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Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (Dir. Wright, Cera, Kendrick, Evans, Schwartzman)

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Flying_Phoenix said:
The marketing for this was terrible. They marketed this as simply "another Michael Cera movie". That being said I doubt that this film ever had "blockbuster potential" but in terms of making a marginal profit like making 50-85 million in the box office and recouping the rest with home video sales was very possible. Hell just look at Kick-Ass. On paper it was a marketing disaster. An R-rated superhero movie staring a highschooler, having an 11 year-old female costar, I mean hell just look at it. When I saw the first trailer I thought it was going to be some teenage/family type ordeal but was shocked to see the previews on TV with it slapped with an R rating. I was even more shock to see it perform respectably in the American box office and just as well in the foreign making it reach a near total of $100 million. And to me Scott Pilgrim is an easier film to market being that it's PG-13 and practically screams "this is a nerds/gamers dream film!"

The market was there, they just flew past it.
i guarantee you that the person who cut together the trailers didn't get it.

David Fincher once did an interview about how trailer editors come to every project with the attitude of 'how do I save this film?' and will do whatever it takes to 'save' what they think is a project destined for failure.

in this case they thought it a great idea to make it look like yet another Michael Cera movie when it completely isn't that.

Fight Club was made to look like a film about men punching each other.

The Cable Guy was made to look like a wacky comedy.

the problem with doing that, is that you put the wrong initial audience in screens, and word of mouth is instantly killed. how many people here on GAF are saying stuff like 'Michael Cera always plays the same character, pass' when GAF is absolutely the audience that would get this film if they went to see it, but it wasn't marketed to GAF.

the comic-con stuff was good, but again, that's a small audience. the trailers blew everyone that would appreciate it right out of the cinemas.

but it WILL find its audience. good films always do.
 
plagiarize said:
i guarantee you that the person who cut together the trailers didn't get it.

David Fincher once did an interview about how trailer editors come to every project with the attitude of 'how do I save this film?' and will do whatever it takes to 'save' what they think is a project destined for failure.

in this case they thought it a great idea to make it look like yet another Michael Cera movie when it completely isn't that.

Fight Club was made to look like a film about men punching each other.

The Cable Guy was made to look like a wacky comedy.

the problem with doing that, is that you put the wrong initial audience in screens, and word of mouth is instantly killed. how many people here on GAF are saying stuff like 'Michael Cera always plays the same character, pass' when GAF is absolutely the audience that would get this film if they went to see it, but it wasn't marketed to GAF.

the comic-con stuff was good, but again, that's a small audience. the trailers blew everyone that would appreciate it right out of the cinemas.

but it WILL find its audience. good films always do.

I am randomly reminded of the movie Riding in Cars with Boys, starring Drew Barrymore. I remember the TV ads for the film making it look like another formulaic romantic comedy about a nerdy girl in the '60s who's boy-crazy.

The movie ends up being about how an unpopular girl in the '60s gets knocked up by a loser junkie (Steve Zahn, awesome performance) she's forced to marry, her dad disowns her despite loving his new grandson, and having a junkie husband (who eventually takes off) and being a teen mom to a son who hates her guts completely fucks over any chance she had of getting a good scholarship to go to a great journalism school. It's a pretty grim movie with some humorous moments, but I remember thinking "Worst. Mislead. Ever."

On a totally different note: If those of you that concerned about the movie's performance this weekend, think about how the first Austin Powers movie wasn't that successful at the box office but became a '90s (obnoxious) cultural icon. I'm not saying Scott Pilgrim vs. The World will end up defining a generation (although perhaps the graphic novels have achieved an iconic status among the geek/hipster subcultures at this juncture) this decade, but shit, weirder things have happened.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
More like takes over the world....
4gjl7q.png
 

Belfast

Member
Witchfinder General said:
Firstly, a movie must stand on its own two legs and not lean on the material its based on. Secondly, the problems I had with the movie enable their own legitimacy else I would not have been perturbed in the first place.

The movie does stand on its own two legs. You just seemed to be thinking that something was missing from it that might have been in the comics. I was simply saying there really wasn't (for most of it, anyway).

Despite the things people spoiler-tagged above, Scott Pilgrim is NOT Inception. It is not a world that needs the be dissected in that manner. That's the beauty of it!
 
