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October. Week 39.
Oct. 1st, 2023 12:38 pmThis past week I went to a preview screening of The Creator and rewatched the Tron movies with some friends as a bit of a going-away hang for a colleague who's moving back to Sydney. I also watched the second episode of Sex Education S4... which already feels more and more like a chore, sadly it really doesn't feel like the show I fell in love with.
📺 TRON and TRON: LEGACY.
It's fascinating how different they look, while still maintaining some sort of internal consistency. The sequel does feel like a bit of a of a soft reboot, with how much technology has advanced between 1982 and 2010, but there's still plenty of easter eggs and throwbacks for the fans of the original. It'll be interesting to see how the potential 3rd installment will build on its legacy (no pun intended). I'm particularly curious to see who will take on the composer mantel given that Daft Punk is 'derezzed' and Wendy Carlos is 83 years old. Hopefully SAG-AFTRA gets a good deal soon so filming can commence, it (at least previously) had some interesting people connected to it.
While I'm sure Disney can boost a new movie by cross-promotion through their Tron Lightcycle Power Run roller coasters, I don't know who - if anyone - is clamoring for a sequel. But I do think that both previous films are fun watches, and I imagine the next one could be too. It's not exactly a franchise that asks you to think too deeply... after all, the inciting incident in TRON has less to do with the evil MCP and more to do with capitalism and IP rights - with Flynn obtaining proof and dismantling 'the system' in the most flimsy of ways, becoming VP and having his private helicopter?? Truly Reagan era aspirations. But honestly, I rate both of them.
Final hope is that the new movie doesn't spend too much time outside of the Grid though.
🎞️ the Creator (2023) by Gareth Edwards.
This was such a feast for the eyes and a real exciting, fast paced, and entertaining film. High points in the film was the lived-in immersive world building, clever use of practical vs. VFX, and getting to watch an original scifi in cinemas in what feels like forever.
Wendy Ide describes it fairly well when she writes: "[...] with this ambitious, ideas-driven, expectation-subverting, man-versus-machines showdown, he has co-written and directed one of the finest original science-fiction films of recent years."
I take some umbrage with the 'expectation-subverting' aspect of the quote, but everything else feels pretty accurate. But to be clear, the lack of subversion (at least in the story) isn't even necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. There is a recent trend in movies and tv-shows to try to outdo, outpace, and outsmart viewers in some vainglorious attempt to prove that its twist was impossible to anticipate. Something that I would argue removes the pleasure of viewing something and being able to pick up on foreshadowing and getting to enjoy a reveal that feels earned and paid off. There's none of that in The Creator. Things are set up and paid off. There are reveals and twists, but they all have foreshadowing and follows narrative conventions. Sometimes the sign posting is a bit heavy handed, and some minor character arcs' feel a bit simplistic, but it doesn't keep you from enjoying the ride.
The beauty of the film is in the moments when it leans into its world building and disappears into it. While I enjoyed the action and plot, it was truly the look and aesthetic of the film that has stayed with me. That and the amazing music (Hans Zimmer) & sound design. The space station USS Nomad hovering over the landscape - the look of its crosshairs sweeping over rural villages and the amazing sounds it makes before raining down terror.... absolutely chilling!
Also very proud of the work we did at Wētā Workshop, designing and manufacturing lead character costumes and speciality props for the film. So maybe I have a slight bias. But honestly, I think it's a highly enjoyable film! I'm definitely hoping we get more of these kinds of 'mid budget' movies in the future, as I'm tired of cinema releases being saturated with almost exclusively high budget films. There should be space for a bigger range of releases. Bring back silly comedies, romcoms, and genre films, to the cinema experiences.
📺 TRON and TRON: LEGACY.
It's fascinating how different they look, while still maintaining some sort of internal consistency. The sequel does feel like a bit of a of a soft reboot, with how much technology has advanced between 1982 and 2010, but there's still plenty of easter eggs and throwbacks for the fans of the original. It'll be interesting to see how the potential 3rd installment will build on its legacy (no pun intended). I'm particularly curious to see who will take on the composer mantel given that Daft Punk is 'derezzed' and Wendy Carlos is 83 years old. Hopefully SAG-AFTRA gets a good deal soon so filming can commence, it (at least previously) had some interesting people connected to it.
While I'm sure Disney can boost a new movie by cross-promotion through their Tron Lightcycle Power Run roller coasters, I don't know who - if anyone - is clamoring for a sequel. But I do think that both previous films are fun watches, and I imagine the next one could be too. It's not exactly a franchise that asks you to think too deeply... after all, the inciting incident in TRON has less to do with the evil MCP and more to do with capitalism and IP rights - with Flynn obtaining proof and dismantling 'the system' in the most flimsy of ways, becoming VP and having his private helicopter?? Truly Reagan era aspirations. But honestly, I rate both of them.
Final hope is that the new movie doesn't spend too much time outside of the Grid though.
🎞️ the Creator (2023) by Gareth Edwards.
This was such a feast for the eyes and a real exciting, fast paced, and entertaining film. High points in the film was the lived-in immersive world building, clever use of practical vs. VFX, and getting to watch an original scifi in cinemas in what feels like forever.
Wendy Ide describes it fairly well when she writes: "[...] with this ambitious, ideas-driven, expectation-subverting, man-versus-machines showdown, he has co-written and directed one of the finest original science-fiction films of recent years."
I take some umbrage with the 'expectation-subverting' aspect of the quote, but everything else feels pretty accurate. But to be clear, the lack of subversion (at least in the story) isn't even necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. There is a recent trend in movies and tv-shows to try to outdo, outpace, and outsmart viewers in some vainglorious attempt to prove that its twist was impossible to anticipate. Something that I would argue removes the pleasure of viewing something and being able to pick up on foreshadowing and getting to enjoy a reveal that feels earned and paid off. There's none of that in The Creator. Things are set up and paid off. There are reveals and twists, but they all have foreshadowing and follows narrative conventions. Sometimes the sign posting is a bit heavy handed, and some minor character arcs' feel a bit simplistic, but it doesn't keep you from enjoying the ride.
The beauty of the film is in the moments when it leans into its world building and disappears into it. While I enjoyed the action and plot, it was truly the look and aesthetic of the film that has stayed with me. That and the amazing music (Hans Zimmer) & sound design. The space station USS Nomad hovering over the landscape - the look of its crosshairs sweeping over rural villages and the amazing sounds it makes before raining down terror.... absolutely chilling!
Also very proud of the work we did at Wētā Workshop, designing and manufacturing lead character costumes and speciality props for the film. So maybe I have a slight bias. But honestly, I think it's a highly enjoyable film! I'm definitely hoping we get more of these kinds of 'mid budget' movies in the future, as I'm tired of cinema releases being saturated with almost exclusively high budget films. There should be space for a bigger range of releases. Bring back silly comedies, romcoms, and genre films, to the cinema experiences.
