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Harry has seen the Cannes Reel from Zemeckis' A CHRISTMAS CAROL & it feels like EC's CHRISTMAS CAROL!!!
Hey folks, Harry here, and if you've been reading my twitter - you'd know I was seeing some of Robert Zemeckis' A CHRISTMAS CAROL this morning. It was being shown to me at the Alamo Village in their new Digital 4K 3D setup and dear lord was it a striking presentation.
It was just Quint, Father Geek & myself sitting there with the everpresent Andrew of Disney - but I was sitting 2nd row center - to get the most out of the 3D - and WOW.
The title card is a snowy shot of Victorian London - and it is breathtaking. The depth of the 3D was truly stunning. I'd seen UP in 3D last night - and honestly - I think I prefer that film in 2D - based on seeing it at the Highland Galaxy's 3D screen, but I'll see it once more in 3D when it plays the Alamo, as they have a vastly superior set up.
The first scene we were shown was where Ebenezer Scrooge is in his office with Bob Cratchit and Scrooge's nephew Fred invites him to Christmas Dinner. It is one of the finest scenes of pure Scrooge - as you are to pull from Dickens - and it is a showcase for this film. Now you might wonder how a simple dialogue scene would be a showcase for the millions of dollars to create a 3D Mo-cap Holiday tentpole film - but frankly the most awkward scenes from the previous Mo-Cap films have been scenes exactly like this.
It highlights everything wrong with the process. Because there is no big whizbangery at play. It's just characters talking to one another. But that's hard to get to connect with soulless dead-eyed characters that are chatting. THANKFULLY - they seem to have hurdled that issue - as the scene between Carrey's Scrooge, Gary Oldman's Bob Cratchit and Colin Firth's Christmas loving Fred... well I was instantly drawn in.
Only Colin Firth's face comes through - his Fred character isn't directly him, but it isn't that far off either. This isn't the stiff look, like was painfully evident with Hopkins in BEOWULF - here - I didn't even think of Colin Firth as I watched Fred sing the praises of the Christmas season. And Carrey's Scrooge is transformed in 3D. I haven't really liked the footage I've seen on my computer screen, the design of Scrooge is created for 3D though. The folds in his skin, the hairs upon the end of his nose... and what a nose. At one level, it feels like Uncle Creepy's Scrooge - Carrey's aggressive loathing for the Christmas season is wholely Scrooge. I found none of the actor's native voice, inflections or face in the character. Perhaps a bit with the eye placement, but to me, this character was absolutely Ebenezer Scrooge. The ruddy complexion of Fred was such a contrast to the drab look of Scrooge and Cratchit's complexions - who have all the color of a coal miner's face... hidden away from light in a candlelit office with a single lump of coal burning in the fireplace.
The next scene we saw was a full version of the Scrooge encounter with his old, departed partner Jacob Marley. Marley is played by Gary Oldman and he is a nightmare. He comes straight out of the pages of EC comics. The most awesome animated ghost performance that I've seen. The scene is very much ripped from the pages of Dickens, but with a dynamism that I've never seen it have before. When Marley's jaw comes undone - and you watch Gary Oldman's solution to delivering that next line. NIGHTMARES! Oh my god. SO GREAT! So horrible! At the same time, Carrey's Scrooge was believably frightened and dismissive of the ghost. Again, quoting directly from the book perfectly!
After the two scenes we were treated to an extended montage of select shots throughout the film - This suddenly went from, "I'm not sure" to "SHOW ME NOW!"
This is one of those great timeless tales that should be adapted for each generation - and often.
We all, each of us, have a favorite version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL - mine is the 1951 telling with Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. There's something about that version and Alastair's performance that just brings it all to life for me, but I have to say - it is amazing to see some of that book brought to life as it has never been given life before. Zemeckis is onto something with this - can't wait to see the rest!
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Am I?
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He's awful.
I don't need 3D and the rest of the bullshit to enjoy this story.
Give me Alistair Sim and keep the rickety racketa. -
It's May.
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Fuck the naysayers. Fuck them right in the ear.
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..yessssss :D
I am looking forward to this one a great deal -
..yessssss :D
I am looking forward to this one a great deal -
So what am I missing here? A classic tale that's been done 100 times that could have real emotive actors, now needs to be done with hundreds of CG artists, using gobs of CPU time to give us a movie where story comes second to "look-look!! We can do CG actors!! Watch! Look how charming and almost real they look!!"
Hollywood, please use mo-cap for dangerous shit that would otherwise harm a real person, use animators for stylized characters, and stop wasting money on this shit when there are really talented actors that we can care about watching. -
not really
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Just realized I had no idea who else was in this so I checked IMDB. Carrey plays ALL the Christmas ghosts??? That f'in' blows! Those parts would be great for some other talent to take on. I like Bob Hoskins as Fezziwig though.
