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mixin visuals · May 27, 2003, 01:17 AM

i was interested seeing how long the matrix would lead at the box office.

jim carey is hard to beat

Severed Hand of Skywalker · May 27, 2003, 01:24 AM

Originally posted by mixin visuals:
i was interested seeing how long the matrix would lead at the box office.

jim carey is hard to beat

Actually I think the crappy Matrix sequel is easy to beat.

7Macfreak · May 27, 2003, 01:30 AM

IMO, its more due to the fact that the Wachowski bros arent american

err.. actually i just realized bruce almighty opened during a long weekend, ergo it got the #1 spot. (just HAD TO use that word somewhere

)

MikeM33 · May 27, 2003, 01:49 AM

Jim Carey movie = wait for it to come to video/dvd/HBO/Showtime (whatever)

Matrix Sequel = must see in theaters

THAT IS ALL

MikeM

mixin visuals · May 27, 2003, 01:55 AM

Originally posted by MikeM33:
Jim Carey movie = wait for it to come to video/dvd/HBO/Showtime (whatever)

Matrix Sequel = must see in theaters

THAT IS ALL

MikeM

or vise versa

G4ME · May 27, 2003, 01:59 AM

nope

Steve · May 27, 2003, 02:04 AM

Originally posted by mixin visuals:
or vise versa

Since your friend said The Matrix sucked.

mixin visuals · May 27, 2003, 02:06 AM

Originally posted by Steve:
Since your friend said The Matrix sucked.

i saw it on wednesday

Severed Hand of Skywalker · May 27, 2003, 02:08 AM

Originally posted by Steve:
Since your friend said The Matrix sucked.

I would have to agree with his friend and so does just about every review I read.

Not as sucky as SW: Ep 1 but still really sucky.

Nicko · May 27, 2003, 02:37 AM

Well the Matrix is rated R in the US is it not? That alone is probably why Bruse Almighty opened at number one. I also read somewhere that as an R rated movie the Matrix has broken all the records, so that is a pretty good accomplishment. Funny though, its rated pg here in Canada

Stogieman · May 27, 2003, 02:41 AM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
I would have to agree with his friend and so does just about every review I read.

Most of the reviews I read were quite favorable towards the movie. Yahoo's movie section has a summary of reviews from various movie critics. It's overall average was a B.

Not as sucky as SW: Ep 1 but still really sucky.

Don't you mean SW: EP 1 AND 2

Nicko · May 27, 2003, 02:44 AM

Furthermore, check out http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

Matrix: 75% rating
Bruce: 49% rating

The critics are never wrong!!!

Cipher13 · May 27, 2003, 07:54 AM

Originally posted by 7Macfreak:
IMO, its more due to the fact that the Wachowski bros arent american

err.. actually i just realized bruce almighty opened during a long weekend, ergo it got the #1 spot. (just HAD TO use that word somewhere )

Aren't American?

Pfft... I think it's just cause the movie sucked...

dreilly1 · May 27, 2003, 08:40 AM

Originally posted by Nicko:
Well the Matrix is rated R in the US is it not? That alone is probably why Bruse Almighty opened at number one. I also read somewhere that as an R rated movie the Matrix has broken all the records, so that is a pretty good accomplishment. Funny though, its rated pg here in Canada

I thought it was curious that it got an "R" rating, I think it was actually less violent than the original. There was a lot less indiscriminate killing of people with lots of guns, and a lot more close-up Kung Fu (which is less bloody than guns) and stuff blowing up (which yields less on-screen bloodiness). I think I enjoyed the action scenes a lot more because of it.

It must have kept the "R" rating in the states due to the rave scene. Now we know why they left it in there! (I better stop talking about that scene, though, or the thread might get closed for being too "nipply"...)

Earth Mk. II · May 27, 2003, 08:51 AM

Originally posted by 7Macfreak:
IMO, its more due to the fact that the Wachowski bros arent american

err.. actually i just realized bruce almighty opened during a long weekend, ergo it got the #1 spot. (just HAD TO use that word somewhere )

You mean the American public is going to research what country the people who made their movie came from? You think over half the people seeing The Matrix Reloaded (the half that aren't computer geeks) even know who the Wachowski bros are? I doubt it.

