I was watching 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' last night, when I thought back to the Favorite TV thread. I dont watch TV but I do watch a lot of films. I'm just wondering about people's favourite films and full-length anime, and how these influence world-building. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' seems to me a very D&D kind of film. I do like the Lord of the Rings films, but I think the first Conan film is better. However, my favourite film of all time is 'Bladerunner'; I think the film's theme of monumental decay has probably filtered into a new setting I'm working on.
1. Godzilla (with Matthew Brodrick)
2. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galalxy
3. Spaceballs
Unfortunately, none of these have really been D&D related inspirations to me...
Batman
Batman Begins
Night at the Roxbury
Van Wilder
The Time Machine
Batman Forever
Sleepy Hollow
The Shining
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Timeline
Troy
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 & 3
And that's just some of them... :)
Quote from: Buffy, season 7KENNEDY: I don't care if it's Godzilla. (raises a huge sword) I want to get in this thing.
ANDREW: Godzilla's mostly Tokyo-based, so he's probably a no-show.
AMANDA: Besides, if Matthew Broderick can kill Godzilla, how tough is he?
ANDREW: (distressed, appealing) Xander...
XANDER: Matthew Broderick did not kill Godzilla. He killed a big, dumb lizard. That was not the real Godzilla.
lot[/i] of movies.
I don't know about a top 10 list, but some of my favorites are American Beauty, V for Vendetta, and Phenomenon.
I forgot to mention Backdraft and Ladder 49 (especially Backdraft). Firefighter movies rock.
Evangelion (because giant robots can and should bleed, disembowel, and eat each other more often)
Akira (I have seen it neither subbed nor dubbed in English, but what I have seen is still...)
Harvey (B&W, nine foot tall invisible rabbit)
Donnie Darko (speaking of rabbits...)
Arsenic and Old Lace (yay killing)
Princess Bride (what?)
Memories (really three movies... but those first two are incredible)
Among those that have been mentioned, I personally loved Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Matrix and Donnie Darko. One film that really deserves a mention here is The Usual Suspect. Kevin Spacey is just generally awesome. Which reminds me that I need to mention Se7en as well.
Túrin
lemme think lemme think.
Ferris Bueler's Day Off. I can watch this movie again and again no matter how many times it comes on TV.
In the same vein: Can't hardly wait, Better Off Dead.
Movies I watched 50 friggn times as a kid:
Star Wars
(My parents never taped Empire strikes back, so i only saw it twice ;))
Return of the Jedi
Rambo 2
Superhero Movies:
Spider-man (I/II), Hellboy, Unbreakable -- i don't really like comicbook movies unless they play up the hero bit. a lot. Everything else is secondary to me. Does it follow canon? I don't care. Does it have fastball specials? I don't care. If it has someone with abilities far beyond normal man taking on someone with even greater abilities, despite the odds? I'm sold.
Sci-fi:
Minority Report, Thirteen monkeys,
Chronicles of Riddick (pulpy goodness!)
Momento. Momento is one of the best movies ever made. Everyone should see it. Now.
Believe it or not, I've actual taken gaming inspiration from all of the following movies (yes, even Munich)
Memento, Twelve Monkeys (you did mean to say twelve, didn't you brainface?), Akira, Donnie Darko, Hero, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Volume 2 (vol.1 rocked, but vol.2 was Tarantino at full throttle), the anime sequence from Kill Bill 1 (as a standalone feature), Sin City, A Clockwork Orange ("I'm singin' in the rain"), The Matrix (#1), The Animatrix (particularly the Second Rennaissance, World Record and Matriculated), Jacob's Ladder (funnily enough, I haven't actually seen Jacob's Ladder, but it's here anyway), Blade Runner, the opening cutscene of Final Fantasy XII (I know it ain't an actual movie but... it's so fucking AWESOME!!!!!), the original Alien, Predator, Munich, Ninja Scroll, Punch Drunk Love...
The Lion in Winter! OMFG! Katherine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole on screen at the same time! That's like breeding the Tarrasque with a hecatoncheires: the most delicious kind of carnage. I ain't ever seen old school wordplay quite like that, and I never will again!