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...I know twitter is an easy target these days but...be cooler man. Just be cooler. If you just try...then I'll meet you half way and try to bitch less...deal?
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That's my favorite.
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so leave him ALONE!!!
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...how does a man in wheelchair get 2nd row center?
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Scrooged. Easily.
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...easily George C. Scott's version. Brilliant. Oh...and...PLANT!!!!! How much they greasing that palm with Harry?
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the Muppets over Mo-Cap any day.
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SCROOGED. all the way. Zemeckis's motion capture stuff is forgettable bullshit. go back to making real movies, please.
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May 28, 2009 2:45:51 PM CDT
$10 says Harry will love this movie because...
by giant_dick_bag_filled_with_taco_meat
...of the preferential treatment he is getting from the filmmakers.I expect a review where he states the film was so good it felt like the light from the screen was licking his cock and stroking his balls, regardless if it's a piece of shit.Payola in any form, it's what Harry eats for dinner.
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yeah - because that worked so well for McG. Payola is not showing footage. Payola is cash bribes and I've yet to meet anyone on either side of the industry that has offered or accepted.
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...only gets mentioned here when it coincides with Texas?Have you guys not got passports or something?!
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Agreed. Scott is the balls. Nobody beats his Scrooge. That grimey voice, that cackle. Genius.
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Still love Albert Finney's musical Scrooge. I still sometimes sing out 'thank you very much, thank you very much, that's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me.'
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When no content is being delivered in 4K? It'll be 2K for the forseeable future. Not sure the studios (save Sony, for obvious reasons) will want to invest more money in 4K output if so few projectors can display it.
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POLAR EXPRESS? This just looks like Jim Carrey back in GRINCH mode, and Bob Zemeckis back in POLAR EXPRESS mode. Easy paychecks all around.
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the_beard_of_Chuck_Norris -
The Alamo's First 2 rows are on the floor. and the 2nd row has a 3-4 seat gap in the middle for wheelchairs and such. Harry always sits there...ALWAYS. -
..is Scrooged with Bill Murry.
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although I'm a sucker for Christmas movies, from the overt Rudoplph the Red Nosed Reindeer stuff, to the blink and you missed it X-mas time set films (like Lethal Weapon and Die Hard, although Die Hard is a Christmas movie, I don't care what you say).
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Mr. Magoos Christmas Carol is still a favorite holiday cartoon, second only to A Charlie Brown Christmas and ahead of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Let's see Zemeckis top that!
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Carrey? Strike 1. Yet another rehash of the most rehashed story ever? Strike 2. Creepy-ass mo-cap without real actors? Strike 3. I have no interest in paying $12 to drag my ass to the theater to see this.
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now it's a nostalgia type thing. When I was little and it played on tv I thought it took forever (I think they stretched it to an hour with commercials) when in reality it's barely a half hour long.
Again, relativity ruins my fun. -
May 28, 2009 3:11:57 PM CDT
I know this is getting a little obscure, Harry, but
by shut the fuck up donny
since you noted the style of the film reminded you of EC horror, which artist would you say it most channeled? Davis? Craig? Evans?
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actually - the Alamo Village is showing TERMINATOR SALVATION, STAR TREK, ANGELS AND DEMONS and WOLVERINE in 4k right now. Everything is available at that resolution, just VERY few places have it. The results are stunning. And even moreso when it goes to 3D.
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If you don't know the difference in source material from A CHRISTMAS CAROL to POLAR EXPRESS - there really is no hope for you.
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...Did Marley's chains go "Kerploppity! TinklityScreep?"
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Aint nothing ever topping SCROOGED bitches...you know it to be true!
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May 28, 2009 3:16:55 PM CDT
The only other holiday themed films better than X-mas films are.
by soylentmean
Halloween themed films. Because Halloween films have their own genre all the time! It's called Horror!
Eat that Frosty! -
Will ever top the 1984 Clive Donner-directed version, starring George C. Sccott. It is simply definitive in every way.
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Will ever top the 1984 Clive Donner-directed version, starring George C. Scott. It is simply definitive in every way.
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May 28, 2009 3:24:55 PM CDT
The classic source material only sets the bar higher for failure
by stifler's mom
Soem adaptations have been great, most terrible. Did we learn nothing from Ghosts of Girlfriends Past only four short weeks ago?
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May 28, 2009 3:26:54 PM CDT
Twilight is one of the worst movies ever made
by giant_dick_bag_filled_with_taco_meat
I couldn't believe how awful it was as it unfolded in front of me. The wife and I were laughing the entire time. I think Cullen had on more lipstick than the female characters in that movie.Aside from the sparkly absurdity of just about everything, special mention has to be made for vampire baseball. FUCKING LOL.It was so bad I actually can't wait for the next installment =)
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I suck.Probably karma for calling Harry a shill.
