The Big Picture: The Numbers

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B Goy

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Jan 5, 2010
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Sutter Cane said:
B Goy said:
To me the reason Scott Pilgrim failed was the same reason that Kickass failed.

They were advertising films that weren't going to happen.

If you never read Kickass and only saw the trailer then you'd think it was just a comedy on some guy who tries to be a superhero, isn't that good but internet memehood inspires others to take up the mantle as he then gets better and eventually all the heroes team up to face the bad guy with the little girl and dad being the best ones even if no one takes them seriously.

Kickass was alright but it wasn't the film the non-geeks were promised, the general public looked it up and realised it wasn't their cup of tea after they realised the film was going to stay true, they wanted wacky comedy, not dark comedy that abandons comedy by the third act with the torture scene (seriously... why? it's marketing hell). It failed.

Scott Pilgrim also was advertised as just comedy until the above scenario happened.

Basically if people want to make movies like Kickass and Scott Pilgrim then they need to ditch the dark and drama and only make it a spoof of the genre or just comedy if they want the Hollywood cash flowing in.

Sad? Yes. Necessary? Also yes.
Kick Ass was a finincial success. From what i understand they had pretty much already covered their budget before the film even hit theaters
Ah, my mistake but the point still stands with Scotty P.
 

Azaraxzealot

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Dec 1, 2009
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i wish i could put this video on EVERY screen in the entire world so EVERYONE can see their idiocracy and repent so good movies can be made :(
 

DeepwellBridge

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Mar 17, 2011
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Great vid Bob. I'll take your low-brow, no nonsense movie reviews over the stagnant, pompous critics of the world any day.
 

Luthir Fontaine

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Oct 16, 2010
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Would have loved to see it by I see where the univ was goin with it. No way Lovecraft rated R was goin to make money.
Its sad really when great works of art get pwned by dumb car movie number 393042....
 

Verlander

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Apr 22, 2010
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THANK YOU.

About time someone said it in an easy to sallow, and easily represented kinda way. For pirates, this goes double
 

head desk tricycle

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Aug 14, 2010
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Hellboy 2 was terrible though, and the first Hellboy was merely adequate, having been partially redeemed by a strong final act. If I'm not mistaken, Guillermo also made Blade 2, which was great in a way very comparable to Expendables, to the point that it even contained some enjoyable elements of pro wrestling.
 

Yelchor

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Aug 30, 2009
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The "At the Mountains of Madness" film adaptation was cancelled?

...That was a sudden gut-wrenching disappointment. On a brighter note however, Iv'e gained a slight increase of respect for Universal Pictures for their support of free artistic value. What's interesting about this is that it isn't the fault of the publisher as in most cases, but the audience itself.

Infact, why can't Moviebob do a Big Picture episode contemplating on how the mainstream audience let bland action movies become huge hits with emphasis on artistic value being gone from sight? Doesn't people realize that they contribute to this negative spiral by watching such movies?

This is quite a depressing trend which, the way I see it, is caused by the dependency on money. It has turned movie-making into a balancing game between artistic commitment and accessibility to as large an audience as possible. It has become an industry where creativity is more of a bonus rather than obligatory. Movies, as any other form of art, should not be about that. It's about expression, relaying of messages that can have the ability to enrich your mentality.

I'll atleast hope for better days.
 

WaderiAAA

Derp Master
Aug 11, 2009
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Wow, that is really depressing. Particularly considering just how good Scott Pilgrim was and how awesome that Lovecraft movie sounds.
 

jrplette

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Nov 2, 2010
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I'm glad I wasn't the only one depressed by this vid. Good vid, but depressing. Makes me remember how we live in an imperfect world and stuff...I need something mindless to distract me.

To the Expendables!!
 

Dastardly

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Apr 19, 2010
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MovieBob said:
The Numbers

How Scott Pilgrim ruined Guillermo del Toro's day.

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When art meets commerce, it's the inevitable outcome. Commerce will dominate, because artists can't eat without money. The classic paradox.

We're told to "get a job doing what you love." Or, in less artful terms, "If you're good at something, never do it for free." But the fact is that accepting money for your craft irreparably changes the motivation for all but a select few (usually those who didn't have to worry much about money anyway). And it introduces myriad other influences outside the medium itself.

