Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Saturday, 2 May 2015
Speed Painting 35: Avengers 2, Age of Ultron
With the new Avengers moving coming out in May 1st, I thought it'd be a good choice to pick A2 as my next speed painting. I wanted to practice illustrating metallic substances, so Ultron was a perfect reference. I chose to go with Ultron looking as intimidating as possible while in the process of ripping Captain's shield in half, and Ironman and Thor trying to get involved behind him. Enjoy.
Thursday, 26 February 2015
Marvel Cinematic Universe, Generic Writing that Sells
Even if you have been living under a rock, you have heard of Marvel and its cinematic universe. I don't know why anyone would live under a rock, but what the hell, live where you want as long you're not hurting anybody. Before I get sidetracked too much, I'd like to tackle the most popular and successful movie franchise at the moment and talk about how overrated it is. Now before you start throwing Starbucks coffees at me while simultaneously calling me a hipster douche, give me a few paragraphs to explain myself.
Let first start off by talking about the things that Marvel does really well in their movies. The protagonists are all likable and their interactions with others most of the time is really interesting. In my opinion, this is the most important aspect of a story. It's so important that nailing this aspect allows you get away with mediocrity in other parts of a story, as evidenced by the success of Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movies are also always fun. The characters are having fun, and you get to enjoy the ride with them. Prime example of it is Guardians of the Galaxy that came out in 2014. The action scenes are fun and the CGI is on point every single time. All Marvel movies tend to have likeable protagonists that you want to root for and are fun to see on screen, good action scenes with great CGI followed by the scores that tend to be on point. Not to mention bringing so many worlds together from different comic books may be something that may never be done this well.
Now lets get to the negatives. Let me start it off by saying that I do enjoy the Marvel movies. I will continue to watch every single movie they make.. then completely forget about them the next day because of how incredibly shallow the stories are and how little depth is in every single movie bar Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier. The movies are not memorable and there isn't a story to think about once you're done. It's just a really generic storyline with some comic book paint sprinkled in there. The stories don't have any plot-twists that shock you. I can call where the story is going, step by step, and I'm not a smart guy so that should not be happening. The only real plot-twist that I can remember is Ironman 3, and that was a shit show excuse of a surprise. I was left wondering what just happened, but I imagine Ironman comic book fans must have been pissed off.
The villains are generally terrible. Ok, there is one or two that are below average. But the rest are some of the most forgettable, non-threatening villains that I can't remember. I never feel the heroes might not achieve their goal and defeat the villains. Not to mention characters don't really die. This is a huge issue I have in general with comic books and manga altogether, the bullshit fake deaths that happen on a regular basis to build false tension. But just as a has been magician that uses the same trick, you can only do it so many times before you fool me. Also who gives a shit about good character development? Not Marvel.
It also feels like a generic stat sheet of what to put and what not to put is used for every single Marvel movie. Apparently every fucking character is a witty sitcom comedian with perfect one-liners and just the right delivery. The overuse of comedy gets annoying at times, and I'm someone that loves to laugh and loves comedy. You made me dislike comedy Marvel, what the fuck?! I feel like we are reaching some sort of climax of the blog post so instead of using something original, I'm falling back to dropping F-bombs everywhere. It's kind of sad that Disney's Pixar animation studios that make movies for kids that adults can tag along have more meaningful and impactful storylines. Their movies all stay with me longer than any Marvel movie sans Winter Soldier.
And no, I'm not letting DC out of this. I like the DC comics more, but they have bombed spectacularly with the Green Lantern, which was an abomination. Even Man of Steel had some problems but unlike Marvel movies, it wasn't a fun, forgettable experience like most of their movies. Snyder just had a few segments in the movie that were written or executed horribly. I'd give Man of Steel a 7.5, and most Marvel movies fall under the 7-7.5 scale with Ironman 3 hitting 6/10. Winter Soldier was definitely not perfect, but I still give it a 10/10 with Ironman 1 a 9/10 and Guardians an 8.5 despite having several flaws that all Marvel movies have. This is the segment where I give numerical score and pretend to be a movie critic.
To close this off, my opinion isn't worth much. Everyone has different tastes which explains why I'm giving reasons why the Marvel movies are very flawed, yet they print money after each installment. Either way, I am beginning to get a little burned out of comic book movies, especially when the movies from Marvel seem like a suit gave a paper indicating the generic bullshit that needs to be added for every single movie. I hope to see more movies like the Winter Soldier that had a compelling villain that was dangerous and a memorable story that connected with our society, albeit with a comic book spin added into it. Me thinking like this shouldn't hurt your experience on those movies. It's just opinions, preferences and bullshit at the end of the day, but yeah Marvel Cinematic Experience is essentially a fun, but incredibly shallow and forgettable experience. Other than the Winter Soldier. Yes, I do have to repeat it several times.