Just saw this at Sunday matinee and I really liked it. Changes from the book were kind of cool but it felt weird how the movie finale was about the relationship and the book finale about Scott growing up. Plus, the lack of Kim Pine in the movie was disappointing especially considering how much time Knives got in relation.
Cera did a good job as Scott, i didnt think he could pull it off but he did pretty well.
 
Gooster said:
I am randomly reminded of the movie Riding in Cars with Boys, starring Drew Barrymore. I remember the TV ads for the film making it look like another formulaic romantic comedy about a nerdy girl in the '60s who's boy-crazy.

The movie ends up being about how an unpopular girl in the '60s gets knocked up by a loser junkie (Steve Zahn, awesome performance) she's forced to marry, her dad disowns her despite loving his new grandson, and having a junkie husband (who eventually takes off) and being a teen mom to a son who hates her guts completely fucks over any chance she had of getting a good scholarship to go to a great journalism school. It's a pretty grim movie with some humorous moments, but I remember thinking "Worst. Mislead. Ever."

On a totally different note: If those of you that concerned about the movie's performance this weekend, think about how the first Austin Powers movie wasn't that successful at the box office but became a '90s (obnoxious) cultural icon. I'm not saying Scott Pilgrim vs. The World will end up defining a generation (although perhaps the graphic novels have achieved an iconic status among the geek/hipster subcultures at this juncture) this decade, but shit, weirder things have happened.
Right now, a prequel to The Thing is being made, 25 years later. That film bombed when it came out. It's hard to believe in retrospect. So many classics bombed on release.
 
plagiarize said:
Right now, a prequel to The Thing is being made, 25 years later. That film bombed when it came out. It's hard to believe in retrospect. So many classics bombed on release.

The Thing would probably have had a better run if it hadn't competed with another movie about an alien who liked to get drunk and needed to "phone home."
 

LCfiner

Member
Saw this one today. It was OK. I was a big fan of the comic and the movie started off on all the right notes but I guess I just couldn’t deal with the over-the-top fight scenes and fantasy world when shown on screen.

it just seemed like too much. and the pacing for the second half of the movie felt very rushed compared to the more laid back first half. the ending in particular felt rather disjointed and I couldn’t help but think about how the reshoots must have changed particular scenes.

I thought the best stuff in the movie (much like the comic book, actually) was the “real world” stuff. the every day humor like how Scott dries his hands in the washroom and some of the dialog with his sister and friends. The video gamey, fantasy bits felt way more jarring to me seeing it on the screen instead of reading it on the page.

I don’t really know if it’s something that could have been handled better — if the tone of the movie could have been altered to accommodate the shift from real work to fantasy. I just know that a lot of the fight scenes and fantasy didn’t work for me even though I knew what to expect and enjoyed it on the page.

Still, not a bad movie. the good outweighs the negative for me and maybe I’ll warm up to it more if I see it again at home later on. My issues with the movie aren’t things that could be easily solved considering how the book is presented.
 

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
Did this movie have the "Scott's the best fighter in the province" line? I loved that in the books, but I didn't catch it in the film.

Nope.

Hey, Scott Pilgrim comic book fans. Is the iPad version changed in any way from the books? Would I miss anything by getting it in that format?
 
LCfiner said:
Saw this one today. It was OK. I was a big fan of the comic and the movie started off on all the right notes but I guess I just couldn’t deal with the over-the-top fight scenes and fantasy world when shown on screen.

it just seemed like too much. and the pacing for the second half of the movie felt very rushed compared to the more laid back first half. the ending in particular felt rather disjointed and I couldn’t help but think about how the reshoots must have changed particular scenes.

I thought the best stuff in the movie (much like the comic book, actually) was the “real world” stuff. the every day humor like how Scott dries his hands in the washroom and some of the dialog with his sister and friends. The video gamey, fantasy bits felt way more jarring to me seeing it on the screen instead of reading it on the page.

I don’t really know if it’s something that could have been handled better — if the tone of the movie could have been altered to accommodate the shift from real work to fantasy. I just know that a lot of the fight scenes and fantasy didn’t work for me even though I knew what to expect and enjoyed it on the page.

Still, not a bad movie. the good outweighs the negative for me and maybe I’ll warm up to it more if I see it again at home later on. My issues with the movie aren’t things that could be easily solved considering how the book is presented.

