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My roommate and I have one problem with the trailer. The charm of the older trilogies (Star Wars, Indy) is that all the technology hasn't been invented yet. The later stuff just doesn't seem to belong together because of the technology.

Also, the dichotomy of society is different now, even if the movie is about the past or future, pieces of the time it was written show up in there.

Also, the dichotomy of society is different now, even if the movie is about the past or future, pieces of the time it was written show up in there

Very well said. I need an applause smiley.

Responding...

dranscht:

For some reason, studios don't like to use marquee space in front of their major releases to promote their competitors' films. [Shrug] Go figure.

Exception: when the teaser for The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.) first appeared last summer in front of The Simpsons Movie (Fox).

Oooh. Good point.

lilly:

My roommate and I have one problem with the trailer. The charm of the older trilogies (Star Wars, Indy) is that all the technology hasn't been invented yet. The later stuff just doesn't seem to belong together because of the technology.

Another great point.

lilly / Donte:

Also, the dichotomy of society is different now, even if the movie is about the past or future, pieces of the time it was written show up in there.

Very well said. I need an applause smiley.

Agreed and seconded.

I remain, as always...

Nico.

I think it looks good not amazing but good

It looks good but I was going to see this film regardless.

It's definitely way better than the Star Trek trailer everyone seems to be drooling over. I've seen every Star Trek film but I'm still not convinced the franchise can be saved even if JJ Abrams is involved. Paramount should just give the ST franchise a rest and come back big in X years like Doctor Who.

binkley (Good to see you, partner!):

[The Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer is] definitely way better than the Star Trek trailer everyone seems to be drooling over.

Heresy!

I've seen every Star Trek film but I'm still not convinced the franchise can be saved even if JJ Abrams is involved.

I must admit, I have some of the same concerns, although -- in a rather pleasant surprise for yours truly -- a recent MSNBC poll of the public's most-anticipated films of 2008 ranked Trek #4, ahead of such titles as Wall-E, Sex and the City: The Movie, Iron Man, Speed Racer and the untitled X-Files sequel (but trailing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Dark Knight and, of course, Indy IV). (It should be noted that, once word of the poll and Trek's fourth-place ranking slipped out, it instantly -- not to mention, artificially -- vaulted up the charts to the #1 slot. With something over 25,000 responses now tabulated, it's now at #2, some 750 votes behind the leader, Indy IV.) It seems that Fantaversians -- a fairly honest representation, I think, of the general filmgoing public's most enthusiastic and informed members -- are lukewarm to the project, though, which concerns me. With a budget that looks to exceed $200M by the time the first ticket is sold, I wonder if this title can ever possibly earn back Paramount's investment in it, or whether, like Superman Returns, it will invariably (not to mention, inevitably) be considered a franchise-threatening disappointment.

Paramount should just give the ST franchise a rest and come back big in X years like Doctor Who.

I tend to agree... Five years in-between first-run entertainment isn't long enough to boost enthusiasm for the franchise, not to mention put to rest long-simmering frustrations with its last decade or so. Also, I think there's a high degree of -- there's that phrase again, one of my favorites -- franchise fatigue at work here; Trek's only rival as the longest-running active film series is the Bond franchise, which itself has seen peaks and valleys, some of them lasting a decade or more. (And Bond's infinitely more popular than Trek, btw.)

I think Paramount's taking a real risk, here, on so many different levels and in so many varying ways that I can hardly keep track of all my reservations and anxieties. But, I must admit, I geeked out when I saw the first trailer; my body is fairly thirsting for Trek, and will surely guzzle it until it's full, even if it turns out to be a very weak iced tea.

Here are the current results:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 24%
Star Trek - 21%
The Dark Knight - 17%
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 10%
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - 7.5%
Iron Man - 4.2%
Sex and the City: The Movie - 3.7%
Untitled X Files Sequel - 3.3%
Quantum of Solace - 1.2%
Burn After Reading - 1.1%
Wall-E - 1.1%
Get Smart - 1.0%
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army - 0.8%
Mamma Mia! - 0.8%
The Incredible Hulk - 0.6%
Speed Racer - 0.6%
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 0.5%
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who - 0.5%
He's Just Not That Into You - 0.5%
Leatherheads - 0.5%
Australia - 0.3%
Hancock - 0.3%

I have to say, there's a lot about this online survey, as an indicator of public awareness and excitement, that I simply don't buy. Frankly, I don't know what I think is more incredible: That the long-tardy sequel to X-Files is #1 on more peoples' to-do lists than Bond 22, Wall-E, Speed Racer and Hancock COMBINED, or that Mamma Mia! is outpacing both Hulk and Horton, or that He's Just Not That Into You managed to top a whole 126 voters' ballots, if the math can be believed. (Or, for that matter, a single respondent's.)