It's a good thing the leader of the Avengers, Captain America is leading this poster...
Let first start off by talking about the things that Marvel does really well in their movies. The protagonists are all likable and their interactions with others most of the time is really interesting. In my opinion, this is the most important aspect of a story. It's so important that nailing this aspect allows you get away with mediocrity in other parts of a story, as evidenced by the success of Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movies are also always fun. The characters are having fun, and you get to enjoy the ride with them. Prime example of it is Guardians of the Galaxy that came out in 2014. The action scenes are fun and the CGI is on point every single time. All Marvel movies tend to have likeable protagonists that you want to root for and are fun to see on screen, good action scenes with great CGI followed by the scores that tend to be on point. Not to mention bringing so many worlds together from different comic books may be something that may never be done this well.
Now lets get to the negatives. Let me start it off by saying that I do enjoy the Marvel movies. I will continue to watch every single movie they make.. then completely forget about them the next day because of how incredibly shallow the stories are and how little depth is in every single movie bar Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier. The movies are not memorable and there isn't a story to think about once you're done. It's just a really generic storyline with some comic book paint sprinkled in there. The stories don't have any plot-twists that shock you. I can call where the story is going, step by step, and I'm not a smart guy so that should not be happening. The only real plot-twist that I can remember is Ironman 3, and that was a shit show excuse of a surprise. I was left wondering what just happened, but I imagine Ironman comic book fans must have been pissed off.
Oh look, it's the same poster Marvel uses for all their superhero movies!
The villains are generally terrible. Ok, there is one or two that are below average. But the rest are some of the most forgettable, non-threatening villains that I can't remember. I never feel the heroes might not achieve their goal and defeat the villains. Not to mention characters don't really die. This is a huge issue I have in general with comic books and manga altogether, the bullshit fake deaths that happen on a regular basis to build false tension. But just as a has been magician that uses the same trick, you can only do it so many times before you fool me. Also who gives a shit about good character development? Not Marvel.
It also feels like a generic stat sheet of what to put and what not to put is used for every single Marvel movie. Apparently every fucking character is a witty sitcom comedian with perfect one-liners and just the right delivery. The overuse of comedy gets annoying at times, and I'm someone that loves to laugh and loves comedy. You made me dislike comedy Marvel, what the fuck?! I feel like we are reaching some sort of climax of the blog post so instead of using something original, I'm falling back to dropping F-bombs everywhere. It's kind of sad that Disney's Pixar animation studios that make movies for kids that adults can tag along have more meaningful and impactful storylines. Their movies all stay with me longer than any Marvel movie sans Winter Soldier.
Please be great...
And no, I'm not letting DC out of this. I like the DC comics more, but they have bombed spectacularly with the Green Lantern, which was an abomination. Even Man of Steel had some problems but unlike Marvel movies, it wasn't a fun, forgettable experience like most of their movies. Snyder just had a few segments in the movie that were written or executed horribly. I'd give Man of Steel a 7.5, and most Marvel movies fall under the 7-7.5 scale with Ironman 3 hitting 6/10. Winter Soldier was definitely not perfect, but I still give it a 10/10 with Ironman 1 a 9/10 and Guardians an 8.5 despite having several flaws that all Marvel movies have. This is the segment where I give numerical score and pretend to be a movie critic.
To close this off, my opinion isn't worth much. Everyone has different tastes which explains why I'm giving reasons why the Marvel movies are very flawed, yet they print money after each installment. Either way, I am beginning to get a little burned out of comic book movies, especially when the movies from Marvel seem like a suit gave a paper indicating the generic bullshit that needs to be added for every single movie. I hope to see more movies like the Winter Soldier that had a compelling villain that was dangerous and a memorable story that connected with our society, albeit with a comic book spin added into it. Me thinking like this shouldn't hurt your experience on those movies. It's just opinions, preferences and bullshit at the end of the day, but yeah Marvel Cinematic Experience is essentially a fun, but incredibly shallow and forgettable experience. Other than the Winter Soldier. Yes, I do have to repeat it several times.