Like I said, coming from someone who didn't even know about Scott Pilgrim, the movie fell apart after the 3rd fight scene, but yeah, I thought the dialogue and everything else in the beginning of the movie was great.
 

SpeedingUptoStop

will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
Yea,
the twins had probably the best fight before the end (even though it was way too short), but they also had no personality outside of their music/fight style. They were the low point of the film, I had no idea how or why Ramona dated them
.
 
as someone who came at it as a fan of Edgar Wright and didn't know the comics, i loved it. the real world/sci fi blurring stuff felt like Spaced on a big budget.
 

SpeedingUptoStop

will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
plagiarize said:
as someone who came at it as a fan of Edgar Wright and didn't know the comics, i loved it. the real world/sci fi blurring stuff felt like Spaced on a big budget.
True. I don't think anybody else could have nailed this film like he did. It fit his style completely.
 
LCfiner said:
Saw this one today. It was OK. I was a big fan of the comic and the movie started off on all the right notes but I guess I just couldn’t deal with the over-the-top fight scenes and fantasy world when shown on screen.

it just seemed like too much. and the pacing for the second half of the movie felt very rushed compared to the more laid back first half. the ending in particular felt rather disjointed and I couldn’t help but think about how the reshoots must have changed particular scenes.

I thought the best stuff in the movie (much like the comic book, actually) was the “real world” stuff. the every day humor like how Scott dries his hands in the washroom and some of the dialog with his sister and friends. The video gamey, fantasy bits felt way more jarring to me seeing it on the screen instead of reading it on the page.

I don’t really know if it’s something that could have been handled better — if the tone of the movie could have been altered to accommodate the shift from real work to fantasy. I just know that a lot of the fight scenes and fantasy didn’t work for me even though I knew what to expect and enjoyed it on the page.

Still, not a bad movie. the good outweighs the negative for me and maybe I’ll warm up to it more if I see it again at home later on. My issues with the movie aren’t things that could be easily solved considering how the book is presented.
You wanted a story with a League Of Evil Exes and 1-Ups to be more realistic?
 
As happy as I am with Wright's adaptation, I honestly think the only thing I would have wanted from the comics is for a better exploration (or an exploration at all) of Scott and Envy's history together
(their closure in Finest Hour [or was it vs. The Universe?] was one of my favorite moments)
, even above Scott and Kim.
 
RobotNinjaHornets said:
Yeah, but how many people instantly ignored it because of him?
and that is his fault? he auditioned for a part, got the part cause he was great in the audition and then did a great job in the film, but it's his fault the film is a flop because some people presumed incorrectly that he only ever plays one character in one type of film?

i think refusing to cast a person because of limited 'name appeal' or whatever would be the exact sort of cynical studio crap that we want to avoid.
 

MNC

Member
SpeedingUptoStop said:
Yea,
the twins had probably the best fight before the end (even though it was way too short), but they also had no personality outside of their music/fight style. They were the low point of the film, I had no idea how or why Ramona dated them
.
To be fair, they were underwhelming in the books as well. It was less about them, more about Ramona's history and character development /9outside of the twins)
 

Cartman86

Banned
I'm seeing a lot of people who just decided not to go see it because they thought it looked stupid which is too bad. Everyone in the packed theater I was in loved it. Including my two friends I dragged with me. I can understand though with the trailer not really selling the movie well. You could see a lot of the target audience (gamers) thinking it looked to pandery. Giantbomb and Screened really seemed to exemplify that. So much so that I was kind of down on the movie before seeing it even with Edgar Wright.

PS: The Michael Cera hate is really really weird. It's gotten to the point where I know people who refuse to see movies he is in.
 
plagiarize said:
and that is his fault? he auditioned for a part, got the part cause he was great in the audition and then did a great job in the film, but it's his fault the film is a flop because some people presumed incorrectly that he only ever plays one character in one type of film?

i think refusing to cast a person because of limited 'name appeal' or whatever would be the exact sort of cynical studio crap that we want to avoid.
Oh, I completely agree, I just meant that because he was in it, people ignored it, that's all. I have nothing against the man at all, and would love to see him get people not to view him as just an awkward teen all the time.
 

fireside

Member
I didn’t really care for the comic, and was completely uninterested in the movie from the trailers, but I thought the movie was great and better than the comic. Many scenes worked better on screen and the dialogue was superior.