And The Point, an animated feature with music and narration by Ringo Star. That movie has got to be my absolute favourite of all time. I will be introducing it to my children.
Also, the final episode of Cowboy Bebop, while not actually a movie, is the best series finale I have ever seen.
"Bang." Classic.
Here are a few good (and not so good) live-action movies that can provide inspiration for gamers.
(EDIT: Several of these have been mentioned before, but I second their nomination.)
A Chinese Ghost Story
Big Trouble in Little China
Bladerunner
Bram Stoker's Dracula (with Gary Oldman)
The Chronicles of Riddick
Conan the Barbarian
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Fifth Element
Highlander
The Indiana Jones trilogy
Labyrinth
Lady Hawk
Legend
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
The Matrix trilogy, parts 1 and 2
Once Upon a Time in China
The Princess Bride
Serenity
The original Star Wars trilogy
QuoteSpider-man (I/II), Hellboy, Unbreakable
I forgot all about Unbreakable. That was an awesome movie.
American Beauty
Batman Begins
Donnie Darko
Quigly, Down Under
Galaxy Quest
X-Men 2
Spiderman 2
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Star Wars Trilogy (original)
Serenity
V for Vendetta
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek VIII: First Contact
There may be more, but any of those, I can generally watch over and over again without getting bored.
Flyboys (just saw it, and you need to go and see it too. NOW.)
LOTR
Serenity
Stargate
BTTF all 3
Ice Age
Minority Report
A Knight's Tale
The Patriot
Princess Bride
Star Wars (all but II and III)
Jurassics Park
What a Woman Wants
Bruce Almighty
The Sword in the Stone
National Treasure
I could go on... but I won't.
Wow, I'm sensing a lot of hostility against the new Star Wars films (a disturbance in the Force). I love the Star Wars films as Lucas and his design team created a whole living breathing galaxy in which to set their story. The only Star Wars film I hate is 'Return of the Jedi'. First half hour's good, but the rest is a badly paced, total rehash of the first Star Wars film. Crap light-sabre fight. Major revelation in that Emperor of the Galatic Empire turns out to be Scottish. Only redeemable feature Ewoks...and that's only because my smuggler character in the old Star Wars game had a cool ewok co-pilot. Otherwise, awful.
It's not necessarily hostility towards the new Star Wars films; I guess people just don't think they're good enough to consider "some of their favourite films". I for one found them all to be entertaining, but far from my favourite films. As far as Sci Fi is concerned, Blade Runner is the only one that has ever made me go "wow".
Quote from: Salacious AngelIt's not necessarily hostility towards the new Star Wars films; I guess people just don't think they're good enough to consider "some of their favourite films".
Quoted for truth.
Quote from: Epic MeepoHere are a few good (and not so good) live-action movies that can provide inspiration for gamers.
The Matrix trilogy, parts 1 and 2
While part 3 of the Matrix may or may not actualy be a good movie, the sheer amount of insanity in it should be inspiring to any DM.
Quote from: Salacious AngelIt's not necessarily hostility towards the new Star Wars films; I guess people just don't think they're good enough to consider "some of their favourite films". I for one found them all to be entertaining, but far from my favourite films. As far as Sci Fi is concerned, Blade Runner is the only one that has ever made me go "wow".
Good point Salacious, although I was watching Revenge of the Sith on Saturday, and I really do rate it up there with 'New Hope' and 'Empire' as my favourite Star Wars films. 'Phantom Menace' and 'Attack of the Clones' are, as you say, entertaining, but by no means brilliant. I really love the movie 'Dune', and the more recent TV series. People keep telling me there's a four hour version of the original movie, but I've never seen it. The book's still better, IMO.
my god, i forgot
Boondock Saints.
QuoteSo we shall flow a river forth unto Thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be, In Nomine Patris, Et Filii, Et Spiritus Sancti.
Rocco: We could kill *everyone.*
Murphy: So what do you think?
Connor: I'm strangely comfortable with it.
[/quote]
Detective Dolly: So what's the symbology there?
Paul Smecker: Well, now that Duffy has relinquished his "King Bonehead" crown I see we have an heir to the throne! I believe the word you were looking for is "symbolism." What is the ssss-himbolism.