Thursday, 6 November 2014
Concept Artist Exposition: Steven Messing
This is another blog post where I fanboy over another fantastic artist. This time around, his name is Steven Messing. I intend to become one of the best illustrators in the world in the future, so I look at what the best illustrators in the game can do. These guys have amazing capabilities through many years of working their asses off and crafting their style (or talent, as people who don't know shit about working hard call it). One thing I notice is that quite a few of them incredibly skilled, their creativity is not at the same level as their illustration ability. Steven Messing on the other hand, has both the ability to paint at a very high level on top of having the creativity to back it up. That's why he is one of my favorite artists.
Now there is little point in reading me ramble on and on about how good he is. Use this wonderful tool known as the internet, with this lovely NSA data mining website known as Google and search him up. I follow him on facebook as he regularly updates his work there, I'd recommend you do the same.
His official website: here
that color composition...
Now there is little point in reading me ramble on and on about how good he is. Use this wonderful tool known as the internet, with this lovely NSA data mining website known as Google and search him up. I follow him on facebook as he regularly updates his work there, I'd recommend you do the same.
His official website: here
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Age & Storytelling
So I'm getting older every year. In case you don't know, this happens to everyone. Now since I've been a kid, I've been watching movies and TV shows religiously. In terms of different professions, I surely could have been a movie/tv critic but trying really hard to find flaws into something and then blowing it out of proportion seems like a snobby job in my eyes. I've only ever seen a few reviews and they bothered me, so of course I make the illogical conclusion of categorizing everyone based on 10 reviews that I read. My point is that what I look for in stories seems to have changed.
Lets start with the Avengers storyline, to ensure that I piss off 95% of people that love going to the movies. Now before you point your finger and call me hippie douche that's going against the mainstream, trying to be different maaaaan, just hear me out. I enjoy the movies, they're fun to watch once. Then, I couldn't care less about them. The stories are generic, there's few things that are really deep during the story and all villains fall on a scale from below average to terrible. Characters are great and movies are fun. You put this in contrast with Nolan's Batman trilogy that blows all of them out of the water other than Captain America 2 that's also up there. CA2 is an exception to those movies and an amazing movie. Go watch it if you haven't!
I think in the past, I would have enjoyed said movies a lot more. Now, I seem to constantly look for stories that make you think, that make you talk about the movie or want to see the movie again and again. Maybe again due to age or seeing so many storylines so many times, I find a lot of the stories recycled with a slightly different color. Especially now that tv shows have completely overtaken movies as more engaging, taking more risks and the quality overall being much better, movies themselves aren't gravitating me as much as they did when I was such a young kid. I think the lack of quality is part of the reason why an above average franchise like the Avengers is printing billions of dollars. (in my opinion, I think this should be obvious since it's blog). Or the case me not being to accept that other people have different opinions and preferences than me.
Maybe due to age, we become more cynical as well, which might be partly a reason of my pessimistic view on the movie media. Regardless, I think this may related as design, illustration and web. We see so much, but for me, this gives us a chance to soak it all in like a sponge. When we do so, we use the little things that we see from so many references to create our vision, that is different enough to stand on its own. To me, advertising in particular has gotten better and better. Commercials are far more engaging and better thought out, on top of all the intrusive ways companies find to tell or sell us a product via a cellphone, table and/or computer. So while so many things are being repeated, I think we outta do something about being fucking creative. We're in this business for a reason, not to recycle the same shit over and over again.
Lets start with the Avengers storyline, to ensure that I piss off 95% of people that love going to the movies. Now before you point your finger and call me hippie douche that's going against the mainstream, trying to be different maaaaan, just hear me out. I enjoy the movies, they're fun to watch once. Then, I couldn't care less about them. The stories are generic, there's few things that are really deep during the story and all villains fall on a scale from below average to terrible. Characters are great and movies are fun. You put this in contrast with Nolan's Batman trilogy that blows all of them out of the water other than Captain America 2 that's also up there. CA2 is an exception to those movies and an amazing movie. Go watch it if you haven't!
an interesting take on creativity by Steve Jobs
I think in the past, I would have enjoyed said movies a lot more. Now, I seem to constantly look for stories that make you think, that make you talk about the movie or want to see the movie again and again. Maybe again due to age or seeing so many storylines so many times, I find a lot of the stories recycled with a slightly different color. Especially now that tv shows have completely overtaken movies as more engaging, taking more risks and the quality overall being much better, movies themselves aren't gravitating me as much as they did when I was such a young kid. I think the lack of quality is part of the reason why an above average franchise like the Avengers is printing billions of dollars. (in my opinion, I think this should be obvious since it's blog). Or the case me not being to accept that other people have different opinions and preferences than me.