I think it has more to do with the fact that movie was hyped (fairly or not) to be on par with the original, which it is clearly not. I saw it, once, on opening day, and I personally have no great desire to see Reloaded in theaters again - partly because it was a major let down from the hype and partly because I just can't support a cliffhanger ending in a feature length film.

I figure they should have box sets out for Christmas - I'll rent it and watch it and Revolutions then.

starman · May 27, 2003, 08:53 AM

What's with all this non-American crap? Jim Carrey is Canadian so where exactly is this argument going?

Mike

BrunoBruin · May 27, 2003, 09:07 AM

It's not surprising that "Matrix" dropped to second this weekend; the studios have done such a good job of conditioning us to rush out to every movie the weekend it opens, so they make most of their money in the first 72 hours. Which is fine with them, the studios get the vast majority of the box office take in the first weeks and less and less as the weeks go by. But it does lead to this phenomenon of movies having huge openings and then disappearing in a few weeks, with the perception that the movie wasn't a success.

Meh. A $45 million second weekend? It will easily do $250 million, if not $300 million, domestic.

As for Jim Carrey being hard to beat: "The Majestic," anyone? "Man on the Moon"? "Cable Guy"?

The Wachowskis are from Chicago. BTW.

Eug · May 27, 2003, 09:23 AM

As for Jim Carrey being hard to beat: "The Majestic," anyone? "Man on the Moon"? "Cable Guy"?

I thought Cable Guy was hilarious. Solid 7/10.

You had to be in that black comedy mood though, and you had to know older TV. I could tell by the reaction of the 14 year olds in the audience that they didn't get a lot of the references to old TV shows (eg. the original Star Trek).

BrunoBruin · May 27, 2003, 09:33 AM

Originally posted by Eug:
I thought Cable Guy was hilarious. Solid 7/10.

I wasn't talking about artistic merit, I was talking about box office. When Jim Carrey flops, he flops big.

mixin visuals · May 27, 2003, 11:49 AM

Originally posted by BrunoBruin:
I wasn't talking about artistic merit, I was talking about box office. When Jim Carrey flops, he flops big.

yeah, he needs to stick to his roots of comedy

BrunoBruin · May 27, 2003, 01:10 PM

<off topic> I don't know what's sadder: the fact that Jim Carrey is actually a pretty good dramatic actor, or his utter desperation to be taken seriously as same.

<on topic> There's an article in USA Today about the big BO drop for "Matrix" and it's practically a eulogy for the movie and for "Revolutions." It's really out of hand, this business of judging a movie's success on one week's returns. Do they honestly think that "Revolutions" isn't going to be just as big as "Reloaded," just because even folks who were disappointed will want to know how it all ends? I mean, I wasn't interested enough to sit through the "Reloaded" credits for the trailer, but I'll certainly go see the third one.

Skywalkers new Hand · May 27, 2003, 01:39 PM

I've said it before and I'll say it again... my friend slept with Jim a year and a half ago!

BrunoBruin · May 27, 2003, 02:57 PM

Originally posted by Skywalkers new Hand:
I've said it before and I'll say it again... my friend slept with Jim a year and a half ago!

They have pretty appalling taste in men, then.

Skywalkers new Hand · May 27, 2003, 04:08 PM

Originally posted by BrunoBruin:
They have pretty appalling taste in men, then.

I agree, aperently he is really really nice and I am sure the 3 bottles of $1200 wine helped a little.

Dex13 · May 27, 2003, 05:17 PM

See Matrix,
Go Rent any other movie done by Jim to save yourself some money.

Stubie · May 27, 2003, 05:27 PM

I've saw TMR the weekend that it came out, but I didn't bother to see Bruce Almighty this weekend. I dunno. I think that you have to be in a certain mood to stomach Jim Carrey movies. But you can never go wrong with a good action flick. Besides, it's the Matrix!