[/quote]
I have a new favorite, that is not out on DVD yet, but I just saw it in the movie theater and it is awesome.
The Departed
Oh my god, they may as well toss out the nomination to Nicholson right now. He's at his finest in this movie like he was in "One Flew Over he Cuckoo's Nest" and "Chinatown." And Martin Scorsese is one of those directors that draws an audience just with his name; this is a movie that deserves it. It's a little long sometimes, but damn, the action and tension in this movie more than make up for it. If you feel like fighting back the crowds this weekend, this is the movie for you. But not if you're faint of heart... then you should see "The Guardian." :-p
The Wild Geese.
Robin Hood(Patrick Bergen and Uma Thurman version)
Lost Battalion
What's New Pussycat
Love and Death
Bananas
The Assassination Bureau
Casino Royale(David niven/Peter Sellers version)
Farscape: peacekeeper wars
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
Evolution
Ravenous
Gorgeous
Quote from: Epic MeepoBram Stoker's Dracula (with Gary Oldman)
... and with Winnona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins, and Tom Waits, and Monnica Bellucci.
And Keannu Reves, but he doesn't count... cause i hate him (try to learn some new emotions man.)
Also,
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONDOCK SAINTS!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely incredible movie
Vigilantes, a crazy cop, wicked action, non-linear timeline = ZOMG!
And then there is Romero's Day of the Dead, original version. I saw it for the first time in the summer of 87, after almost two weeks without sleep, while eating breakfast.
It freaked me out.
Ham steak has never been the same...
Great movie. :rambo: :protest:
Any of the Blind Swordsman movies.
Zatoichi fights like a demon.
Anything Kurosawa.
especially anything with Mifune in it.
especially especially Yojimbo.
Oh yeah:
(http://static.twoday.net/cheridwen/images/incredibles.jpg)
I can't get enough of this movie..
Quote from: IshmaylOh yeah:
(http://static.twoday.net/cheridwen/images/incredibles.jpg)
I can't get enough of this movie..
Definitely a great movie. And I'm not quite sure why...
I mean, maybe it's just because I tend to love superhero movies :yumm: (except
The Hulk, :ill: )
It's what "Fantastic Four" wishes it could be.
I think it's because it hearkens back to an earlier, lighter era in the supers genre, when there was something truly awe inspiring in having powers (the scene where Dash realises he can run on water was a more entertaining realisation of one's superpowers than any other I've seen in a movie) and things weren't so damned serious. Live action supers movies certainly have a monopoly on believability, but in my opinion The Incredibles is the truest comic caper to grace the silver screen in a long while.
Besides which, it's joyous, frenetic, at times downright hilarious, and truly suitable for the whole family.
Not to mention the badass black-bubble trap.
Hell yes! That was simply inspired.
And Jak Jak's various transformations at the end of the film. I cracked the hell up the first time I saw that.
Quote from: IshmaylIt's what "Fantastic Four" wishes it could be.
Yeah, I saw the Fantastic Four last week, and it was pretty forgettable to be honest (except for Ioan Gruffydd, but that's just naked patriotism on my part). Of all the Superhero films I've seen, I really like 'Batman Begins' - the idea of an ancient secret society kicking down civilizations like anthills appealed to me. I also like both Spiderman movies, because you get a real sense of his life. However, do they stand up to Dan Poole's brilliant 'Green Goblin's Last Stand'? I dont think so. Apparently the guy was actually up there swinging on a rope from building to building. I dont see Toby Maguire doing that.
Yeah, well in Green Goblin's Last Stand, they couldn't afford stunt doubles and specialized computer effects ;) I agree about Batman Begins though; that's the best superhero movie out in recent years.
Batman Begins was uber awesome. Christian Bale is batman as I had envisioned him.
However, unlike Wrexham, I thought the whole secret organisation idea was gay.
Liberace gay.
Oh yeah...
Killer Condom.
That was an awesome movie; appendage-hungry latex, anyone?
Quote from: Salacious AngelOh yeah...
Killer Condom.
That was an awesome movie; appendage-hungry latex, anyone?
