Posts Tagged ‘puppets’
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I’m getting a lot of feedback from people about my Doom commentary today. They’re forwarding me on to behind the scenes reports that indicate that many of the monsters we’ll see on screen are, in fact, NOT CGI and are actually complicated costumes, puppetry and animatronics.
As taken from GameSpy.com…
One of the ironies of the DOOM movie is that, for a film based on a video game, there’s a concerted effort to use real sets and live characters, rather than relying too heavily on green screens and CGI. On our visit, we had a chance to visit several different sets: a reception area, your standard-issue corridors and hallways, a science lab, an excavation dig and a large portal chamber…
Almost as surreal is getting to see one of the creatures in action – in this case, we’re seeing a sequence with the Hellknight (bring referred to here as the Baron). Once again, this isn’t being done with CGI — it’s a real guy in a real costume. It’s not a cheesy rubber outfit, either; it’s an elaborate setup with all sorts of motors in the face to control the creature’s expressions.
Color me surprised! I wouldn’t have figured the producers of the film to be in synch with my concerns with the blow-em-up fare, but considering the marketing I’ve seen for the movie, I think my original assessment was valid.
Literally every trailer, commercial or photo I’ve seen for Doom seems to feature some kind of CGI gimmickry. That footage in conjunction with the fantastic, impossible creatures in the Doom monster gallery would lead one to believe the creature shop would choose CGI over practical effects. Getting that initial taste and not feeling particularly attracted to the project, I didn’t take the time to dig deeper and learn that it is Stan Winston’s studio who is behind the monster creation.
For those of you who don’t know Stan Winston, you can see his trademark for character design all over films like The Terminator, Predator, Aliens, Edward Scissorhands and Jurrasic Park. The guy has serious pedigree.
Does this mean that I’m more likely to see Doom this weekend? Probably not. But in light of these facts, I think it’s earned a little more respect.
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If you haven’t seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall, today’s comic probably plays a little to the inside. But in the chance you hear about it from friends or maybe read a couple of reviews, the most memorable scene in the movie is the lead character’s Dracula-inspired rock opera… performed by puppets.
On paper, it sounds kind of improbable or at least quirky for quirky’s sake. But I’ll tell you what… It works. I want to see that musical now!
Cami and I had an opportunity to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Saturday and I was more than excited to go. We’re lucky in the sense that we have lots of family around to watch Henry if we want to get away for a couple of hours to see a movie. But in the last several weeks, there hasn’t been anything I’ve felt strongly enough to inconvenience anyone about. Forgetting Sarah Marshall released a hilarious red band trailer a couple of months back and I knew right away this would buck the trend. I walked away happily undissapointed.
I’ve not had my heart broken to the degree that Jason Segel’s protagonist Peter experiences in this movie – and that’s probably a good thing. But I got the impression watching it that there was something profound being said about relationships and loss, motivation and inspiration. What happens during Peter’s trip to Hawaii isn’t all good. But that it gets him out of his rut and creating again when he gets back home spoke directly to me.
I respond very specifically to themes centered around creativity. I think most creative people will agree that it’s pretty much impossible to turn it off for any given length of time, but sometimes the hose gets kinked, so to speak. Sometimes your output is a trickle and sometimes its a torrent. I celebrate people who are able to deliver consistently. It’s a marvel to behold.
Segel’s character is the kind of guy that is creative and witty, funny and well-liked. But he’s so entrenched in his routine, he make molasses-like progress. Both creatively and in life. Being dumped by Kristen Bell’s title character (the star of the excellently named CSI rip-off Crime Scene: The Scene of the Crime) is actually the best thing that could have happened. The reawakening he experience in Hawaii is exactly the kind of transformation you would hope for when traveling. All of this is made more interesting by the fact that the lead character doesn’t recognize ANY of this while it’s happening!
I may be reading into things a little bit for a light romantic comedy. But I think the best comedies have a grain of truth in them. I think Segel should be extremely proud of the screenplay he created.
Be sure to tune in to The Triple Feature tonight at 9:00 PM CST at TalkShoe.com where we’ll be discussing Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Forbidden Kingdom, movie news from this weekend’s New York Comic Con and more! Call in with your questions and talk to us live!
See you then!
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