Jansar · May 27, 2003, 06:02 PM

I saw "The Matrix Reloaded" again last night and again, I thought it was really kickass. Sure, there were a bunch of fight scenes, but most people that told me it sucked didn't understand what was going on.

Ergo, you need a brain to understand "The Matrix Reloaded" and like it. The plot was cool.

Eug · May 27, 2003, 06:36 PM

Originally posted by Jansar:
I saw "The Matrix Reloaded" again last night and again, I thought it was really kickass. Sure, there were a bunch of fight scenes, but most people that told me it sucked didn't understand what was going on.

Ergo, you need a brain to understand "The Matrix Reloaded" and like it. The plot was cool.

Or not. It wasn't that difficult to understand. Nonetheless, many still did not like it.

Oswald Defense Lawyer · May 27, 2003, 06:43 PM

stop fighting over your soma

Severed Hand of Skywalker · May 27, 2003, 08:27 PM

Originally posted by Jansar:
Sure, there were a bunch of fight scenes, but most people that told me it sucked didn't understand what was going on.

Ergo, you need a brain to understand "The Matrix Reloaded" and like it. The plot was cool.

Ya I didn't understand why Neo turned into a 3D character in some of the fight scenes.

guess I forgot my brain.

thunderous_funker · May 27, 2003, 08:39 PM

So who would win in a fight--Bruce or Neo?

Severed Hand of Skywalker · May 27, 2003, 08:46 PM

Originally posted by thunderous_funker:
So who would win in a fight--Bruce or Neo?

Normal Neo or fake looking 3D neo?

shanraghan · May 27, 2003, 09:02 PM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
Ya I didn't understand why Neo turned into a 3D character in some of the fight scenes.

guess I forgot my brain.

Apparently you did. If he was fighting in the matrix, which is not the real world, why should Neo's appearance be realistic? It's a fake world, no?

Severed Hand of Skywalker · May 27, 2003, 09:29 PM

Originally posted by shanraghan:
Apparently you did. If he was fighting in the matrix, which is not the real world, why should Neo's appearance be realistic? It's a fake world, no?

Now that was a fanboy answer.

IF that was the case they should have just used Mario.

Steve · May 28, 2003, 03:04 AM

OMFG the XBox fanboy used a, gasp, Nintendo character in a reply!

The times are a changin'.

Earth Mk. II · May 28, 2003, 08:33 AM

Originally posted by Jansar:
I saw "The Matrix Reloaded" again last night and again, I thought it was really kickass. Sure, there were a bunch of fight scenes, but most people that told me it sucked didn't understand what was going on.

Ergo, you need a brain to understand "The Matrix Reloaded" and like it. The plot was cool.

I've said it before.. the matrix's philosophy is "pop-philosophy." There's nothing there that shouldn't be covered by a few philosophy intro classes in college. It really isn't that hard to understand.

it's an ok movie, overall... but it suffers the fate of being compared to The Matrix. Burce Almighty, on the other hand, is held in comparison to other Jim Carrey Movies. A much lower bar, IMHO.

(i think that's why some people realy don't like Reloaded - it was expected to be on the same level - artistically - as the origional movie. A lot of people were let down.)

Eug · May 28, 2003, 08:44 AM

it's an ok movie, overall... but it suffers the fate of being compared to The Matrix.

No, it's just a mediocre movie. I had low expectations, and they were met. I wasn't expecting anything as good as The Matrix.

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
Now that was a fanboy answer.

IF that was the case they should have just used Mario.

They didn't use Mario because it would be unfair. Mario would obviously kick all their asses.

Mario rules!

(P.S. One of my top ten games of all time is Mario Bros.)

MindFad · May 28, 2003, 08:56 AM

Originally posted by Eug:
They didn't use Mario because it would be unfair. Mario would obviously kick all their asses.

Mario rules!

willed · May 28, 2003, 10:10 AM

TMR rocks. Not as good as Matrix 1, but hey.

