I'm all over this one. It's one of my favorite movies.
If they were going to add a larger shot of Bale/Jim on the cover, I wish they would have at least used a still from when he's up near the plane with all the welding sparks around. That's a beautiful scene.
At least it would be better than him randomly saluting someone.
I'm talking about how Spielberg tends to put in child actors who act with the sophistication of a 30 year old and are there to make the adults look stupid ie: the Dakota Fannings, that asian kid in Temple of Doom, the Jurrassic Park movies. Bale's smarminess was a result of his privileged upbringing and wasn't that fake smart alecky crap that Spielberg loves to put in there as comic relief.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yosemite Dan /forum/post/21783730
I'm talking about how Spielberg tends to put in child actors who act with the sophistication of a 30 year old and are there to make the adults look stupid ie: the Dakota Fannings, that asian kid in Temple of Doom, the Jurrassic Park movies. Bale's smarminess was a result of his privileged upbringing and wasn't that fake smart alecky crap that Spielberg loves to put in there as comic relief.
The problem is, that seems to be a growing trend - especially on TV. Every kid seems to be sophisticated and sassy with a bunch of one liners, followed up with a puppy-eyed "did I do that" punch line.
As a kid, I would have been tossed through a wall if I talked to my parents the same way kids on TV and in movies do.
It's not a recent trend. Cutesy, too-adult kids have been in movies since before Shirley Temple and Margaret O'Brien.
What Spielberg should get kudos for is Henry Thomas (and the other child actors) in E.T., who were the first kids I remember seeing in a movie that looked and sounded like real kids.
I'm personally more ambivalent about Bale's character in Empire of the Sun. I think the script soft-pedaled some of the real creepiness in the Malkovich character, and that made Bale's admiration of him much less problematic. But I still think Bale did a phenomenal job with what he was given, and I'm a fan of the movie generally.
Quote:
Originally Posted by networktv /forum/post/21793438
the problem is, that seems to be a growing trend - especially on tv. Every kid seems to be sophisticated and sassy with a bunch of one liners, followed up with a puppy-eyed "did i do that" punch line.
As a kid, i would have been tossed through a wall if i talked to my parents the same way kids on tv and in movies do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by penman /forum/post/21794416
what spielberg should get kudos for is henry thomas (and the other child actors) in e.t., who were the first kids i remember seeing in a movie that looked and sounded like real kids.
This title seems to be back in play after a long delay. I've had it pre-ordered since June, and just got a delivery date estimate for "September 25th-October 2nd" (with free super-saver shipping). And when I look it up on Amazon, it doesn't say "pre-order"... it appears to be available right now. Crazy that this title could just slip out under the radar!
EDIT: Argh; appears to have been an Amazon glitch. Now it says it's not available to order, and my own delivery date estimate has been revised again. Seemed too good to be true.
And Amazon.uk has the region free version for $21 including shipping to US, versus $34 directly from Amazon US. Even with the delay due to shipping by post, I should get my BD from the UK before or about the same time as those who ordered from Amazon in the US, and for $13 less.
I call this "Amazon arbitrage." Crazy that it exists at all, but it does.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NetworkTV /t/1399560/empire-of-the-sun-25th-anniversary-edition/30#post_21793438
The problem is, that seems to be a growing trend - especially on TV. Every kid seems to be sophisticated and sassy with a bunch of one liners, followed up with a puppy-eyed "did I do that" punch line.
As a kid, I would have been tossed through a wall if I talked to my parents the same way kids on TV and in movies do.
Ugh, it took me a while to associate my kid's sassy back talk with her consumption of those godawful Disney and Nickolodeon shows. When I figured it out, I blocked those channels. Took a couple weeks but the back talk slowly diminished. And just to make sure I wasn't imagining things I let her watch them again a few months later, and the back talk returned.
Thanks for these. Very excited! As with E.T. and THE COLOR PURPLE, I'm astounded how faithful the Warner releases are to their DVD editions: exact same color palette, exact same gamma and shadow detail... but a huge upgrade in resolution and "film-look". I love it when blu-ray releases can leap up in quality without completely changing the way the movie "feels" (cough cough... "RAIDERS"... cough cough)
Quote:
Originally Posted by steel_breeze /t/1399560/empire-of-the-sun-25th-anniversary-edition/30#post_22571817
Thanks for these. Very excited! As with E.T. and THE COLOR PURPLE, I'm astounded how faithful the Warner releases are to their DVD editions: exact same color palette, exact same gamma and shadow detail... but a huge upgrade in resolution and "film-look". I love it when blu-ray releases can leap up in quality without completely changing the way the movie "feels" (cough cough... "RAIDERS"... cough cough)
This is a movie that I think holds up over time. It will still be a great movie for anyone today who hasn't seen it.
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