Live Action Movie Discussion Thread

Rocketman · Post by **Rocketman** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:25 am

veshira wrote:I guess I'll be the only one to say, "This movie's gonna be awesome! Holy shit! They're making DBZ an American, live-action movie. Whoopy!"

(Please wait until I've been proved wrong to skin me. Kay thanks bye.)

Jerseymilk · Post by **Jerseymilk** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:58 am

Kunzait_83 wrote:
SSj Kaboom wrote:So won't it make it that much more fun to "correct" them?
No. I for one derive no pleasure in participating in such childish dick swinging contests. 2nd grade was a long time ago for me.

You are awesome my good man.

caejones · Post by **caejones** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:15 am

Hey, those contests were seventh grade, not second! Don't insult the 2nd graders!

But... yeah... need I point to a certain "Stronger or weaker after absorbing South Kaioshin" thread?

Still, I want to be optamistic.

But dangit, your ogic is well nigh flawless... ^^

Alice · Post by **Alice** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 2:53 pm

Kunzait_83 wrote: Problem 1) The “look”. - Right here, you’re stuck in a seemingly no win situation, as Akira Toriyama’s artwork and designs are at once so distinct and so synonymous and iconic with everything that is Dragon Ball, while at the same time being so outlandish and far removed from anything resembling reality (particularly and most notably in the hairstyle department, but also just as much in clothing and costuming as well); stay too close to the look of the characters as presented in the source material, and you wind up with something that’ll look absolutely preposterous and ghastly in live action. Stray too far, and it’ll cease to be recognizable as Dragon Ball. Right here, the filmmakers are placed on a precarious and slippery slope.

I disagree on this point, this does not seem so difficult to me to conceptualize visually while remaining recognizably Toriyama. I mean, look at Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. That's not a adaptation, but it's a great example that comic book style unreality is quite possible.

I do a lot of 3-D design work, I'm very used to working out how something on paper should translate to live-action, so to speak. I'd be willing to bet that any pro could see at least as well as me how this could work. Of course, you're right, it all comes down to whether or not the writer and director respect the source material and their artistic ability, but it's not impossible.

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:53 pm

Jerseymilk wrote:
Kunzait_83 wrote:
SSj Kaboom wrote:So won't it make it that much more fun to "correct" them?
No. I for one derive no pleasure in participating in such childish dick swinging contests. 2nd grade was a long time ago for me.
You are awesome my good man.

Hey, it was late at night, my brain wasn't working, and I was giddy about having finally finished my AMV. Cut me some slack here, sorry.

Kunzait_83 · Post by **Kunzait_83** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:55 pm

Jerseymilk wrote:You are awesome my good man.

Heh, you should see me when I'm drunk.

SSj Kaboom wrote:Hey, it was late at night, my brain wasn't working, and I was giddy about having finally finished my AMV. Cut me some slack here, sorry.

Consider your slack cut.

Alice wrote:I disagree on this point, this does not seem so difficult to me to conceptualize visually while remaining recognizably Toriyama. I mean, look at Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. That's not a adaptation, but it's a great example that comic book style unreality is quite possible.

I do a lot of 3-D design work, I'm very used to working out how something on paper should translate to live-action, so to speak. I'd be willing to bet that any pro could see at least as well as me how this could work. Of course, you're right, it all comes down to whether or not the writer and director respect the source material and their artistic ability, but it's not impossible.

Hey I never said in my (long ass) post that these problems were insurmountable; just that they were a collection of some of the more serious and obvious pitfalls that the filmmakers could easily fall into (and in some cases, more than likely will).

You're right though; the concept of a live action DBZ movie isn't an impossible one to pull off; its just the fact that DBZ in the U.S. has such a terribly spotty history that its hard to imagine that an endeavor as ambitious and challenging to pull off as a live action movie wouldn't be horribly botched.

Again, having a director and writers who are familiar with and possess a love and/or respect for the series is a crucial must. But we can't even get a halfway decent dub of the frickin' anime, done by an otherwise excellent and respectable production company. Compared to the other anime they've done, FUNimation has treated this series with nothing but disdain, little more than a kiddie cash cow to be whored out with little regard for artistic integrity; so what chance does this property have within the bullshit Hollywood studio system? I know the comparison is (in a way) apples and oranges... but again, this is Hollywood and Dragon Ball we're talking about here.

Again its not impossible; its just one hell of a motherfucking longshot.

Rocketman's post at the top of this page further proves my point. Japanese pop culture and Hollywood rarely, if ever, mix.