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Bribery of an influential person in exchange for the promotion of a product or service, such that of disc jockeys for the promotion of records.
A bribe or a number of bribes given to an influential person in exchange for a promotion of a product or service.
Me thinks Harry's definition may be inaccurate... -
I said 4K 3D. Not 2D.
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Even Jack Palance as the hard-boiled Wild West Scrooge.
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This Zemeckis character needs to pull his head out of his arse, nobody cares about trying to make photoreal 3-D modeling live actors in completely 3-D environments when you can just film already real actors in a real environment. And then he keeps tackling "classic" stories that have been done to death. "Beowulf", "Christmas Carol". What a huge waste of time, money and energy. It's what Lucas will go back and do, replace on the actor's with photoreal ones when the technology is up to snuff. "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
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was fucking great as Commissioner Gordon, I'll not stand idly by while bad words are thrown at him. My favorite character in both Batman movies.
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When he became middle aged.
But I agree with Legolas. He was great in those movies. -
That's the best Scrooge ever.
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Nothing will top it.
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but, this motion capture stuff is just kinda outdated. Remember how all that rotoscoping in some of the parts of Heavy Metal, might have been cool, but, were really lifeless and less dynamic than the other stuff in there?
That's what mo-cap reminds me of. If you want to do a cartoon, do a cartoon. And use all them money that you would have used on the actors, to some better animation and technology, and solid voice performances. Give Christmas Carol to Pixar, they'd do it RIGHT!
Now, let's see what type of rolling review Harry gives it when everyone else is calling it a misfire.
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I'm really looking forward to this, but I agree with Oisin. Finney's Scrooge is spot on, and the music was great too. Just got it on DVD last year!
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Still my favorite version. Scott nailed the part, and the VFX, while dated now, still give the vibes needed.
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With Jack Black as Tiny Tim the twisted hunchback firebug and Harvey Kietel as the Cleaner!
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Rich Little's Christmas Carol was also a classic. The Richard Nixon/Marley ghost tangled in audio tape (instead of chains) gets me every time.
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Catchy music, period-style cinematography and Alec Guinness as Marley kicked ass. Plus you have that whole "Scrooge in Hell" scene. Great stuff.
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In my opinion, The Muppet Christmas Carol has the best Scrooge and the best ghosts, followed by the relatively recent television CC with Patrick Stewart (I've never seen his one-man theatrical show, but it's supposed to be great). I still love Scrooged, and my friends watch it every year.
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There is not up for debate.
Good day. -
That's who gets my vote.
The only holiday movie I watch each year...
Great! -
Not just cash bribes. Nice try there though. I would consider it more Quid pro quo...
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May 28, 2009 8:02:10 PM CDT
Fuck this soulless piece of shit. Boycott this shit....
by dannyglovers_dickblood
....anyone contributing to the death of actual human beings on celluloid need to go fuck themselves. You're all bitching and whining endlessly about Tom Rothman-- imagine that motherfucker with the limitless tools of mocap at his disposal to do whatever the fuck he likes with every film in his grasp.
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May 28, 2009 8:03:54 PM CDT
And bringing up Polar Express is perfectly valid.
by dannyglovers_dickblood
Zemeckis took a delightfully magical kid's book and shot his wad all over its fucking face. He molested the fuck out of that classic work, and he will molest the fuck out of Dickens' corpse.
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Yes, Oldman was great in both Batman films. So perfect that I just accepted that the person on the screen was Com. Gordon, not Gary Oldman, the actor.
Who cares about photo-realistic CG? Well, I guess I don't - but I am interested in it. As far as caring goes, though - not so much. Especially with Pixar making incredible films and both ILM and WETA doing incredible digital effects. I mean really, does anybody think that Pixar couldn't do photo-realism if they wanted to? Their work on Wall-E leads me to believe they could do pretty much whatever they want at this point. -
May 28, 2009 8:37:34 PM CDT
My favorite "Christmas Carol"/ Creepy and Eerie!
by the reluctant austinite
My absolute favortie version of "A Christmas Carol" is the Oscar winning animated 1972 version with Alastair Sim returning to voice the part of Scrooge. That scared the living crap out of me as a kid when I saw it at school! The things they do to kids in the public school system! Marley's Ghost---shiver! And the two creepy bastards, Want and Ignorance, under the Ghost of Christmas Past's robe---yikes! Since Harry mentioned EC comics, I'd like to mention that Dark Horse has already published three hardback volumes of "Creepy" and one of "Eerie" this year. They are FANTASTIC.
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What an asshole. Hasn't made a good film in ages, anyways. May as well stick to cartoons...
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Somebody stop me!
