tvsterling
Joined Jul 2004
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There are three elements I see in these new CGI Era movies which have been getting more & more powerful as the technology & The Techniques to use it mature. In my opinion Marvel Studios is very close to perfecting technique for this new Era of movies. Two of the elements are as old as movies; Music & dialogue. The third; CGI is only a couple three decades old. Previously many CGI driven movies have been dominated by Eye-Candy; Using the CGI as the main character & skimping on the rest of the movie. As an off/on computer gamer I can tell you that Eye-Candy will only get you so far. This makes for very pretty but unsatisfying movies. Call these latest Marvel Studios Movies "THE RETURN OF SHOWMANSHIP." What has been REBORN is the skillful addition of Music & Dialogue with a healthy dose of craftsmanship. Not only This Movie here but other Marvel shows such as Guardians of The Galaxy. Trademarks of classic Hollywood movies were snappy, clever dialogue, well integrated music & pure craftsmanship. Music really stands out here; this new style of movie is sometimes a MUSIC VIDEO. How many generations are we now into MTV & music videos? Some of the battle scenes with Led Zeppelins 'Immigrant Song' are absolutely stunning & they are MUSIC VIDEOS TOO. Music is every bit as powerful, no more powerful, than any CGI Eye Candy. The Guardians of the Galaxy Movies go even further in this direction. Plenty of old favorite songs (mine anyway) & lots of them. These movies ARE Musicals in a way. 'Sound of Music' has it's place but SO STICKY SWEET; man nothing Rocks in there. The old tradition of snappy Hollywood Dialogue has been sadly neglected too. I am always laughing out loud at some sly clever line in these latest Marvel Movies. Even Jeff Goldblum's voice as 'Grandmaster' cracks me up. Old 30's & 40's movies had lots of cool snappy lines. It really went downhill after The Schwarzenegger movies with their "One Big Line" like "I'll be Back. later there were not even any,"One big Lines". Doesn't take much to find & hire some good, clever writers; get a clue. Don't misunderstand me CGI has become an increasingly more powerful tool but these movies restore the balance & really advance the artform. One thing It is Very Hard for any Flesh & Blood actor to stand up to CGI & not be dwarfed by it on screen; That means Actors like Goldblum, Blanchette & Hopkins. This type of movie I call 'Rollercoaster Style'; Designed like a thrill park ride. All action, frantic action with no let-up. Makes for great old time escapism. Movies are supreme at escape. Graphic Novels also have the advantage of being totally visual in nature. GO MARVEL this is an exceedingly powerful way to harness the medium for fun & profit.
I wanted to review this piece after watching it on U-Tube. I tracked it down after researching the gorgeous sequences in the Original 'Thomas Crown Affair.' Actually those sequences are better than this short BUT the short is the true prototype & a little appreciated step forward in film technique. It is more realistically viewed as the greatest & only step forward in Montage style editing since Eisenstein DEFINED montage with his work. The montage is the Poetry of Cinema & at it's best Poetry contains beauty & intensity of meaning an order of magnitude beyond what mere prose can accomplish. As others have pointed out Chapman's 'Multi-dynamic image technique' can compress meaning & content many times over what straight edits or even traditional Montage can accomplish. There is a dimension here beyond where the viewer can be guided in revolutionary ways thru complex material in completely new & novel directions. It is a powerful tool for the editor. For only one example; Motion can be allowed to draw attention to one of the multiple frames which then expands to fill the screen. Used with intelligence & planning there are endless possibilities without the distraction of digital "Gee Whizz" effects. Cutting tends to go faster & faster with each generation of film. Ask any older person; They will tell you that a modern film goes by too fast. Chapman pioneered a way out of this trap. More information & meaning can be logically conveyed thru this technique without overloading the viewer. As with any variation of the Montage it must be used sparingly almost like spice in cooking. In that respect 'Thomas Crown affair' strikes a fine balance & points the way. The Multi Screen sequences convey mood, subplot & glamour quickly & efficiently in a way that no other technique could accomplish. A great part of the mystique of the film comes from the compressed story information in those sequences. The spice was not applied with too heavy a hand; It Works. True advances in story telling technique in Cinema are very rare indeed & this is one.