Yes, it's been met with critical acclaim and a steadily growing audience. Yes, it's based on an incredibly popular series of novels and the adaptation has been as good as the source. But what really puts Game of Thrones over the top is its overall production value. The caps below are just from one episode ("Prince of Winterfell"), but believe me the entire series is full of fantastic production design, location shooting, and composition.
When they say it's not TV, it's HBO, they mean it. There's nothing on television in this format that even comes close to the sheer cinematic feel of an average episode of Game of Thrones. The lighting alone is a clue to the care and craft being put into each scene. At times an establishing location shot, on screen for mere seconds, looks as if it was plucked from the BBC's Planet Earth. Earth this is definitely not, but it could hardly be showcased any better.
Never have I seen-- and enjoyed-- so much footage from a movie so far off. Peter Jackson and crew have certainly been busy, each scene impeccably composed, shot, and colored. The results look as beautiful as ever, it would be hard to expect less from the teams involved in front of the camera and behind.
Here are some of my favorite shots from the trailer, each and eyeful in every way. Holding in the anticipation to see this played out at the unknown effect (to me) of 48fps will be tough!
Well, looky here. A casual check of what's new at Apple Trailers reveals that Rogue Pictures picked up The Warrior's Way and released a new trailer. Actually, this is the first true trailer for the film as the footage from the previous post about this film was actually a promo reel used at film markets. What's important to note here is the apparent change of tone of the film, at least from the marketing standpoint. Let's leave aside the awful rock soundtrack of the trailer and concentrate on the fact that the relationships Jang Dong Gun's character has with the townspeople appears to have changed. The previous promo reel had this viewer believing that Geoffrey Rush's character was the main foil in that plotline, but the trailer sells a more "partner-in-crime" type relationship and it is he who might be narrating the the story throughout. Gone, also, is the slightly romantic connection between Kate Bosworth's character and there seems to be little remaining of the "freak show" of interesting characters that make up the wayward town.
As trailers go, this is trying to sell a rather straightforward action picture, removing much of the Eastern philosophy that was prevalent in the promo reel and turning the main character in to a "hero" where the original promo reel sold a slightly more ambiguous, repentant "anti-hero." It will be fascinating to see if there will be a different edit for the film internationally as well as how the marketing is handled. For now, however, it is good to finally get a clear glimpse of the visuals which remain gorgeous and engaging. With the troubled history of this production, however, what truly needs to be seen is whether or not the story actually works.
Here's one of those interesting projects that seems to be flying under the radar, despite what appears to be solid potential behind the scenes. Once called Laundry Warrior, the film now known as The Warrior's Way is an ambitious melding of East and West, literally. The film revolves around "a swordsman from the Far East who flees from his past to the American badlands where he meets the town drunkard, and a circus knife thrower both of whom harbor powerful secrets" that may throw the town into chaos...
It's a simple enough premise, one that lends itself to high concept genre imaginings. However, a premise alone is just the first step. Information has been scarce, but the staff list goes something like this: it is written and directed by NYC Film school teacher Sngmoo Lee, who has partnered with Barrie Osborne of Lord of the Rings to produce the film. "Fight choreography is by SHIMOMURA Yuji, a protoge of Donnie Yen, whose credits include VERSUS and ARAGAMI, while stunts will be overseen by Hollywood veteran Augie Davis (The Water Horse)"*. In front of the camera are the likes of Geoffrey Rush as the Drunkard, Kate Bosworth as the Circus Knife Performer, Tony Cox, and JANG Dong-gun (Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War, The Coast Guard) as the Warrior. With Osborne's involvement, Weta Digital is sure to provide some effects for some of the ambitious set pieces.
And that's where the information stops. A single promotional image (above) floated around the net for a while, but the August 2009 release date set by the film's press release has come and gone sans film. However, back in June of 2009, a promo reel did emerge, most likely out of Cannes, for the film and gives the only glimpse into the film's stylish visuals, setting, and atmosphere.
As one can see, there is some incredible potential in this reel; certainly not something to judge the final film by, but a enticing glimpse into how the estimated $50 million budget is being (or has been) spent. So, what could be the cause of the delay? With a cast and staff that should by all accounts "sell itself" why has the picture not been picked up for distribution? Have there been cost overruns? Production problems? Or is the film just not working as hoped? The lack of information through official channels certainly undermines confidence in the film. Yet, just seeing the footage presented so far is more than enough to strongly hope that this Wuxia-Western will ultimately see the light of day.