What we'd need to ensure that this be done right is something similar to the (long) upcoming Battle Angel Alita CGI movie. For those who don't know, it's a Hollywood produced CGI anime adaptation that is going to be helmed by none other than James "King of the World" Cameron. In other words you have an adaptation that will be put in the hands of someone who is a) a director of nearly peerless talent and b) a self professed gigantic fanboy of said anime.

From all the (vague and mildly rumor-esque) news we've heard regarding the DBZ movie, all signs thus far point to this being a rush paycheck job, and the nature of such a beast ensures that anything remotely resembling the Battle Angel scenario will not come to pass.

Not that I'm insinuating that it could only take a superstar director of James Cameron's caliber to pull this off reasonably well mind you... just someone who is (at the very least) a competent enough filmmaker who digs the series (preferably in its non-bastardized form) and not the studio hatchet man that this project has an excellent chance of ending up with.

JohnnyBoy_Z · Post by **JohnnyBoy_Z** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:58 pm

Rocketman wrote:

That would make a great live-action DBZ Movie 13 poster if tweeked a little bit.

caejones · Post by **caejones** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 5:55 am

Well, umm, maybe if we focus on how these problems could be overcome, the market researchers for the film will stumble on this thread and learn what they need to do?

... Yeah, didn't think so.

Hmm, how would they handle naming conventions?

Kendamu · Post by **Kendamu** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:37 am

If some marketing research guy comes across this, he'll probably go against all the suggestions because we're too "hardcore" about DBZ and do not reflect eh mass audience they're trying to appeal to.

Steven Perry · Post by **Steven Perry** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:58 am

Hey, has anyone checked out Anime News Network lately? They've got confirmation on the director! It's someone called 'Uwe Boll'- I've never heard of him, so I guess I'll do some research later.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... s-director

Prince Vegeta · Post by **Prince Vegeta** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:33 am

Steven Perry wrote:Hey, has anyone checked out Anime News Network lately? They've got confirmation on the director! It's someone called 'Uwe Boll'- I've never heard of him, so I guess I'll do some research later.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... s-director

Oh my good,this cant be.It's the guy who directed Alone in the Dark,Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and The Master of Disguise

Casual Matt · Post by **Casual Matt** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:35 am

Steven Perry wrote:Hey, has anyone checked out Anime News Network lately? They've got confirmation on the director! It's someone called 'Uwe Boll'- I've never heard of him, so I guess I'll do some research later.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... s-director

...

This can only lead to pain.

Kaze no Mune · Post by **Kaze no Mune** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:46 am

Steven Perry wrote:Hey, has anyone checked out Anime News Network lately? They've got confirmation on the director! It's someone called 'Uwe Boll'- I've never heard of him, so I guess I'll do some research later.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... s-director

That wasn't funny in the least. I was getting ready to start crying if it had beent true.

Steven Perry · Post by **Steven Perry** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:56 am

Damn it, people! Stop spoiling it, and play along! Edit your posts, quickly!!!

When you edit yours, I'll edit mine. 'kay? Thanks.

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 12:54 pm

That wasn't nice, Stevey. That was just cruel.

Chuquita · Post by **Chuquita** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:20 pm

Does this need to be more painful than it already is. @_@
Scared me there for a moment. >_O

JohnnyBoy_Z · Post by **JohnnyBoy_Z** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 1:47 pm

Almost gave me a heart attack! Not cool.

I'd rather Tarantino direct it than that guy.

Duo · Post by **Duo** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 2:28 pm

JohnnyBoy_Z wrote: Almost gave me a heart attack! Not cool.

I'd rather Tarantino direct it than that guy.

Tarantino would take it in an incredibly unpredictable direction, and it wouldn't come out -anything- like any previous form of Dragonball or fanfiction or anything.

But it would somehow be awesome as hell.

Chuquita · Post by **Chuquita** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:41 pm

Duo wrote:
JohnnyBoy_Z wrote: Almost gave me a heart attack! Not cool.

I'd rather Tarantino direct it than that guy.
Tarantino would take it in an incredibly unpredictable direction, and it wouldn't come out -anything- like any previous form of Dragonball or fanfiction or anything.

But it would somehow be awesome as hell.

Agreed.

Anonymous Friend · Post by **Anonymous Friend** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:17 pm

Steven Perry wrote:Hey, has anyone checked out Anime News Network lately? They've got confirmation on the director! It's someone called 'Uwe Boll'- I've never heard of him, so I guess I'll do some research later.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... s-director

Oh dear god, Stevie. I didn't click on the link but I did laugh my ass off cuz either it was a joke meant to give folks around here a heart attack and a stroke at the same time, or it was true and the only only other thing I could have done was cry. And I would be sure that if I started if I would ever be able to stop crying.

On another note, who thinks Uwe Boll's “Postal” will be worth seeing?