Maybe due to age, we become more cynical as well, which might be partly a reason of my pessimistic view on the movie media. Regardless, I think this may related as design, illustration and web. We see so much, but for me, this gives us a chance to soak it all in like a sponge. When we do so, we use the little things that we see from so many references to create our vision, that is different enough to stand on its own. To me, advertising in particular has gotten better and better. Commercials are far more engaging and better thought out, on top of all the intrusive ways companies find to tell or sell us a product via a cellphone, table and/or computer. So while so many things are being repeated, I think we outta do something about being fucking creative. We're in this business for a reason, not to recycle the same shit over and over again.
Monday, 7 July 2014
Game of Thrones special, how good writting of one series is ruining my enjoyment of others
I am a massive fan of Game of Thrones. I haven't read the books yet, and I'd imagine that short statement is going to send alerts to the snobby GoT book readers who want to ruin the enjoyment of this series to everyone who hasn't read the books because they're assholes. Jesus, what a way to start, insulting the only follower of my blog and making them run away. Upon finishing season 4, I went to see the new X-men movie which many people were raving on about it being so amazing and the best one yet. It's not, First Class is by far the best X-men movie (I tend to forget my opinion isn't worth as much as I think it is).
very minor spoilers of X-Men: Days of Future Past
After finishing the movie, I had a bit of an awkward reaction. I didn't know what to feel. It ended on a really good note, and by that I mean the typical everything is dandy and happy. Now having watched Game of Thrones where bad things happen to good guys and good things happen to bad guys, it felt weird. Maybe 2-3 years ago, I would have just said allright and moved on. But this felt so Hollywood-like that I ended up being very disappointed for the ending, overall movie was a 9/10. Now maybe I am turning into the people I dislike that are wannabe critics who didn't get much attention from their divorced parents and want to be the most cynical people on the internet to get attention .. who knows.
Not to mention comics have always been known for reviving and bringing up dead characters like it's a fucking game, something that bothers me overall. You can't kill a main character, to make us all feel and thing bring him 10 issues later. Or you can always go about the way shonen manga and just kill them only to show them 3 chapters later that they're not really dead. Great job everybody, you're really giving me a sense of danger, especially knowing at the back of my mind that they will come back eventually for marketing $. Can characters just stay dead?
Game of Thrones makes me feel for characters, the sense of danger is real and not fabricated nonsense. I like that the bad guys had good qualities and that the good guys have qualities you see in bad guys usually, because none of us are perfect. We're all extremely flawed starting from me and then moving on up to much better human beings. I think great, realistic storytelling may have influenced my preference and opinion on storytelling after becoming such a big fan of Game of Thrones. Cheesy good endings have always irked me a little bit, but it's now more apparent after watching a series like GoT that's brutal in too many ways to list. I hope writers and directors take a note from GRRM and others like him to write more realistic storytelling from now on.
very minor spoilers of X-Men: Days of Future Past
After finishing the movie, I had a bit of an awkward reaction. I didn't know what to feel. It ended on a really good note, and by that I mean the typical everything is dandy and happy. Now having watched Game of Thrones where bad things happen to good guys and good things happen to bad guys, it felt weird. Maybe 2-3 years ago, I would have just said allright and moved on. But this felt so Hollywood-like that I ended up being very disappointed for the ending, overall movie was a 9/10. Now maybe I am turning into the people I dislike that are wannabe critics who didn't get much attention from their divorced parents and want to be the most cynical people on the internet to get attention .. who knows.
Can dead characters just fucking stay dead?
Not to mention comics have always been known for reviving and bringing up dead characters like it's a fucking game, something that bothers me overall. You can't kill a main character, to make us all feel and thing bring him 10 issues later. Or you can always go about the way shonen manga and just kill them only to show them 3 chapters later that they're not really dead. Great job everybody, you're really giving me a sense of danger, especially knowing at the back of my mind that they will come back eventually for marketing $. Can characters just stay dead?
Game of Thrones makes me feel for characters, the sense of danger is real and not fabricated nonsense. I like that the bad guys had good qualities and that the good guys have qualities you see in bad guys usually, because none of us are perfect. We're all extremely flawed starting from me and then moving on up to much better human beings. I think great, realistic storytelling may have influenced my preference and opinion on storytelling after becoming such a big fan of Game of Thrones. Cheesy good endings have always irked me a little bit, but it's now more apparent after watching a series like GoT that's brutal in too many ways to list. I hope writers and directors take a note from GRRM and others like him to write more realistic storytelling from now on.
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