[Shrug] You make the call, folks. You can link to the actual MSNBC poll (which is still active, btw) here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22921311

I remain, as always...

Nico.

People on Yahoo! think Juno will win Best Picture. http://oscars.movies.yahoo.com/

I just don't trust people online.

It's not what you like, but what will win.

I think alot of people are just *not* familiar on the level we all are. I enlightened my co-workers to the existence of Horton, Wall-e, and Hancock recently... of course Wall-e subsequently had a superbowl commercial that enlightened them all. But the point being, unless someone has heard of the film, they aren't going to vote for it even if it is their favorite potentially.

I just don't trust people online.

[SNARK!] Oh, too true.

I remain, as always...

Nico. (Or... AM I?)

Nicodemus wrote:

P.S.: I'm calling his latest film, The Crappening... Next year's Razzie winner for Worst Picture. I guaran-damn-tee it.

Geez, of all people, I'd least expect you Nico to come out with the outrageous predictions. The Hottie & The Nottie, anyone? Blonde Ambition, maybe? One Missed Call? Uwe Boll's latest crapfest with Jason Statham, In The Name Of something something? And that's only two months into the year...

Seriously Nico, The Happening WILL NOT win the Razzie for Worst Pic, no matter how crap it ends up being...

I actually think it looks half decent, I'll reserve my judgement for later thoough... Shyamalan goes R, that premise alone looks promising. It shoulda happened ages ago really. Should wash out the taste of Lady In The Water hopefully...

Nicodemus wrote:

Here are the current results:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 24%
Star Trek - 21%
The Dark Knight - 17%
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - 10%
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - 7.5%
Iron Man - 4.2%
Sex and the City: The Movie - 3.7%
Untitled X Files Sequel - 3.3%
Quantum of Solace - 1.2%
Burn After Reading - 1.1%
Wall-E - 1.1%
Get Smart - 1.0%
Hellboy 2: The Golden Army - 0.8%
Mamma Mia! - 0.8%
The Incredible Hulk - 0.6%
Speed Racer - 0.6%
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 0.5%
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who - 0.5%
He's Just Not That Into You - 0.5%
Leatherheads - 0.5%
Australia - 0.3%
Hancock - 0.3%

Totally irrelevant. As lilly said, people on yahoo think Juno will win Best Picture, and as much as I'd like that to happen, it's not going to...

These opinions are just based on pre-release hype, nothing more. You go back a month before Cloverfield is released, and do the same poll with Cloverfield included I bet you Cloverfield would have come at least in the Top 10. It's #1 atm, but 27 Dresses is gaining on it, and it'll be lucky to remain in the Top 30 or so for 2008 when all is said and done...

As for the Indy trailer, I gotta say, it was good not great. In a game of one-upmanship though, I think The Dark Knight has something on Indy 4 atm. I know the Indy one was only a teaser, and The Dark Knight has released a teaser (if you can call it that) and a trailer. But I gotta say The Dark Knight's trailer blew me (away) *smirk*, while the Indy 4 trailer was just good, nothing more. We'll wait for the actual trailer though, before any REAL judgements can be made though...

didn't really like the Indy trailer or the Star Trek trailer....and i definitely second lilly (was it??) who commented on the dichotomy of society being different....

anny:

Geez, of all people, I'd least expect you Nico to come out with the outrageous predictions.

You obviously haven't been paying attention. [Grin] The Assassination of Jesse James, anyone? Aqua Teen Hunger Force, maybe? The Golden Compass?

The Hottie & The Nottie, anyone? Blonde Ambition, maybe? One Missed Call? Uwe Boll's latest crapfest with Jason Statham, In The Name Of something something? And that's only two months into the year...

Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Look, I'm not saying (necessarily) that Crappening will be THE WORST FILM OF 2008 -- though it wouldn't surprise me in the least -- I mean, that's like being asked to select the fluffiest cloud in the sky, or most deceitful attorney, or the most corrupt politician running for office (and, this year it seems, very possibly all three at once). But the Razzies don't often pick an obscure film, like Hottie and In the Name of the King, as their Worst Picture; in fact, in the twenty-seven-year history of the award, only seven or eight films have failed to garner substantial public and media attention (Can't Stop the Music, The Lonely Lady, Ghosts Can't Do It, Shining Through, Freddy Got Fingered, Swept Away, Dirty Love, and, arguably, An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn). The rest of the Worst Picture "winners," from 1981's Mommie Dearest to 1988's Cocktail, to Indecent Proposal (1993) and The Postman (1997), 2000's Battlefield Earth and last year's Basic Instinct 2, have all been pictures of note (and notoriety). No one pays attention to the Razzies unless they make some noise and indict the really BIG films, the ones with really BIG expectations; the average Joe, unlike the much more informed and attuned average Mogul, hears that a film like The Hottie & the Nottie wins Worst Picture, and shrugs, thinking, Well, I never heard of it, big deal. When a film like Rambo (a likely candidate) wins, it makes news, and everyone pays attention.