Yahoo Movies released the first teaser for the remake of Clash of the Titans starring Sam Worthington who may be turning into the flavor of the month--time will tell. We have said our peace here about remakes, but this teaser only serves the point. What are they marketing in this minute and a half? Is it a classic fable of heroism? Is it the struggle of man against divine forces? Or is it monsters, swords, and gods...oh my!
The only dialogue in the piece doesn't feel mythic. In fact, it's almost downright contemporary, despite being delivered by Pete Postelthwaite. When you slap on rock music to a stream of jumping, grimacing, running imagery, and with the Monday Night Football inspired "Titans"-"Will"-"Clash" tagline, the intention of the filmmakers, so far it seems, is to pull in the crowd whose "literature" involves comic books and whose "epics" are found on videogame consoles.
But this is just the teaser. There is certainly more to be offered, right???
The 80s was a wonderful period for of those of you who grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons, as sword & sorcery fantasy films were frequently being made and released. Most have been, of course, relegated to "cult film" status these days, but it is truly a shame that the genre as a whole all but disappeared for the past 20 years. That is...until Peter Jackson proved that interest in fantasy films has lain dormant, ready to be awakened.
Now, "fantasy epics" are being greenlit by many studios. Among these, a small little film is being made in the spirit that existed back in fantasy films' heyday. The title, Tales of an Ancient Empire, should be familiar to any of you who know of one of the classic films of 80s fantasy, The Sword and the Sorcerer, a brisk, high adventure film that was unapologetic about its masculinity & chauvinism; the fantastic three-bladed sword wielded by the hero, Talon (played by Lee Horsley), featured in the title was an immediate allure for the genre's fans. The film ended promising further adventures of Talon in an upcoming film called Tales of an Ancient Empire. Then the fantasy bubble burst.
Flash forward to today as The Sword and the Sorcerer's original director, Albert Pyun, is busy in post-production on the long promised sequel. Naturally, the previous film's hero, Talon, is now too old to continue the adventures, so a new, young band of warriors lead by Kevin Sorbo of TVs "Hercules" series, will take the reigns as Talon's children. Albert Pyun has recently been releasing clips of the unfinished film on his Vimeo site, letting fans in to the process, revealing rough cuts of scenes. It is a brilliant bit of marketing, giving fans snippets to wet their appetites in addition to serving as a promotional tool to attract new fans unfamiliar with the original film. Beyond this, however, the clips reveal the important role editing plays in filmmaking. By viewing the scenes Pyun has made available, one can get a sense of how performances can be shaped, mood manipulated, and potential script inconsistencies or problems fixed or circumvented. They also reveal how music, sound, and other crafts related to the process complete the experience.
The first scene released is a simple conversation scene between the two leads, Sorbo, and Melissa Ordway. As the very first glimpse at footage from the film, the scene confidently quells personal worries that the film would lose something in the "mists of time" as sensibilities have certainly changed in the last 20 years. This feels like a sword and sorcery film and more importantly, it still feels like The Sword and the Sorcerer. I think it is safe to say that had Pyun not directed this sequel, I think the sensation would be quite different.
You can view 3 other clips (and I assume more are to follow) at Pyun's Vimeo site by clicking here. I look forward to seeing the difference between these rough cuts and their final iteration in the released film. With a rumored sequel to another 80s cult favorite, Hawk the Slayer, going in to production, fantasy adventures might just be making a comeback. Fingers crossed...
If you want more proof of the dedication and production savvy Russia has been displaying lately, check out this clip from the upcoming, Disney produced fantasy film, Kniga Masterov. Definitely epic in scope with a solid sense of production design and effects visualization.
The tag line says it all. We love movies. All types. More importantly, we love movies as the modern conveyors of story and myth in contemporary society. Sound high brow? Don't worry, we love a movie that only aims to entertain as much as anyone...so long as it has a story to tell. These are our thoughts about film of every genre from every part of the globe. You may agree with us; you may not. That's fine. There's plenty of movies for everyone.
Yes, it's been met with critical acclaim and a steadily growing audience. Yes, it's based on an incredibly popular series of novels and the adaptation has been as good as the source. But what really puts Game of Thrones over the top is its overall production value. The caps below are just from one episode ("Prince of Winterfell"), but believe me the entire series is full of fantastic production design, location shooting, and composition.