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Let's not forget what Christmas is really about...celebrating the birth of Santa
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Think about it- you could have Meg Ryan "in her prime" doing ungodly things to Marilyn Monroe "in her prime" while Angelina Jolie simultaneously services their anuses. And Rita Hayworth can be the big finish.
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George C. Scott has been my favorite thus far, follwed by Michael Cain, and then Patrick Stewart.
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You get more depth the further back you sit. I find the closer you are to the front the more your eyes have to work to focus on any one element because the distances between the two images is larger. yes? no?
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won an Oscar. Like Austinite said. What he didn't say is that it was by Richard Williams, who did another Oscar-winning job (and for Zemeckis no less) on Roger Rabbit. It's fantastic. Look it up!
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At least in Dicken's day. So a creepy Christmas Carol is perfectly in keeping with tradition. AndChristopher Lambert is Scrooge the Vampire Slayer!
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Ass kicking Scrooge all over London.
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Dead on. Rickman the ornery would be great as Scrooge. But Rickman the gentle would make a great Bob Cratchet. Rickman the scary could even carry Bob Marley. Alan Rickman rocks.
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Are the one and same person...I think Harry is the commercial safe bet that will grab every chance he can to get his hands on some movie mem, free entry, to meet the stars, make money from the site etc..and then his real self is allowed out as this wind up merchant dickblood...the best version of Scrooge is the Dickens one..you know the book..but it's nice to have the story in a different format...my fave's are The Muppet and the Bill Murray one's...so these fuckface's that are saying it's wrong to have this done in mo cap 3d cgi can eat an Anal Gape ...as based on what they are saying we would still be only telling stories by making cave drawings...mo cap and 3d are the future of cinema...James Cameron will soon have us all believing.
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BEOWULF was a brilliant film, loads going on in it, and unashamedly thoughtful and carefully paced, just the kind of blockbuster I thought they didn't make any more. He told a good story and he told it well. Beyond that, I don't really care what the process was.
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I can't believe these people who are whining about the death of make-up, or the end of people performing live on film. Really, there's about 100 points in the last 100 years where you could have whined similarly. Film starts - 'boycott this shit, it's the death of theatre'. The talkies - 'boycott this shit, it's the death of silent film acting'. Colour - 'boycott this shit, it's the death of properly composed b/w photography'. Stop motion - 'boycott this shit, it's the end of trusting people to use their imagination' Computer generated sets 'boycott this shit, it's the end of production design' Avid - 'boycott this shit, it's the end of the proper craft of editing on film' CGI characters - 'boycott this soulless shit, it's the end of stop-motion' And on, and on, and on. Totally pathetic.
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May 29, 2009 5:35:00 AM CDT
I really don't get the Mo-Cap hate
by i_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looking_for
What the fuck is your problem with it? Anyone who thinks that mo-cap signals the end of live action cinema has shit for brains. The Polar Express was fine. I have no nostalgia for the source material. Beowulf was great. From the little I've seen, this looks pretty good. Zemeckis is a good director who has made some classics (including my favorite flick). Although I'd like to see him return to conventional filmmaking for at least a film or two, I don't have a problem with him experimenting.
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I start writing, and suddenly there is a post with nothing except my name. Stupid AICN. Or HTML forms. Or my keyboard . . . .
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Albert Finney's Musical scrooge, and his performance, will always be Scrooge to me. First Christmas Carol I ever saw, it has awesome songs--I Hate People, Father Christmas, Thank You Very Much, I Like Life (Life Likes Me!), December the 25th, and the love song . . . Finney's performance just was Scrooge to me. Of course, it's the first Christmas Carol I saw, and I saw it repeatedly. Don't forget Alec Guinness as the ghost of Jacob Marley. I mean, come on!
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Yes the Mo-Cap hate is retareded...it isn't supposed to look REAL, you dickheads...do Pixar people or other cartoon look real? No...just get comfortable living in the uncanny valley and stfu.
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Yes, I'm one of them whiners. However, I don't believe mocap is the "death of live actors"...it's Bob Zemeckis's death of imagination and Hollywood's death of 70's-style risk-taking and innovative story-telling. With all the great original stories and scripts out there, Bob "Z-as-in-Zombie" has to mine and re-tool done to death classic in a palatable American fast-food way with a gimmick that essentially will send it to the bargain-bin rather than make it a re-watchable classic years from now. The Polar Express demolished the charm of the original book. Beowulf's crispy-clean-game-trailer look ruined the gothic heaviness of the original.
It will probably work, because the original story is so well structured, and it's a classic Christams story, but for fuck sake, why? What a sad, pathetic waste of talent and insight. -
Carey and Oldman make me want to see this but this mo cap stuff is weak.
Just saw Jim Carey in Man In The Moon for the first time yesterday and was oncle again blown away by this guy's talent. Good Flick!
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