Now, regarding One Missed Call, there, again, I have to disagree. Lots of shitty horror films come out every year, and the Razzies pay them absolutely no mind, because nominating a mediocre horror film for Worst Picture is a little like nominating John Williams for Best Score. No one's surprised; it's almost inevitable, even. The Razzies go for high-profile shock value. That's why films like The Forgotten, awful as they are, don't get nominated for Worst Picture, and Catwoman does (in 2004).

Seriously Nico, The Happening WILL NOT win the Razzie for Worst Pic, no matter how crap it ends up being...

'Kay.

Shyamalan goes R, that premise alone looks promising.

Great: Not just crap, but graphic crap. Looking forward to it. Really.

Should wash out the taste of Lady In The Water hopefully...

The difference is, Lady in the Water had something approaching actual promise, and was just executed badly. The Happening is quite simply the worst script I've ever read, from start to finish, and there's absolutely no potential to be tapped, unless you're talking about potential misery.

But, I'll pipe down about it a little and let others draw their own conclusions. I'm confident enough in what I'm saying that I can just sit back and let the mountain come to Mohammed. You will all agree with me by year's end. I have no doubt whatsoever.

anny:

...[P]eople on yahoo think Juno will win Best Picture, and as much as I'd like that to happen, it's not going to...

Probably not. But, then again...

These opinions are just based on pre-release hype, nothing more. You go back a month before Cloverfield is released, and do the same poll with Cloverfield included I bet you Cloverfield would have come at least in the Top 10.

It's a very fair point.

In a game of one-upmanship though, I think The Dark Knight has something on Indy 4...

Oh, and then some.

ETA: Yes, ashkul, it WAS lilly, and Donte seconded her. And then I thirded her, or fourthed him, or something. Erm. That just sounds bad.

I remain, as always...

Nico.

C'mon, the happening won't be that bad will it?

this indian guy sure knows how to move the camera and direct, let's just hope the script can back it up.

but if you've read the script Nico and reckon it's shit, tell me this, how does the twist rank with his other movies?

but word has it, there is no twist, just a reasonable explanation to all the mysteries.

We-elll, there are TWO "twists," really, that come to mind: One, like you say, is, well, hm, not so much a "reasonable explanation," but a rather inevitable, though incredible, conclusion that is foreshadowed and hinted at just about from Page 1, and gradually dawns on all the characters, and eventually becomes enunciated, to great portentious fanfare and predictable incredulity and has to be repeated half a dozen times, because it's So! Very!! Unexpected!!! that it's just assumed the audience will be gasping and "What the --"ing for, like, entire reels of film. And they will, but not because "the secret" is so awesome and shocking and otherworldly, but because it's crap. [Swipe to read:] Turns out all the living creatures of the earth, but in particular flora, have decided Man is a cancerous parasite and are working together to wipe out the species, or at least reduce it to manageable population levels, in order to preserve the rest of the biosystem. In other words, old, pissed-off Mother Earth watched Tim Burton's Batman, and decided to enact the Joker Protocol: Use the earth's resources to variously excrete and emit and pheremonically release naturally-occuring compounds, innocuous and inconsequential enough by themselves, but that, when combined, are fatal to humans. And ONLY humans. [Sigh]

...But it's the SECOND "twist," the REALLY twisty, bendy one, that comes near the end of the film, and just makes you wish the big bad "happening" would just up and kill you before you finished watching (or, in my case, reading) it. I honestly don't know what I should say about it, so I'll leave it at this: [again, swipe, if you really must... I wouldn't] It involves COMMUNICATING with the PLANET. Forget 2001: A Space Odyssey, or even its retarded cousin, Mission to Mars: THIS shit's just fuckin' AWFUL.

My only hope is that, since the version of the script I read was dated eighteen months ago or thereabouts, substantial rewrites have occured. That's not what I'm hearing, though, or seeing in trailers.

C'mon, [T]he [H]appening won't be that bad will it?

It will.

[Shyamalan] sure knows how to move the camera and direct...

Knowing how to put a car together does not mean that, every single time you do so, you'll invent a Porsche, or a Lamborghini, or a Ferrari. Sometimes, you end up with a Yugo. It runs, all right, but it's shit.

I get this vibe of skepticism from you, Lub, and that's all right. I'm a Cynic -- really a lapsed and jaded Idealist -- myself. We'll all find out how right I was -- or wasn't -- in a few months.

I remain, as always...

Nico.

i don't know....i think the trailer looked pretty darn impressive....(it was attached to Jumper)....and i'll probably watch it in theaters coz i still have a bit of faith in Night....sure The Village was disappointing, but there is always hope....nein??

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