I heard Bruce Almighty got the highest opening weekend EVER. If so, how????? People have been waiting years for TMR and there was so much hype. Then a random Carie Comedy blows it out of the water? How? Or did I hear wrong?

dreilly1 · May 28, 2003, 10:29 AM

Originally posted by willed:
TMR rocks. Not as good as Matrix 1, but hey.

I heard Bruce Almighty got the highest opening weekend EVER. If so, how????? People have been waiting years for TMR and there was so much hype. Then a random Carie Comedy blows it out of the water? How? Or did I hear wrong?

I heard that it had the highest opening weekend for a comedy, and by extension, for a Jim Carrey movie.
Although it beat Reloaded last week, I don't think it made more than Reloaded did in its first week.

OwlBoy · May 28, 2003, 02:18 PM

Finding Nemo will kick both their asses this weekend!

-Owl

davesimondotcom · May 28, 2003, 02:19 PM

Originally posted by OwlBoy:
Finding Nemo will kick both their asses this weekend!

-Owl

I'll be there!

shanraghan · May 28, 2003, 03:14 PM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
Now that was a fanboy answer.

IF that was the case they should have just used Mario.

Well, you don't have to accept that explanation if you don't want to. Your choice, after all, and it's beside the point. The point is I find it a little bit annoying that people (in this case, you) are expecting that scene to be a lot more polished than it could have been. I probably shouldn't be annoyed, but I am, as an aspiring author/director or as a 'matrix fanboy' or whatever you want to call me. To accomplish some of the shots in that scene I don't think there was any way other than CGI, and if you're expecting CGI to look 100% realistic next to actual footage, I'm afraid you're in for a little disappointment. Even a shot rendered using Square USA's techniques would stand out, due to quality of movement, some disreprancy in the colors, etc. Square's images have fooled some people into thinking they are realistic but they are still easily distinguishable from real pictures after a few glances, especially in motion, and when juxtaposed with real footage I think the difference would become more obvious. Not to mention, making ANY film, not including special effects, is a very difficult task, especially when it comes to time, casting, resources and funding. Mix in special effects, and you add in a lot more time, money and hassle in trying to make a film. Now, considering how difficult it is to have one hundred copies of the same character onscreen fighting a single protagonist, at outrageous angles (and in bullet-time, no less), that's a really ambitious project. If you ask me the creators' imaginations (or desire to create action-packed eye candy) was a little too big for the technology they were using. I respect that, after all we wouldn't get anywhere, in any respect, if we didn't test the bounds of what is possible. So, if you want to complain about the Matrix Reloaded, I suggest you mention the areas in which it's more significantly lacking, namely plot and character development. Or you can continue crticizing this aspect. It's your choice. But really, it's very insignificant considering its other flaws.

As for the general braininess of Reloaded... in some ways, it does require a brain to appreciate. It seems that while some of the people who weren't disappointed the first time around just looked at it as an action flick, one or two seemed to appreciate its mythological paralels, and it requries a lot of knowledge to notice all of the potential references. Overall, however, I'd say it didn't require as much of a brain as the original, and I really wish they'd done more with it. Some people have said that in the scene with the Architect they packed enough storyline to fill a movie. I disagree: the amount of story packed into that one short scene was enough to fill a tenth, maybe a fifth of a movie at best. I'd say Reloaded's redeeming aspect is that it's only half a movie, hopefully meaning that Revolutions has a little more meat to it. As an action movie, Reloaded was great. As a Matrix sequel, it was sadly lacking.

MindFad · May 28, 2003, 03:48 PM

You get practically photorealism with CGI when the characters use motion capture, but obviously the scene with him spinning around on a poll couldn't have been done that way -- else they would have just done it with a stuntman and not used CGI at all. Like Final Fantasy, you can tell when it's motion capture and when it's not, but so what -- the artistry of it all is what's so cool. You sacrifice what you will to get an awesome shot -- I think they did a good job, and not many people will notice the CG character. People will still whine for no real reason instead of appreciating tough shots like that, though. Everyone's an expert.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · May 28, 2003, 03:56 PM

Originally posted by Steve:
OMFG the XBox fanboy used a, gasp, Nintendo character in a reply!