Artists are no longer allowed to help teach people how to engage art. They are only allowed to capitalize on the dependable old tropes to which people are already enslaved. In turn, we propagate that enslavement into the next generation.
 

PeterDawson

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Feb 10, 2009
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Yeah it sucks that the pandering film The Expendables (not that pandering isn't a bad thing mind you, one could argue chocolate is just pandering to our taste-buds) killed a wonderful artistic film at the box office. However, the tragedy is kind of undercut by the studio really not thinking about their release dates. Seriously, it went opposite Eat Pray Love and The Expendables, two massively-hyped movies that had a giant amount of appeal to two huge demographics. Yeah Scott Pilgrim was the most creative at least artistically of the three and, unlike the action film Hollywood had to make in case the world will actually end in 2012 (I'm surprised the tagline wasnt "You're welcome America"), actually had good camera work, but it just doesn't have the broad appeal that those two films had just in concept. Hell I myself went to see both Pilgrim and The Expendables and enjoyed both, though in my book the former was definitely superior. The summer blockbuster months can be risky and you can't bank on the geek audience no matter how big and influencial you think it is, especially going up against two films that are all but guaranteed to be juggernauts.
 

WanderingFool

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Yelchor said:
Infact, why can't Moviebob do a Big Picture episode contemplating on how the mainstream audience let bland action movies become huge hits with emphasis on artistic value being gone from sight? Doesn't people realize that they contribute to this negative spiral by watching such movies?
Oh God... Im quite sure the last thing any of us need is Bob making a video that basically sums up to, "If you have different tastes than me, you're a moron!"
 

internetzealot1

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Aug 11, 2009
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"At the Mountains of Madness"

GRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAA.

That was my favorite one! It was so fucking scary that I spent the rest of the week looking over my shoulder.

Though I wonder how the film version would have worked. A significant chunk was the discovery of alien history through hieroglyphics (sp).

And I don't think that anything was explicitly rated R.

Anyone who wants to read it can go here:

http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/mm.asp
 

beema

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Aug 19, 2009
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Man, that blows
I didn't even know Del Toro was making that movie! I definitely would have loved to see it. Lovecraft done right (hopefully) on the big screen? Yes please.
Money talks people, money talks.
 

Jaebird

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Aug 19, 2008
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Damn it all... Looks like I will have to actually read the book, instead of waiting for the movie.

In all seriousness, I do hope Guillermo and company find a studio, because I would very much love to see monsters return to the big screen. And to think James Cameron's name being attached to it would have been enough, but oh well.
 

Hollock

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Jun 26, 2009
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Since being able to see R-rated movies by myself (since often I can't find anyone to see them with) I've made a point to try and go see every great yet risky movie and or smaller yet fantastic film that comes by. I've also been heavily supporting my local indie theaters. And unless it's oscar season I'm usually the only one there whose hair isn't gray. Even if it doesn't come by and I see a movie that's great online (like super) I'll make a point to find it on demand (I've since paid for seeing it 3 times, getting more and more people into it). I'm trying to 'vote with my ticket' in no small part to you and your show.
 

gregitaly

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Mar 12, 2009
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Wait a minute, couldn't some of the blame be foistered upon Del Tormo and his insistence on the project being R rated? I mean, whose to say you can't make a psychological horror film in the constraints of a pg-13 rating? In fact wouldn't it be the mark of a good artist (which del toro is in my opinion) to tell any story you want, no matter the constraint? Yes in a perfect world Del Toro did the right thing and refused to compromise his intention, but as Bobbo pointed out, this isn't a perfect world.
 

MinionStarwind

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Apr 17, 2009
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If people keep wanting the same crap over and over, who's stopping the big-name studios from MAKING the same crap over and over.

Someone in the thread mentioned the gaming industry too. Same thing applies. You wan't the same Call of Duty remakes over and over? You want to pay 60 bucks for it? Bam, you get it. In the mean time, innovation gets put on the sidelines for "Commander Neckjaw's Cover-Based Military Shooter XVI".