The concept of appendage hungry latex doesnt sound awesome at all. In fact it sounds utterly terrifying... x.
Leave it to the germans to create one of the most disturbing and surreal genital-mutillation films of the twentieth century.
Actually, why would I expect the Germans to come up with that? More like the Somalians...
Or, uh... the Abrahamic faiths.
Quote from: Salacious AngelHowever, unlike Wrexham, I thought the whole secret organisation idea was gay.
Liberace gay.
Ninjas are without sexual orientation.
That being said, Incredibles is good ol'-fashioned "four-color" (as it's known amongst comic fans, long explanation) fun-- but I don't think it's the exclusive source of good-natured superheroics nowadays. There are plenty of comics and TV series geared towards family-friendly fun, it's just that movies cost a
lot more, and Disney sorta has the family-friendly movie niche covered.
PIXAR, man, Pixar.
Sure, Pixar's a subsidiary of Disney, but it's not like Disney as a whole is really hauling ass for Pixar films beyond marketing and the like. They've got the monopoly, yeah, but the key to monopolising is often a matter of having a dutiful housewife who not-so-secretly writes "your" novels for you.
Besides, Pixar hasn't actually DONE anything since being fully acquired by Disney. I mean, it only happened this January.
Give those dudes their props man; they have served us well.
Quote from: Salacious AngelSure, Pixar's a subsidiary of Disney...
And every single major Pixar motion picture has been produced and marketed by Disney.
And if you don't think that marketing and advertisement is a huge part of the equation, then I respectfully disagree.
[Change above to Disney/Pixar]
Oh, of course it plays a HUGE part, but I'm saying that calling those movies Disney Works is like saying Steve Jackson wrote GURPS Powers of Bantam Books wrote Deadhouse gates.
Hell, even calling them Pixar productions is a stretch; Brad Bird and Michael Giacchino get that credit. I mean, we don't give Newmarket Films credit for Memento.
And how many people know who distributed Lord of the Rings?
Quote from: Salacious AngelOh, of course it plays a HUGE part, but I'm saying that calling those movies Disney Works is like saying Steve Jackson wrote GURPS Powers of Bantam Books wrote Deadhouse gates.
Hell, even calling them Pixar productions is a stretch; Brad Bird and Michael Giacchino get that credit. I mean, we don't give Newmarket Films credit for Memento.
Meh. I made an idle statement, really, and I don't plan on deconstructing every film by writer, director, and besy boy grip when I can just use one or two words.
Yes, even if it's inaccurate.
Alas, I am forever one for semantics. I suppose I just like to know who writes, directs, composes the screenplay and directs the cinematography. Couldn't give a damn about marketing, but it's always nice to know whose creative energy goes into a film.
And meh is such an ugly word...
Like pistachio.
*Gasp*
How dare you tarnish the name of pistachio?
For shame!
Quote from: Salacious AngelAnd how many people know who distributed Lord of the Rings?
Ahh, but those movies suck, so who cares? ;)
Quote from: CYMROAhh, but those movies suck, so who cares? ;)
I thought they were quite good myself, especially the Two Towers.
Quote from: Wrexham3Quote from: CYMROAhh, but those movies suck, so who cares? ;)
I thought they were quite good myself, especially the Two Towers.
:ill:
I have much higher standards. ;)
Too great a departure from the book, both literally and thematically for me to enjoy them.
I have rarely seen such bad adaptations. I felt like the screenwriter had not even read the damn trilogy. So sad that for the money they pumped into this series, it was so weak, nay even lame.
Given the choice, I would rather watch the old Rankin and Bass cartoons. At least their director did not falsely claim to have improved the original.
Peter Jackson sucks. In my opinion.
I liked the LotR movies, though I knew they were a large departure. I've been losing length on my attention span year by year, and at this point it's just better for me to watch the movie and enjoy that even when I know they leave out a lot and change some things.
On a semi-related note, I actually can't even watch the movies anymore unless it's the extended versions with commentary on.
Quote from: CYMRO:ill:
I have much higher standards. ;)
Too great a departure from the book, both literally and thematically for me to enjoy them.
