!
A reminder for all of yooz...
Lord of the Rings DVD is out! I picked one up today, widescreen baby- for when I can afford one of them HUGE plasma TVs.... I can dream, can't I?
I got it too saw the ten min. preview of The Two Towers. I CAN'T WAIT.
I, alas, pre-ordered the 4-disc set which comes out in November, but I got a sweet deel on it and will only be spending 25 bucks on it after my down payment of 5 bucks (required for reserved status). Regular shelf-buyers are gonna get nailed for like, 45 bucks. SWEET!
Damien, might I borrow that DVD this weekend?
Woah, 4 disk set you say? Where the F*CK have I been? And where do I get it? Do tell, oh Phred, wisest of the frugal?
Sun Coast Video had them available for special "reserved status preorder" for members in their "frequent buyer program" complete with discount. You maybe could find it online, but prolly not for cheaper. I also ordered "We Were Soldiers" which is coming out the 20th. Also, Star Wars Ep2. special edition 2-disc DVD will be released nov. 12th (the same day as LOTR 4-disc, hmmmmm). George isn't being TOO obvious about his marketing ploy, is he?
There is also going to be a massive collecters edition 4-disc set on Nov. 12 for like $80. It includes lots O' stuff.
I feel sooo poor....
X-Men II Trailer, yippie!
WOW!! thats all I am going to say WOW!!
Here's a little something for Sol:
interview with Francisco Cortina- Final Fantasy modeler.
Hey, Damien, I have a question for ya...
How do I put this in such a way as to not be speaking of anything illegal...
If you were to make a backup copy of a DVD onto VHS tape, for archival and reference purposes, how would you get around the signal modulation built into most DVD players which fades the signal slowly in and out to cause the warbly kinda brownout effect? Have you any ideas, since I know you have done this in the past? Thanks.
You could try making your copy from the output of the TV instead of the DVD player.
note: I have not tried this myself, because my crappy TV only has the 75ohm input and no output (like RCA jacks)
Basically you get a copyright breaker. The one that my father bought is actually legal. The reason is because the manufacterers state that the copyrighting causes the video quality on VHS's to degrade. By using their product to disrupt the block you would increase the quality, a side effect of which is the ability to copy the information. My dad got it at RadioShack awhile back so I don't know if they still carry them.
I picked up the Collector's edition of the Fellowship on Tuesday. I only paid $50 as opposed to paying $80, I got it at BJ's. I've as of now only watched disc one but the changes really made a difference.
Well I'm off to get tickets for Harry Potter 2.
Oh, did I mention i got free tickets to Star Trek Nemesis?
Naughty!
Thats so cool. Free tickets rule!
Hehehe
I went to Matrix Reloaded last night, and that is all I'm gonna say. Fred go see it will ya and make sure you sit through the credits they have a trailer for Matrix Revolution after them.
I saw the trailer for Terminater 3 last night and it looks very cool. also saw the trailer for Freddie vs. Jason, yes it is finally coming out this summer.
What? The comedy?
I hear all this stuff about the Revolution trailer AFTER I went to Reloaded and walked out during the credits. 
But then, no one else stayed either.
Me poor, me no go see movies.
Waaah.
Moo-vies? What is this moo-vies that you speak of stranger?
What? N-ight oooowwwwt.
I'm sorry I do not speak you language.
Thanks to home video I too have now seen Matrix Reloaded. I must andmit that my very first reaction was..."WHERE THE HELL IS TANK!"
The new guy is okay I suppose but Tank was my fave! I was very put out.
And since it appears everyone has all ready seen it I'll include some spoilers so if you haven't seen it STOP READING.
Why did no one consider the option that was the first to pop into my mind during Neo's confrontation with the Architect? The choice was door one or door two, right? Well, my first response was, Can this guy take a bullet? hey a third choice. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't but its a choice they didn't even option.
And of course the Architect was wrong, so his program is fubarred. Neo took the other choice and there was something Neo could do about Trinity and well darn he did it didn't he? Guess the Architect don't know everything do he?