whats more important , special effects or story ??

[admin_exported]

it seems like every few weeks theres a new sci-fi , action blockbuster , coming out , avatar ,district 9, star trek , transformers 2 , watchmen , wolverine , the dark knight , etc , etc , i admit to having seen them all (bar t2) , ok most of them were enjoyable enough , more so in hd , but i struggle to remember many really good old style films , without all the special effects , they seem to be getting rarer , films like , no country for old men , there will be blood , with the iminent arrival of 3d , are the film studios going to keep peppering us with fast paced , special effect laden films with no worthwile content ??

i also wonder , so many of us now have hdtvs , bluray players , are people that normally wouldnt watch silly films like transformers , wolverine , etc , now doing so just to see how the special effects look on their shiny new tvs ?? im certainly guilty of that , but having had hd now for 9 months i find myself soooo bored of these empty movies , even with their car chases , plane crashes , space travel , bla , bla , bla , i just wish there was more good old movies with a great plot and great acting , anyway , rant over ....

 

[jase fox]

I am guilty of loving the "switch your brain off" special effect, huge budget movie i must say but i also agree that i do love a film with a good story etc i think the last "decent story" one was Gran Torino.

 

[ear]

jase fox:I am guilty of loving the "switch your brain off" special effect, huge budget movie i must say but i also agree that i do love a film with a good story etc i think the last "decent story" one was Gran Torino.

this season hollidays there are numerous movies being transmited on tv that I havent seen before.Zodiac, 300, Die Hard 4,Transformers and some others I cant remenber.Story is the most important thing.Even with great sound amps and speakers and screens, it's the story that captures your attention.and lets face it...how often do you go beyond normal listening levels? I wonder if it pays to spend so much on equipment.Agood screen? sure! good sound? sure . to bad we cant get good sound only with tv speakers.well at least with most of thin tvs of today.pitty.

 

[jase fox]

ear:
jase fox:I am guilty of loving the "switch your brain off" special effect, huge budget movie i must say but i also agree that i do love a film with a good story etc i think the last "decent story" one was Gran Torino.

to bad we cant get good sound only with tv speakers.well at least with most of thin tvs of today.pitty.
Exactly, thats why i get some top kit ear !!

 

[ear]

I dont think I'm missing any information watching these movies 2 to 3 meters from my crt and no surround sound.sometimes i get fed up with all the adjusting options...

 

[method man]

im with you maxflinn

story and good film comes over being shot with latest tech to show off my tv and bluray.

recently got the Lonesome Dove DVD box set. nowwhere near as good picture as the zulu Bluray. but just as enjoyable as its a classic story. now looking to get the mini series Roots. neither of which are going to look and sound as impressive as Transformers. but they both are still talked about over 20 years on. have emmy awards and etc...

its story/acting/directing over CGI and hi def scenes that impress visually.

 

[Clare Newsome]

For me, it's what you're in the mood for, just like any entertainment - there are times when intelligent, insightful movies such as Lives of Others can enrich your life and stimulate your brain, but other times when your brain has had quite enough stimulation, thanks,and the grin-inducing blockbuster movie is just the ticket.

If you've a great home cinema system - which,with a projector and sturdy surround sound i'm very fortunate to have - you get more from both type of movie; you get totally drawn into the nuances of a subtle production/acting, and blown away in a more sofa-shaking sense by the action films.

 

[Andrew Everard]

And don't forget that some excellent movies of the past look even better on Blu-ray Disc - it's not all about the latest actioner...

 

[ear]

good answer Clare.I quit.

 

[Clare Newsome]

Andrew Everard:And don't forget that some excellent
movies of the past look even better on Blu-ray Disc - it's not all
about the latest actioner...

Indeed - good tip on the Olivier discs, BTW, Mr E

 

[Andrew Everard]

Now if only they can sort out a release date for A Matter of Life and Death (or indeed any of the other 'Archers' films), after the fine job done on The Red Shoes...

 

[John Duncan]

Check your mail, Ms N - important news just in...

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:
For me, it's what you're in the mood for, just like any entertainment - there are times when intelligent, insightful movies such as Lives of Others can enrich your life and stimulate your brain, but other times when your brain has had quite enough stimulation, thanks,and the grin-inducing blockbuster movie is just the ticket.

If you've a great home cinema system - which,with a projector and sturdy surround sound i'm very fortunate to have - you get more from both type of movie; you get totally drawn into the nuances of a subtle production/acting, and blown away in a more sofa-shaking sense by the action films.

i couldnt agree more , i love a good blockbuster , especially when im hungover , with cold pizza .. but i hope they dont take over , i havnt seen or even heard of "lives of others" ill try to get it tmw , thanks for the tip

 

[shado]

On a recent Star Trek TOS Part II, Paramount has gone to great lengths to remaster the picture quality but they still retain the original copy for trekkies. The point is they take the trouble to clean up the picture quality, but I still think other studios need some feedback to do the same with modern movies.

I have seen some classic 1080i HD quality on Sky HD like Batteries not included - how old is this movie? and yet the latest Harry Potter and Night at the Museum 2 on BD look like they have been shot in Infrared in parts. Bluray is a great format but like the BBC HD channel they need to clean up their act (pardon the pun).

 

[Anonymous]

The story is the most important thing for me, but I agree that both have their place and I have certainly enjoyed my fair share of action blockbusters.

The Lives of Others is a terrific film, which i bought on dvd about 8 months ago and foolishly waited several months to watch. One of the best films Iïve seen recently.

 

[strapped for cash]

Clare Newsome:
For me, it's what you're in the mood for, just like any entertainment - there are times when intelligent, insightful movies such as Lives of Others can enrich your life and stimulate your brain, but other times when your brain has had quite enough stimulation, thanks,and the grin-inducing blockbuster movie is just the ticket.

If you've a great home cinema system - which,with a projector and sturdy surround sound i'm very fortunate to have - you get more from both type of movie; you get totally drawn into the nuances of a subtle production/acting, and blown away in a more sofa-shaking sense by the action films.

If you look at the top rated Blu-ray discs on bluray.com, you will find a wide range of films receive the top (5-out-of-5) rating, with almost as many foreign films (including The Lives of Others) achieving top marks as action, special-effects-laden blockbusters.

Interestingly, more music Blu-rays achieve a 5-out-of-5 score than any other type of disc -- here's to HD audio decoding over CD/SACD. Panic over, we're not just interested in brain-dead spectacle-driven movies!