The times are a changin'.

The times are also confused as I have shown that I am a Nintendo and PS2 fan way before an xbox.

Funny how you always make up these thing about me though

Didn't expect if from a Mod though.

xi_hyperon · May 28, 2003, 04:23 PM

My favorite part of TMR: The highway scene, one of the cars flips over and you can clearly see they took out the engine and exhaust system.

I know it's a nitpick. I actually liked the movie, although nowhere nearly as much as I liked the first one.

thunderous_funker · May 28, 2003, 04:23 PM

Originally posted by MindFad:
You sacrifice what you will to get an awesome shot -- I think they did a good job, and not many people will notice the CG character. People will still whine for no real reason instead of appreciating tough shots like that, though. Everyone's an expert.

not many people will notice?

Kids, perhaps.

Here's my take on it:

In the first movie, when Trinity raised up and did her kung fu thing in the opening sequence, every jaw dropped in the theater. Why? Not because we'd never seen ass-kicking before. Not because the fight was anything unusual. It was because it looked so damn real. Same with the subway fight scene with Agent Smith.

The Wow factor that set the first one appart was the realism.

In Reloaded, everytime they tried to do something even bigger, they resorted to pure CG. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that thought, "meh, CG *yawn*".

Yes, we're spoiled for effects and it's harder and harder to make an audience gasp. But the first movie did it by showing it in a completely new way. We knew it was an effect, we figured computers were involved, but you still thought it was a hell of a trick.

Like a magician. We know it's not magic, but we still want to be stumped by a trick so we might actually wonder. When something is as obviously CG as some of the Reloaded scenes, it takes all the wonder and magic out of it.

xi_hyperon · May 28, 2003, 04:28 PM

Originally posted by thunderous_funker:
not many people will notice? Kids, perhaps.

Here's my take on it:

In the first movie, when Trinity raised up and did her kung fu thing in the opening sequence, every jaw dropped in the theater. Why? Not because we'd never seen ass-kicking before. Not because the fight was anything unusual. It was because it looked so damn real. Same with the subway fight scene with Agent Smith.

The Wow factor that set the first one appart was the realism.

In Reloaded, everytime they tried to do something even bigger, they resorted to pure CG. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that thought, "meh, CG *yawn*".

Yes, we're spoiled for effects and it's harder and harder to make an audience gasp. But the first movie did it by showing it in a completely new way. We knew it was an effect, we figured computers were involved, but you still thought it was a hell of a trick.

Like a magician. We know it's not magic, but we still want to be stumped by a trick so we might actually wonder. When something is as obviously CG as some of the Reloaded scenes, it takes all the wonder and magic out of it.

Had they not used slow motion in some of the CG sequences, it would have been less noticeable. The 100 agent smiths scene had some slow motion shots, and in the highway scene they used slow motion when the agent jumped on and smashed the hell out of the Oldsmobuick. Looked like a video game.

istallion · May 28, 2003, 04:29 PM

TMR plot and character development was lacking, though it's the second in a trilogy, or maybe the first half of a 4hour film.

The CGI was excellent, except for the cloud flying and one of the trucks in the chase scene. Gaeta's goal was to produce images that had a realistic look, but choreography that was impossible to believe. Apparently he achieved that.

In the 100-agent smith battle, the buildings, people, lights and camera were all CG. Except for probably where smith talks to neo under the dogpile and when smith infects the agent/grocery lady

Angus_D · May 28, 2003, 04:47 PM

Originally posted by istallion:
In the 100-agent smith battle, the buildings, people, lights and camera were all CG. Except for probably where smith talks to neo under the dogpile and when smith infects the agent/grocery lady

And you're telling me you couldn't tell? Time to book in for an operation to remove those cateracts, methinks...