The movie could have used a couple more minutes fleshing out the Twins though. They just show up and then are beaten in the span of three minutes.
 

farnham

Banned
SpeedingUptoStop said:
Yea,
the twins had probably the best fight before the end (even though it was way too short), but they also had no personality outside of their music/fight style. They were the low point of the film, I had no idea how or why Ramona dated them
.
it was pretty much the same in the original.
 

LCfiner

Member
polyh3dron said:
You wanted a story with a League Of Evil Exes and 1-Ups to be more realistic?
Nope. I wanted the shift from pedestrian and realistic Toronto to crazy video game world to be less jarring. I don't even know if that is possible. I just know that it didn't bug me in the comics but it did in the movie.
 

BocoDragon

or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
LCfiner said:
Nope. I wanted the shift from pedestrian and realistic Toronto to crazy video game world to be less jarring. I don't even know if that is possible. I just know that it didn't bug me in the comics but it did in the movie.
The whole movie takes place in "fantastic Toronto"... that's why you see "click click" or whatever when he flips a lightswitch... there's all kinds of CG effects swirling around them when they play music, etc.

I think it's odd to yearn for a sharp division between "real" and "fake" reality... that just brings up too many questions about the nature of the story/universe. Easier just to say "it's all a crazy world".
 
LCfiner said:
Nope. I wanted the shift from pedestrian and realistic Toronto to crazy video game world to be less jarring. I don't even know if that is possible. I just know that it didn't bug me in the comics but it did in the movie.

Dude. I was on the Subway yesterday coming home after seeing Expendables and Scott Pilgrim, suddenly a fight broke out.

It was a sudden and jarring experience but shit like that does happen. I did pick up a quarter one of the guys had dropped.

Totally plausible.
 

bozeman

Member
plagiarize said:
i guarantee you that the person who cut together the trailers didn't get it.

David Fincher once did an interview about how trailer editors come to every project with the attitude of 'how do I save this film?' and will do whatever it takes to 'save' what they think is a project destined for failure.

in this case they thought it a great idea to make it look like yet another Michael Cera movie when it completely isn't that.

Fight Club was made to look like a film about men punching each other.

The Cable Guy was made to look like a wacky comedy.

the problem with doing that, is that you put the wrong initial audience in screens, and word of mouth is instantly killed. how many people here on GAF are saying stuff like 'Michael Cera always plays the same character, pass' when GAF is absolutely the audience that would get this film if they went to see it, but it wasn't marketed to GAF.

the comic-con stuff was good, but again, that's a small audience. the trailers blew everyone that would appreciate it right out of the cinemas.

but it WILL find its audience. good films always do.

The Road.

Rent The Road, watch it, then watch the 2 trailers. What film were they advertising?
 
So I'm a big fan of the director, but everything about the movie's advertising is yelling out "trying too hard" to me. But at the same time the concept sounds awesome.

I'm deciding between this and Get Low. I don't really have a ton of money right now so I can only see one. Any thoughts?
 
timetokill said:
So I'm a big fan of the director, but everything about the movie's advertising is yelling out "trying too hard" to me. But at the same time the concept sounds awesome.

I'm deciding between this and Get Low. I don't really have a ton of money right now so I can only see one. Any thoughts?

You like Edgar Wright? Why are you even contemplating to go see Get Low, anyway? Go see Scott Pilgrim. It's the kind of movie you want to see in a theater.
 
timetokill said:
So I'm a big fan of the director, but everything about the movie's advertising is yelling out "trying too hard" to me. But at the same time the concept sounds awesome.

I'm deciding between this and Get Low. I don't really have a ton of money right now so I can only see one. Any thoughts?

Watch Scott Pilgrim. Please.
 

Chorazin

Member
DeathbyVolcano said:
I don't give a shit that this movie bombed. It came out. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Who gives a shit.
Pretty much what Kevin Smith just said on Twitter: When you're way out front w/the puck you've gotta wait for folks to catch up. PILGRIM will age very well. Don't be a fink about box office.
 

sn00zer

Member
I kinda thought the story was literally set in a 90s videogame/comic
Characters die and no one notices/cares....scott really wonders if Patel is really a pirate...the overall over the top nature...everyone knows how to fight even if by most logical reasons they shouldnt (staple of pretty much every videogame)....yeah im saying that all of that stuff isnt metaphorical at all its actually happening

Oh and by far the best part of the movie
D D D D D D D D D D D
- shit just got real
 
Littleberu said:
You like Edgar Wright? Why are you even contemplating to go see Get Low, anyway? Go see Scott Pilgrim. It's the kind of movie you want to see in a theater.

