ZymeAddict on 3/8/2009 at 23:06
For anyone who's interested, here's a compilation of commercials directed by Carl Rinsch (the guy who was originally supposed to direct the prequel):
(
http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/05/27/the-commercials-of-carl-erik-rinsch/) http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/05/27/the-commercials-of-carl-erik-rinsch/
He certainly likes mechanization, I'll give him that.
Zygoptera on 3/8/2009 at 23:35
Quote Posted by fett
[excerpt]
Which ones of these are pretentious? I just can't spot 'em like I used to. :grr:
Hah, I knew pretentious would get a reaction even with the 'for want of a better term' qualification, thus the more neutral stylised option. Pretentious in a non pejorative sense is a perfectly valid term for it- his writing is primarily done under the pretenses of comic book conventions, not TV ones, and whether you end up thinking that's awesome/ neutral/ overblown and unnecessary is up to the observer. As stated, I think his dialogue is good overall, and despite occasional :rolleyes: moments I like Firefly well enough, but I can see why dethtoll might not like it.
Those dialogue snippets rather illustrate the point- people don't actually talk like that, comic book characters (
not necessarily a synonym for 2d characters) talk like that.
ilweran on 5/8/2009 at 11:53
Quote Posted by ZymeAddict
Also, people may bitch and moan about dethtoll comparing
Firefly with A:R, but there is no denying the similarities between the crew of the
Betty and
Serenity.
I watched A:R for the second (and probably last) time last year, and that was my first thought. Followed by 'oh god this is even worse than I remember it being'.
I quite like Buffy and Firefly, but hated Angel, mainly because I didn't like the main character. The only thing in it's favour was Fred.
fett on 6/8/2009 at 03:22
Quote Posted by Zygoptera
Those dialogue snippets rather illustrate the point- people don't actually talk like that, comic book characters (
not necessarily a synonym for 2d characters) talk like that.
People don't actually fly around in spaceships with mystic ninja girls running from cannibal crazies and speaking Chinese either, but the dialogue should be like real life? I'm a little fuzzy on where we're drawing the line between fiction and realism here.
Not directed specifically at you Zyg, but doesn't there come a point when something can be funny or clever without being believable? Isn't sci-fi and TV in general an escape from the hum-drum of actual conversation and real life? It'd be awful dull if writer's kept to the way people actually talk and act, though I realize the need to maintain suspension of disbelief.
For what it's worth, no fictional dialogue or event rings very true in real life - it walks a balance between portraying real life and simultaneously glamorizing it or deconstructing it in such a way that the reader/watcher has a desire to enter into the fiction. In that, Joss does a bang up job IMO (even though I fucking hate the whole premise for Buffy, the casting, and the plot - just not my cup of tea).
Scots Taffer on 6/8/2009 at 03:39
Yeah, if dialogue in movies was like real life it'd be rife with grammatical errors, ums, ahhs, likes, and all other manners of shit. I, for one, am glad that not all fictional stories require "lifelike" dialogue (though some benefit immeasurably from it, e.g. The Wire). And if our fictional story involves space cowboys then I'm sure as shit glad that they talk a little more colourfully than Zygoptera wants them to - he probably wants bone dry bullshit like in Episode 1 "the trade federation wants to impose sanctions upon outlying star systems that zzzzzzz".
Zygoptera on 6/8/2009 at 05:25
Quote Posted by fett
Isn't sci-fi and TV in general an escape from the hum-drum of actual conversation and real life?
Yes. I certainly wouldn't argue for literal realism. I'm personally fine with stylisation in just about everything- I thought "Pushing Daisies" was fab and it's just about the most stylised thing which has ever been on TV. However, I can see how the things I tended to find original, charming or fantastic (literal definition) could be found by others to be pretentious, silly or unbelievable.
Ultimately, while I don't particularly agree with the bulk of the criticism of Whedon's writing I do think much of the criticism is at least
defensible.
Morte on 6/8/2009 at 07:35
Certainly people should feel free to dislike or criticise Whedon's particular style and how he employs it all they want.
Arguing that movie dialogue isn't allowed to be stylized at all on the other hand isn't any more defensible than saying painters are only allowed to use certain colours, and deserves only cockpunches.
ZymeAddict on 6/8/2009 at 07:58
Quote Posted by Scots Taffer
And if our fictional story involves space cowboys then I'm sure as shit glad that they talk a little more colourfully than Zygoptera wants them to - he probably wants bone dry bullshit like in Episode 1 "the trade federation wants to impose sanctions upon outlying star systems that zzzzzzz".
Actually, I doubt he thinks characters conversing as if they all recently received botched frontal lobotomies is any more realistic than overly "colorful" dialog. I'm pretty sure you could attain a happy median.
rachel on 6/8/2009 at 09:15
Quote Posted by ZymeAddict
Actually, I doubt he thinks characters conversing as if they all recently received botched frontal lobotomies is any more realistic
And the one character that did get her brains turned upside down like it's play-do doesn't converse much, actually...
icemann on 6/8/2009 at 12:41
Quote Posted by nicked
Also, if a new slayer is called when an old one dies, and Buffy died at the end of season 5, where was the new one?
She popped up in Angel (the new slayer). Working with a vampire hunter to steal Angel's son if I remember right.
And Serenity was an excellent movie. Dont even try and compare Serenity with Alien Resurrection.