I have rarely seen such bad adaptations. I felt like the screenwriter had not even read the damn trilogy. So sad that for the money they pumped into this series, it was so weak, nay even lame.
Given the choice, I would rather watch the old Rankin and Bass cartoons. At least their director did not falsely claim to have improved the original.
Peter Jackson sucks. In my opinion.
I really liked the LotR films because they were such a departure from the novels! Tolkien was a brilliant imaginist but (only IMHO) he tended to overwrite everything so that his sentances became clunky. Also I found his black-and-white morality simplistic. Unfortunately, for the purist, it would have been impossible to bring Tolkien's epic to the screen verbatim. The films turned out to be an excellant compromise, and are much better paced than the novels. I was actually suprised I enjoyed the 'Two Towers' film so much as its the book I least enjoyed (the boring middle bit). But that's only my 2 pence worth.
Just heard the 'Watchmen' film might be back on the cards. Now that is serious literature.
Is 'Watchmen' a comic? Never read it. Speaking of watching things, I got all hyped up about Night Watch when it came out, and thought it was shit. Would have made a great miniseries, but not a movie, and the notion that there could be two more of them fills me with dread.
I saw The Departed last night. It's dialogue, it's characters, it's music and cinematography... then the understated ending that nevertheless nails you right in the lovesack. POWERHOUSE!!! Plus, Jack Nicholson.
'Nuff said.
And I know this movie doesn't actually exist, but a Paradise Lost movie would pwn so much ass. I know it's crazy to even think that Milton's magnum opus could be made into a movie, and it probably can't, but allow a young fool his fantasies...
As far as LotR is concerned, I loved the movies and hated the books. Tolkien made me yawn throughout the entire 'epic', while Jackson only made me yawn at the very end. The movies were not like the books, and I am very thankful for that. It's imporant to judge film adaptations based - at least in part - on their unique merits, and LotR had plenty so long as you were hanging out for a hack-fest. Which I was.
And for all of their successes, those movies aren't (IMO) the best evidence of Jackson's craft, nor is King Kong. Some of his earlier splatterhouse was deliciously outlandish: Bad Taste and Braindead were a real romp, whist Meet the Feebles was wildly perverted and The Frighteners was simply entertaining. His greatest credit, however, is not as a director, but a screenplay writer. Jackson co-wrote Heavenly Creatures, earning himself an academy award nomination. 'Course, no-one remembers that, or probably even knew in the first place...
His most renowned work has been interpretive rather than original, sure, and that'll continue. He's executive producer for the Halo movie(and planning three games for the franchise), interested in a Hobbit adaptation, and planning The Lovely Bones, which, in light of his skilful directorial technique (and dedication to his craft) as well as his success with Heavenly Creatures, aught to be a blast.
If you hadn't noticed by now, I think Jackson is the shiz.
Oh yeah...
And Brokeback Mountain. That movie pulled my heartsrings far more than Crash, even though the latter won the Academy Award. Is Crash a "better movie"? I don't know, but regardless, I found Brokeback Mountain genuinely moving, while Carsh was compelling, but didn't stay with me when the credits rolled.
And lastly: Uwe Boll is trying to get the rights to Half Life! Heck,he's already got the rights to Far Cry and - gasp - Postal. Surely a sign of the End Times! (I mean it - we're all doomed...)
I forgot 12 Angry Men (the '54, '57 and 97 versions).
There are plenty of movies about lawyers and criminals, but so often we neglect the essential element of our judicial system that is the jury. This movie captures the humanity of the process of deliberation, as well as highlighting its fundamentally finite and fallible nature.
It reminds us how tenuous our freedoms - and indeed our very lives - can be when put in the hands of twelve angry men.
One of my faves.
In addition, another Alice and Wonderland movie would be shweet, but with much more Rackham in its imagery and tone.
Quote from: Salacious AngelIn addition, another Alice and Wonderland movie would be shweet, but with much more Rackham in its imagery and tone.
My favorite Alice movie is the one with Red Buttons as the White Rabbit and Telly Savalas as the Cheshire Cat.
And on the tangent of Savalas:
Kelly's Heroes! Great war flick!
Just watched 'Airplane' tonight. My vote for the funniest film ever.