I want to see Get Low because: I love Bill Murray, and Robert Duvall is awesome. And it's 87% on RT, and I'm in one of the few places in the country where it's playing in a theatre.


Is Scott Pilgrim really big on spectacle? I felt like Inception was a film I HAD to see in a theatre, does SP do things that make you think you'd really lose a lot of the impact seeing it on Blu-Ray or whatever? Or is the reason you "want to see in a theater" is because of the audience experience?
 

JAD0109

Neo Member
Kind of a long shot, but it's worth a try:

Would anyone be kind enough to find/make a good Ramona (movie version obviously) wallpaper for me? I'd prefer 1920x1200. The only decent ones I've found have had other characters in it, and I want one with just her.

Thanks in advance.
 

sn00zer

Member
btw when I saw the movie it was 4:3 (I was in a theater and there were black bars left and right of the screen) is this how the movie was shot?
 
sn00zer said:
btw when I saw the movie it was 4:3 (I was in a theater and there were black bars left and right of the screen) is this how the movie was shot?

Are you sure the screen wasn't extended to 2.35:1 and the black bars were just to keep it at 1.85:1? It shifts aspect ratios occasionally, but always just by adding bars to the top and bottom.
 
sn00zer said:
btw when I saw the movie it was 4:3 (I was in a theater and there were black bars left and right of the screen) is this how the movie was shot?

Yeah it sounds like someone at your theater didn't set the masking properly. The movie is 1.85:1 for most of the film.
 

sn00zer

Member
BenjaminBirdie said:
Are you sure the screen wasn't extended to 2.35:1 and the black bars were just to keep it at 1.85:1? It shifts aspect ratios occasionally, but always just by adding bars to the top and bottom.
Nope it looked like how I described black bars left and right, and during fights black borders all the way around..twas weird but not a deal breaker in the least

EDIT: Kinda figured someone fd up... all good though twas still awesome
 

Jedeye Sniv

Banned
JAD0109 said:
Kind of a long shot, but it's worth a try:

Would anyone be kind enough to find/make a good Ramona (movie version obviously) wallpaper for me? I'd prefer 1920x1200. The only decent ones I've found have had other characters in it, and I want one with just her.

Thanks in advance.

Not movie Ramona or 1920 but I made this today, so I thought I'd share:

m8hesz.jpg
 

Volcynika

Member
Saw it earlier and really enjoyed it. Aside from the few things here and there that were kinda off, I look forward to picking it up when it's out on blu-ray.

The one huge complaint I have was not the movie, but the theater. That piece of shit projector stopped like 4 times completely, leaving us with a black screen and listening to crappy music from the theater 'radio station' or whatever. Fortunately the movie didn't keep rolling and we came back without missing anything, but damn. That's just annoying.
 

sn00zer

Member
btw the best part of the movie is that no movie has been made like this....ever
At no point was I thinking "Ive seen this before"...a new movie going experience....novel idea

also the music is all kinds of fuck-awesome...really liked Envy's song and the
bass and twins battle music
...so well done
 
sn00zer said:
btw the best part of the movie is that no movie has been made like this....ever
At no point was I thinking "Ive seen this before"...a new movie going experience....novel idea

also the music is all kinds of fuck-awesome...really liked Envy's song and the
bass and twins battle music
...so well done

There are zany movies like this that exist. They're few and far betweens. None have covered gaming. Obvious influences for the film version (besides the books) are Phantom of the Paradise and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Go watch!
 

Nelo Ice

Banned
just saw the movie last night and it was brilliant :D

went with my cousins and they LOVED it and one of my cousins was in shock in how good the movie was :D

speaking of which the whole theater was cracking up during every joke especially the
vegan police

alsomy cousin and his gf loved the movie and it convinced them to read the comics of course i hope they dont lose my copies :lol

also since i read on here about the m. night trailer i was waiting for his name to pop up and when it did i booed and everyone just starting laughing :lol
 
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